Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

It is precisely because they have made enough profits from the trade in and out of Longmen under the guise of war that these people have become more and more outrageous in recent years.

No wonder when the emperor was seriously ill, these people only worked peacefully in the court, but after only two years of taking over, they have already openly opposed me - it seems that they took advantage of the years when Wei Yanwu was stirring up trouble in Longmen to make a lot of money!

That's all my money!

They took my money and turned against me, saying that this was for Dayan - do they still want me to thank them?

The emperor crushed the cup in his hand. The sharp edge cut his palm and blood dripped down.

"Your Majesty! Take care of yourself, Your Majesty!"

Qiao Yelan screamed and tried hard to stand up from the wheelchair, but he was completely unable to do so. He could only support himself on the table with his arms and tried to hand over a silk towel with trembling hands.

The emperor stood up on his own initiative, reached out to take the handkerchief, and covered his wound.

"Please sit down, Lord Qiao. I am in good health. Occasional pain can help me think more clearly."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qiao Yelan loosened his arms tremblingly, fell back into the wheelchair, gasping for breath, and continued to explain to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, don't be too angry. I just returned to the capital and don't know much about the situation there, but I know that the money is still in our Great Yan country, not flowing outside, so it is not impossible to get it back - but this matter can only be done slowly."

"The situation in the capital is clear now. I also know who is involved in this matter. But you are right, we should take our time in this matter."

The emperor nodded, and his eyes became even kinder when he looked at Qiao Yelan.

His father really did leave him a minister to take care of the young emperor. Such vision and thinking can be said to be the pinnacle of business, not to mention, his loyalty to him is visible to the naked eye.

And just as Qiao Yelan said before - when you have both power and benefits in your hands, you will naturally be successful in everything.

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PS: Regarding the existence of eunuchs, as long as there is a harem, there will inevitably be eunuchs. This has nothing to do with any political system. It is essentially a requirement for the purification of bloodlines.

This is fundamentally different from the situation where a priest castrates a little boy in order to preserve his physical characteristics. Don't worry about such details.

Chapter 81: Retreat is the first step of the plan

"After hearing what you said, I understand the issue of commercial tax. However, whether it is waiting for the normalization of business in Longmen area or catching all those who have evaded taxes in recent years, it will take time."

The emperor sat down and tried to calm himself down.

"The capital is in chaos now. The prime minister and the court officials are in collusion, always using the empty treasury as an excuse to oppose my will. I am not an impatient person, but their previous behavior worries me. Even if the commercial tax is restored, they have the ability to spend all the money on paper."

"So, I need a plan that can be implemented immediately and that can bring visible benefits. You can choose any position within the six ministries, except for the Shangshu, and below the second rank."

"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your grace, but please be patient, I have something to say."

Qiao Yelan took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing before speaking again.

"Your Majesty, I have said before that the revenue of the national treasury, in addition to commercial taxes, also comes from the sales of the Shaofu. This money does not go through taxes, but goes directly to the palace. Therefore, this money will not be intercepted by any officials or departments."

"The Shaofu... was indeed glorious in the past, but how can the Great Yan royal family compete with the common people for profits? Therefore, over the generations, the Shaofu's property has been getting smaller and smaller. Until now, the annual income is only a few tens of thousands of taels. This amount of money is not even enough to repair the imperial palace, so how can it solve my current problems?"

The emperor was a little confused.

"Your Majesty, the most important thing about the Shaofu is not its industry, nor how much money it can make - but that it is an industry that is completely controlled by you, and there is a channel for funds to enter the palace that is completely under the jurisdiction of the six ministries and the prime minister."

"In other words, as long as the money can be withdrawn from the account of the Shaofu, it is money that can directly enter the palace and can directly fall into your hands. As for where the money comes from... as long as the Shaofu says that he earned it, then it is earned by the Shaofu."

Qiao Yelan's words made the emperor feel that he had grasped something, but it was not very clear.

"Your Majesty, during the turmoil in Longmen, those high-ranking officials and wealthy families supported their own caravans to trade from Longmen, but they did not pay taxes to Dayan - this is the actual smuggling."

"Since it's smuggling, they can leave, but the Shaofu can't? They all don't pay taxes to Dayan, but the Shaofu's money falls into the hands of Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will definitely use it for the benefit of the people of Jiuzhou - instead of letting them manipulate this muddy water and make profits for their family, it's better to let the Shaofu do it!"

The emperor's eyes lit up. The word "smuggling" not only put a big hat on those merchants, but also touched his heart.

Yes, if they can smuggle, why can’t the Shaofu?

The Shaofu does not compete with the people for profit - but competing with this group of people for profit is not a violation of ancestral rules.

"It's just... this thing is not easy to operate, and doing this kind of thing under the banner of the Great Yan Royal Family is likely to be impeached by the censors."

The emperor was actually already tempted, but he was worried about how long he could do this without being exposed.

"Your Majesty, I have said before that as long as the money can be withdrawn from the account of the Shaofu, it is the money earned by the Shaofu - as for whether the Shaofu really did the business, it is not important."

"So, the Shaofu doesn't need to engage in smuggling at all. All you need to do is have a good talk with Duke Wei and ask him to share the secret offerings from the caravan with you, isn't that enough?"

Qiao Yelan's voice was still gentle and calm.

"It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it's hard to go from luxury to frugality. After those merchants and their masters have tasted the sweetness of not having to pay taxes to Da Yan, how could they be willing to return to the environment of doing business through formal channels in the past?"

"They will definitely continue to engage in this kind of smuggling business. This kind of thing can be concealed from His Majesty in the capital, but it will never be leaked to the local snakes in Longmen. Therefore, they must continue to pay tribute to Duke Wei in order to maintain this smuggling channel."

Having said that, Qiao Yelan paused and gave the emperor some time to organize his thoughts.

And this Emperor is truly worthy of being the one chosen by the late emperor. In just a few breaths, he had figured out what Qiao Yelan said.

Longmen is now at peace, so the trade routes have been reopened and everything will return to the open trade of the past. Naturally, it will return to the original rules - Dayan platform, Longmen buying and selling, and then paying taxes together.

But for businessmen and high-ranking officials and wealthy people, paying taxes means cutting their flesh and bleeding, which is something they are absolutely unwilling to do.

Since they are willing to risk war to engage in smuggling, there is no reason why they would not risk being beheaded to continue doing so.

After all, if the truth is found out, he will be beheaded.

The most important thing to avoid detection of smuggling is to bribe the local tyrants.

Who is the local boss of Longmen now?

Duke of Wei, Wei Yanwu.

In other words, the war in Longmen has subsided, but these people actually want to abide by the rules that Longmen still has during the war, not the rules that existed before the war.

They didn't want to pay commercial taxes, but only wanted to pay protection fees to Wei Yanwu.

"They gave part of the commercial tax that should have been paid to Wei Yanwu and kept part for themselves. Do you mean to ask me to share the money with Wei Yanwu?"

"That's what I mean - the business tax in Da Yan cannot be restored in the short term, because merchants who eat easy food are unwilling to pay taxes. So why don't we get involved and collect this part of the business tax directly into your hands."

The emperor certainly knew that after the money was divided into two parts, the amount was far less than the original commercial tax - but Qiao Yelan's words hit the nail on the head.

Because according to the original method of collecting taxes, after being exploited at various levels and finally entering the Ministry of Revenue, after making plans for the next year, it is estimated that one would not be able to get even one or two taels of silver.

Now, he doesn't need to do anything. As long as he sends a secret letter to Wei Yanwu, he can get the cash smoothly.

In this way, he obtained the much-needed funds, and Wei Yanwu could use the opportunity of covering up the businessmen's business to bring them closer, which would help both of them to secure their current positions.

"What are the countermeasures? I won't continue to make money this way. After all, this will cost the tax revenue of Da Yan."

"When that time comes, we can just ask Duke Wei to raise the percentage of his commission to a level that exceeds Dayan's commercial tax rate."

Qiao Yelan said without hesitation.

"If he doesn't comply, Your Majesty can just use the fact that Longmen's commercial tax revenue has been low for so many years to pressure him - under this crime, the governor of the mobile city must personally return to the capital to make an appeal."

By that time, will Wei Yanwu dare to come back?

The emperor chewed on the name, then shook his head slightly.

Wei Yanwu.

That was the name for which the emperor had the most complicated feelings.

They used to be brothers, and he had admired his brother, the Emperor. Even his throne was given to him by his brother. But it was also him who made him sit on this position so unexpectedly and with such fear.

"Qiao Aiqing, you know so much about Longmen - Babel Tower is in Longmen, so you must have some connections, right?"

"I dare not hide it from your Majesty. It is precisely because my company has a shop in Longmen that I know all these things, if not everything about them. At least I can say that I know them like the back of my hand."

"You are quite magnanimous."

The emperor chuckled.

"I have nothing to hide from Your Majesty, because I have never done anything that would have violated my conscience. All the trade at the Tower of Babel is recorded in the books. My company has only sold goods to the Duke of Wei, and I have never done anything else."

Qiao Yelan said solemnly.

After saying this, the emperor's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

If you tell a lie about something like this, it won't stand up to verification, so the reason why Qiao Yelan dared to say this in front of me must be because that's what he did.

"Your words make me feel very relieved. There are still loyal ministers in Da Yan."

The emperor's relief was naturally not expressed by Qiao Yelan's words. His relief was that Qiao Yelan took the initiative to come up with a method that could immediately distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and that this matter was not difficult.

This is an open token of allegiance. The emperor will certainly send people to investigate. As long as they find out that Babel Tower has never engaged in smuggling and only sold things to Wei Yanwu, it means that Qiao Yelan is truly trustworthy, and the emperor will of course accept this loyalty.

Can the Tower of Babel withstand scrutiny?

Of course it could have survived. If it could have been discovered, there must be something fishy going on—because the smuggling route of the Tower of Babel was from outside to inside.

They delivered the goods outside Longmen, and then naturally the Dayan Caravan took over the goods. In order to package themselves at that time, Babel Tower even disguised itself as a team delivering supplies to Koschei, or a wilderness merchant passing through Kazdel.

Therefore, if the Emperor of Dayan were to investigate, it would be certain that the Tower of Babel had never been smuggled "outside".

As for selling supplies to Wei Yanwu, that was only a part of Qiao Yelan's plan to support Wei Yanwu. Even part of this batch of supplies was going to be given to Kosice - because it was cheaper to buy from Dayan than to transport from Ursus.

The completed transactions can still be sold to the Emperor of Dayan for a good price, but Qiao Yelan said that the remaining value must be depressed three meters underground.

"I am ashamed to receive such praise from Your Majesty."

Qiao Yelan bowed again.

"Okay, okay - you have solved my urgent problem and set a future strategy for me. From an economic point of view alone, you are truly a national talent."

The emperor nodded with great satisfaction.

"Tell me, what position do you want? Among the six ministries, except for the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, as long as I ask for other positions, the Prime Minister's hand will not be restrained - but as for the Ministry of War, forget it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your generous reward. If I continue to decline, I will be ungrateful to your majesty. So I will boldly ask Your Majesty for an official position."

Qiao Yelan kept bowing and thought for a while, then raised his head and stated his request seriously.

"——Shaofujian."

Shaofujian?

This request was somewhat beyond the emperor's expectations.

It's not that it's too high, but that it's too off to the side.

The Great Yan Dynasty once changed the official system due to the problem of redundant officials, changing the Nine Ministers into Six Ministries. The Shaofu also fell into decline at that time, because most of the profitable industries were transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, and the craftsmen under its jurisdiction were also transferred to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. From then on, the Shaofu became a small commercial department under the royal family.

Although the Shaofujian still had a third-grade rank at this time, there was no doubt that he was almost crushed in all aspects compared to other positions of the same rank.

"Why is it the Shaofu Supervisor?"

"I have no interest in a career in government, otherwise the late emperor would not have allowed me to return home on sick leave. However, I am deeply favored by the emperor and enjoy the salary of the Great Yan. If Your Majesty is willing to employ me, I will naturally devote myself to Your Majesty. Therefore, the position of the Supervisor of the Imperial Household is a choice made after careful consideration."

Qiao Yelan began his performance.

"Your Majesty asked Eunuch Li to go out of the palace to pick me up, naturally to let the dignitaries in the capital know that I am a person you value very much. Once I enter the six ministries, the prime minister that Your Majesty mentioned will naturally arrange people to hinder me in every way. I have no foundation in the court, so I will be at a loss as to how to move forward or backward."

"The Shaofu is different. Those who work there are all your Majesty's servants, so they only respect your Majesty and do not respect anyone else's orders. I lack a foundation in the six ministries, but in the Shaofu, your Majesty is my biggest backer. Whatever I want to implement, as long as I can get your Majesty's approval, I can accomplish it."

"Well said! I will appoint you as the Supervisor of the Imperial Household to see what you can do. Just do it. I will be your biggest supporter."

The emperor waved his sleeves with satisfaction and directly promoted Qiao Yelan from a white-clothed official to the third-rank Shaofujian.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. The first thing I will do is to ask Your Majesty for someone."

Qiao Yelan knew very well that anyone who believed the emperor's words was a fool, so his next words were the key to working for the emperor while clearing himself from the situation.

"I hope that Your Majesty can issue an order to transfer a group of smart and capable eunuchs from the palace to serve me in expanding the inner court and continuing to increase income for Your Majesty."

"Eunuch? That's strange. Could it be that Minister Qiao has read too many novels and thinks that all the eunuchs in the palace are highly skilled in martial arts, or are hiding their true abilities?"

There was a hint of surprise in the emperor's question.

"Your Majesty, who do you think are the people in Da Yan who are the most loyal to you and yet are completely controlled by you?"

He guided the emperor patiently.

"Is it the civil and military officials? Is it the people of the world? No, it is only the eunuchs in your palace. They are the most loyal to you, and you have the power of life and death at your fingertips."

"They know very well that only if they do things that please Your Majesty can they live and receive rewards. If they do something that displeases You, they also know that they will lose their heads."

These two sentences made the emperor thoughtful again.