“Father, we are currently relying on exporting agricultural products, mainly grains, as well as various resources such as logs, ores, and rare earths to earn foreign exchange to pay off our debts. Not to mention that the export prices of these goods are far below the normal level of the international market, the large amount of agricultural products exported, which far exceeds the production capacity of our farmers, has led to food and clothing shortages for the people in our country.”
"Father, farmers only have a few months a year to grow crops, and they have to rely on wild vegetables and rice bran to fill their stomachs. This is a disgrace to us..."
"Furthermore, many of the resources we export are non-renewable or very difficult to renew. They save their own resources but use ours to develop their national power. In the long run, this ebb and flow will make it even more difficult for us to catch up with those major powers."
"Looking at our country's exports, apart from rare resources and grain, porcelain, tea and silk are the products that generate the most foreign exchange."
"The production of high-quality tea is limited, and the porcelain stone and kaolin needed for porcelain are not inexhaustible."
"Only silk."
“Silkworm farmers raise silkworms, and silk factories weave silk. Currently, the supply of silk is far below the demand of the international market. As long as we operate properly and increase production capacity, we can bring in foreign exchange continuously. Not only that, raising silkworms can increase farmers’ income. With more silkworm farmers and increased production, we also need to set up more silk factories and increase the number of workers. In this way, more people will have jobs and money to earn.”
"Father, I propose setting up pilot counties for sericulture. A group of professionals trained by the Agricultural College of Peking University would then be sent to local areas to guide farmers in mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. If the pilot program succeeds, it can be expanded to other areas. At that time, not only will farmers' incomes increase, but more unemployed people will find jobs, and the country will also earn more foreign exchange to pay off its debts..."
"Alright..." Upon hearing this, His Majesty the King finally spoke up to interrupt the little prince.
"The idea is good, but it's not practical. Besides, these are adult matters; you're just a child, so don't worry about them anymore. Go back and complete your trial. Don't think that just because you can come up with some crooked ideas, I can reduce your trial time..."
"Father! I didn't!"
The youngest son's voice, filled with grief and indignation, came through the phone. His Majesty's heart softened for a moment, but… the next instant, his tone remained stern and harsh: "I don't care if you have such thoughts or not, I hope you won't even consider them. Go back tomorrow, just do your job well, and observe and think more about other things, but speak and meddle less. I'll have someone speak to Wang Fuyu. You're just a kid; do you think you can use a high-ranking official's office hotline whenever you want?"
"That's utterly absurd."
"Alright, it's getting late. Have Zhang Yang take you to a clean hotel for the night, and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Don't go to a guesthouse; that's a perk for public officials, it's none of your business."
"that's all."
After speaking, His Majesty the King hung up the phone abruptly, showing no fatherly affection whatsoever. However, after hanging up, a rare smile appeared on His Majesty's face as he muttered to himself, "This kid is quite capable. Earning foreign exchange through silkworm farming... that's feasible, but..." Thinking of the past actions of the pro-favor faction (Note 2) of the Co-Government Association (Note 1), His Majesty felt a surge of anger. It took him a while to suppress his emotions before instructing his secretary-general, "Isn't the Queen hosting a banquet this month? Tell Gu Laosi that he must attend."
Note 1: The Co-Governance Council (full name: Council for the Joint Governance of the State by the King and Elites from All Walks of Life): Members include the King, bigwigs from all sides during the War of Resistance (warlords), and representatives of puppet families supported by foreign forces.
Note 2: Goodwill faction: Representatives of puppet families supported by foreign forces within the Co-governance Association.
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