***
Aren't you against judicial reform? Then I will simply not go through the judicial process and directly convict people for night raids. I don't believe that all of you have clean asses.
After Qin Mu returned to the capital, several more officials were thrown into the Night Prison.
In addition to the group of people who were questioned in Henan on the way back to Beijing, when the officials saw this situation, the number of people who wrote letters to oppose judicial reform suddenly decreased by half.
Qin Mu was very satisfied with this. He had just returned triumphantly from the expedition to Longyou and Hetao, and his reputation was high. After all, only a few people dared to defy the majesty of heaven at this time.
Qin Mu also knew to stop while he was ahead. Ye Bushou was a double-edged sword. It had a very destructive power on the judiciary. If he wanted to improve the judicial system of the Qin Dynasty, he could not use Ye Bushou too much, otherwise it would be counterproductive.
As soon as the voices of opposition died down, Qin Mu immediately asked Huang Lianshan to stop.
On the fifth day after returning to Beijing, Qin Mu once again attended the opening ceremony of Nanjing Institute of Technology in a high-profile manner.
The officials were no longer surprised by this. The Emperor of Qin had liked to run schools since he started his army.
Yuelu Academy was burned down by Zhang Xianzhong in those days. Qin Mu started to rebuild Yuelu Academy as soon as he conquered a corner of Changsha, and he also gave lectures in person at Yuelu Academy.
During the Northern Expedition, he discussed with Sima An in Shangqiu and rebuilt several academies, including the Yingtian Academy where Fan Zhongyan had taught.
Later, the Army Academy, the Naval Academy, the Royal Academy, and the Military Medical College were established, and even women were admitted as students. In the past two years, the Royal Primary School has been established on a large scale, with as many as five or six hundred schools.
Anyway, if you count on your fingers, the number of schools established by the emperor is too numerous to count. Since the beginning of the world, no emperor has ever loved to establish schools as much as he did.
He even encouraged private vocational schools, the number of which was so bizarre that it was dizzying.
One more polytechnic now is not too much, but it is not too little, and the ministers have long been numb to it.
Just be numb. Qin Mu himself enjoyed it. Talents and technology are the foundation of a strong country.
He lived frugally and used almost all the money in the inner treasury to establish schools. Once these schools became established and cultivated a large number of talents, it would not be impossible for the Qin Dynasty to unify the world by then.
After attending the opening ceremony of Nanjing Institute of Technology, he returned to the Imperial Academy in Dongyuan to visit the emperor's students whom he had taught.
Most of the first batch of students enrolled in Yuelu Academy have now grown into young men.
The current Yuelu Academy still enrolls 200 boys of appropriate age every year, but apart from the first batch, no more are sent to the Royal Academy.
Looking back, Qin Mu once personally taught a group of military students, calling them the teaching team. Those military students are now the backbone of the army.
Although the students from Yuelu Academy, who he had high hopes for, had grown into teenagers, they were still several years away from graduation.
Most of them were orphans. When they were admitted to Yuelu Academy, they had just experienced the destruction of their families and suffered from hunger and cold. If they had not been recruited as students, many of them would have starved to death.
Now they have become the emperor's disciples, and they are studying with the crown prince Qin Ye. This kind of favor makes everyone feel deeply moved, and everyone studies very hard. They only hope to complete their studies as soon as possible to repay the emperor's kindness.
When Qin Mu arrived, he was greeted by pairs of warm, admiring gazes.
They are the first batch of students who have studied mathematics, physics and chemistry comprehensively. They have comprehensive knowledge and broad vision. Qin Mu is considering whether to disperse them to the three newly established science and engineering colleges to study so that the old can guide the new ones.
After meeting these pairs of passionate gazes, Qin Mu gave up his idea and decided to let them stay in the Royal Academy until graduation.
Qin Mu was busy with state affairs. After visiting the emperor's disciples, he returned to the Qin Palace and summoned Liu Boquan and Xu Yingjie to the Huagai Hall to discuss matters.
When the maid brought the tea, Qin Mu said sincerely, "Mr. Liu, thank you for your hard work this year."
"Your Majesty, your words are too serious. I cannot accept them."
"Of course, of course. You have to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue and join the cabinet to discuss state affairs. You never have a moment of leisure all year round. Although I am not in Nanjing, I understand your hard work.
As the saying goes, a penny can make a hero fall, and the same is true for a country. In the past few years, I am lucky that Liu Qing has been managing the Ministry of Revenue for me, so I can stand up straight. "
"Your Majesty, what you said makes me feel ashamed. I am ashamed of myself. I am ashamed of myself."
"Mr. Liu, you have aged a lot in just one year. I have been worried about your health during my stay in Xijing. If you can't hold on, where can I find such a good Minister of Finance
Liu Qing, let me give you a three-month vacation. You can go back to your hometown or take a good rest. The Ministry of Revenue will be handed over to Xu Qing and Yang Qing for the time being. However, Liu Qing must come to work on time after three months. I can't do without you for too long."
After Qin Mu finished speaking, he ordered the palace maid to fetch a hundred-year-old ginseng from the palace to give to Liu Boquan.
Liu Boquan was so moved that his eyes filled with tears. He once again prostrated himself to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty's kindness to me is as high as the sky. I really have no way to repay you. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor."
"Please stand up, Liu Qing. I still have something to discuss with you."
"Your Majesty, is it about the war in the southwest?"
"Yes, I don't want to wait any longer this time. I plan to clean up the southwest in one fell swoop. Does the Ministry of Revenue have money and food now?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Although it cost a lot to lead the expedition last year, the navy captured Sulu and Baiqi City and seized a lot of spoils. In addition, all industries in the country are booming and there is a shortage of labor. The prisoners of war sold by the navy..." Liu Boquan stopped talking here and didn't say anything else.
The navy sold a large number of indigenous women from Luzon and Jinghai provinces to merchants at prices ranging from 5 to 10 dragon coins. Now, the number of indigenous women sold to Daqin to work is probably close to one million. This income is quite astonishing.
"In general, last year, your majesty personally led the expedition, and the cost of food and military supplies was 9.58 million dragon coins. In addition to the rewards for meritorious soldiers and the pensions for the fallen soldiers, the total expenditure was 17.88 million dragon coins. The total expenditure of the Northwest War was basically the same as the income handed over by the navy.
The national treasury's tax revenue last year was 67 million dragon coins, and the total expenditure was 38 million dragon coins, so there was still a lot of surplus. Your Majesty wants to use troops in the southwest, and although the national treasury has reserved a part for emergency use, it can still spend 20 million dragon coins.
If 20 million dragon coins are not enough, we can only wait for the summer tax revenue to come in. I estimate that this year's summer tax, including the salt and iron monopoly, should bring in 28 million dragon coins. In addition, the commercial tax may exceed the agricultural tax for the first time, and it is estimated to reach about 30 million dragon coins. I think we should be able to handle it."
"Enough, enough, I promise I won't need that much." Qin Mu showed a happy smile, as the saying goes, money makes one strong!
At least all the money spent on the navy was not in vain. Now the income that the navy contributes to the national treasury every year is already very remarkable.
It is no wonder that Western colonists were so keen on the slave trade. It turned out to be a profitable business with huge financial resources.
"Okay, as long as the treasury can take out the money, Liu Qing doesn't need to worry too much. Just rest and recuperate for a few months."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Seeing the emperor's smiling face, Liu Boquan couldn't help but smile too. He was different from others. He worked hard to manage the Ministry of Revenue. It was not so much for the country as it was to repay the emperor's kindness. He was loyal to Qin Mu personally, more than to the country.
The emperor was indeed very kind to him, and he was definitely the first one to enjoy such a specially granted vacation.
"Xu Qing, Liu Qing is on vacation, so you should work harder in the next few months."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Xu Qing, how is the credibility of paper money now?"
"I was just about to report this to Your Majesty. The one million taels of Qin Baochao issued earlier have now been basically accepted by the people, and the value of the currency can be roughly maintained at the same value as the Dragon Coin. I think the time is ripe now, and we can gradually increase the issuance volume."
Although the Qin Dynasty's treasure notes depreciated at first due to the bad reputation of the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes, the circulation was small, only one million taels, so it was not difficult for the Qin Dynasty to maintain its value.
It has been nearly three years, and the bank has never stopped exchanging Baochao for equal value, and Baochao is also allowed to be used for tax payment. People are finally feeling relieved now.
After hearing this, Qin Mu said "good" several times. If the industrial revolution is to be promoted, there must be a financial system as a support, and the improvement of the financial system ultimately depends on credit currency.
If you control the food, you control the people; if you control the money, you control the world.
Qin Mu hopes that during his lifetime, the credit currency of the Qin Dynasty can become the world's universal currency. Only in this way can he control the world's finance.
***(To be continued...)
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