Finally, the empress left with Ren Baqian from the roof beam. The emperor of a nation who came out to visit incognito ended up fleeing for her life.
Of course, she didn't let Tong Zhengye off the hook and kicked him out of the street.
Tong Zhengye crashed into a house and landed on another street. He lay there pondering for a long time before clapping his hands and understanding what the empress was referring to.
"Ren Baqian … You tricked me!"
The empress heard Tong Zhengye shouting from afar and asked, "What did you trick him into?"
"I forgot!" Ren Baqian replied.
"Oh!" The empress nodded and didn't ask any further.
The two walked around the Baishi District for another half a day. While the other districts of Lan City were gradually desolate, this place that sold all kinds of weapons, farming tools, and ironware was much more lively.
Thanks to the weapons left behind by the Great Xia army and the iron ore brought back from the Yun Nation by the auxiliary army, the price of iron ore in Lan City had dropped, and the ironware market was much more prosperous than before.
Ren Baqian even saw imitation manual fans here! It was the kind that he made in the beginning. He pulled it with a rope and it spun for a while.
The blades of this kind of fan were made of wood and sold well at one tael of silver.
The two then walked around the Shihu District. This used to be the largest trading place for animal hides, but it was now almost closed.
"Have you ever thought of selling something? The income of the national treasury is too low, and Tu Wan has complained many times, "the empress asked as they walked.
"Although the salt produced by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue can replenish the national treasury, the silver has been used to fill the previous deficit. Furthermore, the price of salt in Dayao is too high, and it's a huge burden on the people. In particular, as you said just now, the animal hides of the aborigines have rotted, so there's naturally no income. Therefore, I want to reduce the price of salt by about half so that the people can afford it. "
"Did someone tell Her Majesty about this?" Ren Baqian smiled.
"I know what they are thinking, but they aren't wrong. This nation belongs to me, and you have to share some of my worries. That's why I came to ask you. Other people can have their own ideas and keep the good things in their hands, but I can't because I'm the empress. You are my husband, so you can't do it either! "the empress said slowly.
"Of course, what Your Majesty wants to do is what I should do!" Ren Baqian laughed.
After that, the two of them found a place to sit down on the street. Ren Baqian pondered for a long time before saying, "We should collect some fur!"
"Why?" The empress was puzzled.
"Ever since the start of the war, the merchants of the three countries have disappeared. The fur of the mountain people cannot be sold and they have all rotted away. Naturally, the mountain people have no income. Without income, they naturally have no spending power.
If they were to collect the furs now, it would give the mountain people some income. With this income, they could spend it in the city and purchase the necessities they needed to survive.
Secondly, tanning furs required manpower and could increase the income of these people. At the same time, it could also improve the situation of some people.
The money in the warehouse was just a number, but when it was circulated, it could stimulate the entire market and change the lives of many people.
Finally, the price of furs is extremely low now. As long as we can find a market and sell the furs to Great Xia, we will be able to make a fortune. "
The empress was a little confused when she heard what Ren Baqian said. Dayao's business model was very primitive and there were very few types of taxes. As a result, they didn't pay much attention to business.
As Ren Baqian spoke, the empress listened attentively. In any case, Ren Baqian was better than her in this aspect.
However, she was rather happy that the fur of the mountain people wouldn't rot away. Just like what Ren Baqian said, at least this could solve some problems.
"This matter can only be done by you. If you want to take money from the national treasury, Tu Wan will go crazy," the empress said.
"Naturally." Ren Baqian nodded his head. If he wanted to marry the empress, he would naturally have to take care of the mess in Dayao. He didn't have any conflict in his heart at all.
"What they want is spices, right?" Ren Baqian muttered to himself.
"This thing is in the hands of Your Majesty, no one dares to touch it. However, if it is given to them, it will be planted in every household.
With the current price of spices, as long as they have access to it, they won't let it go. And it is extremely easy for those ministers to get the seeds of spices from the Ministry of Works.
At that time, the most likely outcome will be that all the farmland around Lan City will be filled with spices. Not only will the price of spices plummet, it will also affect the planting of grain crops. After a few years, when the situation has stabilized, I will give it to them. "
"I can take out some other things, such as daily necessities like soap, cotton, and textile technology."
"As long as you think it's possible." The empress put one hand on Ren Baqian's shoulder, rested her chin on the back of her hand, and naughtily blew into Ren Baqian's ear.
She still remembered that every time Ren Baqian came close to her ear and spoke, she would feel an itch from her ear all the way to her heart. Therefore, she wanted to see how Ren Baqian would react.
"Ah!" Ren Baqian let out an exaggerated scream. He tilted his head and knocked it on the empress's forehead.
"Hmph!" The empress snorted and sat up straight. Ren Baqian's scream was too exaggerated, and his acting wasn't good enough.
"Let's go back!" the empress said.
"Okay."
…
The next day, Ren Baqian went to the Ministry of Works and taught Tong Zhenye how to make soap. Then, he helped Tong Zhenye plan the construction of Dayao's first soap factory.
Following which, he started to hire workers, open a shop, and set up a leather processing factory on a piece of wasteland outside the city.
After a period of time, a shop on Lan City's Jingyang Street put up a sign that said "Buying Furs."
The shop had only been open for a few days, and it was already packed with aboriginals who heard the news.
The furs that had been piled up for a long time and had even started to rot were transported into Lan City in large quantities. Then, they were weighed in the courtyard behind the shop!
Yes, weighed!
Ordinary furs were measured by catties, just like collecting waste paper.
The price was slightly lower than the price that the merchants from the three nations had paid, but this was enough to make the aboriginals ecstatic.
After knowing that this shop had the backing of the imperial family, many people saw this as a good deed done by the empress to show compassion for the people. After all, Dayao didn't have the means of tanning furs. Furthermore, there was a war going on outside, and the trade routes were all cut off.
The only reason why the empress did this was because she pitied the people.
In an instant, the empress's reputation rose by another level.
An emperor who could show compassion and treat the people well was enough to make the emperor loved and respected by the people.
Moreover, the empress was the strongest aboriginal. She could win battles and treat the people well, so she was the best emperor in the hearts of the people.
During this period of time, there were some changes in the war in the Yun Nation.
First of all, the elephant soldiers appeared on the battlefield. This kind of thick-skinned behemoth reaped great results from the very beginning.
Zi Donglai used the elephant soldiers as the vanguard to attack the enemy and annihilated nearly 100,000 soldiers from the Yun Nation in one battle.
Of course, more than half of these elephant soldiers were lost in this battle. They could be said to have become consumables and were crippled in one battle.
However, Zi Donglai's goal was achieved. This battle directly reduced the available military strength of the Yun Nation by half.
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