"You mean that overseas sales of tea, ceramics and so on have also been affected?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"That's right, since Tai Kangbo came to Nanjing, the minister has been engaged in overseas trade with Tai Kangbo, so this matter is very clear." Hu Qing replied.

"I know this problem, you go down first." Zhu Youxiao nodded.

"Your Majesty, the minister believes that it is the increase in taxes of the imperial court that has led to the increase in the price of goods, which has led to a decline in the sales of overseas trade, and has put the private silk workshops in a difficult situation." Seeing this, Hou Fangyu explained as a matter of course.

"I really don't know if I should say that you are ignorant or that you are naturally stupid, how can you be regarded as one of the four sons of Jiangnan, the gap between you and Fang Yizhi, Mao Bijiang and others is really too big." Zhu Youxiao really couldn't help but curse.

"Please also make it clear to Your Majesty!" Hou Fangyu said unconvinced.

"Raw silk is one of the largest commodities sold overseas by the Empire, and I ask you, do you know what the price of raw silk is in the Empire? And what is the price in Batavia? What is the price in the West? Zhu Youxiao asked repeatedly.

"Raw silk ......" Zhu Youxiao's question made Hou Fangyu speechless.

"You don't know, you're just sitting at home and thinking it's supposed to be this way, it's supposed to be that. In Fujian, the price of a quintal of raw silk is between 110 taels and 115 taels of silver, in Batavia, the price of a quintal of raw silk is about 180 taels of silver, and in the West, the price of a quintal of raw silk is about 300 taels of silver. After the imperial court raised taxes, a load of raw silk only increased the cost of two or three taels of silver dollars, which was not worth mentioning at all for such a price system overseas. Zhu Youxiao retorted.

"Your Majesty, why is there such a sharp decline in the sales of overseas trade?" Seeing that Hou Fangyu was speechless by Zhu Youxiao's refutation, Huang Shijun asked.

"It should be that there is a problem in the West, the demand has decreased, there should be news from Batavia, you can send someone to investigate." Zhu Youxiao replied.

"No, the minister will immediately send someone to Batavia to find out the news." Wang Liqian replied.

"Hou Fangyu, I send a word, without investigation, there is no right to speak." After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, he said to the ministers present, "I also hope that the next time I see the chapter, it is speaking with numbers, you can also go and see the annual report of Feng Qiuhuang, everything is clear at a glance, with Feng Qiuhuang's annual report, you can know everything about Feng Qiuhuang very clearly." ”

"No."

"I said that I wouldn't be guilty of my words today, Hou Fangyu, you go down first." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said.

……

The second to speak is Chen Zhenhui, who is also one of the four sons, and his father is also a member of the Donglin Party, but Chen Zhenhui has more backbone than Hou Fangyu. And Chen Zhenhui's remarks are also about tax reform.

The Donglin Party's opposition to tax reform was as firm as ever, and Zhu Youxiao once again made a long speech based on what he had learned in later generations.

"It seems that I need to write a book on economics, and this must be explained every time, and it is better to write a book and explain it to the people of the entire empire at once." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile. In this era, whatever Zhu Youxiao writes can be regarded as new knowledge and learning theories, and can even constitute a new discipline.

"The book written by His Majesty must be read by the minister." Sun Chengzong said.

"My teacher, that's what I said, but it may not be possible." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, you only need to smoke for an hour every day, and you will definitely be able to do it at this time." Sun Chengzong said.

"My teacher, say it again, say it again." Zhu Youxiao really doesn't know if he has this determination.

……

The whole banquet is about the economy, tax reform is the focus, the second focus is real estate, now real estate is in full swing in the economically developed areas of the empire, Xinghui real estate company is definitely making money every day, has surpassed Fengqiu Huang to become the most profitable company in the empire. In terms of taxes, it surpassed Fengqiuhuang last year.

Zhu Youxiao promised that he would open up the establishment of real estate companies next year, and Zhu Youxiao knew that as long as he did not let go of the bank's support for real estate, the development of real estate companies would be greatly restricted by funds. And at the banquet, Zhu Youxiao released an important message, that is, the establishment of a stock exchange.

In 1609, the world's first stock exchange was established in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and this time Zhu Youxiao was preparing to introduce it to the empire.

At this time, Huang Taiji and the others had been escorted to Jingshi. Zhu Youxiao requested that Huang Taiji and others be temporarily detained in the heavenly prison, and that they be dealt with after he returned to Beijing.

……

As soon as it arrived, the banquet ended on time, and the biggest harvest from participating in this banquet was the businessmen, and the businessmen were still unsatisfied, and the information confided by Zhu Youxiao today was worth a thousand gold to them.

"What is a stock exchange? What are stocks? As soon as Hu Qing returned home, he immediately asked his housekeeper.

"The villain doesn't know either, but since His Majesty said that this thing is already in the Dutch, it is better to find a Dutchman to ask." The butler said.

"Go, hurry up, go find a Dutchman and ask." Hu Qing agreed.

"Yes, sir." The butler said.

As soon as Hu Qing finished speaking, he felt that it was inappropriate, and he immediately admonished again: "Wait, you immediately send someone to Batavia to find the Dutch who understands the situation to ask, don't be deceived, I want to know very clearly what the stock exchange is, what the stock is, and how to play?" There must be no mistakes. ”

"Yes, sir." The butler nodded.

……

Hu Qing was concerned about the stock exchange, while some businessmen were concerned about real estate, and some were concerned about how Zhu Youxiao saved the market.

Fortunately, Zhu Youxiao's paper money was very successful, and the impact of the Western economic crisis on the Ming Dynasty was limited. However, due to the decrease in silver inflow in history, it dealt a heavy blow to the Ming economy on the silver standard, the most obvious is that prices began to soar, and many people who died in the end could not even afford rice.

Zhu Youxiao did not know that an economic crisis had broken out in the West, although he guessed that it might be an economic crisis in the West, and even knew that the impact of this economic crisis on the empire might be small, but as soon as he returned to the palace, he immediately began to prepare for the economic crisis in the West.

(End of chapter)