"That's it...... Reasonable. ”

Xiao Jingxuan is not a stubborn person, although he knows that Feng Gui is a bit of a fly and a dog, but he will not listen to Feng Gui's words with emotions.

Feng Gui was right.

As an emperor, for the sake of the people's livelihood, it is natural to want to replace the salt with fine salt with impurities and slightly toxic.

But Xiao Jingxuan ignored the cost issue.

Most of the salt on the market today is dried from salt wells or sea salt.

The cost of mining is less than five cents per catty.

When the salt merchant who gets the salt leads, when he goes to wholesale salt, he should pay at least 20 wen per catty.

The salt merchants shipped it to various places and sold it at an average price of about 50 wen.

Fifty ...... Not a lot!

Chen Mi is only a dozen pounds.

The price of salt is four or five times the price of rice, which is a very unreasonable market.

But there is no way, the court is counting on salt to make money, and the people have to eat salt, otherwise they will not be able to survive.

Therefore, the common people, when the farming is not working, will only put a very little salt in the meal, or even no salt.

When you need to work, you will eat salt normally.

It's too expensive indeed!

Now, although this refined salt is available, you can see by its quality that it is by no means easy to obtain.

Otherwise, wouldn't those officials who were specifically responsible for improving salt products be working in vain for so many years?

The cost is definitely high.

Then even if the merchant does not take the opportunity to make money, it is just a normal business practice, and the price is definitely much higher than the current salt!

At least it has to be more than doubled, Xiao Jingxuan thought.

But the original salt of about 50 wen, the common people did not dare to eat it often, and then doubled it...... Do the people want to live?

"Your Majesty, Lord Feng is right, refined salt cannot be popularized." Zhao Song said.

Feng Guidao:

"Your Majesty, until the cost of refined salt is controlled, this refined salt can only be circulated and sold among the noble cities."

"Hmm."

Xiao Jingxuan nodded, a little lost:

"In that case, let's do it first......"

"Let the merchant give the method of making refined salt, and let the people from the Imperial Salt Department try to see if they can reduce the cost."

Feng Gui's face was embarrassed.

"Your Majesty, do you want to ask for it forcibly?"

Zhao Song coughed.

Xiao Jingxuan also realized that this thing can't be done like this!

Although the imperial court must obtain the secret recipe in order to control the price of salt and see if the price of salt merchants is reasonable.

But if you ask for it directly, the reputation of the imperial court will be ruined.

In the future, if someone else researches something good, who will give it to you?

If you get angry, Lao Tzu's enemies are happier than letting you ask for it!

"Naturally!" Xiao Jingxuan said righteously, "Since the merchant took the initiative to offer treasures, I can't chill people's hearts...... In this way, the household department gave him the most authoritative salt guide, and only let him do the refined salt business, twenty taxes and one. ”

The salt tax is fifteen taxes one.

Changing it to 20 taxes and 1 is already very lenient.

Feng Guibai said: "Your Majesty Shengming! ”

"In this way, only let Li Qingshan do the refined salt business, he still has to buy coarse salt from the imperial court, and the imperial court will only make no money!"

Xiao Jingxuan nodded and smiled, that's what he meant!

Only refined salt is allowed to be sold, and the coarse salt is his raw material, and the purchase of coarse salt in large quantities has already generated income for the imperial court.

and then collect a tax on the sale of refined salt...... This is equivalent to eating two fish with one fish.

Collect taxes twice, hey, it's very profitable.

As for how expensive the refined salt will be because of this, that is not something that Xiao Jingxuan wants to consider.

The white sugar and soap incident has made Xiao Jingxuan understand that there are many rich dogs in the world!

In this small capital, there are thousands of rich people, so it's good to let these people spit out some gold coins!

"After all, it is about the salt industry, and there must be no sloppiness in the accounts and taxes, and someone must be sent to keep an eye on this merchant." Xiao Jingxuan admonished.

As an emperor, I know too many cases every year.

Many salt merchants will conceal a large amount of money in order to avoid taxes.

After all, selling salt is really profitable!

If it weren't for someone secretly stealing the salt tax, the imperial court's annual salt industry would have earned more than 30 million taels!

For merchants who violate the salt industry law, the punishment is also very severe, first they will be punished for bankruptcy, and then they will be exiled.

It is not enough to kill the head, and tax evasion in these years will only be fined, and state-owned projects such as salt and iron will be punished.

Of course, the smuggler who has no salt to attract is another concept.

After all, some people are tax evaders, and some people don't want to pay a single cent of taxes, and obviously the latter is even worse.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhao Song praised.

Feng Gui: "The minister seconded the proposal. ”

"Okay, you go down, this matter must be implemented as soon as possible, and I will let the cabinet draft the decree later and cooperate with your household department." Xiao Jingxuan finally admonished.

"Yes!"

Feng Gui was taken by the inner prison and left the Raising Palace.

Xiao Jingxuan came out from behind the screen, already sweating profusely.

"It's hot!"

Xiao Jingxuan scolded, he loves to sweat physique, and if he doesn't fan for a moment, it's too hot to go.

"Your Majesty, it's okay to ask the dark guard to quietly send some ice." Zhao Song also felt sorry for the emperor.

"No!"

Xiao Jingxuan shook his head: "If someone comes to see him, and I have to see it, the cold will be detected by him, and it will be a failure." ”

“…… Alas. ”

"Why haven't those stupid sons of mine rebelled yet?"

Xiao Jingxuan sighed: "If there is no movement, I will die of heat first!" ”

Zhao Song couldn't help laughing.

"Your Majesty, the matter of refined salt ......"

Zhao Song felt that it was better to talk about his own conjectures.

But seeing Xiao Jingxuan smiled: "You know me best, you should know that I am also suspicious." ”

"Yes, a town of Whitewater, where can there be so many strange things at the same time...... Most of this refined salt has something to do with Xiao Fan. Zhao Song also guessed.

Xiao Jingxuan said: "That erector is so smart, he took advantage of the relationship between Li Qingshan and Feng Gui to get salt from the household department, and gave Feng Gui benefits to let him wave his flag and shout...... was made a chess piece, so Feng Gui didn't know it and fell into the eyes of money! ”

In fact, whether Feng Gui knew it or not, the person behind it was Xiao Fan, and he had to help with this.

After all, he can get a share of the money!

"Vertical and horizontal, he even understands this, what a material to be an official." Zhao Song sighed again.

He also tested the emperor's heart.

Such a person, Your Majesty, are you really willing to leave him to His Royal Highness the King of Qi?

Xiao Jingxuan still shook his head, didn't think about it, and only said: "According to the previous temperament of that shaft, I am afraid that this refined salt will dare to sell it for five hundred wen a catty!" ”

The raw material of white sugar is brown sugar, and the raw material of soap is lard, and the emperor's secret guards have already found out about these things.

If you don't want to compete with the people, the dark guard can even get the formula!

That is, these two things are not strategic materials at the moment, otherwise the emperor will be as cautious as he is with refined salt.

"Five hundred wen is good, the common people can't afford it, take out the money of those misers, and you can also fill the treasury!" Xiao Jingxuan was suddenly very happy.

In the past, when natural disasters occurred in various places, the imperial court raised funds from all parties, and they all shouted poverty.

When they spend it themselves, they are quite willing, and they are obviously IQ tax things, and they are happy to buy them.

In that case, I will tell you to spend more of this money!

And Xiao Fan is Xiao Jingxuan's heart, specially used to help him slaughter dogs!

No matter how expensive those things are, they are also from aristocratic families, not ordinary people, and they can't shake the foundation.

And the more expensive Xiao Fan's goods are sold, the higher the taxes collected by the imperial court, isn't this equivalent to feeding back a wave of treasury?

What a conscientious and caring subject?!

The pattern is open!

"Hmmm......"

When Xiao Jingxuan thought of this, he suddenly thought: "That's right! ”

"Huh?" Zhao Song didn't know what he was crazy about.

"I just thought...... Since Xiao Fan has such talent, let him engage in more such luxuries, and recover more silver taels from these rich people to fill the treasury! ”

The more Xiao Jingxuan thought about it, the better he felt: "And he has a good relationship with Hong'er, and in the future, Hong'er will ascend to the throne, and he will be Hong'er's confidence!" ”

For the emperor, confidence comes from two sources.

One is military power, and the other is grain and grass.

To put it bluntly, it's money!

If the treasury has no money, the emperor has no problem, he can't do anything, and he has to be scolded for being promiscuous, and he will be scolded for a little natural and man-made disaster.

If there is a "wallet" that can take out a huge amount of money at any time, then the emperor will have confidence.

The treasury has no money, and Lao Tzu can do it!

"No, such a talent must be well protected!"

Xiao Jingxuan said to Zhao Song: "Send a few secret guards to protect that young man, he is the magic weapon I left to Hong'er, and nothing can happen!" ”

"Already protecting Your Majesty." Zhao Song was very intimate and had already thought of this.

"It's you, old thief!" Xiao Jingxuan smiled with satisfaction.

Zhao Song took a deep breath, too lazy to quarrel with Xiao Jingxuan, the old thief is the old thief, it's better than the old waste.