The Forbidden Army officer who was responsible for guarding the city gate opened the city gate. Not long after, a carriage drove into the city gate and headed north of the city. However, it did not stay outside a mansion in the north of the city for long before it set off to the imperial palace.
city.
It wasn't until the morning session was over that Tang Ji breathed a sigh of relief. It was indeed too late to go back and forth to Jingwang County for a day off. It seemed that he would have to adjust his rest time next time he wanted to go there.
As soon as he walked out of the Golden Palace, Chen Zehan came closer and said with a smile: "I heard that Mr. Tang went to Jingwang County yesterday?"
Tang Ji looked suspicious. His trip this time was relatively urgent and hidden. How did this guy know? He shook his head, nodded and said, "Yes, I went to see the fief and the mansion."
"I really envy Mr. Tang. In less than three months after entering the court, he became a fifth-rank official and became a viscount." Chen Zehan's eyes revealed a look of envy. He realized that he was a little out of sorts. He quickly put his lips to his lips and coughed twice before continuing:
"This time, your Majesty was a little surprised by the new accounting and accounting method you proposed. The Ministry of Accounts has already tried it out, and it is estimated that it will spread around in a short time. This is not a small contribution. I heard that Your Majesty is not very familiar with Arabic numerals.
Satisfied, I seem to hope you can change it to Daning numbers."
Daning numbers?
The corner of Tang Ji's mouth twitched. His history was average, but he also knew that the Arabs had already invented numbers. If he changed it to Daning, wouldn't he become a thief like a certain Xiba? He had to persuade Emperor Ning to give up this idea.
However, now that the methods of auditing and accounting have become advanced, it is time to promote the economy and get rid of the flying money!
Just when Tang Ji was about to reply, a young eunuch came over and said sharply: "Master Tang, your Majesty has invited you."
Hearing this, Tang Ji nodded, said goodbye to Chen Zehan and left with the little eunuch.
Within a moment, he was taken to the imperial study room.
"The humble minister Tang Ji is here to see His Majesty!"
Emperor Ning threw the memorial in his hand on the table and said expressionlessly: "Bold Tang Ji, do you know your guilt?"
Tang Ji raised his head inexplicably. He shouldn't have done anything wrong recently, right?
Although I thought so in my heart, I still answered honestly: "I am guilty and I am willing to be punished."
Emperor Ning did not expect that he would use the phrase "I am guilty and I will be punished" again. He frowned slightly and stared at Tang Ji: "Oh? Then tell me what your crime is?"
But after a while, there was no answer from the other party. He patted Long Ben and said, "Tang Ji, you actually deceived me. Your crime will be increased."
Tang Ji licked his lips. I am afraid that the dog emperor may have been ill today. He knelt down and said softly: "Your Majesty, what crime do you have?"
Emperor Ning snorted coldly, rolled his sleeves and said: "Since you have created a new accounting method, you should first discuss it with Song Kui, submit a memorial to discuss with me, get my approval, and then teach it to the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, but you let this method take the lead in
If the method is wrong, wouldn't it waste the time of the officials of the Ministry of Revenue? If they use the wrong method to check the accounts, can you afford the consequences? You must give me an explanation today, otherwise I will remove your viscount
Got it!"
The corner of Tang Ji's mouth twitched. He really wanted to tell the old guy what Song Kui had scolded him that day. The officials in the Ministry of Revenue were not stupid. How could they not know if there were any errors in the accounting methods?
Besides, he has only been a Viscount for a few days. He has been granted the title and withdrawn at the request of others. It is because of this kind of thing. Looking at it from another angle, he has clearly made a meritorious service. If word gets out, I don’t know how many people will laugh at this.
Emperor Ning Guo was fatuous and incompetent... Thinking of this, he suddenly realized something and his eyes widened.
This dog emperor probably thinks that he has made too many merits, is afraid that he will be promoted to earl before next year, and does not want to pay for the boasted Haikou, so he deliberately makes things difficult for him here.
What a person with three hundred ideas!
Tang Ji blinked, put away his thoughts, and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty, although the new accounting method was proposed by a humble minister, it was only through the joint efforts of all the adults in the Ministry of Accounts that the best plan was revised. After that, I also
I submitted the summarized new law to Song Shangshu as soon as possible, and I hope that His Majesty will learn from it!"
Emperor Ning's eyes narrowed slightly. This brat was quite smart. Knowing that he was targeting him, he directly dragged the entire household department into his arms. He coughed lightly and continued: "That's not in line with the rules!"
Tang Ji raised his brows slightly and replied softly: "Your Majesty, as ministers, we will naturally not regard the method of checking and keeping accounts as child's play. The new method has been tested several times, and even several bachelors who are proficient in arithmetic were invited to supervise it.
, make sure it is correct before submitting it to you, this will also save your Majesty's time. Your Majesty is busy with everything, and now it seems that the humble minister has not considered it and is willing to be punished!"
If I can't get the Hu Bu to do it, I'll just get you!
Sure enough, after hearing what he said, Ning Huang sat there blankly, glanced at him, and waved his hand impatiently: "Forget it, forget it, you brat, get up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tang Ji stood up slowly, not forgetting to tap his knees twice.
Emperor Ning stared at him and asked, "How did you come up with this new accounting method?"
Tang Ji stood upright and pursed his lips. Didn't Song Kui ask this question before? Why didn't he tell it to the Dog Emperor? He sighed and told it again.
After hearing this, Emperor Ning did not have any doubts. After all, he had already known that Tang Ji was proficient in arithmetic, and continued: "Then the Arabic numerals were also created by you? It sounds too convoluted, so change it to Daning numerals!"
"Your Majesty, you must not do it." Tang Ji suddenly objected with a nervous look on his face.
Emperor Ning looked puzzled: "Why?"
Tang Jigong raised his hands and said: "To be honest, I did not create these Arabic numerals. I just remember that it was a night with few stars, and a full moon hung in the sky. I was sitting in the small courtyard of the village enjoying the cool air. Suddenly,
Suddenly, the moonlight turned red, and a long-haired old man in white clothes appeared in front of me. He looked at each other closely, and I passed out. When I woke up again, I had these Arabic numerals in my mind. I felt
This is both a good omen and a bad omen. The good thing is that using numbers can speed up arithmetic, but the bad thing is that I don’t know where the numbers come from. Therefore, after so many years, I have not dared to change the name for Arabic numerals!"
Emperor Ning was stunned for a moment after hearing this. His eyes narrowed and he stared at Tang Ji. The entire palace fell into silence.
After a moment, he waved his hand with some displeasure and said: "Okay, please step back first!"
But Tang Ji made no move. Instead, he raised his hand and continued: "Your Majesty, I still have something to report."
"Oh?" Ning Huang wanted to pick up the memorial again, but after hearing his words, he raised his head again: "Say it!"
Tang Ji swallowed a mouthful of saliva, organized his words, and said: "Your Majesty, according to my observation, the growth rate of our Ningguo's commercial taxes in the past three years has been getting slower and slower, and it seems a little weak. I also summarized a few things.
The reason is, first of all, the uneven development of commerce. In comparison, commerce in the central and northern parts of Ning State is more developed, while the south of Qingzhou is a little behind. Secondly, there are also the interferences from the northern wars in previous years, the current northwest banditry and other factors. Of course, there are also
It’s a matter of tax inspection and tax collection in various places.”
Emperor Ning listened to him quietly and continued: "Yes, I have thought about it before, so I have always been relaxed about the business strategy in the south, but many people don't even have enough to eat, let alone
Now that you are engaged in business, your new agricultural policy should be improved once it spreads widely. As for the banditry in the northwest, I have sent Star Guard soldiers to suppress it. The local taxation department also sends officials from the Ministry of Households to inspect every year. There are too many political affairs that I have to deal with.
There are too many, and some places really cannot be taken into account, so what do you want to say?"
Tang Ji licked his lips and continued: "In addition to the above reasons, I also found that transactions and communication between businessmen today are still too slow."
"What do you mean?" Emperor Ning became interested and asked anxiously.
Tang Ji explained: "For example, if a businessman goes from Huaizhou to Kyoto to do business, he has to carry ten thousand taels of silver. The silver is heavy and cumbersome to carry, and safety cannot be guaranteed on the road. This is why banditry has occurred frequently in various places in recent years.
One of the reasons is, but what if we could make money fly and reach Kyoto in the blink of an eye?"
Let? Let the money fly?
Even Bai Chang, who was dozing off against the pillar, became energetic and stared at Tang Ji. Do you want to listen to what you are saying?
Emperor Ning touched his chin and asked calmly: "Silver is a dead thing, how can it fly?"
"Your Majesty also said that silver is a dead thing. It can only lie there in bulk, but as long as it 'fly', it will be extremely convenient. In this regard, I call this method 'flying money'. It is actually an exchange system.
, the same example just mentioned, a businessman handed over the money to an organization or merchant in Huaizhou for management, traveled around lightly, and took the coupons to the same organization or merchant in Kyoto to withdraw money. This method of exchange reduces the cost of copper coins on the one hand.
demand, alleviating the shortage of coins, and at the same time, it also alleviates the inconvenience of carrying large amounts of coins when merchants travel to various places for trade activities." Tang Ji explained patiently.
Emperor Ning listened carefully to what he said, and after thinking for a while, he continued: "Then who is willing to be this organization and merchant?"
Tang Ji raised his lips slightly and explained: "It can be government-run or private. As long as it can charge a small amount of fees, it will be profitable for the court and individuals."
Hearing this, Ning Huang tapped the table and soon fell into deep thought.
After a long time, he came back to his senses: "Although there were many factors obstructing it, it still couldn't stop the rapid development of Ningguo's business. The national treasury was replenished, which also prevented Beichu and the ambitious Jiangguo from invading. This was the bottleneck of business.
It is indeed gradually revealed. This time I can no longer guard agriculture and wait until problems are discovered before trying to solve them. Tang Ji, you raised this point well. Since I have an idea, I will leave this matter to you.
Done."
Tang Ji raised the corners of his mouth slightly, cupped his hands and said, "I obey your decree!"
Soon, Tang Ji left the imperial study room.
Emperor Ning stared at the door and murmured: "I don't know what bad idea this brat is planning again!"
Bai Chang sneered: "As long as Mr. Tang thinks about Ning Guo, that's fine."
"Yes, that kid has a lot of ideas, but the key points are all useful." Emperor Ning sighed, shook his head, and then asked: "Is the white-haired old man under the red moon he said true?"
Bai Chang shook his head: "The rivers and lakes are so big that there are everyone there, even this old slave doesn't know."
"Oh, what a brat!"
On the other side, Tang Jigang just walked out of the imperial study, grinning almost to the back of his ears, clenching his hands into fists, and murmuring: "Yang family, prepare to receive grandpa's gift!"