Shen Yu's hand that was holding the teacup paused. He suddenly realized that it was just as Shang Junlin said. Since he entered the palace, everything he did was not restricted. Even when it came to matters related to the imperial court, as long as he mentioned them, Shang Junlin would implement them.
A strange feeling welled up in his heart. It was sour and hot. Shen Yu used the action of drinking tea to cover the strange expression on his face for a moment.
"I didn't think it through. I punish myself by drinking a cup as an apology." Yan Zheng's face flashed with a trace of unnaturalness. He picked up the wine jug, poured himself a full jug of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Lin …" Yan Zheng was stuck. He really couldn't call the two words "Madam" in front of the elegant young man.
"Yu," Shang Junlin picked up a piece of fish for Shen Yu with his chopsticks, "You can call him Young Master Yu."
"Young Master Yu."
Yan Zheng had always been generous when it came to banquets. This time, he ordered all the famous dishes of Yingxing Tower. The cost of a table was not small.
Yan Zheng didn't immediately talk about business. Shen Yu was also not in a hurry. When both sides were almost done eating, they talked about cooperation.
Shen Yu had the intention to cooperate. Otherwise, he wouldn't have personally come to see Yan Zheng. He just had Shopkeeper Xu send him away. His identity meant that there were many things he couldn't personally take care of. If there was a reliable partner, it would be much more convenient.
"Where does Young Master Yan want to sell these things?" Shen Yu put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.
"To be honest, I want to sell these things outside the pass at a high price." Yan Zheng directly said his plan.
"Outside the pass?" Shen Yu raised his eyebrows, "Does Young Master Yan have a trade route to outside the pass?"
Because of the loss of a large area of land during the reign of the late emperor, Dahuan didn't open the trade route to outside the pass. Of course, there was no explicit ban on merchants doing business outside the pass. As the relationship between Dahuan and other countries stabilized, there were gradually developed merchants who specialized in traveling inside and outside Dahuan. They would sell Dahuan's goods outside the pass at a high price, then bring back goods from outside the pass and sell them at a good price.
However, the risk was very high.
After all, without the protection of the government, the slightest carelessness could allow robbers to rob them. The loss of property was small, but in serious cases, they could even lose their lives.
"I have some connections." Yan Zheng smiled. "Compared to Da Huan, I prefer to earn money from people outside the border."
Yan Zheng was obviously prepared in advance. Their conversation was organized and clear. Shen Yu also expressed some of his own ideas. Shang Junlin also joined in the discussion. The final plan was more perfect than the initial one.
The smile in Shen Yu's eyes deepened. This was the advantage of cooperating with a smart person. There was no need to explain too much. Just point out a point and the other party would understand what it meant.
"It's not convenient for me to appear often. Shopkeeper Xu will discuss the details of the cooperation with you. If you have any other questions, you can look for Shopkeeper Xu directly. Shopkeeper Xu is in charge of the trading of these items." Shen Yu didn't want to go out of the palace often because of this kind of thing. Compared to doing it personally, he preferred to let his subordinates do it.
"Okay, I'll talk to Shopkeeper Xu about the details."
"In addition to the items suitable for women, I have some other goods that are suitable to be sold outside the border. If there is a chance, I look forward to continuing our cooperation in the future."
"I also hope to cooperate with Gongzi Yu for a long time. Oh right, has Gongzi Yu heard about the donation order that the imperial court is planning to release?"
The official version hadn't been released yet. The Ministry of Revenue was still discussing the specific reward measures. However, some people who were close to the officials of the imperial court had already received the news in advance.
For example, Yan Zheng, who had formed a relationship with the Ministry of Works because of road repairs.
After receiving the news from the officials he was close to, Yan Zheng had been preparing for this matter. He wasn't a short-sighted person. Of course, he knew how beneficial this matter was for merchants.
This was directly receiving the approval of the imperial court. It was more useful than having a good relationship with any local official. For them, it was only a little money. Bribing anyone was the same. If they could establish a relationship with the imperial court and gain a good reputation, why not?
"You're talking about the donation to Subei?" Shen Yu didn't expect the Ministry of Revenue to act so quickly. The news had already been leaked.
"Yes, I don't know who came up with this idea. It's too beneficial for us merchants. The bosses I know and I have all decided to do our best. Every little bit counts." Yan Zheng casually mentioned it. "The local aristocratic families will certainly be willing to contribute. Have the two of you heard that there are several families in Jiangbei that have stockpiled large amounts of grain and are planning to sell it to Subei?"
Shen Yu didn't know about this, but he remembered that in his previous life, several local aristocratic families had suddenly risen at this time. Later, they had provided a lot of convenience to the King of Yue.
"Your Majesty, why do you think Yan Zheng told us about the local aristocratic families?" Shen Yu asked after returning to Yuzhang Palace.
"He should have deliberately revealed it to us. If I'm not wrong, the Ministry of Revenue will soon receive this news."
The Minister of Revenue got the news from the Minister of Works. After the Minister of Works stopped asking for money from the Ministry of Revenue, the relationship between the two eased up. They were no longer as incompatible as before.
"They're good. At this time, they're still thinking about making a lot of money." The Minister of Revenue was angry.
They didn't send all the grain to Subei because they were afraid something like this would happen. If the grain fell into the hands of the aristocratic families, these people would only raise the price in order to make money. If the common people couldn't afford the grain, there would be a big problem sooner or later.
"Don't be angry. Didn't we know about it in advance? When the time comes, we'll think of a way to get them to donate a batch of grain." The Minister of Works comforted.
"I have to think of a way to squeeze more grain out of them. They actually want to take advantage of the drought in Subei to make money without conscience."
After the Minister of Revenue returned, he immediately called people from the Ministry of Revenue to talk about this matter.
In fact, they all knew that because of the late Emperor, there were many internal problems in Dahuan. Compared to the capital, there were more problems in the local areas. The aristocratic families were growing stronger day by day, and the vassal kings had too much control over the local areas. These were all problems that needed to be solved.
The next day, Shang Junlin received a booklet from the Minister of Revenue regarding the local donation plan.
After reading it, even though he knew that the Minister of Revenue wouldn't let go of this opportunity, he didn't expect him to be so ruthless.
"What's going on?" Shen Yu walked over and took the booklet from Shang Junlin's hands. "What's written here?"
"It's from the Minister of Revenue." Shang Junlin's eyes revealed a trace of a smile. "It seems that he's furious."
The booklet wrote what he heard from the Minister of Works. He deeply felt that these aristocratic families had a heart for the country and the people, and intended to help them fulfill their wishes.
After reading it, Shen Yu was amused. "If those aristocratic families knew that their intentions were misinterpreted by the Minister of Revenue like this, their expressions would probably be very good."
These people didn't care about what would happen in Subei at all. They just wanted to take this opportunity to make a big profit. Shang Junlin later sent people to investigate. The aristocratic families in the capital knew how to restrain themselves. Many of the aristocratic families in the capital had already begun to wantonly purchase grain. However, the price they offered was slightly higher than the market price. The people happily sold the surplus grain at home.
If they didn't discover it in time, when the national treasury was empty, these aristocratic families would have enough grain in their hands. The price of grain in the market would be controlled by them. At that time, it would be time for them to wantonly amass wealth.
Shen Yu didn't know how the matter in Subei was resolved in his previous life, but according to the subsequent development, it seems that many hidden dangers were buried.
"The vassal kings also have a lot of supplies in their hands. After operating for so many years, some people's private stores are even richer than the national treasury. It's not a day or two that I've wanted to move against them."
The vassal kings were always a thorn in the emperor's heart.
"We can't rush to deal with the vassal kings, but we can collect some interest first. After enjoying the convenience of the imperial family for so long, it's time for them to contribute to Dahuan." Shen Yu hooked the corners of his mouth.
"A Yu is right." Being led astray by Shen Yu, Shang Junlin had already begun to imagine what they could take from the vassal kings and use them in Subei.
"Does Your Majesty plan to transport these collected supplies to the capital and then to Subei?" Shen Yu walked to Shang Junlin and sat down. "If it's urgent, Your Majesty might as well directly transport them from the original place. But this way, special officials will need to be sent to the place to supervise this matter. Before arriving in Subei, the local garrison will escort them. After arriving in Subei, they will be escorted by the Subei army."
Shang Junlin thought for a moment and felt that this was also a good idea.
After the Ministry of Revenue's discussion, the matter of donating to Subei was raised in the morning court. Although the ministers had already heard the rumors, they still felt that it was inconceivable when they officially heard it.
In particular, the Minister of Revenue's idea was that the bulk of the donations came from the people.
It was undeniable that the method proposed by the Minister of Revenue could solve the current predicament of the imperial court, but …
"This official thinks it's inappropriate."
"What's inappropriate?" The Minister of Revenue glared at him. "Or can Jia Daren think of a better way? Then this official will listen with respectful attention. "
"This … how can the imperial court ask for money from the people? Isn't this embarrassing? "
"How is this asking for money? Isn't it voluntary? As a citizen of Dahuan, Dahuan is in trouble, so it's reasonable to contribute. Or is Jia Daren unwilling to contribute?"
"This official thinks that this method is very good." The Prime Minister stood up. "To show my support, this official is willing to donate one thousand taels of silver."
The other two cabinet ministers also stood up and expressed their willingness to donate money and food. From the moment the Ministry of Revenue leaked the news, they knew that His Majesty was determined to do this. Rather than oppose it and make His Majesty unhappy, it was better to agree and contribute.
Putting aside everything else, they also felt that this method was the most beneficial for Dahuan. They were already in the cabinet, so the first thing they had to ensure was Dahuan's stability.
After the ministers' discussion, the method proposed by the Minister of Revenue was further improved. After it was finally confirmed that there were no mistakes, it could be implemented.
The people in the capital who had connections heard the news and began to make preparations.
Shang Junlin came back from court and didn't find Shen Yu in the room: "Where is Guijun?"
"Greetings, Your Majesty." The palace servant who was called hurriedly saluted. "Guijun is in the small theater over there."
Shang Junlin went to the small theater. The small theater was north of Yuzhang Palace. Shen Yu rarely went there. Some time ago, he had discussed with Shang Junlin to redecorate it.
Before he walked in, he heard the sound of opera from inside.
"When did A Yu like to listen to opera?" Shang Junlin walked into the small theater and happened to see Shen Yu lowering his head and saying something to a person in a pink costume.
Before he could be jealous, he saw Shen Yu waving at him.
"Your Majesty, come quickly. Let's see how this part can be changed."
"What are you doing?" Shang Junlin didn't know what was going on and walked over.
"I'm making up a play for the people in the capital. Before the imperial court issues an order, let them understand the meaning of what they are doing."
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