Now that things have been done, according to Emperor Zhao, this is just the beginning. If this method works properly, then in the future, it may be possible to establish a royal shipping company in the direction of Nanyang and a royal land transportation company in the western and northern borders.

It is imperative that the benefits are evenly distributed so that more people can enjoy the fruits of maritime trade.

Of course, everyone knows that the last sentence is bullshit!

Because everyone can guess that when the time comes, Emperor Zhao will definitely take away everyone's capital and profits and use them for the Northern Expedition!

But how to say it?

We have even bought the Northern Expedition national debt, let alone this matter?

Compared to the national debt which already has zero interest, this company might be able to make money in the future, right? However, the prerequisite is that the Northern Expedition will be successful!

According to the words of some students in the Imperial College, what Emperor Zhao did this time was not so much to set up a maritime trade company, but in fact, it was no different from other incidents. He was setting up a Northern Expedition Company!

But having said that, I have to say something more in a roundabout way. Since the Northern Expedition Company has been successfully established, it also shows that everyone's confidence in the Northern Expedition is actually gradually increasing.

The situation is indeed improving...and more and more people are willing to take a chance.

Now, looking back, since the financial policy was established in the middle of last year despite numerous difficulties, there have been many things, such as the emperor's illness, the harem, the prince, the hot air balloon, the old nobles, the royal family, the company... one by one, each thing seems to be so worrying, but in fact, it is just a daily routine of this huge central country.

The imperial court was still the imperial court after all. Even if it had lost the two rivers that had always been its traditional core area, it was still a great country with thousands of miles of central territory. Therefore, even the daily life of this country was worthy of the attention of all those inside and outside the country.

Just a few days after the company was established, another incident attracted the attention of the government and the public.

"Who wrote the letter?"

"Hanlin scholar Li Ruopu!"

"It turned out to be this person? He has always been a gentleman. Doesn't he understand that it is a bit suspicious for him to write a letter to report this matter with his identity?"

"No suspicion... Li Xueshi was sent to Jingdong East Road as a general. The document passed through the Ministry of Personnel the day before yesterday, and I saw it with my own eyes... It is obvious that he had prepared it in advance, and in order to avoid suspicion, he specially wrote a letter to express his opinion recently."

"That's right. Moreover, Li Xueshi clearly had the convenience of internal control, but he did not make suggestions directly to the emperor, but instead submitted a letter publicly, which was even more appropriate."

"That makes sense... But what is the government's attitude? I'm afraid the ministers won't be able to interfere in this matter, right?"

"Yes, I'm afraid only Li Zhongcheng (Li Guang) is suitable to speak on it, but it still depends on the emperor's intentions."

"That official..."

"Who can tell what the emperor is thinking right now?" Hu Quan, who had been busy eating a salted duck egg at the bow, finished eating and threw the eggshell into the lake, interrupting the meal with a sneer. "This is a matter of great importance. I'm afraid all the secret cabinet officials are worried. How can we get a glimpse of it... We just have to wait for the result."

"That's true." The person who asked the question immediately laughed, and the rest of the people on the boat also laughed.

It was March, the time of spring, and Emperor Zhao opened the Jinming Pond to allow people to enjoy themselves. From the Jinming Pond to the Yuetai Memorial Temple and the Cuju Field in the north of the city, the roads outside the city were almost filled with tourists.

As today was a day off, Hu Quan and his gang naturally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get together. They found a black lacquered flat boat from the Bian River in the city and sailed all the way to the Jinming Lake for a wandering trip.

On the distant shore, there is a stage, where the nearby Taoist temple is performing "The Legend of the White Snake"; in the nearby lake, there are often small purple-curtained boats carrying ladies coming and going, and their sweet laughter can be clearly heard; and at the bow of the boat, the boatman's wife helps to prepare the dishes... The so-called salted duck eggs, pickled snails, water-boiled mung bean sprouts, apricot slices, and green plums are all easy and cheap seasonal items, and of course, a pot of pickled plum wine is indispensable.

However, since they were grouped together for team-building, they could not avoid revealing some information to each other and discussing some hot issues in the court. What everyone had just said was exactly the biggest thing that had happened in the court recently - before Hanlin scholar Li Ruopu was transferred to an external post, he suddenly wrote a letter to the emperor, pointing out the emperor's improper use of personnel... This improper use of personnel did not mean that a specific prime minister was not good, or which minister was a villain, or which Hanlin scholar was a filler, but that the emperor liked to form small circles, which led to excessive concentration of power.

As for the Prime Ministers, there were only four; as for the Shangshu, there were only six, and the position of Vice Minister was not permanent; as for the Censorate, from the Supervisory Censor to the Assistant Censor and the Assistant Censor of the Palace, there were very few people; as for the Hanlin Academy, there were only a few people, and the emperor's close attendants were even fewer, basically those few people.

Therefore, Li Ruopu suggested that the number of prime ministers should be appropriately increased, the positions of left and right vice ministers of the six ministries should be permanent, and at the same time, the number of censors, Hanlin academicians, Zhongshu Sheren, and cabinet gate attendants should be increased.

Only in this way can officials avoid listening to one side only and ensure that they have a reliable and large governing team.

This matter directly concerns the quota of more than a dozen important ministers at the level of the Secret Cabinet. Isn't it a big deal for the bureaucrats in the court? No wonder everyone is talking about it, and everyone is discussing it... Even though Hu Quan and his gang know that they can't reach it at the moment, they can't help but say something.

Without further ado, Hu Quan returned to the present. With a laugh, he lowered his head and drank half a bowl of warm tea brought by the storekeeper. He continued to speak casually, "But having said that, I roughly guess that the government may approve the increase in the number of assistant ministers and censors in the six ministries. It's hard to say about the eunuchs, and I'm afraid that the number of prime ministers will not increase in nine out of ten cases... at least not at this time."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!