Chapter 144

The lights are fading, the moon shines on the smoke curtain.

Wang Yang went to the Prince of Badong's mansion as agreed to report the progress of the silk business.

The doors are heavy, the guards are standing.

The Prince's personal army, wearing armor and pressing swords, guarded layer by layer, looking like nesting.

In the innermost room, the Prince of Badong was wearing a white gauze shirt and large-mouthed trousers, his sleeves half-rolled up, listening to Wang Yang talk about the expected completion time of each cloth workshop and weaving field, while cutting the steaming braised beef head with a dagger, skin and meat together, dipping in sauce, and chewing it into his mouth, eating a few big pieces, then drinking a sip of sorghum wine, eating so happily.

Wang Yang smelled the meat, his throat moved slightly, the Prince of Badong smiled: "Want some too?"

"Thank you, Prince, I have eaten."

Wang Yang hadn't eaten beef since he crossed over, how could he not want to?

It's just that killing cattle and eating meat at this time is a crime. However, unlike the people who must be investigated for breaking the law, this kind of thing can be big or small for nobles. As long as no one checks, naturally nothing will happen. But once it is raised to the level of the country, the trouble is not small. There is no lack of cases where officials were dismissed for killing cattle.

Wang Yang himself is not investigated, and does not have the Prince of Badong's hard status, so he'd better endure the temptation of beef and not do this kind of edge-ball thing. It's a big deal to ask Sister Song to buy some mutton tomorrow to satisfy his craving, the taste is not worse than beef.

"Alright, then consider you have no mouth blessing." The Prince of Badong wiped his mouth roughly, leaned back, "You brat have many ghost ideas, heard you made some kind of bidding, the price was pressed down by you again, right?"

Wang Yang heard the Prince of Badong call "bidding" "bidding", and didn't correct it. Smiled: "Not much, this year's silk price was originally falsely high, I just let it fall back a little."

"How much more you earn is yours, I don't care. But the premise is that you must guarantee quality and quantity, and deliver on time."

"Prince, rest assured, I have arranged everything."

The Prince of Badong nodded, lazily: "Good. Since you have eaten, I won't keep you. I'll treat you to beef next time."

Don't! Better treat something else...

Wang Yang saw the Prince of Badong was about to send him away, and said intently: "Prince..."

"What? Anything else?"

Wang Yang said solemnly: "I have important matters to report to the Prince!"

"Ever-normal granary? You want me to build an ever-normal granary?" The Prince of Badong was greatly surprised.

"Yes. At the banquet before, didn't the Prince say that the censor wanted to make trouble about the grain price? Once the ever-normal granary is built, this kind of thing won't happen in the future! With the ever-normal granary, buy in a good year, sell in a famine year, which not only stabilizes the grain price but also increases income. Now that the grain price has fallen, it is a good time to collect grain and build a granary!"

The Prince of Badong squinted at Wang Yang: "The imperial court has long set the regulations for the ever-normal granary, how to store grain, how to enter the warehouse, how to sell, how to purchase, how much to price, everything has a system to rely on, so logically it is not difficult to build. But two years ago, the Emperor issued an edict for each province to build an ever-normal granary, but in the end, except for the capital, other provinces were not built. Do you know why?"

"Know. The aristocratic families who control the grain business don't want the ever-normal granary to be built, so they boycott grain procurement at high prices, and the financial resources of each province are limited, so the matter failed. Only the Emperor took 50 million coins from the upper treasury and suppressed the aristocratic families with force, which is why the ever-normal granary was built in the capital."

Wang Yang never fought a battle without preparation. Since this was an important part of his life-saving plan, how could he not deliberate in advance? Before, he had already asked Le Zhan, Yu Qianlou and others about the ever-normal granary, and naturally knew about the failure of each province to build granaries in the sixth year of Yongming.

"Since you know, what are you talking about collecting grain and building a granary? Where does the money come from? Do you have 50 million? Do you have the Emperor sitting in town?"

"Not needed."

Wang Yang lifted the Cangming jade at his waist: "This object was given by Seeing Yu Yi, the leader of the Jingzhou aristocratic families. I have a very good relationship with the Yu family and have confidence in persuading Seeing Yu Yi to come forward and coordinate the cooperation of the aristocratic families."

The Prince of Badong looked at the jade pendant, his eyes showing surprise: "Seeing Yu Yi is self-righteous and doesn't put ordinary people in his eyes. It is rare that you can enter his eyes. However, this matter involves real benefits, even if Yu Youjian is willing to come forward, he may not be able to persuade those aristocratic families."

"Empty mouth and white teeth naturally won't work, but if you tell them..."

Wang Yang told the Prince of Badong the planned plan in detail.

After the Prince of Badong heard it, his expression changed several times, and then he looked at Wang Yang, his eyes changed: "Zhiyan, your reading is interesting, not comparable to those rotten scholars! But what if they still don't agree?"

"Simple, the Prince just says if they don't cooperate, then put them aside and cooperate with me. Once the ever-normal granary is built, no matter how much grain they hoard, they won't be able to sell it at a high price, and it can only rot in the warehouse. Prince, what do you think they will choose?"

The Prince of Badong frowned: "With you? Isn't your grain business fake?"

"Yes, but they don't know it!"

The Prince of Badong's brows slowly stretched out, pointing at Wang Yang, grinning and laughing: "You brat is too bad..."

Wang Yang smiled back: "Let you, let you."

"If the Prince succeeds in doing what other provinces didn't do, it counts as a merit..." The Prince of Badong's smile stopped suddenly, his eyes like torches, deeply examining Wang Yang: "But why are you so enthusiastic? Don't tell the Prince you are worried about the country and the people, and want to stabilize the grain price, so you came up with such a method, the Prince doesn't believe it."

Can't I be worried about the country and the people????

Although the starting point is to save life, saving life also has tricks that harm the people, but I didn't use them!

I used a trick that benefits myself and the people!

Wang Yang slandered in his heart, his mouth opened slightly, took a deep breath, and then a long sigh overflowed from his throat: "Sigh, to tell you the truth, I have a few heartfelt words I want to say to the Prince."

The Prince of Badong rarely saw Wang Yang show such a serious and heavy expression, and his curiosity arose: "What words, say it."

"The best way out for me in the county school is to get a quota for the National University. After entering the National University, I have to test classics and divide grades, strategy questions, and then be ranked by Zhongzheng, and then selected by the Ministry of Personnel to be granted an official position. How many twists and turns, how many detours, I don't need to say, Prince must know."

Wang Yang shook his head, his eyes full of unwillingness:

"Even if I am successfully granted an official position in the end, how easy is it to get a clear official position with a future? Maybe it's just a Prince's Attendant, fight for it, maybe get a Feng Chaoqing. If I can do the Left Army Counselor at thirty, it is considered smooth. Finally, transfer according to qualifications, waste years, and reach forty, can do the Secretariat Attendant, it is already smooth. If it is an ordinary person, there is nothing to say, but with my talent and status, I feel unworthy for myself!"

Liu Cheng sneezed at home.

The Prince of Badong was moved by Wang Yang's "sincere" words and nodded: "You are honest. Say it, what do you want?"

Wang Yang's expression became solemn: "I want to start in the Prince's military government after being ranked at twenty, starting official position—Boarding Counselor of the Central Middle General!"

The counselor of the military government, the imperial court grants the position called "removal", the government master appoints himself called "board", also called "government board".

If the Prince of Badong is compared to the commander of the Jingzhou military region. Then this boarding counselor is equivalent to a staff officer of the military region headquarters.

For aristocratic children, this is not only decent, but also a good starting point.

The Prince of Badong laughed: "You brat really knows how to plan, stay in my military government for two years first, then transfer to the government office, and concurrently hold a local magistrate position. After a circle, you can enter the Ministry of Personnel in a grand way."

Wang Yang bowed: "Still have to rely on the Prince's promotion!"

"Easy to say! The Prince agrees!"

Wang Yang saw the Prince of Badong was happy, and took the opportunity to say: "Prince, I have two other small things I want to ask the Prince for help..."

Wang Yang lowered his voice and said the first one.

The Prince of Badong laughed: "Not a big deal, but are you going so far?"

Wang Yang said solemnly: "It is! It's a big deal for face."

"Easy to say, the Prince agrees! What is the second thing?"

Wang Yang said another one.

The Prince of Badong looked at Wang Yang: "It can be, but can you use it?"

"I can't, but my subordinates can!"

"Okay, give it to you."

"Thank you, Prince!!!"

"Zhiyan, your business, the Prince has handled it for you, the Prince's business, you must hurry."

"Will not fail the Prince's trust!"

The Prince of Badong nodded, his body leaned, and suddenly approached Wang Yang!

Big eyeballs stared round, scaring Wang Yang!

"Do you really have confidence in persuading Seeing Yu Yi?" The Prince of Badong's tone was suspicious.

"I—"

"No need to say!" Wang Yang was interrupted by the Prince of Badong just after saying one word.

The Prince of Badong leaned back to his original position, withdrew his gaze, and said lightly: "The Prince only looks at the results."

When Wang Yang promised that Seeing Yu Yi would be persuaded by him, he didn't know that Seeing Yu Yi was reading a letter that was crucial to Wang Yang's fate.

——————

Note: ① At that time, not only was killing cattle against the law, but eating beef killed against the law was also against the law. "Book of Liang - Fu Zhao Biography": "Liang Fu Zhao was particularly cautious. His son's wife once got beef from home to offer, Zhao called his son and said: 'Eating it is breaking the law, reporting it is not allowed, take it and bury it.'"

② "Tongdian - Food and Goods": "In the Yongming period of Emperor Wu of Qi, grain and cloth were cheap in the world, and the Emperor wanted to establish an ever-normal granary, buying and storing it. In the sixth year, an edict was issued to take 50 million coins from the upper treasury to buy rice, silk, cotton, silk, and cloth in the capital."

③ Killing cattle was against the law in the Southern Dynasties, but there were still several ways to bypass the law to enjoy the taste of beef. Details later.