As the former head of the Privy Council, Li Gang had been working with the Military Governor's Office to promote military and political reforms.

They basically did not interfere in the economy of the Song Dynasty, and rarely overstepped their bounds.

However, after going to Liaodong and governing Liaodong, I have a deep understanding of the economy.

His idea was influenced by the local environment in Liaodong.

Compared to the Central Plains and the South, Liaodong was more unstable and had a weaker economic foundation, making it more susceptible to strong government control.

People are easily influenced by their surroundings.

Therefore, Li Gang urgently proposed that the imperial court should tighten control over the private economy and transfer it to the royal trading companies.

Yu Yunwen's desire to do this was related to the broader context of his taking over the Council of State.

When the Zheng family case came to light, Xu Churen was implicated, causing a great uproar in the imperial court.

The dismissal of the imperial prime minister and the arrogant and presumptuous behavior of private merchants touched a nerve with the emperor.

Under these circumstances, Yu Yunwen's rise to power meant that his subsequent decisions would inevitably be influenced by the broader environment.

Moreover, the Chen family case in Guangzhou and the case of collusion between officials and businessmen in Fujian occurred next.

This further strengthened Yu Yunwen's resolve to push the imperial court to increase commercial regulation and expand the scale of the royal trading companies.

Seeing this situation, some people in the court chose to stand on Yu Yunwen's side. At the same time, Yu Yunwen began to promote new people in the central government.

Under such circumstances, the imperial court was divided into two factions: the old faction and the new faction.

The two factions here are not the reformists or the new factions, but rather the political factions within the imperial court regarding the economic model of the Song Dynasty.

As the situation in Liaodong, Guangnan East Circuit, and Hetao Circuit stabilized, the Song Dynasty's cavalry had entered the Western Regions, and the external conflicts suddenly eased.

The suddenly expanded and vast territory urgently needs economic development.

Merchants from the Central Plains, the South, and the Northwest gained an unprecedented stage in new territories.

Private trading companies will inevitably expand their scale.

In this environment, the contradictions between the old and new factions began to sharpen that year.

One side believes that the scale of private trading companies should not be too large.

One side believed that in order to quickly stabilize the region, increase the central government's financial revenue, and accelerate the implementation of paper money, it was necessary to rely on the power of private merchants.

Both sides felt they were right.

Zhao Huan sat in the middle, watching the ministers argue.

Currently, the debates in the imperial court are very healthy.

Everyone was debating based on their own political views, not simply opposing for the sake of opposing.

The factional strife inherited from the reign of Emperor Shenzong had largely disappeared after the previous dynasty and was further purged by Emperor Zhao Huan.

He Yongzhi, the prefect of Guangnan New Prefecture, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

"He Qing, please speak freely."

"After the rebellion, Guangzhou is in dire need of rebuilding. Speaking of clothing and food, next year Guangzhou will open 200 cloth shops, 2,000 restaurants and eateries, 50 grain shops, and 12 textile factories."

He Yongzhi stole a glance at Yu Yunwen. Since his boss thought he should be released back to civilian life, he naturally had to do as his boss said.

He had originally prepared another argument, which was that if the Guangfu style was to be revived, it must be led by the government.

But seeing that Yu Yunwen had already expressed his opinion, he certainly couldn't say what he had prepared beforehand.

He Yongzhi spoke slowly; he was only twenty-six years old this year, a true young man.

Standing in the imperial court, he showed no sign of panic, and his tone was calm and composed, which was why Yu Yunwen appointed him as the new governor of Guangnan.

"Only by achieving this goal can we alleviate the pressure on the livelihood of the people in Guangnan New Prefecture."

"If we want to achieve such a goal within a year, we will have to rely on the power of the people."

"Therefore, I believe that what Prime Minister Yu said is absolutely right. The debates in the court should not be shelved and discussed in vain, but should be based on the actual situation of the people."

Zhao Huan nodded: "Good! Minister He is right!"

Li Gang was clearly unconvinced and said, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Zhao Huan frowned slightly; he hadn't expected Li Gang's opposition to be so strong.

Zhao Huan said, “I think what Minister He said is very true. Those in power should not just talk about things from a high shelf, but should take the actual situation of the people as their starting point. It is nothing more than the number of private merchants and royal merchants. If Minister Li thinks that royal merchants should be increased in Liaodong to better develop the area, then he should submit a memorial and make the decision according to local conditions.”

"But I do not wish for everything to be done by the Royal Trading Company. The common people have their own operating rules, which is the way of Heaven."

"Whether it's increasing the number of royal trading companies or supporting private trading companies, what I want is the circulation of paper money and the comprehensive establishment of basic necessities like clothing, food, housing, and transportation. You don't need to argue about this anymore."

The ministers shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The ministers who had just stepped forward returned to their seats.

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

Zhao Huan glanced at the assembled officials and said, "Prime Minister Tang, what do you have to say?"

The "Master Tang" he mentioned was none other than Tang Ke, who had gone to the Northwest.

Although his official position was the Military Commissioner of the Hetao Circuit, Tang Ke's title was the Chancellor of the Secretariat-Chancellery, a first-rank official whose rank was much higher than Yu Yunwen's.

Moreover, which of the old-fashioned people present wasn't one of Tang Ke's men?

When the emperor mentioned him, many people turned their attention to him.

Tang Ke has gained weight again.

He got up, and as he walked, the flesh on his face seemed to twitch.

He doesn't look like a high-ranking official; he lacks any authority and is more like a heartless nouveau riche.

But no one dared to underestimate him.

He walked to the center and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say."

His voice sounded very soft, with the distinct tone of a scholar.

"Please speak freely, Mr. Tang."

"First, the mining operations will be taken over by the Royal Trading Company."

"Second, open up private schools and strictly investigate compulsory education."

"Third, strictly investigate favoritism and privilege."

Tang Ke succinctly presented these three points.

Each one has a huge impact.

The decision to bring mining under the control of the Royal Trading Company clearly meant taking control of strategic resources such as iron ore and coal, placing them under the unified management of the imperial court, and no longer opening them up to private trading companies.

Some people privately speculated that this was aimed at the person in Youzhou Prefecture.

The Imperial Noble Consort's family has made a lot of money over the years by digging mountains.

If they were to be taken back now, Han Lixian would probably be crying his eyes out in the toilet.

This second point actually involves the jurisdiction of the Hanlin Academy.

The Song Dynasty's thirst for talent is like a traveler's thirst for water in the desert. Tang Ke is clearly dissatisfied with the current pace of the Hanlin Academy's construction.

The third point is actually a re-emergence of an old problem.

As early as the fifth year of the Jingkang era, the imperial court began to abolish the hereditary privilege system.

The descendants of officials who wished to become officials also had to pass the formal imperial examinations.

However, Tang Ke was clearly dissatisfied with the level of enforcement over the years.