With the arrival of the new year, every household was busy. Those with stalls were busy selling their own goods, while those who were not in business were busy cleaning up. At the same time, they bought all the things they needed for the new year.
The prices of goods in various places suddenly increased. Usually, the villages and small counties would increase their prices by 10% to 20%. The counties where the prefectures were located would increase their prices by 20% to 30%. Cities like the capital and Luoyang would all increase their prices by more than 30%.
There was also a 50% increase in the prices of other goods, but there was no more, and there was no 100% increase. Of course, luxury goods and antiques were an exception.
This was a habit that had been formed in recent years. Under the macro adjustment, the market economy would fluctuate normally. Merchants without strength could not increase their prices, and those with strength did not dare to do so.
The economy in the Tang Empire had always maintained stable growth. It was not that the people did not have money, but that the people who had money to spare no longer stared at the necessities for survival. Instead, they began to buy goods that could improve their quality of life. Good clothes, beautiful jewelry, and comfortable houses were all things that the people yearned for.
There were also people who liked traveling. As long as they had more savings, they were willing to go out for a stroll and see what other places were like. There was not much of a burden in terms of survival. The biggest burden was comparing with their neighbors.
The people in the village compared with each other to see whose family had a better life, whose wife was virtuous and beautiful, whose children had good academic results, and even began to play more musical instruments. Everything involved in life was compared to each other.
The strong people in the village began to compare with the people in the county. Competition was everywhere.
However, the people did not have the pressure to survive. There was no expenditure on education and medical care. In theory, there was no expenditure, but in reality, there was still a part of the expenditure. For example, if they felt that a school was good, the adults in the family would want to move. If they moved their family there, the children would naturally go to the local school. Also, the local medical center's medical standards were not good enough. If they fell ill, the family would have to think of ways to bring the patient to a better place to seek treatment.
There was no expenditure on medical care and education. The money was used on support. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not care about such things. In fact, they could not do anything about it. It was the most basic desire of human survival.
As for the social unrest caused by the increase in the production of goods in the process of economic development, it had always been balanced by shifting the crisis.
For example, if the production of oranges in Huainan Province increased by three times, there would also be a lot of fruits in other places. In the face of a backlog, there would be people organizing large ships to process the oranges and ship them overseas. Although the oranges would not be able to maintain the original price, their income would increase. At the very least, it would be faster than inflation.
Then, the extra money would naturally be used to improve their lives or be deposited in a bank for future generations to use.
Luxury goods were particularly important in such a social environment. Production technology had also begun to be used on a large scale, such as hand-cranked juicers and soy milk makers, ovens that used coal or firewood as fuel, and glass windows that had begun to decrease in price.
These were middle-grade consumer goods that the people of the Great Tang, who already had enough to eat and wear, were willing to pursue. Once wages, grain, and animal husbandry increased again, the middle-grade consumer goods would become low-grade daily products, and the high-end consumer goods would become middle-grade consumer goods.
For the Great Tang, this was a virtuous cycle. As long as the production technology could keep up and the speed of production was controlled, the Great Tang would not face any problems.
But for the countries and tribes outside, this was an enormous threat. Their basic production capacity could not keep up, and when they bought things from the Great Tang merchants with great difficulty, they would not be able to use them for more than a few years before new and better things appeared.
There was always competition and competition between people. Whether or not to buy new things was a problem. If one did not have enough money to buy them, what would one do if others saved up enough money to buy them?
"Thus, without the help of basic technology from outside, the weak countries that depend on the products of the strong countries will never be able to develop. Their human resources have always been used to buy the daily necessities of the strong countries, but these daily necessities are luxuries to them.
In order to enjoy more of the things of the Great Tang, they will inevitably use all sorts of methods within their own countries, or rather, use any means necessary. There will be fierce internal struggles, even wars, and they will not be able to free up their hands to develop their country's economy.
Thus, we must limit the export of technology and not allow them to obtain better technology. While we are researching the seventh generation technology, the common people are using the fourth generation technology, and the army is using the fifth generation technology, their technology cannot surpass our second generation technology. "
On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, there was still one day before the New Year. Zhang Xiaobao was not idle. He was giving a lecture to Li Longji, the members of the imperial household, and those who specialized in national strategy.
It was not that Zhang Xiaobao wanted to give a lecture today, but there were some people whose minds were beginning to become unstable. In a place near the Strait of Malacca, or to be more precise, a local tribe in Singapore, an extremely intelligent tribal chief had suddenly appeared.
This tribal chief had told the merchants that he was willing to submit to the Great Tang, to truly submit. He would even allow the Great Tang to send officials to govern the area and build factories there. They would provide large amounts of land and cheap labor, and they would even be able to provide no money, as long as they provided two meals.
At the same time, they wanted to be educated by the Great Tang. They would use the local jewels to hire Great Tang teachers to give lectures to their people.
The news spread as the merchants returned home. Many people were overjoyed. They felt that this was what it meant to subdue the enemy without fighting, and it showed the Great Tang's style of being a powerful country.
Thus, Zhang Xiaobao could only call them over and give them a lecture to prevent them from really agreeing to the tribal chief's proposal.
Wang Juan was also listening. After Zhang Xiaobao finished, she continued, "They will learn our technology and apply it. They will indeed not use this technology to attack us, but they will attack others. They will take great risks to occupy other people's land and head to unknown and distant places in the sea.
This is a competition for resources, a motivation to promote the development of their civilization. If you want to leave some enemies for your descendants, then agree to their proposal. "
"Enjoy the New Year, everyone." Li Longji said and stood up to leave. His meaning was clear. He asked the people present not to agree, and they had to be careful in the future.
"Madam, let's go as well." Zhang Xiaobao went to support Wang Juan as if he was protecting a treasure. The others also stood up to send them off.
"Let's go, let's go. To think that we would encounter such a situation after coming back for the New Year. It's vexing. Don't put your thoughts on the outside world. Develop properly within the Great Tang. There's no need for you to change the strategies of the outside world. Rather than helping a hundred outsiders, it's better to raise the standard of living of one Great Tang citizen."
Li Xun, who had rushed back from outside, complained to the crowd before walking away. The remaining members of the imperial family had ugly expressions. What right did Li Xun have to speak like that? It was just that he was close to Zhang Xiaobao. The crown prince didn't even say anything.
*****
The firecrackers of the New Year rang out one after another. Quite a few people had come to the residences of the Zhang Family and Wang Family. There were farmers, Li Longji, and other members of the imperial family. Instead of celebrating the New Year with the common people, they had run over to the Zhang Family and Wang Family to have a reunion dinner.
Any other family would have already been unable to celebrate the New Year. With the Emperor present, they would have to wait on him. Fortunately, the Zhang Family and Wang Family often met with Li Longji, so they were not as cautious and cautious as before. Li Longji even went to pay his New Year greetings to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's grandparents. Although he didn't kneel, he still bowed.
The other princes also had to pay their New Year greetings. People like Xiao Bei and the crown prince had to kneel and kowtow. Although the old man and old lady didn't have much authority, and they had only received a title in name, they had a grandson and a granddaughter. If both of them had to kneel, what about you?
Of course, they didn't kneel for nothing. The old man and his wife gave each of them a large red packet. In addition to more than ten thousand strings of cash, there was also a plan for the development of the Great Tang that they were currently busy developing. This plan had been specially drawn up by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. To them, the plan was more useful than money.
The amount of each dish on the table wasn't large, but there was a variety of dishes, and they could all be tried. In truth, they couldn't eat much at all. The adults were chatting, while the children were being led by Xiao Bei to set off firecrackers. Their own family and the children from Zhuangzi all listened to Xiao Bei. Xiao Bei was so busy that she didn't have much time to play. She was constantly organizing and coordinating.
"When Xiao Bei grows up, she'll also be a Prime Minister." Li Longji said with a smile as he watched Xiao Bei run in and get the children to grab some sunflower seeds. Then, he led them out in a hurry.
When the members of the imperial family heard this, they had other thoughts. Before anyone could say anything, Zhang Xiaobao's voice rang out. "Xiao Bei won't do. Being the Prime Minister is too tiring. It's better for her to play happily all day. Only someone who has the ability and can put their thoughts on the country and the people can be the Prime Minister."
"What a pity!" Li Longji shook his head and said. However, he was still thinking about whether or not he should get someone from the Zhang Family and Wang Family into the Hall of Governmental Affairs in the future. Otherwise, it would be easy for bad things to happen.
For example, when others saw that no one from the Zhang Family and Wang Family was an official in the imperial court, they would think that the power of the two families had decreased. Then, they wouldn't care and would bully them when they had conflicts.
The consequences of that would be very serious. It would easily send a bad signal to the people. Even if the people who provoked them were dealt with, the people would think that the imperial family didn't value the Zhang Family and Wang Family.
Li Longji thought about it like this. For a moment, he didn't know who to pull into the Hall of Governmental Affairs, so he could only put it aside for the time being. He asked Zhang Xiaobao, "When are you leaving?"
"After the second day of the first month, we'll leave immediately to get married. We have to go back to Zhuangzi. That's where our real home is," Zhang Xiaobao replied. He and Wang Juan had to go to Sanshui County's Zhang Family and Wang Family's Zhuangzi to complete the wedding.
Li Longji frowned. "Will we make it in time? Cuckoo can't bear the bumps. "
He knew that Wang Juan was pregnant and wanted to congratulate her. Unlike the women in the village, it was shameful for them to get pregnant before marriage. However, when it came to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, it wasn't a big deal. Logically speaking, they couldn't sleep together before marriage. However, after the two of them got engaged, it was no different from getting married.
This was actually discrimination against women. However, even if Xiao Bao and Cuckoo had given birth to a child a year ago and hadn't gotten married, no one in the Tang Dynasty would think that Cuckoo was bad. Instead, they would give the child a lot of blessings. However, there would probably be people who would talk about Xiao Bao and ask why he didn't get married earlier and had a child.
As Li Longji thought about this, a smile appeared on his face. He believed that the people of the Tang Dynasty would really talk about Xiao Bao in front of him. It was fine now. Coming a month earlier was just right. Their parents would probably be anxious.
Zhang Xiaobao did not know what Li Longji was thinking. He replied, "It's fine. The ice on the river that we passed through this year is not broken yet. If we walk on the ice, we have a diesel powered snowmobile. We can even go back a few days earlier to make arrangements and rest."
"Really?" When Li Longji asked this question, he already knew that the truth wouldn't change. It had to be true. He thought in his heart that the best technology had always been used on his family. Back then, Xiaobei's house was the same. Now, it was the same.
Zhang Xiaobao nodded with certainty.
Li Longji smiled again. "Just nice. I'll go too and join in the fun."
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