LRAB Chapter 301 Unscrupulous Parents
Chapter 301 Unscrupulous Parents
After the auction ended, Wen Zongji exceeded Emperor Shun'an's requirements. The day after the auction, Wen Zongji went to the palace to report to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince paid no attention to the amount of money spent at the auction, instead jokingly remarking, "I heard that the four major merchant guilds only spent 100,000 taels of silver to buy the courtyard?"
Wen Zongji was taken aback: "This matter has already spread?"
The news spread pretty fast.
The Crown Prince laughed and said, "Since you took charge of the Capital Gazette Bureau, I have never seen you suffer a setback. This time, you can be considered to have gained some experience."
Wen Zongji said helplessly, "Your Highness seems to have focused on the wrong thing, after all, I have earned several million taels of silver for the Ministry of Revenue."
The Crown Prince said, "I have always believed in your abilities; this sum of several million taels was entirely within my expectations."
Fine!
Being too capable is also a problem.
"So, you plan to continue having the Ministry of Revenue sell houses?"
The Crown Prince knew that he had received ten million taels of silver interest-free from Huitong Money Exchange.
Wen Zongji nodded: "The Crown Prince has also seen the exorbitant profits in the housing market. Selling houses can ensure a continuous income for the Ministry of Revenue and alleviate the deficit in the national treasury."
"But this is not a long-term solution. The Ministry of Revenue's taxes are an important source of national treasury revenue. If we want to get the national treasury out of the deficit, we need to find a way to increase tax revenue."
No matter how profitable real estate is, it can't continue indefinitely. The government is, after all, the government; it can't keep selling houses forever.
The Crown Prince said, "Our Great Chu only has this many people. The court naturally wants to increase tax revenue, but it's easier said than done... I'm reminding you in advance that Father Emperor will not agree to increase taxes, so as not to increase the burden on the people."
Wen Zongji said, "The people are the foundation of the country, and I will naturally not interfere with land taxes."
The Crown Prince looked at him and said, "Do you want to increase the commercial tax? The Ministry of Revenue already increased the commercial tax several years ago. Even if merchants have a low status, we cannot keep increasing taxes on them."
Wen Zongji shook his head: "It's not about raising taxes, but about opening up trade routes, promoting trade, and thus increasing tax revenue."
The crown prince became interested: "Tell me in detail."
Wen Zongji said, "I was ordered to inspect the Capital Gazette Office before, and I experienced the local customs and culture of various places. I found that people are always interested in novel things, and the things sold by merchants from some small Western Region countries are very popular among the people."
"If we can open up the trade route from the Great Chu to the Western Regions, allowing merchants to travel freely, we can not only collect customs duties, but also increase commercial taxes as trade increases."
Raising taxes has always been a bad idea!
Promoting trade is the right way forward!
The crown prince pondered, "The distance between Great Chu and the Western Regions is not far; how easy is it to open up trade routes?"
This involves not only dealing with bandits and horse thieves, but also figuring out how the imperial court would maintain this trade route after it was conquered.
Wen Zongji said, "It is indeed troublesome to do, but as long as you do it, I guarantee you will receive ten or even a hundred times the return."
"The Great Chu has enjoyed peace for a long time, and the garrison troops in various places are probably lax. Taking them out for training will also help maintain the strength of the court."
The crown prince was tempted.
As the crown prince, he was somewhat aware of the current state of the garrison troops, but correcting it was easier said than done. Wen Zongji's idea of training the garrison troops coincided with that of the crown prince.
"I will speak to my father about this matter. If it proves useful, it will be another great achievement for you."
Wen Zongji cupped his hands in greeting: "I am paid by the emperor and I will share his burdens."
"Alright, stop being modest... Changning misses her cousin. Since you're going to the palace today, have her come back to the county princess's residence with you later."
Wen Zongji's eyes widened, thinking to himself, "How could the Crown Prince repay kindness with enmity?" He replied, "...This humble subject still needs to go to the Ministry of Revenue."
"It's alright, the Imperial Guards will escort Changning to the County Princess's residence."
"In that case, surely you don't need me?"
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow: "What? Lord Wen is not pleased?"
Wen Zongji quickly shook his head: "It is my honor."
The Crown Prince then explained with a smile, "Changning is lively and naive, and the Empress Dowager is worried about her leaving the palace alone."
What could Wen Zongji say? He could only agree.
……
County Princess's Mansion
Pei Rujing looked at Changning in front of her and couldn't help but rub her forehead: "Why are you here?"
Princess Changning leaned close to Pei Rujing affectionately: "Of course I miss my cousin."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Rui-ge started waving his arms and legs wildly.
Princess Changning smiled: "Of course, our Rui-ge'er will be included too."
Princess Changning took Ruige from Pei Rujing's arms and made all sorts of gestures to amuse him.
Pei Rujing did not stop her.
Wen Zongji felt that Princess Changning was his nemesis. With Princess Changning's arrival, the time Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing spent alone together was greatly reduced.
Aside from not sleeping together, Princess Changning practically monopolized most of Pei Rujing's time.
This caused Wen Zongji to feel resentful every day.
This continued for half a month until Princess Changning left, after which Wen Zongji's condition improved somewhat.
……
The houses are still under construction, and the first residential building will be completed soon.
The announcement has been made that the residential buildings in the outer city are only open to officials; those without official rank are not eligible.
This news reignited public discussion, with everyone speculating whether it was a perk the court was giving to officials.
Because the newspaper clearly stated that if officials did not have enough money when purchasing residential buildings, they could pay a portion first, and the Ministry of Revenue would cover the shortfall.
Consider it a loan from the Ministry of Revenue to the officials!
The Ministry of Revenue would then deduct a portion from their salaries each month as repayment until the loan was fully paid off.
When this news came out, many people were excited and were just waiting for the houses to be built so they could buy one as soon as possible.
Officials, especially those from poor families who were still renting houses, were paying close attention to the progress of the construction every day.
Once the residential buildings are completed, they'll probably be eager to be the first to rush over and buy them.
Wen Zongji had heard some comments about the residential buildings and knew that they had caused a sensation in the capital.
Judging from this, the pre-launch promotion was quite successful!
However, Wen Zongji did not pay much attention to it. The person in charge of supervising the construction of the residential building was Feng Yunchen, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was not under Wen Zongji's jurisdiction, and he did not intend to overstep his bounds.
Having finally seen Princess Changning off, Wen Zongji only wanted to enjoy some time alone with his wife.
rest days
They left Rui Ge'er in the care of his wet nurse and Granny Feng, and went out to play on their own, having a great time.
They reluctantly returned to the county magistrate's mansion only when the sun was setting.
Rui Ge'er had no idea of his parents' wickedness. He had already begun to depend on them. If he didn't see them for a day, he would be overjoyed to see them again and would open his little arms to ask for a hug.
There was a sense of joy in having something lost and then found again.
Seeing that Rui Ge'er felt guilty, the new parents played with him for a long time and coaxed him to sleep before taking a bath and going to bed.