Hidden in the court

"Okay, then let me ask you, the people have food and money, but they basically don't lack anything now. If they don't buy, how can these merchants make money?"

After hearing this, Xihe Huchen reacted. "It seems to be the case. The big orders in the past two years are either from the palace or the government, and the biggest ones are from these famous families. This means that these businesses can't make a lot of money now."

Xihe Longyao continued, "Judging from the business tax situation in the past two years, our business is basically saturated and tends to be stable. This situation will be detrimental to business development in the long run."

"My question is how to make people willing to spend money? If you can answer this question, you don't need to go to school."

Xihe Longyao stared at Xihe Huchen, still hoping that he could give some good advice.

Xihe Huchen was silent for a long time, then said, "We can provide more entertainment programs!"

Xihe Longyao nodded with satisfaction and continued to ask: "For example?"

"For example, brothels, whorehouses, theaters..."

"Shut up, you."

Xihe Huchen thought, "That's right, aren't the guests in these places usually willing to spend money?"

Xihe Longyao walked over and patted his shoulder, "Two hours a day, go ahead."

At the court meeting the next day, Emperor Xihe Tu did not show up and handed the meeting over to the crown prince.

Xihe Longyao stood there, glanced at everyone, and said:

"I'm sure you all know about the Wu family's affairs. Do you have any objections?"

"I have no objection."

The people below answered in unison.

"Well, since there is none, what else do you want to play?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged man stepped out and said, "Your Highness, this year, the grain tax in various places in our dynasty has increased significantly compared to last year. However, the commercial tax is the lowest since the reform."

He knew this person, Qian Duo, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Oh, now he is the Minister of Revenue.

"What do you think, Lord Qian?"

"I think that our country is peaceful and the people are living and working in peace and contentment. The problem can only be the products. Nowadays, merchants do whatever makes money and whatever has high profits. However, they are out of touch with the people and make a lot of things that the people don't want."

Qian Duo's words aroused Xihe Longyao's interest. "Then why would they rather make the products even if no one buys them? Can't they just sell more at a lower profit margin?"

"It's like this. Nowadays, people don't need anything in their lives, or they can make it themselves. If you make a product with low profits but quick turnover, even if no one buys it, you will still lose money. On the contrary, even if luxury goods are expensive, people will buy them, and they can make a living for three years."

When doing things, we must pay attention to the underlying logic. Sometimes those in power are unable to discover the underlying logic of the problem.

The question he just asked Xihe Huchen requires underlying logic, and looking at Xihe Huchen's answer, it's like some people suggesting that you pay to work.

So guess why I work? Rich people can't empathize with poor people.

"What does Lord Qian think?"

"Reporting to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, we can open up trade with Nanliang to increase revenue."

Qian Duo just stood there after he finished speaking.

Xihe Longyao looked at the adults below who could not hide their excitement. These people's industries might account for two-tenths of the North's commerce, which could be described as a pile of abacus beads breaking down.

"Are you all thinking about trade?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone shouted in unison: "We beg Your Highness to issue an order to open up trade."

Xihe Longyao did not rush to refute, but asked calmly: "Do you know how the private business of Liangwu is doing now?"

After these words were spoken, everyone below looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The people and commerce are prosperous, with many varieties, and the people enjoy themselves. Let me ask you, in this situation, once trade begins, will we make money from Liang Wu or will they make money from us?"

This one sentence silenced everyone.

Just like the Opium War in our history, at the beginning Britain was attracted by China's vast market and came here to dump its goods.

As a result, the Chinese ignored him and said, "I don't like your things." On the contrary, the British bought back a lot of tea and porcelain.

They came here to make money, but they didn't make any money and even lost money. In the end, they came up with the idea of ​​using opium to open up the Chinese market, which is like giving birth to a child without an anus.

The North and Liangwu traded, and it was likely that Liangwu made more money. Those who could stand here were all smart people, and they could figure it out immediately.

In fact, what Xihe Longyao said was a bit alarmist. He stole the concept and said that trade was likely to make money. It was just a matter of whether he had more or less.