Chapter 353: The Little Scholar in Disguise as a Man and the Amazing Emperor 10

"Today, we are meeting friends through literature and discussing politics with talents. I am truly honored to have you all come here."

Lin Qinglan was the host of this elegant gathering. At this moment, she smiled and clasped her hands, knelt and saluted everyone at the table. Her posture was elegant and graceful, showing the demeanor of a noble lady from an aristocratic family.

Everyone stood up to return the greetings and exchange pleasantries.

Only Yelu Zongzheng sat steadily at the table, without moving.

Cha Jiu originally wanted to stand up and return the gift, but was held down by him.

"Sit still." Yelu Zongzheng said calmly, "You are my beloved minister. No one here is worthy of your courtesy."

Cha Jiu had no choice but to sit down obediently.

Although Lin Qinglan was looking straight ahead, his peripheral vision was always focused on what was happening at Yelu Zongzhen's table.

She deliberately showed her best side profile in a direction where the emperor could see it. Her neck was slender, her figure was dignified, and every move she made was beautifully designed.

Then she said softly with her red lips: "The topic we are discussing today is the strategy of salt and iron business."

Sure enough, as soon as the topic came up, Lin Qinglan noticed that Yelu Zongzheng's nonchalant gaze shifted towards her.

Even Cha Jiu who was sitting next to her sincerely admired her for choosing a good and clever topic.

Although Yelu Zongzhen was the emperor of a country, he always handled government affairs with an open mind, opened up channels for people to express their opinions, and encouraged talented people to hold forums and debate policies among the people.

The strategy for the management of salt and iron was exactly the topic that had been debated endlessly in the imperial court some time ago, which had troubled him for a while.

Here is the problem.

Not long after the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the treasury was empty but there was a lot of work to be done. Some court officials proposed to insist on implementing the policy of state-run salt and iron, that is, to bring the management of salt and iron, two necessities for the people's lives, under the management of the government; while the other faction of aristocratic families who had close ties with big merchants and landlords strongly opposed it and advocated private management of salt and iron.

As the daughter of the Grand Tutor, Lin Qinglan had the backing of an old aristocratic family, so she naturally stood on the side of the aristocratic merchants and argued against the government-run salt and iron policy.

Cha Jiu listened carefully and roughly understood that she was explaining the disadvantages of the state-run salt and iron policy from three aspects: the state-run salt and iron was competing with the people for profits, the government-made ironware was not suitable for civilian use, and the state-run corruption.

Nice angle.

It is straightforward and to the point, hitting the fatal weakness of the official strategy.

She is worthy of being the famous most talented woman in the capital.

Lin Qinglan's arguments were clear and concise, and his voice was gentle and pleasant, like a spring breeze blowing on one's face, which made people listen to him intoxicated and immersed in it.

However, some people questioned her views during this period.

"The government-run policy fills the national treasury, which can be used to build water conservancy projects, provide relief to disaster-stricken areas, and return the people's money to them. How can this be considered competing with the people for profits?" the man said unconvinced.

Lin Qinglan faced the questioning calmly and slowly said: "Throughout the dynasties, if the government made a profit of one point, the people would lose ten points. Now that the government has taken away the profits of salt and iron from the merchants, they will naturally be unhappy. The shortage of silver is not conducive to the smooth flow of business and the accumulation of wealth, nor is it conducive to their taxation to support the country in the future. This is one reason."

"The iron tools made by the government are heavy and blunt, making it difficult to even cut grass. The second question is how to make it easier for farmers to farm."

"When the government holds monopoly power, corruption will inevitably occur, and the people's profits will be enriched for their own benefit. This is the third reason."

The three points raised by Lin Qinglan are all very practical.

The poor children and ordinary people she invited were deeply moved and echoed her words, which undoubtedly provided the most powerful support for her argument.

The questioner had no words to refute and could only retreat back into the crowd with an embarrassed look on his face.

Others also tried to debate with him, but they were all fought back by Lin Qinglan and defeated.

For a time, those who advocated private operation of salt and iron had the upper hand in this political gathering.

During this time, Yelu Zongzheng had been listening silently, tapping the table with his slender knuckles leisurely, as if he was thinking about something.

The system was a little worried: "Lin Qinglan's performance in this argument was really impeccable. As far as I know, she is the Queen Mother's choice for the Queen, and Yelu Zongzheng came to the gathering today to observe her. Cha Cha, what if these two really fall in love with each other?"

After all, the lucky child of this world seems to be a sapiosexual!

Cha Jiu calmly picked up the hot tea on the table and took a sip, thinking to himself, "Lin Qinglan's point of view is indeed very good, but her shortcomings are also fatal."

The system asked blankly: "What's the shortcoming?"

At this moment, Yelu Zongzheng turned to look at Cha Jiu and asked, "Yan Yang, what do you think?"

In fact, Yelu Zongzhen had already made a choice in his mind whether the salt and iron should be state-owned or privately operated.

But he wanted to know whether Yan Yang shared the same idea as him.

Cha Jiu put down the teacup in his hand and said slowly: "Miss Lin's theory of the three disadvantages of government-run enterprises is indeed brilliant, but it is too narrow-minded to deny the government-run policy based on this alone."

Cha Jiu was speaking to Yelu Zongzheng, so his voice was not loud.

But because they were sitting in the first seat in the front row, close to Lin Qinglan, these words were clearly heard by her.

Lin Qinglan's breathing stagnated.

She turned around and looked at Cha Jiu.

He has a handsome face and is not very old. His Majesty seemed to have called him "Yan Yang" just now.

It seems that the person who called her "narrow-minded" was He Yanyang, who was chosen as the top scorer in the palace examination.

Lin Qinglan is proud and arrogant, and cannot stand being insulted in the slightest.

In addition, she wanted to maintain the perfect image of a talented woman in front of Yelu Zongzheng, so she turned around and faced Cha Jiu, smiling and fighting back.

"Qing Lan's humble opinion may make you laugh. But since you think Qing Lan's view is narrow-minded, you must have a better opinion. Why don't you speak it out and discuss it with everyone?"

Her voice was half a decimation higher than during the debate.

Although it wasn't obvious, Cha Jiu still noticed it and looked at her with a smile.

Sure enough, the scholars and literati around them suddenly fell silent, looked at the two people in surprise, and whispered to each other.

"Who is this person who dares to say that Ms. Qinglan's views are narrow-minded?"

"I've never seen him before. He's not from a rich family. But looking at his clothes and temperament, he doesn't look like someone from a poor family... Could he be a new noble in the capital?"

Many of Lin Qinglan's fans at the table said loudly, "Since this unfamiliar young man has such profound insights, why doesn't he just sit here and say nothing and speak out his insights for everyone to hear?"

"Yes, tell us about it!"

Several voices came from various places, putting Cha Jiu at the center of attention.

This is exactly Lin Qinglan's purpose.

Cha Jiu was not in a hurry. He first turned to look at Yelu Zongzhen beside him, seeking his consent.

A smile flashed across Yelu Zongzheng's eyes, and he said with a reassuring tone: "Go ahead."

He is very confident in his little champion.

…

(Woo woo, I'm going to sleep for a while) I'm still working on another chapter