Is this for real?
Although the people pay taxes every year, including tea tax, salt tax, and commercial tax, the national treasury's expenditures are equally enormous, especially military expenses and officials' salaries, which account for almost the entire amount.
In addition, whenever there are natural disasters or man-made calamities, the money for disaster relief has to come from the national treasury.
Not to mention enriching his own private treasury, sometimes he even has to take a lot from his own private treasury to make up for the deficit in the national treasury.
He was also very troubled by this, but he had not been able to find any other solutions.
Hearing Su An say this, Chu Yi couldn't help but become interested and raised an eyebrow to ask.
"Oh? Miss Su, what brilliant plan do you have? Why don't you tell me?"
"There are too many people here, so let's find another place to talk."
Su An subconsciously glanced around before cautiously offering his suggestion.
With guards following him, Chu Yi was naturally unafraid of any tricks and agreed without hesitation.
The two returned to the shop, but Fu Zhun had gone out to run errands and was not in the room.
Su An led Chu Yi back to the room, spread out the Xuan paper on the table, and explained to him while drawing diagrams to help him understand.
“We have a saying here: ‘If you want to get rich, build roads first.’ If cement roads can be extended to all parts of the country, the speed of trade will definitely increase significantly. When people and merchants have more money in their pockets, they will naturally hand over more.”
That makes some sense.
Chu Yi stared intently at the drawings she had made, nodding slightly to signal her to continue.
Su paused for a moment, then drew another structural diagram of the viaduct on the paper with a serious expression.
She pointed to the construction diagram, her eyes sparkling as she spoke.
"This is an elevated bridge, which you can also think of as a bridge built in the air. In economically prosperous areas, there will definitely be a lot of traffic. In order to avoid traffic congestion, a bridge can be built in the air to expand the road."
A bridge suspended in the air—that's truly unbelievable.
A hint of surprise flashed in Chu Yi's eyes. He unusually composed himself, looked at the blueprints, and remained silent.
Before he could respond, Su An became more and more excited as he continued to explain his methods for getting rich.
"What I mentioned before were all methods that could promote inland development. But if we want to get rich, the most important thing is to look at the coast. The reason why our development is slow is because we have blocked the coast and lack contact with other countries."
“If we open up our coastlines and expand our business to other countries, in other words, we can bring other people’s money into our own pockets, and the national treasury and His Majesty’s private treasury will naturally become abundant.”
The cement road and overpass ahead could be described as ingenious.
But opening the coast was somewhat shocking.
The coastline is a vital defensive line on the border of the Great Chu. Troops are constantly stationed at the dikes to guard against foreign invasion. Now, Su An is asking him to open up the coastline directly, handing over the country without a second thought. How is that possible?
No dynasty in history has ever acted in this way.
Chu Yi pursed his lips, his face darkened, and refused without even thinking.
"No, opening the coast is too risky. If it attracts foreign enemies, the consequences would be unimaginable. Do you want the foundation of the Great Chu Dynasty, built over a hundred years, to be destroyed in my hands? Moreover, the blockade of the coast is a rule passed down from our ancestors and cannot be broken lightly."
“I think building roads is justifiable and worth a try, but opening up the coast is absolutely impossible.”
Being rejected was within Su An's expectations. After all, traditional ideas that have been deeply rooted for thousands of years are not easy to change.
Su An took a deep breath, his eyes still shining.
Just as she was about to try to persuade him again, the door was pushed open.
Fu Zhun pushed the wheelchair, his handsome phoenix eyes narrowed, staring intently at Chu Yi, and questioned him.
Why is the Emperor refusing to allocate funds?
Hearing the noise, Chu Yi turned around, gave Fu Zhun a cold laugh, and leaned back slightly, looking nonchalant.
"Your Imperial Uncle secretly led troops to plunder pharmacies, using the opportunity to win over the people and gain fame. He has taken all the benefits, so why should I clean up his mess? Now everyone only talks about you, the Prince of Zhenbei; who remembers me, the Emperor?"
"Are you trying to openly rebel?"
As he spoke, he slammed his hand on the table, a chilling glint in his eyes.
Su An was furious, but this was, after all, a matter of the royal family. To put it bluntly, she was just a businesswoman and shouldn't get involved.
The two stood facing each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
If it were anyone else who were accused of treason and rebellion, they would probably have already knelt down and begged for mercy, trying their best to explain themselves.
Fu Zhun, however, remained unhurried and showed no fear on his face, only letting out a soft hum.
“When the late emperor was alive, I was already the Prince of Zhenbei, who held immense power and commanded a large army. If I wanted this country, the throne would never be yours. Everyone can say the word ‘rebellion,’ but you are the only one who cannot.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Yi suddenly stood up, his eyes wide open, and pressed his back teeth hard against his gums.
"What do you mean by this? Do you think I owe my ascension to the throne to your charity?"
Fu Zhun gave a dismissive, cold laugh, his tone languid.
"What I mean is that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. As the emperor, you should love your people like your own children and govern diligently and frugally. Otherwise, if you lose the hearts of the people, the country will be in danger."
A threat, a blatant threat.
Chu Yi's face was ashen, his fingers clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white. He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Are you threatening me? Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?"
"Since Your Majesty thinks that my doing this is overstepping your bounds, then let Your Majesty do it. I'm happy to have some peace and quiet."
After a moment of silence, Fu Zhun suddenly relaxed and took a step back.
If both sides had compromised, the matter would have been over.
Unfortunately, Chu Yi was a stubborn man. Hearing him say that, he glanced at him with a mocking expression and clearly refused.
"Your Royal Uncle is always good at making excuses. I would never stoop to such self-serving and fame-seeking behavior."
This won't do, that won't do. You're a grown man, why are you acting like a woman?
Even Su An couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but complain.
"Are you even being reasonable? You're the one who stopped Fu Zhun from allocating disaster relief funds, and you're the one who accused him of shirking his responsibilities. So, whatever he does is wrong? Well, as the supreme ruler, enjoying the worship of all people, why don't you go and resolve this issue yourself!"
"You do no work, just talk nonsense. I've taken care of your people, and you're not grateful. Instead, you accuse me of rebellion and treason. Is your role as emperor just about empty words?"
After these words were spoken, all around fell silent.
Chu Yi's expression was even more gloomy and uncertain, as if a storm was brewing.
Fearing he might do something to harm Su An, Fu Zhun frowned and quickly waved to her.
"Come here, come over here."
Su An belatedly glanced at Chu Yi, then quickly hid behind Fu Zhun, stubbornly confronting Chu Yi.
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