hsntnovel Chapter 2709 Doing Business with the Imperial Court
Chapter 2709 Doing Business with the Imperial Court
Tang Jian served as Minister of Revenue for many years, and was the purse strings of the Tang Dynasty. His mind was filled with nothing but money.
Tang Jian was the most cunning person in the entire court.
It could be said that Tang Jian did nothing else at work but research how to spend money and how to save money.
Even Li Shen's brains aren't as sharp as others'.
When Li Shen thought that four-wheeled carriages were similar to two-wheeled carriages, Tang Jian had already considered other issues.
Labor costs were a significant expense in transportation, as the imperial court needed drivers and escorting soldiers for transport.
These people need money for everything, from food and drink to sanitation.
One four-wheeled carriage is equivalent to three two-wheeled carriages, saving two people. One thousand carriages can save two thousand people.
The escorting soldiers can also save half the manpower.
This greatly reduced the imperial court's expenses. It should be noted that not only Chang'an City used horse-drawn carriages, but also local governments in various regions used them to transport grain.
Every year, taxes are collected and transported to charitable granaries, disaster areas, and border regions, as well as for military expeditions.
By doing this, you can save a lot of money.
Li Shenyi immediately understood this principle upon hearing it.
"Minister Tang, as expected of the Minister of Revenue, you are indeed shrewd. In that case, tell me how many carriages you need."
Let's make it clear upfront: if we order a lot, delivery might not be as quick.
One of the components was particularly difficult to manufacture.
The component Li Shen mentioned was the bearing, which is entirely hand-polished, resulting in a very high error rate.
Moreover, the requirements for the steel are very strict; if not handled properly, the steel column will break, as it is extremely brittle.
This is also why Li Shen's car model has not been mass-produced for so many years.
Everything else is easy to deal with, just ordinary iron and wood, but this bearing is the real problem.
“Your Highness, it depends on the price of the carriage. If it’s too expensive, we might as well use a two-wheeled vehicle.”
Tang Jian was a smart man. He knew that Li Shen's carriage was expensive, but it couldn't possibly be this expensive, worth thousands of strings of cash.
Li Shen pretended to be thinking by rubbing his chin, and only spoke after a while.
"Minister Tang, I am a prince, the son of His Majesty the Emperor, and it is only right that I share the burdens of the court."
Originally, a thousand strings of cash per aircraft was our normal price, but since the imperial court needs it, I will forgo any profit.
"As long as the imperial court gives me a cost price, I won't make a single penny. What do you say?"
Li Shen spoke with righteous indignation, appearing to be acting entirely in the best interests of the court, but Tang Jian was no outsider.
He had watched Li Shen grow up, so how could he not know Li Shen's character?
He asked cautiously:
"Your Highness Prince Ji, what is the cost of this?"
"Nine...eight...seven...six million strings of cash. That's the lowest I can go."
When Li Shen was making a bid, he secretly glanced at his father and found that his father was also looking at him.
Li Shimin frowned slightly upon hearing the reported numbers.
"Six hundred taels... Your Highness Prince Ji, this price is a bit too high. The imperial court first needs a thousand carriages and six hundred thousand taels of silver."
We will purchase more carriages in the future and gradually remove the two-wheeled carriages.
"Isn't this expense... a bit too much?"
After hearing the price, Tang Jian hesitated slightly before asking.
"Minister Tang, you have seen my carriage before. It is made of high-quality iron, and it incorporates many technologies that are different from those used before."
Do you know how much the Prince Ji's residence invested in manufacturing that shock absorber and that arched iron structure?
Li Shen looked at Tang Jian. "The arched iron you mentioned is a leaf spring."
Li Shen's carriage was a technological marvel for its time, incorporating a great deal of advanced technology.
All of these are the results of research conducted by the research institute over the years.
"Your Highness Prince Ji, this old minister knows that the Prince Ji's residence has invested a great deal, but the court's money ultimately comes from the common people."
The imperial court must be frugal with every penny it spends, right?
Otherwise, the people below would say it's a waste of resources and manpower. Tang Jian was trying to use moral blackmail.
"Nonsense." But Li Shen wasn't buying it. "Minister Tang, all the money in the court was given to me by this prince."
The people below paid tribute in grain, silk, and hemp cloth, but they had no money.
He immediately refuted her.
Don't you know whose money you're spending? Li Shen hates being held hostage by others, especially when he's morally bankrupt.
This sentence immediately left Tang Jian speechless. He was indebted to them and had to accept their help.
Prince Ji gave the court so much money that Tang Jian practically worshipped Li Shen, which is why other departments didn't have a good impression of him.
However, Tang Jian personally ordered that the Ministry of Civil Affairs must never be an enemy of Prince Ji. If permitted, Tang Jian even considered erecting a longevity tablet for Li Shen within the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Civil Affairs worshipped him daily.
"Your Highness Prince Ji is mistaken. Precisely because this money belongs to Your Highness Prince Ji, the court should use every penny wisely."
"Minister Tang's actions are perfectly justifiable," Changsun Wuji said with a smile.
“Indeed, Your Highness Prince Ji, this money was donated by Your Highness. How can the court spend it recklessly, let alone be extravagant?”
Ma Zhou echoed this sentiment.
The current situation is not a personal grudge, but a showdown between the imperial court and the Prince Ji's mansion, a business negotiation.
"Yes, Tenth Brother, the court's money still has many uses. Do you think we could lower the price again? That wouldn't be a waste of your money, would it?"
As the crown prince, Li Chengqian naturally had to participate in the ceremony, joining the court officials.
"Six hundred yuan is already the lowest price. Go out and ask around; only freight transport charges this price."
The lowest grade of a four-wheeled carriage that can carry people costs 1,500 guan. Some of you should have bought a carriage, right? Isn't it 3,000 guan as standard?
Some regional princes even ordered the deluxe version, costing 8,000 kan per unit.
Li Shen made the comparisons. He understood what these people meant: they wanted to lower the price to the lowest possible level.
But I also need to earn money. Donating money is a last resort, but I can earn back whatever I can.
Some of the officials in front of us have bought four-wheeled carriages, but they are too expensive and they can't afford them.
"Tenth Prince, could you lower the price a bit more? It would be a way for you to share the burden of the imperial court."
At this moment, Li Shimin, who had been watching the commotion, spoke up.
He also felt that 600 strings of cash per carriage was too expensive, as the court was replacing carriages on a large scale, and it was not as simple as just replacing a thousand carriages.
It will probably cost millions of strings of cash by then.
Li Shen looked at his father, thought carefully for a moment, and then asked Tang Jian:
"Then, Minister Tang, what price do you think the court would accept?"
No matter what price I set, they will say it's too high. So I might as well let them set their price, then I'll have room to raise it later.
Tang Jian didn't know much about this either, so he looked at the officials from the three provinces.