Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 265 The Way of Officials and Merchants
This is truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple.

Wang Shouyi, this wealthy man, owns land and property everywhere he goes, it's true!

However, he was quickly manipulated by Wang Maozhong.

Even if it did cause a flood, let alone prevent it from causing a disaster, it would be a drop in the ocean for Wang Shouyi.

He could still distinguish between what was important and what was not.

Wang Maozhong quickly followed Cui Shendao's advice and began arranging for the suspension of those corvée labor services.

However, no matter how ruthless or clever Cui Shendao was, he would never have imagined that someone was actually plotting something in secret.

Given the nature of those powerful and influential people, it's perfectly normal for them to cause trouble.

However, he overlooked one point: the powerful and wealthy do not necessarily have to block the river when they cause trouble.

Zhang Mansion.

"My husband is back."

Madam Zhang, née Yuan, arrived at the door and gave a graceful bow.

Zhang also bowed slightly.

As husband and wife, they should treat each other with respect.

After entering the hall and sitting down, Zhang suddenly looked around and asked, "Where are the children?"

In families with strict upbringing, children are expected to greet their elders at the door when they return home. This is practically impossible in a family like the Wangs'.

Madam Yuan said, "It was I who let them rest in the room."

Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then asked with a serious expression, "What is it?"

Madam Yuan said, "Have you heard that someone in Luoyang is blocking the river and causing trouble?"

Zhang nodded and said, "I've heard about it. It seems to be because of the silt. It was all Wang Maozhong's doing. He has already gone to Luoyang to deal with it."

After saying that, he asked curiously, "But why is Madam so concerned about this matter?"

Madam Yuan said, “I have heard rumors that if this is not handled properly, it could affect the entry of grain from Jiangnan into the pass, since that is right on the grain route, and there are even signs that grain prices may rise.”

Zhang Shuo sighed, "That was also the trouble caused by Wang Maozhong. I tried to advise him, but His Majesty trusted him too much."

In fact, most people actually hope that Wang Maozhong will handle the situation poorly.

Yuan said, "But Wang Maozhong is only the Minister of Works. If there is a real shortage of grain in Guanzhong, then as the Grand Secretary, you will also be held responsible."

Zhang said he didn't think so, but he also sensed the hidden meaning in his wife's words, so he said, "Madam, please speak frankly."

Yuan said, "I have heard about Wang Maozhong's suggestion. In fact, he is right. As long as we can increase the grain supply in Guanzhong, we can reduce the country's expenditure and ease the burden on the people. Even if it costs a lot, it is worth it. But he overlooked one point."

Zhang asked, "Which point?"

"It's the consumption of food."

Yuan said, "Nowadays, more and more people are using grain to brew wine. Even if grain production increases, it doesn't really mean much if all the surplus is used for brewing wine."

If we want to ensure a sufficient grain supply in Guanzhong, we must strictly prohibit the brewing of grain.

"What you say makes sense."

Zhang nodded and said, "But nowadays there are many people who love wine, and the common people also brew wine with their own grain. It is not easy to prohibit this, and I am not entirely confident. If we cannot prohibit it, it is better not to prohibit it. Otherwise, it will only be a loss and may even affect the authority of the Secretariat."

He has very strong administrative abilities, but he can hardly enforce a ban on alcohol. If he can't enforce a ban, the consequences will only be worse.

The person in charge of the Secretariat certainly cannot act on a whim.

Yuan said, "But in the past, when there was a blockage in the river or a natural disaster, the court would often strictly prohibit alcohol in Guanzhong."

Zhang said, "That's only temporary; it won't last."

Yuan said, "It will only take a short time. Recently, Beauty Wine has become very popular. Even if the court strictly prohibits alcohol, there will be no shortage of alcohol in the Guanzhong region. At that time, Beauty Wine will gradually replace grain-based brewing."

Zhang glanced at his wife and asked with a smile, "Have your family members come to visit, Madam?"

Yuan nodded.

Zhang pondered for a moment, then asked, "Can they do it?"

Yuan said, "It will definitely work."

Zhang nodded.

The Zichen Palace was exceptionally lively today.

The purpose, of course, is the Luoyang waterway issue.

Because those blocking the river in Luoyang are not ordinary people, but all members of Luoyang's powerful and wealthy class. Their disturbance must have been coordinated by both inside and outside forces.

There's no point in making a scene without the court knowing. The point is to put pressure on the court, especially since many of their relatives hold official positions there.

Even setting that aside, any incident involving Wang Maozhong would inevitably trigger a barrage of impeachments. This is because Wang Maozhong is difficult to win over; he belongs neither to the traditional elite class nor is he a Confucian scholar. Crucially, he is also extremely arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

Simply put, it means they have low emotional intelligence.

But at the same time, he is resourceful and capable, and such a person is not very popular no matter where he is.

This is a rare occurrence, how could the court officials let him off the hook?

Inside the main hall, everyone had an expression that said, "I knew something bad would happen. Look, this is what happened. I told you we shouldn't have used Wang Maozhong."

Li Longji, of course, was protective of his own. After they finished speaking, he asked, "What wrong has Wang Maozhong done?"

Then Pan Haoli stepped forward and said, "The silt from the river has always been used by the people on both sides of the river. But now it is being given to merchants for free, and those merchants are all officials of the Ministry of Works. Isn't this tantamount to private dealing? It is hard to convince the public."

Li Longji frowned and reprimanded, "Who said it was free? Didn't those merchants also provide corvée labor and rations? Which of those landowners ever performed corvée labor? And who stipulated that the silt in the riverbed belonged to the surrounding farmland?"

Moreover, according to the Ministry of Works' investigation, the river was frequently blocked, and the landowners on both sides of the river were one of the main culprits. They would throw useless things such as sand and gravel directly into the river, and in order to expand their land, they cut down trees on both sides of the river, which led to the river breaching its banks.

I didn't even go to settle accounts with them, yet they still started making a scene. If everyone feels this is unfair, then I'll have Yuwen Rong and his men investigate and see what really happened.

The hall immediately fell silent.

Li Longji continued, “There are so many important national affairs that have not yet been resolved. Don’t just listen to rumors and bring every little thing here to talk. If that’s the case, then you shouldn’t come here anymore. I can talk to the prime minister myself.”

This is already a very strong tone.

Han Xiu suddenly stood up and said, “Your Majesty, this is no small matter, as it will affect the grain supply route. Any matter concerning the grain supply route should be handled with caution. As the Minister of Works, Wang Maozhong should take these issues into consideration and handle them properly.”

Although the silt didn't belong to anyone, it had always been used by the landowners along the riverbanks. It's understandable that they were upset that it was suddenly taken away. Now that things have escalated to this point, Wang Maozhong, as the Minister of Works, is undeniably responsible.

Li Longji's temper flared up as well, and he said, "Have you never encountered troublemakers before? You've already dealt with it. Wang Maozhong has already gone to handle it. What more do you want?"

Han Xiu said, "What if we don't handle it well?"

"Yes!"

Li Longji almost fell for it and immediately changed his tune, saying, "I believe he can handle it well."

He couldn't risk losing Wang Maozhong's position as Minister over such a trivial matter.

At this moment, Zhang Shuo suddenly stepped forward and said, "This was my improper handling, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Li Longji hesitated for a moment before saying, "This matter has nothing to do with Minister Zhang."

But in reality, he was implying to Zhang that this was his fault, and if such a thing could be brought to my attention, what use would I have for him as prime minister?

Zhang said again, "But what Vice Minister Han said makes sense. Although this matter is small, it does affect the grain supply route and has already affected the grain price in Guanzhong. If something goes wrong and causes a grain shortage in Guanzhong, the problem could be big or small."

Li Longji said somewhat nervously, "It can't be that serious, can it?"

Zhang said, "But the imperial court must make thorough preparations."

Li Longji then asked, "What suggestions does the Grand Secretary have?"

Zhang said, "In fact, Wang Maozhong's suggestion has merit. If Guanzhong increases production by one dou, the country may spend one shi less, and at the same time, the burden on the people will be reduced."

However, fertilizer alone can only increase yields limited results. To achieve immediate effects, we should conserve grain. As far as I know, the number of wine shops in the Guanzhong region has tripled since the Yonghui era, resulting in a large amount of grain being used for brewing.

Without restrictions, no matter how much the yield per mu is increased, it will be difficult to reverse the grain shortage in Guanzhong. Although the imperial court has long had explicit prohibitions, they have not been effective. Therefore, I suggest that we increase the wine tax to restrict the people of Guanzhong from brewing wine with grain.”

Li Longji's eyes lit up.

Han Xiu said, "This move is absolutely unacceptable and will cause great chaos. Ordinary people often brew wine privately. If we increase the wine tax, it will be competing with the people for profit. This not only violates benevolent governance but also goes against Taoist thought."

Many ministers also stood up and strongly opposed it.

In today's environment, with so many people who enjoy drinking, this sudden turn of events could cause a huge mess.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty was actually very lenient with taxes in the early period. Not to mention wine tax, even tea tax and salt tax were not levied.

Tax increases are unpopular.

Zhang said, "Please do not worry, everyone. I am only referring to increasing taxes on brewing wine from grain. However, there will be no tax on brewing wine from other raw materials, such as grapes and pomegranates, and this will only apply to the Guanzhong region. This is to reduce the burden on the country and the people."

Furthermore, levying a liquor tax is a more moderate approach than a direct ban. The purpose isn't the tax revenue itself, but rather to encourage the use of fruit to brew liquor, rather than grain.

His wife suggested that he take advantage of this momentum to strengthen the prohibition on alcohol, but he believed that the prohibition involved criminal penalties, leaving too little room for maneuver. Moreover, the court was easily shaken, which would affect the authority of the Grand Secretary. Therefore, he thought that changing the alcohol tax would benefit the court and could be maintained in the long term.

Yuan Qianyao couldn't help but question, "Won't this lead many people to convert farmland into orchards?"

Zhang Shuo looked at Yu Qin, who was standing to the side.

Yu Qin immediately stepped forward and said, "The Ministry of Works is currently working on river management and water conservancy projects. They have also discovered that many fertile fields have been destroyed and turned into barren land because of the people's indiscriminate logging. In fact, converting some fields to fruit trees would benefit the water conservancy of the entire Guanzhong region and increase grain production. The Ministry of Works is also planning this."

Li Longji nodded and said, "This is a good idea. The Secretariat will be in charge of this matter."

Zhang said, "Your subject obeys."

(End of this chapter)