It has been four or five days since the King of Chu and Qian Hui disappeared. Judging from the news feedback from various channels, they should have been going south and approaching the sphere of influence of King Huai. The Imperial Guard's blockade confirmed the news. If the power of King Chu and Qian Hui alone was not enough to cross the neutral zone of thousands of miles, the secret forces of King Huai in the neutral zone were also helping them complete this thousand-mile escape.

Liu Yu asked the emperor to report the matter. Not only did the money return to the family and the Chu Prince's Mansion not escaped. This happened on the night of the ninth day of the eighth month.

In addition to the little twists and turns on the day of the throne, Chang'an City was roughly peaceful. Even the new emperor who followed the King of Jin rebelled, probably only punished the bandit leader, and the Qian family was the first family to be investigated by the new emperor. The storm that night made many ministers who were already skeptical of the new emperor even more worried.

Huairu and toughness are indispensable means for the new emperor to control the overall situation. This time, the search for Qian’s family will have a greater deterrence effect.

The next day was the first communication meeting for the establishment of the Trade Department. In order to make the merchants feel at ease with the court, Liu Yu also spent time. This time, the establishment of the Trade Department and the sale of officials were not only to solve the financial crisis of the court, but also to raise the military pay of the new army. The new emperor ascended the throne, and the King of Huai was already ready to move. It seemed that King of Huai did not plan to compete with Su Yan, the nephew.

The communication meeting was held by Sui Yu. It was a teahouse and the property of the Sui family, just opposite the Sui Mansion across the street.

As a merchant, the Sui family was undoubtedly very successful. In the fourth or fifth generation of business, by the generation of Sui Yu's grandfather, he had become one of the richest families in Chang'an City. Originally, Sui Yi and Sui Yu's father were incompetent, which made people feel that the Sui family was going to be ruined, but Sui Yu's daughter's family inherited his grandfather and supported his family. Sui Yi even rose to the top of the court. The Sui family has now become the banner of merchants in Chang'an City. Many big merchants follow the Sui family.

The Sui family had a great career, but the gates were still very small, not as spacious as the official's mansion. The Sui family did not live in Chang'an City, but settled in the county town outside Chang'an City, where there were a large amount of land. For merchants, Chang'an City could not give them a sense of belonging, and they were more willing to return to their hometowns. At least the faces of the officials there would not be as greedy and ugly as those of the officials in Chang'an City.

In the teahouse, some shopkeepers and owners of big merchants were waiting early. They negotiated with the officials, but they did not dare to neglect them. Liu Yu deliberately arrived half an hour earlier, but he did not expect that the merchants had arrived. In order not to make the merchants feel resentful, Liu Yu specially asked the accompanying officials to take a carriage instead of a sedan chair. The carriage should still be halfway.

"General Liu, you are here." Sui Yu, as the owner, was originally entertaining the merchants upstairs. When she heard that Liu Yu came, she welcomed him downstairs, holding a piece of paper in her hand, which recorded the feedback from the merchants. She wanted to let Liu Yu know the position of these merchants in advance.

"Well. They came very early."

Liu Yu did not rush to go upstairs, but listened to Sui Yu's narration. In fact, what those big merchants were most worried about was that the court could give the authority of the Trade Department and the issue of fixed tax rates, which were all related to their real interests.

"I have asked the emperor for an imperial edict, and the imperial edict is here." Liu Yu took out the imperial edict he asked yesterday from his arms, and did not deny the etiquette and handed it to Sui Yu directly. Sui Yu was shocked and did not dare to accept it. Liu Yu smiled and said, "It's nothing, King Yu, you have seen it. As long as we are doing things for him sincerely, these etiquettes don't have to be too rigid."

Only then did Sui Yu take the imperial edict in a trembling manner, open it and look at it, and her face was filled with joy.

Although she heard Liu Yu say it well before, she was afraid that the court might not give the Trade Department too much authority. However, according to the imperial edict, the Trade Department not only has absolute independence and autonomy, but also can participate in the court discussion once a month. In terms of determining tax rates and commodity franchise rights, it can also be determined first and then reported, but at the same time it stipulates that it must be within the scope of the rules and systems.

"First settle and then report?" Sui Yu closed the imperial edict and looked up at Liu Yu, "I really dare not think about such a great authority."

It is a bit bold and risky to let the merchants set the tax rate by themselves, but Liu Yu is not too worried. Originally, the taxes of merchants were unrestricted, and the exploitation at all levels made merchants miserable. Most of the money they earned entered the pockets of officials at all levels. Now they are just drawing a big cake for merchants. As for how to divide the cakes, it is decided by "laws and systems". Autonomy is just a beautiful cover to a certain extent.

"Miss Sui, you have to work harder."

At this time, the carriage that the officials were riding in also arrived at the door. When the officials got off the carriage, they saw that the meeting was just a remote teahouse, and they looked contemptuous on their faces. However, when they saw that Liu Yu was already standing inside the door, they had any opinions and could only press into their stomachs. This time, the official with Liu Yu was not considered a prominent figure in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue, but only fifth and sixth rank officials such as the assistants and supervisors. Yuan Bolang was still very stingy in this regard.

When Liu Yu and the officials went upstairs, the merchants stood up from the seats and were about to kneel towards them. These are basic etiquettes, but Liu Yu directly raised his hands and said, "Today is a negotiation, so you don't need to be polite."

The two sides sat opposite each other very friendly and entered the negotiation mode. However, just sitting with the officials to negotiate, the merchants were still not used to it. They either lowered their heads and touched the teacup on the table or sighed without saying a word. In short, the merchants just heard Liu Yu say a few words about the original intention of establishing the Trade and Trade Department, and no one was willing to speak.

The Trade and Trade Department is an unprecedented innovation. Liu Yu knows what these merchants are worried about. For thousands of years, it is difficult to change the social status of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce for a short period of time. Liu Yu immediately read out the imperial edict in public. After the merchants knelt on the ground and listened to the contents of the imperial edict, their faces were as incredible as Sui Yu before. This Trade and Trade Department was independent, wouldn’t it be on par with the six ministries?

Liu Yu explained: "The Trade Department's minor supervisor is tentatively designated as a fourth-rank official, and the deputy supervisor is rank sixth-rank official, and the official salary will be no different from that of the officials of the court. You don't have any doubts."

Although the rank of the Trade and Trade Department is not high, if you can participate in the court discussion, you can submit a copy to the emperor directly on the court discussion. In the minds of merchants, the merchants can meet the emperor, and the status of the emperor is something that merchants dare not look up to. Liu Yu meant that at the beginning of each month, the minor supervisor of the Trade and Trade Department could go to the palace to participate in the court discussion with a rotating deputy supervisor. The copy for the rest of the time can be submitted directly to the Six-Taiwan Yamen, which is approved by the Prime Minister or presented to the emperor.
Chapter completed!