Chapter 149: The court is not about fighting and killing, but about careful calculation (please subscribe and reward)

In the poorhouse, in the dilapidated courtyard.

"Tell me your name again?" Zhao Huan pointed at the five-year-old girl who was gnawing on a chicken leg in disbelief.

"Hmm, hiccup, Xiaoling." The little girl answered timidly, hiding behind Zhu Lian.

Kuang Fusheng: My brother is here, why are you hiding behind someone else? This makes me feel so embarrassed.

"Your name is Ma Xiaoling, your name is Kuang Fusheng, your father's name is Kuang Guohua, and if I'm not mistaken, your mother's name is A Xiu."

Zhao Huan spoke confidently, yes, the plot must be like this, there can't be so many coincidences.

"No, my mother's name is Wang Zhenzhen!" Kuang Fusheng ruthlessly shattered Zhao Huan's guess.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Didn't Wang Zhenzhen and Kuang Guohua break up? It must be A Xiu, and it can only be A Xiu..."

Zhao Huan bypassed Zhu Lian and suddenly appeared in front of Ma Xiaoling. He grabbed her slender arm and said, "Have you learned the Nine-Character Mantra?"

"No, no." Ma Xiaoling was so scared that her face turned pale and tears as big as beans flowed down her face.

"The Nine-Character Mantra, just like Qiao Feng's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, can summon a divine dragon."

"Those who are about to fight will all line up in front!"

"Kill the evil!"

Zhao Huan made a hand gesture, striking a demon-slaying gesture. "Think about it, have you really never learned this?"

"No!" Ma Xiaoling shook her head and thought, why is this brother so weird.

"Sure enough, TV dramas are all made up." Zhao Huan sighed and turned to look at Kuang Fusheng: "What are you eating? Do you understand the quadratic equation? Why don't you study it quickly?"

Kuang Fusheng: Why are you being so mean to me!

Kuang Fusheng still didn't fully understand it in the end. The child was very talented, and no matter how good his ability to accept things was, it was already a remarkable achievement if he could accept 50%.

"Fusheng, you stay here and feed your mother the medicine. We'll take Xiaoling and leave first. We sneaked out to play, avoiding the guards. When we get home, we'll have someone drive a carriage with a doctor."

"Are you really not human traffickers?"

"...Have you ever seen a human trafficker who knows quadratic equations? Why would they resort to crime when they have this knowledge?"

Zhao Huan said proudly, "Human traffickers and the like are not worth mentioning. When I return to the city, I will send someone to notify the county magistrate to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Okay, take good care of sister Xiaoling."

After leaving the relief center, Zhu Lian leaned over to Zhao Huan's ear and said, "You are the Kaifeng governor appointed by the emperor himself. You are nominally the top leader. Nie Chang is in charge of all the work, but he is actually the second in command."

“…”

There were four people when we came out, and there were still four people when we went back, just right, not more, not less.

At this time, Shao Chengzhang was still wandering aimlessly on the streets of Bianhe. The emperor was in disguise and came out on a secret visit, so he didn't dare to make a sound for fear of causing trouble for the emperor.

However, this Bianhe Street was very prosperous and crowded with people. I couldn't find anyone at all. After walking around for a few times, I just squatted in front of the store. After all, I had to go back to the store to take a look.

At dusk, Shao Chengzhang finally saw Zhao Huan, who had regained his original appearance. He looked depressed and said, "Your Majesty, can you please…"

Zhao Huan, who was reviewing the memorials, looked up at Shao Chengzhang. Shao Chengzhang immediately said, "Can you leave me a key? The emperor has entrusted me with the important task of decorating the shop, and I must make it look beautiful."

Shao Chengzhang: When the emperor looked at me, I was extremely panicked, but after a quarter of an incense stick, the emperor would forgive me because I decided to tell a lie.

Although I have told countless lies in my life, I think this one is the most perfect...

Zhao Huan: Really? He has backbone? Shao Chengzhang? He has no moral integrity.

………………………………………………

The next day, he went to Chuigong Hall to hold court.

Li Gang submitted a memorial to continue discussing the issue of restarting the Qingmiao Law in the north.

"Your Majesty, it's spring plowing season, and vast tracts of land have fallen into ruin because the people lack seeds and tools. If we don't farm now and continue to struggle, who knows how many people will starve to death in autumn and winter. We simply can't afford to delay."

"What do you think, my Lords?" Zhao Huan said calmly, "Prime Minister Li is describing an objective reality. How can we grow crops on the barren land? We need to give the people something to earn a living. If they don't have enough to eat, won't they rise up and rebel against the court?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Qingmiao Law should not be activated rashly. This would compete with the people for profit. The wealth in the world is limited. If the court has more, the people will naturally have less. Moreover, this has been proven to be useless by bloody facts."

Cui Yan, a representative of the conservative party, was the first to jump out and object: "Your Majesty, the scroll depicting people freezing to death on the road is still on display in the palace. We cannot allow this tragedy to happen again."

He speaks righteously, speaks for the people, and is objective and fair. This is not because he and the New Party are at odds.

There was a back-and-forth discussion, with some supporting and some opposing. Some even brought out some specific data from the Qingmiao Law during the Xining period, presenting facts and reasoning to tell you that the Qingmiao Law was not working.

Zhao Huan was stunned: Who is it? He is so well prepared. Compared with Li Gang who was also well prepared, the data in his hands is not bad at all.

"This is the data recorded by the Ministry of Rites over the past nine years."

In the third year of Yuanfeng: the total amount of Qingmiao money distributed was 8,889,430 taels, the total amount of Qingmiao money collected was 12,930,496 taels, the interest income was 4,041,066 taels, and the calculated interest rate was 45%.

In the fourth year of Yuanfeng: the total amount of Qingmiao money distributed was 8,237,808 taels, the total amount of Qingmiao money collected was 15,951,974 taels, the interest income was 7,714,166 taels, and the calculated interest rate was 93%.

"Your Majesty, judging by the results, the implementation of the Qingmiao Law's interest rates is not as good as imagined. Officials are manipulating it, and the people are suffering. The interest rates are as high as 50%, or even doubled, and are trending higher and higher."

"Furthermore, the Qingmiao Law is even stricter than private lending. If private lending fails, they can wait and see. If it really doesn't work out, they can even use Xier to pay off the debt. However, the Qingmiao Law is a government debt, so there's no room for delay even for a single day. It even exacerbates conflicts between the government and the people."

Wang Shiyong tearfully questioned Li Gang, "What exactly are you up to? Don't you think the world is chaotic enough?"

Li Gang: "Minister Wang, please be careful with your words. My starting point is also for the people. If we don't use the Qingmiao Law, what do you say we should do? Will the court provide free disaster relief? If a disaster happens elsewhere later, what should we do? Will your Wang family help?"

"You, you, you, what do you mean by my Wang family is out? The court has always been clear about the distinction between public and private affairs. How can you take advantage of the people?"

Wang Shiyong spoke harshly. The family business accumulated by several generations of the Wang family could not be ruined in his hands.

"Before Jing Gong proposed the Qingmiao Law, the common people were still able to survive. Without the Qingmiao Law, wouldn't the people die?"

Li Gang: "Minister Wang is probably worried that the Qingmiao Law will affect his family's usury."

A decisive blow!!!