Summer wraps autumn, water keeps wind

The next day, after the court meeting, Liufu went back to the mansion to listen to Tang Hua talk about recent affairs.Tang Hua handed Liu Fu the official correspondence documents that Liu Fu had not been in the mansion for more than half a year.

The Tang painting replied convectively: "Master, I think that the master should return to the court when he recovers from his illness. Otherwise, if he is not in the court for a day, the slander and frame-up will not be stopped. A few days ago, the master was not in the capital, but the rumors about the master are still there. It hasn’t been broken. His majesty threw back all the notes on the speaker, but this cannot stop the mouths of outsiders. We have to take action to stand firm so that we are not afraid of being framed by others.”

Liu Fu put up those documents, looked carefully at Tang Hua and said: "The people above this king know that it took a lot of thought for you to get online with them. You should also read the few documents written by this king, except for immigrants. There are a few drafts of commercial and taxation for the matter of entering Sichuan, but my king hasn’t seen you draw up a strategy for commercial and trade policies until now.”

"Returning to the master, the subject knows that the master is devoted to the people, but now that the master has not been in the capital for a long time, the influence in the court is not as good as that of several forces, let alone King Yi. If you go to the fat meat of commerce and trade at this time, many people will be afraid. Get in the way."

Liu Fu saw that Tang Hua's brows were furrowed, and he bowed back with a heavy heart. He said earnestly: "This king has no intention of fighting for power with them. This king only seeks national policy, which benefits the people. Since this king is in such a high position, It is worthwhile to do one more thing that benefits the country and the people, and if others talk about it, they will talk about it, and this king doesn't take it to heart, so you don't have to be too upset."

Liu Fu stood up and supported Tang Hua again, and said, "I understand your loyalty, and you are willing to say this in front of this king because you are considering it for the whole family. But you also have to understand my temper, and agree with human nature or strategies." You can still communicate, but if you want to form a party and fight for power, this king will definitely not go out of the way. Those trumped-up charges will not hurt the foundation of this king, so you don't have to pay attention to it."

Tang Hua looked up at Liu Fu, sighed, and waved to the outside, an attendant came in with a case, and there was a stack of documents inside.Liu Fu picked up the document and took a look. It turned out that Tang Hua had already drawn up the strategy, but he still didn't agree with Liu Fu's hasty push for changes, so he was reluctant to present the strategy.Liu Fu patted Tang Hua's shoulder with a smile, and sat back on the huanghuali wood lantern chair to read the strategy carefully.

After reading these, Liu Fu nodded and said: "The draft is fairly neat, I will write a few documents later and invite some adults to come to the mansion tomorrow to discuss together."

"Yes, I still have a small matter, please let me know."

"Just say it."

"Back to the master, some of the master's admirers are at odds with Yi Wang's mansion, and they often criticize Yi Wang's place in the name of our mansion. On the ground, the assailant was wearing a blue face scarf, and when something happened, he dispersed. The letter came that Jiang Shen was fine, but he was old and had to rest in bed for a few days. The meaning there might be different. Go to Jingzhao Mansion Yin to report the case. I think, I am afraid that it will cause you more trouble if the trouble grows, so I want to go to Yi Wang Mansion to solve it privately, what does the master think?"

Liu Fu heard that this was the case, and said: "Jiang Shen was not injured in our mansion after all, those scarves are from a force, we are not in charge, you just go to express condolences. If they If you want to sue, you can sue. It doesn't matter where the murderer is in the street. Li Ji and Ben Wang will not have any quarrel because of such a thing. .”

"Yes."

After the two said this, Liu Fu sent Tang Hua off, took a sip of tea by himself, stood up as if to walk around.Du Pin followed from the side, and the tea in Liu Fu's hand suddenly splashed on Du Pin's clothes in an unsteady manner.

"The slave is negligent and offended the master." Du Pin hurriedly saluted and apologized.

Liu Fu waved his hand, handed the teacup to the little attendant at the side, dragged Du Pin up, and brushed off Du Pin's robe with his hand.Liu Fu saw several accessories hanging around his willow waist, he took a closer look, there was a pouch similar to a sachet hanging on his waist, with two words "Yu Shou" embroidered on it.Liu Fu didn't know what this Yushou meant, but he recognized that it was made of Japanese satin, which must be related to Yunpingzhai.

"It's okay, it's just not safe, you go change your clothes and come back." Liu Fu looked at the guard coldly, and said calmly.

"I'm going now, slave." After saying that, Du Pin walked out of the hall with small steps.Liu Fu looked at his back, frowned, his heart was sore and astringent, but Liu Fu couldn't do it if he really wanted to make a fuss and leave Du Pin behind, since he had such a heart, why should he? to manage?Liu Fu sat back sullenly, staring at the hollowed-out wood grain on the window in a daze.

At this time, it was Meng Xia in April, and Liu Fu discussed with several trusted courtiers about the strategy of trade policy, and Liu Fu took the lead to mention this matter at the court meeting.

"Brother, since the founding of the country, we have promoted emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce in order to stabilize the people's stability. Today, the people's situation has long been different, and the exchanges between private merchants have become increasingly close. Many people without land use trade goods to maintain their livelihoods, but the policy is strict. , it is difficult for pawns and traders to travel in various places, and the local "column head" tax collection is chaotic and lacks control, and people are often oppressed and corrupted. Therefore, I think that the way of private merchants should be changed, and a lot of wealth should be hidden from the people. If you relax the rules of doing business Road, it is also beneficial for the country to collect taxes." Liu Fu reported one by one.

Bi Xin stood in front of the dragon chair, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, without answering.

Liu Jiangxiao, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, came out to salute and said: "Your Majesty, I think that Prince Xuan's strategy is feasible. The war has just stopped, the treasury is empty, and natural disasters often occur in various places and the court needs relief. Now the court is short of money. Relax merchants , the state can raise taxes without having to deal with the land, let the farmers rest a little longer, and the people's lives will be better."

Qian Shilang from the Household Department also came out and said: "Your Majesty, I think that Master Liu's words are inappropriate. Now that the national treasury is really empty, we can't use the people's foundation to increase taxes. The immigration to Sichuan has already been discussed in the local government some time ago. If it is carried out, the income of the common people will increase a lot when they enter Sichuan to reclaim wasteland, so why bother to kill the chickens to get the eggs?"

Seeing the voices of disputation in the court hall, Liu Fu calmed down, and stepped forward a few more times, saying: "You two adults have their own reasons, let me listen to what this king has to say. When Lord Qian talked about emigrating to Sichuan, this king remembered If the common people want to leave the place of household registration, the government government needs to issue a document. In order to encourage people from Chu and other places to enter Sichuan, the local government has given a policy of benefiting the people, and they can travel between state capitals without a document. Your Excellency Thinking, if an ordinary farmer has never heard of the scenery of other places, how can he leave his homeland at will? But at this time, the imperial court issued documents to encourage trade, open up the exchange of goods between provinces, and increase non-governmental exchanges. There is no need for deliberation. Naturally, some people come to Sichuan for their livelihood. Walking. So the relationship between the population and the land will also achieve a delicate balance. Farmers who come from merchants are established, and farmers rely on merchants to do business, seeking to complement each other, not seeking to be sick.”

"I think that Prince Xuan's words are all guesswork. Whoever resells the good people is a farmer, and they are honest. How do you understand this? The art of letting go of merchants is probably those rich merchants who make profits. It's miserable. If it's the case, it's better not to engage in these ostentatious things. If something goes wrong, you, Prince Xuan, will not be able to bear the responsibility." A spokesperson came out from the end and said.

When Shi Shen heard this, he wanted to laugh, and with a gesture to Hu, he came out and said, "I'm afraid that what this lord said is that I am afraid that Hua Kuang will fail the exam when he enters Beijing, so he will not have to spend money to go back to his hometown, so he raised money with several others and bought a hundred pieces of silk. Going to Beijing for business, who would have imagined that they would make a lot of money. Those brothers who failed to go back to Piling in Wuzhong discussed changing their careers to resell silk and silk yarn, and they were granted documents, and now they are much richer than Weichen, a Hanlin scholar."

Bi Xin smiled when he heard this on the high platform, and said to Shi Shen: "It's a bit persuasive to explain it by yourself."

Seeing that the emperor seemed to let go, Wu Hualin, a scholar of the cabinet, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, after listening to the remarks of Prince Xuan and several adults, the old minister thinks that Prince Xuan's heart is good, but I don't know if the prince knows Lu Buwei? Let the merchants, However, in the chaos of the government, the veterans thought that the skills of merchants were low-level skills, and they should not be put before the horses, which would damage the foundation of the country."

Hearing this, Bi Xin frowned, and his eyes swept across the ministers.Half of the cabinet and the various government offices were replaced by him after he came to the court. Although there were some discordant voices from time to time, they did not dare to really oppose him, especially the people in the cabinet were all obedient old ministers .But Bi Xin's heart sank as he said just now, merchants using power to harm the people of the country, this is something that Bi Xin will never tolerate.

Liu Fu raised his eyes and met Bi Xin's eyes for a moment, he already guessed what Bi Xin was worried about, and hurriedly said: "Ge Lao's words are very reasonable, this king is thinking of one thing, the relaxation of merchants is not unlimited, It is possible to formulate a market change law, and the government can properly regulate the market, buy cheap and sell high, and severely punish those who hoard goods, so as to increase income and do no harm to the imperial court."

Wu Hualin nodded and said: "Your Majesty's words are reasonable. The old minister thinks that besides setting up government offices to implement laws and regulations as Prince Xuan said, he should also stop the imperial examination for merchants. Otherwise, His Majesty thinks that the sons of merchants are as rich as the enemy. If you enter an official career and form a party with a Jinshi who is a businessman, the country will be in great trouble."

Liu Fu looked at Wu Hualin, and said that he was really an old fox, and said, "Mr. Ge's words are wrong. Since the emperor's brother adjusted his low status and changed his imperial examinations, businessmen and rich merchants have donated private schools all over the place. My own students, many poor families in the local area also have the opportunity to study in schools, and have cultivated many talents. If businessmen are banned from becoming officials, I am afraid that the court will lose many talented people. Besides, forming a party has always been taboo, and it has nothing to do with whether you are a businessman Mr. Ge thought that a businessman messed up the government. Since ancient times, the person who messed up the government has nothing to do with his identity, but has something to do with the person's own character. Whether it is a poor family or a rich family, the court only looks at the character and does not need to care about other things outside the body. "

The Minister of the Household Department also came out and said: "Your Majesty, this is a big matter. If the merchants are opened up rashly, the court will not be able to keep up with the supervision, and there will be turmoil."

Many ministers also echoed, conservatively believed that the fundamentals should not be touched, but some radicals believed that if there is no destruction or establishment, drastic reforms should be made, and everything without money is useless.

Liji silently watched the ministers coming and going, arguing, so he cupped his hands, came out from the left, and said: "Your Majesty, I think that not only reform merchants, but also open coastal ports. I know that Dongying is here. It needs to bypass Quanzhou, and Juzhou has a seaport, which can directly communicate with Dongying, Korea and other countries. Many ports are blocked only to prevent waves from attacking, and only a few large ports are opened. But now Haiyan and rivers are clear, with strong soldiers and strong horses, and they are not afraid of others Come on, if a big country is afraid of a few rogues and won't open up, how can it make the neighboring countries surrender?"

With just one word, all the officials were very surprised, this King Yi rarely said such rash words, but now he said it so decisively.

Liu Fu looked at Li Ji, nodded, and saluted Bi Xin: "My brother also has the same idea. In fact, private maritime commerce and trade are popular, but it is only on the surface that they are not allowed, and there are many messy things in the dark. If the ports are opened and the control is strengthened, Those thieves have nowhere to go."

Chief Assistant Yan Binghe said: "The idea of ​​the two princes is good. Only a lot of manpower and material resources are required to change the matter. It cannot be changed in a short time. Previously, things such as low status, imperial examinations, and immigration to Sichuan have not been dealt with clearly. Then transfer people to reform merchants, fearing that the court will not be able to turn around."

Shi Shen said: "Your Majesty, this is not a matter. Set up a strategy and take it slowly. This change is beneficial to both the court and the people. We can't give up because of choking. Since there is a good law and good intentions, why can't it be implemented in the world in a day?" huh?"

Sun Panjin glanced at the expression of the Holy Majesty, and finally said: "The old minister thinks that Prince Xuan has the world in mind, and what he is doing is for the benefit of the people, so he should do it."

As soon as Bi Xin raised his hand, the eunuch who was in charge of the etiquette at the side kept everyone quiet. He said: "My dear family, after listening to the debates of all parties, I have made a decision. This plan is not difficult. The south of the Yangtze River is rich and prosperous, and merchants trade frequently. , I am alone in the south of the Yangtze River to make reforms first, and my dear friends will see the results with me, if it is good, we will implement it, if it is not good, we will let it go." Bi Xin waved his hand lightly with a smile.

When everyone saw that the emperor had made a decision, they stopped talking and kowtowed in unison.