Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 206: Your Majesty, I will give you a Xining Reform!
Su Yun smiled and said, "How are these dishes?"

Zhen Shixuan said anxiously, "Of course it is top quality. Oh, don't tell me this. It's winter, even if it's worse than summer vegetables, so what? Scarcity makes things valuable. Just tell me, why did you ask me to come here?"

Su Yun said: "When I was managing the Huimin River before, I told the government that the reason why Cai Village was fighting so hard was because they were too poor. So we need to cure the root cause and help them get rich. This is the result of my work during this period. What do you think, Zhen Zhonggui?"

Zhen Shixuan's eyes widened and he said, "You created such a mountain of gold just for this?
One million catties of winter vegetables, how much did winter vegetables cost before? I remember it was two guan per catty, so one million catties would be two million guan!
My God! This is a fortune!"

Su Yun smiled and said, "Chief Cai, tell Zhen Zhonggui, how many crops of vegetables can be harvested from this cave in one winter?"

Chief Cai raised three fingers and said, “Various vegetables have different harvest times, but in this humid and warm environment, most vegetables can be harvested without waiting until they are fully mature.

Moreover, we can harvest in different plots, and make up for it right after one harvest. There will be one crop at the beginning of winter, another in two months, and another in early spring, a total of three crops!"

Zhen Shixuan's eyes suddenly shrank: Three batches, six million strings of cash!
One hundred and twenty years have passed since the founding of the Song Dynasty. Since the current emperor ascended the throne and carried out reforms, the country's taxes have risen to the highest level since the Xining year. However, the annual income is only more than 60 million strings of money. How can this cave earn more than 600 strings of money in one winter!
This is already one-tenth of the country’s tax revenue!

Seeing Zhen Shixuan's expression, Su Yun naturally knew what he was thinking and said with a smile, "Of course it's not as scary as you think. Scarcity makes things expensive. Previously, the winter vegetables that could be produced were all grown in hot spring water. The quantity was too small, so they could be sold at a high price. But now there are more, so naturally the price will fall."

Zhen Shixuan shook his head and said, "Winter in Bianjing lasts up to four or five months, and there are no fresh fruits for up to six months. There may be some for two months before or after, but they are rare.

Three million kilograms may sound like a lot, but when spread out, it's only about ten thousand kilograms of vegetables every day. In the huge city of Bianliang, there were more than tens of thousands of people, including royal relatives, civil servants and generals, wealthy businessmen, envoys from all over the world, who were willing to spend a few strings of cash on a meal of vegetables.

There are also some relatively well-off families, more than hundreds of thousands of whom can grit their teeth and eat a few meals of fresh vegetables and fruits throughout the winter.

There are tens of thousands of kilograms of vegetables produced every day, which is not enough to distribute. If we want to lower the price, we need at least hundreds of thousands of kilograms of vegetables a day.

So, there is nothing wrong with this algorithm.”

Su Yun laughed and said, "Well, I met someone who understands me."

Zhen Zhonggui looked at Su Yun and said, "Such a big matter happened to the Su family, why are you looking for me? I can't handle it."

Su Yun nodded and said, "I want to ask Zhen Zhonggui to help me think of a solution. After all, this kind of wealth is like a mountain of gold and silver. No one can afford it, whether it's the Cai family or me. After thinking about it, I have to ask you to help me make some plans."

Zhen Shixuan smiled upon hearing this, his expression already showing some gratitude, and said: "Master Su, you just want to give me a great deed, right? In fact, you can just offer it directly to the emperor."

Su Yun smiled and said, "They are just some filthy things. I am afraid that the emperor will despise them if I offer them directly to him."

Zhen Shixuan laughed and said, "The emperor will not dislike such filthy things, otherwise why would he want to reform the law... Well, since Mr. Su thinks of me like this, I can't let you down..."

At this point, he looked at Chief Cai, who was already stunned. Chief Cai immediately said, "You guys chat, I have something else to do outside, so I won't keep you company."

Zhen Shixuan said: "Wait."

Patriarch Cai suddenly froze in place.

Zhen Shixuan looked at Su Yun and said, "Mr. Su, the Cai family is here..."

Su Yun said: "I gave 10% of the shares."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Shixuan immediately shook his head and said, "You've given too much, Su family. Now this ten percent is already 600,000 strings of cash. If it is expanded in the future, it may be several million strings of cash. How can the small Cai family afford it?

Chief Cai, the Su family is good to you, but you can’t afford it. Millions of taels of wealth, can you imagine how many powerful people will come to fight for it? If things go wrong, you, the Cai family, will die!"

Patriarch Cai suddenly broke out in sweat.

The head of the Cai clan quickly said, "Your Excellency is right. Then our Cai clan..."

"Wait." Su Yun stopped the head of the Cai clan, and then said to Zhen Shixuan: "The Cai clan is the one I chose to grow vegetables. They are very united and can just keep this foundation.

Besides, the big head has to be presented to the government. With the government protecting it, no one will dare to fight for it, right?"

Zhen Shixuan waved to Chief Cai, and Chief Cai quickly left the cave.

Zhen Shixuan watched the head of the Cai clan leave the cave, and then whispered: "Your arrangement is good. The Cai clan dares to gather the young and strong to fight against the court. They are indeed good candidates to protect this foundation. However, giving them 10% of the shares is still too much."

Su Yun smiled and said, "Only those who have permanent property can have perseverance. This vegetable cave was built by the Cai clan. If they can't get enough benefits, how can they have the heart to protect it well?"

Zhen Zhonggui nodded, thought for a while and said, "10% will be given to Cai's company, and the remaining 90% of the shares, how do you plan to arrange it?"

Su Yun smiled and said, "I don't want a cent, I'll give it all to the government."

Zhen Shixuan was surprised when he heard this and said, "You don't want a cent? This is a fortune worth millions of taels, and you're going to give it all to the government?"

Su Yun nodded and smiled, "That's right. Zhen Zhonggui knows best how the emperor treats me. It's not an exaggeration to say that his kindness is as heavy as a mountain. This little thing is nothing."

Zhen Shixuan was shocked and admired, "Master Su is indeed worthy of being Master Su, and the unparalleled benevolent and filial Su Lang of Jiangyou is indeed worthy of his reputation. I have been walking around in and out of the palace for so many years, and this is the first time I have seen you like this. It's really amazing!"

Su Yun smiled and shook his head, saying, "The emperor's favor is too great. I'm afraid I won't be able to repay it in this lifetime. I can only repay it bit by bit."

……

Chongzheng Hall.

Zhao Xu put down a memorial with a very ugly look on his face. The memorial was submitted by a local official, who was also discussing Xu Xi's presidency of Yongle City, and the insults were quite harsh.

Zhao Xu was furious, but only for a moment. Although he was considered a relatively autocratic emperor among the emperors of the Song Dynasty, it was a consensus among the emperors of the Song Dynasty that the channels for speech should not be blocked.

So even though the official cursed harshly, he could only listen.

However, it still makes me feel uncomfortable when someone points at my nose and scolds me.

He heard footsteps outside and it was Sun Sigong who was to his surprise. However, Sun Sigong's footsteps were a little disordered, as if something big had happened.

Zhao Xu's heart suddenly tightened: Could something really have gone wrong in Yongle City?

Judging from the time, Xixia should have responded in the near future.

Zhao Xu raised his head and looked towards the entrance of the palace, only to see Sun Sigong with a happy look on his face. Zhao Xu felt relieved. Even if there was news from Yongle City, it was good news!

Sun Sigong stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Great news!"

Zhao Xu laughed and said, "You old servant, why are you keeping me in suspense?"

Sun Sigong leaned closer and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Su family has recently made a big deal. Do you still remember the Cai family in Cai Village?"

Zhao Xu nodded and said, "Why, what does Cai want to do now?"

Sun Sigong said: "Didn't the Su family write to you before, saying that the reason why Caicun blocked the canal was because Caicun was poor.

After the Huimin River was tamed, Mr. Su thought of a way to investigate Cai Village. After several months of preparation, he dug a cave. "

Zhao Xu was stunned and asked, "A cave? What is it for?"

Sun Sigong smiled and said, "The caves are used to grow vegetables. Winters in the north are cold and nothing grows. Only the royal family can use hot spring water to grow some vegetables and fruits.

But the quantity was too small, and even the palace did not dare to eat it freely. "

Zhao Xu shook his head and asked, "Are there any hot springs in Cai Village?"

Sun Sigong shook his head and said, "There is no hot spring in Cai Village, but this underground cave was created by the Su family. It can grow vegetables without hot springs.

The Su family's cave is insulated by the ground, facing the sun, and using coal for heating in extremely cold weather, so vegetables can be grown in extremely cold winters."

Zhao Xu was quite interested when he heard this and said, "That's a good thing. If it can really be grown, the people will have a good time."

Sun Sigong chuckled and said, "I'm afraid the common people don't have this good fortune. Do the officials know how much a pound of vegetables costs in winter?"

Zhao Xu smiled and said, "I think it is very expensive, maybe the same price as meat?" Sun Sigong smiled and said, "The main meats sold on the market now are mutton, pork, chicken and duck. Mutton is the most expensive, about 900 coins per catty. Pork is much cheaper, about 120 coins. As for chicken and duck, it is about 70 or 80 coins.

But for winter vegetables, guess what the price of one kilogram of vegetables and fruits can be sold at the market?"

Zhao Xu was quite interested in this. After all, it involved people's livelihood issues. He quickly said, "It can't be more expensive than meat, right?"

Sun Sigong said with emotion: "You guessed it right, Your Excellency. Vegetables in Bianjing cost at least two strings of silver coins per pound in winter. A cucumber the size of a thumb costs one thousand silver coins!"

Zhao Xu was also surprised when he heard this, but then nodded and said, "I think so. After eating pickled vegetables for a long time, I am willing to spend a few coins to eat some fresh vegetables."

Sun Sigong chuckled and said, "Does the emperor know how many vegetables Caicun can grow this winter?"

Zhao Xu's heart moved, and he said, "Could it be that there are quite a few?"

Sun Sigong said excitedly: "The underground caves built by the Su family can harvest 200 kilograms of vegetables each time, and 600 kilograms every winter.

Cai Village now has 1,000 mu of land for growing vegetables, with 5,000 underground holes, which means that 3 million kilograms of vegetables and fruits can be produced in one winter."

After hearing this number, Zhao Xu did some calculations and was shocked. He said, "Doesn't that mean that Cai Village can earn six million strings of cash in one winter?"

Sun Sigong said excitedly: "Cai Cun only holds 10% of the shares, and the remaining 90% is entrusted to me by Su Da to present to you, the emperor!
That is why I say congratulations to the emperor! Congratulations to the emperor! "

Zhao Xu was surprised again and asked, "Ju Zheng is willing to give me such a large estate?"

Sun Sigong said quickly, "It is absolutely true, Your Majesty. This is what Su Yun specifically asked me to tell you."

After getting the confirmation from Sun Sigong, Zhao Xu couldn't help but stand up and walk back and forth, thinking in his mind what he could do with the more than 5 million strings of cash.

But then Zhao Xu stood still, looked at Sun Sigong and said, "Juzheng, do you want anything?"

Sun Sigong smiled and said, "Mr. Su said that the emperor has been very kind to him. He is offering this to you as a token of his gratitude. How dare he ask for anything?"

Zhao Xu's eyes sparkled with surprise as he asked, "Did he really say that?"

Sun Sigong said gratefully: "It is absolutely true. If the emperor does not believe it, you can ask him in person."

Zhao Xu nodded and smiled, "It's time to meet him."

Day two.

After Zhao Xu finished his morning court session, he met Su Yun in Chongzheng Hall.

After some pleasantries, Zhao Xu said, "Su Qing, last time you said you would help Cai Village get rid of poverty, did you really succeed?"

Su Yun smiled and said, "Not yet. After all, the first batch of vegetables has not been harvested yet. But it will be soon. After a while, once the vegetables are on the market, it will be considered that I have fulfilled my previous promise."

Zhao Xu couldn't help but ask, "Can it really produce three million kilograms of vegetables?"

Su Yun nodded and said, "Based on current estimates, it should be possible. And currently there are only one thousand acres. This is the first year of the experiment. We can plant more next year."

Zhao Xu suddenly felt a huge sense of happiness surge in his heart.

He spent so much effort on carrying out reforms and doing many things to plunder, but he only managed to increase the court's annual revenue by a little over 10 million strings of cash.

Su Yun dug a cave and earned nearly six million strings of cash in the first year. And this was just the beginning. If it continued to expand next year, wouldn't it be enough to support a reform?
Zhao Xu calmed down and said, "I heard from Sun Daban that you are willing to give this vegetable cave to... me?"

Su Yun smiled and nodded, "This matter was originally intended to solve the root cause of Cai Village's poverty. I didn't expect the effect to be so good. A 10% stake in Cai Village is enough for Cai Village to get rid of poverty and live a very wealthy life. Any more may not be appropriate."

Zhao Xu said: "Then Su Qing, have you ever thought about keeping it for yourself? After all, this is the industry you created."

Su Yun shook his head and said, "How can I repay the kindness your majesty has shown me with these filthy things?"

When Zhao Xu thought of his promotion and attention to Su Yun, he suddenly felt that he deserved it and became more satisfied with Su Yun. Thinking of Su Yun's kindness to the Su Shi brothers, he felt that Su Yun was indeed a person who would repay a drop of kindness with a spring of water.

"Okay, Su Qing, you're very good. I can't accept all of this property, so I'll give you 30%... um, 20%.

The remaining 70% will be put into the inner treasury, and I guarantee that no one will dare to touch the 20% you have, and it can be left to your descendants."

Zhao Xu suddenly felt a little distressed. Twenty percent, that's at least 1.2 million strings of cash per year!

But Su Yun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I sincerely want to present this to you. I am not short of money.

I have a small restaurant in Huangzhou, and I also have a business in the capital that brings in a lot of income, which adds up to hundreds of thousands of strings of cash a year.

Not to mention that I am alone with my wife now, even if I had a dozen children, I would not be able to spend all the money.

But it’s different for you, the official. You’re going to spend this money on official business, so no matter how much, it’s not too much. Just accept it.”

Zhao Xu's eyebrows relaxed upon hearing this, and he smiled comfortably, saying, "Okay, Su Qing, I didn't make a mistake about you, okay!"

When Su Yun saw Zhao Xu smiling, he also started smiling.

Su Yun didn't feel sorry at all about handing over this property to Zhao Xu.

Zhao Xu didn't have much time left. When Zhao Xu passed away and Empress Dowager Gao came to power, Su Yun himself was not sure whether the situation would be good or bad.

This property is too huge, and there are too many people coveting it. If I keep it in my hands by force, it may turn out to be a disaster. It is better to give it to Zhao Xu as a favor.

With Zhao Xu's character, he would definitely not treat himself badly. He would be promoted as high as he could in the next few years, so that when he goes to the local area, he won't have to live too comfortably.

After all, the treatment of being a prefect in a local area is very different from that of being a small county magistrate.

Su Yun went back to find Chief Cai and told him about this. Chief Cai was very worried.

Su Yun consoled him gently, "The government still relies on you, the Cai family, to run this cave, and we will definitely not treat you unfairly.

But you must discipline the Cai clan members, protect this property, and pay attention to the discipline of your children, so that no one can take advantage of your unworthy children and seize this property."

Chief Cai sighed and said, "This business was obviously built by you, but you didn't benefit from it at all..."

Su Yun waved his hand and smiled: "My advantage lies elsewhere, not in money."

After Su Yun left Chongzheng Hall, Zhao Xu happily paced back and forth in the hall. After a while, he suddenly said to Sun Sigong: "Sun Daban, how do you think I should reward Su Qing?"

This question made even Sun Sigong a little confused. After thinking for a while, he said, "How about giving his uncle Su Zhe a promotion?"

Zhao Xu was immediately dissatisfied and said, "I have already given the credit for Su Qing's writing the book last time to Su Ziyou. I cannot give it to him this time."

Sun Sigong smiled bitterly and said, "You can't give it to Zhang Zihou and Su Zizhan, right?"

Zhao Xu was angry and asked, "Why can't it be given to Ju Zheng?"

Sun Sigong smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Su has only been in office for a few months, but he has already been promoted from Xuanyi Lang to Xuande Lang, and he is also the second most important person in the Southern Court. If he is promoted again, I am afraid there will be criticism."

Zhao Xu laughed and said, "If he has no merit, it would be fine. But Ju Zheng has made such great contributions that even if I give him a promotion, there are still people complaining about it. Then I want to ask him what contribution he has made to the court to deserve his current position!"

Sun Sigong didn't dare to speak immediately. Since the current emperor ascended the throne, many people have been promoted out of turn. It would be strange if someone with great contributions like Su Yun was not mentioned.

Zhao Xu said, "Sun Daban, what do you think about me letting Ju Zheng be the Minister of Justice?"

Sun Sigong's eyes suddenly widened.

(End of this chapter)