The weather was sunny, a thin eyebrow moon had been hung on the willow tops, the night sky was full of stars like snow, and Li Wei sat on a riverboat with Wei Siqian and Wei Xuan. It is also quiet, there is no wind, and the water waves are not prosperous.

At the bow of the boat is a small wood stove, on which is placed a large iron basin, in which is a large catfish weighing four or five pounds, mixed with some spices, minced ginger, star anise, and a few boxes of tofu, and on the side is a blue seed, inside which are washed garlic seedlings, greens, spinach and other vegetables. When eating, blanch the vegetables and you can eat them, which is quite like the way to eat hot pot, but with a lot of condiments.

The way to eat is simple and affectionate, whether it is Wei Siqian or Wei Xuantong, they all like it.

Drinking wine and eating hot dishes, I don't feel the coldness on the river when October comes.

After a moment of silence, Wei Siqian said, "Let's eat fish." ”

Although catfish is delicious, it does not look very good, and its pink skin is not quite the same as that of common fish. However, Wei Siqian grew up in Xiangyang since he was a child, and he has eaten a lot of fish. Wei Xuantong was relegated to Lingnan for several years, and he also ate all kinds of strange fish, and he didn't think it was evil.

But after boiling the water, it looks pretty much the same. Wei Siqian also said: "In the spring, we eat puffer fish and saury, and in the summer, we eat anchovies, but catfish can be eaten all year round, and it is known as the four beauties of the Yangtze River." But when it is cooked, it loses its freshness and tenderness, and it is not delicious. ”

Of course, the fame, catfish is much smaller than the first three, and the freshness is not as good, but the meat is tender and melts in the mouth. It is also better than the artificially cultivated ones in later generations, and it has some umami. When October comes, Danshui is not only catfish, but also some crabs begin to have yellow crab roe, as well as some other well-known and unknown fish, and the end of autumn is also the fattest time.

These days, Li Wei has been feasting, but at this time, the fish is cheap and the meat is expensive, which makes the officials think that the prince is thrifty. In fact, if it weren't for his father's capriciousness and his mother's unfathomability, Li Wei would still feel very happy. For example, in the accompanying place, all the officials were careful and sincere, and there were nearly 100 guards accompanying them to protect their personal safety. Eat, drink, wear and live, and don't worry. It is marriage, although it is dissatisfied, but in general, it is also unimaginable for future generations. Bi'er accepted it, already satisfied, and there were two beautiful little Loli cultivating ......

In fact, thinking this way is one-sided. The cultivation of the crown prince is sometimes like Li Zhi's. Without this environment, Li Wei would not have learned to think about many issues. Mainly not only Li Zhi, but also some people plotting against him, coupled with his mother, the future is full of variables, so he is anxious.

After eating fish for a while, and drinking a few glasses of wine, Wei Xuantong couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, although you have raised money, it is always not in line with the system. ”

"Gu knows," Li Wei took a piece of fish, put it in the spoon, blew on it, and said after eating: "For the controversy, Gu also expected it. But Wei Changshi, have you ever thought that if the two canals were completed the year before last, would there be that kind of starvation in Guanzhong? However, the area of Guanzhong is narrow, but the population is increasing, and the wind and rain are smooth, if there is a famine year like the year before the big one, or disasters are repeated, what should we do if there is a drought for three or five years? In other words, grain production increased slightly, but grain production increased, and the people also increased. Chang'an is the foundation of the country. ”

Wei Xuantong couldn't speak. The importance of the two canals, don't say much, it's just the prince's method......

Li Wei said: "And it benefits many people......"

I wanted to say another benefit, a prosperous economy, but I didn't, it reminded him of another city. The largest city in ancient China may be the current Chang'an, but the most prosperous and wealthy is Bianliang, which is not only rich in the Song Dynasty, but also related to the development of Bianliang Caoyun.

But if you get money, you can't say it in this era.

Wei Xuantong frowned and asked, "Your Highness, even so, what about next year, and the year after next?" His Royal Highness wants to open the Ghost Island River, the Ghost Island River, and the Ghost Gate Peninsula River, and the three projects will not be small in the past few years, but the Danshui project is getting heavier and heavier year by year, what will I do in the future? ”

Li Wei put down the wine cup, laughed loudly, and said, "Wei Changshi, you underestimate shipping. In fact, this time, Gu borrowed the Cao Yun, and also changed the way to host the sea transportation. If it weren't for Xinqu, Lone would be afraid that there would be too much discussion. Because of the financial pressure on the new canal, we can get everyone to pass the shipping issue. At the end of this year, you can see that by next year, there will be an amazing increase. It is possible that in ten or twenty years, the shipping and customs duties of the city shipping department alone will bring me five million dollars in income. ”

This is an approximate estimate, the share of shipping in the Northern Song Dynasty was not heavy, but in the Southern Song Dynasty, because of the embarrassing situation, so the importance of shipping was attached, as much as more than 10 million a year. But it's not easy to compare, even though it is the Southern Song Dynasty, the economy is far richer than the current Tang Dynasty, but the Tang Dynasty also has an advantage, with a larger Central Plains as the bottom shield. However, the navigation of the Southern Song Dynasty has developed for many years, and it is also the best business situation among the three dynasties of the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties. The Ming Dynasty banned the ban, and it seems that it did not succeed. The Qing Dynasty was even more secluded. Hence the number named.

Then he said: "There are all kinds of commercial taxes, such as the development of navigation, more cane sugar sold to foreign countries, and the income brought by the Fan City, bits and pieces, may reach *** million dollars." Wei Changshi, how much tax revenue can the imperial court have a year today? Or, with this income, can all the people be exempted from rent? ”

The current rental income is only *** million, less than 10 million yuan. But the account can't be calculated like this, how much money can be spent on how much money, it really increases income, and the court expenses will also increase. However, it will reduce the pressure on some people, at least the miscellaneous taxes in the states and counties will be less.

In fact, it doesn't take five million, but two million is enough to make all the ministers of the imperial court excited.

Wei Xuantong was still embarrassed and said: "But now we have to use ......"

"Lone knows that even if the development is fast, the income of the sea market will not exceed 500,000 next year, and it will not exceed 800,000 the year after next, and he will have to take out a large amount of money to pay off the debt. But the cost of the new canal is getting more and more every year......

"This is exactly what the minister is worried about, not only that, but there are also controversies from the government and the opposition."

"Lone has also counted, but Erqing must not reveal it to outsiders. I ask you, although it is a hundred places, except for some merchants in the two capitals and some merchants in the coast, have there been businessmen in other states? ”

Wei Wei and the others shook their heads.

"Besides, can anyone fight for the wealthy and powerful famous families in various states and counties?"

Shaking his head again, don't talk about the wang clans in various states and counties, even the Jing Zhaowei family and the Du family have never quarreled, and they disdain it.

"In fact, they are wrong, one ship after another, returning with a lot of wealth, even if it is five surnames and seven families, they have to eat, drink, wear and live, not to mention that these families are extremely large, with many people, and they need a lot of money to support."

"Your Highness is ......" Wei Siqian and Wei Xuantong have already understood.

"We have to let them take the initiative to lobby to save controversy, so the second secretary should not leak it to outsiders."

"Yes," but the two of them looked delicate, and this method was also very lazy, and they didn't know whether it was right or wrong.

Looking at their expressions, Li Wei took a sip of wine and said, "The world slanders me, deceives me, insults me, laughs at me, despises me, despises me, hates me, deceives me, how to deal with it?" Just endure him, let him, let him, avoid him, bear with him, respect him, ignore him, stay for a few more years and watch him. The country has been peaceful for a long time, and it is fortunate for the country and the people, but the poorer the poorer and the rich the richer, it is not a long-term policy. Loneliness cannot be forcibly extorted from the heads of the rich and spread to the poor. I had to come up with some ways to generate new sources of wealth, and then move it to the imperial treasury, and then use it for the people. For the country, for the people, what does it matter if the world says about me, I will look back in a few years. ”

This statement is not a controversy, it is a righteous awe-inspiring one, and both of them are in awe.

In fact, when it comes to this, Li Wei is very depressed, he has done a lot of things, not only Xinqu, some actions, have brought at least 1.5 million yuan of tax revenue to the imperial court every year, grain production has increased, cotton has been popularized, bamboo paper has appeared, movable type printing has appeared in advance, but he is even more jealous of his father, but the officials do not understand, blindly for the sake of clearing the name, desperately write a book of impeachment, thinking of this, take a big sip of wine, and said: "In the past, I read Qu Yuan's long road to repair, I will seek it up and down, and I feel that the poet is full of complaints. Only now did I know the poet's grievances and grievances. Come, come, read a poem to you, the young man doesn't know the taste of sorrow, and falls in love with the floor. Fall in love with the floor, and worry about the new words. Now I know the taste of sorrow, and I want to talk about it. I want to say that I will not rest, but I say that the weather is cool and autumn. ”

After finishing speaking, he fell on the table and fell drunk.

……

This topic was caused by Li Wei's method of raising money.

Yao Xuan quickly went to Jiangnan, starting from Chuzhou, and then Yangzhou, Hezhou, Xuanzhou, Runzhou, Changzhou, Suzhou, Huzhou to Hangzhou, that is, several states in the south of the Yangtze River, and it was also the richest area in the Tang Dynasty now.

It was these large state capitals that the ships that were transported were undertaken.

It's not unfair, Hebei Hedong Lingwu Longyou bears the security of the border, and the surrounding areas of the two capitals bear the burden of hard work, Shannan Jingxiang is too far away, and the whip is beyond the reach, it seems that the Danshui Canal is passed, and it must be shared. Moreover, Jiangnan is rich and famous in the country, so it is reasonable to let Jiangnan undertake ships.

Although the imperial court has issued an edict to transport ships separately, it is still a rented ship in Guanzhong, which is still borne by the wealthy households in the south of the Yangtze River, and it has not escaped.

Therefore, this allows Li Wei to see the wedge.

So he sent Yao Xuan to lobby, but he couldn't let them raise donations, no matter how good his words were, he couldn't raise a few dollars, but he made a commotion. Li Wei thought of a workaround, borrowed, and then repaid it with the income of the city from the year after. Close to the sea, well-informed, you can probably see the prospects of the city. After five years of repayment, and holding Li Wei's handwriting and seal as a quasi-letter, no matter how much he borrowed, he could pay it off in five years.

There is a reason for this, because of the transportation every year, many ships are sunk, and one-third of them may have accidents directly or indirectly near Sanmen. The three gates are well governed, and these rich people can reduce their losses.

But after all, it is only a gratuitous loan, and the court will not pay interest. Therefore, it is necessary for the officials on this trip to have a good mouth. And there are many controversies, it is the first time that the imperial court borrows money from the people, so on that day, Li Wei proposed so many strange conditions to Pei Xingjian to select people.

Yao Xuan did not go door-to-door, and in every state he went, he immediately recruited all the rich households, and then lobbied. It's not too bad, and Li Wei's own credit is also there, he has a good reputation among the people, and his reputation is reassuring. Of course, everyone thinks differently, and everyone takes a sum of money out, just one more, one less.

After getting the money, he immediately signed and painted the pledge, which was very grand, and the loan of each family was written to the court. However, some are money, some are silk and cloth, and those who will not go to the capital all at once will be notified to the court again by fast horses. For each sum of money, the court was notified once. The money came out and was on its way to the imperial court. However, the water conservancy project was waiting for the rice to cook, so the imperial court was asked to allocate the money from the treasury in advance to let the new canal project move.

At least this year, the money for Xinqu came out, but this time there was an uproar, and many officials wrote to the prince to stop this ridiculous fundraising plan, saying that the country was disgraced, Sven was swept away, and so on. The impact is inevitable, after all, it is the state that borrows money from private individuals, and even Li Wei in Danshui has been affected.

Hearing too much opposition in the capital, Li Wei was very disgusted, wrote three articles, and asked the guards to ride back to the capital on fast horses, two of which were posted in front of the East and West Market Square, and one in front of the Danfeng Gate of Daming Palace. How important it is to build two canals, I didn't write about it, everyone knows, it's just that stupid people think less, and smart people can think more. Just said that the treasury, in the past few years, there have been disasters, the treasury has been empty, and it has been slightly better in the past two years, but it is unstable, the ambition of the Tibetan wolf, the war is imminent, and more money is needed. However, the early repair of the new canal will be beneficial to the people. At least we can prepare for the sudden recurrence of the famine year, and the situation of starvation all over the wilderness appears. But the treasury can't allocate money, what should I do? If you impeach me for doing something wrong, please come up with 10 million yuan to maintain the two canal fees, and I will immediately return all the money and apologize to you.

Don't want 10 million yuan, it's 100,000 yuan, and these officials can't change it.

Then Wei Xuantong and Wei Siqian applied for help again. A conversation with the prince, especially the conversation before getting drunk and the prince's helplessness, made the two of them heartbroken. At this time, the two seemed to have some thoughts of being willing to serve the prince.

The two of them let out the conversation that night, but the matter of the quota was not mentioned, and the conversation between Hanshan and Shide has been passed down through the ages, and it is catchy, and the poem of Xin Qiji is also very meaningful, and it immediately spread. However, after savoring it, I suddenly remembered that the prince had done so many things, new ploughs, bamboo paper, benevolence, border work and new canals, the prince did this, but also wanted the country to be good, the people were good, and the officials were too harsh on the prince. It's just that he wants to do more good things for the people of the country, and he actually let the official force the prince to "the world slanders me, deceives me, insults me, laughs at me, despises me, despises me, hates me, and deceives me", or "Now I know all the sorrows, and I want to talk about it." I want to say that I will take a break, but I will say that the weather is cool and autumn".

Therefore, the wind turned again, and the officials also felt that they were not human inside, and finally the discussion became quieter. And when these two jokes spread out, Yao Xuan Jiangnan and his party became relaxed, and some rich people took the initiative to borrow some money. There are not many in one household, but there are many in a few thousand. In the end, more than 140,000 yuan was raised.

Li Wei was not very relieved, the excess money was put into the East Palace together, even if it was the order of his parents, he could not embezzle it. The rest of the money will be set aside for the next year. But a new problem arises again, there is borrowing and repaying, and from the next year onwards, nearly 300,000 yuan will be repaid every year, even if the sea market has income, how much can be left after deducting the 300,000 yuan? Where will the cost of the new canal come from?