Time passed day by day.
Three months passed, and in June, the weather was unbearably hot. However, even under such hot weather, Guazhou was still prosperous. Although the opening of Guazhou was due to Du Qi, everyone in Guazhou had benefited from it. Because countless merchants gathered here, countless businesses were completed here, and the daily turnover was huge.
This was the benefit of tax exemption.
Countless merchants obtained a lot of benefits through tax exemption.
At the same time, many goods from Xia Xia were sold to the Tang dynasty, and many products from the Tang dynasty were sold to Xia Xia. This caused the flow of goods between the Tang dynasty and Great Xia to increase the economy of both countries.
However, overall, Xia Xia had the initiative. This was because Xia Xia's perfume, wine, glass, and cement were all sold, and each industry was extremely profitable. The other merchants from Xia Xia also earned a lot of money through Guazhou's policies.
In terms of mirrors, there were not only small mirrors, but there were also full-length mirrors and all kinds of mirrors.
In terms of perfume, after entering the Tang dynasty, there was a breakthrough in the development of glass, and there were already glass bottles. This kind of glass bottle was more transparent, and the perfume inside looked more high-end and stylish. Hence, perfume became popular in a short time, and countless women used it. There was even a lighter and more elegant perfume that was specially designed for men.
These things quickly spread among the people.
Li Shimin did not care about the business matters among the people. He only had one thing to do now, which was to develop the country's power and contact Tibet, Goguryeo, and others to deal with Du Qi.
With Li Shimin's arrogance, if it was in the past, he would not contact other races. However, the current Li Shimin's mentality had changed, and he was willing to join forces with other parties.
However, this matter progressed very slowly.
It was not easy to succeed.
On this day, when Li Shimin was dealing with government affairs in the palace, Zhangsun Wuji hurried in. Zhangsun Wuji's expression was very serious. When he saw Li Shimin, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty!"
Li Shimin waved his hand to let Zhangsun Wuji take a seat and said, "Assistant, you look very serious, what's the matter?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it is the latest news from the western regions. All the spies, including Lu Jinsheng, as well as the other planted spies, have been eliminated. Because these spies were suddenly removed, we didn't send back any news for a long time. "
"Before this, there was no news. We thought that Xia Xia had calmed down. Only now do we know that it was Du Qi who had set his eyes on our people. Then, he used thunderous means to destroy our people. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "The incident happened around March. It's the beginning of June now. It's been two to three months since we received the news. This is a huge blow to our intelligence network. "
Li Shimin's expression also had an additional hint of solemnity as he said, "Du Qi this brat is really not simple! We arranged so many people, but they were all removed. The paralysis of the Western Region's intelligence system makes it even more difficult to infiltrate. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty is right."
"Fu Ji," Li Shimin said, "Fu Ji, the envoys arranged to various countries to lobby, so far there is no news?"
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Not at the moment."
Li Shimin said, "Du Qi has wild ambitions. He actually proclaimed himself as the emperor of Xia Xia. I want to see how long he can last. Once we succeed, it will be time to attack Du Qi again. "
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. We will definitely win."
Li Shimin said, "I also believe so."
After a pause, Li Shimin suddenly said, "Du Qi killed many of our spies in Xia Xia, and Du Qi this brat also has many spies in our Tang dynasty. Have the bad guys found out about these people? "
"No!"
Zhangsun Wuji shook his head and answered.
Zhangsun Wuji said, "Your Majesty, Du Qi once controlled the bad guys. What he let the bad guys know, only the bad guys know. What he doesn't let people know, the bad guys have no way of knowing. So, we are not clear about this line of Du Qi for now. Even if we want to investigate, there is no way to start. After all, Du Qi's people rarely operate. If they do something strange and do something, then we have a chance to find these people. But now that they have not done anything, it is very difficult. "
Li Shimin said, "Think about it slowly. We must find them."
"Yes!"
Zhangsun Wuji answered.
"Report!"
At this moment, a servant entered and reported, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Revenue, Dai Zhou, requests an audience."
Dai Zhou was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.
He was in charge of Li Shimin's money bag. The previous Ministry of Revenue was called the Ministry of Commoners. Because of Li Shimin's name, it was renamed to the Ministry of Revenue. Dai Zhou was already close to 60 years old and was quite old.
Because he was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he was very tired. His hair was already white, and his face was full of wrinkles and gullies, making him look very old.
Dai Zhou's back was slightly bowed as he stepped into the hall and bowed, "Dai Zhou greets Your Majesty."
Li Shimin ordered, "Give him a seat!"
The servant immediately brought a seat.
After Dai Zhou sat down, Li Shimin said, "Minister Dai, is there a reason for you to enter the palace today?"
Dai Zhou said, "Your Majesty, I am here to report good news."
Li Shimin's face revealed a bright smile, "It is rare to have good news. Minister Dai, what good news do you have?"
Dai Zhou said, "Today, I have calculated the taxes collected in the country for the fifth month. Compared to the fourth month, the taxes have increased by 20%. Compared to the third month, it has increased by 50%. The increase in the business tax in these few months is very obvious. "
Li Shimin said, "The increase in the business tax has made our treasury more abundant. This is a good thing."
Zhangsun Wuji suddenly said, "Minister Dai, in these three months, the business tax that has always been stable suddenly started to rise. It has increased so quickly. Do you know the reason behind this? "
Li Shimin also looked at Dai Zhou with a curious look.
Dai Zhou stroked the white beard under his chin and said slowly, "I have indeed investigated this matter carefully. The reason for such a rapid increase is firstly because of the increase in the sales of cement in the country. More and more people are using cement. Secondly, there are all kinds of mirrors. These mirrors can clearly reflect one's appearance. Countless people are buying them. Thirdly, there is the appearance of perfume. This is the most important factor."
"Although the increase in the business tax has been increasing, it has not increased by much compared to the previous month. However, the appearance of perfume has spread throughout the country. There are too many people buying it. It is simply innumerable. Coincidentally, there are countless people selling perfume. Therefore, the tax paid by the merchants has increased greatly. "
Dai Zhou said, "Of course, there are many other industries that have also achieved breakthroughs in sales. In addition, the imperial court's policies are also not bad. Therefore, there is a leap in sales today. However, the main thing is still perfume. "
Li Shimin felt strange and was even more confused. He asked, "Minister Dai, what is perfume?"
Zhangsun Wuji also said, "That's right. I have never heard of it before."
Dai Zhou explained, "Perfume is used by women. Just apply a little on your body and the fragrance will assail your nose. It is as if you are in a sea of flowers. The fragrance is extremely pure and makes people feel very comfortable. Nowadays, perfume has become popular among the noble ladies in Chang 'an and many places in the Tang dynasty. However, perfume is quite expensive. Just a little bit will cost a few strings of money. It is precisely because of this that the tax has increased by such a large margin. "
Li Shimin was even more confused after hearing this. He asked, "Where did the perfume come from?"
Dai Zhou said, "It is from the Western Region."
After Li Shimin heard this, he was absent-minded for a moment. He did not even need to think to know that it was made by Du Qi. Therefore, he asked, "This perfume, could it be made by Du Qi?"
At this moment, Li Shimin suddenly felt jealous. Du Qi, this brat, really knows how to make money. From the very beginning, he started out with a tea shop. Now, he already has too many businesses, easily making money.
However, it was extremely difficult for him to make money.
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