On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the sky was gloomy. No one knew if it was going to snow or rain.
The merchants in Chang 'an received the news that starting in February, they would start to collect sanitation management fees.
"It's said to be paid once a month. It's not much. They only collect money from the shops. They don't collect money from the stalls or the sellers," someone said to the merchant next to him.
"Is it to sweep the streets? Isn't it always done? Why do they collect money? "More merchants gathered to express their confusion.
"It's different. It used to be a fixed time for the garbage to be delivered. Now it's delivered several times a day. They can throw it away at any time. They even give a trash can."
"What's the difference?"
"It's hot. The garbage will smell after a long time."
"I sell cloth. I don't have any garbage."
"But there's dust outside. They help to sprinkle water after sweeping."
"How do they pay?"
"They measure the size of the shop. Your shop is twice as big as mine. If I pay 100, you pay 200."
"200 is not much. I'm afraid it'll be more than that."
The merchants were talking, but the officials in the court were silent. They pretended not to know and no one tried to persuade them.
They knew how profitable it was to lift the curfew. The merchants were willing to pay as long as they were allowed to sell at night.
Now they said they would pay more people to sweep the streets and sprinkle the water.
Every square was a residential area. Some of them would do some small business in the temples or Taoist temples. Others didn't.
They felt that if they hired more people in Chang 'an, they wouldn't make any money. They would just use the merchants to support others and make the streets cleaner.
There was nothing to persuade them. They had eaten a lot of vegetables in the winter, which were given by His Majesty.
After the court meeting, Yao Chong went to Li Longji alone.
"Your Majesty, how much money can you make by collecting sanitation fees and increasing the number of times you clean Chang 'an?" Yao Chong was curious.
In his opinion, if Li Yi came up with an idea, it wouldn't be so simple.
"I don't want to compete with the people for profit," Li Longji said.
Yao Chong: "…"
He took a deep breath to show that he believed it. Then he asked, "Then … is the money collected enough to hire people to clean the streets?"
"It should be … enough," Li Longji said with uncertainty.
"Your Majesty, your humble subject serves Your Majesty wholeheartedly …"
"Let the people get used to it first, especially the merchants." Li Longji hurriedly explained when he saw that Yao Chong was feeling wronged.
"And then?" Yao Chong had achieved his goal.
"Then, there are also businessmen who want to enter the city. They also have to pay the sanitation fee. If they pay less at a time, they won't accept empty carts."
Li Longji finally mentioned the place where he could make the most money, which was the mobile vehicles.
If he were to push a small cart or carry a shoulder pole, he would not be charged.
Of course, those who came in by water were also taken in. Based on this calculation, a day's worth of money wasn't a small sum.
The key was that the merchants were used to paying some money, so there wouldn't be much of a conflict when taxes were collected in the future.
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty." Yao Chong was convinced. He left Xing Qing Hall and looked up at the sky. He felt that it was getting gloomier.
"I knew Li Yi's idea wouldn't be that simple." Yao Chong shook his head, took a deep breath, and returned to the Political Affairs Hall.
**
"Brother Yi, looking at the sky, is it going to snow?" Li Chengqi came to have lunch with him today.
The sky was gloomy, giving people a sense of oppression. There was also a slight breeze, which made people uncomfortable to breathe.
The people who were eating did not have much of an appetite. Some of the villagers were sitting at the table in a daze, holding a book used to learn how to read and drink soup.
Li Yi was in good health, so he didn't have much of a reaction. However, he sent oxygen bags to the older people in Zhuangzi.
If anyone felt uncomfortable, they could take a few breaths to avoid having to be rescued after collapsing.
He had an oxygen machine, so he only needed to use a little electricity. The rescue would require medicine, which was a big difference.
"Brother, when you leave, take a few bottles of oxygen. I will give you a pressure reducer and oxygen bags. You can see how much oxygen is left in the oxygen bottle. If it's empty, send it back to the bottle and get another one."
Li Yi did not answer the question of whether it would snow or not. He didn't know either.
However, he knew that the probability of diseases in this weather was high. He couldn't help others, but he estimated that they could find a way to send his brother and the others to the palace.
"Okay!" Li Chengqi agreed. He thought of his father. He was old, so he could prepare one.
He ate a mouthful of food and said, "I went to see the seafood in East City. I want to go to the sea area you mentioned. How can the cold water be separated from the others? The price shouldn't be the same. "
"I can taste it. The seafood in the cold water area grows slowly, and the meat is more compact. At the same time, there is less sand.
After you fish it up, don't directly dry it. You should put some salt in the shellfish and put it in a bamboo basket. They will spit out the sand in the clear water.
Otherwise, it will be difficult to clean up the sand after they die. It looks like it will take some effort, but the price can be higher. It's good to eat cooked seafood as snacks. "
Li Yi explained the difference and processing method.
He used to buy shrimps to eat. The shrimp lines in the warm water area were not removed, so it was uncomfortable to eat.
However, the shrimps in the cold water were almost invisible.
Of course, if they were too dry, the meat would still be compact.
Li Chengqi repeated it to show that he remembered it.
"Brother Yi, can you bring back fresh seafood?" Li Chengqi knew that the seafood transported from the seaside were all dead. He wanted to try the live ones.
"Use a big wooden bucket to fill with seawater or the ship's tank. Keep it all the way back.
Or just fish it out. Use ice to fill it up. It's 600 miles urgent. Remember, it's best to breathe. "
Li Yi had never thought of eating fresh seafood. It was not like they were in another place. They could eat all kinds of seafood in Chang 'an. There was cold chain logistics.
Where could they find live seafood in Chang 'an now?
"Forget it. Use a ship …" Li Chengqi felt that a ship could be used. He specially made a big tank and filled it with seawater.
Some of the seafood would die when they returned, but there would still be some fresh seafood left.
There were many rich people in Chang 'an. They could get back all the money by selling some of the seafood.
"If you use a ship, don't be too dense. At the same time, change the water frequently. In fact, I have medicine here, but it's not worth using it on seafood."
Li Yi saw that his brother was tempted. If they could find a ship, they could give it a try. He also wanted to eat live seafood, especially the big sea crabs in autumn.
The taste was not as good as river crabs, but there was a lot of meat.
Otherwise, who would dare to eat dead crabs?
"Okay. We will try to ship the first ship back. We will eat them first and sell the rest later. We will still invest according to the dividends and profits."
Li Chengqi decided to do business first. Li Yi had never taken the money. He was the one who invested the money.
But he kept the accounts, including the money from selling the oysters. A part of it was included in the operating costs. As for the public relations fee, it was given to others for free.
After dinner, Li Chengqi took ten 40-liter oxygen tanks and a lot of oxygen bags and left.
He went straight to the palace and threw an oxygen tank to Baifu Palace.
He had to use water transportation all the way here. Naturally, he would need to use water transportation. He also had to change the boat construction. He needed to tell Li Longji about this.
Li Yi continued to write the thirty-six stratagems. He had finished two stratagems and was ready to let the students of Zhuangzi University copy it.
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