Wealth and glory seek stability

Jian Xi felt even more certain.

Since she can stand in the court today, Zhang Qiao must have tacitly agreed with her idea.

In that case, what can't be said?

Then he said earnestly: "Your Majesty, every word I say comes from my heart."

Zhang Qiao lowered her eyelids and looked around. She saw that all the ministers were shocked by Jian Xi's remarks, and no one came forward to impeach him.

He raised his hand slightly, "Please tell me in detail."

Jian Xi bowed, and the elegance between her eyebrows seemed to be overflowing.

The whole person is bathed in the morning light, and the look in his eyes is difficult to describe.

"I think that Xuanwu is rich in mineral resources, but the productivity of the lower-class people is too low, and the number of nobles who do not produce is increasing day by day. If this continues for thousands of years, the entire country will not be able to be self-sufficient. Isn't it putting itself on the verge of collapse?"

A man standing in the front wearing dark red court robes shouted sternly:

"With your shallow knowledge, you dare to speak nonsense in the court. I know your background. You are a lowly slave from the Xuanyuan Dynasty, and you dare to stand in the court. Why don't you get out?"

Jian Xi's heart moved slightly, and then she calmed down after a moment.

She was afraid that these people would say nothing.

Zhang Qiao, who was above the ninth level, did not say anything, probably because he wanted to see her performance.

In this case, don't blame her for being rude.

"Sir, this pearl court dress of mine was given to me by His Majesty himself. It is His Majesty's decision whether I can stand here or not. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to interfere, right?"

Let me put a big hat on you first.

Hearing this, the man turned around and glanced at Zhang Qiao.

Zhang Qiao's eyes narrowed slightly on his calm face, as if he had some guesses.

The man panicked, "Your Majesty, you must not listen to the words of this lowly people! Heaven and earth can bear witness to my feelings for Your Majesty."

Zhang Qiao felt like his ears were getting calluses from hearing these words so many times.

"Lord Ruan, please stand up. You are in charge of the central government for me. You are loyal to me. How could you really take over my job? Lord Jian was promoted by me personally. I want to hear her opinion. You will not refuse, right?"

Ruan Zhiyin broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. Zhang Qiao's seemingly light hitting did not seem like he didn't take his words to heart.

When everyone saw His Majesty personally coming out to protect this woman, they were undecided for a moment.

Jian Xi seized the opportunity and said again:

"A country is like a water tank. The nobles are like the goldfish in it, and the people are like the shrimps in it. The big fish eat the small fish, and the small fish eat the shrimps. When the big fish dies, the bodies will naturally be eaten up by the shrimps. This is a simple closed loop that can form self-sufficiency.

The biggest problem of Xuanwu nowadays is that the food of the big fish mainly depends on shrimps and external supplies. As for the external supplies, they are exchanged with the gold and silver treasures in the fish tank. However, gold and silver are limited. Sooner or later, they will be unable to take care of themselves. I wonder if everyone here can understand what I mean?"

Zhang Qiao thought Jian Xi's metaphor was very interesting. "So what do you think we should do?"

Jian Xi's expression was calm as she took in all the looks from people around her.

"There are three ways. First, encourage the people to engage in production. If the people live a comfortable life, the population will naturally increase. Taxes can also be increased, and the treasury will naturally be filled."

The official from the Ministry of Revenue nodded as he listened.

What a good man.

It was very difficult to be an official in the Ministry of Revenue of the Xuanwu Dynasty.

When there is no money, they are asked to go mining and smelting. Even mountains of gold and silver cannot withstand this, and there is a fiscal deficit every year.

The tax collection was getting lower and lower every year, and those people were just thinking about paying out the money without thinking about increasing the revenue of the national treasury.

In recent years, the largest gold mine in the far north of Xuanwu has shown signs of depletion.

Zhang Qiao also had a headache after reporting it.

How can a system that has been passed down for thousands of years be easily shaken?

"Secondly, we must limit the amount of gold and silver mines that circulate on the market each year. The nobles don't produce anything. If they possess such a huge amount of wealth for no reason, the hard-working people below will see that their labor and efforts are not equal, and they will give up on themselves, thus forming a vicious cycle."

Jian Xi tried her best to explain the truth in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

"Humph, it sounds better when you say it, but being able to do it is the real skill."

It was Ruan Zhiyin who had refuted Jian Xi before. Jian Xi saw that his face was somewhat similar to Ruan Chizheng, and guessed that he must be related to Ruan Chizheng.

Jian Xi knew that the other party was looking for trouble, so she acted very humble and asked, "I wonder what Lord Ruan thinks is good enough?"

Ruan Zhiyin looked at Jian Xi with some scrutiny, as if considering her ability. "I won't make things difficult for a girl like you. If you can do as you said within five years, and make the northern grasslands self-sufficient and increase taxes fivefold from the original level, then you will be considered capable."

As he spoke, contempt was revealed in his heart. He didn't care at all what Jian Xi would do in the northern grasslands. What was important was that Jian Xi was from the Sixth Princess' faction. As long as she left the imperial capital, he had plenty of ways to make her die quietly in office.

Five years was also a hole he dug. Seeing how much Zhang Qiao doted on Jian Xi now, it would still take time for the friendship between them to cool down.

Jian Xi seemed to be amused by Ruan Zhiyin's words, and a barely visible arc appeared at the corner of her mouth. "Lord Ruan, how much do you look down on me? This is what I want to say. These three are to set up pilot areas. As long as Your Majesty can allow me to take full charge of all affairs in the Saibei grassland,

Within five years, I will be able to make the tax revenue of the Northern Grasslands exceed that of the Wild Horse Plains and achieve self-sufficiency. By then, Your Majesty can promote the measures I have implemented in the Northern Grasslands to the whole country. By then, our Xuanwu Dynasty will no longer be constrained by the White Tiger Dynasty. "

Jian Xi's voice was steady and passionate, and her tone rose at the end. Her absolute confidence infected everyone around her.

Wild Horse was originally managed by the Nguyen family, which owned the largest ranch in the Xuanwu Dynasty and paid the highest taxes every year.

Jian Xi wanted to use Yemayuan as an example to give the Ruan family a loud slap in the face.

At that time, some passionate men in the court were actually filled with lofty ambitions.

All the female officials standing in the court were infected by his determined gaze.

Qi Si was a daughter of a side branch of the Qi family and was a female official in charge of supervising the rituals and sacrifices of the royal court.

Their branch had already fallen into decline, and apart from one person with the surname Qi, there was no one else in the family who could support the household. She sold half of her family's sheep and begged for favors everywhere before she got this official position.

She always stood in the corner when attending court. Her most important goal was to keep her official position safely and protect her old father and mother at home. She never participated in party struggles.

With this as her original intention, all she usually does is just be a spectator.

Today is a little different.

A beam of light suddenly shines into the usually silent court, and the sunlight is not afraid of the darkness and haze.

I just don’t know how long this ray of sunshine can last, or whether it will be silently extinguished before it can shine brightly.

Qi Si was ambitious at the beginning. She hated the court controlled by the powerful and hated their inaction.

But as time went by, she gradually understood that the world is not black and white, and if she acted on her passion, she would not only get hurt but also bring disaster to her family.

She didn't dare to gamble, not knowing whether this man could win the bet.

But no matter what, she admired Jian Xi in her heart.

There are many people who think this way.

Jian Xi's statement did not affect the interests of most people. Everyone thought that the northern grassland, a desolate place, was given to her by the empress at will.