dognovel Chapter 842 Either of you might make a profit, but I will never lose.
Chapter 842 Either of you might make a profit, but I will never lose.
Li Shanchang easily drew a conclusion about Yang Shaofeng's behavior of not only not backing down but also actively raising the price.
This dog is acting like Yang Dianfeng; he probably wants to scare me away.
such a pity.
Li Shanchang simply shook his head.
I'm an old man who's been through thick and thin. What kind of scenes haven't I seen, what kind of conspiracies haven't I witnessed?
You, Yang Shaofeng, are still too green to try and swindle me out of my thin-crust pancakes!
While inwardly cursing, Li Shanchang said with a smile, "Since Your Highness has such confidence, then this old man naturally cannot back down."
"but……"
"To save enough grain in two or three years to feed all the people of the Ming Dynasty for five years is the skill of the prince consort."
"But what if it takes ten or eight years?"
"If I don't live to see that day, Your Highness, you can't blame me for breaking my promise, can you?"
Yang Shaofeng glanced at Li Shanchang, momentarily at a loss for words.
As everyone knows, Li Shanchang was an old scoundrel who lived a long life. So much so that it was said in the martial arts world that the arrow shot by Sima Yi grazed Li Jing's hair and finally hit Li Shanchang's forehead with precision.
Who would have thought that Li Shanchang, that old scoundrel, who was clearly already seriously ill, would inexplicably recover and then work for Lao Deng for many years again, full of energy and vitality.
Finally, after Li Shanchang had retired to his hometown for many years, Lao Deng saw that if he didn't get rid of Li Shanchang soon, he would likely be sent away by Li Shanchang himself. So he had no choice but to throw away his own reputation and use the Hu Weiyong case as an excuse to send Li Shanchang away in one fell swoop.
So, let alone holding on for another three or five years, even if you hold on for another ten or twenty years, you, Li Shanchang, can still hold on.
While inwardly cursing, Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "Please rest assured, Lord Han, it will only take three years. If we cannot accumulate enough grain in three years, I will never mention the word 'laborer' again."
Li Shanchang nodded seriously and extended one palm: "A gentleman's word is his bond."
Yang Shaofeng also extended one hand and gave Li Shanchang a high five as a pledge: "A swift horse, a whip!"
Zhu Biao, smiling, said, "I will be your witness."
Go ahead and play your game. The bigger you play, the more benefits the Ming Dynasty will gain, and the easier it will be for me, the Crown Prince.
Ok.
Either of you could potentially make a profit, but I'll never lose.
I'm still alone~
Just as Zhu Biao was secretly pleased with himself, Li Shanchang finally remembered the grievances he had suffered along the way.
Damn it, those bandits in Dengzhou Prefecture are clearly rolling in money, yet they still like to complain about being dirt poor.
I, the dignified Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, am treated like I come from the countryside.
Aren't these your sins, Yang the Madman?
Li Shanchang felt increasingly uncomfortable as he thought about it. Suddenly, he looked at Yang Shaofeng and sneered, saying, "I just remembered a question, and I hope that Your Highness can enlighten me?"
Seeing that Li Shanchang's expression was not right, Yang Shaofeng's heart tightened, and he carefully said, "This humble official is not very knowledgeable and may not be able to answer Prime Minister Li's question?"
Li Shanchang snorted and looked at Yang Shaofeng, saying, "The phrase I heard most often on my way here is 'poor to the core.'"
"It must be because the Prince Consort often mentioned it to the people of Dengzhou Prefecture, which is why the people of Dengzhou Prefecture remembered these four words."
Gently unfolding the map of the Yan Kingdom, Li Shanchang directly pulled out a dagger: "My question is, what kind of life can be considered not poor? Or, if we are poor, then we are poor enough not to the point of being destitute?"
Before Yang Shaofeng could answer, Zhu Biao preemptively said, "I know!"
“In my brother-in-law’s eyes, a good life is one where people can eat meat whenever they want and wear new clothes whenever they want, without having to be stingy and wait until the New Year to eat meat, and without having to share the same set of clothes with the whole family.”
"At the very least, every household should have stored food and saved money, so they can worry about what to eat tomorrow instead of worrying about whether they will have food to eat tomorrow."
"Furthermore, children in ordinary families must have access to education. They may not like studying, and their grades may be poor, but they cannot be unable to afford to go to school."
"In summary, the elderly are provided for, the young are cared for, and the widowed, orphaned, and lonely all have a place to belong."
"..."
Li Shanchang was completely numb.
Is this guy not poor?
This is supposed to be a world of harmony, you bastard!
You, Yang the Madman, take universal harmony as the standard for never being poor. Who the hell taught you that?
Li Shanchang was internally ranting, but Zhu Biao said with a serious face, "In conclusion, although the people of Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture can eat meat at least twice a month, they are still extremely poor."
"Although the people of Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture can wear new clothes every year, and the workshops even give them clothes for all four seasons every year, they are still extremely poor."
"Well, in terms of children's education and the support of the widowed, orphaned, and lonely, Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture can't be said to be destitute."
"After all, my brother-in-law doesn't even spare beggars on the street."
"Tsk tsk, those beggars with disabilities are a bit better off; my brother-in-law threw them into a nursing home to be cared for."
“Those who were physically able were all thrown into the workshop to work.”
"My brother-in-law really got the hang of the phrase 'registered households and equal people'."
Li Shanchang was slightly taken aback, but then he understood the meaning behind Zhu Biao's words.
Needless to say, it must have been Yang the Madman who registered all those beggars and allocated them land.
Thinking of this, Li Shanchang couldn't help but feel a little admiration.
Regardless of how crazy Yang Dianfeng really is, or how far-fetched his ideas are, at least he is genuinely striving towards the goal of "universal harmony".
This ambition alone surpasses that of most officials in the imperial court.
Li Shanchang looked at Yang Shaofeng, and then asked, "Now I understand what 'poor to the point of losing your backside' means."
"However, I am still very curious about one thing: why does the Prince Consort insist on making the road ten zhang wide?"
"Especially those woods on both sides of the road, doesn't Your Highness know that sometimes too dense woods are not necessarily a good thing?"
Yang Shaofeng smiled and said, "Is Prime Minister Li worried that someone might ambush you in the woods? Or is he worried that an overly wide and smooth road might make it easier for the enemy or the rebels?"
Li Shanchang nodded slightly, but then unconsciously glanced at Zhu Biao.
How dare you, Yang the Madman, say such things in front of the former Vice Emperor?
Yang Shaofeng smiled dismissively and said, "If ordinary people had a good life, no one would be willing to ambush and rob in the woods, much less risk their lives to rebel."
"Of course, it's also possible that some people have lost their minds and are determined not to take the right path."
"But if they dare to take the wrong path, can't the government take strong action?"