Wang Shangshu heard Qian Jin's words, the cunning color in his eyes flashed, and he chuckled: "Huangkou Xiaoer, don't be afraid of the wind flashing your tongue, what is your best plan?" ”

Qian Jin looked at Wang Shangshu with a smile, as if he wanted to count the eyebrows and beards on his face. After a while, he asked rhetorically: "Wang Shangshu is not afraid that I will say whatever I say, and say everyone's 'heart' in one word?" ”

"Haha...... I'm afraid you're just posturing. Wang Shangshu pointed at Qian Jin, turned his head and smiled at the ministers next to him.

Qian Jin chuckled lightly and ignored Wang Shangshu's agitation.

After recognizing his younger brother Li Shiyin, the two of them had carefully discussed this matter of luck. Since Emperor Gaozu, after two or three hundred years of development, this Caoyun has formed a huge industrial chain, up to the members of the imperial court, down to local officials, military transporters, river workers and merchants along the way, etc., are all a link in this chain.

On the bright side, the grain transported to the capital was 2.9 million stones.

But in addition to paying grain, the common people also have to pay additional transit freight, which is for the 12th Route Army; Officials also have to levy all kinds of "extra rice", such as rat rice, boat money rice, river rice, wet rice, etc., which is to scrape the officials along the road; In addition, you have to pay the lock fee all the way north, otherwise the official in charge of the lock can destroy your ship, which is another expense......

Roughly calculated, the cost of this road is no less than 10 million stones.

In addition, to ensure the capacity of the Grand Canal, the annual dredging of silver is a recurrent expense, as little as 560,000 taels a year; If the Yellow River bursts, it will be at least a million taels. How many officials do you have to fatten up?

The officials involved in the Cao Yun became vested interests, but they also had to keep a bottom line, that is, to keep secrets, especially to the emperor. The emperor lives in the deep palace, and he is naturally unclear about these doorways of Cao Yun. If someone touches this bottom line without knowing whether they are alive or dead, it is everyone's public enemy, and they will naturally be attacked by the group.

This is the "everyone's heart" that Qian Jin just talked to Wang Shangshu.

The reason why Wang Shangshu wanted to excite Qian Jin was because he had already dug a pit and waited for Qian Jin to jump into it.

Sun Yushi and Lu Shilang have already made it very clear that there is a shortage of water on the waterway, and the land route costs a lot of money. Therefore, even if Qian Jin has the ability to reach the sky, it will not be able to change the money on land and water, and the only option is to mention the strategy of sea transportation. But this truth is so simple and easy to understand, why doesn't anyone dare to mention it?

As soon as it comes, the establishment of sea transportation is equivalent to cutting off the financial resources of those officials who rely on transportation to eat, and it is against everyone.

Second, when the emperor ascended the throne, he had already issued a ban on the sea, and no one wanted to be touched by this matter.

Wang Shangshu deceived himself to be young and did not understand the government. If he mentioned the matter of shipping for a while, even if the emperor did not kill him, it is estimated that more than half of the officials in the court would kill him.

However, Qian Jin also has his own plans, and he has to mention this shipping matter today. It was not his wish to enter the DPRK to discuss politics, and what he longed for in his heart was overseas trade. If the sea ban is not broken for a day, his dream can only be a castle in the sky.

Thinking of this, Qian Jin pointed to the southeast and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, there is actually a good plan in front of you, and that is sea transportation. His Majesty only needs to send more than 800 shading ships, allocate 240,000 or 50,000 silver, and recruit and transport more than 10,000 troops, and the 500,000 stone grain can be transported into the capital in more than a month. ”

The emperor was overjoyed when he heard this: "Qian Aiqing is worthy of being a well-educated person, I really didn't look away, why didn't I say it earlier?" ”

Wang Shangshu saw the money enter the hub, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He straightened his clothes and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, according to Weichen, this money should be killed." ”

Wang Shangshu's voice was not loud, but his words were thrown into the lake like a boulder, although dull but powerful.

The hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at Qian Jin and Wang Shangshu one after another, some with thoughtful faces, some with chuckles, and some who had nothing to do with themselves and waited to see the excitement, with various expressions.

Emperor Renwu has been discussing politics for a few months, and this court is still harmonious, and Wang Shangshu has set a precedent today. Originally, if there was any festival noise in the court, it would have passed, but he, Wang Shangshu, wanted to punish Qian Jin with the death penalty. You know, Qian Jin is the champion appointed by the emperor, and you have to look at the face of the Buddha if you don't look at the monk's face, isn't this a slap in the emperor's face?

Sure enough, the emperor's face was ugly. He glanced at Wang Shangshu and asked in a cold voice, "Why did Wang Shangshu say this?" Even if the Qian servant said something wrong, I had already forgiven him for his innocence. ”

Wang Shangshu seemed to be ready to speak, only to hear him say in a heartfelt manner: "Your Majesty, the minister wants to participate in the three major crimes."

Crime one, when His Majesty was newly ascended to the throne, he had already issued a ban on the sea, strictly ordering that "the board shall not go to the sea".

The second crime, Emperor Gaozu once issued a ban on alcohol, and Qian Jin was the first talent, so he was naturally familiar with Chen Lu, but he opened a wine shop privately in Wanping County, which was a violation of the law, and the crime was added to the first degree.

Sin three, Qian Jin read the book of sages, but opened a tailor shop called Huajian Fang in Zhengnanfang, and the clothes he made were naked, which was really immoral, and it was in vain for His Majesty to cultivate.

The minister thought that the above crimes would be punished together, and when Qian Jin's title and official position were removed, he would be immediately handed over to Dali Temple for strict trial. ”

"The minister seconded the proposal."

"The minister also seconded the proposal."

……

In the court, more than 20 officials in red robes knelt down at once, headed by Wang Shangshu of the Ministry of Officials, Cao Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, Du Gongbu and Sun Yushi, the governor of Caoyun, and the two political envoys of Shandong and Henan.

Emperor Renwu's face was even more ugly. In his opinion, these kneeling ministers are arguing with themselves, and the bargaining chips are Qian Jin's life. But he can't have a seizure yet, if he doesn't handle it well and then makes a "Eighteen Bachelors Case", he, the emperor, is only afraid that he will be drowned by the saliva of the world's scholars.

He set his eyes on Li Shoufu again, hoping that Shoufu could come forward to resolve it, but who knew that Li Shoufu was looking at his nose and nose, as if he didn't know anything about what was happening in front of him.

Just when the emperor was helpless, Qian Jin laughed, stroked his palms three times, and shouted "good show", causing the officials in the court to look at each other.

He confessed to the emperor on the golden platform, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, please forgive Meng Lang's sin, Weichen also saw a good show sung by Wang Shangshu, and he couldn't help but praise a few times." ”

"Qian Shi said, why is this?" The emperor did not know why.

"Your Majesty, Weichen is the first day to go to the court today, I planned to go home after retiring from the court, and drink some wine in the evening, and the day will be gone", Qian Jin looked up to the sky and sighed, "However, the tree wants to be quiet and the wind does not stop, presumably because Weichen annoyed Wang Shangshu during the battle for the champion, and this time he came to take revenge on Weichen." ”

Qian Jin's move is to retreat into advance, in order to win the emperor's sympathy. You must know that the surname of this world is Zhao after all, the emperor does not nod, and these ministers kneel to death, don't want to touch half of his cold hair.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the emperor comforted him softly: "Qian Shi said that there is no need to worry, you are the champion appointed by me, how can you say that you will kill it." After that, he glared at Wang Shangshu and the others kneeling in the audience, and his intention to protect Qian Jin could not be more obvious.

Qian Jin thanked the emperor for his kindness, turned to Wang Shangshu and the others who were kneeling on the ground and said, "Wang Shangshu, I don't know what purpose you want to put me to death, but I can explain what the other ministers think." ”

At this time, Qian Jin was standing between Wang Shangshu and the emperor, and at first glance, it became Wang Shangshu kneeling to Qian.

That Wang Shangshu moved to the side, and scolded in his mouth: "This official and all of you colleagues are all out of a public heart, how can there be those filthiness you said? Besides, what the official just said is all conclusive evidence, even if you have a lotus tongue, you can't even think of escaping. ”

Qian Jin didn't bother to share it with him, so he flicked his clothes in the same way, and said, "Your Majesty, speaking of which, it's all about shipping." Since Emperor Gaozu set the capital in the capital, Caoyun has been the lifeblood of Gyeonggi, and over the past few hundred years, it has fed millions of workers in Dachen, and the prefectures and counties along the Grand Canal have been able to prosper. ”

The Emperor nodded. He also understands the importance of the Grand Canal.

Qian Jin continued: "I don't follow the ancestral system, I admit this crime. Cao Shangshu and Sun Yushi of the Ministry of Industry want to kill me, and I can understand it. Without him, you are worried that the prosperity of this sea will cut off the livelihood of millions of workers and the people along the Grand Canal. But it is a fact that there is a shortage of food in the capital, there is a shortage of water in the waterway, and the land route is very expensive, and the only feasible thing is this sea transportation. That being the case, why not set an upper limit on the amount of grain transported by sea, so as to ensure the grain of the capital and not harm the people along the Grand Canal. ”

This is Qian Jin's dividing strategy. Wang Shangshu induced him to suggest shipping, in order to make the adults hate themselves. Now that he has put on a high hat for these ministers to care for the workers and the people along the Grand Canal, and has suggested the upper limit of the grain by sea, these kneeling ministers have no reason to be tied to Wang Shangshu.

After thinking for a while, the emperor also felt that this method was feasible, so he said: "Qian Shi is worried about state affairs, and his loyalty is commendable. You love the people, and I am very gratified. Order: The number of grain transported by sea is set at 300,000 stones, and the general Zhongshan will be fully responsible for shipping matters, and the spring breeze will start in March next year; The remaining 200,000 stones are still on the Grand Canal, supervised by Sun Mingshu, the governor of Caoyun, and will be shipped in January next year. In addition, the household department immediately allocated 800,000 taels of silver for the Grand Canal dredging project. ”

The ministers shouted "Your Majesty Shengming".

Although the matter of shipping ultimately needs to be reviewed by Shoufu and the Queen Mother, it is no longer the emperor's business. At present, everyone is happy about this ending, but Wang Shangshu has a sad face.

When Emperor Renwu saw that those ministers were still kneeling in the hall, he waved his hand and said, "Wang Shangshu, you have all been kneeling for so long, get up." After this incident, the emperor's ability to control his ministers seems to have improved. The ministers stood up as they spoke. A killing above the court ended quietly.

It was already noon, and after another morning, the emperor was already a little tired, and he moved his butt to give the order to retreat.

Qian Jin seized the opportunity to step forward and said, "Your Majesty, if you delay for a while, Weichen still has something to do." ”