Braving the wind and snow, we finally entered the palace.
There were snowflakes all over the cloak.
Qingzhu gently patted the snowflakes off Gu Jiu's body and whispered, "It's so cold, I'm really worried that Madam will get sick from the cold."
Gu Jiu laughed. "It's not cold when it snows, it's cold when the snow melts. In recent years, the climate in Gyeonggi Province has been pretty good. God has been merciful and there haven't been any major disasters."
As for other places outside the capital, there has been no peace since the 30th year of Kaiyao until now.
There's either a drought here or a flood there. Or there's an ice disaster or an insect plague...
Natural disasters and man-made disasters will lead to more and more refugees pouring into the capital.
Only in the Gyeonggi region has there been a rare period of good weather and good harvests in recent years.
Many people privately say that the capital is blessed with dragon energy, which has blessed the area for nearly a decade, resulting in good weather and abundant harvests.
Gu Jiu didn’t know whether there was dragon energy in the capital.
She only knew that in the past two years, the people of the capital had become richer, and the local government had also become richer, so they repaired the water conservancy facilities.
When small-scale droughts and floods occur, water conservancy facilities can be put to use in a timely manner, minimizing the damage caused by natural disasters.
Of course, these days, our livelihood depends mainly on the weather.
Therefore, the next step is still to vigorously develop agriculture.
At the same time, we should vigorously promote overseas colonization, striving to one day use overseas grain to feed the people of Da Zhou.
The eunuch was urging him.
Gu Jiu took off his cloak and handed it to Qing Zhu, "Wait in the side hall, don't move rashly."
"I know."
Gu Jiu followed the eunuch into the hall.
As expected, the two masters, the Shaofu Household Commander and the Shaofu Bronze Clerk, were both present.
When Emperor Wende saw Gu Jiu, he laughed as if he had seen the God of Wealth.
He laughed like a 200-pound fat man.
"My eldest daughter-in-law, it's been a few months. Is your health improved? Is the child okay?"
"Thank you for your concern, father. My daughter-in-law is in good health, and the child is also fine."
"Mother and child are healthy, very good, very good!"
Emperor Wende said cheerfully, "When will you bring the child into the palace for me to see?"
Gu Jiu said, "When the weather warms up, my daughter-in-law will bring the child to the palace to pay her respects to His Majesty."
Emperor Wende's eyebrows twitched. He was so tactless.
If we have to wait until the weather gets warmer, doesn’t that mean we have to wait until the beginning of next spring?
It will take several more months.
Emperor Wende said earnestly, "I am old and often feel lonely. What I long for most is for my children and grandchildren to gather together."
The Minister of the Imperial Household, the Minister of the Imperial Household...
Is it really okay to listen to His Majesty and Madam Zhao chatting about family matters?
Emperor Wende spoke in the tone of a lonely old man. What did that mean?
Damn!
Gu Jiu pretended to be stupid and just said, "During the New Year, my daughter-in-law must bring Yu Ge'er into the palace." It's so cold, and he doesn't want to take Heng Ge'er out.
Emperor Wende was upset.
Forget it, forget it, he won’t argue with Gu Jiu.
After two light coughs, he finally got to the point of today.
"I called you here because I have something important to tell you."
"My daughter-in-law respectfully listens to the Hadith."
Gu Jiu's attitude was quite respectful.
This made Emperor Wende feel better.
He coughed twice more before continuing, "Privately minted coins are rampant. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance don't have a good solution. They can only hope to increase the number of official coins to suppress private minting. However, the imperial court's brass mining is limited. Private mining is rampant, and a large amount of brass is flowing into private banks. Do you have a solution to this problem?"
Gu Jiu thought to himself, it was indeed all about money.
She pondered for a moment and asked, "Is Your Majesty going to crack down on the private minting of coins or the illegal mining of minerals?"
"What's the difference between the two? Do you have a way to attack both at the same time?" Emperor Wende's eyes sparkled, as if there were stars twinkling in his eyes.
No!
That's not starlight!
That's money!
Only the bright yellow coins can make Emperor Wende's eyes sparkle with stars.
Gu Jiu shook his head slightly. "My daughter-in-law's ability is limited. She can't attack both at the same time. She can only focus on one."
Emperor Wende hurriedly asked, "If we focus on cracking down on private coinage, what should we do? If we focus on cracking down on private mining, what should we do?"
Gu Jiu said, "To crack down on privately minted coins, my daughter-in-law and the others agree that we should increase the number of coins minted by the government. As long as a sufficient number of official coins flow into the market, the crude and shoddy privately minted coins will naturally have no market."
Emperor Wende frowned. He always felt that Gu Jiu was not telling the truth.
She must have a better way, but she just refuses to say it.
Emperor Wende's face darkened, and he asked, "What are your plans for cracking down on illegal mining?"
Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled. "It's a simple matter. Let the Eunuch Supervisor or the Minister of the Imperial Household take charge and count all the private mines in the world, find out the scale, number of people and approximate profits of each private mine. Then, they will issue them a mining license approved by the court and charge a certain amount of silver. Turn the illegal private mines into legal ones, and the problem will be solved."
Can it still be done this way?
Gu Jiu continued, "It's like recruiting rebels. Once recruited, they become regular soldiers. Illegal mines can also be recruited and become legal. As for how to proceed, the court can flexibly take measures based on the specific circumstances."
After hearing this, the Shaofu Household Manager nodded secretly, thinking that this method was feasible.
Although private mines are still private mines, their nature is different because one is independent of the imperial court and the other is under the control of the imperial court.
Shaofu Tongcheng: "..." I'd better keep quiet like a chicken.
Emperor Wende frowned and thought deeply. "You said you would charge a fee and then issue a mining license to the private mines. Would those private mines agree to this?"
Gu Jiu smiled softly, "Your Majesty, businessmen believe in making money through harmony. Who would be willing to mine illegally if they can mine minerals legally? If Your Majesty is worried, you can arrange for several large-scale private mines to take the lead in purchasing mining licenses.
As for the specific price of the mining license, my daughter-in-law believes it shouldn't be too high. If the mining license fee is too high, these private miners will take advantage of it to raise the price of copper and iron ore, increasing the burden on the court.
The Minister of the Imperial Household hurriedly asked, "What if someone refuses to pay for a mining permit?"
Gu Jiu laughed, "This matter is even simpler. Within a year, all private mines in the country will be registered and required to obtain mining licenses. After one year, all private mines without mining licenses will be considered illegal."
Since it's illegal, it's only natural for the court to seal it off. Of course, sealing off the illegal mines can't be done by local officials. Since the case is handled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Household Supervisor, why not let the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Punishment be responsible for sealing off the illegal mines?
Chang En was overjoyed and excited.
Madam Zhao is a good person!
Gu Jiu's move was equivalent to giving both power and money to the eunuch supervisor.
He remembered this great favor.
If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely give you something in return.
The Shaofu household official nodded secretly.
One year is one way to go.
Emperor Wende walked around the hall with his hands behind his back. "What good is there in turning an illegal private mine into a legal one, other than collecting a mining license fee?"
Gu Jiu secretly rolled his eyes, then bowed and said, "My daughter-in-law thinks that the greatest benefit is that the court can accurately grasp the scale of private mines throughout the world and clearly know the annual mineral output. When doing the accounts at the end of each year, there is no need to estimate or forecast. Your Majesty, as the ruler of the world, don't you want to know how much mineral resources the Great Zhou actually has?"
Emperor Wende nodded repeatedly, "You're right. What else?"
Gu Jiu said, "The scarcity of official copper coins is due to the lack of brass in the hands of the imperial court. Once the illegal private mines are transformed into legal private mines, the Minister of Copper Affairs can simply pay to buy brass from the legal private mines. In this way, the problem of insufficient brass will be solved."
The Minister of the Imperial Household quickly said, "Private banks offer higher prices, and those private mine owners may not be willing to sell brass to the court."
Gu Jiu was shocked when he heard this. He was surprised that the Shaofu were a bunch of idiots who couldn't even solve such a simple problem.
She said bluntly: "If we can't compete on price, then we can compete on quantity. If a private bank buys 100,000 catties of brass, the Ministry of Finance will buy 1 million catties of brass.
I think no one can compete with the Shaofu in terms of quantity. I don't believe those private mine owners wouldn't be tempted by the millions of kilograms of brass orders. If they are tempted, the price will naturally be negotiable."
"Hahaha……"
Emperor Wende burst into laughter. "The eldest daughter-in-law is right. The imperial court may be slightly behind in price, but it will never lose in quantity. I don't believe any private bank could demand more than the Ministry of Finance, or the imperial court. If such a bank really exists, we must investigate it thoroughly."
The Imperial Household Supervisor nodded repeatedly, "Madam Zhao's solution not only solves the problem of rampant illegal mining, but also solves the problem of insufficient government-minted coins. It really kills two birds with one stone."
Bang!
Emperor Wende slammed his hands on the table, his face brimming with excitement. "The Minister of the Household must carefully consider the details and implement this plan once the new year begins. From now on, all private mines without mining licenses will be closed down. The Minister of the Household's Coppers must also hurry and mint as many coins as possible. We must ensure both quality and quantity, ensuring that the official coins are the best on the market and irreplaceable."
The Shaofu Household Director and the Shaofu Bronze Secretary accepted the order in unison.
Chang En was a little anxious, wondering why there was no news about the eunuch supervisor.
But because of his status, he couldn't speak.
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