"Your Majesty, there is a reason why Weichen did not play. Before Weichen went south, Weichen was the only one in the family at that time, and later taught his son, and there were more people in the family. But they are gentlemen, students, not my servants. Most of the time when I buy groceries and cook, I wonder why there is a lot of beef in the market. Is it easy for my oxen to die? After going south, I saw that there was still beef in various towns, but the price was a little cheaper. After returning to Hunan, he saw many people pulling plows by manpower, and Weichen thought of checking the cattle. ”

"It's so hearty." Zhao Kuangyi said coldly.

"The second king, Weichen has never boasted that he is a gentleman, a good person, a good minister, just asking not to harm others, not to do bad things, and Weichen has so many things, if you see a thing, you have to ask and check, and Weichen is not energetic."

"Second brother, don't interject, let him speak."

Weichen saw the profits, and then thought about it, and did not come up with a good way, after looking at various reports after going to the third division, he still did not come up with a good method. Originally, the minister thought that the imperial court was not allowed to include large livestock such as cattle, donkeys, mules, camels, and horses in the property to raise taxes on households, let alone directly collect taxes on these large livestock, so as to increase the enthusiasm of the people to raise them. It will work a little, but it can't bring this profit down. Besides, state taxes are always levied, and it is impossible not to collect taxes on so many expenses. If this tax is reduced, it will be increased in other areas, and it will increase in the city tax, and the cost of building houses will be high, and the cost of housing will be high, and the people will not want to build houses. The consequences would be terrible, for building a house requires craftsmen, wood, and bricks if you build a brick house. One house can feed many people and make many people rich. The state can also levy some commercial taxes. If there is no one to build a house, there will be no such inheritance. The country's taxes are also gradually decreasing, and they have to raise taxes in other areas. This has many ripple effects. If you add the Ding tax to it, it will inevitably be as hidden as the Tang Dynasty if it continues for a long time. Some people say that the Tang Dynasty was so rich that there were less than nine million households, and the Tang Dynasty was so large, do you believe it? The number of dings is hidden, and the remaining half of the dings are either not taxable, or half of them are becoming more and more taxable. Until the Yellow Nest...... Or add to the acres of land, then the field must be hidden. For what is it, I only have half of the country. is higher than Tianbao's income, but the people are not complaining, that is two words, equal sharing. Wechen didn't know how to save the tax generated by the cattle and share it evenly in that direction. If we talk about the drawbacks, the country's drawbacks are not limited to this one, there are drawbacks in all aspects, and we can only think about the benefits. Weichen couldn't think of it, and his energy was limited. There's only one way to fix it, and that's not to think about it. Otherwise, Weichen's mind must be deranged. Weichen can't think of it, how to report? ”

Zhao Kuangyin pondered for a while and said to Chu Zhaofu: "Chu Qing." You ask the three divisions to check how much tax will be reduced if you save taxes on various large livestock. ”

Liu Wensuo stood up and asked, "Song Jiu." If it is really a sevenfold benefit, why is there still a cow in the world? ”

Liu Zhongcheng asked well. What we have achieved is an ancient system, and no one is allowed to slaughter live cattle. If the cow dies unexpectedly, or dies of old age, Li Zheng and the head of the elderly household can prove that they can be slaughtered, sold or eaten. Barring no accidents, this system will continue until the cattle retire from the cultivation stage. ”

"Stop, stop, why did the cow withdraw from the cultivation stage."

"Your Majesty, you looked at those pictures that day, and some of the paintings were put in the past, but Wei Chen didn't explain, but Your Majesty still remembers the patterns in the field? That is the machine of ploughing and harvesting. Your Majesty, that's early, maybe hundreds of years later. The minister still said the cow. Why are there still cows, I will first talk about the values of the people. The people are not merchants, and even we are not merchants. This beef is expensive, I believe it is not my dynasty, and the beef of the Tang Dynasty is not cheap, the Sui Dynasty, the Han Dynasty...... Why hasn't anyone pointed it out? ”

"Why?"

"Since ancient times, men have rarely cooked outside the kitchen, let alone buying vegetables, and after becoming an official, they will not touch the edge of the kitchen, and they will not even touch the kitchen. It's even that someone touches it, it's not a related duty, so why bother. It's like Weichen, who touched it, burned it, and went south again. If it weren't for the envoy of Chu to mention it, Weichen wouldn't have said it either. What's the use of saying it, but it can't be solved. ”

"Why are there cows in the world?"

Your Majesty, Weichen is talking. This is true even for the ministers, not to mention the common people. How expensive beef is, it is not the benefit of the people, but the profit of the merchants. But the merchant does not profit all, it is a forbidden thing, it is a bad thing, it is a bad thing, and the road must be opened. It also has to make money, so there is not much money in the hands of the people. Even in some remote areas, the people don't know the values of the Tao at all, and some barbarian areas are very cruel, why do merchants still enter? Because of the huge profits, they did not know how to exchange a penny of goods for tens of cents, so the merchants ventured in. This is one of them. The second is the cattle of some cattle customers, they realize the benefits of cattle, so they raise cattle, and even when they are satisfied with themselves, they rent the cattle to others for farming. They are just satisfied with their own Lord, and if there are too many, the same cattle will die inexplicably. More is not enough, less is not enough. If it's just right, even if the beef is sold for a hundred yuan a catty, they won't let the cow die. The third is the main household, these people have the power to pay little tax, or want to avoid taxes, but the population is sparse, if they want tenant farmers to rent their land, if they want to pay rent, they must have cattle in their hands. No matter how expensive the beef is, its profit is not as good as their ground rent, and the ground rent is levied once a year, twice a year. That's why there's a cow in the world! ”

"There are cattle in the world, but there will always be a shortage of cattle?"

"Your Majesty, that's exactly what Weichen meant. Weichen will say another set of data, cattle generally live for more than 20 years, of course, the average cow in my dynasty can live for ten years. Two-year-old cows can be bred, especially cattle, who can give birth to five to seven calves in a single litter and have a breeding time of more than ten years. It reproduces at a rate far more than two or three times faster than humans, so why has there been a shortage of cattle since ancient times? ”

After Song Jiu finished speaking, he held his tooth wat and retreated.

It's going to be played, it's played, so many ministers, they have their own fart.

And the meaning is also clearly said, it's not that I don't want to, I can't think of a good way, and even for nearly a thousand years, it seems that it will still be like this in the future, this is the real more than a thousand years, how many talented people and strange people, they have not solved it, how to solve it in their own hands?

A civil servant came out and said, "Your Majesty, it is better to set up a horse superintendent." How about setting up a cattle supervisor and breeding on a large scale? ”

Song Jiu couldn't help but stand up again and said, "If that's the case." You should go to the shepherd and take a look, and then you will not say how many of the horses have died under the breeding of the officials. How much is greedy in the middle, just say how to raise these cattle, I said clearly, no matter how expensive the cattle are, they will still raise them, and those who don't raise them just don't want money to send them to their hands, and they will die inexplicably. Or the government runs and rents the cattle directly to the people. How many drawbacks have arisen in this process, Cai Chen and other states have rented cattle to operate. Not far away, please visit by yourself if you have nothing to do. The money of the three divisions is useful, don't waste the money of the three divisions. ”

The national revenue is steadily increasing, and the national expenditure is also increasing, and Zhao Kuangyin didn't know what to think, not only put the money and silk obtained by Bashu and Jingnan into the inner treasury, but also took out some income from the three divisions and returned it to the inner treasury, and even let the inner treasury operate directly, such as the inner treasury camp wine.

This pump. It can only keep a balance between the three divisions, the left hand comes in, and the right hand goes out, if the money is used indiscriminately. The three divisions will inevitably lose money.

At this moment, the little yellow door walked in, and hurriedly bowed down to report: "Your Majesty." The slave maid just asked. ”

"What?"

"The end of the year is approaching, and the price of beef is more expensive. A pound of good and bad is sold for eighty to ninety-five wen, not only that. Cow bones, cowhides, cow organs, cow blood, bullwhips, horns, and oxtails can all be sold for money. The slave and maid asked how much pure meat a cow could get, and the merchant was strange, and the slave and maid were afraid that he would be suspicious, so they paid for a few catties of beef. Xiao Huangmen said and took out a string of bloody beef from his arms.

"You just say how much beef you can have."

The slave and maid bought the beef, and the merchant was in a good mood, so he chatted with the slave and maid a few more words, and he said that it depends, if there is not much beef in the old and dead, and the old man dies, he must be skinny, and the meat is particularly unpalatable, and he taught the slave and the maid how to distinguish the experience of the old and dead cattle. The two hundred catties of that kind of cow are not enough, and they can't be cooked. If it is a strong cow that dies accidentally, there will be more of that kind of beef, some are 250 catties, some are 300 catties, and if it is a southern buffalo, it is even more than 300 catties, more than 400 catties. The slave came back and thought on the way, the Sanqian Niu that Judge Song said was not an old cow, it was a strong cow, and it could only be counted according to the strong cow. Then the slave and maid counted, it was not the twenty taels of money that the Song judge said, if the other parts of the cow were added up, at least four taels of money would be floated. ”

"You stand down," Zhao Kuangyin said, glancing at the piece of beef.

Huang Men took the beef and retreated with interest.

Zhao Kuangyin said: "Retire from the dynasty and go to the banquet with me." ”

Let's eat, but Song Jiu estimates that he can't think of a reason for eating a hundred meals.

Everyone was waiting for a meal in the back garden, and they also began to discuss.

Chu Zhaofu said: "Song Jiu, if the vendors are forbidden to sell beef, then even if the beef is rotten, the vendors will not be allowed to sell it?" ”

"Envoy Chu, it's useless, I'm suspending trade with the Khitan, right?"

"Yes, the two countries are forbidden to do anything about each other?"

"But you also went to Shundian and saw all kinds of ingredients in it, including the flying dragon, which is actually a special hazelnut chicken of Khitan, and some ingredients, including most of the bear's paws, where do they come from?"

"Khitan?"

"It's the Khitan, because it's delicious, it's expensive in the capital, so their price is expensive, so the Khitan has someone to buy it, and then ride a horse to the remote place on the border, and buy some border soldiers, the amount is small, and hand it over to our merchants on the border, so these mountain delicacies are constantly transported to the capital, as well as some other cities. That's a capital crime, and it's not banned, Chu Si Envoy, is it possible to sell two catties of beef, and the vendor will be put to death? So what is the difference between my dynasty and the Qin dynasty? ”

Not only Chu Zhaofu, but also some ministers' proposals, which were successively vetoed by Song Jiu. There were even people who proposed to ban the people from eating beef, and Song Jiu also asked rhetorically: "First, how to pronounce a sentence if you eat beef?" Is it a death sentence or a cane? The second is whether the death penalty can be used, puffer fish is poisonous, and it is easy to be poisoned to death if it eats it. ”

But Song Jiu quickly shut up, if Chu Zhaofu said that the ban on selling is still an idea, not letting the people eat beef is not an idea, it is mentally retarded, and arguing by himself is also mentally retarded. So enjoy the scenery in the palace.

I'm still thinking about it after eating.

Some people want to behave, talking nonsense, most of the ministers are very wise, they can't think of it, so they don't say it, Song Jiu doesn't say it, he listens impatiently, and runs to the distance, and the two palace maids are sweeping the ground and falling leaves. Dressed very plainly, she is about the lowest palace maid in the palace. A palace maid who was twenty-five or sixteen years old saw Song Jiu, bowed slightly and asked, "Your Excellency is Song Jiulang?" ”

Song Jiu nodded.

"I am the daughter of the Hebei family in the East Water Gate."

"I know the truth, you are such a woman in the palace of the various families?"

"Jiurou also knows the way?"

"Your father, brother and brother used to work on my construction site, and your brother was called into the playground to work."

"Really?" The palace maid covered her mouth happily. Entering the deep palace is like entering a large prison cell, but there are also small yellow doors in the palace to buy various necessities. was able to bring in the news from outside, and Song Jiu's treatment of employment was also heard by this palace maid.

"You can rest assured. Your father, brother, and brother are all fine, this is this year, and next year there will be construction and recruitment. The lives of the people in the East Water Gate will get better and better. ”

"Thank you, Jiulang."

Another little palace maid asked excitedly, "Judge Song, is that playground really fun?" ”

"It's okay."

The actual amusement park ticket is raised by 200 Wen and the number of tourists is not necessarily much less, but it is less, the income will increase, and the pressure will be reduced. Song Jiu didn't do that, if that's the case. For poor families, the playground can only be a dream, lying outside and looking at it. The current tickets are still expensive for poor households, but if there is an elderly person in a family, two husband and wife, one older and one young and two children, this is the standard model in Beijing, and the elderly do not need money. Young children don't need money, as long as they pay 600 yuan, a family of five can have fun for a day, if the food is expensive. Drinks are expensive, you can bring them yourself, and there is no prohibition on people not to bring food and water outside. It's still expensive. But it can make them a reality, save a little. You can go in and play, and you can have fun.

However, for these palace maids. That's just a dream.

The little palace maid was very curious and kept asking.

Song Jiu replied without a word, he had nothing to do anyway, and it was fun to chat. Suddenly, the two palace maids hurriedly picked up the broom and continued to sweep the floor.

Song Jiu turned his head and saw that Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Pu were walking this way.

Zhao Kuangyin shouted: "Song Jiu, you are not small. ”

"Your Majesty, be reasonable, the world is big, and the truth is the greatest." Song Jiu said with some disdain, two ordinary palace maids who are miscellaneous, and now they have no rules, how dare they say a few words in front of so many people.

"I'm thinking about Niu Ce, why did you come here to relax?"

"Your Majesty, Wechen has thought about it a long time ago, if I can think of it, even if there is an effect, Wechen will say it early, not in the folds, but in those diaries in Hunan."

"Is there no way to do it?"

"Nope."

"None of them are crooked?"

"The ...... of the crooked doorway? Nor did it. ”

Zhao Kuangyin hooked his hand at the two palace maids, and the two palace maids got into the broom and came over to meet the driver.

"What's your name?"

"Slave Su Xiaoyu."

"Slaves and maids."

"You are a maidservant in the palace, and you dare to hook up with my minister."

"Your Majesty, the slave maid didn't dare, but the slave maid's house was in the East Water Gate, and I asked Judge Song, how the slave and maid's family was, and they didn't hook ......"

"Your Majesty, the ministers understand, Weichen can think about it again, but His Majesty will put the ministers home, it will be dusk immediately, and it is useless to think of the New Year's Day in the palace, if you can come up with it, Han Tang will come out with a good plan. Also, simple is not necessarily simple, complex is not necessarily complicated, it seems simple, but it is actually very complex. Wechen can only try. Not at the end of this year, we must go down to take a look in February next year. His Majesty wants to allow Weichen to have a month of vacation. At the same time, Zhun Weichen looked at various pastoral supervisors, including some public and private pastures in Hedong and Hebei in Shaanxi. There are also some places in Shandong Huaihe and Henan, there is no need to inspect, but please ask Your Majesty to issue an edict to all states and counties to cooperate with Wechen for Wechen to consult. ”

"Why look at the shepherd? Do you also think that raising at the court is a good policy? ”

"The imperial court raises, if the horse does not die every year, it is a good policy, can the pastoral supervisor do not die the horse? In short, it is deceptively simple and complex. I just went down to see it, and the possibility of being able to come up with a solution was less than half of it, but I couldn't think of a way to go down and read it, so the court shouldn't dwell on this matter, anyway, it has been the case for thousands of years. ”

"I'm right."

"Your Majesty, Wechen still has a word to say, Wechen is as people say, a woman's kindness, the heart is too soft, but the palace maids are not Wechen's slaves, although they are humble, but they are the slaves and maids under His Majesty. You can't use them to force your courtiers......"

PS: Regarding the beef split for profiteering, it was not until Song Weizong that a minister proposed it, when the price of cattle rose to five to seven yuan, and the price of beef was also higher, more than 100 yuan a catty, the method suggested by this minister was that the normal death beef must be sold at a low price of 20 yuan a catty. It's not a good policy, and the country is at its most mediocre, and no one sees it and no one solves it. (To be continued......)