Zhu Houzhao only felt that the lyrics of this song were very familiar, and thought about it while rubbing the corners of his forehead. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

After a long time, he patted his head and said, "Isn't this the poem that Mr. wrote, if life is only as first seen?" ”

Xie Shen smiled slightly awkwardly: "Your Majesty is wise." This is indeed a clumsy work by the minister. ”

He knew that this masterpiece would be popular all over the world, but he didn't expect it to have such a high status in the hearts of the singers of the Qinglou.

Alas, sure enough, an idol like Liu Yong is more popular with singers than a powerful faction like Su Dongpo.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, it's reasonable, you can't ask the singer to sing something "talking and laughing, and the canopy will be wiped out", right?

In contrast, the willow words are more gentle and moist, and they are naturally more suitable for the singing voice of beautiful women.

This song "If life is only as first seen", cough cough, it is obviously closer to Liu Yong's style, and it is not difficult to understand that it is sought after by the singers of Qinglou.

Of course, this also has something to do with Xie Shen's personal charm, who told him to be a well-known talent when he made this song.

"Haha, it is said that Mr. Liu's talent is not much more than Liu Yong, but now it is true."

Emperor Zhengde obviously meant that Xie Shen was as popular as Liu Yong, and Xie Shen was that depressed.

Liu Yong was forced to go to the Qinglou Song House to laugh because he couldn't devote himself to his career, uh no, he was selling poetry, he was also a cabinet scholar, how could he be assigned to Liu Yong.

His career is a smooth one.

Of course, Xie Shen believed that Emperor Zhengde didn't mean anything else, he just sighed.

"Don't say it, don't say it. I can't disturb the beauty's singing. ”

Zhu Houzhao simply closed his eyes and slowly enjoyed the moist singing.

This Jiangnan Wu Nong's soft language does sound very good, as if someone is scratching his heart.

The painting boat also gradually traveled to the lake, and the West Lake at night was very quiet, like a tired singer leaning on the bed and drawing her eyebrows and makeup in front of the bronze mirror.

After a long time, the song was finished.

Zhu Houzhao opened his eyes and said repeatedly: "Good tune, good tunes are sung better." Come over here and let me see. ”

Zhu Houzhao pointed to the tall singer.

The singer was obviously stunned, she didn't say there was this link before, you have to add money, right?

But after all, the guest is the Son of Heaven, and the singer hesitated a little and walked towards Zhengde.

"Slave slave see Your Majesty."

The singer was about to kneel, but was pulled by Zhengde: "This is not a palace, there is no need to abide by so much red tape." ”

He held up the singer's chin with his right index finger and said softly, "Tell me, what's your name?" ”

The singer only felt a tingle all over her body, and said in a trembling voice: "The slave is known as Shan Tao." ”

Zhengde shook his head and said, "I asked for your real name. ”

"The slave doesn't know, and I've been learning to play and sing with my mother since I can remember."

"It's a pity."

Zhengde pondered for a moment and said: "The name Shan Tao is too cheesy, so it's better to call it Xizi." ”

Belch...... Xie Shen, that waterfall sweat.

The level of Zhu Houzhao's name is really a bit ......

However, since the emperor had already given the name, there was naturally no reason to refuse, and the singer bowed slightly and thanked him: "Slave thank you for your grace." ”

"Okay, you guys stand down first."

The boat is very large, and there is enough room for these singers to rest. This is also to not disturb the emperor to enjoy the night view of West Lake.

"The slave is gone."

The two singers saluted Zhu Houzhao and respectfully retreated.

"Sir, let's talk to me."

Zhu Houzhao walked to the railing of the painting boat and said lightly.

Xie Shen said in a deep voice: "The minister obeys the order." ”

The two monarchs and ministers looked at the bright moon in the sky and the somewhat dark lake, and they were silent.

Or Zhu Houzhao was the first to speak: "Sir must have thought that I came to Jiangnan to have fun, right?" ”

It's not easy to take that......

In fact, Xie Shen really wanted to reply, didn't he?

But considering the consequences of such a death, let's forget it.

"I don't dare."

The corners of Zhu Houzhao's mouth hooked up a wry smile and said: "I am actually here for the rich businessmen in Jiangnan. ”

Belch......

This answer was really a bit unexpected by Xie Shen.

"Sir, have you forgotten that the war in the northwest is not over yet?"

Xie Shen understood now, it turned out that Zhu Houzhao was raising military rations for the sake of wealthy businessmen in Jiangnan.

"Your Majesty is wise, and those rich businessmen who have Your Majesty will definitely give money and food."

"I'm not robbing them." Zhu Houzhao paused and said, "Didn't you give them the right to open a factory?" ”

"Do you think you'll be grateful?"

"The grace of the monarch is greater than the heavens." Xie Shen said word by word: "How can there be a son who is not grateful to his father." ”

"Sir, I'm really happy."

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "But since I am here, I will definitely take the money back." The war in the northwest cannot be delayed. ”

Xie Shen was silent, he really didn't know what to say.

Zhu Houzhao's belligerence is a well-known thing, otherwise he would not have been given the nickname of Wuzong by civil officials after his death.

But at least this is a sign of aggressiveness.

Sometimes Xie Shen wondered if it would be a good thing if the emperors of the Ming Dynasty followed the rules like Hongji?

In that case, the emperor is just a puppet symbol, and it is the civil officials who really rule the country.

On the contrary, people like Zhengde are rebellious, but they have the possibility of change.

For Xie Shen, a monarch like Zhengde is obviously better than Hongzhi.

"Your Majesty, the matter of the northwest is the top priority of my Ming Dynasty in the next few years, and there is indeed no room for error. It is not enough to have money and food, but also to have sufficient troops to march westward. ”

If you want to push down Yili Jiangli, you need at least 200,000 troops, and it is definitely not enough to rely on the defenders of Gansu Town, and you must mobilize the troops of the rest of the border towns.

"Isn't it necessary for Sir to train the new army, is it feasible for the new army to join the army of the Western Expedition?"

Xie Shen shook his head and said, "This is not realistic. Although the training cycle of the new army is slightly shorter than that of the ordinary army, it cannot be achieved overnight. Moreover, it is impossible to equip firearms in one step. ”

In the matter of the New Army, Xie Shen was Zhu Houzhao's adviser and chief housekeeper.

No way, who said that he was the first to propose this plan.

"Your Majesty, rushing this matter will only be counterproductive, and only when the new army is trained can it be put into the standing army."

Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly: "I know." But since we're here, let's start recruiting first. According to what Mr. said, I will allow you to recruit soldiers. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xie Shen thought that this matter would drag on for a while, but who knew that Zhu Houzhao directly authorized it with a wave of his hand.

Xie Shen did indeed plan to recruit troops in Jiangnan. The Qi family army and the Yu family army in later generations are all Jiangnan soldiers, which is enough to see that their combat effectiveness is good. Second, because of the relationship between the nine sides in the north, there are enough garrisons, and it may not be appropriate to recruit new troops.

......

......

But......

Will there be something wrong with conscription during Zhu Houzhao's southern tour?

After all, everyone's attention was on the Son of Heaven. Conscription at this time is a bit of a hubble.

Although with Zhu Houzhao's character, he may not take this matter to heart, but if someone provokes it, it may really cause a lot of unnecessary incidents.

At this moment, Xie Shen was really a little helpless.

Recruiting new troops and asking wealthy merchants in Jiangnan to donate money to buy military rations are two major things that are pressed on Xie Shen's shoulders, and it takes a lot of effort to do one alone, let alone two at the same time.

So Xie Shen decided to find a helper.

......

......

Early the next morning, Xie Shen went to the Ningyuan Foreign Mansion in Hangzhou.

Before he was moved, he formed a good friendship with Ning Yi.

If it weren't for Ning Yi's righteous action, Xie Shen would not have been able to push Yuyao Xianming to the current height, and there would be no important first pot of gold.

Therefore, Xie Shen was very grateful to Ning Yi.

Of course, it is impossible to say that Ning Yi is completely unwanted. It can only be said that Ning Yi's eyes are like torches and he recognized Xie Shen's thousand-mile horse.

Ningyi is the largest salt merchant and tea merchant in Hangzhou and even the entire Zhejiang Province, and its influence cannot be underestimated.

Xie Shen came to him in the hope that he could contribute to donating money and food.

When a person is rich in the world, he usually flutters, but Ning Yi is an exception.

Whether it is from the words and deeds or the way he treats people, you will think that he is a loyal and honest businessman.

When Xie Shen came to the backyard of Ning Mansion, he saw Ning Yi throwing fish food into the pond, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for many years, Ning Yuan is still the same." ”

Ning Yi turned around and coughed: "Little Lao'er is still the same little old man, but Master Xie is no longer the showman he was at the beginning." ”

Ning Yi invited Xie Shen to sit down in the pavilion next to the pond, poured two glasses of wine and said with a wry smile: "Little Lao'er has long been convinced that Lord Xie is not a thing in the pool, but he didn't expect that the promotion speed of adults would be so fast. ”

Xie Shen waved his hand a little embarrassed and said, "It's just a coincidence." ”

Ning Yi sighed and said: "At the beginning, Xiao Lao'er really shouldn't have been soft-hearted, he should have tied up Master Xie to death, and now he should be the old man who is a scholar of the dynasty." ”

Xie Shen felt awkward when he heard Ning Yi take a bite of an adult, so he suddenly said, "Ning Yuanwai will call me Siming." ”

"This is your nickname?" Ning Yi squinted his eyes slightly, as if he was smiling, like a fox who had just woken up.

"Hmm."

Xie Shen nodded slightly, and said in a harmonious voice: "It is taken from Yuyao Siming Mountain." ”

"Haha, that little old man will take advantage of it."

Ning Yi handed the wine glass to Xie Shen, and said quietly: "Siming, isn't it as simple as catching up with the little old man this time?" ”

Xie Shen knew that he couldn't hide Ning Yi, so he simply had a showdown and said, "I'm here this time to ask Ning Yi for something else." ”

Ning Yi waved his hand again and again: "I can't do it, I can't do it." This request for words is a frustration for the little old man. Siming, you are now a cabinet scholar, if you have anything to say, just ask. ”

For some reason, Xie Shen felt very bitter.

This change in identity is reflected in the relationship between the two, and there is no longer the pleasure of drinking tea and drinking wine and laughing.

Da Ming is still a class society where people eat people.

"Ning Yuanwai must have heard of the new policy, one of which is that the imperial court allowed merchants to set up factories to weave cloth. The number of looms purchased by the number of weavers recruited is determined by the amount of money tax paid. The more money you pay, the bigger you can own a weaving mill. ”

Ning Yi stroked his beard and said lightly: "I have heard a little." ”

Xie Shen nodded and said, "Now that the imperial court has decided to comprehensively promote the new policy, Zhejiang Province is naturally no exception. However, it may be possible to keep the tax system unchanged for the first three years. ”

Ning Yi has been immersed in the business world for many years, so he naturally knows that pie will not fall from the sky.

He stared at Xie Shen for a long time, then exhaled a breath of turbidity and said, "Siming might as well say it directly." ”

"As long as Ning Yuanwai can persuade the Zhejiang Provincial Chamber of Commerce to donate one million taels of silver, he can pay the income under the original tax system in the first three years."

Xie Shen said very simply, and now Ning Yi was silent.

As a businessman, he was certainly concerned about the so-called commercial tax reform.

The commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty has always been thirty taxes and one, which has led to the fact that the state has not been able to collect taxes, but merchants have made a lot of money.

In a wealthy place like Zhejiang Province and Nanzhili, a small businessman with a little brains can make a family business, let alone a big salt merchant like Ning Yi.

And if the new tax system is changed to adopt a stepped taxation system, Ningyi will almost have to pay four out of ten taxes, or even five out of ten taxes. In other words, half of Ningyi's income must be used to pay taxes.

Although he has a way to avoid some of them, most of the industries on the surface are impossible to hide.

Ning Yi's annual income is about 300,000 taels, so he has to pay 150,000 taels a year in taxes alone.

And if one million taels of silver are raised according to Xie Shen's proposal, it can be guaranteed that the tax will be paid according to the thirty tax within three years, which is basically equivalent to not paying the tax.

One million taels of silver, Ning Yi himself has to pay almost 300,000 taels. This is equivalent to two years of tax under the new tax regime.

Exchanging two years for three years, no matter how you look at it, it is a sure thing.

What's more, this is still without calculating the increase in revenue.

After opening a silk factory, Ning Yi's income will also skyrocket, and with his connections and channels, it is easy to earn 200,000 taels in this piece.

All things considered, Ning Yi can earn at least three times more.

Businessmen are the most profitable, and they will never hesitate to make a move when it is profitable.

For Ning Yi, he has always wanted to find an opportunity to get involved in the silk industry, and this is an excellent opportunity.

Monopoly can basically be achieved by opening a silk factory to control upstream production and then using channels to distribute goods, so as to control the entire downstream market.

The reason why Ning Yi didn't want to do it before was because the people did not have the right to set up a factory, and if they wanted to set up a factory, they could only cooperate with the Weaving Bureau, which made too little money.

If you don't do it now, you'll miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ning Yi was really tempted.

Of course, one million taels of silver is not a small amount, even for Ning Yi. You must know that the annual income of the Ming Dynasty is two or three million taels.

Ning Yi alone will definitely not be able to come up with this money for a while, although he has a lot of money, but most of the money is fixed assets such as shops and paddy fields, and the new money earned every year will also be invested in various industries to maintain normal operation, and there is not much liquidity on the account.

Two or three hundred thousand taels is already the limit, and the rest can only be paid by the rest of the Chamber of Commerce members.

"Siming, can the little old man ask a question?"

"Please speak."

"Is this policy only for Zhejiang Province, or is it also available in Fujian and Nanzhili?"

......

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