hsntnovel Chapter 2637 Li Shen's Proposal
Chapter 2637 Li Shen's Proposal
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian moved his dry throat, trying to make his voice as soft as possible:
"Tenth Brother, surely not. Our officials would never go so far as to help people from other countries."
"Hehe." Li Shen chuckled twice: "Brother, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest. Our Tang Dynasty has a large population, with tens of thousands of officials alone. It's not surprising that a few scoundrels emerge."
Besides, as I said, they will have an excuse. We are a nation of etiquette, and we shouldn't be so petty with foreign envoys. We should be forgiving when we can.
Writers and artists will always find a reason for themselves.
Li Shen looked at Li Chengqian with a smile. "What kind of people haven't we seen throughout history? Don't you know how your father became emperor?"
Of the many generals under his command, nine out of ten were surrendered generals.
Wei Zheng once plotted to have Li Jiancheng kill Li Shimin, but in the end, he still sat on the position of prime minister without any qualms.
Li Chengqian was aloof and sometimes took things for granted.
"Tenth Brother, do you think too badly of the officials of my Great Tang? They are nothing like what you say. I cannot agree with you."
Just then, Li Tai suddenly interjected, saying that he had been listening attentively when Li Chengqian and Li Shen were talking.
Hearing Li Shen spouting nonsense, he immediately retorted. It wasn't that he was deliberately refuting, but rather that he felt Li Shen was exaggerating.
They thought too badly of the officials in the imperial court.
"What does it matter to me whether you agree or not? Are you perhaps the kind of person I'm talking about?"
Li Shen had a very bad feeling about Li Tai today; this guy had been making things difficult for him both openly and secretly all day.
This has been the case since the sacrificial ceremony began, so Li Shen didn't give him a friendly look either.
Li Tai wasn't angry even after Li Shen retorted.
"Hehe, I am not the kind of person you describe. Moreover, I believe that the officials of our Great Tang are all dedicated to the people. How could they possibly collude with foreign envoys?"
"If they can collude with powerful and influential families, why can't they be in cahoots with the envoys?"
It's all about giving gifts and money, so how can he differentiate between people?
Do you remember the Wang family of Langya last year? A woman from the Wang family assaulted a retired guard from my Prince Ji's residence, and instead of punishing her, the local officials aided and abetted her.
If I hadn't intervened, this matter would have simply been left unresolved for ordinary people.
Fourth Brother, do you think such things are common in our Tang Dynasty?
Li Shen looked at Li Tai provocatively. The Tang Dynasty had more than 400 prefectures and more than 2,000 counties, and there were thousands of official officials, not counting minor officials.
How many people bully men and women, how many people monopolize the market, and how many people disregard human life?
Li Tai was rendered speechless by Li Shen's words. Last year's incident had caused quite a stir, and Li Shen had even taken action against two of the Wang family's vice ministers, giving them a severe beating at the gate of the imperial city.
This beating also ruined the two men's futures, preventing them from ever getting promoted again.
The matter escalated to the Taiji Hall, and in the end, Li Shen offered a way to atone for his sins, which disgusted the officials present.
But they dare not say anything else, not even a word about abolishing atonement, because they are also a group with vested interests.
Besides, even if they did speak up, none of the nobles present would agree; this was a perk for them.
So in the end, nothing came of it, and they watched Li Shen leave with an air of nonchalance.
Li Shen saw that Li Tai remained silent and gave a disdainful smile:
"Fourth Brother, if you have nothing to do, go out for a walk more often, and you will see different scenery."
Do you still remember when Aye sent Sun Fuqia and more than 20 others to investigate the area?
Tsk tsk tsk, dozens of people were killed, thousands were dismissed from their posts and exiled, and only a dozen or so were promoted and appointed.
Do you still think what I said was alarmist?
“This…” Li Tai was speechless. What Li Shen said was true, and it was all true that had happened. That investigation had enraged His Majesty.
This also made all the court officials feel insecure, fearing that they would be investigated.
"Alright, tenth brother, what you say is indeed possible. After the New Year, I will give them a warning in court."
Li Chengqian quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"I have already taken the initiative and sent people to Guangzhou Prefecture. Because of its port, many merchants from the Western Regions land in our Great Tang Dynasty there."
There were too many Hu people in the area, as well as many Kunlun slaves.
I have heard that things are in great disarray. I have warned the Governor of Guangzhou not to make the same mistake as Dang Renhong. The people of the Tang Dynasty must be superior to others.
"If I hadn't discovered his embezzlement and corruption in bed, I would have impeached him and had his entire family executed."
When Li Shen returned, he had already arranged for Wang Hongfu to convey the message that the port of Guangzhou Prefecture was an important starting point for the journey to the Western Regions.
It was also an important port for people from the Western Regions to come to the Tang Dynasty. It was a melting pot of people, with many foreigners, especially Arabs and Indians.
Li Shen had no good feelings towards them.
"Hehe, so it turns out that you, my tenth brother, have already taken the lead. Then I will lend you another hand. After the New Year, I will issue an order to the Guangzhou Governor's Office, instructing them to do as you wish."
"You're right. The people of my Great Tang must be superior to others. All the people are subjects of the Li family. As long as they support the Li family, the Li family will continue for ten thousand generations."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately laughed and said that Li Shen sometimes did indeed see things more deeply than he did.
“Brother, actually I have another suggestion, though it may be immature,” Li Shen suddenly thought of something and said.
"Oh? Why don't you tell me about it?" Li Chengqian asked curiously.
"Brother, have you ever thought about setting up a maritime trade office in Guangzhou Port?"
"The Maritime Trade Office?" Li Chengqian was taken aback upon hearing Li Shen's words.
"Yes, it's the government office that specifically manages ships entering and leaving the port, and its main responsibility is collecting customs duties."
Li Shen thought for a moment and explained that he didn't actually know much about it either.
“Tenth brother, it’s not difficult to establish the Maritime Trade Office you mentioned, but there might be some resistance to collecting customs duties, as you know.”
What if they don't land at Guangzhou Port, but go to other ports, such as Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Dengzhou, etc.
"Are we going to establish a Maritime Trade Office in every port? That would probably require a lot of people."
After pondering for a moment, Li Chengqian asked.
"It's actually quite simple. The Maritime Trade Office is also responsible for issuing trade certificates. Only with these certificates can you trade with other people."
We are enacting a law that anyone who trades with someone without proper documentation will have all their goods confiscated and will be fined three to ten times the value of the goods.
Those with a large number of items were stripped of their property and exiled.
I refuse to believe anyone would take such a risk; there are no secrets that stay hidden forever.
Smuggling was a serious crime, and in the early days of the Tang Dynasty, when commerce was just beginning to develop, such matters were rarely investigated.
We all know each other quite well, so the sudden appearance of so many goods clearly indicates that they were smuggled.
They'll bring up a charge of possessing a huge amount of unexplained wealth, and they can also fine them a bit.