Siyang County North Street Haochilou, private room on the second floor.
Everyone sat down, and Fu Xiaoguan asked Gongsun Ce to sit next to him.
"You said Ning Yuchun was transferred away from Wofengdao by Yu Wendao?"
"This matter is caused by the Grand Canal. Ning Daotai's intention is to connect the Grand Canal no matter how difficult it is. Only in this way can the goods produced by the workshops in Wofeng Road be transported to various parts of the Yu Dynasty in the shortest possible time, just as you once planned."
"But last year, because of that white salt... the white salt that poured into the Yu Dynasty from Xinzhou and Lanqi Commercial City took up 30% of the market, resulting in a loss of millions of taels of silver in tax revenue. Coupled with the sluggish stock market in Wofeng City, financing was no longer possible as before. Without the silver, the Grand Canal came to a halt."
"The overwhelming majority of the court was opposed, especially by Chang Huan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who resolutely refused to approve the funding for the Grand Canal. Ning Daotai submitted petitions several times, but to no avail. In March of this year, His Majesty issued an edict to transfer Ning Daotai back to Nanjing and appointed him to the position of Crown Prince's Secretary..."
"This is quite ridiculous. The Queen is pregnant, but she hasn't given birth yet. We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."
Fu Xiaoguan was silent for a moment. Ning Yuchun was idle, but it was also good. The Grand Canal was a pit. If he was still in Wofeng Road, he would have enough ways to build the Grand Canal.
But he is no longer in Wofeng Road, so there is no way he can take care of this mess.
"Who is the Taotai of Wofeng Road now?"
"Chang Yongle, the prefect of Hangzhou in the eastern Jiangnan region, was transferred to the position of governor of Wofeng Road. He...he was negative about your original plans. This was the first blow to fall on the heads of those merchants. The tax exemption policy was gone, and he imposed a 30% tax on all workshops in Wofeng Road."
Fu Xiaoguan narrowed his eyes and grinned, "It's a pity that I took Wofeng Road back from Yi Country back then. Forget it, come on, let's drink."
This wine is not Xishan Tianchun, and it doesn't taste very good.
Fu Xiaoguan was not in a good mood either.
No matter what, Wofeng Road was brought back by him, and the foundation was laid by him personally.
If Ning Yuchun still serves as the governor of Wofeng Road and follows the plan he set back then, Wofeng Road, even if it becomes dilapidated, will still be better than the other thirteen roads of the Yu Dynasty.
After all, so many companies have already settled in Wofeng Road, and its basic industries are already in place. What is needed is further development to release its potential.
Now, the new governor is going to kill those companies. With a 30% tax, the transportation cost from Wofeng Road to various places in the Yu Dynasty is extremely high. In this way, how can there be any profit?
If a businessman cannot make a profit, the business will naturally not be able to continue. Their investment in Wofeng Road was a loss because the time was too short and they did not make back the investment at all.
Perhaps this is also a good thing. The business environment in Wu Dynasty is stable, and more people will come to Wu Dynasty to invest.
After a glass of wine, Fu Xiaoguan said, "Ning Yuchun is the prefect, and I was embarrassed to ask those people to come. Now I feel comfortable. Please send them a letter. I welcome anyone who is willing to come to the Wu Dynasty. But they should be clear about the promotion system. It is still based on the assessment system."
Gongsun Ce was overjoyed, "I estimate that at least half of them will leave!"
"That's right, I really need someone here."
After saying this, Fu Xiaoguan thought for a moment and said, "You must also tell them that once they come here, they must settle down in the Wu Dynasty and become people of the Wu Dynasty. I won't force it, and they shouldn't force it either."
"Besides, I'll be staying outside for a while. If you'd like, come with me and take a look around."
This was certainly something he wished for, and Gongsun Ce agreed immediately. He knew better than anyone how much he could learn from following His Majesty. Moreover, since he had already decided to stay in the Wu Dynasty, he naturally needed to know more about the Wu Dynasty.
Zhuo Yihang and Nangong Yiyu looked at each other, and both of them smiled - they had been thinking of training some young officials for His Majesty, but now it seems there is no need to rush.
Your Majesty had already trained a large number of capable generals when you were in the Yu Dynasty.
Just like Gongsun Ce, his attitude towards Your Majesty is neither arrogant nor humble, his words and deeds are measured, and he is not at all restrained.
Looking at Gongsun Ce, they thought of Yun Xiyan and Zong Shiji. They all had one thing in common, which was that they dared to speak out and had no taboos.
They were not like the officials of the Wu Dynasty, who were afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing and offending His Majesty. Therefore, the officials of the Wu Dynasty were too restrained and did not have the proactive attitude towards work, which was obviously not in line with His Majesty's appetite.
If the large number of young officials from Wofengdao really came to Wu Dynasty, many officials would probably be eliminated in one fell swoop.
This is a good thing. Both of them are old, and the hope is that these officials can grow together with His Majesty.
"You will all return tomorrow. The Ministry of Works will ensure that all schools across the country are completed and enrolling students by next spring at the latest. Also, the project proposed this year to build orphanages and nursing homes in each state must be completed by the end of this year. The Ministry of Revenue will ensure the allocation of these special funds and also monitor whether they are misappropriated."
"People's livelihoods are essentially about food, clothing, housing, and transportation. The cotton imported from the Yi Kingdom must be fully utilized; it's the only thing ordinary people can afford to keep warm. Food shouldn't be a major issue, but we must pay special attention to impoverished areas. If necessary, we can allocate state grain reserves. As for housing, we must also focus on impoverished areas. At the very least, we must ensure that people's homes aren't crushed by the heavy snow."
"We're talking about business again. What's wrong with me? Stop, stop, drink!"
"I'll take a walk, come on, come on...!"
After that, Fu Xiaoguan didn't say a word about official business. He drank and talked about the good old days in Xishan. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious, and the relationship between the emperor and his subjects was close.
Perhaps he was a little drunk, Fu Xiaoguan lifted his sleeves and did not look like an emperor at all.
"I know you won't believe me even if I tell you, but I really just want to be a small landlord... Look, you're glaring at me again. What's so good about being a small landlord? Why would I come all this way to suffer like this?"
"Lying down in the West Mountain Villa, drinking some West Mountain Tianchun, and writing some poetry when I have nothing to do... Oh, I haven't written a poem in a long time, so I'll write another one for you today!"
Yes, our Majesty is the best writer in the world!
"Then what title did your Majesty choose for the poem?" Zhuo Yixing asked.
"I once said that writing poetry is the simplest thing in the world. Please give us a topic, Mr. Zhuo!"
The Minister of Revenue Wen Siyuan was stunned - is this how His Majesty looks so free and easy?
Is this the mentality of a teenager?
But from what I have seen these days, Your Majesty is mature, steady and very good at making decisions!
Zhuo Yixing stroked his white beard and thought, "Your Majesty is concerned about the people's livelihood, so I will write a poem on the theme of people's livelihood."
"This is so simple, just listen carefully!"
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