Temple of Manna.

Qin Huaidao came in a hurry, and after getting permission, he entered the hall, and saw Li Er, Fang Xuanling, and the eldest grandson Wuji talking around the brazier, the faces of the three were sad, and the atmosphere was dignified, so he hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Weichen has seen the saint, seen the Fang Xianggong, and the eldest grandson." ”

"Sit down and talk!"

"Thank you."

Qin Huaidao saw an empty stool, stepped forward and sat down, without restraint, and did not sit on half of his butt like others to show his awe of Huangquan, naturally, confidently, calmly, Fang Xuanling and the eldest grandson Wuji who looked at it were secretly surprised, this courage has never been seen in the younger generation.

Li Er was also a little surprised, but as soon as he spoke, he asked bluntly: "Huaidao, where have you been these days?" ”

Qin Huaidao looked around and did not answer.

Li Er waved his hand knowingly, and the attendants who were waiting in the hall went out one after another, Qin Huaidao looked at Fang Xuanling, who was trustworthy, and then looked at the eldest grandson Wuji, this guy was a little selfish, but he had the ability, and he was loyal to Li Er, so it was not a big problem to listen.

"What are you doing looking at the old man? The old man can't listen to it? "The eldest grandson Wuji was a little displeased.

"You can listen to it, but don't regret it." Qin Huaidao said with a smile.

The words aroused the interest of the three of them, and Li Er urged to ask: "God is mysterious, what is the matter?" ”

"Back to the saint, Weichen took the Cheng family and several brothers of the Wei Chi family to Qinling, Meridian Road Niujiadu, where there is a group of bandits, more than two hundred people, the bandit leader Ma Laosan, is the Cui family's minions, has been exterminated by Weichen, after interrogation, the identity is undoubtedly confirmed, should the saint give Weichen a reward?"

"You've been running away to level bandits these days?" Li Er said in surprise, seeing that Qin Huaidao didn't seem to be joking, he said angrily: "Why do you have to do this kind of thing personally, just take out an army in the past, don't do everything yourself in the future, lest you find no one if you have something." ”

"Holy Lord, are you at ease with others?"

Li Er couldn't answer what he said, and the bandits hidden in Qinling were examples of this, and his heart moved, and he asked: "It's cold and freezing, you run over, won't it be simple?" ”

"Shengshang Shengming, Wechen found a clue that the skyrocketing price of grain was related to a conspiracy, so he took the Cheng family and the brothers of the Wei Chi family to go secretly, but unfortunately the gang of bandits didn't know what the conspiracy was, they received the instructions of the Cui family, and when the snow melted, the meridian road was passed, and they stared at the merchants who came and went, and did not let a grain of grain enter Chang'an from the meridian road, Wechen was worried that the grain price might last for another month or two."

"How can they dare to do this!" Li Er's face sank, and the momentum of the superior exploded, like a cold current passing by, and the temperature in the hall plummeted.

Qin Huaidao felt this coercion and didn't care, looking at Eldest Sun Wuji and smiling: "Lord Eldest Sun, now do you regret knowing this news?" ”

"Presumptuous, the minister has won the trust of the saint, how can he ignore it?" The eldest grandson Wuji said with a straight face.

Qin Huaidao was not afraid at all, smiled, and continued: "The Holy Lord summoned, I don't know what happened? ”

Li Er looked at Fang Xuanling, Fang Xuanling nodded knowingly, took over the topic and said: "Huaidao, two things, first, the grain is not collected much, the twenty counties of Jingzhao Mansion are less than 100,000 stones, and when I receive the news today, I can pull it at any time; Second, 50,000 stone is purchased according to five Wen, and the price will be increased one after another, up to ten Wen, can the extra part bear one or two, in extraordinary times, there are many people impeaching you, and it is inconvenient for the imperial court to subsidize directly from the treasury, so it is good to look back and find an opportunity to compensate you? ”

"Only 100,000 stones?" Qin Huaidao was shocked in his heart, thinking of the price increase that Fang Xuanling said, he immediately reacted and asked, "Is there someone who is raising the price of grain, and what is the purchase price of them now?" ”

Fang Xuanling smiled with satisfaction and said to Li Er: "Shengshang, you see what the minister said is right, this kid is good at the way of businessmen, and he immediately thought of the key. ”

"That's true, Huaidao, I remember that you are so martial, you don't like to study, and you don't have any business at home, why are you so good at this? Is there a way to resolve it? Li Er looked over, his eyes flashing with a little expectation.

"Shengshang, Weichen got some books from the pre-Qin Warlock Cave Mansion, called Economics, which are all about the way to help the people through the world, and Shangjia is only the last branch of them, so he understands some, as for the method of resolution, the minister does not dare to trust it, and he has to understand one or two before he can decide." Qin Huaidao made an excuse for himself.

"Economics, what's that?" Li Er looked surprised, he had never heard of it.

Qin Huaidao doesn't know much about economics, but it doesn't prevent him from bragging: "Shengshang, this economics is a doctrine, including people's income, production, currency, prices, employment, trade and even war, etc., if you use it well, you can govern the country and strengthen the country, and then report it to the Holy Lord when you have a thorough understanding of it." ”

"This book is really amazing, can you borrow it from me?" Li Er asked with some expectation.

Fang Xuanling and eldest grandson Wuji also looked at Qin Huaidao, looking forward to it.

Qin Huaidao didn't have a book, and hurriedly said: "The minister has sworn a poisonous oath, and he will never spread it, and the Qin Warlock Cave Mansion has also left a warning, once it is violated, five thunders will hit the top." ”

The ancients reaffirmed their promises, and Li Er was a little embarrassed.

Fang Xuanling was afraid of stiffness, so he quickly took over the topic and asked: "Virtuous nephew, at present, someone is offering a price of twelve wen to buy, and the price of polished rice noodles in the market is also twelve wen, is there a way to suppress it?" ”

"They don't make money, and they still pay the cost?" Qin Huaidao's face changed, this was about to die to the end, seeing Fang Xuanling nodding, he couldn't help but ponder.

The three exchanged glances, neither spoke, and waited patiently.

The hall fell silent suddenly.

Once it is dead, it is a non-stop game, Qin Huaidao can't understand why they do this, food is different from others, it is a necessity, the common people can't afford to buy food, they can only sell their sons and daughters, sell their fields and houses, and when they can't sell it, there will be a big mess.

It seems that someone really wants to mess up Chang'an!

There are only two ways to solve it, one is that the imperial court intervenes strongly to push down the price of grain, no matter who dares to jump, the other is to cut off the head if you dare to jump, and the other is to press down the means of the market, the first is the simplest, rough, but the consequences are endless, once the grain merchant closes his business and does not sell, the court can not seize it, and take the grain to the people, right?

What's the difference between that and a robber?

It is most reasonable, fair and just to govern business with business, but it is necessary to invest a lot of silver, and it depends on who has more silver in the end.

Qin Huaidao was a little worried, he was a soldier in his last life, not a businessman, and he dared to fight no matter how difficult it was, and he didn't know much about this market competition, so he was a little embarrassed for a while.

The three of them were a little disappointed when they saw Qin Huaidao so embarrassed, but they continued to wait.

After a while, Qin Huaidao had an idea, this shopping mall is like a battlefield, invisible gunsmoke, since it is a battle, under the allowability of his own strength, why is it hard? You can hit yours, I'll hit mine.

Thinking of this, Qin Huaidao's mind became lively, the same is to collect grain, some people pay silver at a high price, he doesn't have so much silver, he can exchange it for things that others urgently need, the weather is cold, what can make the people voluntarily take out the grain in exchange? There is only one thing, warmth.

For example, honeycomb briquettes!

No one wants to freeze to death if they don't starve to death!

Qin Huaidao's eyes lit up and he smiled.

Li Er and the three of them suddenly smiled when they saw Qin Huaidao, and they also breathed a sigh of relief, Fang Xuanling couldn't wait to ask, "Virtuous nephew, is there a way?" ”

"Does the imperial court have an emergency plan?" Qin Huaidao asked rhetorically.

"I can't hide it, the old man is worried to death these days, is there any way to say it quickly."

Qin Huaidao glanced at Fang Xuanling, who was eager, this guy was really worried about the people, which was admirable, and said bluntly: "Holy Lord, two adults, someone buys it at a high price, the people are not stupid, as long as there is enough silver, they dare to sell it and buy grain at a low price in the next year to deduct taxes, not to mention twelve Wen, even if it is ten Wen, many people are willing to sell." ”

"That's right, if you sell ten wen, you only need to keep three or four wen to sell grain for tax deduction in the coming year, and you can earn six or seven wen, which has never been at a high price, and many people have left rations and sold them out." Fang Xuanling agreed.

Li Er urged: "Is there any way to say it bluntly." ”

Qin Huaidao nodded and said: "Saint, the weather is getting colder and colder, the common people only care about two things, one, to be full, two, to keep warm, the people who have surplus food at home are not worried about the problem of being full, but they can't hide from the heating problem, no one wants to freeze to death, if they exchange the heating for their surplus food, it should be okay." ”

"What do you mean?" Li Er's eyes flashed.

"The minister has honeycomb coal, and the benefits are also clear, the minister is willing to exchange honeycomb coal for food, as long as the price is not much different, the people would rather exchange it with the minister, and will not sell it to other grain merchants, after all, it is uncomfortable to freeze to death."

"That's right, it's good to take silver, but freezing to death must be something that no one wants, this method is feasible, the saint, the minister seconded it." Fang Xuanling reacted and said happily.

The eldest grandson Wuji didn't expect the problem that had plagued the imperial court for several days, Qin Huaidao quickly found a solution, and couldn't help but look at it a few points, secretly glad that he chose to admit it last time, instead of doing it, and couldn't help asking: "Qin family boy, how are you going to change?" ”

"Tell me, how do you want to change it?" Li Er also urged.

Qin Huaidao asked rhetorically: "Lord Fang, what is the purchase price of the imperial court now?" ”

"Ten pennies and one bucket, rest assured, the court will compensate you for the excess." Fang Xuanling said.

Qin Huaidao quickly calculated the cost in his heart, there was still a surplus of ten pennies of honeycomb coal, even if he exchanged it at this price, he would make a lot of money, so he said: "Shengshang, from tomorrow onwards, stop buying with silver, how much we give, other grain merchants will exceed, it makes no sense, directly exchange honeycomb coal, one bucket for a hundred." ”

"One bucket for a hundred?" The three said almost at the same time.

"Yes, a hundred can be used for about a month, in other words, only one bucket of rice, no need to worry about heating and cooking within a month, just inform the people of the counties, the people are not stupid, know how to choose, use a bucket of rice for a month The whole family will not be frozen to death, it is more cost-effective than ten or twenty yuan."

"Yes, there is no comparison between the two, ten cents is just for the people who have surplus food, but it is the icing on the cake, but it will not be frozen to death for a month, that is, sending charcoal in the snow, this method is feasible." The eldest grandson Wuji was the first to agree.

Qin Huaidao was a little surprised, this guy actually reacted so quickly?

"What, what the old man said is not right?" Eldest Sun Wuji asked.

"Yes, the eldest grandson is wise, and the lower officials admire him." Qin Huaidao said with a smile.

"Less yin and yang, as long as it is a good decision for the court, the old man resolutely agrees with and supports it, your method is good, and the old man appreciates it." The eldest grandson Wuji arched his hand towards Li Er as he spoke, adding: "Holy Lord, the minister thinks that this method is feasible and must be implemented as soon as possible, especially to let the counties explain the benefits of the exchange clearly." ”

"The minister seconded the proposal, and the minister is willing to draft a holy decree on his behalf, explain in detail what Lord Qin just said, and then ask the saint to use the seal, transcribe it and send it to the counties overnight, it must be as soon as possible, but what should I do with this briquette?" Fang Xuanling looked at Qin Huaidao as he spoke, with an inquiring look in his eyes.

Qin Huaidao thought for a while and said: "Once this law is promoted, other grain merchants will not be competitive, even if they raise the price of grain to twenty Wen, there will be people who sell one or two buckets to the imperial court, no matter how much it is difficult to say, however, those who have no grain will find relatives to borrow grain for honeycomb coal, that is to say, every household may exchange a bucket of grain to the imperial court, and the imperial court will be enough to cope with the price of grain this time, but the amount of honeycomb coal will be large, and Weichen needs assistance." ”

"Say, whatever you need, I will approve you." Li Er saw that there was a way to solve the matter that had been bothering him for several days, and he was overjoyed in his heart, and he agreed.

"Wechen needs a horse-drawn cart to transport honeycomb coal to the counties, and if it drags on for too long, the people may not believe it, it is best to barter it for goods and exchange it directly, in addition, the horse-drawn carriage of the grain merchant last time Weichen has to pull it back to transport coal, otherwise the transportation capacity is not enough, and it is not enough." Qin Huaidao said seriously.

"That's right, I will transfer the baggage battalion of the forbidden army to help, you don't have to worry about the transportation of honeycomb coal to the counties, the baggage battalion is responsible for transporting it over, and then transporting the grain back, and the household department will take over the sale, you only need to be responsible for the production of honeycomb coal, maybe it can be done?" Li Er asked solemnly.

"Manpower can be recruited, many Zhuangzi near Qinjiazhuang are already helping to do it, but the carriage that pulls coal is still not enough, the carriage that helps pull coal in Chang'an City is afraid that it will stop, the wind and snow are too big, and the minister is worried that they will not dare to continue on the road, and they are also afraid that some people will take the opportunity to jump out and make trouble when they see that the situation has changed." Qin Huaidao said seriously.

Li Er understood what Qin Huaidao was worried about, and Zhengse said: "This is a war, the imperial court must not lose, your method is very good, I am very relieved, such a big matter can not be borne by you alone, the prince pulled a lot of coal a few days ago and didn't give the silver, the five hundred carriages will be sent to you, someone will pull it to Jinguangmen early tomorrow morning, is it enough, is it not enough for me to find a way?" ”

"Thank you, that's enough." Qin Huaidao was overjoyed, with five hundred carriages to join, plus his own five hundred taels, and seven or eight hundred from the three major grain merchants, it is impossible for the people to retreat, and a part will be left, nearly two thousand carts run every day, and they should be able to supply.

But the crown prince actually used 500 carriages to pull coal, which was ruthless enough, and now it's okay, 500 mules and horses with carts is more than 5,000 silver, it's really fragrant!

Thinking that honeycomb coal may not be used by the people, he immediately said: "Shengshang, can you borrow a pen and paper to use it, Weichen can draw a simple stove, and the counties can send it to the people, so that everyone can make a stove according to the picture, and it is simple to use honeycomb coal." ”

"Go ahead, just draw on my imperial case."

"This, the minister is afraid!"

"I don't think you're scared at all, go ahead!"

Qin Huaidao smiled, hurried over, picked up the pen and paper and drew quickly, returned after making some notes, and gave the drawings to Li Er.

Li Er looked familiar and said, "This is similar to the stove you sent last time." ”

Qin Huaidao explained: "That's right, the stove can be moved, easy to use, this is a stove, it only needs to be built with a stone and clay, the middle is overhead, and it can be used when it is dry, stones and clay are everywhere, and it is very convenient for the people to spend extraordinarily." ”

"Thinking about it very cycled, with this people, it will be much easier to accept honeycomb coal, I asked the Ministry of Industry to send craftsmen down to guide everyone to make it, it's not a big problem, what is the name of this stove?" Li Er asked with satisfaction.

Qin Huaidao was stunned, does this thing still need a name? Seeing Fang Xuanling cast a hidden look, he suddenly realized that this Li Er really had a good reputation, and immediately said: "Shengshang, this thing is simple, practical, and can improve the lives of the people. ”

"Is that appropriate?" Li Er said with satisfaction.

Qin Huaidao was a little disdainful, this guy had a good reputation and set up a memorial arch, but he still complimented: "Holy benevolence and righteousness, considering the life of the people is not easy, this simple and practical thing is given to the people, without increasing expenses, the people such as grateful for the grace of the saint, named after Zhenguan, it is well deserved." ”

"The ministers seconded it!" Fang Xuanling and eldest grandson Wuji also agreed.

"Since Huai Dao, the inventor, proposed, and the two ministers agreed, let's name it." Li Er smiled with satisfaction, looking at Qin Huaidao's eyes with more relief, this kid, on the way, admonished: "The clues you brought from Qinling are very important, the honeycomb coal can't be stopped, but the conspiracy behind it also has to be thoroughly investigated, is there any difficulty?" ”

"Shengshang, the biggest difficulty is that there is no silver, the Shengshang promised to give 10,000 guan, but the household only gave 5,000 guan, the gap is too big, the brothers are complaining, they want to go back to the original place." Qin Huaidao took the opportunity to exclaim.

"Only 5,000 guan?" Li Er looked at Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling hurriedly said: "The minister will investigate this matter early tomorrow morning. ”

"These people are simply unreasonable, check each other clearly, in addition, give an extra 5,000 taels to the Supervision Mansion, it is inconvenient to buy grain and go to the treasury, and hundreds of officials will make irresponsible remarks, who dares to jump out of this way, then try whether my knife is sharp, hum!" Li Er said angrily, seeing that Qin Huaidao was a little in good spirits, he added embarrassedly: "I heard that you just came back, you must be tired, go back and rest early, Xuan Ling, auxiliary, you two should go back early, I can finally sleep well." ”

"Wait for the resignation!"

When the three of them left the Manna Palace, the cold wind was coming, they shivered with cold, and they all struggled to speak, so they all hurriedly grabbed their sleeves and left in a hurry.

Out of the palace, Fang Xuanling and the eldest grandson Wuji got into their respective carriages and left, Qin Huaidao rode over, shivering with cold, and hurriedly got on the horse and went home, thinking about getting a carriage himself, it was too cold.

It was already night, the cold wind was whining, and a few red lanterns in the distance were waving in the wind, lonely and desolate.

The street ahead was a little eeriely quiet.

Qin Huaidao looked ahead, inexplicably a little uneasy.