Chapter 338 Exaggerating the Deception
Shen Qingming returned to his courtyard and thought about it all night.
He didn't jump into bed and doze off until the rooster crowed.
Even during those brief moments of dozing off, he was still having a hazy dream.
A little while later, Emperor Xiao Wu was so pleased that he put him in charge of the trade affairs of the border cities.
After a while, Emperor Xiaowu shook his head, saying that doing so would ruin the agriculture of Dayu...
And then...
"Second brother, get up quickly! Have you forgotten that you have to go to the Ministry of Revenue today?" The third brother, Shen Qingrui, shook the still half-asleep Shen Qingming vigorously.
Shen Qingming was drowsy for a while, then quickly got up.
I patiently spent the entire morning at the Ministry of Revenue.
He is not yet qualified to attend court; he can only perform minor duties.
He didn't get into his carriage until noon, after having lunch at his residence, before heading towards the palace.
Along the way, he went over all the questions he had been thinking about all night again.
Although he was already very familiar with his cousin, the emperor, the two were of similar age and almost always slept in the same bed.
But when it came to official business, Shen Qingming was still a little nervous.
He obediently followed the young eunuch to the entrance of the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Hu Zhouquan is on duty today. As for that old eunuch Wu Youde, I heard he recently bought a house outside and is having a great time!
"Is His Majesty still busy?" Shen Qingming asked in a low voice.
Hu Zhouquan smiled and shook his head, gesturing for Shen Qingming to go inside with him.
"I've finished my work for a while now. I had lunch at the Empress's place and I should be reading now."
"Second Young Master, come with me!" Hu Zhouquan said with a smile.
Shen Qingming took a deep breath. Today he was facing this alone, without his older brother to back him up. He had to prove himself...
......
Half an hour later, Shen Qingming had fully recovered to his previous state.
Clear thinking, concise language, and compelling reasons...
"Ming-ge'er, do you mean that if the Ministry of Revenue's Commerce Department were to oversee the business of these merchants, it would increase tax revenue significantly every year?" Emperor Xiao Wu asked with a smile.
"Yes! I've estimated that, based on the current scale of the business, we can increase our annual income by at least 500,000 taels of silver," Shen Qingming said respectfully.
Emperor Xiao Wu's eyes flickered.
Can we earn that much more money every year?
The scale of the traveling merchants is not very large at present; it is mostly a few large caravans that are traveling.
If the scale expands, it won't be a million taels, it could be even more...
With so much silver, how many ships could be built, and how many warhorses could be bought for the soldiers on the frontier...?
Shen Qingming saw that Emperor Xiao Wu did not speak.
I knew he was definitely making plans in his mind.
"But...won't doing this affect the farmers? Ming-ge'er, have you thought about how to solve this problem?" Emperor Xiao Wu asked.
Shen Qingming had certainly thought about this question.
From the day he showed interest in traveling merchants, he had been constantly thinking about this issue.
Because he has an older brother who is devoted to farming, he has to deal with his brother's arguments every day.
"Your Majesty, the idea that merchants can change the way farmers live is not true."
Instead, they strive to improve the lives of farmers and artisans while maintaining their existing way of life.
For example, in the past, farmers would always do some handicrafts during their off-season, and they would always have some things at home that they could sell.
In the past, it was peddlers who went from street to street collecting these things.
Farmers basically sell to anyone who offers them money.
If the government intervenes and collects the money, it will be much more convenient for the farmers, and they won't be ripped off by peddlers.
Furthermore, as long as those small merchants registered with the government and obtained official documents, they could travel freely without worrying about being harassed or exploited, and they could survive.
In this way, the government can collect taxes based on the actual quantity of goods.
Isn't this a win-win situation?
In fact, the government's opening of open channels for traveling merchants will only further strengthen the government's control over them.
Ultimately, it comes down to those who have suffered losses...
"Those must be the nobles behind the merchants," Shen Qingming said solemnly.
Emperor Xiao Wu smiled.
Yes, in the end, if it were to let the government manage the merchants, it would ultimately harm the interests of the nobles.
The merchants were simply giving the money they had previously given to those nobles to the government.
"My cousin's trip to Suzhou to reorganize the wasteland and farmland has already touched the interests of the nobles."
You're going to target the merchants again, tearing a piece of flesh off the nobles once more.
"Ming-ge'er, do you want your aunt to worry about you?" Emperor Xiao Wu suddenly said.
Shen Qingming felt a chill run down his spine.
Could it be that this imperial cousin doesn't want to get involved in commerce so soon?
Shen Qingming knew that the young prince of the border city was already living in the mansion.
If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another chance!
"Your Majesty! Your humble servant only wishes to do something for the Great Yu."
From a young age, my mother taught us to become pillars of the Great Yu and not to disgrace the name of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
The income of the traveling merchants was not limited to the Ministry of Revenue.
If operated well and managed in a standardized manner, it will bring great benefits to Chongqing.
The border city's unique geographical location, the new ruler's appointment, and the turmoil in the Northern Hu court presented an excellent opportunity.
Perhaps, in the future, His Majesty will be able to completely control the border cities through the development of trade.
"At that time, pacifying the Northern Barbarians and ensuring peace on the border of Dayu will be a piece of cake," Shen Qingming said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Emperor Xiao Wu...
The discussion was just about traveling merchants, and this kid somehow managed to bring up military affairs in the north...
Do you really think you're that easy to fool?
"Oh? That's amazing? Then tell me more about it."
"If you can't come up with something convincing, I'll write to my cousin right away," Emperor Xiao Wu said with a smile.
Shen Qingming chuckled and hurriedly handed over what he had written all night to Emperor Xiao Wu.
"Your Majesty, in fact, merchants from both sides hope that the government can step in and regulate them."
At least when something happens, they can find someone to confide in or ask for help.
What I mean is that the Merchant Guild of Dayu issued a special token.
Let's call it the Merchant Brand for now.
Merchants who obtain this kind of merchant license must be subject to inspection by the government at all times.
At the same time, no checkpoints along the way are allowed to exploit these merchants.
If merchants encounter exploitation, they only need to report it to the Merchants' Office, and the Merchants' Office will definitely help those merchants.
As for what punishment those who set up checkpoints without authorization will receive, that will be discussed later.
In short, just make sure those traveling merchants are properly managed.
If the interests of merchants are protected, the border city will surely be even more prosperous than it is now.
"And the bustling border town will be an invisible barrier for the Great Yu." Shen Qingming said solemnly.
Emperor Xiao Wu was taken aback.
He understood both of Shen Qingming's points about ensuring that merchants were properly managed.
But the border town became prosperous...
This must not be good news for Chongqing!
"Tell me properly, how did the border city become the invisible barrier of Dayu?" Emperor Xiaowu asked.
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