"It's a vast ocean. Perhaps I should just ignore it. The fourth brother has made contributions to the court. Even if he flees this time, it's fine if he exiles himself."
"But I am still considering this matter, and the cabinet is also discussing it, and no conclusion has been reached yet. You have always had different ideas from ordinary people, and the fourth brother tried hard to take you away. What other ideas do you have about this?"
What does it mean to be self-exiled? Is it really good to be so Ah Q-minded just to save money? !
Fang Zhengyi said solemnly: "Your Majesty, if you want to ask me, I still hold the same view. Lift the ban on sea trade, encourage maritime trade, and then use the tax burden to expand the navy, develop new ships, and one day send a fleet to explore the Western continent!"
Emperor Jing frowned and said, "How can you guarantee that the income from opening the sea can offset the expenditure of the navy? And you have mentioned the West to me more than once. Do you value the West so much?"
Fang Zhengyi said earnestly, "Your Majesty, it is precisely because I don't know much that I want to remind the court to prepare for a rainy day. Even if it means losing money now, I think it is worth it. Moreover, I believe that with the high efficiency of sea transportation, the profits in the future will definitely be far greater than the imagination of the officials in the court."
Emperor Jing said, "Perhaps, but guessing is useless. The new batch of silver in the treasury has been divided up by various departments, and everyone is waiting for the money. My concern is in the north, not in the unknown west. If you want to open the sea, you must first convince others, but your reasons are a bit vague, and you can't even convince me. Let's not talk about this matter for now."
Fang Zheng's eyes lit up.
Can't convince you? Then I'll make one up!
.....
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