Ji Zi had been thinking about this question for a long time, and when he heard King Qi ask, he responded: "The high price of grain today is not caused by famine, but because we forcibly raise prices. ”

"So, for farmers who make a living, the high price of food is temporarily good for them. And to the other hundred workers, small merchants, and many of the lower classes, all of them are not good, and the high price of grain for a month or two is barely acceptable, but if the price is high for a long time, then these people may go bankrupt. ”

And these people generally lived in the city, so the minister suggested that the population of the city should be re-counted, and the population of each household should be checked, and identification certificates should be issued. Then on the fifteenth day of the first month of each month, grain was sold to the people, and with proof of identity, at a price of forty yuan per stone, half a month's ration was sold to the people. ”

"One is to maintain the daily needs of the people, and the other is to reflect the king's love for the people."

King Qi pondered for a while, the so-called inventory of the population is actually just an inventory of the floating population, and the people who have settled in the city have basically been recorded, so this matter is not difficult.

King Qi was worried about another thing, thinking about it, he hesitated: "Jizi, this method is good, but the widow still has doubts, what if some people falsely report the population to buy more grain, and make a profit by buying low and selling high?" ”

Ji Ziying said: "My lord, the minister has only heard of those who conceal the population and evade taxes, as for those who can make a profit by increasing the population. Food prices are fundamental, will they stay so high? Besides, as we all know, when the wheat is about to ripen, and when the price of food falls, won't the surplus population have to pay a poll tax? When war breaks out, don't the people have to go out to fight? ”

"As for buying low and selling high, it is enough to give an order and refuse to accept the purchase of small grain for less than 100 stones."

"In this way, naturally there will be no opportunity for the people to take advantage of!"

King Qi thought about it carefully and said, "Okay, just do what Jizi wants." ”

Chu.

Chen Zhen finished reporting the news of Qi Guo, and then retreated to the side and waited quietly.

Hearing that Qi had raised the price of grain to one hundred and fifty yuan, Xiong Huai was shocked in addition to shock. However, hearing that in the end, Qi Guo sold grain to the people in limited quantities and at low prices, Xiong Huai felt a faint hesitation in addition to admiration.

Thinking about it, Xiong Huai looked at Chen Zhen and said, "Chen Qing, the price of Qi has risen so fast, almost the moment he learned that the price of Chu State had risen, he immediately raised the price, and has always maintained a higher grain price than Chu State." More critically, the price of corn in Qi is the same as that of wheat rice, which is consistent with the situation in Chu. ”

"The widow doubts, has this Qi country discovered a stone mill for making flour quickly?"

Chen Zhen's eyes showed a hint of solemnity, and he responded: "King, the minister is also suspicious of this matter, and has sent someone to investigate to see if the Qi Kingdom also has a way to quickly make flour, whether it is a stone mill or something else." ”

"It's just that according to the current news, there is no abnormality in Qi Country, and there are no strange places, or large-scale transfer of craftsmen."

"Although this matter has not yet been confirmed, the price of corn in Qi is the same as that of wheat rice, which shows a big problem."

Xiong Huai nodded, Chu State is not stupid, in the past few months, Qi State has kept wheat and corn at the same price, which is obviously enough to explain the problem.

Except for the state of Chu, there is no country in the world that has always maintained the equivalence of wheat and corn.

Thinking about it, Xiong Huai glanced at Li Qiu and ordered: "Will order Yin and Taifu Yin to enter the palace, and the widow has something to inquire about." ”

Li Qiu saluted: "Only! ”

Not long after, Jing Li and Dou You entered the palace together, and saw that Chen Zhen was already in the palace, and there was a guess in his heart.

The king of Chu asked the two of them to enter the palace, and it was related to Chen Zhen, which was undoubtedly related to the price of grain in Qi.

After the ceremony.

Xiong Huai introduced the situation, and then asked: "Ling Yin, Taifu Yin, the widow is worried that the Qi State has discovered a way to make flour quickly, if the situation is true, then in the future, when the wheat is ripe, I am afraid that the Qi State will go all out to fool the Chu State to compete for the wheat rice, which is what the widow does not want to see, I don't know why the Qing Dynasty taught me?" ”

When Jing Lidou heard this, he was taken aback.

If Qi really found a way to make flour quickly, then it would be necessary to re-evaluate Qi's grain purchasing activities. Because the next step is not only after the wheat is ripe this year, the Qi State will compete with the Chu State, but also before the flour making flour is made public, the Qi State will compete with the Chu State every year.

The wealth of Qi is definitely not comparable to that of Chu, so Chu can only watch the wheat and rice of various countries flow into Qi. I can't bear this.

Jing Li was silent for a moment, and then said: "King, since this matter has not been confirmed, could it be that the Qi State is unable to purchase corn in various countries, and because the price of wheat and rice in our Chu State is too high, so the Qi State has to make this decision under the shortage of grain, and follow the example of the Chu State to equip corn and wheat rice, and always buy wheat from various countries." ”

Xiong Huai thought for a while and said, "What Ling Yin said is not impossible, but what if Qi Guo really finds out!" ”

"This ······" Jing Li's face was heavy, he knew that the stone grinding thing, as long as there was an idea, it was easy to make.

Moreover, the State of Qi has always encouraged flour, and the people of the State of Qi have made a lot of flour, which can not only ensure domestic needs, but also be sold to countries such as Sanjin, Yan, and Song. Therefore, in the case of so many people making flour, it is normal for one or two people of Qi to find out.

After all, there are so many people in Qi State, and there are not a few strange skills in Qi State, and no one can guarantee that there are no smart people with a flash of inspiration among them.

Dou You frowned slightly: "Great King, if the Qi State had to raise the price of wheat just because of the Chu State, then the Qi State would only compete with us this year." If it's because of something else, then we have to find another way to suppress the Qi State. ”

Saying that, Dou You arched his hand and said: "King, now the grain prices of various countries have basically reached the price of the time of famine, and the people of various countries have been very dissatisfied, and our Chu State and Qi State have carried out a wave of price increases on this basis, which has once again driven the grain prices of various countries to rise, and in the past hundred years, there has not been a year when the grain price is higher than this year." ”

"This kind of short-term is bearable, and if it is a long time, then in order to maintain national stability, countries will definitely reduce the price of grain and maintain a normal food price level."

"If the countries stop the food blockade against the Qi country, then the end result is that all the wheat that is not under the strict control of the countries will definitely flow to the Qi country. And I, the State of Chu, will not be able to compete with the State of Qi. ”

In the end, Dou You spoke: "So, in the current situation, the most important thing is to confirm whether Qi Guo has really made a discovery!" ”