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“Yes, Your Highness.”
Pang Yukun’s expression was solemn.
As Chief Grand Councillor, his primary task was to find money for the government coffers.
Now, if there was anywhere that needed money, Xiao Ming would immediately come to him. Precisely because of this, he constantly remembered the time for agricultural tax restoration, and Xiao Ming’s mention of official affairs was not without purpose.
In fact, Great Yu Empire’s taxation was quite chaotic, and three years ago, the collection of agricultural taxes by local government offices throughout the fief was also fraught with irregularities. Some bold officials even overcharged, stirring up public outrage.
This time, with the restoration of agricultural tax, he, like Xiao Ming, was worried about opportunistic corruption and malpractice. After all, this agricultural tax was submitted to the local government offices, and based on his years of experience in officialdom, there would certainly be officials who would manipulate the issue of “spoilage.”
In Great Yu Empire, this “spoilage” had always been extremely prevalent. Simply put, when the common people delivered grain, a dou (a unit of measure) would be used for weighing. During weighing, it was inevitable that some grain would spill onto the ground. The government office would not allow the common people to pick this grain back up, and it was thus called “spoilage.”
Even more so, some officials would intentionally kick the dou, causing grain to fall to the ground. This meant the common people had to make up the missing weight, effectively forcing them to pay more grain.
And these “spoilages” would become the officials’ own personal gains.
Xiao Ming’s mention of this now was also to remind him that the ills of Great Yu Empire’s officialdom could not be replayed in the fief’s officialdom, otherwise what would be the difference with Great Yu Empire’s corrupt officialdom?
Having agreed to the matter, Pang Yukun prepared to leave. At this time, Li Kaiyuan arrived at the government office under the guidance of a servant.
Seeing Pang Yukun, Li Kaiyuan said, “Chief Grand Councillor Pang, I was just looking for you. Can the raw silk, porcelain, and tea sent from Pengzhou this time be handed over to the Chamber of Commerce? I am about to do business with the Dutch and am in urgent need of these goods.”
“I can give them to you, but you must convert them into silver and deposit them into the treasury.” Pang Yukun’s facial muscles twitched, looking pained.
“Hahahaha, Chief Grand Councillor Pang, rest assured, that’s for sure. No matter how much silver I earn, won’t I ultimately hand it over to you, Your Excellency?” Li Kaiyuan said with a grin.
Pang Yukun shook his head. This Li Kaiyuan was always glib. He said, “I will arrange this matter as soon as I go back.”
Li Kaiyuan cupped his hands upon hearing this.
Pang Yukun turned and left. At this point, Li Kaiyuan turned to Xiao Ming and said, “Your Highness, the Dutch merchant ships have arrived at Dengzhou port. The envoy sent by the Dutch told me that this transaction will only use silver. I am undecided and have come specifically to ask Your Highness.”
“You tell the Dutch that we only need half in silver; for the remaining half, have them exchange it for goods.”
For Xiao Ming, actual goods were now more practical than silver, but with the prosperity of commerce in his fief, hard currency like silver could not be lacking. Therefore, after weighing the options, he opted for half of each.
“Then what goods does Your Highness need?” Li Kaiyuan asked.
“Saltpeter, sulfur, iron ore. Exchange the rest of the silver for these,” Xiao Ming said. These were the strategic materials he needed most now.
Li Kaiyuan nodded and continued to Xiao Ming, “Your Highness, besides that, I plan to dispatch merchant ships to Chu territory to sell Qingzhou’s goods there. This time, in addition to the usual goods, white sugar and pendulum clocks have been added.”
“Oh, are pendulum clocks also going to be sold?” Xiao Ming asked.
“Yes, Your Highness. The clock workshop has now produced one hundred pendulum clocks. Merchants in Chu territory greatly fancy these goods and have requested us to transport them to Chu territory. The silver will be paid.”
Xiao Ming asked, “How much silver did you sell each of these pendulum clocks for?”
Sighing, Li Kaiyuan said, “If it were before, I could certainly have sold them for fifty thousand taels each. But now, with the world in turmoil, these pendulum clocks, no matter how exquisitely crafted, cannot fetch that much silver. I have only sold them for thirty thousand taels each.”
“That’s already good. Since that’s the case, sell more in volume, that way you can also earn more silver,” Xiao Ming said.
Li Kaiyuan nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. This time, all one hundred units have buyers. Chu territory accounts for half the volume, and the rest have been bought by local Qingzhou residents.”
“Since when did Qingzhou have so many wealthy people?” Xiao Ming asked in confusion.
“Your Highness, that’s not surprising. Firstly, most of the nobles from Chang’an have fled to Qingzhou. Secondly, merchants from various parts of Great Yu Empire have settled in Qingzhou these days, so naturally, there are suddenly more people with spare silver.” Li Kaiyuan said with a smile, “It’s just that Wei Family Restaurant is now packed every day, and the number of merchants joining the Chamber of Commerce has increased several times compared to before.”
The situation described by Li Kaiyuan greatly pleased Xiao Ming. Now that Great Yu Empire was in chaos, merchants all wanted to find a stable place to settle down. Without a doubt, Qingzhou was currently the place they most yearned for.
Precisely for this reason, merchants flocked there in large numbers, and due to Qingzhou’s comfortable living environment and prosperous trade, some nobles were also eager to come.
The arrival of these people naturally also brought a large amount of wealth, but now this wealth was in their hands. He had to think of a way to make these people spend heavily in Qingzhou.
Thinking of this, countless modern money-making methods immediately appeared in Xiao Ming’s mind. In fact, these people settling in Qingzhou was similar to wealthy people immigrating in the contemporary era.
In contemporary times, every country liked wealthy people to settle in their country because it meant the arrival of wealth. Now, he naturally could not waste this opportunity.
“Hmm, that’s excellent. Since that’s the case, the Chamber of Commerce should quickly absorb new members during this period. Additionally, we should produce more luxury goods to sell to them.” Xiao Ming said with a sly smile.
“Your Highness, this is my forte!” Li Kaiyuan said happily.
The two chatted for a while longer, then Li Kaiyuan departed.
This time, Li Kaiyuan’s main reason for seeking him out was still the trade with the Dutch. The subsequent matters were merely incidental, as the maritime trade with the Dutch was the priority.
And just as he thought, the main goods the Dutch now wanted were raw silk, porcelain, and tea. All three were in short supply in Qingzhou, but Wei territory had abundant production of these items.
Thinking of this, his determination to take Wei’s territory strengthened. Once Wei’s territory was taken, the fief’s financial resources would stabilize, which would provide a solid foundation for him to seize the northern lands.
The Prince of Zhao’s current single-mindedness in taking Shu’s territory was also for the same reason: both wanted a stable grain supply area.
These past few years, the North had become increasingly cold and bitter, and grain was becoming scarcer. Although they didn’t understand what the Little Ice Age was, they were well aware of the actual grain output.
In Xiao Ming’s opinion, the Prince of Zhao’s decision to act at this time must have also been due to sensing this.