Wu Zetian secretly clenched her fists. Li Xian was so excited that his whole body was shaking a little. After all, it was his first time to attend court.
Li Zhi closed his eyes and rested, tapping the armrests lightly with his fingers. Wang Zheng sat on a brocade stool, holding a wooden stick, his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart.
The ministers had different expressions, some were excited, some were worried, and some were looking around.
"If you have something to report, report it early. If you have nothing to report, leave the court."
After Zhu Guichen shouted loudly, the whole court suddenly became quiet, and even the breathing became faint.
Liu Zheng hesitated for a moment, looked at Wang Zheng, and came out to make a request: "Your Highness, I am Liu Zheng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and I have something to report."
Wang Zheng concurrently serves as the Minister of Works but does not take care of the affairs. After Liu Zheng married the princess at the end of last year, he was promoted to the Left Vice Minister of Works at the beginning of this year. In fact, he performs the duties of a Minister, which makes him considered a big shot.
Liu Zheng had a helpless look on his face. The imperial court was already openly making a fuss about building an official road, and the fact that the Ministry of Revenue could say such words was a clear indication of this.
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As for other states, the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, the Yellow River, and the Grand Canal will be used first, so the official roads are not urgent."
They are essentially taking food from their own mouths to share with the common people. It is a business where both money and goods are exchanged. How can we blame the local big families?"
After Pei Yan finished speaking, he looked at Li Yifu with resentment.
"Your Highness is wrong."
The Tang Dynasty is not short of money and food now. The encyclopedia of Yuzhou also has a complete set of various disaster relief measures. Every year, no matter where a natural disaster occurs, the problem can always be solved quickly and basically will not alarm the central government.
From the time of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong until your Majesty ascended the throne, countless men have sacrificed their lives for the Tang Dynasty. Now it is just a matter of rebuilding the official road. Why can't we start from Guanzhong?
Wang Zheng stood up and bowed, saying, "I have no intention of discussing this."
Pei Yan, the Minister of Justice, came out and reported: "Two months ago, there was a huge tide in Qiantang, and it happened to be raining heavily, so people's houses collapsed."
Li Yifu is different. This guy dares to accept any money and has no bottom line.
Wu Zetian frowned and asked, "Isn't it said that it has been resolved? The country has a surplus of money and grain now, so what's the problem with a few minor disasters?"
Moreover, Guanzhong is located under the feet of the emperor. If the official road is rebuilt earlier, it will not only demonstrate the power of the Tang Dynasty, but also make it more convenient for the emperor to travel.
Xu Jingzong was also very greedy for money, but he was very particular about it. He would never let go of money when he should, and would never take money when he shouldn't.
Wang Zheng looked at Li Yifu with a half-smile, wondering if it was because Li Zhi had become rich that he tolerated this old confidant until now.
Wu Zetian nodded and said, "My dear Liu, please speak."
Wu Zetian looked at Li Zhi, pondered for a moment, and asked, "What are the specific matters? Can you please tell me in detail, Mr. Liu?"
Li Yifu said, bowing to Wang Zheng, and then said: "The chief steward said that when supply and demand are insufficient, raising the price of goods is the economic way. As time goes by, the price will return to its original position. Just like the things from Lingnan, they are a little expensive at first, but then they gradually become cheaper, right?"
Li Zhi knocked on the hand guard three times, and Wu Zetian asked, "Can't we rebuild it together?"
Gao Zhizhou, the Minister of Revenue, came out to refute, "Guanzhong is under the emperor's feet, and it is also an important source of soldiers for our dynasty. There are at least ten soldiers in every ten households in Guanzhong, and there are also many father-son and brother-brother soldiers. It is often said that if Guanzhong is stable, the world will be stable.
"The official road from Guanzhong to Luoyang has been rebuilt. The next step is to build official roads to the counties and prefectures in Guanzhong, or to build official roads to the prefectures in the imperial court. Please give me your instructions, Your Majesty."
Li Xian stood up excitedly, bowed and said, "I think this matter should be considered comprehensively. Rebuilding the official road will benefit the people. The people of Guanzhong are the people of the Tang Dynasty, and the people of other states are naturally the people of the Tang Dynasty. How can we favor some over others when rebuilding the official road? Therefore, I suggest rebuilding the official road connecting the states first."
Wu Zetian nodded and said with a smile: "It didn't take long, just a year. Let the states be patient for a while. What else do you want, my dear ministers?"
Li Yifu came out to defend himself, saying, "Floods do not distinguish between noble families and ordinary people. At that time, noble families also suffered a lot, and their own food rations were also insufficient.
Adding too many material workshops would cause overcapacity. By the time the official roads in various places are rebuilt, some workshops will most likely have to be abandoned, which will easily lead to waste.
Wu Zetian smacked her lips, looked at Li Xian and asked, "What do you think, Prince?"
It is better to take it step by step. Although it is slower, it is safer and will not waste manpower and material resources. "
"Most of the central government officials requested to build official roads in the prefectures and counties of Guanzhong, and the Ministry of Revenue also said that there was money to build official roads in the prefectures and counties of Guanzhong, but no money to build official roads in the prefectures.
Liu Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "We don't have that much material, nor that much manpower, and most importantly, we don't have that much money. In fact, even if we had that much money, I would not recommend rebuilding it together.
Liu Zheng replied: "If there is sufficient funding, it can be completed by this time next year."
Li Zhi was silent. Wu Zetian gritted her teeth and was about to make a decision. Li Zhi knocked on the hand guard four times in a row. Wu Zetian was stunned for a moment, then looked at Wang Zheng and asked, "What do you think, Grand Steward?"
Wu Zetian asked Wang Zheng, "What do you think, Grand Steward?"
Li Zhi tapped the handguard lightly. Wu Zetian pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's give priority to rebuilding the official roads in the counties and prefectures of Guanzhong. I wonder how long it will take for Liu Qing's house to be completed?"
The provincial governors of various states requested that official roads connecting the states be built first. To this end, each state is willing to contribute part of the money. Many memorials have been submitted on this matter. It is already autumn now, so please make a decision as soon as possible."
“I did say what you just said, but there is a premise, that is, all commercial activities must be carried out under normal circumstances, and do not include basic materials such as cloth, grain, salt and iron that the people need.
The encyclopedia had already stated that in the event of a major disaster, all basic supplies had to be allocated centrally by officials.
When officials are unable to respond, the wealthy families, retired officials, Confucianists, scholars of Yuxue, and Buddhists and Taoists must assist the officials in disaster relief, and the imperial court will reward them handsomely after the disaster.
On the contrary, if the above-mentioned people dare to use the basic supplies necessary for the people to make huge profits when officials are unable to take care of them, they will naturally be severely punished after the disaster.
I remember that the chapter on disaster relief in the Encyclopedia is a required chapter for every official. This is a rule set by His Majesty himself. Have you forgotten it?"