Chu Fan was right. Liu Ruyan and others thought the same, so they suggested that Chu Fan sell these glass beads as colored glaze in exchange for money.
Liu Ruyan said, "What's the problem with that? These wealthy families and oppress and exploit the common people, and the people have long been dissatisfied with them. When they find out that the court used glass beads as colored glaze beads to deceive these wealthy families, they will probably applaud."
Chu Fan shook his head and said, "You think this matter is too simple. The court does not need to use such methods to uphold justice for the people. As long as the court has sufficient evidence and reasons, even confiscating the property of these wealthy families and exterminating their clans is fine. By then, both the wealthy families and the common people will be convinced by such punishment and will not complain to the court.
However, if we use glass beads as colored glaze beads to obtain wealth, it will only make the people think that the court will do anything for money, which will make the people fear. You must know that these noble families and wealthy people are also members of the Wei State. If the court can cheat these noble families and wealthy businessmen, won't it cheat ordinary people?
When this matter spreads, the people of other countries on Shengwu Continent may also become suspicious and distrustful of the Wei court. Even if Wei occupies their land and introduces various preferential policies, they may think it is a conspiracy of the Wei court and will not sincerely submit. "
Liu Ruyan raised her own question: "Your Majesty, I have a different opinion on what you said. Wei is now under the governance of Your Majesty and the Wei court. The class contradictions between the common people and the aristocratic families are not that sharp. However, I think the people of Wei are still very happy to see the aristocratic families and the wealthy being harmed by the court.
After all, the conflict between the common people and the aristocratic families could not be resolved in a short period of time, and the common people had been oppressed for a long time and had long-standing resentment in their hearts. Even if the court's methods were somewhat despicable, in their view, punishing the aristocratic families was a disguised form of justice.
Our glass beads cannot be sold only in Wei State, but also in other countries. Even if the noble families and people in these countries finally find out that Wei State has cheated them, the people in other countries will not unite with the noble families to boycott Wei State.
You have to know that the conflicts between the aristocratic families and the common people in other countries are even more serious than those in Wei. When they see the aristocratic families who oppress them being cheated, they may feel a little happy in their hearts, and may even secretly support Wei's actions. "
Chu Fan gently tapped Liu Ruyan's head, then whispered, "Your ideas are a bit too idealistic, but in reality, nothing is that simple. When you were in the Canglan Empire, you did so much for the people of the Canglan Empire, but you were still forced by the aristocratic families and officials in the court to give up the inheritance of the Canglan Empress.
According to your idea, the people of the Canglan Empire should support you, but do they dare to openly rebel against the aristocratic families and the court? The reality is that it is extremely difficult for them to actively rebel against the aristocratic families, because the price people have to pay to resist the aristocratic families is too high, and in many cases it may endanger their lives.
After all, deception is deception and it will make people feel dissatisfied no matter who the target is.
You have to know that the information that people in other countries outside of Wei can only receive is basically information passed on by the aristocratic families and wealthy merchants of Wei. Ordinary people in Wei simply don't have the money or energy to travel to other countries. If Wei really deceived the aristocratic families and wealthy merchants in Wei, then they would spread the news to other countries on Shengwu Continent, and even possibly to other continents.
When the people of other countries on the Shengwu Continent have a preconceived notion that the Wei emperor and the court are people who like to deceive the people, it will bring a lot of trouble to the governance of Wei's newly developed territories, making it more difficult for Wei to completely control these territories. It will also take more time and energy to gather the hearts of the local people, and then it will only be counterproductive.
Furthermore, I do not wish Wei to become a nation that relies on deceiving wealthy merchants and aristocratic families to profit. If such a precedent is established during my reign, future emperors of Wei will imitate my methods to deceive aristocratic families and wealthy merchants, and those aristocratic families and wealthy merchants will also learn from the court's methods to reap the wealth of ordinary people."
Tang Ji then refuted Chu Fan, saying, "Your Majesty, were the ten alloy weapons auctioned at the Royal Ya Villa considered defrauding certain forces? After all, the cost of those alloy weapons was not high, yet Your Majesty used them to earn millions of taels of silver."
Although Chu Fan felt a little embarrassed when asked this question, in fact, these were two completely different matters.
Chu Fan explained, "These two things are different. In the past six months or so, have you seen the Wei court continue to sell such weapons? The answer is no.
Moreover, those ten weapons were more exquisitely crafted and gorgeous than other weapons. Now, except for the warriors of the royal family and the court forces who were equipped with such weapons, the weapons used by the Wei army were still in inventory and had not been distributed.
Therefore, the only alloy weapons circulating on the market now are the ten that were auctioned by the Royal Yuya Villa. Therefore, I did not intentionally deceive them when I auctioned those ten weapons.
Another thing is that the situation now is different from that before. At that time, the money in my inner treasury and the national treasury of the court was very tight. If it were not for this method to raise funds, the State of Wei would not have been able to implement the various policies that followed.
Another point is that the audience is different. When I auctioned the ten swords, I only cheated ten forces on the Shengwu Continent. But if I want to sell these glass beads, it will be different. Their audience is very wide, and the number of sales will be large. By then, many noble families and forces will be offended, and it is very likely to arouse public anger.
When I sold rice paper and refined salt, I did not dare to sell them at a high price because many people needed them. Instead, I set a very reasonable price so that the people could afford them.
Glass beads are different. The cost of producing them is very low. If they are sold as colored glaze, the price difference will be too big, which will make people feel like they are being taken advantage of.
I haven't said I won't sell this kind of glassware. I'll only sell it after I've mastered the matching ratios of the materials, and when the fired glass becomes even more gorgeous and beautiful, we'll honestly say it's glass, not colored glaze. That way, even if the price is a little higher, buyers won't have any complaints."
Seeing Chu Fan's quibbling, Liu Ruyan said sarcastically, "It all comes down to your Majesty being rich now and wanting to protect his reputation."
Chu Fan smiled and said, "I'm not that kind of person. I just think the quality of this batch of glass beads is too poor. If I sell them, it will probably ruin the future glass market. When my glassmaking skills mature a bit, I'll make a large glass colored deer for you to see."
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