Zhao Huan had the audacity to issue new policies, which meant he must have anticipated that these people would do the same. Otherwise, how could Wang Anshi's reforms have been such a complete mess? Otherwise, why would Wei Yang have gone on a killing spree in Qin, even cutting off the nose of Duke Xiao's brother?

For example, as much as 500,000 strings of cash were confiscated from He Liren's house.

Based on the gold price, one string of copper coins in the Song Dynasty was approximately equivalent to 465 yuan. Based on the rice price, one string of copper coins was equivalent to 148 yuan. We took the average of 465 yuan (based on the gold price) and 148 yuan (based on the rice price), which is 306.5 yuan. After rounding down and removing any odd amounts, we set one string at 300 yuan.

He Liren's 500,000 strings of cash, when converted into modern currency, would be equivalent to 232.5 million!

In addition, there were thirteen wealthy merchants from the Qingzhou Chamber of Commerce. A total of 8 million strings of cash were seized, which is equivalent to 3.72 billion yuan in today's money!

Looking at these figures, Zhao Huan himself felt his scalp tingle. This was the Song Dynasty, unlike later dynasties with their enormous national size. Even if officials were corrupt, the people were still wealthy.

However, the Song Dynasty had limited production capacity and economic structure. Once a huge amount of wealth was concentrated in the hands of officials, it meant that the people had no money!

So how do ordinary people make a living?

Zhao Huan did not have an in-depth understanding of the common people in the Northern Song Dynasty, but he could roughly guess that tenant farmers were bound to the landlords' land for their entire lives, struggling to survive each month, and not only that, they also had to bear the heavy corvée labor of the Northern Song court.

No wonder that when Wang Anshi was carrying out his reforms, his student Zheng Xia was willing to risk execution to impeach him. At that time, Wang Anshi's policies were not implemented properly and turned into a policy of the court siphoning money from the people, causing a large number of people to go bankrupt and become homeless. Many people were starving and naked, and children starved to death. There were even tragic cases of people exchanging children to eat.

Not long after Wang Anshi's reforms, the Northern Song Dynasty was plagued by internal strife and constant external threats, making the lives of the people even more miserable.

The Qingzhou case directly reflects the distorted wealth structure of the Song Dynasty!

Upon seeing this report, Zhao Huan was heartbroken. In his previous life, he had only been an ordinary clerk and knew very well the pain of the lower class, the despair of life that the wealthy could never understand.

The Chinese people have always been known for their diligence and resilience. While the European world believes in God and seeks God's help when they encounter problems, the Chinese people have always relied on themselves.

When a great flood occurred, Yu the Great passed by his home three times without entering.

When faced with a northern enemy, the strategy shifted from a marriage alliance to a full-scale northward campaign, culminating in the sealing of the wolf's lair.

During the Five Barbarian Invasions, China collapsed, and millions were slaughtered. The Edict to Slaughter the Barbarians was issued, and only after steely resolve and hot-blooded blood were shed under the blue sky could the glorious Sui and Tang dynasties rise from the ashes.

Even after the fall of the Celestial Empire in later generations, 400 million compatriots followed one after another, with countless heroes going to hell to rebuild China!

When the world was in turmoil and the world was pessimistic about the newly established Eastern superpower, it rose from the ashes once again and amazed the world at the beginning of the 21st century!

Zhao Huan was convinced that his reforms of the Song Dynasty would succeed. His confidence stemmed from the millions of people of China, a nation with an unbreakable resilience.

Later generations of Westerners think that China has no faith, and even some keyboard warriors believe it themselves, but in fact, China's faith is itself!

That night, the emperor did not sleep a wink. Before dawn the next day, all the prime ministers of the two ministries were summoned to the palace, along with Shi Ziming, Qin Hui, He Ye, Liu Yanzong, and others.

The emperor posed a very pointed question: Why did Wang Anshi's reforms fail?

The emperor had discussed this issue privately with several prime ministers, and the consensus was that Wang Anshi's reform policies themselves had certain problems. At that time, factional strife in the court was also very serious, and many officials were unwilling to implement the court's wishes. Furthermore, many people took advantage of loopholes in the new laws to make a fortune.

I don't know why the emperor suddenly brought this up again.

Everyone had to repeat the reasons for their failure. Zhao Huan remained silent for a moment before adding, "What you all say is very true. However, I think there is one thing you should remember: national wealth must be accompanied by the wealth of the people. If the country is wealthy but the people are poor and cannot even feed themselves, then we are to blame!"

The prime ministers exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. The Great Song Merchant Guild, the Great Song Bank, and maritime transport had all been launched, all of which were profitable and had yielded excellent results. However, these were policies aimed at enriching the country, while policies that truly enriched the people seemed to be lacking.

The emperor was probably provoked by the Qingzhou case. Not only the emperor was provoked, but even the prime ministers were provoked. A prefect's wealth was greater than that of the prime minister.

Through collusion between officials and merchants, the wealth of society was squeezed layer by layer from agriculture to commerce. The wealth of the Song Dynasty now presents a terrifying pyramid shape, with a particularly narrow top and a very wide base.

The land issue is already very acute, but the real core issue is the gap between the rich and the poor. Vast social resources and wealth are in the hands of a very small number of people, and the poor masses have no choice but to grovel in order to survive.

What Zhao Huan really wanted to solve was the problem of social wealth distribution. The ideal social form was elliptical, with rich people, but the middle class of well-off families should be the majority, while those who were unwilling to work and were lazy should be left to wander the streets.

Looking at his prime minister, Zhao Huan said, "Gentlemen, please speak up: how can we make the people prosperous?"

Xu Churen said, “Your Majesty, the establishment of the Great Song Merchant Guild has already helped some people become wealthy. The specific implementation of the business will be handed over to the people, and the court will distribute salaries, so the money will eventually go to the people.”

Zhao Huan nodded. Of course he knew that the imperial court had many large-scale projects, such as mining, road construction, and building palaces and houses. After the abolition of corvée labor, money had to be paid to the people, and this money would indeed flow to the lower levels.

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