Li Xi looked at his father. Although he had a hunch in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't be so anxious, Li Xi still didn't understand what had happened.
But looking at his father's expression, Li Xi knew that something had really happened this time.
"Father, are you okay?"
Looking at his son, Li Zhonghang said helplessly, "His Majesty sent Zhang Jing away from the capital at this time. This is intentional!"
"No, I have to find a chance to see His Majesty." Li Zhonghang waved his hand, and the expression on his face kept changing.
"Father, we didn't sell illegal salt. We have been doing business in peace all these years. Is there anything to be afraid of?" Li Xi looked at his father hesitantly and asked.
Li Zhonghang smiled bitterly, "It's not that simple. This time, it's really troublesome."
"Father, although I don't know what trouble it is, if you want to see His Majesty, Zhang Jing won't work. I think there is another way," Li Xi said carefully, "Father, you can look for Xu Wei Xu Wenchang!"
"Look for him?" Li Xi was stunned and asked hesitantly.
Li Zhonghang was no stranger to Xu Wei Xu Wenchang. Whether it was fighting against the Japanese in the southeast or in the northwest, Li Zhonghang had heard of Xu Wei Xu Wenchang's name.
But could Xu Wei Xu Wenchang help him see His Majesty?
"Father, I have just heard the news!"
Li Xi said quickly, "Xu Wei Xu Wenchang is now the Left Councillor of the Office of Transmission. Although he has an official title, he doesn't actually do anything."
"The most important thing for Xu Wei Xu Wenchang is to accompany His Majesty all day long."
"It is said that Xu Wenchang went to the palace to play chess with His Majesty yesterday and then drank too much in the palace."
When Li Zhonghang heard this, his eyes immediately lit up. He said with a bit of emotion, "Who would have thought that Xu Wei, Xu Wenchang, who used to be in dire straits, would actually become rich today. But we still have a relationship with him."
"Although your father is not familiar with Xu Wenchang, he is very familiar with the Minister of War, Wu Dui."
"Go and send a visiting card to Father. Let's visit the Minister of War."
Speaking of this, Li Zhonghang smiled and said, "Prepare a few gifts. Don't be too expensive, just local products of Shanxi."
Li Xi looked at his father with a speechless expression. His father was too stingy.
"What do you know!" Li Zhonghang glared at his son and said angrily, "Go and prepare!"
Looking at his son's back, Li Zhonghang shook his head helplessly. This son of his was good at everything, but his brain was not very bright. It seemed that he still had to raise him for a few more years.
Li Xi said. "Li Li Li's is Wang and there, and there.
Although it was noisy outside, the palace was very calm.
Zhu Yijun found two people and drove everyone out of the hall. The three of them were in the room.
The three of them were two old men. The one on the left was Xu Wei Xu Wenchang, and the one on the right was Hai Rui Hai Gangfeng.
Although the two of them glared at each other as soon as they met, Zhu Yijun could see that the two old men got along well.
The two old men, who had no family or descendants, and had stayed together in the southeast, now had some sympathy for each other.
"Today, I have summoned the two of you here because I have something to discuss with you, my two beloved subjects."
Zhu Yijun looked at the two and said with a smile, "I have often heard of the Huaxu Kingdom and have read The Peach Blossom Spring. I have also thought, 'What is the Huaxu Kingdom and the Peach Blossom Spring?'
I don't know. "
"At that time, I was thinking, what should I do to govern the world and make it like Huaxu or Peach Blossom Spring?"
The two looked at each other. Although they didn't know what Zhu Yijun wanted to say, they knew that the thing the emperor wanted to talk about was not small.
"I have been thinking about it all day, but I still can't figure it out."
Zhu Yijun looked at the two and said, "Huaxu is a legend after all. No one has seen Peach Blossom Spring, so I don't think about it."
"I asked you here today because I want to show you the ideal country that I have drawn for you."
The two were stunned, then Xu Wenchang said with a smile, "I am all ears."
Zhu Yijun nodded, "This is the picture that I have drawn!"
As he said this, Zhu Yijun pulled over a wooden blackboard with wheels and stuck a pencil drawing on it. He picked up a small wooden stick and began to point it out to them.
"I don't know what kind of life is good for the people, so you must tell me if there is anything wrong."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Even if you don't want me to say it, I will!" Hai Gangfeng said.
Zhu Yijun looked at Hai Rui and nodded, then said, "In my opinion, the first thing that needs to be solved for the people to live a good life is food and clothing. As the saying goes, when the granary is full, the people will know their honor and disgrace."
"If they can't eat their fill, everything else is empty talk. Then I will make filling the stomachs the most important thing for the people to live."
Hai Rui and Xu Wenchang nodded together. As the saying goes, food is the most important thing in the world. Making filling the stomachs the most important thing was the most appropriate.
"Among the people, there are two kinds of people. The first kind has their own land. I call them farmers who cultivate their own land.
The other kind rents other people's land. They are called tenant farmers. "
"For farmers, there are three things that determine whether they can eat their fill."
"The first thing is whether the weather is good. The second thing is whether there is enough land. The third thing is whether the exorbitant taxes are heavy."
"There is no need to talk about the first thing. The second thing is if their land is not enough to support their family, then they need to rent other people's land or think of other ways to support their family."
"And a tyrannical government is fiercer than a tiger. This is also very harmful to the people."
"Therefore, I think that to solve the problem of farmers not having enough to eat, good weather is God's matter, but we can help them as much as possible. For example, we can open canals for drinking water and dig wells for irrigation."
"As for whether there is enough land, I think that on one hand, we can increase the production of food and promote high-yield crops, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and so on.
On the other hand, we can open up wasteland. With the characteristics of potatoes and sweet potatoes, many wastelands in the past can now be opened up. "
"But even so, the land is still not enough to support the whole family. What should we do?"
"Then we have to rent other people's land or work to support the family."
"The third thing is the problem of tyrannical government. Once the officials levy and collect taxes, then no matter how good the life is, the people will not be able to live. It will be very difficult for them to eat their fill."
After Zhu Yijun finished speaking, he took a sip of tea and turned to look at Xu Wenchang and Hai Rui. He said, "I don't know if you think what I said is wrong."
"I am amazed!" Xu Wenchang said with emotion.
Hai Rui said with a serious face, "Your Majesty's words are very thorough. Not only do you explain the profound in simple terms, but you are also far-sighted. I have nothing to say."
"Well, if that's the case, let's continue!"
Zhu Yijun said with a smile, "Now that I know these things, I want to ask, if I want the people to eat their fill, what should I do, or what should the court do?"
"The first thing can be done to build water conservancy. The second thing can be organized to open up wasteland and popularize crops.
I also thought of opening a workshop in the county. It's not a small workshop, but a big workshop. "
"Hire the people to work and give them wages to support the family."
"The third thing is tyrannical government. That requires the court to be strict with the officials and a perfect supervision system."
"If these three things are done, then the farmers will be able to eat their fill. Let's talk about the tenant farmers."
Zhu Yijun pointed at the word tenant farmers. "They have no land and need to pay heavy taxes, which makes their lives far worse than the farmers."
"If you want to solve their problems, you have to start with the land."
"First is the land rent. I feel that the imperial court should come forward to determine the land rent and collect it according to the grade of the land. The rent can be increased in good years and reduced in bad years. However, the limit of the increase and reduction can also be stipulated."
"If it goes beyond this limit, the court can declare it an illegal lease and confiscate the land."
"If the land is allowed to be abandoned, then after a year, it will become an ownerless wasteland. The court can take it back and reclaim it."
After Zhu Yijun said this, Hai Rui interjected, "Your Majesty, this plan isn't appropriate. If someone wants to take over land by force, they can simply accuse them of wasting their land. If an official tries to cover up for them, a lot of people's land will be taken over."
Slightly stunned, Zhu Yijun thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Hai, you are right. This is not appropriate. Let's cross it out first."
"I think the reason why the tenant farmers rent land is because they have no other way to make money. So this can provide them with a new way of thinking." Zhu Yijun pointed at the workshop and said, "This is the benefit of the workshop."
"If the tenant farmers can work in the workshop to support their families, they don't have to rent other people's land."
"The tenant farmers have another way to make a living, and the landlords don't dare to oppress them too much."
Xu Wenchang looked at the workshop that Zhu Yijun mentioned and thought for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, do you want the merchants to open the workshop?"
Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "That will only make the merchants fat. I mean the court will open the workshop and the officials will manage it. It will be similar to the court's Armaments Department, but the people who work in the workshop will be paid."
"The things produced by the workshop can be sold to the court, which saves the court from buying from the merchants."
Daming's productivity was very low, and many things were very expensive, such as books and paper. Although they were very cheap compared to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was still very difficult for the poor to study.
For example, Hai Rui and Hai Gangfeng, his days of studying were very difficult.