"I don't care about the family affairs." Han Xiaozhou said with sweat on his forehead. "Besides, my hometown is in Hebei, which has been occupied by the Jin people..."

"What about before?" Zhao Jiu couldn't stop asking. "Did the rich and the poor help each other in the past?"

Han Xiaozhou was so anxious that tears came to his eyes, really tears came to his eyes, but he didn't know how to respond.

"Let me tell you." Zhao Jiu patted the other person's shoulder and looked at him earnestly. "Your family really likes to help the rich and the poor. I have asked Yue Pengju. When he was in Xiangzhou, his father's generation was still a self-cultivating farmer with dozens of acres of land. But there was no way. When there was a disaster, he went to borrow money. Naturally, your family helped the poor and the rich, and all the dozens of acres of land were used up. When it came to him, he could only be a tenant farmer of your family... And the reason why he was able to join the army was that one day he went to your family to borrow money and encountered bandits besieging your wild villa in your hometown. He shot the bandit leader to death with one arrow, and was recommended by your family to be an archer... The funny thing is that your brother likes to tell people every day that Yue Jiedu was a tenant farmer of your family. What is he doing? Are you rushing to confess?"

Han Xiaozhou was almost on the verge of collapse.

"Do you know why I'm looking for you now?" Zhao Jiu shook his head and sighed at this person. "Because you, the Meihua Han family, are different from those monks and Taoists. Shaolin Temple, Lingjiu Temple, and even the Duke of Yansheng can cross dynasties and continue for generations. What about you? You, the Meihua Han family, and the Song Dynasty really share the same fate. Even the governor of Xiangzhou is exclusive to your family, which is almost like a feudal fief. But what did you get in return for this grace? If the Emperor Taishang Daojun's land collection was deceived by the six thieves, who deceived you for generations? Now you have fallen into a state of being a lost dog, and your ancestral tombs have been lost. Isn't this the result of your helping the rich and the poor in Xiangzhou? The country is what it is today, and you, the nobles who only know how to help the rich and the poor, and even some scholars who only care about accumulating wealth, are also the culprits! As for the Han family's current state of leaving their hometown, it is also their own fault!"

As he spoke, Han Xiaozhou began to breathe rapidly less than a foot in front of Emperor Zhao, then fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious. It was unclear whether he was suffocated or frightened... It just so happened that the emperor had been having an attack for half a day and was stunned for a moment, and the people around him did not dare to go to him to help him.

"Take him out for some fresh air." Zhao Jiu took a while to react, but he was a little bored, and then waved his hand. "After decades of ups and downs in the political world, you can't stand such words. No monk can stand it."

Not far behind him, the host Fahe, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead for a long time, moved his ears slightly, causing a line of sweat to flow down his neck. At Yang Yizhong's signal, two armored soldiers stepped forward and dragged Han Xiaozhou, who was dressed in a purple robe, out of the hall like dragging a prisoner.

After the people were taken away, Zhao Jiu returned to the desk, but he was too lazy to look through the notes... At this point, there was no point in looking through them, so he just gestured to Zhao Ding.

Zhao Yuanzhen, who was also sweating profusely, was slightly startled, then he understood and turned to face the whole room with a serious face: "The country has made a conclusion. Private lending breeds mergers and acquisitions, and we must prevent it. The Criminal Code will be issued soon, and it is about to limit the interest of lending to a maximum of 10% per month, 20% per quarter, and 50% per year... If there is any violation, not only will the fine be several times the amount, but also severe punishment will be imposed. The lighter punishment is to be shackled for three months, and the heavier punishment is to be confiscated and exiled... Today, all the members of the Secret Council and the Public Council are here, and we can discuss it in front of the emperor."

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room was silent, and no one even wiped the sweat off their face.

"I have said enough today. I have said everything I should and shouldn't have said. But I am just a man. I am young and hot-tempered. I will speak out if I am upset. If I don't say ruthless words and do ruthless things, I am not me!"

Zhao Jiu leaned sideways and spoke to the other people present. He did not feel tired or stuffy at all. On the contrary, many people, including several ministers, began to sweat profusely. "So I still have to say it. I know that some laws may not be effective immediately... just like the abolition of slavery and prohibition of pawning wives mentioned before, but with thousands of years of tradition, I am afraid that people will still do it secretly. And this law directly cuts the interest rate of private loans in half, which is bound to have a rebound. Those places far away from the emperor will not even pay attention to it. There is no way around it. Top-down reform is so difficult. But no matter how difficult it is, will I not do it? Will I not make laws? I can't control the people in the mountains. , I can’t control the small temples, small landlords, and small merchants who set high interest rates privately, so how can I control you? Those who came here today have at least taken over all the big loan sharks in the Central Plains. If anyone dares to say something like "helping the rich and the poor" to me, I will destroy your family and clan, and destroy your temples and temples, no matter if you are a star, a reincarnation of an arhat, or a direct descendant of a saint, or a royal relative! I don’t believe that you can’t change the customs even a little bit! You can’t let the people get a break!"

There was still complete silence, and after a moment, Minister Lü Haowen let out a long sigh, walked forward, and asked again, "Gongge Secret Chamber, does anyone object?"

Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun understood each other and stepped forward together, asking questions one by one.

After the three ministers finished their questioning, no one responded, but they asked the Minister of Justice Wang Shu to go out and take over the new criminal law, prepare to formulate it, and then publish it in the official gazette.

"It's not over yet." Amid the flickering firelight, Zhao Jiu, who was somewhat thirsty, sat there and continued to face each other. "Fahe Luohan..."

"I'm here." Fahe whispered on the ground, his breath was barely there, but his reaction was extremely quick.

"We have only stopped 'helping the rich and the poor', and haven't talked about 'profit from one source' yet..." Zhao Jiu said sternly. "I am very clear about the pros and cons of the Qingmiao Law. Using officials in the government to do this kind of thing will inevitably cause trouble. I must learn from my mistakes... Now I ask you, is Shaolin Temple willing to do Qingmiao loans for me in Henan Prefecture?"

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!