The Ming Dynasty started with caution

The ministers were talking among themselves.

The retired emperor Hongzhi looked at Yan Chengjin with a sharp gaze, "The brothers of the Zhang family are not smart. You tricked them into selling salted fish, and they will come to complain to me later."

Although he did not have a good impression of the brothers of the Zhang family.

But people should be kind, and harming relatives of the emperor is a crime.

Yan Chengjin looked a little embarrassed, so he had to say: "It is the decision of the new emperor, but fish maw and salted fish can really be sold for silver. Has the retired emperor ever heard of it? There is no festival?"

If you have heard of it, I will doubt whether you are Ma Qingyang who traveled through time.

There was silence in the hall.

Because these four words touched the knowledge blind spots and the ceiling of vision of the retired emperor and Li Dongyang and others.

Liu Jian finally couldn't help it and asked: "What is the festival without moderation?"

Yan Chengjin thought about it and it was difficult to explain it to the gentlemen.

He ordered people to bring back a few items from outside the palace. The eunuchs carried a few brocade plates with four side dishes and a bowl of soup.

When the gentlemen gathered around, Yan Chengjin said, "These are probably what I want to trade. You will know after you taste them."

The retired emperor Hongzhi asked Xiao Jing to bring ivory chopsticks.

Xiao Jing glanced at Yan Chengjin and whispered, "Sir, I will try it first."

Even if I know it is not poisonous, what if it is?

This yellow thing is so smelly that it can suffocate people. Will you get sick if you eat it?

But now, the retired emperor and the gentlemen are concerned about this matter, so he can only force himself to eat it.

He stuffed a mouthful of yellow croaker into his mouth and chewed it carefully.

"Ugh~"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Xiao Jing burst into tears, vomited so hard that he rolled his eyes, and there were still water threads hanging from the corners of his mouth, "This is poison, sir, this is poison..."

The expressions of the retired emperor Hongzhi and the gentlemen were extremely interesting. Is it that serious?

"Eunuch Xiao is overacting." Liu Jian couldn't help but doubt.

They were well-dressed and well-fed, and they couldn't even eat ordinary chicken and pork. Even if they wanted to eat fish, they wouldn't eat salted fish.

Therefore, among the ministers, except for Li Dongyang, who was born in poverty.

The rest didn't know what salted fish tasted like.

Zhu Houzhao was very happy: "Father and the others don't eat meat, how can it be so unpalatable?"

As he said that, he stuffed a small yellow croaker into his mouth.

He chewed it with relish, swallowed it, and ate another mouthful of white rice, as if nothing had happened.

Yan Chengjin secretly admired him. This guy was like a scavenger, who could eat anything.

Seeing this, the emperor looked at the eunuch indifferently: "Bring chopsticks."

Xiao Jing hurriedly made a bitter face and advised: "Emperor, you can't eat it!"

"Get out of here, the new emperor eats it, why can't I eat it!"

Ugh!

Ugh, ugh, ugh~!

The retired emperor Hongzhi felt like his body was out of control, his intestines were about to come out, tears and snot were running.

Xiao Jing looked weird, I told you not to eat...

"Is the master okay?"

"... It's okay, just a little salty."

The gentlemen looked at the retired emperor Hongzhi, and they couldn't help but look down on him.

The retired emperor had been pampered since he was a child. Although he had suffered, he had not suffered too much in terms of food, clothing and expenses, and naturally he had never eaten salted fish.

Seeing the retired emperor like this, the gentlemen were eager to try.

"I'll try it."

Yan Chengjin frowned slightly: "Mr. Liu is old, forget it, even if I am a subordinate, I dare not try it."

"Humph, although I am old, I have courage... Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Liu Jian bent his body, exhaling fragrance, and there was a pile of breakfast on the ground.

Seeing this, Jiang Mian quickly retracted his chopsticks and kept his distance from the plates of salted fish. Li Dongyang and Xie Qian also stood aside.

A moment later, the retired emperor Hongzhi had wiped his mouth and sat on the throne.

"Yan Qingjia, can these things really be eaten by people?"

The pickling method of these fish is not as good as that of later generations. They are only roughly pickled with salt.

After entering the mouth, the taste is like canned herring, which makes people want to resist.

"If it can be eaten, won't the new emperor eat it?" Yan Chengjin asked.

Zhu Houzhao stood there as if nothing had happened. For a moment, the retired emperor and the officials were speechless.

Yan Chengjin asked Gu Dayong to bring a few poor people into the palace. After watching them finish eating the salted fish and white rice, the retired emperor Hongzhi and the officials believed that this thing was really edible.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"Yan Qingjia just said, creating festivals without festivals, what does that mean?"

Yan Chengjin said: "The temple fairs are held on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. Every time these days come, the people will go to the market.

The emperor and the gentlemen may wish to think about it. What if the court designated the eighth day of the lunar month as a temple fair and the tenth day of each month as a temple fair?"

The emperor Hongzhi looked confused.

The date of the temple fair was not set by the Ming court, but was passed down from the Tang Dynasty. Because it was a market near the temple, it was called a temple fair.

The gentlemen did not understand.

Jiang Mian asked: "What will happen?"

"There will be more temple fairs." Yan Chengjin said.

"..."The emperor.

"..."The gentlemen.

The temple fair is an economic activity that stimulates consumption.

More times a year is equivalent to more economic growth. Although it is a simple festival, the power to stimulate the domestic demand of the Ming Dynasty is extremely huge.

It is a strategy to stimulate consumption among gentry and ordinary people.

The commercial tax may be multiplied several times.

Yan Chengjin said succinctly: "More temple fairs mean more business, and more business means more commercial taxes."

Liu Jian and his friends thought about it and soon understood.

With more market days, commercial goods will be consumed faster than usual.

"But the court can't force the people to go to the market, right?" Jiang Mian thought of the key point.

"The court can charge 10% less silver for temple fairs, such as the eighth and eleventh day of the lunar month, and you can buy goods on weekdays at 90% of the price.

And the court will collect less taxes from merchants on this day, and merchants will not complain."

The officials were silent for a long time, as if they were thinking about Yan Chengjin's words.

Zhu Houzhao said: "I want to set up a fishery market on the southeast coast to trade aquatic products. Merchants will hire laborers if they see that it is profitable?"

However, the retired emperor Hongzhi and Liu Jian still have lingering fears about salted fish.

"I'm afraid that trading these dried fish is not worth a few silvers, right?"

Yan Chengjin looked at Gu Dayong, and Gu Dayong quickly squatted in with a brocade plate.

Seven different fish dishes made the retired emperor Hongzhi and the officials praise them endlessly. This is what people eat.

"This is a precious fishery product sold to the gentry. The squid alone can bring profits all year round."

The eastern coast of the Ming Dynasty is actually adjacent to a huge treasure house.

If we can help the fishermen solve the problem of boats and sales channels, it will not be difficult to promote the fishing industry.

The hall fell silent,

The gentlemen could not decide for a while.

Zhang Sheng said: "If it is really a good policy, why did Lord Yan give it to Changning Bo and Shouning Hou?"

"The first person to go to sea will cost more silver than the second one. When Changning Bo and Shouning Hou come back from the sea, it will not be too late for the court to take action."

This is the vanguard!

The eyes of the gentlemen showed a look of realization.

The emperor was slightly moved. These uncles had a lot of silver in their hands. "Don't make this public in advance." It would be bad if it was heard by the empress dowager.

The stone in Yan Chengjin's heart fell. With the words of the emperor, the matter was settled.