Chapter 150 Gold, Silver and Copper Are Tools, Not Wealth (Please Subscribe and Praise)

Watching the debate among the court officials below the dragon throne, Zhao Huan thought to himself that the Song Dynasty's research on economics was still at a very superficial stage.

At this moment, Zhao Huan really wanted to say rubbish to Wang Shiyong!

When other court officials asked Zhao Huan why he insulted the ministers, he added, "I'm not targeting Wang Shiyong alone. I'm saying that everyone present is trash. I'm going to kill them all, regardless of friend or foe."

The debate in the audience intensified, and Li Gang insisted, "Wang Shiyong and others disagreed with the Green Sprout Law because their families were interested in usury and wanted to seize the opportunity to annex land."

Of course, Wang Shiyong would never admit it even if he was beaten to death. He just claimed to be speaking for the people and did not want the court to compete with the people for profit, thus causing tragedy to repeat itself.

The two sides were deadlocked. Zhao Huan coughed lightly and then said, "It's useless for you to keep arguing like this. The husband has his own reasons, and the wife has her own reasons. Why don't I just do the talking?"

"First of all, both viewpoints have merit. Both prioritize the interests of the people and aim to help them quickly resume production so they can harvest enough food for the coming year. I believe you all agree on this."

"No!"

"Let me start with Prime Minister Li's point of view. The Qingmiao Law is the state spending money to help the people. Since it's a favor, I think it's only natural to charge a small fee. The court also has to consider the future, right? The people in charge of the Changping Division need to eat, and the horses transporting grain also need feed. The Qingmiao Law must at least balance income and expenditure."

"Prime Minister Li just said that the Qingmiao Law is not a literal copy of the Jinggong New Law. The interest rate has been adjusted from 20% to 10%, only half of the original rate."

"Your Majesty!" Wang Shiyong stepped forward and said, "I just mentioned the figures from the years I was in charge of the Changping Division. Whether it's 20% or 10%, they're just superficial figures. After all the bribery and corruption, the interest is frighteningly high."

"What Minister Wang said is an objective problem. It doesn't matter if there are problems, can we just resolve them? You also said that this is an implementation issue, can we just control it?"

"Human desires are endless. There are policies from above and countermeasures from below. There is simply no way to eliminate them."

"Minister Wang, what you said is wrong. We can't attribute the problem to human desires. This is simply passive resistance."

We rush around all day just because we are hungry, and as soon as we are full we think about clothes.

I have enough food and clothing, but I also want a beautiful wife.

I married a beautiful wife and had children, but I regret that I have no land and no foundation.

I bought a lot of land, but I have no boat or horse to ride when going out.

The mules and horses are stuck at the trough, and I sigh that I am bullied because I have no official position.

After becoming an emperor, he sought the art of immortality and even wanted to ascend to heaven and fly on a crane.

If you want people to be satisfied, it is just a dream.

Zhao Huan said, "I know that human desires are endless, but how many people can truly fulfill their desires? Wouldn't it be better to put a sword over their heads?"

"Isn't that what the Censor-in-Chief, the Chief Justice, and the Inspection Commissioner do? Why do you think that after you go there, you will also join the ranks of those who take bribes and become corrupt, colluding with them?"

Several department officials named by Zhao Huan hurriedly said they dared not.

"That's it. If anyone dares to take bribes, extort money, or take bribes, we'll confiscate their property and exile them to Lingnan. Sixty percent of their property will go to the national treasury, thirty percent will be awarded to the censor, and ten percent will be used to subsidize the people."

"What, is this motivating?"

"As long as you do your job well, you can get a high bonus. Are you excited? Do you have any thoughts on tempting things?"

Zhao Huan patiently coaxed him: "Besides, what is the reason why our Great Song treasury is empty? Isn't it because there are too many officials? If we remove some of the bad officials, their salaries will be reduced! If their money is saved, the court will have more money, and the salaries paid to you will naturally increase."

"Of course, there is one thing I need to clarify." Zhao Huan looked at Wang Shiyong. "The previous Qingmiao Law did have some minor design issues. You do have some truth in saying that it competes with the people for profit."

"Forcing wealthy families who don't need loans to borrow money and pay interest, and even having to act as guarantors for impoverished people who have nothing, nothing, or anything else, and even getting implicated for doing so. They could have made a profit, but ended up losing it. Minister Wang, is this what you mean?"

Wang Shiyong nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise. Every word you say resonates deeply with me. This is exactly what I am worried about. The wealthy are also citizens of the Song Dynasty and need the court's protection."

Damn, shameless.

Zhao Huan continued, "However, your statement that the wealth of the world is limited and that it is no longer in the imperial court but among the people is problematic."

Zhao Huan used a brush to draw a circle the size of a bowl on rice paper, and then divided it into two parts in the middle.

"Everyone, if you want to understand the concept of competing with the people for profit, we must first instill in everyone a concept - gross national product. This is the indicator that reflects the output and economic strength of our Song Dynasty."

“Gross national product, or GNP, is the final result of the distribution of initial income of all permanent units in a country (or region) over a certain period (usually one year). It is the total value of final products and services owned by the owners of production factors over a certain period.”

"Let me give you some data from the first year of the Jingkang reign of the Song Dynasty. Let's start with agriculture. The Song Dynasty had 8 million mu of land, with an average yield of about 150 kg per mu. Calculated at 40 wen per catty, this translates to 48 million guan."

"Speaking of commerce, according to the data submitted by the Three Yamen Revenue Department, the total amount of goods sold by merchants was 640 million taels."

"If the agricultural tax is calculated at a rate of 1 in 20, it would be approximately 2.4 million strings of cash. If the commercial tax is calculated at a rate of 1 in 10, it would be approximately 64 million strings of cash. Together, the tax revenue of 66.4 million strings of cash is the portion received by the court."

"The rest of the coin belongs to the common people. Of course, a few wealthy families may have taken possession of the vast majority of the wealth. I will not pursue this matter at present."

"The purpose of the Qingmiao Law is not to extract interest from the people and then transfer the 48 million strings of cash from the people to the court, but to ensure that you will still have this much money next year."

"The land was all barren, and the average yield per mu of land may have dropped from 150 kilograms to 100 kilograms. The total output value became 32 million strings of cash, and the wealth of the people became 28.8 million strings of cash."

"The purpose of the Qingmiao Law is to prevent the loss of the basic base. What use is there for the money the court gets? Isn't it just a pile of gold, silver and copper?"

The Portuguese colonized the world, plundering gold and silver everywhere, making their royal family and nobles extremely rich, but so what? What could they get in return for their wealth?

"I am not an emeritus emperor, nor do I seek pleasure. The taxes I collect are truly taken from the people and used for the people. This is called national allocation, and it is for the purpose of expanding the base."