"I have always had some doubts. Why are you so careful about shipping? Since you are so worried, why should you tell it out and put it into practice? Besides, you are also strongly supporting maritime trade, right?" His Majesty Li Er looked at Suning's memorial and asked with a little depressed look.

After the crown, Suning has the official position and power, and can go to court and make suggestions to His Majesty Li Er openly, instead of hiding in the study as a child to give his advice to His Majesty Li Er. Now Suning can report and deal with a series of things under the jurisdiction of the Zongheng Department. As long as the Zongheng Department is responsible for external and internal affairs, Suning can make a move and be open and upright.

Suning also looked at His Majesty Li Er with equal depression: "Your Majesty, after all, you still haven't taken what you said to me to heart? Even if the Seven Kings go out to sea and even if the people go out to sea, you still don't have any great expectations for maritime trade, right? It's just for the sake of the navy to develop maritime transportation, and still don't really believe that maritime merchants can become big merchants who are rich and can compete with the country. Is that true?"

His Majesty Li Er closed Suning's memorial and pondered: "In the six years since you became an official, I have attached great importance to what you said and put forward, and put it into practice. The results are basically very good. Therefore, as long as you put forward the opinions and suggestions, I will attach great importance to them and always study and pay attention to them. No matter what the matter is, I do this. You are also a minister with an official position now. You must have the minimum responsibility and have a basic understanding of your current status.

The third-rank official position I gave you is not too high, but you understand. I understand, everyone understands what the Zongheng Department means, what the officials of the Zongheng Department mean, and what your left minister means, did I despise you when you didn’t have an official position but only a title? The suggestions you made can even be written into history books in the future, let alone now that you are a third-rank official, with a high position and a powerful position. How can I not pay attention to the first memorial you gave me since your new official took office?"

His Majesty Li Er answered calmly and gently. His tone and attitude made Suning feel a little uncomfortable. Before, he either tried to squeeze or was casually perfunctory. This is the basic attitude, but now he is gentle, even a little bit of attention and respect that can be felt, Suning understands that his relationship with His Majesty Li Er has changed. A change in status means a change in the relationship between the two parties.

I am already an adult official.

"I understand, I misunderstand Your Majesty." Suning admitted his mistake seriously.

His Majesty Li Er nodded and then said, "It is precisely because of this. I cannot underestimate your opinions, nor can I ignore your ideas and advice. It seems that since you entered the DPRK, you have paid great attention to business development and vigorously promoted business development. However, at the same time, you are very alert to business and businessmen. You are willing to impose severe punishments on illegal businessmen with heavy taxes, set up defenses everywhere, and supervise everywhere. I am indeed very puzzled. Why is it!"

Suning couldn't tell His Majesty Li Er why, but some words could be said: "Your Majesty, why is it? Your Majesty should also understand why Shang Yang promoted the policy of valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and why wise men of all dynasties put agriculture first and business at the end, vigorously suppressing merchants, scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, and commerce are the last. Your Majesty, it is not unreasonable to do this on behalf of wise men.

Shang Yang was wrong? Li Li was wrong? Emperor Shi Huang and Li Si were wrong? Emperor Gaozu of Han was wrong? Zhang Liang, Xiao He, Chen Ping, Cao Shen was wrong? Emperor Guangwu was wrong? Cao Mengde, Sun Zhongmou, Liu Xuande was wrong? Zhuge Liang was wrong? Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, Sima Yi were wrong? Even those emperors in the chaotic times of the century, Yang Jian and Yang Guang of the former Sui Dynasty, they have always insisted on optimizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. The wise men of all dynasties have always insisted on optimizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. Are those who have been wrong? Are those saints wrong?

A mistake is not scary, but one mistake is wrong for a thousand years. Our clan has not yet perished. It is really the Emperor and Queen Motherland have blessed me with the land of China. The only reason is that they are not wrong, or rather, they are not completely wrong, they are just wrong part, and the other part is right. Your Majesty, have you ever thought about what China’s view of merchants before Shang Yang’s reforms promoted the emphasis on agriculture and suppression of commerce?”

His Majesty Li Er pondered and said, "Do you mean Xia, Shang and Zhou?"

Suning nodded: "That's right."

His Majesty Li Er slowly shook his head: "Although I have read books, I have not finished all the historical books yet. I don't know much, especially the historical materials of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties are incomplete, and there are problems with credibility. What? Have you had some insights on reading and writing historical books? How is your historical book written?"

Suning replied: "Your Majesty can be read soon after the history books I have written, but at present, Your Majesty must understand why Shang Yang abandoned the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties to encourage business development, forcibly restrict business development, and gained support from Confucianism as a legalist, so that the suppression of business has been maintained until today. Doesn't Your Majesty feel that there is some connection? Why did the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties not emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce, and when they arrive at Shang Yang, they have to suppress it?"

His Majesty Li Er asked, "Why?"

Suning said slowly: "What I know is not very complete, but I can generally understand it. I have told Your Majesty that many of the ministers have known, such as Li Li's reforms, because he believed that the huge merchants manipulated market prices and that the prices of daily necessities such as rice and grain were too expensive, so the people could not afford it, which would lead to political instability and threaten the status of the king. Therefore, he implemented measures to suppress merchants.

It is reasonable to think about it, because merchants need to restrict manipulating prices, thereby stabilizing the situation and allowing everyone to have food to eat. Although the land belongs to farmers, the grain produced will be purchased, hoarded, and not sold by those who are interested, so that residents in the city who do not engage in agriculture and have no land lose their source of food, and the rice prices on the market will become more and more expensive, and those merchants can get huge benefits, but the people have limited financial resources and cannot afford such expensive rice and cannot eat enough, so they can only cause trouble.

The national turmoil caused by merchants was common in the late Zhou Dynasty, and even huge merchants could become officials and manipulate national affairs. For example, Lu Buwei, these merchants were more abominable than simple nobles. The source of the noble property was determined, and there were fiefs and matters, and there would be no more or less. After the merchants took power, they would use their power to clean up other merchants and annex their business, resulting in the sale of certain items only provided by one merchant, and it was also a necessity for daily life that had to be bought. In this way, they had the final say in the price, and wouldn't the people have to buy at a high price?

The wise men of Shang Yang's contemporaries must have noticed that the second generation of Xia and Shang dynasties before Shang Yang would not talk about the Xia and Shang dynasties. The land of China was basically a barren and barbaric land. No matter how the merchants were tossed, they could not make much trouble, even if the territory increased greatly in the Shang Dynasty. In the era of bartering, business could not develop, and merchants could not develop, until the Zhou Dynasty.

The country was unified and stable for hundreds of years, and the princes were established to expand territory. The territory of China was basically determined during that period. The Zhou royal family declined, the rituals and music collapsed, and the princes competed for hegemony. In order to enhance national strength, the princes would naturally take a series of measures. From the loss of King You's capital to King Ping's migration to the east, the Zhou royal family completely lost authority, the princes had lost control, and the development was not finalized by the Emperor of Zhou. Therefore, business was widely favored during that period because of the rapid income and rapid financial resources.

Even wealthy businessmen can become high-ranking officials and even be awarded the title of nobles by doing business. Lu Buwei is the best among them. There are many big merchants in the same era who have mastered the supply of salt, iron and copper in many places. Without salt, people will die. Without iron and copper, there will be no way to build agricultural tools and weapons. In other words, the existence of these big merchants has restricted the country's military strength and agricultural development.

Many countries paid a great price for this. In view of this, Shang Yang implemented a policy of valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce in Qin, suppressing merchants, suppressing commerce, and stabilizing the situation, laying a good foundation for Qin to unify the world. It is not difficult to see that there are not many countries that have adopted the suppression of commercial development in the same era, but they are all powerful countries for a while, especially Qin, which is the most thorough and sovereignty.

By the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han brought salt and iron to the government and did not allow the big merchants to operate, which prevented the businessmen from controlling the country and the lifeline of the people. The Han Dynasty was stable, which laid the foundation for Emperor Wu to attack the Huns. Because of this, emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce became a national policy and implemented in subsequent dynasties. The original intention of this policy was good, but later it was misinterpreted by Confucianism and changed it to discriminate against merchants. Later, it was considered that destroying commerce was the right way, and bartering commerce was the king's way, and ministers would not be able to praise it."

His Majesty Li Er raised his head and said slowly: "In short, you said this to tell me that controlling merchants too much will lead to a decline in national strength. However, letting merchants too loose will cause greater trouble, so that merchants can manipulate national affairs and cause chaos. Is this what it means?"

Suning nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

His Majesty Li Er picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, and asked lightly: "Is it easy for my Tang Dynasty to be controlled by merchants? This is a bit exaggerated?"

Suning said: "It's not controlled by businessmen, it's controlled by money."

His Majesty Li Er was stunned for a moment, and Suning struck while the iron was hot: "The old saying goes, the world is bustling for profit, and the world is bustling for profit; what is this profit? Money and goods."

His Majesty Li Er put down the teacup and asked with some uncertainty: "If this is true, will it be so serious?"

Suning nodded: "If that's not the case? Why do you ask Your Majesty to set up an audit department to deal with the situation? The Zongheng Department has too heavy tasks and too few officials. It is difficult to deal with heavy and trivial matters now. If some special departments are not set up at this time to prepare for emergencies, if it is really rampant, it will not be able to deal with it. The reason why I asked Your Majesty to revise the "Zhenguan Law" is precisely because of this. This is the first thing I have done since I took office. No matter what, I am not willing to see that day!"

His Majesty Li Er sighed: "There are always so many things that must be done in this world that are not good and must be done. Suning, I regard you as an official, as a minister, not a child. You must be responsible for what you do. Once this department is established, if the matter is not as you expected, the impeachment of the censors and the opposition of the other officials, you have to consider it yourself. Of course, I do not want to be as you expected."

Suning saluted very seriously: "I thank you Suning for your trust. I will never let that happen."

His Majesty Li Er waved his hand and asked Suning to retreat. Suning got the permission of His Majesty Li Er and had to go out for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to obtain the approval of Wei Zheng. If this master does not approve, the Audit Department will still not be able to handle it. However, this master obviously still supports Suning's commercial supervision actions. He approved it without saying a word, and the establishment of the Audit Department was officially established.

The rest of the matter was handed over to Zhang Wuhui. The Audit Department belonged to the Zongheng Department and was directly led by Suning. Suning served as the Minister of the Secretariat. Zhang Wuhui was named Deputy and was actually the real person in charge. Although the headquarters of the Audit Department was established in Chang'an, its main office was still in Yangzhou and not in Chang'an, which was convenient for direct supervision.

Zhang Wuhui, you must not let me down! (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!