Chapter 371: Shine
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
However, now, it was really too difficult. The National Treasury no longer had a single bit of food. That bunch of sly old foxes had asked them to donate some silver, but they were all looking left and right.
“So there’s nothing we can do now?” Jian Qingqing asked, puzzled.
The Emperor did not treat her as an outsider and said directly, “Next, the Crown Prince wants to go to war and take back Yu City directly. Zhiyan said that he wants to take all the high-yield grains that he has temporarily collected to Yu City with the Crown Prince, but I think those high-yield grains can’t be touched.”
“Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to take back Yu City,” Ming Zhiyan said calmly.
How could the Emperor not know this truth? However, once the harvest was high, the seeds in the second half of the year would not be enough. If such a thing happened next year, where would they find more food? It had not reached that stage yet, so he should be able to find a way.
“Your Majesty,” Jian Qingqing said, “I came to find you for this matter. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about asking the people or businessmen to donate?”
The Emperor frowned and said, “How could I not have thought about it? in the past, when the National Treasury was not able to afford the money and the border was in danger, I had ordered the ministers to donate silver. The first few times, it was still okay. They donated whatever they could, but later on, they became more and more slippery and refused all sorts of things. They would rather the country be destroyed than their wallets be damaged. It’s even harder to persuade that group of merchants. They’ve never woken up early if there’s no profit. Even if there’s no Great Wei, they can still go to other countries to do business, so why would they donate money?
Jian Qingqing pursed her lips and said directly, “Then, Your Majesty, why don’t you give them benefits?”
The Emperor frowned. “What benefits can I give them? What they want is nothing more than money and power. Can I give them these? If I had money, I wouldn’t have to lower myself and ask them for it. If I gave them Dower. wouldn’t I be throwing the Imperial court into a mess?
“No, Your Majesty, there are many ways to buy them over. It all depends on whether you are willing or not.”
“What method is there?” the Emperor asked curiously.
“For businessmen, what they lack is not money, but status, ” Jian Qingqing said seriously. “Although you can’t give them status directly, you can give it to their descendants.”
The Emperor and the other two were not stupid. After hearing what Jian Qingqing said, they all faintly knew what she was going to say. The Emperor asked excitedly, “You mean…”
Jian Qingqing nodded and said, “That’s right. What businessmen want is status, but directly making them officials will ruin the court. You can give them a reward. As long as they donate a lot of money, their descendants can get a place in the imperial examination. As for whether they can pass or not, it will depend on their ability. The more they donate, the more places they will get.”
The three of them could not calm down after hearing this. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that this method was feasible.
After a long time, the Emperor laughed and said, “Hahaha! Ding’an, you really are the lucky star of Great Wei! You really gave me a good idea and saved the Great Wei!”
The Crown Prince also looked at Jian Qingqing with excitement and said, “I did not think that Princess Ding’an would have such a good idea! None of those old guys can compare to you.”
Ming Zhiyan looked at the smiling Jian Qingqing and felt that she was glowing. His heart moved. From the time he knew Jian Qingqing, he felt that she would one day shine. As expected, she was now seen by more and more people. She would eventually be respected by the world. Fortunately, he witnessed this process and accompanied her all the way..