Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Chapter 148 The Empress is Unhappy

Xiao Ye pondered the word "logistics".

Have not heard.

But the literal meaning is not difficult to understand.

"物" means goods; "流" means circulation.

Gu Mingyue didn't give him time to think it over.

What she wants is to expand the business so that she can pour tons of money into it!

So, he revealed the second half of the plan in one go.

"The five transfer stations are just the skeleton. To make this system truly operational, a hub is still missing."

She squatted down, picked up a piece of burnt charcoal from the ground, and began to draw on the stone floor of the dilapidated temple.

A thick line runs from south to north, marking five points: Jiangzhou, Xuzhou, Yuezhou, Yangzhou, and Tongzhou.

Then, at the northernmost point, she drew another circle.

"Kyoto."

Xiao Ye looked down at the simple map on the ground and remained silent.

Gu Mingyue used a charcoal stick to press firmly twice on the area next to the circle in Kyoto.

"The five stations in the south are responsible for receiving, sorting, and transferring goods. But once the goods reach the capital region, the final stage of distribution in the city is the most critical link."

"Kyoto has many large shops, and the shops in the four markets of east, west, south, and north each have their own independent supply channels."

"When the silk from the south reaches the city gate, it still has to go through a broker, a cart dealer, and a warehouse."

"With each layer of markups, the price more than triples by the time it reaches the counter."

"If a logistics park were set up outside Kyoto, it would be possible to centralize unloading, sorting, storage, and delivery of goods."

"Merchants pick up their goods directly from the park, eliminating three or four intermediaries."

Xiao Jue shook his fan, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Outside the city? Where?"

"The confluence of the official road and the Caohe River in the western suburbs."

Gu Mingyue answered without hesitation; she had long had her eye on that piece of land.

If she hadn't been afraid of making money, she would have bought it long ago.

"That area is now a wasteland with cheap land. But it's accessible by both water and land. It takes half an hour to get into the city by official road, and the waterways connect to the main canal. It's a natural logistics hub."

Xiao Ye looked up at her.

This girl knows the terrain around Kyoto better than the people in the Ministry of Works.

They were even better at utilizing it than the people in the Ministry of Revenue.

Gu Mingyue tossed the charcoal stick aside and patted the ash off her hands.

"Once the park is completed, not only Pujitang's goods will use this route, but all merchants traveling from the north and south will be able to use it."

"Once the merchants use it, they have to pay for the transportation and storage fees. According to our previous rules, the amount is split 70% between the second master and 30% between Pujitang."

She stood up and bowed slightly in Xiao Ye's direction.

"Second Master, this business will only benefit you and not harm you. Taxes are a steady stream of income, guaranteed regardless of drought or flood."

Xiao Ye didn't rush to express his opinion.

He took two steps around the picture on the ground, his toes pausing briefly at the edge of the circle with "Kyoto".

"How much money will it cost to build the industrial park?"

Gu Mingyue was waiting for these words.

"The initial investment, including land, warehouses, labor, equipment, and the irrigation canal from the canal to the park, was at least 300,000 taels."

In fact, they could swallow it up even if they invested several million taels!

Xiao Jue stopped fanning himself.

Three hundred thousand taels.

The national treasury can't even afford winter clothing for the border troops, so where would it get 300,000 taels to build some kind of logistics park?

Xiao Ye also fell silent.

Gu Mingyue was overjoyed inside, but on the surface she wore a look of deep sorrow, showing concern for her lord's worries.

"Second Master, if I may be so bold as to speak frankly, you and my brother discussed the difficulties facing the national treasury on the way here. This sum of money..."

She paused for a moment.

"Produced by Pujitang".

The hall fell silent again.

Even the cows squatting on the ground raised their heads.

"My goodness, boss, our boss is really rich! Looks like he's robbed quite a bit before."

Qian Dajiang quickly shushed him.

"What nonsense are you spouting? We're law-abiding citizens now, following our master! What our master did before is all in the past! Dazhai has even been renamed Pujitang now!"

"Oh, right, right! We've reformed."

Niu Jiaojin nodded vigorously to his brothers, and when he looked at Gu Mingyue, his eyes were full of admiration.

Gu Mingyue: "..."

Gu Mingyue ignored them and continued to say to Xiao Ye, "I'll pay the money, but there's a condition."

"explain."

"Second Master, you have to give us some policy support."

Gu Mingyue had a clear train of thought.

"First, the land needed for the logistics park and the five transfer stations will be requisitioned by the imperial court and sold to Pujitang at market price."

"Secondly, after the park is completed, a special permit for canal transport will be issued to Pujitang Logistics. Cargo ships will not be taxed twice when passing through the checkpoints of each state, but will only be taxed once at the place of origin and once at the place of destination."

Xiao Jue interjected, "The canal transport regulations are no small matter. You're going to change the rules for half the canal."

"We won't change the rules, we'll just streamline them."

Gu Mingyue turned to look at him.

"Fourth Master, you know better than anyone that a merchant ship traveling from Jiangzhou to the capital has to pass through more than a dozen checkpoints along the way."

"You have to pay taxes every time you pass through a customs checkpoint, and in the end, the taxes you pay are more expensive than the goods themselves."

"The merchants lost money, and the imperial court didn't actually receive much money either; it was all swallowed up by the checkpoints in between."

"Change to collecting taxes at both ends: once at the point of origin and once at the point of destination."

"The tax rate can be increased, but the total amount will be lower than it is now. Merchants will save money, and the court will collect more."

Xiao Jue twirled the fan in his palm.

He did not refute it.

He can figure out this.

Xiao Ye stood with his hands behind his back for a while, then suddenly spoke.

Who will build the industrial park?

The second question that Gu Mingyue and others had was about to ask.

"My brother."

She tilted her head slightly towards Gu Mingli.

Gu Mingli was leaning against a pillar rubbing his wrists when he heard this and raised his eyelids slightly.

"Without him, no one else could have built this."

Gu Mingyue's tone was completely devoid of politeness.

"The Ministry of Industry couldn't even understand the blueprints for the structure of the transfer station, the design of the logistics warehouse, and the manufacture of the transfer vehicles."

Gu Mingli raised an eyebrow, showing no modesty.

Xiao Ye's gaze fell on Gu Mingli, and his expression suddenly turned sour.

If Gu Mingli goes to build the industrial park, who will be on duty in front of the emperor?

Liu An observed the Emperor's expression closely, understanding the situation perfectly.

His Majesty is reluctant to release them!

Xiao Ye was indeed reluctant to part with it.

It's not that I'm reluctant to part with Gu Mingli.

It was because they couldn't bear to part with the strange and unusual knowledge that Gu Mingli was talking about.

What about mechanics, optics, chemistry, what about the Earth being round and everything having gravity?

He can't sleep soundly unless he listens to Gu Mingli's nagging for two hours every night.

Gu Mingli is a prodigy; he is worth more than an entire Ministry of Works.

If he were transferred to a construction site, Xiao Ye's "bedtime stories" would be cut off.

Most importantly, he feared that Gu Mingli might become like Gu Debai, losing his mind after coming into contact with gold and silver.

Liu An's eyes darted around, and he boldly interjected, first giving the emperor a way out.

"Oh, girl."

He changed his form of address, as if they were having a casual chat.

"Young Master still has to work for Second Master. If he goes to the construction site..."

Xiao Ye remained silent, which was tantamount to acquiescing to Liu An's statement.

Gu Mingli also began to understand the meaning.

Huang Jiaojiao is unhappy and doesn't want to let him go.

He rubbed his wrists, which were red from being rubbed by the hemp rope, and tentatively began to speak.

"Second Master, the construction site isn't far, so it's convenient to go back and forth. How about... going to the construction site every three days and returning to the Imperial Palace every day? That way, we won't interfere with either."

Xiao Ye looked at him expressionlessly.

"Three days?"

This means I'm unhappy.

"How about... in two days? I'll come back every two days."

Gu Mingli quickly added.

"I guarantee that on my duty days, I will not miss a single lesson or report."

Xiao Ye snorted but didn't reply.

The scene froze.

Gu Mingyue looked at her brother, then at Huang Jiaojiao.

He sighed.

"One day on the construction site, one day back home on duty."

Xiao Ye snorted again.