An Lingrong felt that Da Pang Ju was not such a stupid person. Don't be fooled by the fact that he was being schemed against by the concubines in the harem like a cat being toyed with or a dog.
But that's because he inherently looked down on women and never thought that these women in the harem could cause any trouble.
Especially for concubines without children, all their honor and disgrace rested on his shoulders.
Without him as emperor, these women could only be thrown into the Shou Kang Palace or the Ci Ning Palace's backyard, with no hope left.
In matters of state, however, the fat orange king never let his guard down. Even when there was a severe shortage of silver, he didn't seem to collect more commercial taxes.
Sun Miaoqing said, "He may not really know these things, since the commercial taxes collected each year are not much."
“The most important items are silk, tea, salt, and iron, which are all subject to heavy taxes. I can’t think of any others at the moment.”
"But it should be soon. The Emperor has been keeping a close eye on how much money Honey Candy Shop makes each month. Anyone can calculate how much profit there is."
"He might be in the Hall of Mental Cultivation right now, thinking about collecting taxes."
An Lingrong frowned. "If that's the case, wouldn't Sister have to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every year just for the Honey Candy Restaurant?"
"The Emperor also has a stake in this business, so he's practically a royal merchant. I've never heard of royal merchants having to pay taxes!"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Actually, this is a good thing. If the imperial court has a surplus, it can collect less land tax."
"If things are better for those below, it's also good for us."
Speaking of tax exemption, Sun Miaoqing thought of Emperor Qianlong. Everyone said he was bad in this way and that way, and that he liked to stamp his seal on calligraphy and paintings.
But one thing cannot be denied: he was probably the emperor who exempted the country from the most taxes in more than two thousand years.
In the past, when natural disasters or man-made calamities struck, emperors would usually exempt local taxes in order to allow the people to recover and rebuild as soon as possible, but it was rare for them to directly exempt national taxes.
Even a one-year exemption would be an extremely heavy burden on the imperial court.
There have only been two emperors in history who granted nationwide tax reductions.
One was Emperor Zhao of Han, Liu Fuling, and the other was Emperor Qianlong, who was exempted from office six times in a row.
He was a notorious writer, ambitious, callous, irritable, and extravagant...
However, just based on the fact that he was exempt from taxes, in the eyes of ordinary people, he should be a very good emperor.
Sun Miaoqing thought to herself that she would help to exempt those taxes after Hongzhou ascended the throne.
If maritime trade had been profitable enough, land taxes might have been abolished centuries earlier.
In the future, farmers will not only be exempt from taxes, but the government will also provide them with subsidies.
As for where the subsidies would come from, Sun Miaoqing felt that the industries in Da Pang Ju's private warehouse were the perfect source!
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
Su Peisheng was tidying up the documents on the table, while Da Pangju was taking a break from his work to slowly drink a soup made with white fungus, lotus seeds, and snow pear.
Autumn is dry, so it's important to use more products that moisturize the lungs and relieve dryness.
I suddenly realized I haven't checked on the profits of Honey Candy House for a while. And what about Hengzhi Residence? It seems it hasn't opened yet?
This is so slow. He still has a lot of shares in the business. How much money will he lose if he opens a day later?
He hadn't really taken the cosmetics shop to heart. The previous success with the milk candy business was only due to Sun Miaoqing using him as an excuse to keep the supply in short supply.
These cosmetics and face powders can't exactly have a sign saying that even the emperor used them and said they were good!
However, the perfumes inside were indeed delightful. Not only did the concubines in the harem like them, but he liked them too, especially since some of the scents even had additional benefits...
But even at a price of one thousand taels of silver per bottle, so many noblewomen were still inquiring about it. Most of these noblewomen were in charge of managing the household affairs, and even those who didn't manage the household affairs still held large sums of dowry in their hands.
Therefore, they certainly wouldn't be stingy when it comes to spending money.
"Su Peisheng."
"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Big Fat Orange asked, "How much profit did Honey Shop make last month?"
Su Peisheng replied, "Your Majesty, after Consort Cheng returned to the palace, she sent over the accounts."
"The shops in Sichuan and Suzhou have already opened and are making a fortune every day. Last month, after deducting costs, all the shops still had 430,000 taels of silver left."
"Consort Cheng said that 230,000 taels would be used to expand production and maintain the operation of the industry. The remaining 200,000 taels would be distributed as dividends, and the Emperor would receive 60,000 taels in cash."
Big Fat Orange's eyes lit up. Tens of thousands of taels of silver every month, if accumulated slowly over time, would be a large income.
In addition to the wool business, these extra profits, although not enough to cover the annual taxes, can still be used to do quite a lot.
The fat orange tree sighed, “The wealth of the people under my rule is evident!”
Su Peisheng flattered, "Your Majesty is wise. You have worked tirelessly day and night for the affairs of the state. It is thanks to your tireless efforts that we have achieved this prosperous era. The people praise you as a wise and enlightened emperor."
The chubby orange cat sighed, "My two years of tireless work have yielded some results, though I have truly sacrificed a lot!"
He had never suffered so much injustice in his life. He recalled how many times he had been so angry that he almost fainted.
Big Fat Orange felt that he was already extremely flexible and adaptable, not far from being like Goujian back then!
Su Peisheng didn't know what the fat orange was aggrieved about, and thought it referred to Prince Dun, the Eighth and Ninth Princes, and their cronies.
But that helpless expression on his face doesn't seem to be because of the rebellious king.
Su Peisheng would never speak lightly about uncertain matters, lest he make a mistake in his speculation and upset Da Pang Ju.
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