In the Song Dynasty, there was no law or order.

Are the businessmen making trouble again?

Zhao Zhen couldn't help but remember that in the first year of Tiansheng, when Li Shen first proposed to meet Qian Fa, the opposition from the government and the public was loud.

In addition to many officials from the imperial court writing letters one after another, tea merchants went on strike and border officials became angry, causing widespread resentment among the people. Liu E, who was still in power at the time, had to remove Li Shen to calm the anger of the government and the opposition.

That was twelve years ago. Zhao Zhen was only fifteen years old at the time. Although he didn't know the specific situation, he had already known the root cause after being in charge for several years.

It is false that the money-seeing law has caused the treasury to be empty and businessmen to be inconvenienced. It is nothing more than profit, and their interests cannot be satisfied.

Now let's do this again.

Zhao Zhen's face was like water, and he was about to call Lu Yijian, King Zeng and others to come over to discuss the matter, but after a slight hesitation, he remembered what Fan Zhongyan said to him, and said to Cao Xiu: "I know, you go first and find out the details. "

"yes."

Cao Xiu then bowed and retreated.

Then Zhao Zhen called the eunuch Wang Shouzhong, the leader of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and said to him: "Call Yan Shu over."

"yes."

Wang Shouzhong went to do it immediately.

Yan Shu was talking to Zhao Jun in the backyard at this time.

After he returned, he briefly went to the household department, explained some things, and then changed shifts with Fan Zhongyan.

The main reason is that Zhao Jun's eyes are getting better day by day and are about to recover. He must stay with Zhao Jun and stare at them for a long time to prevent accidents.

At present, Zhao Zhen, Lu Yijian and others have gradually focused on government affairs.

The tricks they should have learned from Zhao Jun have been pulled out, and they already basically know the future history, so they no longer need to listen to Zhao Jun's lectures, and it is time to return to the court to handle state affairs.

About two-quarters of an hour later, Yan Shu entered the Chongde Hall, raised his hands to Zhao Zhen and said, "Officials, what are you calling me for?"

Zhao Zhen stared at him for a while, staring at Yan Shu and feeling a little confused. He said in confusion: "Guan family, is there something on my face?"

"No."

Zhao Zhen shook his head and said softly: "There is news in the city that the merchants are planning to run on Jiaoziwu together, but now the more than 500,000 guan in Jiaozi's shop are used to buy grain and grass, and there is still 80,000 guan as the principal. Are you Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, how much money is left in the treasury?”

Yan Shu smiled bitterly and said, "There are still more than 30,000 strings."

"Forehead."

Zhao Zhen felt a headache.

The Song Dynasty had a year-round fiscal deficit and could not make ends meet. At the beginning of summer or just after winter, the state treasury was at its poorest.

Because the Song Dynasty continued the two tax laws of the Tang Dynasty, the field tax was collected on the first day of May in the summer and the first day of September in the autumn. The payment time was two and a half months and three and a half months, and it also took a long time to send it to Bianliang. .

Therefore, during the period when land taxes were uniformly sent to Bianliang, the state treasury was often able to make money. Even if the tax revenue is often sent to Bianliang, it will be spent quickly and not much will be saved.

"History of Song Dynasty: Food and Huo Zhi" records that in 1049 AD, the income reached 126 million yuan, and not a cent was left after expenditures.

Although commercial taxes are paid all year round, most of the commercial taxes are actually withheld and used locally. For example, "History of the Song Dynasty" says: "The Ministry of Households governs the world's wealth. Nowadays, tributes from all directions have not been paid for a long time." The palaces of the princes were often used by states and counties for military purposes."

Basically, not only commercial taxes are used for military expenditures, but most of the summer and autumn taxes received from the treasury are also sent to the border gates of northwest Hebei and the Xiang Army Forbidden Army camps across the country. The remaining money will be used to pay the salaries and salaries of officials all over the world.

Once the two gold-eating beasts of redundant soldiers and redundant officials are filled up, the court will basically be out of money.

The businessmen obviously found the right time, knowing that the treasury was empty at this time, and took the opportunity to attack.

Seeing that Zhao Zhen looked ugly, Yan Shu said: "The officials don't have to worry too much. The coins deposited by Bianliang to Jiaoziwu are only more than 500,000 yuan, most of which are not deposited by tea merchants. The national treasury has more than 30,000 yuan." With the principal of 80,000 yuan, it should be able to be paid."

Zhao Zhen said: "It's not just Bianliang tea merchants. Now is the time when spring tea is on the market. Sichuan tea merchants have sent tea from Chengdu Fulu to Bianliang. They learned that Bianliang opened Jiaozipu, which is in Chengdu. The government has saved a lot of money, and the Bianliang tea merchants have joined forces with them. These people are the big trouble. "

"I want to know how many Jiaozi money orders these people have in their hands?"

"Some time ago, Shuzhong sent out the Cunyu report, and at the same time synchronized the Jiaozi stubs with the Bianliang Jiaoziwu. There were 1.27 million coins deposited there. If only the tea merchants are counted, and the Bianliang tea merchants are included, it is estimated that The Jiaozi money order in their hands is probably no less than 300,000 yuan. "

"Three hundred thousand guan?"

Yan Shu frowned and asked: "Chengdu Prefecture already has so much money, but the distant water cannot save the nearby fire. More than one million coins have to be transported to Bianliang. I am afraid that it will not be possible until March and May. And It will only take ten days at most to hand over the money order to Ziwu, and the court seems to have to raise 300,000 yuan for preparation. "

"Three hundred thousand yuan is not a big deal. There is always a way to find a way. At the worst, it can be allocated from my internal funds. What I am worried about is that this time is just the beginning, and there will be bigger troubles later."

Zhao Zhen pondered and said: "This year is a good time for the opening of Jiaoziwu and Jianqian. If Jiaoziwu is not opened nationwide, tea merchants across the country cannot save money in one place and then withdraw money from Bianliang. . But there are more than just tea merchants in Chengdu. If they persuade other merchants to withdraw money together, then the reserves Bianliang needs to prepare will exceed one million yuan, and it is impossible to raise so much money in a short time. "

"This is indeed a big problem."

Yan Shu lowered his head and pondered for a while, then raised his head and asked: "Your Majesty, do you want to ask Zhao Jun about this?"

Zhao Zhen was unhappy and said: "This Jiaozi business is something that can only be obtained by asking Zhao Jun. If something goes wrong, he will only go to him. What's the point of the Song Dynasty raising so many scholars? I also hope that after his eyes are healed, he will look at my Song Dynasty and see that I and my monarch and ministers are definitely not as bad as he said."

Yan Shu smiled bitterly and said: "But if we don't ask him for help, what should the tea merchants do? I think that even if they don't unite all the merchants in Chengdu Prefecture who deposit money in Jiaozi Shop, they only need to buy the Jiaozi in their hands, and the Jiaozi Shop will be in trouble."

Chengdu Jiaozi was established the earliest, so the merchants there basically recognized that Jiaozi has monetary value. When trading, they don't use Jiaozi to withdraw money from Jiaozi Shop, but directly use Jiaozi to buy and sell.

Bianliang now also recognizes Jiaozi. It's hard to say for merchants in other roads, but merchants in Chengdu Prefecture will definitely recognize that Jiaozi can be traded.

Compared to going to Bianliang Jiaozi Office to queue up to get money, waiting for a while to get the money, and then starting to buy goods, it is more convenient to buy and sell goods directly with Jiaozi.

So Yan Shu believed that as long as the tea merchants who wanted to stop the court's cash payment method were not stupid, they would definitely use this method.

By then, the Bianliang Jiaozi Office would be bankrupt due to a run, and the cash payment method would lose its source of funds and eventually fail. This would be another great victory for the tea merchants against the court's policies after the Tiansheng period.

Zhao Zhen pondered for a moment, raised his head and looked at Yan Shu. After looking at him for a long time, he said softly: "I heard that Lu Gong, Song Gong, Xia Xiang, Jia Xiang and others have quite rich family wealth?"

Yan Shu was a little scared by Zhao Zhen's stare before. Now he looked at Zhao Zhen in surprise after hearing this, but he hesitated a little and said: "Yes."

"Fan Xiwen came to complain about Lu Xiang and Song Xiang before."

Zhao Zhen changed the subject and said expressionlessly: "I want to ask, which side will Tong Shugong stand on?"

Yan Shu felt his hair stand on end, and his heart suddenly shuddered. Then he said: "Wherever your majesty is, I will be there."

"Is this what Tong Shugong really said?"

Zhao Zhen asked.

"Yes."

Yan Shu said seriously: "Eating the salary of the monarch and sharing the monarch's worries is the duty of a minister."

Zhao Zhen smiled and asked: "Don't be so nervous, I just want to ask Tong Shugong, Lu Xiang and others, will they really agree to dismiss the officials with family connections?"

"No."

This time Yan Shu answered much faster.

He knew which side he should stand on.

The problem facing the Song Dynasty now is that a large number of officials with family connections occupy the court, and they have formed an absolute power.

Because there were only more than 30,000 people who passed the imperial examination in the entire Northern Song Dynasty, and there were only 117 Jinshi every year on average.

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, only about 4,000 to 5,000 people passed the imperial examination, so where did the more than 40,000 officials of Emperor Renzong come from?

Most of them came from family connections.

Fan Zhongyan wanted to depose these officials with family connections who had 70% to 80% of the power in the court. Even if Lu Yijian agreed, the others would definitely not agree.

Zhao Zhen said lightly: "In that case, take a look at this."

He pointed to the note on Fan Zhongyan's side.

Yan Shu came over and picked up the note, took a quick look, and said in astonishment: "This..."

"Tell Lu Xiang about this, he might know what to do."

After Zhao Zhen finished speaking, he thought for a while and added: "Don't tell him that I want him to know."

Yan Shu was quite shocked, and then he immediately understood what Zhao Zhen meant, and secretly said in his heart that it is really like being with a king. Even the benevolent kings of the ages have some imperial skills.

But he reacted quickly and immediately bowed and said: "Yes."

"Okay, you go down."

Zhao Zhen waved his hand.

"I'll take my leave."

Yan Shu backed away.

When he left the study, Zhao Zhen put his hands on the table and rubbed his temples.

Although the Jianqian Law and Jiaozi Affairs are beneficial to the country and the people, things will definitely not be as easy and smooth as Zhao Jun said.

For many national affairs, it is definitely not possible to make decisions just by snapping your head, just like the Qingmiao Law, which is a good policy no matter how you look at it, but it directly harms the people in its implementation.

So Zhao Zhen was not without psychological preparation, and had the determination and perseverance to face any test.

What he didn't expect was that the merchants could think of a boycott so quickly. The Jiaozi business had only been open for two months, and they were already planning to empty the Jiaozi shops through a run and force the court to abandon the cash payment method.

Although the first wave of attacks was not too strong at the beginning, if most of the tea merchants united, it would still be enough for the court to drink a pot, so these could not be ignored.

The officials in the court were indeed wealthy, but in order to be on the safe side, they still had to think of other ways.

Well. It seems that I have to go to the queen.

Zhao Zhen thought to himself.