Father, I really don’t want to be the emperor

"Forget it, I will pay for this myself and let the Ministry of Works do it."

Ning Fan thought about it and still felt that he must be cautious.

Not only must the production process be taken into consideration, but it must also be well-made. Not only that, but the fonts must also be beautiful.

The font of the mold is a big problem, because for many years to come, the printed words will have a fixed font.

The next day, Ning Fan came to the Ministry of Industry.

As the King of Dakang Qing, Ning Fan's status is unquestionable. Even if he is not the direct superior of the Ministry of Industry, Ning Fan does receive the attention of the Ministry of Industry.

Pang Jian, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, came to greet him personally, and a group of ministers of the Ministry of Industry even knelt on the ground and did not dare to express their anger.

"Master Shangshu, when I come to the Ministry of Industry this time, I have nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Hall."

Ning Fan smiled at Pang Jian.

"Your Majesty, what exactly is it?"

Pang Jian looked worried.

The imperial treasury was empty and funds were tight, and the craftsmen in the Ministry of Works were reduced to eating gruel.

"Mr. Pangda, I would like to borrow a group of craftsmen, but don't worry, I will bear all the expenses myself!"

Ning Fan opened the skylight and spoke frankly.

Pang Jian took a long breath, and the expression on his face became relaxed: "Your Majesty, the craftsmen can hardly afford to eat now! It is difficult to get paid every few months..."

"Mr. Pangda, haven't I come to help you in an emergency? Let me put it here, the court will not support these craftsmen, but I will support them in the future!"

Ning Fan made the final decision.

Ning Fan knew about Pang Jian. He was a well-known scholar in Dakang, but he later became obsessed with carpentry.

The person who thought he would be a great figure in the court had no choice but to become a minister of the Ministry of Industry.

But Pang Jian was enjoying himself, and his favorite thing every day was to study the structure of house buildings.

In the words of Ning Fan at that time, this person was just a technical figure and not suitable for being an official at all.

When dealing with such people, you have to have fun and get to the point.

Ning Fan quickly explained his intention and soon hit it off with Pang Jian.

"Someone, bring the things up."

Ning Fan waved his hand.

Several hunting guards came in carrying a big box. When the box was opened, it was all filled with white silver.

Pang Jian's eyes widened when he saw the money.

These are the things the Ministry of Industry is most lacking now.

Since the treasury was empty, the imperial court has not carried out any major construction projects for several years, and the palace no longer purchases jewelry, jade, etc.

This directly resulted in the Ministry of Industry's revenue plummeting, to the point where it is now impossible to uncover the blame.

But Ning Fan's arrival gave Pang Jian hope.

"Pang Pang, although these craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry are registered personnel of the imperial court, I should not use official tools for personal use, but at this special moment, I must support these people!"

"Don't worry about these things. I'll go talk to my father."

"In addition, I also plan to build an academy. You will select some top craftsmen as teachers to teach some exquisite skills!"

Ning Fan directly made all his intentions clear.

When Pang Jian heard Ning Fan's idea, he didn't understand it at first, but after hearing Ning Fan's explanation, he gave a thumbs up.

"Your Majesty, you are right! These skills are the foundation for the prosperity of the people! Those who do them cannot be eaten!"

Pang Jian expressed his approval of Ning Fan's words with both hands.

"Master Pang Da, you have to do some work, such as the issue of not passing on the skills of these craftsmen! I heard that many craftsmen pass it on from male to female, or they would rather lose it than pass it on to outsiders!"

"These phenomena must be eliminated one by one."

Ning Fan warned.

Ning Fan chatted with Pang Jian for half a day, and the two found that they had many things in common, and they almost hit it off.

"Your Majesty, you must speak to His Majesty. After all, if craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry want to be loaned out, they must obtain the approval of the imperial court."

Pang Jian said.

Ning Fan nodded: "Don't worry, Panda. This matter will be taken care of by me! The money will be distributed first, and I will come back later."

After leaving the Ministry of Industry, Ning Fan first went to hand over the note to the palace.

In the afternoon of the next day, Ning Fan received an oral summons from Emperor Tian'an.

It was late autumn, and the furnace was lit in the palace.

Emperor Tian'an, who was only in his forties, looked a little haggard and old.

"Ning Fan, I have read your memorial."

Emperor Tian'an sat on a chair with a surprisingly kind attitude.

"Father, the imperial court is in troubled times now, and I also want to share my father's worries! After all, there are tens of thousands of craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry, and it takes money to support these people."

Ning Fan said patiently.

Emperor Tian'an nodded: "A few days ago, I asked you to be an imperial envoy to help the victims. Why are you unwilling to go?"

Hearing what Emperor Tian'an said, Ning Fan smiled bitterly: "Father, it's not that I don't want to share my father's worries! It's just that this matter is a bit out of my power!"

"Oh? Didn't you raise half a million silver last time? Why can't you do it this time?"

Emperor Tian'an frowned slightly.

A bitter smile appeared on Ning Fan's face again: "Father, five hundred thousand silver is just a drop in the bucket for this disaster! Even if the imperial court empties the treasury, it can't stop the disaster!"

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Emperor Tian'an coughed twice and looked increasingly haggard.

"Father, you know better than I do! The disaster in Dakang is not serious enough to starve people to death! The problem is not natural disasters, but man-made disasters!"

Ning Fan gritted his teeth and said.

If it were before, Ning Fan would not have dared to discuss this topic with Emperor Tian'an.

But today is different from the past. After Ning Fan noticed that Emperor Tian'an's attitude towards him had improved, Ning Fan seemed to be much more relaxed in front of his father and was no longer as cautious as before.

"Man-made disaster? Please make it clear."

Emperor Tian'an raised his head, his eyes bright and frightening.

"Father, more than 70% of our Dakang's land is in the hands of wealthy families and landlords! The remaining barren land is in the hands of ordinary people!"

"This is why the people work hard to farm and can only make ends meet. This is also why the people have no ability to resist disasters once they encounter a small disaster!"

"Those wealthy families control a large amount of land. They can eat it all without having to pay taxes to the court! This leads to a financial crisis and is also the reason why our Dakang family is suppressed and beaten by the Huns!"

Ning Fan simply said what was on his mind.

After saying these words, Ning Fan found that Emperor Tian'an was silent.

Perhaps in Emperor Tian'an's eyes, this problem had no solution at all.

"Father! You can send the prince and the fourth prince to help the victims. Behind them are the nobles of the family! In order to grab credit, I believe these nobles will contribute more or less."

Ning Fan said boldly.

Emperor Tian'an still didn't speak, but his eyes were a little hollow.