Chapter 307: Open Source

Not long after the news of Concubine Wu's pregnancy spread, Emperor Tai'an summoned Qi Shuo again and asked him to take up a position in the Ministry of Justice.

When the officials and nobles learned about this, they gave up the idea.

Prince Jing made great contributions in the war with Northern Qi, which was real military merit, but he ended up working as a civil servant in the Ministry of Justice.

It is said that Prince Jing is meticulous and skilled in portrait painting, making him particularly suitable for working in the Ministry of Justice.

The emperor's meaning was very clear. He was using the appointment of Prince Jing to tell all the ministers not to come up with any ideas about adoption.

The dispute over the crown prince was put on hold, but the huge problem of an empty treasury was once again placed before the emperor and his ministers.

Pensions for fallen soldiers, reconstruction of damaged houses, resettlement of refugees, and even more terrible is that the war lasted through winter and spring, and those affected areas missed the spring plowing. One can imagine the difficulties that followed.

The court was as bustling as a vegetable market, with the main dispute revolving around increasing taxes. The ministers believed that if they had no money, they would have to start with taxes, and the dispute was nothing more than the difference in the means and intensity of taxation.

Emperor Tai'an kept a sullen face and said nothing.

After the war, the people are the ones who suffer the most. Extorting money from them is definitely not a long-term solution.

Is there no open source way that benefits the country and the people?

Until Zheng Laisheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "I happened to walk into a foreign goods store the other day and saw that the goods were very valuable. While talking with the store owner, he casually mentioned that our Great Zhou's silk, porcelain, and other items are also considered luxuries in overseas countries..."

Minister Zheng did not directly propose the idea of opening up new sources of income, but it aroused the interest of Emperor Tai'an.

"...From what I understand, many merchants have been active at sea over the years, reaping huge profits through overseas trade. The Great Zhou is in dire need of new revenue. Why not establish an official merchant caravan to replenish the treasury through trade with overseas nations?"

"Minister Zheng, are you talking about lifting the maritime ban?" the Minister of Rites asked with a frown.

Minister Zheng coughed and did not answer directly.

The maritime ban was a thing during the reign of Taizu. Later, Emperor Pingle ascended the throne and sat on the throne for two years before the current emperor took over. In fact, he has never had a clear attitude towards the maritime ban.

Profits drive people to take risks. Under the ambiguous attitude of the court, both merchants engaged in maritime trade and pirates doing business with no capital have become more and more active.

There is huge wealth contained in it. If the imperial court can get a share of it, there will be no need to worry about the treasury being short of money.

Minister Zheng's suggestion was just a starting point, and some of the ministers who received the reminder agreed, while others opposed. They had a heated discussion on whether the government should engage in maritime trade.

Emperor Tai'an saw that the Minister of Revenue was so excited that he spit on the face of the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Rites "accidentally" pulled out a few hairs of the Minister of Revenue's beard.

The scene was unbearable to watch, but Emperor Tai'an, who had a stern face, had a smile in his eyes.

Earning money overseas to fill the national treasury and use it for the benefit of the people is indeed a good idea.

However, the imperial court has known very little about maritime trade for many years. It is completely in the dark about the division of forces at sea, navigation routes, and the current situation of overseas countries.

But once a way to make money is found, these difficulties can be gradually overcome, and the first problem to be solved is the conservative thinking of some ministers.

Emperor Tai'an was anxious in his heart, but he could only keep calm and wait for these old guys to quarrel for a few days before making any decision.

Changing a policy is never easy, even if the intention is good and the result is good.

The discussion about opening the sea in the court gradually spread, and some businessmen and noble families heard the news and used their own means to find out the news.

These had little impact on Prince Jing's Mansion. Prince Jing went to court on time, Qi Shuo went to the yamen on time, and Lin Hao began to busy himself with building a school.

From the location of the school, to hiring reliable teachers, and even the money and manpower needed for the normal operation of a school, everything needs to be considered. Lin Hao was busy for a while, and the young princess Qi Qiong also participated in it with great interest.

Whenever Princess Jing heard that the Crown Prince's wife and the Princess had gone out again, her expression would become somewhat distorted.

She had hoped that her daughter-in-law could share some of the household chores, but she never expected that not only would she go out every day, but she would even kidnap her daughter.

When Princess Jing heard that the Crown Prince's wife and the princess had not gone out that day, she was a little surprised, so she sent a maid to invite them over to talk.

Qi Qiong arrived first: "What does mother want to see me about?"

Princess Jing's face darkened slightly. "Why can't I come to you if there's nothing wrong? You just greet me early in the morning and then run out. Don't you see you've become tanned like charcoal?"

"Is there?" Qi Qiong hurriedly pulled out a palm-sized glass mirror from his sleeve and examined it carefully. "It seems to be a little darker."

"Then just stay at home."

Qi Qiong gave Princess Jing an ingratiating smile: "It's a little dark, but my sister-in-law and I are busy with important matters."

"Speaking of which, what are you two busy with?" asked Princess Jing.

She had been curious for a long time, but she didn't want to show it too obviously.

"We are busy running the school."

"Open a school?" Princess Jing raised her voice slightly. "You two are opening a school?"

"Yeah." Qi Qiong planned to talk to her mother in detail, maybe she could get real financial support from her.

Princess Jing looked incredulous: "A school for girls?"

Can women actually run a school?

Princess Jing came from an ordinary wealthy family. If her mother had not been the daughter of a scholar and persuaded her father to hire a teacher for her and her sister for a few years, she probably would not even be able to read or write.

Her daughter's words had a great impact on her.

Qi Qiong was stunned: "Why not? We don't need to be teachers, as long as we have money, it will be fine."

Princess Jing moved the corners of her mouth, always feeling that something was not right, but it seemed that there was no problem.

At this time, the maid Zhenzhu who had gone to fetch Lin Hao came back and said, "The Crown Prince's wife just left."

"Why didn't sister-in-law call me?" Qi Qiong wondered.

"It was my mother-in-law who sent someone to invite the Crown Prince's wife."

After hearing what Zhenzhu said, Princess Jing and Qi Qiong didn't ask any more questions.

Even if a family has a lot of rules, there is no reason to stop the daughter-in-law from returning to her parents' home even if the mother-in-law invites her. Besides, the royal palace has never had so many rules.

"Qiong'er, tell us more about running the school."

Lin Hao was indeed taken away by the people sent by Lin, but they did not ask her to return to the general's mansion, but to go straight to Tianyuan Temple.

In the carriage, Lin Hao asked Lin's maid Fang Fei: "Why is Madam in Tianyuan Temple?"

Fang Fei's face didn't look good, and her voice was full of panic: "Madam, go and pray for the eldest aunt."

The Lin sisters got married, so the generals in the mansion called them the eldest aunt and the second aunt. Lin Chan was pregnant, so it was reasonable for the Lin family to pray for her daughter.

Just looking at Fangfei's expression and thinking about Tianyuan Temple, Lin Hao had a bad feeling: "Could it be that something bad has happened again?"

She remembered that time when her mother found a headless female corpse in Tianyuan Temple, and the case has not been solved to this day.