Duke of Zhenguan

Lin Chuan pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that in addition to what you gentlemen have suggested, we should also mobilize merchants in Chang'an to sell grain to the disaster areas on a large scale, and even mobilize merchants in the Jiangnan region to transport grain to the disaster areas to sell!"

"Boy, it's easy for you to say. There's not even enough grain in Chang'an, so where would we get so much grain to transport out? As for Jiangnan, do you know how much it would cost to transport grain from Jiangnan to Guanzhong? And how much would that grain sell for?" Cheng Yaojin asked irritably.

"I really don't know the cost of transporting grain from Jiangnan to Guanzhong, but I think the most important thing is to get the grain to Guanzhong. Even if the cost is high, it's better than having no grain at all!" Lin Chuan said.

"But if the court allows merchants to drive up grain prices, the price of grain will only get higher and higher. How can we prevent merchants from driving up grain prices? If there is no profit for merchants, they will naturally not transport grain to sell. What is the solution?" Dai Zhou cupped his hands towards Lin Chuan and asked.

"Minister Dai, I believe that what the court should guard against is the hoarding of grain by local powerful clans, who only take in and don't give out. After all, their goal has never been grain or money; their goal is the land in the hands of the people!"

As for the merchants, they are driven by profit. As long as there is enough grain, the price will naturally decrease. Conversely, if there is a shortage of grain, the price will naturally increase. I believe that the court should only exercise appropriate restraint and not impose forceful orders!

"Not only should we not force them, but we can also appropriately reduce or exempt commercial taxes to encourage merchants to transport grain into Guanzhong!" Lin Chuan replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties, powerful clans have been rooted in the local areas, and the fact that imperial power did not extend to the countryside is a true reflection of the Tang Dynasty.

Apart from the vicinity of Chang'an, the imperial court's rule basically only extended to the county level. Further down the line, the cooperation of local powerful families was required.

When powerful clans developed to the point of having five prominent families and seven prestigious clans, their prestige in the local area was even higher than that in the imperial court.

The reasons are not complicated: besides the intricate intermarriages between the families, they also control most of the local land.

Even if the imperial court knew the reason, there was no good solution.

What Lin Chuan said was unknown to Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, and others.

Of course not. Yang Guang thought he was invincible and didn't care about powerful families or ordinary people, which is why he ultimately met his tragic end in Jiangdu.

The instigators were these powerful and influential families.

However, because their current power comes from Li Shimin, not from land, they naturally stand on the opposite side from the powerful local families.

But Li Shimin has just ascended the throne, and the court is not yet in order, so he has no way to deal with the powerful clans.

Therefore, they could only tacitly avoid mentioning it.

But Lin Chuan deliberately broke through this barrier, and very directly, without any intention of hiding anything.

As for the solution Lin Chuan mentioned, everyone in the room quickly grasped the key point.

This seems feasible?

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then asked Lin Chuan in a deep voice:

"So how do we get the merchants involved?"

"Your Majesty, I haven't decided yet..." Lin Chuan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Seeing this, Li Shimin smiled and said:

"Speak, and I will grant you immunity!"

"Your Majesty, I believe that as long as there is profit to be made, merchants will certainly be willing, they just have some concerns. I think Your Majesty and all your uncles might as well become merchants for once..." Lin Chuan awkwardly cupped his hands towards Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, Lin Yuanwailang's words are brilliant! Brilliant indeed!" Fang Xuanling clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

Now that the imperial court doesn't want to break ties with the powerful clans, those powerful clans do.

They certainly didn't want to, after all, Li Shimin still had hundreds of thousands of elite troops under his command, and they were afraid that Li Shimin's sword would fall on them.

If the nobles of Chang'an really meet the same fate as Lin Chuan predicted, using commercial means to transport grain from Jiangnan and other places to the disaster area, the local powerful families will either have to watch their stockpiled grain rot in the warehouse or sell it at high prices.

There was no third option. If they dared to resort to underhanded tactics, not to mention Li Shimin, even the nobles in Chang'an were afraid they wouldn't dare.

This was naturally a good thing for the nobles of Chang'an. Although these powerful and wealthy people were also large landowners, they had a large number of people to support at home, and their expenses were naturally not small. Their land was not enough, and they all had businesses at home, but they just couldn't make them public.

Not only can you make money openly and honestly, but you're also doing things that benefit the imperial court. Where else can you find such a good deal?

Li Shimin naturally understood the crux of the matter, and after pondering for a moment, he smiled and said:

"Lin Chuan's words do make some sense, but this matter needs further discussion!"

This meant they agreed. The next discussion would naturally involve things like profit sharing. Everyone in the room understood and tacitly stopped bringing up the topic.

Cheng Yaojin cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Shimin and said with a smile:

"Your Majesty, why not take a rest for now? I had two sheep bought yesterday..."

"Okay, let's take a break!"

"Your Majesty, we have the meat, but Yuchi Laohei drank all the wine last night..." Cheng Yaojin looked at Li Shimin with an embarrassed expression.

"You murderous scoundrel! So you were after my wine all along!"

Li Shimin, both amused and exasperated, pointed at Cheng Yaojin and speechlessly called out to Zhang Anan outside the door:

"Have someone go to the palace and fetch some wine!"

They stopped talking about business and left the room in twos and threes.

After being kicked by Cheng Yaojin, Lin Chuan followed Cheng Yaojin out of the house.

Arriving in the front garden, Cheng Yaojin looked Lin Chuan up and down a few times and sighed:

"I never knew you were so talented!"

"Uncle Cheng, why did His Majesty suddenly come?" Lin Chuan asked speechlessly.

"This morning's court assembly happened to be discussing the Turkic invasion of the border. His Majesty was so annoyed by the noise that he had a headache. Fortunately, Brother Qin said a few words on your behalf, so His Majesty came over!"

"I probably just came out for a stroll to relax, but I didn't expect you to be so bold and capable!" Cheng Yaojin said with a smile.

"If it weren't for Uncle Cheng protecting me, I wouldn't dare to talk nonsense!" Lin Chuan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Cheng Yaojin.

"Heh, now you know how to flatter me? Why didn't you listen when I told you not to talk nonsense?" Cheng Yaojin said irritably.

"Didn't Uncle Cheng mean that I should speak my mind?" Lin Chuan asked in surprise.

"Speak your mind, kid. Do you think His Majesty has a good temper?" Cheng Yaojin asked with a sneer.

"It's actually not bad..." Lin Chuan nodded awkwardly.

"You stumbled upon this by accident, kid. Never mind, let's not talk about that anymore. I have something else I want to ask you!" Cheng Yaojin waved his hand and said in a deep voice.

"Uncle Cheng, please speak!" Lin Chuan cupped his hands in greeting.

"You're really good at medicine, kid?" Cheng Yaojin asked.

"No way..." Lin Chuan shook his head blankly.

"Isn't wilderness first aid medical skill?" Cheng Yaojin was speechless.

"Wilderness first aid? Uncle Cheng, how did you know that?" Lin Chuan asked.

"What do you think?" Cheng Yaojin glanced at Lin Chuan with annoyance.

"Did I say that last night?"

Lin Chuan asked awkwardly, and seeing Cheng Yaojin's increasingly grim expression, he could only whisper:

"Uncle Cheng, I really don't know any medicine, but I do know a little about first aid for external injuries..."

"I don't care whether you have medical skills or not, but you said last night that you could heal Brother Qin's injury. Does that count?" Cheng Yaojin asked in a deep voice.

"It counts!"