She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 467 Shocking news

Zhao Yi carried the clean and tidy clothes and went behind the screen to put them on.

"Come in," Shen Qingtan called Tingxue in.

Tingxue pushed open the door and walked in, just about to close it.

"Wait." Shen Qingtan called out to Tingxue and said to the attendant standing at the door, "The prince is injured. Come in and help him change his clothes."

The attendant respectfully replied, "Yes."

He didn't see Zhao Yi in the room, so he went around to the back of the screen.

Tingxue closed the door behind her and handed the letter to Shen Qingtan.

Shen Qingtan opened the letter and read it word by word, making sure she hadn't missed any important information, before putting the letter back in the envelope.

At this moment, Zhao Yi, already dressed, stepped out from behind the screen.

Hearing the noise, Shen Qingtan turned her head to look over.

Zhao Yi was dressed in a plain-colored straight-hemmed robe, his long, black hair, still damp, cascading down his back, which accentuated his refined and elegant appearance.

Zhao Yi stood in front of Shen Qingtan. Although she was staring at him in a daze, her brows were furrowed, and she looked preoccupied.

"What did Uncle Qin say in the letter?" Zhao Yi, whose left hand was injured, sat calmly to her left: "Is your business facing difficulties?"

“You wrote to me before that Yongqing County was short of grain, so I instructed Uncle Qin to go and purchase grain.”

"Now is the time of lean season, and everyone is short of food. Only some landlords or merchants have a lot of grain in their hands."

"Several companies that Uncle Qin had originally agreed to sell to him changed their minds at the last minute and were unwilling to sell to him."

Shen Qingtan tossed the letter aside and sighed, "Uncle Qin suspected something was amiss, so he sent people to investigate the backgrounds of these grain merchants. It turned out that someone had bought their grain for twice the price we were paying."

Zhao Yi frowned. Although Yongqing County used silk and lead to attract merchants to transport grain from other places to sell, the demand far exceeded the supply of grain, which could only temporarily ensure that the people of Yongqing County had enough to eat.

If the people of Yongqing County are to be completely freed from famine, some of the mulberry fields must be converted into rice paddies.

The rice ripening cycle takes at least three months and at most six months.

The imperial court couldn't provide that much grain either.

Zhao Yi asked, "Have you found out who bought the grain?"

Shen Qingtan replied, "Uncle Qin didn't find out anything, he only knows that the buyer came from Shancheng."

“Mountain City…” Zhao Yi thought of the Wise King.

“I’ve got it!” Shen Qingtan thought of a solution: “Husband, Yongqing County is currently full of mulberry fields, and it’s the season for raising silkworms now.”

"Look, mulberry fields need people to manage them, silkworms need people to raise them, and cloth needs people to weave it."

“We can rent out the mulberry fields, the only condition being that we hire the local people and provide them with three meals a day.”

"In this way, the people will have enough to eat, and we won't have to worry about food. It's a win-win situation."

"As for how to attract merchants... Yongqing County is rich in silk products of excellent quality, and merchants cannot possibly be unaware of this, which is also our advantage."

"Furthermore, the silver that the wise prince embezzled was originally intended to be allocated to Yongqing County for famine relief, but what the people lack is food, not silver. Even if this silver ends up in the hands of the people, it won't buy much food."

"In order to curb corruption, the imperial court has specially established a subsidy for officials to maintain integrity. We can also adopt this method and distribute it in the form of subsidies to help merchants who lease mulberry fields."

"Merchants are not stupid. Once they do the math, they will understand that apart from the rent for the mulberry fields, the money for supporting the farmhands is all paid by the government."

"To prevent merchants from exploiting the common people, the subsidies for them will be distributed according to the number of people they employ, and will not be paid out in one lump sum, but rather monthly. Every month, government officials will be arranged to conduct assessments, and only merchants who pass the assessment will receive subsidies."

"If someone fails the assessment, their qualification will be revoked, and someone else will be found to replace them."

"Of course, in addition to this, we also need to provide some tangible benefits."

"For example, these silk fabrics could be supplied to the palace, or they could be exempted from taxes for a year."

At this point, Shen Qingtan noticed Zhao Yi staring intently at her, and only then did she belatedly realize that she had been so engrossed in her "lofty discourse" that she had forgotten to ask Zhao Yi's opinion.

She held a handkerchief to her nose and coughed lightly: "What do you think of my idea?"

This is a good idea; it's like they give silver to merchants, and the merchants provide grain to feed the people. If implemented properly, Yongqing County might become prosperous again.

"Indeed, Madam, your insight is truly remarkable." Zhao Yi smiled as he poured her a cup of tea. "How long will this policy be in effect?"

“Six months.” Hearing his teasing words, Shen Qingtan took the teacup somewhat awkwardly, took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, and said, “Six months is enough time to weave cloth. Even if merchants stop renting land, the people can be self-sufficient by then. And the merchants who actually profit will continue to rent land without the support of the court.”

Zhao Yi nodded slightly: "The work of raising silkworms and weaving cloth is suitable for women. Men sell their strength, and Sangtian doesn't need so many men."

He pondered, "The policy you mentioned could also be applied to lead mines with slight modifications. In that case, men could earn a living in lead mines."

Shen Qingtan praised, "My husband is truly gifted and considerate in every aspect."

Zhao Yi chuckled; it was clearly her solution that had solved his immediate problem.

Instead of taking credit, she praised him for his intelligence.

Ironically, he really appreciated her praise.

A strange sense of joy welled up inside me.

"I was just parroting what others had said."

Zhao Yi looked at her smiling face with her eyebrows curved and her red lips parted in a smile.

It is both beautiful and radiant.

He couldn't help but move closer to Shen Qingtan, wrapping his right arm around her waist and lowering his head to kiss her delicate, soft lips.

Tingxue and her attendant discreetly withdrew and quietly closed the door.

Meanwhile, the wise prince returned to his residence only to hear a shocking piece of bad news.