What was that?
So that the Great Tang Imperial Court would never be short of money?
This…let's come back and talk about how to make the Great Tang last for generations, alright?
The imperial court was never short of money, so there was no need to levy exorbitant taxes on the people. Naturally, it could last for thousands of years.
However, was this possible?
This matter was far more difficult than the Great Tang's ten thousand years!
In every dynasty, the imperial court had never lacked money!
Otherwise, which emperor would not want to leave his name in history and surpass Yao and Shun? Wouldn't it be fine to just govern the country according to the description of the Great Harmony Era?
The old have support, the young have education, the poor have support, the difficult have help, the widowed, the lonely, the disabled and the sick have support.
This was something that could be solved with money!
However, wasn't this a lack of money?
Now, not to mention the ministers present, even Li Er, who had high hopes for his son, showed a strong suspicion on his face.
Zhangsun Wuji heaved a sigh of relief and said in a strange tone,"Oh? Did the King of Yan have a way to ensure that the Great Tang never lacked money? I, Zhangsun Wuji, have been conferred the title of Duke of Qi and am the head of the prime minister of the current dynasty, but I can't make the imperial court not lack money. I'm really ashamed, so I want to ask you for advice.”
So this sly old man who has been looking for trouble with me is Zhangsun Wuji!
Zhangsun Wuji is deliberately suppressing me for his own nephews, Li Chengqian and Li Tai, right?
Alright, since you, this old cunning fellow, provoked this king without opening your eyes. Today, I'll let you see what it means to have foresight that is more than a thousand years ahead!
Thinking of this, Li You nodded slightly and said,"Alright, this king will teach you. However, you are a generation older than this king, so there is no need for you to take me as your master.”
Master?
Worship your head!
Who said I want to take you as my master?
Zhangsun Wuji was so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood. He gritted his teeth and said,"Tell me!"
"Actually, my inspiration for this matter came from the inn." Did the Duke of Qi know how Di Dian got rich?”
"It depends on the value of the residence, which is the rent of the warehouse.”
Li Erfeng appointed Zhangsun Wuji as the head of the prime minister not only because he was his brother-in-law.
In terms of governing the country, Zhangsun Wuji was definitely in the top three. He had a basic understanding of all kinds of businesses in the world.
Zhangsun Wuji said,"The merchant will store the goods in the inn and hand them over to the owner of the inn." The owner of the inn received the value of the house and acted as a middleman for the merchants to sell the goods or buy more goods. What did this have to do with the Great Tang never lacking money?”
"Of course it's related. Recently, this king had an idea. How about exchanging goods for money? This king calls this store a bank. Merchants would deposit their money in the bank, and the bank would then "sell" the money to those who needed it, making a huge profit.”
" Nonsense, money is already money, how can you 'sell' it…Uh…"
As soon as he said that, Zhangsun Wuji realized that something was wrong.
He suddenly remembered that money could be sold!
Usury is it!
According to the morals of this era, as long as the interest did not exceed the principal, it was not considered black-hearted.
In fact, the imperial court itself was now engaged in the business of usury, known as the "capital of the government."
For every fifty strings of capital, there would be forty-eight strings of interest.
The imperial court of the Great Tang was on the verge of 'immorality', frantically testing the waters!
Li Er's Dream of a Wise Ruler was in jeopardy
It couldn't be helped. The Great Tang Imperial Court was in dire need of money. He knew that this was a wicked thing to do, but he still had to do it.
Zhangsun Wuji quickly changed his words and said,"Even so." Why didn't others lend money to themselves, but instead lent money to the imperial court? Moreover, where did so many people borrow money from? What if the forced distribution caused the people to be resentful?”
In reality, the capital of the government was already being used as a form of distribution, forcing many people to lose their wives and children. Zhangsun Wuji was very clear about the drawbacks of this matter.
"Duke Qi, these two questions are actually the same question. The key to this matter was the interest. The imperial court had opened a " bank ", and the commoners could deposit their money in the bank and get a five-percent interest every year. Why didn't they save it? If someone borrowed money from the bank and the imperial court took 10% interest every year, how many people would borrow money?”
"Only ten percent? This…This was a benevolent government that had never been seen in history! I have the heart to borrow some money from the bank to repair my old house.”
The other prime minister, Duke Lai Du Ruhui, was thinking very quickly. As soon as Li You finished speaking, he had already considered the feasibility of this matter and firmly took Li You's side.
Du Ruhui understood that ordinary commoners wouldn't dare to lend money. This was because there was no guarantee that he could get back the money he had given out.
However, what if the target of the loan was the imperial court?
As long as the Imperial Court promised that the money lent to the Imperial Court could be used to offset taxes, what did the commoners not dare to do?
An annual interest of five percent was indeed not much.
However, wasn't this much better than leaving the money at home? If he stayed at home, not only would he not have any interest, but he might also be robbed or suffer from fire and water disasters!
Du Ruhui even suspected that even if he didn't give interest to the commoners and instead charged 5% interest, there would be a large number of people who would deposit their money into the government's bank.
If the commoners borrowed money from the bank, the meaning of 10% interest on the loan could not be overstated!
The usurer hated the ghost, but the low-interest loan was like a Buddha for thousands of families. "The commoners need a lot of money for their weddings and funerals, so it's easy for them to not have enough money. During times of famine, some commoners had no choice but to borrow from usury. Countless people were trapped by loan sharks for the rest of their lives. If he had a loan of 10% interest, he wouldn't have to do this! Just this alone could be called a benevolent government that had never been seen in history!”
The Minister of Personnel, Gao Shilian, also said excitedly,""Merchants are the ones who need this kind of low-interest loans the most. There were many businesses that wouldn't be profitable if they borrowed from usury, but if they only needed 10% interest, they would make a lot of money. In the long run, our Great Tang will prosper far more than before.”
The Imperial Censor and the Secretary of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, Xiao Yu, also joined in the discussion."Although the Imperial Court only charges 5% interest on each loan, I'm not sure if it's worth it. However, it was equivalent to controlling all the loans in the world. How many benefits did it represent? Wouldn't the imperial court never lack money? The Prince of Yan's action was not only beneficial to the country and the people, but it also had the effect of striking down some black-hearted people. It was really perfect!”
"Indeed. His Highness had come up with this plan. Not only did it solve the problem of the court's lack of money, but it was also of great benefit to the people. Just like what the Duke of Qi had said, he could be called the greatest sage in history!”
……
It couldn't be helped. In this era, not to mention banks, there weren't even banks that charged storage fees for deposits!
The moment Li You's extremely advanced and feasible bank plan was revealed, it instantly blew up the entire scene!
The ministers were overwhelmed with emotions and began to imagine what the imperial court and the people would look like after this matter was completed. As someone who participated in this matter, how would his name be left in history?
For a moment, Li You's prestige was unprecedentedly high. Just as Zhangsun Wuji had said, he was known as the greatest sage in history!
However, this time, they said it sincerely and without any sarcasm!
Of course, the happiest person was Li Er.
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