Zhou Kuan clapped his hands and laughed, his laughter full of pride, as if to say, I never thought you would be here today.
Chen Qing smiled bitterly. Of course he knew that his wife was taking this opportunity to warn him. Limiting extravagance not only requires others, but also requires self-discipline.
Chen Qing had no choice but to take out a small cloth bag from his arms, took out half a copper coin from it, handed it to the soldier and said: "Go to Baoji Cabinet to get two hundred taels of silver. The secret is four and a half!"
"Follow the order!"
The soldiers took the copper coins and left. At this time, the food was brought up first, and the shopkeeper also brought a small pot of wine. Cha Ji filled the wine glasses for them, and the two of them started eating.
After lunch, the waiter put away the tableware and Cha Ji brought them tea. Today is ordering tea. To order tea, grind the tea cakes into powder and then brew it with boiling water. When filling the water, stir it constantly.
Make foam. The richer the foam, the better. It is best if the foam exceeds the tea cup but does not overflow.
During the Song Dynasty, the main purpose of tea fighting was to compete with the patterns formed by bubbles. Top masters could make the bubbles form patterns of flowers, birds, landscapes, etc.
The real process of ordering tea starts with roasting and grinding. After grinding the tea powder many times until the tea powder is as fine as dust, brewing begins. You are also very particular about the water and temperature, so that you can order a cup of good tea with a rich aroma.
Cha Ji skipped the grinding step and started directly with brewing. Although she couldn't order flowers, she was still skillful and ordered two cups of good tea that were full but not overflowing. Then she stood up and left.
After the tea foam subsided, Zhou Kuan picked up the teacup and took a sip carefully, smiling slightly and said: "Although Jingting is already very good, the ripeness and fragrance are still much inferior to Fengcha. If you are used to drinking Fengcha, you can only drink it."
Accept Jingting."
Chen Qing said calmly: "This is how easy it is to go from frugality to luxury, but how difficult it is to go from luxury to frugality. Why is there a hole in the luxury restriction order, which is only implemented in public and does not involve the government? This is the reason. Otherwise, Counselor Zhou will also suffer.
No more deer tongue."
Zhou Kuan's heart trembled, and he explained with a smile: "Your Highness, I no longer eat deer tongue in my humble position."
Chen Qing asked in surprise: "When did you stop eating?"
"It started when I saw the princess asking Your Highness to pay for tea."
Chen Qing laughed, Zhou Kuan was really smart, and he actually saw the princess's good intentions, and disciplined others first.
The two of them took a sip of hot tea, and Zhou Kuan said again: "There is a saying among the officials in Jingzhao that His Highness is now at ease. Has His Highness heard of it?"
Chen Qing was startled, "I have never heard of it, but where does the current comfortable situation come from?"
"Perhaps everyone thinks His Highness should cross the Yellow River."
Chen Qing shook his head, "If I cross the Yellow River, I will definitely win? What if I fail miserably and return home?"
"Does His Highness think he will be defeated?"
Chen Qing pondered for a while and said: "Last year, there were not many Jin soldiers in Hebei. The reason why I delayed fighting was not because I couldn't take them down, but because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hold on. If the Jin soldiers attacked from the north and south, our army would be on Hebei Road.
We are very passive. The reason why we were able to seize the Central Plains was largely due to the contradiction between Wanyanchang and Wanyanwushu. In fact, we basically gnawed all the good bones. The further back we go, the harder it is to gnaw.
The more cautious you must be, the more prepared you must be.”
"I heard from Zhao Kai that His Highness wants to recruit 80,000 troops?"
Chen Qing nodded, "Actually, it's 100,000 people. Xiangyang got 10,000 troops. Zheng Ping trained a militia of 10,000 people in Chengdu. I feel good that it can be converted into a regular army, so I have to recruit another 80,000 troops. I usually feel
We have a large army, but once we go into battle, we will feel that we are stretched thin and have insufficient strength. This experience was particularly profound when we fought in the Central Plains. Otherwise, I would not have sent 100,000 militia groups from all over the country to Guanzhong."
"One hundred thousand troops, one year's military salary and supplies will increase by 500,000 yuan! We have just balanced our expenditures, and we are going to be in deficit again." Zhou Kuan let out a long sigh.
"It doesn't matter. The materials we transport from Fujian Road and other places are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. We can definitely increase the supply of copper coins or silver to make up for the shortfall."
Speaking of this, Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "In the past, I could bear millions of guan, but now I can't bear hundreds of thousands of guan?"
Zhou Kuan laughed, changed the subject and asked, "It's almost November, what are your plans for next year?"
Chen Qing thought for a while and said: "Before next spring, we plan to go to Datong Mansion to inspect the defenses there. There will be a fierce battle next year to capture Haizhou, so that we will have the first seaport and seize Shandong Road.
Wanyan Wushu also realized this, so he invested heavily in defense in Haizhou. The key was that the imperial court deployed another 100,000 troops along the Huaihe River, led by Liu Qi and Wang Jian, both of whom were famous generals.
, it is difficult to deal with, and the situation of seizing Haizhou will be very complicated."
Zhou Kuan pondered for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I would like to give you two suggestions."
"Please say!"
Zhou Kuan's expression became serious and he said slowly: "The first is internal affairs. When the water is clear, there will be no fish. Your Highness's luxury restriction order can be implemented, but it should not be long-term. Although the luxury restriction order takes into account the feelings of the army, it has money."
People's money can no longer be spent. The income of restaurants has decreased, and the income of teahouses has decreased. As the chief steward said just now, it is obviously the best teahouse in Jingzhao, but it has suddenly dropped to the middle level. Obviously, it can be exchanged for Feng tea.
Why not enjoy the wealth of the rich? Luxury restrictions will indeed reduce people's income. I think your Highness, instead of blocking it, would be better off imposing heavy taxes on luxury goods and then legalizing them.
If you want to wear Shu brocade, you can buy it at 50 guans per pound, of which 30 guans are tax. The more you wear, the more taxes the government will collect. If you want to drink Feng tea, go to the official tea shop and buy it, 500 guans per catty.
Among them, four hundred guan is tax. If you want to live in a house with five acres, the price per acre is 20,000 guan. You can live in it if you are not of a higher grade, but you will have to pay a lot of money. In a word, if you want to enjoy luxury, you have to pay heavy taxes. This is Shu, Your Highness.
, it’s better to block it than to open it up!”
Chen Qing nodded, "Counsellor Zhou can write a proposal, discuss it with the Internal Affairs Hall, and then come up with a complete plan for me. If it is feasible, I can put down my dignity and change the blockage to dredging."
"Okay! Let me talk about the second suggestion next!"
.........
When Chen Qing returned to the official office, he was still thinking about Zhou Kuan's two suggestions. In fact, Zhou Kuan's second suggestion had already been arranged, which was to prevent the Jurchen army's winter offensive.
They crossed the Yellow River and plundered food, property and people. On the one hand, they increased their own supplies. On the other hand, they destroyed the social economy of the Central Plains, created refugees, and placed a heavy burden on the Western Army.
Chen Qing also thought of this. His strategy was to reduce the population of the yellow flood area, and then the villagers entered the city to strengthen the city's defense. The second step was to strengthen the walls and clear the country, leaving the golden soldiers with nothing to grab and kill, and then concentrate their forces to eliminate the scattered areas.
The enemy troops do not need special instructions. I believe Zhang Xiao and Yang Zaixing will do a good job.
The key is that Zhou Kuan's first suggestion shocked Chen Qing. It is better to block the luxury goods than to block them. Instead of suppressing luxury goods, it is better to impose heavy taxes on them and take money out of the hands of the rich. On the one hand, it will be sufficient for the finances;
On the one hand, it also allows people to increase their income and expand employment. This is just like riding a sedan chair. If businessmen are prohibited from riding a sedan chair, then the sedan bearers will lose their income and the shops that make sedan chairs will lose their business.
The key here is control. Luxury goods must be controlled by the government and taxed from the source.
Luxury consumption in the Song Dynasty was relatively simple, nothing more than food, clothing, housing and transportation, such as Shu brocade, Su embroidery, and Hu silk. These were the luxuries of clothing.
Then there is the food, such as Feng tea, Kuquan mutton, various delicacies from mountains and seas, precious medicinal materials, etc.
After thinking for a long time, Chen Qing called Wei Ji and told him: "You find ten people working in the government and divide them into five groups. Spend three days to go to various places to understand the public opinion and opinions on the luxury restriction order, mainly from the lower class people. Come back
Report to me later.”
"I understand the humble position!"
Chen Qing called Chao Qing again and said to him: "Go to Zhang Canjun and tell me that the warnings and penalties for violating the luxury limit order are suspended. When will they start to be implemented? Wait for my notification."
.......
Peking University Wazi is crowded with people, and business is particularly booming. The middle-class and lower-class families in Jingzhao City like to visit Wazi, and Chen Qing also likes it. It is very down-to-earth, and things here are cheap, abundant, and close to life.
But he hasn't had the chance to come and go for several months. The key is safety issues. Many times he can't help himself, and the soldiers have the power to restrict his freedom. This is a power specially granted by the Internal Affairs Hall and the princess.
However, sometimes, the soldiers will allow him to go out and walk around. The prerequisite is that he needs to disguise himself. The inner guard has a very good female disguise artist. She can make special human skin masks. Of course, they are not made of human skin. They are attached to the mask.
His face completely changed. Then he added shoulder pads, changed his figure, and put a whistle in his mouth. His speaking tone became deeper and breathier, and his voice also changed.
Of course, his disguise could not be hidden from his wife Lu Xiu. After all, he was too familiar and could be recognized by Lu Xiu with his special feeling. In addition to Lu Xiu, his daughter Chen Bing'er could not hide it from anyone else.
Including Zhao Qiaoyun and Yu Ying, they only feel familiar, but they are not sure yet.
After changing his appearance, several soldiers followed him from a distance, and with the control of dozens of internal guards, Chen Qing was able to come out and walk away.
After getting off the carriage, Chen Qing walked into Beiwazi alone. He wanted to personally experience the impact of the luxury restriction order on the lower class people.
