He is indeed hateful enough, but what he said is indeed true.
The civil unrest, drought, and poor harvests were visible to all.
"Minister Li, is there any solution?" Helan Ruizhe was very concerned about this matter. After all, the people are the foundation of the country.
The Shangshu Lord would only bring this up if he had a plan. Normally, he rarely spoke. "I suggest setting up a soup kitchen to help the poor."
Lu Mingxian said, "Your Majesty, the Shangshu's suggestion of setting up porridge stalls has already been done by the local wealthy. It has no fundamental effect."
Yu Seung-ho also echoed, "That's right, setting up soup kitchens can only alleviate the disaster temporarily. What if those people blackmail the royal family? No, I mean. What if the poor people only rely on soup kitchens and don't know how to be self-reliant? Wouldn't that be cultivating parasites for the country?"
One of his hobbies in life is to confront these self-righteous old stubborn people.
As expected, Minister Li was so angry that he couldn't speak. He held his heart and stood there for a long time to calm down.
Helan Ruizhe propped up his head and listened for a long time. "Building a porridge stall is feasible and can help the poor. But it's not a long-term solution. Are there any other options?"
There was a moment of absolute silence, and then Nangong Wan stood up and asked, "Your Majesty, why are you so fixated on the idea that the civil unrest is simply due to famine? This may be part of the reason, but what is the more important reason? Famine occurs almost every year in all places, but this year it also happened in Jiangnan, where the harvest is usually good, and the people attacked the guards. Doesn't your majesty find it strange?"
It turns out to be the Dali Temple Minister! This analysis is really thought-provoking.
There are many problems, but no one has a solution.
Helan Ruizhe felt a bit of a headache. "It's strange, but the first thing we need to solve is the famine. I'll send someone to investigate this matter."
After the court session, Helan Ruizhe had a severe headache, so he went to Fengluan Hall to have lunch with Jin Suting.
She noticed that something was wrong with Helan Ruizhe, and he had been frowning since he came in.
"What's wrong with you?" He was concerned instinctively. "You look so bad."
Helan Ruizhe shook her hand and forced a smile: "I'm fine, it's just that those folk affairs are a bit tricky."
Although the harem was not allowed to interfere in government affairs, Jin Suting still asked, "What's going on?"
Helan Ruizhe was not on guard and told Jin Suting what happened in the morning court.
After listening to it, she felt that this matter was not completely without a solution.
"How are the harvests for the people in the south?"
Helan Ruizhe pondered the contents of the memorial and replied, "The people in Funing City and the south are slightly better off. They barely have some money left. The only difference is in the northwest."
Jin Suting nodded and said, "I do have an idea. Let me know if it's feasible."
"Tell me about it." Helan Ruizhe didn't have any hope at all, he just wanted to listen.
Jin Suting said: "Instead of setting up porridge stalls, a more effective solution would be for the government to provide money but not rice."
Helan Ruizhe was puzzled: "This...you mean giving money to the people?"
"That's about right, but we'll need them to exchange it for food." Jin Suting smiled and drew a map on the table. "There are more people in the south and fewer in the north. The harvest in the south is better than in the north, so let the southerners help the northerners. But they certainly won't be willing to give away food for free. It's not like the government should just pay to buy their food, collect it, and then ship it north. Do you think this method is feasible?"
Helan Ruizhe thought it sounded good at first, but after thinking carefully about its feasibility, he said, "This method requires a lot of work. It's not easy to implement."
Jin Suting smiled and continued, "It's actually very easy to do. All we need to do is pass the information down to the county magistrates in each place. The price of grain is transparent. The amount of silver given to the people is the amount of grain they give back. People from the imperial court will be sent to each place to supervise. If anyone embezzles or fails to pay grain, they will be arrested directly!"
Helan Ruizhe looked at her with admiration, "I didn't expect you to be so smart!"
She smiled and only occasionally remembered this principle similar to Taobao sales.
The plan proposed by Jin Suting was quickly distributed and implemented. People from the imperial court went to each local county to supervise it, and every link was transparent and visible.
Jin Suting suggested that they plant some potatoes in winter, which only take two months to mature.
Potatoes have high nutritional value and are good for resisting hunger, so they are planted.
Helan Ruizhe also ordered that families who actively exchanged grain could be exempted from taxes for half a year.
There were many such active people, and within a month, the food from the south was distributed to the north.
There was no civil unrest in the north, but when everyone thought the matter was over, civil unrest broke out again in the south of the Yangtze River.
"What the hell is going on!"
Helan Ruizhe got angry again in the court, and the ministers dared not even breathe a word.
They all knelt on the ground, as if they would be caught and thrown out by Helan Ruizhe if they raised their heads.
This time, it was Minister Li who was fearless. In the silent hall, where only the sound of his heartbeat could be heard, he spoke boldly: "I think Your Majesty could go on a private visit in disguise to the people and find out what's going on!"
Good man, maybe he felt that he had lived long enough, so Helan Ruizhe brought up the incognito visit that he had opposed before in anger.
The reason why Helan Ruizhe doesn't like to go on incognito visits is not because he doesn't want to understand the people's sentiments, but because he also wants to go out and see the scenery outside.
"But the winter hunt is coming soon, and you want me to go on a private visit in disguise?"
Which emperor in history would be willing to go on a secret visit in the middle of winter? Why go out? To freeze!
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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