In the Imperial Study, the emperor was reading the letter sent by Zhao Yao. This letter detailed the production, usage, and maintenance of various watermills.
After reading, the emperor excitedly shouted a few tis, "Excellent."
Seeing the emperor’s jubilant and excited deanor, Sun Kui was very curious. He thought to himself: What has Prince Han done this ti to make His Majesty so happy?
"Sun Kui, go and summon Pri Minister He, Grandmaster Liu, the Minister of Revenue, and the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Industry."
"Yes, Your Majesty." It seems that Prince Han has achieved sothing significant again this ti.
A short while later, Pri Minister He and the others appeared in the Imperial Study. The emperor showed them Zhao Yao’s letter.
After reading it, Grandmaster Liu and his companions all exclaid, "Excellent."
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Industry held Zhao Yao’s letter with both hands, staring intently at the various diagrams of watermills on it.
The things written and drawn in this letter are treasures. Prince Han is truly brilliant to have thought of using water power for tools to mill rice and flour and even to run spinning wheels.
A genius, Prince Han is truly a genius.
Every invention by Prince Han always opened his eyes and shocked him greatly.
"What do you think about the watermills produced by Xiao Shi?"
Pri Minister He replied, "They are feasible, especially in the Jiangnan region, where there is abundant water and rivers. Building watermills on riverbanks or by the lakes is most suitable."
The Minister of Revenue, with a bright face, said, "Your Majesty, these watermills can bring substantial revenue to the court." These watermills, in the Minister of Revenue’s eyes, are a continuous source of money. "Prince Han truly deserves to be our Great Zhou’s God of Wealth." With Prince Han around, he, as the Minister of Revenue, doesn’t need to worry about the national treasury running out of money.
Grandmaster Liu said, "With these watermills, a lot of manpower can be saved, and grain and textile production will be increased."
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Industry was so excited that his old face turned red.
"Your Majesty, these watermills should be widely promoted."
The emperor nodded slightly and said, "I have exactly that intention."
"Your Majesty, these watermills can be widely promoted, but they can only be constructed by local governnts, and private construction must be prohibited," Pri Minister He suddenly beca very serious, "If private individuals are allowed to build these watermills, nurous watermills might appear along rivers and riverbanks, which could potentially affect farrs irrigating their rice fields."
Grandmaster Liu continued from where Pri Minister He left off, "Private construction of watermills for business is not a good thing."
The Minister of Revenue strongly agreed with Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu, saying, "Your Majesty, we must not allow the private construction of watermills to beco rampant."
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Industry concurred, "Your Majesty, the watermills must be constructed by the governnt."
"Your Majesty, we must prioritize agriculture, industry, and comrce, ensuring that comrce does not overshadow agriculture." Pri Minister He, after reading Zhao Yao’s letter, couldn’t help but contemplate more, "Prince Han can encourage the construction of watermills for business within his own domain, but the Imperial Court cannot do so." Prince Han intends to develop the Swamp Prefecture into a port trade city, encouraging comrce among the people, which is not wrong. However, if the court were to do so, the foundation of Great Zhou could be shaken."
Grandmaster Liu also considered this point: "We must not indulge the common people in comrce."
The Minister of Revenue said, "Your Majesty, the governnt can construct watermills and allow the people to use them for a small fee."
The emperor had considered this aspect as well and had no intention of encouraging the people to use watermills for business as Zhao Yao suggested.
The Minister of Revenue added, "rchants can also be permitted to construct watermills, but rchants must first apply to the local governnt, which will send officials to assist in the construction. rchants can also bid for the construction and usage of watermills, allowing us to collect usage fees and taxes from their earnings via watermills."
The Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Industry glanced at the Minister of Revenue, thinking that his cunning mind had already devised a way to generate profit.
Pri Minister He and Grandmaster Liu found the proposal from the Minister of Revenue to be a good idea: "Your Majesty, this plan is feasible."
The emperor looked at the Minister of Revenue and said, "Write a detailed regulation."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Once the watermills are constructed, the funds in the national treasury will increase again, which is excellent news.
"Zhao Yao suggested in his letter that the court should establish grain processing factories, tea factories, and textile factories. What do you think?"
Pri Minister He frowned and opposed, "Your Majesty, it is not appropriate. The governnt should not compete with the people for profit. How can the court establish these factories to earn money from the people?"
"Your Majesty, imperial rchants can establish grain processing factories, tea factories, and textile factories. While the court cannot do so, it can allow imperial rchants to engage, and the court can collect taxes from them. We can also have imperial rchants bid for the establishnt of these factories."
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