Chapter 2937 Agree to Inspection
Old Lord Tang looked at him as if he were looking at a corrupt official who was unreasonable, had a bad heart and a black face.
Minister Liu ignored him and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, if this law is really as Bai Shan said, then the salt policy of our Great Jin will have to be changed. Everything from salt prices to salt taxes must be changed. Such a major reform cannot be completed in a day, so this law must not be disclosed to anyone at this time. It must be made public only after a perfect plan is in place. Only then will there be no chaos."
Although it is said to be public, it is not directly released to the public for people all over the country to know. Instead, it is made public in the government office where salt can be dried.
Only insiders know about it. It’s like the current method of boiling salt. Apart from the officials and skilled workers who boil salt, who else knows this method?
Didn’t you see that when County Magistrate Lu wanted to open a new salt field, he had to first send people to the old salt field to learn how to boil salt, and only bring them out after they had learned it?
But this level of publicity was enough for Dajin.
Wei Zhi was also very excited at this time, and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, perhaps we can take this opportunity to wipe out the bad policies in Jiangnan."
Upon hearing this, Lord Tang immediately got into the role. Jiangnan has always had many problems. This is because the north has been in chaos for nearly two hundred years. It was difficult for the aristocratic families and political parties to move to the south. When they came back, the control of the Jin Dynasty over Jiangnan was somewhat weakened.
At present, the Tibetan problem is most serious in the Jiangnan area, and the other issue is the salt tax.
The emperor was very upset.
The emperor also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. His eyes sparkled: "Salt administration is related to people's livelihood. In the past, I had to rely on them to produce salt, but now..."
The prince thought of the old grudge and was eager to try, "Father, I am willing to go to Jiangnan."
The emperor glanced at him and said, "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. What are you doing in Jiangnan?"
Wei Zhi asked, "Then who does Your Majesty think is suitable to go?"
The emperor fell into deep thought.
He thought for a long time, hesitated again and again, but couldn't help asking, "My dear ministers, what do you think of Yang Changbo?"
Old Lord Tang and Minister Liu of Weizhi looked at each other, both of them remained silent and pondered.
Minister Liu waited for a long time, but couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, the Yang family is quite powerful in Jiangnan. They have often interfered with the salt administration in the past. Although they were suppressed a few years ago, they have many relatives and old friends. Sending Yang Changbo would be inappropriate, wouldn't it?"
Old Lord Tang, because his son had a very good relationship with Yang Changbo, knew Yang Changbo better than Minister Liu did, so he suggested, "Your Majesty, why not ask Yang Changbo if he's willing to go?"
Wei knew: "If he is willing to go, then this matter will have a 30% chance of success."
Not only because of his identity, but also because of his talent.
The emperor looked at the prince and asked, "What do you think?"
Although the prince did not like Yang very much, he had to admit that Yang Changbo was a gentleman. If he agreed, he would not turn against her unless they, father and son, betrayed him first.
However, the Crown Prince felt that as long as he and his father were not stupid, they would not betray such an important official for no reason, so he nodded and said, "When the time comes, let him leave his family in the capital. I will ask the Crown Princess to take good care of his family."
It is not only a hostage, but also a protection, so that he has no worries.
The emperor nodded slightly.
The emperor decided to summon Yang Changbo to the capital for a talk, but before that, he pushed the salt shaker in front of them and said, "Try it. I think this salt is pretty good."
The three of them stepped forward, took a little taste, and found that it tasted really good, no worse than the medium-quality salt sold outside.
Can this thing be made by drying it in sea water?
Isn’t it too simple?
The emperor was also very curious, "I have seen the sea and drank sea water, and the taste..."
The emperor paused, then skipped over the taste and said, "But if you soak in seawater, dry it, and rub it, it seems like there's salt on it. But to harvest so much salt, is it really possible to divert seawater to the ground and dry it?"
The Crown Prince had never seen the sea, and when he heard this, his heart moved, "Father, why don't I go to Qingzhou to take a look?"
The emperor frowned.
Wei Zhi looked at the Crown Prince's increasingly resolute face and stepped out, saying, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has become much more stable in the past two years and has the experience of being a regent. Why not let His Highness go to Qingzhou and experience the hardships of the people's lives?"
Old Master Tang said, "If Your Majesty is worried, just send more imperial guards for protection. The world is now stable, so why should you be afraid of bandits and robbers?"
The emperor agreed. The eldest son is not the third son. He will manage the entire country in the future and cannot stay in the capital and just watch the world from a narrow perspective. Although he has taken him out to investigate people's livelihood many times over the years, he has never had a chance to go out himself.
It's a good thing that he goes out this time, it's a good opportunity for him to see his character.
The Crown Prince did a good job as regent twice, especially in last year's Eastern Expedition. He and Wei Zhi cooperated very well and managed the government in an orderly manner. His ability is beyond doubt. In this case, the only thing left is his kindness to the people.
The emperor said to the prince, "Since you want to understand the people's livelihood, you can't just go to Qingzhou. You can go along the way and also go to Haizhou. But you can only go to Haizhou to observe the situation on the coast there. You are not allowed to go beyond Haizhou and continue south."
Further down from Haizhou is the territory of Jiangnan.
Although the emperor wanted the prince to experience the hardships of the people's lives, he did not want him to take too much risk.
So it’s best to know when to stop.
The prince was a little excited and asked, "Father, when is the best time for me to set off?"
The emperor glanced at him and said, "Why rush? I'll discuss this matter with Yin Li first. Even if it's just to understand the people's sentiments, you should find a better reason. I'll arrange some more people for you, and your Chancellery should also select some people to take with you."
The prince could only patiently respond with a "yes".
The emperor turned around and said to Old Master Tang, "I think it would be better to let the Crown Prince inspect local government affairs and official administration. You can send an imperial censor from the Censorate to follow him, and the Ministry of Justice... I don't think any of them are suitable. Zhihe is a good choice."
Old Master Tang thought for a moment and said, "On behalf of my son, I thank Your Majesty for your cultivation."
The emperor smiled and said, "You are like a tiger father and like a dog son. I have heard Yin Li praise him many times. Since he became Yin Li's deputy and took the position of Shao Yin, the crime clearance rate in the capital area has increased, and the crime rate has dropped significantly."
Although Lord Tang was proud in his heart, he still spoke modestly.
The emperor and his ministers temporarily put aside the secret memorial and talked about their own family affairs.
It was not until Wei Zhi grew impatient that the emperor handed him a small bottle beside him and said, "This is what Zhou Man asked someone to bring back for you, my dear. Please take a look at it."
Wei Zhi saw that the bottle had been opened, but he didn't mind. He just reached out to take it, opened it, took a look, and stretched out his fingers to pour out the small note inside.
The emperor called out, "Gu Zhong..."
Gu Zhong came in, took a look, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Xiao Yuanzheng is already waiting outside."
"Let him in."
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
