Li Shimin thought so, sighed, and said: "The family of gate valves has been entrenched for thousands of years. Even if it's me, it's helpless. But hearing you say that, I'm in a much better mood. Although I have no fate with Mrs. Peony, fortunately, Mrs. Peony does not have a sweetheart, which is a good thing among bad things. ”

Li Mu frowned in his heart when he heard this, and said in his heart that this kind of idea was really machismo. What is this called three views, people can't fall in love if they don't have a relationship with you? Thinking of this, Li Mu asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, this male and female lover is normal, if Mrs. Peony has a favorite person in the future......

"Humph!" Li Shimin snorted coldly: "Who dares to rob my woman?" ”

"Uh......" Li Mu quickly closed his mouth, it seems that this underground affair will never float to the ground.

Although he felt that Li Mu's expression was different, Li Shimin couldn't doubt Li Mu, and said: "In short, Mrs. Peony, you help me more, what is a good way to make money, think about her." You should treat him with the same respect as you treat a queen, after all, I am here, and you are clear about my feelings for her. ”

Li Mu agreed hesitantly, Li Shimin patted him on the shoulder, leaned closer and whispered: "Look at it for me, if there is an unruly person who appears next to her, report it to me immediately." If someone bullies her, I will allow you to cut it first and then play it. Also, remember to hide it from the queen and leak the news, I am the only one who asks. ”

"No."

Li Mu sighed in his heart, boss, if you really do what you want, I will have to wipe my neck when I go home. Last night, the minister couldn't stand you!

At this moment, Gonggong Gao quietly entered the hall and saluted Li Shimin: "Your Majesty, Chen Guogong has come to thank you, and you have been waiting for a long time. ”

When Li Mu heard this, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the minister retires." ”

"You'll wait!" Li Shimin said: "I have one more thing to ask Li Mu, let Hou Junji wait a little longer, he is not an outsider." ”

"Ah...... Promise. Gao Gonggong was slightly flustered, but he still answered, turned around and went out.

Outside the palace gate, Hou Junji hurriedly came over and asked, "Gonggong Gao, does Your Majesty want to see me?" ”

"Chen Guogong, our family went to ask for you, but Your Majesty said that there is one more thing to ask Zhuluhou, so let you wait."

Hou Junji's square face showed anger, and said: "Gonggong Gao, what is the origin of this Li Mu, I have been negligent in training these days, and I don't know that such a young talent has appeared in the court, why does Your Majesty look at him differently?" ”

"Well, that's a long story." Li Mu's deeds, Gao Gonggong knows a lot. Listening to Hou Junji's question, it happened that he was fine, so he picked up what he knew and talked about it from the beginning.

Hou Junji listened quietly, his expression changing.

In the hall, Li Shimin asked Li Mu a very practical question.

"Have you thought of a way to fill your pocket?"

"Uh......" Li Mu muttered for a moment, he really hadn't had time to think about it, the things of the past few days were one after another, how could he have time. But when Li Shimin asked, he couldn't help but answer, and if he didn't answer, he would appear incompetent, and incompetence was a crime.

"The minister has already made up his mind."

"It's not a small tone, let's talk about it."

"Your Majesty, the minister intends to make a fuss about the salt."

"Salt?" Li Shimin frowned and said: "How to make a fuss about salt, salt and iron are the lifeblood of the country, didn't you tell me that the internal treasury is the internal treasury, and you don't compete with the treasury for profit?" Why, is that all you can do? ”

"No, Your Majesty has misunderstood what the minister meant." Li Mu Zhengse said: "Your Majesty, the minister has been studying salt for more than a day or two, and after the minister arrived in Chang'an, he began to study salt." ”

"Research 'salt'?" Li Shimin was puzzled: "What is the research on salt?" Isn't it salt? ”

"Your Majesty will listen to the minister's analysis first." Li Mu said, got up and came to the side of the case, and Li Shimin also followed. Li Mu found a suitable wolf pen, dipped the ink in the ink by himself, and drew three circles on the rice paper.

"Your Majesty, the minister checked the information of the Yu Department and learned that the salt in my Tang Dynasty is not abundant now, and many ordinary people's homes are still seasoning with 'salt cloth'. The same was true when the minister lived in Mayi. ”

"I know what you're talking about. But the production of salt is limited, so what can I do? Not only my Datang, but also the previous generation, the production of salt has always been insufficient. What, you kid has a way? ”

"Yes!" Li Mu said loudly.

"Huh?" Li Shimin straightened up and said, "You can't talk nonsense, do you really have a way?" ”

"The minister does have a way." Li Mu confirmed again that he pointed to the three circles on the rice paper with a brush, and first wrote the word 'sea salt' in the first circle, then the word 'pond salt' in the second circle, and then the word 'rock salt' in the third circle.

"Your Majesty, please see, these three circles of the minister are the three ways that my Tang Dynasty now obtains salt."

Li Shimin frowned and looked at it carefully for a long time, looked up at Li Mu, and said, "What you wrote is called a 'word'?" With such a word, do you still want to take the top prize? ”

Li Mu's cheeks were flushed, and he said stubbornly: "The ministers will practice...... Oops, in short, it's three parts, sea salt, pool salt, and rock salt. But all three ways of obtaining salt have their own drawbacks. Sea salt, for example, needs to be cooked repeatedly, which is very costly and yields are low. Although the pond salt is naturally formed, it is relatively scarce in the territory of our Datang, but it is in the plateau area, and it is abundant in the Zarhan Salt Lake and Chaka Salt Lake in Tuyuhun. The conquests between the dynasties and the Hu people are more or less related to this 'salt', accompanied by risks. Although rock salt can be mined and the stock is not small, most of it is highly toxic and inedible. Your Majesty, is what the minister said wrong? ”

"Yes, it does."

"The minister has a secret method that can completely solve the dilemma of lack of salt in my Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin was also an anxious person, and said: "I don't want to listen to you detour, just say it, what can you do!" ”

"Your Majesty knows that the minister's house uses fine salt."

Li Shimin said angrily: "Who doesn't know, you have money, so you can naturally afford to buy fine salt." ”

"No, the fine salt in the minister's house is the cheapest rock salt that the minister buys and makes it himself."

"System?" Li Shimin frowned and said, "You also said just now that most of the rock salt is poisonous. Besides, how is salt made? Do you mean that it is non-toxic when it is finely grounded? You invented a grinding disc? ”

Grinding? Li Mu was defeated by Li Shimin's brain hole, and said: "Your Majesty, what the minister invented is the method of refining, which can refine the impurities in the rock salt, that is, the poison, and through several complex processes, the rock salt can be turned into fine salt, and any quality of rock salt can be refined." The minister has calculated that the ratio of raw materials to output is roughly ten to six, that is to say, one catty of rock salt can produce six taels of fine salt. The price of fine salt is 20 times that of rock salt. Your Majesty now understands the profits? ”

"A pound of inferior rock salt can make six taels of high-grade fine salt...... Li Shimin estimated in his head, and suddenly his eyes widened, he seemed to see gold cakes, and the room was full of gold cakes. You know, rock salt is no less than coal. In the Western Regions, where the former Turks were located, near the desert, there were dry lakes everywhere, and the bottom of the lakes was full of rock salt, and because most of them were poisonous, almost all of them were not mined, and the amount was unpredictable.

Li Shimin's breathing became short, and he grabbed Li Mu's shoulder and asked, "Really?" You kid can't lie, the crime of bullying is to kill the head! ”

Li Mu said helplessly: "Your Majesty, do you dare to lie to you?" If you don't believe it, you can go to the minister's studio another day, and the minister will demonstrate it for you. ”

Li Shimin let go of Li Mu's shoulders and said suspiciously: "Since you have such a means, why don't you take it out to make money." The profit of salt is greater than that of wine. ”

Li Mu said seriously: "Your Majesty, the minister has said many times that the minister is a person who regards money as dung, and money does not make the minister feel happy, only by being loyal to His Majesty and doing things for the people can the minister ......"

"Alright, shut up, I don't want to hear it." When Li Shimin heard Li Mu's words, his head hurt. Although it looks and sounds like this kid is talking nonsense, but what he does is really what it is.

Seeing that Li Mu was so sure, Li Shimin also believed it, and said with emotion: "Aiqing is really my blessed general, and he can even make salt, which makes me very pleased." Imagine from the Three Emperors and Five Emperors to the present, which dynasty and which generation can make the people eat fine salt? Not a single one! If I had done it when I was emperor, I would have been able to go down in history with this name. ”

As he spoke, he looked at Li Mu and said, "Qing is the same, together with me, he will leave a name in history." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Mu complimented first, and then said, "But the minister thinks that Your Majesty has made things simpler." ”

"Huh? Didn't you say rock salt is inexhaustible? Why can't the people be allowed to eat fine salt? ”

"Your Majesty, salt is the foundation of the country. If this salt-making method is leaked, it will be extremely unfavorable to my Datang. Therefore, the minister thinks that it is better to take it step by step. From top to bottom, let the officials, gate valves, families, landlords, etc. eat fine salt, then the price of pool salt and sea salt must be reduced, so that the rich peasants can also eat pool salt and sea salt, and the common people can at least eat non-poisonous rock salt, and no longer need salt cloth. In this way, from top to bottom, slowly implemented, is the right way. And Your Majesty can also make a profit from this fine salt, fill the internal money, and get the best of both worlds. In time, after my Datang recuperates and recovers, when I am not afraid of the invasion of the four yi, I will further promote fine salt, and one day, everyone in my Datang will be able to eat fine salt.

Li Shimin thought for a while and said, "That's true, I'm a little anxious for quick success." I really don't think about this way of doing business as well as you. Well, then I don't care, I'll leave it to you. ”

"No."

Li Mu responded, raised his head again and said, "Your Majesty, the minister has another idea. ”