The big man has a living father

Chapter 18 Salt and Iron Affairs
Huo Hai turned around and saw Princess Wei Chang, and laughed: "Princess Chang."

After Princess Wei Chang left yesterday, Huo Hai heard Xiang Xu talk about it and only then did he realize how favored Princess Wei Chang was.

In fact, a princess, even the oldest one, needs to wait until her brother succeeds to the throne before she can be promoted to the eldest princess.

Princess Wei was given the title of Princess Chang when her father Liu Che was in power.

Princess Wei Chang: "You seem to be very interested in these lands?"

Huo Hai nodded: "In the future, both sides will be full of people, and this road will be built better than it is now. Merchants will come and go on this road, and all kinds of outputs will be produced..."

Princess Wei looked at Huo Hai with a puzzled look on her face: "Don't you know..."

Huo Hai: "Your Majesty is cracking down on merchants, right? Don't worry, Your Majesty will change his mind."

Princess Wei Chang and Huo Hai walked straight to the fields, and Princess Wei Chang's men hurriedly followed.

Although the road heading east leads to the fields, there is also space left for carriages. Although it is not as wide as fifty steps, it is still about five steps.

However, everyone was walking along the side.

The highway is fifty steps long, and only the emperor can walk on the middle three meters. The narrow path is five steps long, and only the emperor can walk on the middle part.

Xiang Xu and his companions could only follow behind Princess Wei Chang's men and walk all the way.

Princess Wei Chang: "I thought about it for a long time last night and was still too excited to fall asleep. Do the kapok and grass cotton you mentioned really exist?"

Huo Hai put his hands behind his back and walked: "Of course it exists."

"Your Highness, are you going to send someone to South Vietnam to get the seeds?"

Princess Wei Chang nodded: "Not that I want to, but I have already set out."

Huo Hai: "Your Highness, you are looking for this cotton because..."

Princess Wei Chang: "Last winter, one of my maids lived in my manor. It was cold at night, so she gave her warm clothes to another old maid. As a result, when the others found her the next morning, she was already... frozen."

Huo Hai: "So, you want to plant a lot of cotton on your own farm so that they won't be frozen anymore?"

Princess Wei Chang: "Not only that, as long as we get cotton seeds, all the people of the Han Dynasty will not have to suffer from the cold."

Huo Hai directly shattered Princess Wei Chang's fantasy: "It's wishful thinking."

Princess Wei Chang turned around and glared at Huo Hai.

Huo Hai: "Nanyue was founded by Zhao Tuo, a great general of the Qin State. I would like to ask why the Qin State did not promote cotton throughout the country?"

Princess Wei Chang stared at Huo Hai: "Didn't you say that cotton can be grown here?"

Huo Hai: "It is possible to plant it, but does anyone really plant it?"

Princess Wei Chang: "Every winter, hundreds of people freeze to death in the capital alone. How many people have frozen to death in the world?"

"How many people died from illness caused by freezing?"

“With cotton available, why wouldn’t they plant it?”

Yes, in theory.

But: "Princess, do you think the land of the world belongs to everyone in the world?"

Princess Wei Chang was stunned for a moment.

Huo Hai: "The land of the world belongs first to the emperor, then to the princes, then to the scholars and the wealthy, and finally to the people."

"The people's land can't grow enough food for themselves. Even for the people who have land, they usually only have enough food left after they eat it themselves, keep it for seeds, and pay taxes." Huo Hai made the number eight: "Eight hundred coins."

As he spoke, Huo Hai leaned closer to Princess Wei Chang and asked, "Do you know how much it costs for a family to buy salt and iron farm tools in a year?"

Princess Wei Chang didn't know, but she was not a fool. After hearing what Huo Hai said, she guessed it: "Eight hundred coins..."

Huo Hai: “Smart.”

The two continued to walk forward, and Princess Wei Chang suddenly realized: "Father..."

Huo Hai: "During the Qin Shihuang and Emperor Gaozu eras, ordinary people could not even feed themselves by farming. But now, ordinary people can still earn 800 coins from farming to contribute to the court, which is pretty good."

Princess Wei Chang remained silent, but Huo Hai's critical attack did not end there.

"But don't let it happen when there is a natural disaster. If there is a natural disaster, the penniless people will have to borrow food to get through the difficult times, and they will have to work harder the next year."

"But don't let a natural disaster happen the next year. If they can't pay back the grain and the land, they will have no choice but to sell the land."

Huo Hai: "Who can avoid natural disasters once or twice in their lifetime? If we look back to the present day, in less than 20 years, all the land in the world will belong to the nobles. Do you still expect the common people to grow cotton?"

"People may not die from the cold, but they will definitely die from hunger."

Princess Wei took a deep breath and said, "If the common people sold their land, they would become tenants or slaves. Since the nobles support them..."

Huo Hai: "If a slave dies, they can still have children. As for those who can't stand the cold, they have weak constitutions. So what if they die? New ones will be born."

Princess Wei Chang stared at Huo Hai: "You are not a human."

Huo Hai tilted his head: "I didn't do it, but I told you about it. Does that make me a non-human?"

Princess Wei Chang's breathing stagnated and she lowered her head: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was mad..."

"Last year, millet froze to death, and I wanted to find a way to solve the problem of frost damage, but I didn't expect..." "Then, how can we prevent the people from starving and freezing?"

Huo Hai: "This is simple. If the crops grown by the people can be sold for more than 800 coins after paying taxes, eating them, and saving them for seeds, the problem of hunger will be completely solved, and naturally there will be money to solve the problem of cold."

Princess Wei looked around and whispered, "What if father raises the price of salt and iron?"

Huo Hai smiled and said, "What can I do? If I keep you, I can collect more taxes, and you will become an even richer woman."

Princess Wei Chang was stunned. Then she remembered that in terms of salt and iron, apart from the imperial court and her father, she was the one who consumed the most. Even one of the three armies that went to conquer the Huns did not consume as much as she did.

After all, the army did not fight the Huns every day, but they collected taxes every day.

Princess Wei Chang was seventeen years old, at the prime of her youth. When she realized for the first time that she was not only eating the people's blood and sweat, but also their lives, she was about to cry.

Huo Hai: "The problem is not unsolvable. As long as the people earn more money than your father can spend with taxes, he will naturally stop collecting taxes."

Princess Wei Chang: "How can there be endless money to spend?"

Huo Hai: "In fact, with the amount of money the court is spending now, it's pretty easy to get more money than you can spend."

To be honest, if Huo Hai really takes action, he can achieve this small goal in one year.

Princess Wei Chang: "If there is more money, then father will definitely want to do more things, endlessly..."

Princess Wei Chang was familiar with Liu Che.

Huo Hai: "Then Your Majesty will have to exercise some restraint. After all, the space for development is limited, but desires are endless."

After walking a long way, they passed the road in the opposite direction and walked back to the factory site. Princess Wei Chang said, "You can look at it by yourself. I have to go back to the palace."

Huo Hai: “Hmm…”

Seeing Princess Wei Chang was about to leave, Huo Hai grabbed Princess Wei Chang's hand and said, "Wait a moment!"

Seeing Huo Hai reaching out his hand, Princess Wei Chang's guards were almost drawing their swords.

Princess Wei Chang turned around and asked: "What's wrong?"

Huo Hai: "Your name."

Princess Wei Chang: "You don't know my name?"

Huo Hai pinched his nose and said, "Where would I know where to go? I'm not Dongfang Shuo, who can tell fortunes."

Princess Wei Chang finally smiled after hearing this joke that fits the times: "Liu Lian, you can also call me by my nickname Qing Ke."

Huo Hai was stunned for a moment. The word "lian" should not mean pity, but love.

As for the nickname, Qing Ke, beautiful green jade, imperial green jadeite, right?
……

In the imperial palace, Emperor Wu of Han went to the Pepper Room where the empress was.

Of course, Liu Che was not going to favor the queen, but because it was too cold in the concubine's place, so he ran to the Pepper Room to keep warm after finishing the favor.

The so-called Pepper House, as the name suggests, is filled with a large amount of Sichuan peppercorns.

Because of the pepper, it has a fragrance, is insect-free, and is extra warm in winter. Combined with other heating equipment here, it is much more comfortable than other halls.

After all, it’s getting cold, and what’s coming will come.

As soon as Liu Che reached the door, he saw Princess Wei Chang coming out: "Qing Ke, are you here to see your mother?"

Princess Wei Chang: "Your son greets the emperor."

Liu Che was just laughing when he heard Princess Wei Chang say, "Father, please exercise moderation."

Liu Che: “???”

Okay, now that our children have grown up, they dare to talk to us about this?

Liu Che saw Princess Wei Chang walking forward and waved to her guards.

The guard came forward in a hurry: "Your Majesty."

Liu Che: "Princess, these past two days..."

I wanted to ask the princess what she was doing, but then I remembered the task I assigned her: "She's with Huo Hai, right?"

Guard: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Liu Che turned to look at the eunuch: "Is Huo Hai going to be on duty tomorrow?"

The eunuch bowed his head and said, "Huo Hai will be on duty tomorrow. The prince's class tomorrow has been signed up. It is Master Dong's class."

Liu Che raised his eyebrows: "Interesting, let's go and see it tomorrow."

……

Early in the morning, when Huo Hai's carriage arrived at the palace compound, he heard someone outside saying, "Have you heard that Huo Hai even dared to touch His Majesty's woman!"

In the car, Huo Hai stretched his neck with a suspicious look on his face.

The outsider continued: "When Sima Xiangru wrote "Shanglin Fu", he called a certain female musician who played the zither for His Majesty "Mi Fei". It is said that Mi Fei in Huo Hai's "Ode to the Goddess of Luo River" is also that woman!"

Huo Hai looked serious: Who is this bastard who spread rumors? He wants me dead!
(End of this chapter)