Gourmet Girl: Becoming a Royal Merchant Started from Selling Buns

Is there such a good thing?

Although the people pay taxes every year, and the tea tax, salt tax, commercial tax, etc. added up to a considerable amount, the treasury expenditure is also huge, especially military expenses and officials' salaries, which account for almost the majority.

In addition, whenever there was a natural disaster or man-made disaster, the money for disaster relief had to come from the national treasury.

Not to mention enriching his own private treasury, sometimes he had to take out a lot from his own private treasury to fill the gap in the national treasury.

He was also very troubled by this, but he had not found any other solution.

Hearing Su An say this, Chu Yi couldn't help but become interested and asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh? What's your brilliant idea, Miss Su? Why not tell me about it?"

"There are too many people here, why don't we talk somewhere else?"

Su An subconsciously glanced around and made a suggestion cautiously.

With guards following him, Chu Yi was naturally not afraid of any tricks. He did not hesitate and agreed immediately.

The two returned to the shop, and Fu Zhun had gone out to do some work and was not in the room.

Su An took Chu Yi back to the room, spread out the rice paper on the table, and explained to him while drawing pictures to help him understand.

"We have a saying here: if you want to get rich, you must first build roads. If cement roads can be extended to all parts of the country, the speed of trade will surely increase significantly. Then, the people and merchants will have more money on hand, and naturally they will pay more."

It does make some sense.

Chu Yi stared at the drawing she drew with great interest, nodded slightly, and motioned her to continue.

Su An paused, and then seriously drew another structural diagram of the viaduct on the paper.

She pointed at the structural diagram, her eyes shining as she spoke.

"This is an elevated bridge. You can also think of it as a bridge in the air. Economically prosperous areas are bound to have a lot of traffic. To avoid traffic congestion, we can build a bridge in the air and expand the road."

A bridge in the air is incredible.

A hint of surprise flashed across Chu Yi's eyes, but he rarely restrained his expression, looked at the drawings, pursed his lips and said nothing.

Without waiting for his response, Su An became more and more excited and continued to explain his own way of getting rich.

"What I mentioned before were all methods that could promote inland development. But if you want to become rich, the key lies in the coast. The reason we're developing slowly is because we've blocked our coast and lacked contact with other countries."

"If we open our coasts and expand our trade to other countries, in other words, we can take other people's money and put it into our own pockets. The national treasury and your Majesty's private treasury will naturally be enriched."

The cement road and overpass in front can be said to be a fantastic idea.

But the open coast is a bit shocking.

The coast is an important defense line of the Chu border. Soldiers are sent to guard the dikes all day long, but they are still worried about foreign invasions. Now Su An wants him to open the coast directly and hand over the country. How is this possible?

Since ancient times, no dynasty has ever acted like this.

Chu Yi pursed his lips tightly, his face gloomy, and refused without thinking.

"No, opening the coast is too risky. If we attract foreign enemies, the consequences will be disastrous. Do you want the century-old foundation of the Great Chu to be destroyed in my hands? Moreover, the coastal blockade is a rule passed down by our ancestors and cannot be easily broken."

"I think building a road is fine, and we might give it a try, but opening the coast is absolutely impossible."

Su An had expected to be rejected. After all, traditional concepts that had been passed down for thousands of years were deeply rooted, and it was not easy to change them.

Su An took a deep breath, the light in his eyes remained unchanged.

Just as she was about to persuade him again, the door was pushed open.

Fu Zhun pushed the wheelchair, narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes, stared straight at Chu Yi, and questioned him.

"Why does the Emperor refuse to allocate funds?"

Hearing the noise, Chu Yi turned around, sneered at Fu Zhun, and leaned back slightly, looking nonchalant.

"My uncle secretly led his troops to rob the pharmacy, taking the opportunity to win over the people and gain fame. All the benefits were taken by my uncle, so why should I help him clean up the mess? Now everyone only talks about you, the King of Zhenbei. Who still remembers me, the emperor?"

"Are you planning to rebel openly?"

As he spoke, he slammed his palm on the table, with a cold look in his eyes.

Su An was angry, but this was a royal matter after all. To put it bluntly, she was just a merchant girl and had no right to interfere.

The two men stood facing each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

If someone else was accused of treason, he would have already knelt down and begged for mercy, trying his best to explain.

But Fu Zhun was neither hurried nor slow, with no fear on his face, and just snorted lightly.

"When the late emperor was alive, I was already the King of Zhenbei, with immense power and extensive military command. If I wanted this kingdom, the throne would never be yours. Everyone can say the word 'rebellion', but you alone cannot."

Hearing this, Chu Yi stood up suddenly, his eyes wide open, and pressed his back teeth hard.

"What do you mean? Do I need your charity to sit on the throne?"

Fu Zhun sneered indifferently, his tone gloomy.

"What I mean is that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, so he should love the people like his own children and govern with diligence and frugality. Otherwise, if he loses the people's support, the country will be in danger."

Threat, naked threat.

Chu Yi's face turned ashen, his fingers clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. He took a deep breath, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

"Are you threatening me? Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

"Since the emperor feels that I am overstepping my authority by doing this, then I will leave it to the emperor. I will be happy to have some free time."

After a moment's silence, Fu Zhun's expression suddenly relaxed and he took a step back.

If both sides took a step back, the matter would have been over.

But Chu Yi was a stubborn person. After hearing what he said, he glanced at him sarcastically and refused clearly.

"My uncle is always evading responsibility. I don't want to do anything that seeks fame and reputation."

This is not okay, that is not okay. After all, you are a grown man, why do you act like a sissy?

Even Su An couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but complain.

"Are you being reasonable? You were the one who stopped Fu Zhun from providing disaster relief, and you were the one who accused him of shirking responsibility. So, everything he did was wrong. And you, as the Supreme Ruler, enjoy the worship of all the people. So, if there's a problem, you should go and solve it!"

"You don't work, you just talk. You've already dealt with the problem, but you're not grateful. You're rebelling on the left and plotting treason on the right. Is your ability to be an emperor solely based on your words?"

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell all around.

The expression on Chu Yi's face was even more gloomy and uncertain, as if a storm was about to come.

Afraid that he would do something to hurt Su An, Fu Zhun frowned and waved at her.

"Come here, come to me."

Su An also glanced at Chu Yi belatedly, and quickly hid behind Fu Zhun, stiffening his neck to confront Chu Yi.