Don't be a prince

Seeing Xiuxiu coaxing Ashina Xue like a child, Li Chengqian sat next to Su Yuan, hugged Su Yuan's shoulder and said with a smile: "You, there is no need to persuade her like this. Although ginseng is a good thing, eating Too much to overfill."

Ashina Xue nodded repeatedly, quickly drank the soup in the bowl, and ordered the maid to take away the rest, and she could continue to drink it after it was warmed up at night.

Xiuxiu was very discerning, and when she sensed His Royal Highness' purpose, she found an excuse to take Ashina Xue away, leaving space for the two of them.

After the two of them left, Li Chengqian squeezed Su Yuan's shoulder and said, "This is arranged by the queen mother. You also know that the queen mother's arrangement, as the crown prince, I can only accept it."

Su Yuan shook her head, and plunged into Li Chengqian's arms before saying: "Ever since I knew that your future husband is you, I've thought about such a thing. The royal family is similar to other families, even worse. The concubine does not mind how many women you have, as long as you don't throw the concubine aside in the future."

Li Chengqian smiled, and could only tighten Su Yuanlou's grip a little.This kind of mentality can't be called being a whore and setting up a memorial archway. As a modern man, although he yearns for three wives and four concubines, when he really realizes it, he will still feel a little bit of guilt, even if this is the current mainstream.

People in the garden room could hear the neighing of war horses outside. It seemed that Sky-Speeding Monkey and the others were going to set off today.

It's just to conquer some bandits, so it doesn't need too much attention.Even if there is no offensive weapon such as gunpowder weapons, after the personal lead is dispatched, it will not be tricked by a small cottage.Several bloody battles, coupled with the hardships of Dafeichuan, they have already shown the temperament of soldiers, the breath of iron and blood, which cannot be honed by climbing rope ladders a few times and playing horizontal bars for a few days.

When playing backgammon with Su Yuan, Zhang Yun walked in with a greeting card.

The greeting card was sent by a group of merchants. It was different from ordinary greeting cards. The entire greeting card was written with cinnabar mixed with gold powder, which was extremely luxurious.

Although in Li Chengqian's eyes, their arrangement was a bit brainless, but it had to be said that the Zhengzhou businessmen had sincerity.

There is no need to reply to the greeting post, and the huge difference in status has created casual etiquette.

There are a lot of carriages parked outside the other courtyard, and there are some guys in strange clothes on the carriages.

Seeing these people, Zhang Yun bowed and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, these people are rangers, and they should be hired by local merchants at a high price to escort you."

Looking at these poorly dressed people, Li Chengqian only felt that his fantasy of martial arts was shattered by the impact.It's fine if the clothes are worn out, many people are no different from beggars.Such a person is the guy who is known as a knight?This is obviously a bunch of bums who are fighting fiercely and bravely. It is estimated that only rich people like Li Bai can support their chivalrous journey.

Waving his hands, Li Chengqian said helplessly: "Let these people leave, and they will be protected by their own personal protection. Although these new soldiers are still young, their combat effectiveness is definitely higher than them."

Zhang Yun took the order and immediately began to drive away those so-called "rangers".

After clearing the street, Li Chengqian got into his carriage and rushed towards the gathering place prepared by the merchants.

The carriage has been pulled on the boat all the time. Although he has the protection of his relatives, Li Chengqian still thinks it is better to bring his own carriage.As for the protection of these rangers, there is no need at all. The merchants are almost rebelling these days. They don't need the governor to take action. They started a big investigation of the state capital, but they have no faults and no serious identities.Those who did not have a guarantor were cleared out by them.This Zhengzhou City can be said to be extremely safe.

Before arriving at Juxian Pavilion, at an intersection, the carriage that was moving at a constant speed suddenly slowed down slowly.Feeling that the carriage had stopped, Li Chengqian opened the door curtain, and saw Wei Zheng in normal clothes standing at the intersection ahead, holding his official certificate in his hand to prove his identity.

Zhang Yun naturally knew Wei Zheng, so he hurriedly got out of the car and invited Wei Zheng up.

Before entering the carriage, Wei Zheng put on his mask and entered carefully.

Seeing Wei Zheng wearing a mask, Li Chengqian suddenly had a strong sense of sight.No, isn't Laozi in the Tang Dynasty?Why did you see a mask on Wei Zheng's body?

But thinking about the existence of Sun Simiao, Li Chengqian was relieved.At the beginning, he just explained the purpose of masks to Sun Simiao intentionally or unintentionally, and he formulated the hygiene regulations thoroughly in the hospital.Although it was only done within the scope of the hospital, it is not surprising that it spread.

"Your Highness, I have been rude. On the eve of arriving in Zhengzhou, I was caught in the rain outside the city. Who would have thought that I would catch a cold. The illness was really serious yesterday, but today it eased a little, and I dared to go out."

Taking another look at Wei Zheng's mask, Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "It's nothing, it's just a cold caused by the rain. It's just cold. Generally, it's not so easy to pass it on to others. You are sick today. It’s still coming out, but because of the merchant’s gathering?”

Wei Zheng nodded, declined the hot tea offered by Zhang Yun, and said in a hoarse voice: "That's true, since His Highness has left Chang'an, it seems that he has received the imperial edict left by the minister?" '

Nodding his head, Li Chengqian stood up without hesitation, and cupped his hands towards Wei Zheng: "Gu owes a great favor to the servant this time, if the servant asks for something in the future, Gu will definitely do his best!"

This sentence, Li Chengqian said firmly.

Wei Zheng chuckled, and did not evade the prince's etiquette, but said: "Actually, I left the edict to let His Highness get out of Chang'an's den of right and wrong. In fact, since the Tang Dynasty pacified the world, it is doomed. It will lead to disputes one after another. Now there is a dispute between His Majesty and the courtiers, which is a foreseeable thing, and it is nothing. After a period of time, if there are any disputes among the nobles as a whole, it will be a really messy situation.

Now that His Highness has left Chang'an, a place of right and wrong, to participate in the formulation of business laws, in Weichen's opinion, it is a good thing.After observing during this period of time, Weichen found many inappropriate places in the business development.Since His Highness is the facilitator of business development and is very clear about the ways here, he must have his own views and solutions to these problems! "

Wei Zheng's description of Chang'an is very apt, but it's really not worth it to worry about the things there. On the contrary, what Wei Zheng said was inappropriate, aroused Li Chengqian's curiosity.

Picking up a cup of tea and handing it to Wei Zheng, Li Chengqian asked curiously, "Leaving aside the matter of Chang'an, Wei Shizhong, what inappropriate things did you find?"

The tea that the crown prince handed over was not something Wei Zheng could refuse.But because of the wind and cold, Wei Zheng could only turn his head and take off his mask.Sitting in the same direction made Li Chengqian feel extremely weird, but Wei Zheng insisted and had no choice but to endure it.

After taking a sip of tea, Wei Zhengcai said: "First of all, there is the problem of uneven prices. Since Chang'an, the price of the same thing is different, but any place where the price is much higher than other places must be a gathering area for merchants. , such as Zhengzhou, where the state capital is located, even the price of green vegetables is more than [-]% to [-]% higher than that of small counties."

While listening, Li Chengqian nodded with a serious expression, but his stomach burst into laughter.What's the problem here? It's inevitable. Let alone Zhengzhou, the price of goods inside and outside Chang'an City has begun to show obvious differences.The gathering of high-consumption groups will inevitably lead to an increase in consumption, which is the same as the difference in prices in rural and urban areas.Things that are bound to happen are a bit of a big deal when they are summed up in the problem.

"Furthermore, there is a change in the hearts of the people. Your Highness, since the restrictions on commerce have been relaxed, coupled with the generosity of many big businessmen in the Jianghuai flood, the common people no longer despise merchants so much. In addition, the imperial court attaches great importance to merchants. Many vacillating people put down their skins and joined the ranks of merchants. The number of merchants has begun to grow wildly. This is not right. Your Highness, there are not enough people to cultivate a lot of farmland. I'm afraid something big will happen!"

After finishing speaking, Wei Zheng put on the mask and turned around, his voice became even hoarse due to talking too much.

Regarding this issue, Li Chengqian was also a little worried, or in other words, since he decided to urge business development, he had such worries.If everyone goes into business, it will lead to a rapid rise in food prices.After all, now is not the future, and a country that is not based on agriculture cannot gain a firm foothold in the world.After all, expecting to import food to meet the needs of the people can only happen in the real "nuclear peace era". In the Tang Dynasty, countries that do this have no other choice but to die.

This is true for small countries, and even more so for large countries.

With a long sigh, Li Chengqian didn't know that when he was thinking about something, his expression was ugly, which made Wei Zheng's heart hang.

"Zheng Gong, the solution to this problem is very simple, but to a certain extent, it is also very difficult. The first is to restrict the development of commerce so that it can develop in a limited and healthy way. Restricting the development of commerce will inevitably suppress some merchants. , so it is bound to cause some people's dissatisfaction. There is no way to do this, so I introduced the so-called business license system before. Only businessmen who have obtained a business license from the imperial court can engage in business. There are too many, so we have to put forward harsh competition conditions to allow those who meet the conditions to do business. In this way, the growth rate of businessmen can be restricted to a large extent.

The second is to promote food production.The College of Agriculture has introduced a new rice variety this year, which is not only resistant to drought, but also has a much higher yield than the previous rice.In addition, they are still studying various methods that can promote the increase of agricultural output, which will surely increase the output of food.The planter launched by the Institute of Engineering has solved the problems of shortage of animal power and manpower to a large extent. The grain production around Chang'an alone has increased by about [-]%. If it is promoted all over the world, the production of [-]% is definitely not a small number. !When the problem of food and clothing is solved, even if the business develops a little faster, there will be no major problems. "

Wei Zheng nodded, and he could tell that the prince's words were the result of careful consideration, and they were definitely not just made up temporarily.That's good, he was afraid that the prince would not have a suitable way to deal with business.

"There is another worry, and it is also a worry that has always been there since ancient times."

After a long sigh of relief, Wei Zhengcai said: "Laughing at the poor and not laughing at the prostitutes, merchants are all people who sacrifice their capital for profit. Although they are not allowed to dress gorgeously, their descendants must not be officials, and humiliate their ancestors, it is an indisputable fact that their families are rich. In the past, there was contempt from everyone, which was a little bit better, but when people are greedy for vanity and money, they will unconsciously let go of their restraint, worry, and even their conscience. Once the scene of etiquette collapses, it will be bad Already."

After listening to Wei Zheng's words and recalling the environment of later generations, Li Chengqian had to admit that it was true.

Social development will inevitably lead to such a result, or, in fact, there is such a problem now.Don't look at everyone working hard for official positions and titles, but if these two things don't "make money", who would give up their lives to pursue them?

Thinking about the scene where I was desperately trying to make money, but I couldn't satisfy the huge mouth of the house payment, a feeling of sadness permeated from the bottom of my heart.Datang is not a future generation, but one day, Datang will also become a future generation.The progress of society does not mean that ordering out of chaos will produce results.

Having said that, it should not be so troublesome as to break the etiquette.

Since ancient times, the people of the Central Plains have been a combination of good and evil, and more than half of them are kind.Maybe people will admire money and yearn for a rich life, but people's hearts can still be called "good".

Chapter 335 Banquet

Li Chengqian didn't know how to answer this point, and he couldn't even think about the answer to this question.He is an ordinary person crushed by the times, asking him to think about how to change the status quo is tantamount to asking blindness.

but....

There must be a way for the car to reach the mountain. As an inevitable disadvantage of economic development, it is better to appear sooner than later. If Datang is lucky enough to find a solution to this problem, then the whole world will be a step forward across the ages. stride.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian categorically said to Wei Zheng: "Duke Zheng, I won't hide it from you. What you are worried about is very likely to happen. However, this problem is not only faced by our Tang Dynasty, it can be said that , Whenever a country wants to progress, it must face such problems.

Indeed, only a farming-based society can maintain the atmosphere of 'communication across the fields, chickens and dogs hear each other' and the tradition can be maintained.However, in this way, it will lead to a blockage of communication, and no one will be able to develop.Or to put it this way is more appropriate, compared to the kindness of poverty, or the treachery of wealth, it is more desirable, isn't it?As for maintaining people's good will, it is one of the responsibilities of our court, isn't it? "

Hearing this, Wei Zheng sighed.This is also a question he has been thinking about at home during this time.The prince is right, poverty is the original sin.He, Wei Zheng, was a waiter, and under the yearning of the crowd as a whole, he couldn't sail against the current at all.

The carriage arrived at Juxian Pavilion, and the voices of driving pedestrians to the side and ordering Xiao Er to get ready began to appear outside the carriage.

Wei Zheng sighed, got up and opened the curtain.

Li Chengqian also stood up and walked out of the carriage first.

Seeing the prince coming out, several people who seemed to be slaves knelt down beside the carriage and acted as footsteps.

Li Chengqian had no interest in stepping on people, so he let the soldiers drive the slaves away with a wave of his hand.

Stepping on the wooden steps, he got off the carriage and stepped onto the red carpet.I don't know what material this carpet is made of, it's so soft that it stretches from the place where the carriage gets off to the inside of the restaurant. The cost of this thing alone is worth tens of thousands.

Obviously, the businessmen in Zhengzhou wanted to gain the prince's favor through this banquet, so they spared no effort to hold such a small banquet so extravagantly.

Although the identity in the previous life was considered as an idiot, it didn't hinder YY's extravagant life, and the things in front of her were sprinkled with water.

A fat businessman stood outside the red carpet, accepting Zhang Yun's "obscenity" without changing his face.Although he was wearing sackcloth, but just looking at his big belly and the moist white jade pendant around his waist, he knew that his wealth must be extremely rich.

This gathering in Zhengzhou can be said to be a call for businessmen who are outside the control of various families. It is probably not easy for this person to be a representative of these businessmen.

Sure enough, after accepting the interrogation, the fat businessman walked over. He was obviously very fat, but he still bent over to almost ninety degrees, his belly was squeezed and deformed: "Cao Min Zhao Qi, meet His Royal Highness! Zheng Gong !"

Li Chengqian nodded: "Get up, Gu didn't expect your arrangements to be so meticulous. Looking at this restaurant, it should be newly renovated. You have worked so hard to entertain Gu!"

Zhao Qi smiled and said: "This is the kindness that I and other merchants have shown to His Highness. It will not cost much if it is shared. Your Highness, please hurry up. Today, I have prepared rare delicacies for His Highness. I have delayed time, but just Not so good."

Li Chengqian looked back at Wei Zheng, seeing that Wei Zheng would not leave, he led him along the carpet into the restaurant.

The appearance of Wei Zheng today obviously caught the merchants by surprise.As far as they know, Zheng Guogong has always maintained a kind of vigilance towards commercial development. Although he didn't directly oppose it, he didn't support it very much. He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse when he appeared at the banquet today.

Entering the restaurant, the first floor was filled with banquets, and the merchants were now forced to the corner by soldiers and government soldiers to conduct a body search.Facing such a battle, many people are still very unaccustomed to it, and after all, it is a small number of people who can keep their faces intact.

The merchants on the first floor are not qualified to see the prince's face, and a little taste of the banquet is enough to make them flock to it.Being able to be downstairs is already very good for them.

Go upstairs along the sandalwood stairs. Compared with the first floor, the second floor is much more elegant. There are screens behind the small desks so as not to delay their appearance, but as long as you lean back, you can’t see them. arrive.

At first, he was confused about what this arrangement meant, but when he saw the beautiful singing girl kneeling behind the screen, Li Chengqian understood.Good guy, not just drinking, but also whoring!

The first place is naturally exclusive to the prince, and Jinta, who is short but wide, is also the exclusive treatment of the prince.

Seeing Jinta, Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief. He really hated the etiquette of kneeling and sitting, and it would be great to be able to sit.

On top of the brocade there are two lolis in cool clothes. They are obviously very young, but with a little makeup on, they look extraordinarily gorgeous.

Although this kind of lolita is quite aesthetically pleasing, Li Chengqian really has nothing to say. He glanced at Zhang Yun, and Zhang Yun walked over, drove the two little singing girls away, and checked Jinta thoroughly. Only then did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince be allowed to sit there.

As soon as they were seated, there were four soldiers in full armor and standing on both sides with their swords straddled. The atmosphere changed from ambiguous to serious in an instant.

Since the crown prince drove away the singing girls, the rest of the merchants followed suit. In other words, they didn't have much lust at first, so today's banquet should be more grand.

Below the main seat are two secondary positions not separated by a screen. One of these two positions belongs to Wei Zheng, and the other belongs to Zhao Qi.Wei Yanyan was also in Zhengzhou at this time, but he was also on the small case of the screen. Originally, Zhao Qi was not qualified to sit in front of Wei Yanyan, on an equal footing with Wei Zheng. elevated his status.

After taking his seat, Zhao Qigong cupped his hands and said, "Is Your Highness going to taste the tea first, or serve the food directly?"

"Let's serve, I'll just talk while we eat."

Having said that, the real reason was that Li Chengqian wanted to see what it was that would make a businessman like Zhao Qi think it was a good thing.Not to mention something to eat, it is even more surprising.

Soon, a group of beautiful maids began to serve dishes with gold and iron utensils.Goldware, naturally only the prince is qualified to use it.

The first dish was a black thing on a big gold plate. As soon as the dish was put on the table, Zhang Yun stopped the serving maid, stretched out his chopsticks, took a piece, put it in his mouth, chewed it a few times and then Swallow it, close your eyes and feel it for a while before releasing it.

Ever since he left Chang'an, this guy has been of this virtue. Although Li Chengqian protested, he still couldn't speak against him.For today's banquet, you need to be more vigilant.

However, from Li Chengqian's point of view, there will be absolutely no problems with today's banquet.The merchants finally had a chance to confide in their hearts, or to talk directly to the prince, so how could there be any mistakes in this banquet?Anyone who dares to poison or something will be torn to pieces by angry businessmen before he personally takes the lead.

Without seeing whether Zhang Yun would die from the poison, Li Chengqian directly picked up a piece of this dark dish with his chopsticks. It looked like meat, but it was extremely unlike meat.Never mind, try it and you'll know.

One piece into the mouth, a burst of umami immediately filled the nostrils.Opening his eyes, Li Chengqian looked at Zhao Qi in surprise: "This is sea cucumber? Although Zhengzhou is not as far from the sea as Chang'an, it is still difficult to transport sea cucumbers here. At present, the only way to transport sea cucumbers here is to raise sea cucumbers in the cabin. In the middle, it was done by galloping all the way, just like this, there are probably no more sea cucumbers left. The loss of this plate of sea cucumbers is incalculable!"

Although he was surprised that the prince knew the origin of sea cucumbers, Zhao Qi was still very happy that the prince knew that the transportation was not easy. He arched his hands and said: "Caomin has heard many times that His Royal Highness likes the food, and even all kinds of restaurants in Chang'an are known as the East Palace. Caomin has traveled all over the years and has seen many good things, sea cucumber is one of them. If His Highness likes it, Caomin also has a business that transports it by water, so you can send some to His Highness."

Li Chengqian naturally refused without hesitation. Although he was in a rush to give gifts, he still didn't like the waste of money just for a plate of food.

The crown prince can eat a whole plate of sea cucumbers, but the rest of the people are different. Wei Zheng, Zhao Qi and Wei Yanyan use iron basins, and each of them has almost one sea cucumber in the basin. As for other merchants, there is only one piece of sea cucumber. two slices.What taste can there be in soup boiled out of one slice and two slices?Just like that, many people showed expressions of ecstasy, as if they were going to become immortals on the spot.

Zhao Qi clapped his hands, and immediately another dish was served.Whitebait from Dongting Lake, ginseng from Changbai Mountain, pork belly from the south, dried bananas from Lingnan, whatever is rare.Today's banquet is estimated to be worth a medium-sized industry.This is no longer something that can be done with money. The gathering of things from all over the world shows that the power of merchants is still terrifying.

While Li Chengqian was lamenting the power of the merchant, Zhao Qi, who was sitting next to him, was also amazed. He found that His Highness the Crown Prince was very familiar with the specialties of various places.Even though he didn't need to explain it this way, the prince knew what they wanted, but why did he feel uncomfortable? ? ?

Banquet, banquet, how can it be called banquet without wine?

So just after the dishes were served, there was another wine.

They are all vintage wines, and once the mouth of the jar is opened, the taste that comes out is intoxicating.

As for Li Chengqian's wine, it's a serious wine from the Western Regions, and it's still aged. You can tell it's a good thing just by Zhang Yun's admiration.After all, this guy has been with the emperor for a long time, and he still knows a lot about all kinds of fine wines.

But no matter how good something is, it will be useful for quenching thirst when it meets a bumpkin. Li Chengqian thinks he is the biggest bumpkin. Wine, isn't it the taste of wine?As long as it's not too sour, why don't you just drink it?

Picking up the wine glass, Li Chengqian stood up.

Accompanied by his movements, the merchants who were still picking up vegetables put down their chopsticks one after another, and grabbed their hands on the wine glasses.The panting sounds of several guys became heavy.

Knowing what they were waiting for, Li Chengqian didn't talk nonsense, and said directly: "Following the father's will, inspecting the world's businesses, and catering to the actual business conditions, formulating the terms of business laws. Today in Zhengzhou, since I met you guys Big businessman, I will give you some insight, so that this matter will not cause panic. Now, whoever has a question, just pour yourself three glasses of wine, hehe, I will answer you!"

Three glasses of wine?

While some people were still confused, Zhao Qi had already poured himself three glasses of wine, and because he drank it too fast, he even coughed.

Enduring the burning sensation in his nose, Zhao Qi tried his best to calm down, and asked, "His Royal Highness, Caomin would like to ask, why did the imperial court order me to keep accounts according to the new-style account book? It is obviously a private account, why should I report it to the imperial court?"

Zhao Qi's words can represent all businessmen. Everyone used to be happy to run their own businesses, but now they have to report all their family properties to the court. It's like being stripped naked on the street. It brings more than shame. feel.

Taking a sip of his wine, Li Chengqian said: "The answer to this question is very simple. It is because the imperial court wants to monitor businesses, not one or two, but the overall monitoring. The previous commercial tax was a messy account, so it came alone." It is clear that the imperial court is asking for money from various places. Yangzhou and other major cities in Tongzhou, as long as they meet the imperial court's requirements, maybe the local merchants have not paid much tax after sharing it. And some small state capitals do not have many merchants, so The taxes collected are heavy.

Although the law stipulates one of the twelve taxes in kind, it is the imperial government's indicators that actually guide the taxation. Do you agree with this alone? "

The merchants nodded one after another. They have experienced this, and they naturally know that the business laws before the court are just a piece of paper, and the actual operation is completely different from the regulations.

"So, we will formally collect taxes in the future, but how to know how much to collect without a standard for formal tax collection? Therefore, checking the family background is the only way. The new-style account books can clearly show the income of a businessman, so It is also very convenient to pay taxes, just take one-tenth of it. For you big businessmen, it may be more to pay, but for some small businessmen, it is a burden, isn’t it ?"

Li Chengqian had just finished speaking when cheers came from downstairs.Downstairs are some small businessmen, and the taxation is carried out according to the formal process. They are the most profitable.

Wei Zheng was completely covered by the screen, and his body was exposed, but he still nodded after hearing the words.He used to be puzzled why the prince wanted to take the lead in doing such a thankless thing, but now it seems reasonable.Don't worry about scarcity but inequality, you need to avoid it when you distribute it, and you need to avoid it when you collect it.It's okay for a short time, but if taxes are collected in such a muddle for a long time, accidents are likely to happen.

Chapter 336 Swearing and Swearing