When Li You entered the Dongchao room outside the noon gate, he was not very respectful to Yuan and Peng, which did not make others feel strange. All the princes in the room know that Li Zhongshu and most of the pavilion elders are in conflict, and his surname has a bit of the unique madness of Jiangnan talents, if he suddenly grovels and grovels, it will be abnormal.

For Li You, an uninvited guest, the court elites felt a little strange in their hearts. Some people quickly suppress this feeling, while others can't hold it back.

Jin Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, as the nominal leader of Shilin, has a very heavy Qingliu complex, and he couldn't help but speak: "Yuan Ge Lao is strict, Peng Ge Lao is lenient, what is Li Zhongshu's high opinion that is not empty talk?" ”

His meaning is obvious, the direction of solving the problem is nothing more than these two directions, one or the other, Li You, what other fanciful can you say? And Li You and the elders of the two pavilions are not on good terms, no matter which side they agree with, maybe there will be a good show to watch.

Scholar Yuan and Scholar Peng looked at Li You together, for some reason, they were all curious, wanting to see who Li You was going to help this time.

Li You found an inconspicuous position in the corner, and as soon as he sat down, he heard Jin Shangshu ask, and said humbly: "The old man has lifted the boy, it's too high." ”

Jin Shangshu smiled slightly, you have self-knowledge and know that it is good to hide it, so you will no longer care about Li You. When he was about to turn his head, he heard Li You beat the snake and said: "Since the boss will want me to sacrifice ugliness, then I will not hide it, and I will be offended by the princes, please understand." ”

This... Jin Shangshu suddenly realized that Li Zhongshu laughed at the door of the two pavilions, and it seemed to be presumptuous, but it was definitely intentional, and Jiang Taigong took the bait to provoke others to study his mind. Otherwise, he is an uninvited junior who has no right to speak when he enters the courtroom?

It's a pity that he has been in the court for many years, but now he doesn't pay attention to the way of Li You, a little official in the south of the Yangtze River... Jin Shangshu thought, fortunately, he was not the first, and probably not the last.

Li Yousheng was afraid that others would gag him, so he looked at the scholar of Wenhua Palace, and said quickly: "Yuan Ge advocates strictness? Who are you trying to exterminate? ”

He looked at the scholar of Wuyingdian again, "Elder Peng Ge advocates leniency?" Who are you trying to appease? ”

Master Li originally wanted to add a sentence of complaining about the fourth son of the Peng family, but after thinking about it, he still didn't want to make a poisonous tongue, and continued: "Sun Tzu said that he knows himself and knows that he has won all battles, and where is the "he" who dares to ask about this? Who is this enemy? Even this confidant has not done it, and when it comes to leniency, it is inevitably a bit empty. ”

The two scholars suddenly felt the same hatred and hatred, their faces turned dark, and they scolded together, "I really can't expect a dog's mouth to spit out ivory."

The other minds turned quickly and already understood the meaning of Li You's words. There are at least hundreds of large and small merchants belonging to the Changlu Salt Transportation Division in the river, and they usually eat the bowl of official salt in their own way, and this time the trend of closing the business is also because it is really unbearable and spontaneously spreads. They don't have an organizational entity, and they don't have industry representatives, so whether they appease or coerce, it's like a fist hitting the air, and they can't do it alone. If this is really done, even if it takes a long time and drags on until the end can be successful, it is estimated that the border army will have already rebelled with hunger.

"And what do you say?" Hu Kedu asked Dong Wensheng in the matter, he was about the same grade as Li You, so he didn't have any scruples about his status when asked.

"The hundred industries I see in Jiangnan must have a line, but the Jingshi salt industry has no guild because it has always been controlled by the government. In today's situation, don't those salt merchants who can't afford to make profits want to negotiate with the imperial court? I just hate that there is no way out. It can be called the salt merchants of Jingshi Zhili to build their own salt industry association, and the system is modeled on the example of the guild hall, and one or two general managers are selected, and then one or twenty turns are selected to be the leader of the salt industry. If the imperial court has a law, it will know it with the guild, and then the guild will issue it on its own, so why should the imperial court bother to take care of hundreds of families one by one? Therefore, the official thought that this was a top priority, not a strict and lenient policy, but should be to urge the salt industry to establish an association, so as to have a target. ”

Hearing this, the old man of the military department, Shangshu Lu, who was dozing off, suddenly raised his head and glanced at Li You thoughtfully. If he remembers correctly, the bitter master of the Cheng family's unjust case that was secretly stuffed in and hidden by Li You in his house was a salt merchant. At that time, when I heard the report from the subordinates, I just said that it was the children who fell in love with the daughter of the Cheng family, so they laughed and pretended to be confused. Now it can be concluded that this kid has other plans.

The work of the six departments has always been to supervise and provoke, so the household department continued to ask Dong Wensheng's habitual surname in the matter: "Doesn't this encourage the salt industry to form a party and form a society to fight against the government and the court?" ”

Hahahaha, Li You laughed: "I have millions of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, and good ministers are full of courts, can I not be afraid of hundreds of salt merchants?" Hugh should forget that the output of the salt field is owned by the imperial court, and the salt stove households are all under the jurisdiction of the government. The salt merchant is just letting him transport and market the trade, even if the association is not to be feared? As the saying goes, the thief captures the king first, and this guild is easy for the court to control, with more advantages and less disadvantages! ”

The court councillors all felt that Li You's idea was very good, and they exchanged a few words of discussion, and there was no objection.

This can't be said that others are inferior to Li You, and the other bigwigs said that no one paid too much attention to the salt matter, and it was not until the situation became serious recently that they were temporarily arrested and brought to the court for discussion. In order to elevate his reputation, Li You deliberately chose such a thing as a stepping stone for himself, and carefully studied it for a long time in combination with his two lifetime knowledge.

However, now it has only solved the problem of methods, and the core headache has not been touched. For example, rewarding the powerful and the salt merchants who have accumulated salt in their hands over the years are the two old and difficult problems that the queen mother is so troubled that she can't avoid.

Hubu Yan Shangshu's mood relaxed slightly, regardless of Li You's politeness and rudeness, he finally pointed out a way. The note said: "There is no doubt that all the gentlemen have any doubts, Li Zhongshu can decide this proposal first, and after the court discussion, the Holy Mother will be inscribed." ”

"Ahh Li Zhongshu suddenly screamed, "I almost forgot for half a day, Our Lady ordered me to go to the East Dynasty Room to pass on the decree, and Linwu Ying Hall summoned the princes to discuss the salt matter in person!" Therefore, the court discussion is now over, and Yan Situ doesn't have to work hard to record the inscription! ”

………… The princes of the court came out majestic, solemn, and swiftly from the room of the Eastern Dynasty, and swept through the noon gate like the wind and fire, and rushed to the Wuying Palace. Those who remember the surname well remember that Li You once said, "The Queen Mother ordered me to come to this Eastern Dynasty Room" instead of "The Queen Mother ordered me to participate in the court meeting".

In the time when everyone was standing in the Wuying Hall waiting for the Queen Mother to come to the palace, they were not idle except for scolding Li Zhongshu in their hearts, and secretly thought that the Queen Mother obviously had no idea before, so she entrusted the matter to the minister, why do you want to convene them to discuss now? There must be something new going on.

The smarter ones have already guessed Li You. Probably can't escape from Li Zhongshu, and remembering the way he talked just now, it can be guessed that Li You must have given secret advice to the Virgin, so the Virgin is no longer embarrassed.

Yes, Li You is now also a person who is qualified to give the Queen Mother a secret, and if you want to say anything, you can go straight to the sky. For example, he wrote a secret letter yesterday and sealed it into the Cisheng Palace.

He said: "The household department is mediocre and incompetent, afraid of prevarication, and even the salt matter dares to alarm the heavens, so that the sacred heart is worried, and its sin is difficult to excuse!" Although the minister is not talented, he is willing to share the worries of the Holy Lord and dispel the salt matter. Here's what they schemed about..."

He gave full play to the advantages of the officials in the inner court, gave the household medicine and slander, and sold his own package of solutions by the way. And what he said was deeply sacred, and he successfully won the appreciation of the Empress Dowager Qian.

Today, the Queen Mother summoned Li You for a secret conversation in person, and after the conversation, she ordered Li You to go to the Eastern Dynasty to spread an edict to convene the ministers to discuss the matter.

But young people can't help but show off that it's really a bad habit, and Li You acted as a messenger for the first time in his life, and there were big mistakes. Therefore, the long-awaited queen mother was promoted to the throne and first punished Li You for a year, which was very happy.

The last time the penalty was not over, and this time it was punished for another year. It seems that for a long time in the future, Master Li will continue to work for the Zhu family. This is still the reason why the Queen Mother is in a good mood, otherwise the punishment is not so cheap.

After the salute, the holy voice instructed: "Li You, discuss with the Qing Qing what you have planned in your heart. ”

Now this scene, Li You has been practicing countless times in his heart. This is a new starting point for him to work hard, promote image transformation and achieve sustainable development!

"There are three things that this judge has planned and presented to the Virgin. First, the salt industry guild has already discussed it with the monarchs in the court, so I won't say more, but the court wants to win their trust. Second, about the salt merchants' arrears over the years..."

Even if he looked down on Li You again, he pricked up his ears and listened carefully at this time. You must know that due to the squeeze of the powerful and the difficulty of supporting salt, according to the statistics of the Hejian Changlu Salt Transportation Division, there are more than 300,000 salt arrears in the hands of salt merchants, which is equivalent to three-quarters of the annual output of Changlu Salt Farm.

"It is absolutely not feasible to give the withdrawal of old salt within a year or two. However, it is possible to set a policy that can be divided into ten years to support salt, gradually digest it, and give forty percent of the interest to the salt merchants as a favor of the imperial court to appease their dissatisfaction. If a person has 1,000 old salt citations, he can withdraw 1,400 citations in 10 years, but only 140 citations per year. In this way, 300,000 salt introductions only need to pay more than 40,000 yuan per year, but the production of long reeds is only 10%, and the room for maneuver will come out, so that the new salt introduction will not be completely cut off because of the payment of old salt. ”

"Very good!" I don't know who in the hall is rude and cheers.

It is indeed a solution, Li You brought out the concept of bonds in his previous life. The old salt arrears were turned into interest-bearing bonds repaid in installments and guaranteed by the imperial court's credit, which attracted salt merchants on the one hand, and slowly digested it over time.

The minister, who didn't have much hope for Li You, had to have a small surprise at this time, no wonder the queen mother came out to discuss the matter refreshed, and easily spared Li You's accident.

However, as for the issue of rewarding the powerful and powerful, it is even more troublesome, more troublesome than digesting the old salt.

From the Queen Mother to the ministers, they all know that if it is impossible to think, they should definitely limit or even stop rewarding salt to induce this kind of behavior, but they are unwilling to say it from their own mouths, or they don't want to be this evil person. has been hated by generations of three-digit princes and high-ranking martial artists, and anyone has to be entangled.

Let's see what Li Zhongshu said, if he is brave enough to be the pioneer of reform and proposes to restrict or suspend the salt introduction, everyone will have to follow up without risk..."Regarding the matter of rewarding salt introduction, out of consideration for the Sacred Heart, there is no need to stop suddenly..."Under the attention of everyone, Li Youzuo thought carefully and said: "But you can set a law, and the reward salt introduction shall not be used in the Changlu Salt Field. ”

"If you can't support salt, what can you do with it?" Dong Shiyi asked again.

"Can be associated with the Salt Industry Guild. The Salt Industry Association convened salt merchants, with a total share capital of 120,000 yuan, and set up a salt introduction shop in Beijing. Whoever is rewarded with salt is really allowed to go to the salt field south of the Yellow River to support salt. Those who are too far away are only allowed to sell in the Jingshi Salt Shop, and then transfer them from the salt shop to the guild salt merchants. ”

Here, Li You applied the concept of a general distributor and transferred a part of the profits in the hands of the powerful to the salt merchants who had become mere dealers, so as to achieve the purpose of compromising with each other and appeasing the salt merchants.

Everyone tasted the meaning of this, and there were roughly three points. First, it maintained the dignity and prestige of rewarding salt introduction; the second is to deprive the powerful of the profits from selling salt and transfer them to salt merchants; The third is that there is no powerful person to directly support salt, so the order of the Changlu salt field has been rectified invisibly.

Although there is still a hidden danger that the salt is more than the output, at least it ensures that most salt merchants have some soup to drink, so that they will not come to the whole bank again when they can't even drink the soup because of the powerful and powerful. It's okay to drag it out like this first, and let future generations worry about what happened in the future.

Someone else asked: "The salt in the salt introduction shop, I am afraid that the salt merchant will not buy it, so what can I do?" ”

Li You said with a smile: "What's the concern, all the rewards for salt are transferred to salt merchants through salt introduction shops, and they are all changed to salt tickets, not limited to marketing places, and let salt merchants traffic on their own, so I'm afraid that no one will either." If you don't pay a tael, you can reduce the salt class by one or two to attract salt merchants to compete for purchases. ”

In these years, the salt introduction not only stipulates the place of withdrawal, but also stipulates the place of marketing, which is very rigid, not the slightest bit bad, and it is a fully planned economy. Salt that is not limited to the place of marketing can be trafficked to areas with convenient transportation or high prices, which is an unplanned sale, and the temptation for salt merchants is still quite large. However, the essence is to share the burden of Beizhili and Jingshi to the whole country... In fact, according to Li You's ultimate idea, it should be to completely break the plan and monopoly, comprehensively change the salt introduction to salt tickets, and cancel the name of the merchant, no longer limit the number of salt merchants, and realize marketization... But he was cowardly, and if he really wanted to do this, the magnates and the salt chamber ate him together.

After the statement, without applause, what else can be said? When the bigwigs were still arguing about whether to appease or coerce, Li Zhongshu had already quietly come up with a very complete set of plans for the Queen Mother... Li Zhongshu, who theoretically solved the big trouble with a heavy weight, stood quietly in the hall and was baptized by everyone's eyes. I saw that he had an outstanding appearance, and he had a bit of a pillar of talent.

Elder Peng Ge, a scholar of Wuyingdian University, suddenly opened his mouth and said sincerely: "I don't want to have such a master behind Master Li, can you lead the old man to see it?" "It's a shame to ask.

"You didn't instigate the salt craze, right?" Yuan Ge, a scholar of Wenhuadian University, muttered. He knows some of what Li You has done in Suzhou, could it be that this time it was Li You who shouted to catch the thief?

Li You was speechless, and understood why it was difficult to do things in officialdom, and it was even more difficult to do practical things, which could be regarded as retribution.

In fact, there are still many people who believe in Li You. After all, Master Li, who had received many years of education in his previous life, whose economic thinking was a few steps ahead of the average level of this era, and who at least knew the law of planned market value, built river embankments in Xujiang, rescued silk weaving, and repaired city gates in Suzhou, did not fail to show economic talent, and some people have heard of it.

(To be continued)