Prodigal Son of the Ming Dynasty

  Chapter 979 Emperor's heart is unpredictable

  When Fang Jifan walked out of the Daming Palace alone, it seemed like he was dreaming.

  The heart of the emperor is unpredictable, and the routine is too deep.

  As for little Zhu Xiucai, Fang Jifan didn't want to know.

  After all... It is only natural for Lao Tzu to beat his son.

   Just like Fang Jifan sometimes doesn't go his way, he also wants to take Fang Zhengqing out and beat him up.

  Life is so stressful, isn’t it just for beating up a son?

  Only a man who has a family, a career, and a baby can understand this feeling.

  Fang Jifan put his hands behind his back, got into the carriage, and hurried away, away from the right and wrong place.

  …

  A philosopher said: I need three things: love, friendship and books. But what a connection between the three! Fiery love can enrich the content of books, and books are people's most loyal friends.

   But what Fang Jifan needed was silver.

  People who need love, friendship and books are often selfish people. All his worldviews stem from their own needs.

  Fang Jifan is different from these self-made philosophers, what he inherited is the thought of Confucius.

  Confucius sage’s knowledge has been interpreted in various ways and eventually decayed, but the essence of his thought is still rooted in the hearts of every generation for the next two thousand years: family, country, and world!

  Fang Jifan needs money, not because he wants to be a good person. What he wants is a paradise where his children and grandchildren can live and work in peace.

  Those who want to use their ideas to benefit the world may just want to exchange their ideas with you for money and power in your hands.

  Just like the colonists love to give you holy Jing, but take your land.

  Fang Jifan is not such a person. A person who uses wealth to benefit the world is a truly pure person, a person who is free from vulgar interests.

  Because of the packaging of sweet words and the so-called benevolence and morality disguised, after all, what people need is just enough to eat and drink.

In a place full of starvation and shocking poverty everywhere, a person who can still call himself a modest gentleman and preach the so-called Dao is like a white lotus in the mud. The white lotus is white and in full bloom, when viewed from a distance, It is holy and inviolable, but in fact, its roots absorb nutrients from the mud.

  Fang Jifan is a good man.

  He despises the poor.

  But now, the price of pig iron has skyrocketed to ten times.

  The loss of weapons in the arsenal stimulated the market even more, and everyone... went crazy.

   This group of crazy people are like flies. Even if the price is ten times higher, no one will sell pig iron.

  Steel workshops have sprung up one after another, but the supply of pig iron is still stretched.

  Wang Jinyuan was in a state of desperation, looking for sources of pig iron everywhere.

  Even...many households have begun to rummage around for old pots at home, and even look for any iron-containing household items, hoping to sell them to people who buy pig iron.

  Businessmen are beneficial, but naturally they also have a harmful side.

   Chaozhong has already shaken.

  Arsenal case, although it is a lingering fear, but the shortage of pig iron suddenly made Daming, which had a stable supply, suddenly reach the point where the Tatars are like Tatars, who are stretched for iron.

  A call for raids on merchants has already begun.

  The merchants also showed their short-sighted side.

  Obviously knowing that there are shouts of beatings and killings in the temple, but this product has to be hoarded. This is ten times, twenty times the profit, enough for anyone to take the risk of beheading.

  …

  Emperor Hongzhi felt more and more worried about this.

Today is the talk, Zhu Houzhao suddenly became more honest, and today he came to kneel and sit here obediently, as if listening attentively, like a domesticated monkey. Unfortunately, in this world, there is no Zhu Houzhao didn't know about the flowering of both style and style. After hundreds of years, the monkey would also become a master of a generation and establish a sect.

The Hanlins took their seats, and before the lecture began, Hanlin stood up and said, "Your Majesty, pig iron has reached the point where there is no market for it. Will the common people use stone tools to cultivate and sow seeds in the future, and the officers and soldiers will not be able to use them?" The stone is going to fight desperately. I heard that many guarding eunuchs have colluded with merchants and secretly hoarded pig iron... I don’t know if your majesty has heard of this.”

  Emperor Hongzhi was silent.

  The four-month agreement is very close.

  He glanced at Zhu Houzhao, Zhu Houzhao bowed his head, looking respectful, not daring to show his air.

   This made Emperor Hongzhi feel comfortable.

  Emperor Hongzhi said lightly: "I am also worried about this."

  All the Hanlin people chattered together: "Your Majesty, the merchants are hoarding goods, and their crimes are too numerous to write down. Then..."

   "It's better to order the merchants to hand over the pig iron first..."

  Emperor Hongzhi saw the crowd filled with righteous indignation, and his eyes wandered. In the Hanlin, but Liu Jie and others were silent. These are Jinshi who were admitted by Xishan Academy, and they kept silent about it.

   There was one person who also acted calmly. Emperor Hongzhi couldn't remember who this person was...

  This person...isn't from Xishan Academy, so I don't have much impression.

  He took a deep look at that person: "Who is this Qing's family?"

  He pointed to the silent Wang Bushi among the crowd.

  Wang Bushi was in the Imperial Academy, and he was a transparent person. How could he have expected that His Majesty would hand-pick him today.

He was surprised, but he couldn't help thinking, that's right, he should be filled with righteous indignation just like everyone else, just now he was only concerned with calculating the gains and losses, thinking of using the house in the new city as a cover, and preparing to buy the old city with money, but he didn't expect …

  He was too busy to bite the bullet, got out of work, and bowed down: "The king is not an official."

  Emperor Hongzhi couldn't help but muttered: "Wang Bushi...Wang Bushi...it sounds familiar..."

   After a long time, Emperor Hongzhi's eyes lit up: "You are the scum of the world?"

   "Hahaha..." Zhu Houzhao couldn't help laughing, and then, seeing his father looking over coldly, Zhu Houzhao immediately fell silent and lowered his head again.

  The other Imperial Academy couldn't help but laugh too.

  Emperor Hongzhi suddenly felt annoyed. This is really not a curse, but this name is too familiar. After thinking about it hard, he remembered the scum of the world who is not an official, and finally blurted out...

  Wang Bushi didn't show any joy or anger on his face.

  Actually...he's used to it.

  In the past six or seven years, he has gone from anger to sadness, and since then, he has experienced countless times of embarrassment, wishing to find a crack in the ground, and slowly, gradually numb.

  He said seriously: "The minister is the scum of the world, and the king does not serve!"

Emperor Hongzhi seemed a little ashamed, but seeing his calm face, he couldn't help but look at him a few more times: "Just now I saw that all the ministers have made suggestions, but the Qing family is calm and composed. Why, what do the Qing family think differently? "

  Wang Bushi shook his head: "The minister seconded the words of the princes."

  Emperor Hongzhi frowned: "The king is not an official, do you dare to deceive the king?"

   "This..." Wang Bushi had no choice but to bite the bullet: "However, I also have some different opinions."

   As Wang Bushi said, subconsciously, he glanced at Liu Wenshan.

  Liu Wenshan is the most embarrassing among the Hanlin. His views are almost the opposite of most of his colleagues. If his mentor was not Fang Jifan, he would have been beaten to death long ago.

  Wang Bushi immediately said: "I think the price of pig iron will drop sharply soon."

   "What?" Emperor Hongzhi looked at Wang Bushi in astonishment.

   Zhu Hanlin was dumbfounded when he heard this, and couldn't help but look at Wang Bushi.

   Is this Wang Bushi crazy?

  On weekdays, he is ordinary and has never made any exaggerated remarks, but today...

  Emperor Hongzhi said indifferently: "Go on."

   "This is the relationship between supply and demand. Once the supply and demand are out of balance, it will cause pig iron to skyrocket...but... there is an invisible hand in the market..." Wang Bushi was already dripping with sweat.

  He felt that he was getting deeper and deeper, that he was going to die.

  At first he said that he would second the princes, but His Majesty obviously saw that he disagreed with the princes.

   Therefore, if you tell a lie, it is the crime of deceiving the king.

   Since he didn't dare to deceive the emperor, he had no choice but to express his inner thoughts.

  How can I explain that I have other ideas?

  Finally, the words in The Wealth of Nations came out of my mouth.

  Liu Wenshan was taken aback for a moment, looking at Wang Bushi in disbelief.

  The other Hanlins were also stunned.

  Supply and demand, markets, invisible hand…

  These words... are very familiar, why are they similar to Liu Wenshan.

  Wang Bushi...you have changed, you no longer know each other.

  The hall seems very quiet...

  Emperor Hongzhi was also speechless. How could this king, who was not an official, start to parrot himself.

  Because of these words, Fang Jifan said it, Liu Wenshan said it, and now...a king who is not an official is actually like this.

Wang Bushi was sweating profusely, and his back was soaked, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "So I'm thinking, this invisible hand will definitely cause merchants to search for sources of goods everywhere, and the market It has its lag, so it appears that pig iron is constantly rising, and there is no market for the price, but once... once the continuous supply of goods starts to replenish and enter the market, the situation of price but no market will change first, and then, pig iron The price will return to where it should be. I probably think that within this month, pig iron may experience a sharp drop. In the end, the price will stabilize at two to three times the price at the beginning of the year. This is a reasonable price. After that, the market may fluctuate, but these fluctuations... are generally acceptable..."

  Emperor Hongzhi gasped, while Wang Bushi's voice trembled.

  Wang Bushi knew he was doomed.

The last point of Qingming has disappeared, and now I am thinking about the old city with all my heart, and I have shown my feet. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, and he crawled, and had to go all the way to the dark, and continued to speak My own opinion.

   "Wang Bushi!" Someone said angrily, "What book do you read all day long?"

  A Hanlin roared angrily.

  Many Hanlin do not even resent Liu Wenshan, because Fang Jifan's disciples, what can they expect.

  But what they hate the most are traitors like Wang Bushi. Traitors are ten thousand times more hateful than enemies.

  (end of this chapter)