After inspecting the Xinjin Navy, Yun Zheng returned to Dingbei.
When they arrived, Wu Shengtai and the chief officers of various cities in Shuobei had also arrived.
Seeing Yun Zheng, many people were secretly worried.
Although more than 20 people were caught in the corruption case in Shuobei last year, there is no doubt that there are still corrupt officials in Shuobei who have not been caught.
They guessed that Yun Zheng summoned them here for something.
They also don't know whether they will be implicated.
"Okay, everyone sit down!"
Yun Zheng sat down at the main seat. "I have something important to tell you, so please keep it short! The city chiefs should first tell me about the situation in each city and the difficulties they are facing! No need to go into details, just talk about the important things!"
Hearing Yun Zheng's words, Wu Shengtai hurriedly ordered the governor of Suqu County to speak first.
The governor of Suqu County did not dare to delay and immediately reported the situation in Suqu.
...
...
Yun Zheng did not interrupt him, but just listened quietly.
After the governor of Suqu County finished his report, the governor of Mayi County began his report.
Afterwards, everyone reported one by one.
Although Yun Zheng asked them to talk about the important things, it still took an hour and a half to finish all the talks.
Only after they finished speaking did Wu Shengtai give a summary report.
After Wu Shengtai finished speaking, Yun Zheng slowly stood up.
Seeing Yun Zheng stand up, a group of officials also stood up quickly.
"good."
Yun Zheng raised his eyes and scanned the crowd. "According to what everyone said, apart from the corruption case last year, everything in Shuobei is basically good! The people live and work in peace and contentment, and the cities are thriving. It's prosperous and peaceful! Even in the heyday, it's only like this, right?"
No one understood what Yun Zheng meant, nor did they dare to respond. They just lowered their heads and remained slightly bowed.
Yun Zheng glanced at them and then his eyes fell on Wu Shengtai: "Last year, the tax revenue of Shuobei reached the highest peak since the founding of Dagan. Even the tax revenue of a state in the rich south is not as high as that of Shuobei! Lord Wu has made an indelible contribution."
"I dare not take credit for my achievements!"
Wu Shengtai bowed and said, "This is all thanks to His Highness and Master Chen."
Yun Zheng smiled faintly and asked, "Why are taxes in Shuobei so high?"
"this……"
Wu Shengtai noticed something was wrong.
Shuobei was created by Yun Zheng, Zhang Xu and others.
Your Highness, don’t you know why the taxes in Shuobei are so high?
It shouldn't be like this!
Your Highness, there is obviously something else behind your words!
Wu Shengtai thought silently for a while, and replied carefully: "It's mainly because the business in Shuobei is prosperous, and there are a constant stream of merchants coming and going. In addition, there are many places with high taxes such as brothels and gambling houses, so there are so many tax revenues."
"Is that so?"
Yun Zheng smiled, "Logically speaking, with Shuobei being so prosperous, the people should be able to live and work in peace and contentment! But how come I have heard so many stories of children being sold along the way? Could it be that they were all harmed by those corrupt officials?"
Selling children?
Hearing Yun Zheng's words, everyone's heart suddenly jumped.
Is this the reason why His Highness summoned them to Dingbei?
Wu Shengtai's heart was beating fast, and he continued to answer: "It seems that some people were indeed harmed by those corrupt officials, and some others were probably harmed by themselves."
"oh?"
Yun Zheng was curious, "It's understandable that they were harmed by corrupt officials! But what are their own reasons?"
Speaking of this, Wu Shengtai sighed.
It’s hard to explain this matter in a few words.
There are only two reasons why common people sell their children, besides corrupt officials.
Gambling and business!
Gambling seems to be human nature.
Once you have some money in your hands, you want to make a fortune.
But most of them lost everything.
There are also some people who, seeing many people making money by doing business, want to do business themselves.
Although Shuobei has a good business environment, not everyone can make a lot of money by doing business.
Some people were originally honest farmers, and some could not even read or write, but they learned to do business.
In this situation, how many people can make money?
It’s okay if you do small business, if you lose money, you lose money.
But if this business is to expand a little, it will require financial support.
Once there is a loss, many people cannot afford it.
There was no other choice but to sell their children.
"So that's how it is."
Yun Zheng nodded slightly: "Has the government formulated any corresponding measures?"
Wu Shengtai paused and shook his head gently.
The government only needs to ensure the prosperity of a place.
How can we take care of every citizen?
Could it be possible that the government could prohibit people from gambling?
Even if it is banned openly, there are still people who gamble secretly!
As for doing business, the government can’t do anything about it!
If the people have some money and want to do some business, can the government prohibit it?
Moreover, haven’t many people who make money in business lost money step by step?
The government can’t allow the people to only make profits and not losses when doing business, right?
The government doesn’t have this ability!
"How many gambling houses are there in Shuobei?"
Yun Zheng asked.
Wu Shengtai replied: "There should be two or three hundred gambling houses, big and small."
Two or three hundred?
Yun Zheng's heart twitched violently.
Even if the newly built cities south of the Baishui River are included, there are less than twenty cities in Shuobei.
On average, there are at least a dozen gambling houses in every city?
In places like Shuofang and Mayi, there must be at least twenty gambling houses, right?
"Have any officials in Shuobei opened a gambling house or invested in one?"
Yun Zheng asked again.
"have!"
Wu Shengtai replied: "Many of the more than 20 people investigated last year were involved in the gambling business! Even now, there should still be officials who have hidden shares in the gambling houses! But openly, there should be no officials who directly opened gambling houses or invested in them."
Yun Zheng walked up to Wu Shengtai and asked seriously, "Have you ever thought about curbing the trend of gambling?"
"this……"
Wu Shengtai lowered his head and said, "I did think about it before, but after seeing last year's tax revenue, I just..."
Having said this, Wu Shengtai buried his head even lower.
The taxes in gambling houses are very high!
These gambling houses of all sizes in Shuobei can bring huge tax revenue to Shuobei.
What are the political achievements of an official?
Isn’t the most direct one taxation?
Faced with huge tax bills, he chose to allow gambling to flourish.
"You are from the palace, but your performance has disappointed me!"
Yun Zheng shook his head and looked at Wu Shengtai.
"I admit my guilt!"
Wu Shengtai was terrified and fell to his knees with a bang.
"stand up!"
Yun Zheng said in a low voice, "I will give you an idea. There should be no more than three gambling houses in each city! Gambling houses are strictly prohibited from lending money to gamblers. Once found, the gambling houses will be closed down immediately!"
"But which gambling houses can stay and which ones should be closed down, it's up to you to decide!"
"There must be interests involved here. Some people will bribe relevant officials in order to keep their gambling houses!"
"How to prevent these things from happening is something you need to think about yourself!"
"As for the people wanting to do some business, no one can stop them, but officials can organize some training for those who want to do business, but this must be free to prevent people from using it to cheat!"
"As for how to improve these things, you also need to consider it!"
"All the businesses that this prince and Zhang Xu are involved in will be confiscated. I will instruct Chen Bu on the follow-up matters!"
"You are responsible for drawing up a plan to improve the livelihood and customs of the people in Shuobei. Once you have drawn it up, submit it directly to Madam Zi!"
"If the problems in Shuobei have not been effectively solved when I return from my expedition to Yu Country, I don't mind replacing the officials in Shuobei!"
At the end, Yun Zheng's voice gradually became stern...
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