Although many ministers envied the power and status of the Mu and Changsun families, they did not dare to act rashly. This was because the Mu and Changsun families were not only extremely powerful, but their daughters could also enter the palace to meet His Majesty Chu Fan every day.
If the ministers really did something excessive, they knew that His Majesty would know what they had done the next day, which forced them to be cautious and not dare to offend the Mu family and the Changsun family easily.
However, the Wen family's situation was completely different. They did not come from a prominent family. In the eyes of these officials, the Wen family had received the emperor's attention only because Wen Zhengqing's adopted daughter had been favored by the emperor and recruited into the palace.
Furthermore, these officials were simply seeking a share of the vast refined salt market. Wen Zhengqing couldn't have failed to understand this, as the refined salt business was undoubtedly a huge source of profit for the entire nation. As the head of the Censorate, Wen Zhengqing must have been well aware of its importance.
Therefore, although the Wen family was not a prominent family, Wen Zhengqing's influence was gradually expanding. He not only held a pivotal position among the ministers, but also gradually won the respect of the people.
Although the refined salt business that Wen Zhengqing is collaborating with the Ministry of Revenue (Qian Dai) and the Ministry of War (Zhangsun Dechong) has just started, it has already attracted the attention of many officials/nobles.
Although these officials had previously harbored grudges against Wen Zhengqing, faced with the enormous temptation of profit, they had no choice but to put aside their prejudices and headed to Wen's residence with gifts, hoping to establish a good relationship with him. After all, no one wanted to be excluded from the future refined salt business.
Wen Zhengqing was well aware of the change in attitude of these officials, but he did not show any arrogance or complacency. Instead, he received every visiting official with a calm attitude and patiently listened to their opinions and suggestions.
He knew that most of the censors in the Censorate were corrupt scholars who had no idea how to do business. However, His Majesty entrusted the matter of refined salt to him because he valued the censors' upright character and their unwillingness to covet money and power. However, if the people of Wei were to have access to refined salt, it would require not only the efforts of the Censorate, but also the support and cooperation of these officials.
Against this backdrop, the atmosphere within the Wen Mansion grew increasingly harmonious. Officials no longer held Wen Zhengqing at arm's length, but instead began to engage in sincere discussions with him, exploring the prospects of the refined salt business. Through these conversations, Wen Zhengqing gradually gained a deeper understanding of their aspirations and personalities, laying a solid foundation for the smooth progress of the refined salt business.
After the refined salt production process stabilized, Wen Zhengqing decided to summon all ministers of the third rank and above to Cao Mengde's home for an important discussion. Since the emperor had not been to court recently, Wen Zhengqing chose to go to the residence of this veteran of three dynasties, hoping that Cao Mengde would witness the upcoming events.
Cao Mengde and Qin Hui sat together on the secondary seats above the hall, while the main seat above the hall was specially reserved for His Majesty as a sign of respect.
Although His Majesty was not present, the ministers gathered here at this moment were equivalent to holding a court meeting. In such an occasion, even the highly respected Cao Mengde did not dare to sit in the main seat easily, as a sign of respect for the imperial power.
The chairs on either side of the lower hall were filled with the first-rank ministers, all of whom were important figures in the court. Second- and third-rank ministers, on the other hand, could only stand in the center of the hall, signifying their relatively lower status. As for ministers below the third rank, they were not eligible to attend this important gathering at all, fully demonstrating the court's strict hierarchy and principle of respect for the inferior.
Wen Zhengqing glanced around at everyone present, confirming that all the important figures were present. He then slowly stood up and said firmly, "I believe that many of you here may have guessed why I called everyone here."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers who had already gathered there all turned their gazes to him, their eyes gleaming with curiosity and anticipation. Wen Zhengqing had been in charge of refined salt affairs for some time, and now he had summoned the ministers to discuss the issue of refined salt distribution.
Wen Zhengqing continued, "Your Majesty has entrusted me with the full authority to produce and sell refined salt. However, the Censorate I am in charge of is mainly composed of officials who are good at speaking but not proficient in business.
Furthermore, His Majesty has clearly instructed that the Ministry of Revenue is not allowed to dominate the sale of refined salt. Furthermore, the Ministry of Revenue's personnel are already somewhat overwhelmed when it comes to selling refined salt in Kaifeng City and the three surrounding citadels. After all, salt is an indispensable necessity in the lives of all people.
Wen Zhengqing paused, scanning the room for everyone present, and continued, "Therefore, I have decided to hand over the power to sell salt in the remaining cities of Wei to you. I can offer you a very favorable price, but you must ensure that the price of refined salt sold in all cities of Wei is unified at one hundred copper coins per catty. This is an ironclad order personally issued by His Majesty. If I discover that anyone in my area is charging more than one hundred copper coins per catty, don't blame me for reporting to His Majesty and requesting severe punishment."
When Wen Zhengqing said he could only sell refined salt at a price of 100 copper coins per pound, some officials showed hesitation. They were reluctant to take on this matter because they did not know how low the price Wen Zhengqing was talking about was.
After all, even low-quality coarse salt costs a hundred copper coins per pound in the market. If the cost of refined salt is not low, then after deducting transportation costs and various losses, they can hardly make any profit from it.
Wen Zhengqing saw that everyone present had a slightly worried look on their faces. He smiled slightly, as if he had already seen through everyone's doubts. He spoke slowly, his tone revealing a calm and confident tone:
"Everyone, please do not worry too much. The low price I offer will not put you at a loss. In fact, the production cost of refined salt is not cheap, involving many complex processes and materials. However, considering Your Majesty's deep concern for the lives of the people, I have decided to supply you with refined salt at a very favorable price of fifty copper coins per catty."
When everyone heard the price Wen Zhengqing said, they were all in disbelief.
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