Prime Minister

Chapter 605
cut costs?

The officials knew that Zhang Yue often had things that others couldn't do.

He planned to let Zhang Yue show off in front of everyone, so he said: "Zhang Qing, tell me carefully."

Zhang Yue said yes.

Zhang Yuedao: "The minister follows the law of the Jiaoyin Institute, and implements the law of joint operation between the government and the people for the Jiankefang."

Hearing what Zhang Yue said, Wang Anshi's face moved slightly.Lu Huiqing was full of jealousy at the moment, because Zhang Yue had suggested to use the method of cross-exchange exchange to replace the young crop method that is currently practiced, and the method was lost.

Wang Anshi once asked Lu Huiqing whether Zhang Yue's method was feasible.

Lu Huiqing was worried that Zhang Yue would outshine herself in the limelight, so she replied to Wang Anshi that Zhang Yue's method was just a modification of the method of rushing to buy.

The method of rushing to buy is the tax package system, which is similar to contracting today.

In the Song Dynasty, the government-managed businesses such as wine, vinegar, and ponds were often released for private bidding.

For example, several government-run wineries were sold to private businessmen because of poor management. The imperial court only needs to be responsible for how much money they collect each year, and the rest of the profits and losses will be borne by the private businessmen.

Such businessmen are called Jiupuhu, or Jiupuhu.

But this system has its imperfections.Therefore, Lu Huiqing used this to deny Zhang Yue's practice in front of Wang Anshi, and believed that it was just a first-class rush to buy, and there was nothing novel about it.

Wang Anshi was in charge of the overall situation, but Lu Huiqing was responsible for the details of the reform.

Since Lu Huiqing said so, Wang Anshi gave it all.The specific operation is all decided by Lu Huiqing.

But Zhang Yue said to the officials: "My Majesty, when Ouyang Xiu used to participate in politics, he talked about tea and salt. The benefits cannot be monopolized, and the monopoly will be the loss. If the husband wants ten percent of the profit, it will be attributed to the public, but ten will lose three points." , It’s better to share with the merchants, five-fifths, and often get five.”

Sima Guang on the side nodded slightly, Zhang Yue's words were exactly what he meant.

Lu Huiqing saw that the officials were also thinking about it, so he questioned: "In the words of the rules and regulations, self-interest is better than public interest?"

Zhang Yuexin said that Lu Huiqing's thinking is that he doesn't want to let the businessman earn a penny.

Zhang Yue is now facing Lu Huiqing's second challenge. He took a step back at the Jingyan last time, but he will not back down again today.

Zhang Yue said: "I don't know about Lu's storytelling, but do you know the difference between the official wine shop and the Pumai wine shop?"

Lu Huiqing said: "You know, most of the world's Liguan wine affairs are accounted for, and among the two capitals, Hangzhou can account for [-]%!"

Lu Huiqing summed it up in one sentence, the official wine shop makes more money than the Pumai wine shop!
Zhang Yue said: "Official wine shops are located in prosperous places, while Pumai wine shops are mostly in remote places, even in the countryside, where it is difficult for official wine shops to reach."

"There is not much skill in wine making, but why is the rush to buy the wine shop better than the official wine affairs? One is that the number of workers is less than that of the official wine affairs, and the second is that the loss of wine is less than that of the official wine affairs. Therefore, the rush to buy the wine shop The cost is lower than official wine service."

"For the same bottle of wine, Guan Jiufang and Pumaifang sell for [-] yuan, but Guanjiufang only makes a profit of [-] yuan, while Pumaifang can make a profit of [-] or [-] yuan."

All the officials suddenly realized that today Zhang Yue used the book engraving shop to talk about government affairs with the officials.

Another political participant, Zhao Bian, walked into the book engraving workshop and looked carefully.

Lu Huiqing was sweating slightly on his forehead, trying not to appear as if he was arguing with Zhang Yue, and said: "As Zhang Daizhi said, even if you buy a wine shop for twelve cents, it's fifty-fifth of the money to the imperial court. It's only six points, not as good as the ten points of the official wine shop."

"If the belongings of this property are lost, they are also in the court. How can it be cheap to annex the family."

When Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing gave advice to the officials, they often said that merging the family would be harmful.

There is a saying in it that "annexation in ancient times was combined with the interests of the people, and mergers in the present are also combined with public taxes".

In the past, you took the money from the old Bai surname and took it at home. Today, you even evade the country's tax.

In fact, Zhang Yue thinks that the focus of the annexation is to crack down on national tax evasion, like buying wine shops, although they earn money from the common people, they are also big taxpayers of the country. You, Lu Huiqing, will not let this go. In fact, the blow surface is too large.

Zhang Yuezheng was about to retort: ​​"As Lu Shuoshu said..."

At this time, Zhao Wei said: "This word board seems to be different..."

The officials saw that the stereotyped characters were much simpler than those written on the printed board.

Zhang Yue explained the so-called "Song style characters" to the officials: "Report to Your Majesty, this is the engraved script style..."

Zhang Yue popularized the benefits of engraved script to everyone. Usually engravers can only engrave one page a day with regular script, but with engraved script they can engrave two pages a day, which saves costs invisibly.

At the same time, Zhang Yue also said: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, there is a man named Bi Sheng among the people..."

Zhang Yue gave an overview of Bi Sheng's movable type printing.

In the Song Dynasty, there was no research institution like the Chinese Academy of Sciences, so all inventions and creations came from the people. It seems that Jiankefang had no way to compete, so it was bankrupt by the time of Zhang Yuelai.

Zhang Yue and Lu Huiqing were arguing in front of the emperor, but the officials and officials looked at this and that in the engraving workshop, which was quite novel.

Sima Guang walked up to a carver and asked, "How many plates can you carve in a day!"

Sima Guang is approachable and doesn't put on airs on weekdays. Historically, there was an old servant in his family who had followed him for 30 years. Until Sima Guang became prime minister, he didn't know how big his official position was.

The carver said: "You can carve three plates a day."

Sima Guang asked suspiciously, "Three? Is it crudely made?"

The engraver hurriedly said: "The villain dare not, everyone can see whether the printing is good or not, who dares to fool people."

"Then why do other people engrave two plates a day, but you engrave three?"

The engraver said: "There are orders for chapters to be made. Thirty editions will be engraved in one month, and another three hundred yuan will be awarded. Fifty editions will be awarded six hundred yuan. Those who engrave eighty editions will be awarded one thousand yuan."

"That's why the villain is desperate. In the past, if the officials hadn't been so urgent, the villain would have paid so much money for engraving one edition a day, and three editions a day. Why bother to work so hard?"

Sima Guang asked: "Are you so tired? Is Kefang's move too harsh?"

With a happy smile on his face, the craftsman said: "Tired, why not tired, but it's worth being tired, and I've earned hundreds of dollars more than before. My family just had a baby, so how can I not work hard? I'm going to be ripped off by my mother-in-law. of."

After listening, Sima Guang reported the words of the talented craftsman to the officials, Wang Anshi and other Hanlin scholars.

Many officials were dumbfounded and could not even say a word for a long time.

Zhang Yue's move broke the common sense thinking of everyone. Shouldn't the monthly salary of craftsmen be reduced to reduce costs?Why does the carving workshop give workers more money, but the cost is lower?

Censor Zhongcheng Lu Gong, who has been silent all this time, said: "Money is like honey, even a drop is sweet!"

All the officials nodded.

It's true that if you don't say anything, your words must mean something.

Human greed can also be used to achieve righteousness.

This is also what Wang Anshi often said, "the benefit is the sum of righteousness, and righteousness is solidly benefited."

When Lu Huiqing heard the words, she secretly said, this is an act of being mean to the craftsmen, so you can be complacent?

But this time Lu Huiqing didn't say anything, but she had a sullen expression on her face.

He could see that the officials and officials were very satisfied with the inspection of the carving workshop.

He felt that the differences between himself and Zhang Yue were even greater. If he said that he was a secret competitor before, but now that the two have different opinions, they have gone on a divergent road.

It is really difficult to reconcile here.

(End of this chapter)