The prince is more stable

Chapter 878 The Song Resounds Again
In his previous life, Zhao Xiaoqian ultimately couldn't escape the nine-year compulsory education system, but fortunately he managed to slip through the net in terms of knowledge.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian still understood some basic common sense.

If a product becomes monopolized in the market, it may be an opportunity for individuals and families to make a fortune, but it is definitely not a good thing for a country.

Otherwise, so many countries in the past wouldn't have enacted anti-monopoly laws, precisely to curb the monopoly of certain commodities by individuals and families, which would then drain the blood of the entire society.

From the ruler's perspective, this kind of thing is intolerable.

Now that Zhao Xiaoqian is the ruler, he has decided to start by targeting his own family.

First, we need to help our family members lower the price of snow salt.

From the emperor's perspective, Zhao Xiaoqian's actions were perfectly reasonable. All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and the whole world is his. Why not lower the price of snow salt so that the people can eat more refined food?

However, from Zhao Hao's perspective, Zhao Xiaoqian's actions constituted a rebellion against the Heavenly Gang, and he resolutely opposed them.

The emperor is not him. How could he agree to take his own business for free and cause damage to the interests of the Chu Prince's Mansion?

"Don't talk to me about small profits and quick turnover, I don't believe in that! There's only one rule: if you want to hand over the snow salt business to the Salt and Iron Bureau, you'll have to step over my dead body first," Zhao Hao said angrily.

Seeing that his father was as stubborn as a mule, Zhao Xiaoqian had no choice but to patiently reason with him.

"Father, let me do the math for you. For example, our Chu Prince's salt business has a total of three thousand regular customers. If each customer buys one thousand strings of cash worth of salt from us every year, then our family's annual income would be three million strings of cash, right?"

Zhao Hao lowered his head and counted on his fingers for a long time. His clear and hardworking appearance was heartbreaking.

After a long silence, Zhao Hao said uncertainly, "I'll go back and settle this score with Chief Secretary Li. You can continue."

Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "If our family entrusts the snow salt business to the Salt and Iron Bureau, the total population of our Great Song Dynasty is about 100 million. Even if each person only buys 20 coins of snow salt per month, then the monthly income from snow salt will be 2 million strings of cash. To emphasize, it is 2 million strings of cash per month, which is 24 million strings of cash per year."

“After deducting the nine shares allocated to the Salt and Iron Bureau, even if our family only holds one share, that would be 2.4 million guan. Although our family previously held four shares in the snow salt business, three million divided by four shares meant that our family could only receive 1.2 million guan per year. Father, please do the math. After handing over the snow salt business, is it a loss or a gain?”

Zhao Hao continued to count on his fingers diligently, and after a long while, he exclaimed in shock, "It's doubled?"

"That's right, it's doubled. This is called 'small profits but quick turnover'. Everyone can afford fine snow salt. The price has gone down, but the number of consumers has increased, so our family will only earn more than before."

"Furthermore, our snow salt business isn't limited to the Song Dynasty. To the west, there's the Tibetans, Western Xia, and Uyghurs; to the east, the Koreans and Japanese; to the south, Jiaozhi and Dali; to the north, the Liao Dynasty... No matter what country or dynasty, people need salt. As long as they need salt, our business can continue."

Zhao Hao scoffed: "The salt and iron of neighboring countries are already monopolized by powerful and wealthy merchants. Why should you interfere? You're not their emperor."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "My Great Song army will help us persuade them. After my soldiers trample over the ground, we will politely knock on the door and say, 'Open the door, free trade,' and they will obediently open the door and honestly engage in free trade."

Zhao Hao's eyes widened in surprise: "You, you're... too domineering, aren't you?"

Zhao Xiaoqian shook his head: "Whether you submit or not, I will still crush you in the face. That's called 'tyranny'. But if you submit, I won't hit you. That's called 'benevolent rule'."

"I have always studied the Spring and Autumn Annals and practiced the way of the king."

Zhao Hao stared in astonishment, suddenly feeling a little unfamiliar with his son.

During the hundred-plus years of the Song Dynasty's existence, few emperors were able to truly establish their authority. As a result, the Song Dynasty was constantly on the defensive, suffering defeats and national humiliation for over a century.

But his son's personality seemed very tough, the kind that would destroy a country at the slightest disagreement. In him, Zhao Hao even found some shadows of the powerful Han and Tang dynasties in history books.

After a long silence, Zhao Hao suppressed his astonishment and gave a mocking smile: "You talk a good game, talking about this and that, but what other principles do you know?"

Zhao Xiaoqian immediately replied, "'Technician No. 88 plus an extra hour'... that's called 'foot massage'."

"Father, you have a kind heart and comforted my widowed sister-in-law who has been widowed for many years. Although the act of adultery is morally questionable, my sister-in-law is happy and satisfied. Father, this is what you call 'even thieves have their code of honor'..."

Zhao Hao's face flushed, and he hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, no need to say more, I understand!"

The father and son sat down and discussed the principles, and each benefited greatly from the discussion.

Suddenly, Zhao Hao's prominent ears twitched, and he asked in surprise, "I think I heard someone singing. Did you hear it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaoqian also twitched his ears and indeed faintly heard a song coming from the source of the stream in the back garden of the palace. The song sounded somewhat familiar.

Then Zhao Xiaoqian smiled thoughtfully.

At this moment, the father and son were sitting in a pavilion by the stream in the rear garden of the palace. The stream was flowing gently and making quite a bit of noise. In this noisy environment, the father and son could still hear singing...

This woman is quite hard-working in her pursuit of success; at least she's been very vocal about it.

I have the utmost respect for this hardworking young woman.

Indeed, Zhao Xiaoqian had already recognized who was singing. It was in this pavilion last time that a woman named Xue Meiyun sat alone, softly singing his lyrics. Zhao Xiaoqian had only met her briefly.

After that day, Zhao Xiaoqian did not summon her to his bedchamber, but instead ignored her completely.

It's not that Zhao Xiaoqian is being pretentious or devoted; he's already had seven or eight women. Talking about "devotion" at this point is even more disgusting than the chastity arch erected by prostitutes.

The main reason is that the women selected to enter the palace were mostly from extraordinary backgrounds, and the interests of many powerful officials and merchant groups outside the palace might be involved in the selection of a single woman.

Therefore, Zhao Xiaoqian dared not sleep with any woman in the palace. After sleeping with her, it wouldn't be as simple as just wiping her down.

From the time he ascended the throne until today, Zhao Xiaoqian has been holding back for a long time, but he remains chaste and has never slept with a woman.

If a scumbag doesn't want to take responsibility after sleeping with a woman, he can simply block and delete her, and then disappear.

What happens after the emperor finishes sleeping? Where can he run off to?

Furthermore, no matter what the emperor did, he was always followed by a court attendant. The court attendant would record everything the emperor said, did, favored, and who became pregnant in his notebook for future generations to study.

Imagine the pleasures of a man and woman in the bedroom, with Zhao Xiaoqian, full of heroic spirit, saying, "Tonight I'm going to fuck you to death..."

Then the court attendant outside the palace wrote a sentence in his notebook with righteous indignation: "The emperor bragged a lot."

When future generations read this, they will smile knowingly...

To be honest, besides not wanting to take responsibility, the reason Zhao Xiaoqian didn't favor women in the palace was because it was too shameful for the emperor to have a bunch of eunuchs and court officials squatting outside the palace walls to listen to the commotion when he was doing his business. Zhao Xiaoqian still couldn't get used to it.

At this moment, the singing from the source of the stream came like flowing water, melodious and pleasant, exuding a light and ethereal quality, like listening to heavenly music.

This woman knows how to utilize her strengths.

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled faintly and said, "Old Zheng."

Zheng Chunhe, who was standing respectfully with her hands at her sides outside the pavilion, immediately said, "This servant is here."

"Go and summon the woman who was singing. I want to see her."

"The slaves obey the order."

Sitting opposite, Zhao Hao turned his head to look in the direction from which the singing came, then looked at Zhao Xiaoqian's calm smile. Zhao Hao blinked his small green bead eyes, as if he understood something, and then smiled without saying a word.

A moment later, Xue Meiyun was brought over by Zheng Chunhe. She knelt down in fear as soon as she entered the pavilion.

"Your Majesty, I was unaware that Your Majesty was here. I spoke out of turn and disturbed Your Majesty's enjoyment. Please forgive me."

Zhao Xiaoqian's gaze swept across her face, and he was once again stunned by her beauty.

If ranked purely by appearance, Xue Meiyun's beauty is on par with Yelü Nanxian's; both are tied for first place on Zhao Xiaoqian's list of beauties.

Although this ranking is a bit unfair to my wife Di Ying, I'm sorry, I'm just a scumbag.

"Your name is Xue Meiyun, right?" Zhao Xiaoqian said with a kind smile.

Xue Meiyun lowered her head and said, "Yes."

"This is the second time I've heard you sing. Do you enjoy singing? What song did you sing just now?"

"Since childhood, I have enjoyed singing alone. I can sing a few lines of many great works of our time," Xue Meiyun said, her pretty face blushing. She said shyly in a low voice, "What I sang just now was a poem called 'Bu Suanzi' written by Your Majesty in your early years, 'The moon rises over the small building in the west'."

Zhao Xiaoqian thought for a moment, then suddenly realized.

I vaguely remember writing this poem. It was probably in my early years when I was drinking with Su Shi in a brothel. I wrote a bunch of poems in a drunken stupor, and this one might be one of them.

The lyrics he wrote back then naturally spread rapidly in brothels, places that were both worldly and refined, and that's how he got the nickname "Zhao Banque".

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Xue Meiyun meaningfully and smiled, “‘She said she would not forget people, but she has forgotten them all. If I were as heartless as you, I could not hide it from the willows by the bridge.’... You sang this poem today, I'm afraid you have a lot of resentment in your heart.”

"I have never done anything to you, so you can't treat me like a heartless man. I won't take the blame for that," Zhao Xiaoqian said with a smile.

Xue Meiyun was terrified and hurriedly bowed her head, her voice trembling as she said, "Your Majesty, I would never dare to have such a rebellious thought. It is just that Your Majesty's poem is excellent in its wording and imagery, which I love very much. Therefore, I often recite it. But I swear that there is absolutely no resentment in my heart as expressed in the poem. Please, Your Majesty, see this clearly."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and waved his hand: "I was just joking with you. I'm not that petty. It's just that I don't come to this back garden very often, but I ran into you once or twice. I have to say, we have quite a bit of fate between us."

Xue Meiyun's pretty face turned even redder, feeling shy and embarrassed that her thoughts had been exposed.

(End of this chapter)