blogombal Chapter 1830 Li Shimin's Shadow
Chapter 1830 Li Shimin's Shadow
Li Shen's first thought at this moment was to beat up Li Chengqian, but considering the disparity in strength between the two sides,
The other party was the crown prince, and he might be charged with murdering the crown prince, so Li Shen could only endure it.
But he still used his eyes to tell Li Chengqian that he was very angry.
The price of corn was only five cents a dou ten years ago. It was Li Shen who raised the price to twenty cents a dou in order to allow farmers to earn more.
Cheap grain prices hurt farmers, expensive grain prices hurt the people.
But unlike later generations when most people had to buy their own food, most ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty grew their own food.
They would set aside a year's food ration for the whole family, and only sell the remaining food.
Most of the people who bought food were people living in towns and cities, with a medium standard of living.
Their wages will go up as food prices go up.
Twenty wen per dou was calculated by Li Shen based on the price of silk.
Of course, this is only the price of corn. The price of rice will naturally be higher, as it is considered fine bran.
Li Chengqian actually wanted to sell it to Li Shen at the usual retail price. How could Li Shen not be angry?
"Why, do you think it's too expensive, Tenth Brother?" Li Chengqian didn't care at all about Li Shen's rudeness.
They still look like brothers with deep affection.
“Your Highness may have been busy with state affairs and does not understand the suffering of the people, nor is he familiar with the prices outside.
Nowadays, the people of the Tang Dynasty are wealthier and the price of grain has increased. Even so, the price of millet is still twenty wen per dou.
The grain in the imperial granaries was collected in the form of tax revenue. Apart from the transportation costs and a small amount of storage fees, it could be said that there was almost no cost involved.
In the past, when I purchased old grain from the charity granary, the price was around five or six cents. This way, the court would not suffer any losses, and I could also save some money.
But now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants twenty coins per bucket, isn't that a bit too high?"
Li Shen had a cold face and looked very businesslike, and even the way he addressed people changed.
I was disdainful in my heart, you little brat, you're the only one who thinks you can cheat me? In this Tang Dynasty, I'm the only one who cheats others.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea. Without raising his eyelids, he asked casually:
"Oh? Are you asking me why I don't eat meat?"
"That's right, Your Highness. The people are suffering. Just think about it, if you sell it to me for 20 cents, how much will I have to sell it to the people?
The people are in poverty, so where would they get so much money to buy such expensive food?
Therefore, I advise His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that a ruler should be considerate of the people, not be too greedy, and put the people first, only then can he be a wise ruler. "
Li Shen pointed out Li Chengqian's mistakes without hesitation, looking like he was teaching him, and even seemed to be heartbroken at the end.
“But... Prince Ji, don’t forget that you are selling it to the court of another country, not to the people of the Tang Dynasty.
Where does the talk of people’s suffering come from?
Based on my understanding of you, King Ji, you should have sold this bushel of rice to Silla for at least forty coins. I have overestimated your virtue.
Even if the price is 100 coins per bucket, I think you can do it, right? "
Li Chengqian imitated Li Shen's official tone and exposed Li Shen's ugly face.
Li Shen's trick of replacing the concept was ruthlessly exposed by Li Chengqian.
What about the suffering of the people? Are you selling it to the people? Are you going there to make money?
Li Shen did not expect Li Chengqian to react so quickly. He had morally blackmailed him, but he was still able to refute.
Why does it feel a bit like negotiating with dad?
Li Shen's mind raced, his eyes darting around, he was thinking about how to lower the price of food.
The situation is now very clear, the imperial court also wants to get a piece of the pie.
He is a little better than their father. His father definitely wanted to make money for himself, but Li Chengqian wanted to let the court make money.
But these extra ten cents would cost Li Shen hundreds of thousands of strings of cash.
"Brother, this price is indeed too high, it is not sold at the market price.
That's not how business works.
How about this? The price will remain the same as before. I will supply the Eastern Palace privately at the price of five cents per dou.
This way it’s a win-win situation for both you and me, no, it’s a win-win situation for all three of us.
The court's old grain was not wasted, I saved some money, and I made some money, so why not do it?"
After much thought, Li Shen could only think of bribing Li Chengqian.
Li Chengqian would not benefit from any other method and the success rate was very low.
He privately gave him five cents per dou of rice, so that he could get hundreds of thousands of strings of cash as private money.
You can also save hundreds of thousands of strings of cash on purchases.
"Haha." Li Chengqian laughed. As expected, his younger brother was quick-witted and could come up with such an idea.
But he didn't want this thing. What he came here for today was to learn from his father how to compete with Li Shen for interests.
Verify whether the Ji Wang instruction manual his father gave him is useful.
Another point is to gain benefits for the court and make some achievements.
Li Shen saw Li Chengqian smiling and thought that Li Chengqian agreed, so he immediately put on a smiling face:
"Then we have made a happy decision. I will take care of this matter right away.
Don't worry, big brother, you won't lose any money."
"Tenth brother, do you think it's really a good idea for us to damage the interests of the Tang Dynasty for our own selfish reasons?" Li Chengqian suddenly asked.
"What do you mean, brother? How did this harm the interests of the Tang Dynasty? We are only trading at the normal price in the past, and we didn't say we were selling it at a low price.
Six or seven wen for a dou of rice is not a low price. The price from private buyers probably isn't much more than that.
Besides, we collected old grain." Li Shen explained, shaking his head.
“Tenth brother, what you said does make some sense, but if that’s the case, why doesn’t the court do it itself?
The imperial court could have done this secretly. Wouldn't it be better if all the benefits belonged to the imperial court?
I did this to stop the gossips in the court.
This way the court will benefit and you can make a fortune, so why not do it? "
Li Chengqian spoke slowly, stroking the edge of the teacup with his hand, leisurely and relaxed.
Uh... Li Shen was stunned for a moment, looking at Li Chengqian as if he saw his own father.
Only now did he realize that Li Chengqian was becoming more and more like his father.
The manner of speaking, tone of voice, movements, and thinking patterns are almost exactly the same.
If it were his father, he would definitely say the same thing to him; I can earn more by doing it myself.
Li Chengqian is now thinking about the court, and Li Shen has nothing to blame. After all, at this time of transition, it is natural to achieve some results.
Making money is also part of political achievements.
Li Shen frowned. He had to take the initiative. He said with a playful smile on his face:
“Brother, the court can do this, but I heard that there is a group of pirates off the coast of Silla.
No ships were allowed to enter Silla and Baekje, and the merchants the court was looking for might even have trouble docking.
If things go wrong, even the goods might be intercepted, and the loss would be huge."
(Let me explain the matter of Li Shiji.
Li Shiji, whose original name was Xu Shiji and whose courtesy name was Maogong, was given the surname Li by Emperor Li Yuan and changed his name to Li Shiji.
During the Yonghui period, his name was changed to Li Ji to avoid taboo.
I used to think it was called Li Ji, but later I checked Tongjian and found out that it was not. It was just like the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It was called the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the Zhenguan Dynasty and was later changed to the Ministry of Revenue.
According to the Tongjian, when Li Shimin was dying, he said to Crown Prince Li Zhi:
The emperor said to the crown prince: "Li Shiji has more than enough talent and wisdom, but you have no favor towards him, so I am afraid he will not be able to obey you.")