LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 357
Following that, Lin Beifan would enter Liu Wanqing’s dreams every night to teach her another system of medicine refining knowledge.
Liu Wanqing was very eager to learn and never tired of it, which often led to her sleeping in late.
Although she didn’t know why she dreamed of these things, she grasped it firmly and saw it as an opportunity.
In just a few days, not only had her alchemy level improved, but refining had also become easier for her. She often produced astonishingly effective elixirs, enriching Great Xia’s elixir reserves.
If this continued, it would surely deepen Great Xia’s foundation.
As a result, Beifan looked even more forward to the Hand of Boundary Breaker. Every day, he couldn’t help but use it.
Unfortunately, his luck was as bad as ever, drawing several worlds that were all worthless.
Even bathing and changing clothes in homage to Brother Fan didn’t work, leaving him looking rather annoyed.
“This ‘Hand’ is indeed powerful, but it relies too much on luck! A month has gone by, and I’ve only managed to bring back two valuable items! It seems Imust find a way to compensate for this shortcoming!”
Meanwhile, in the outside world, wars frequently erupted among other nations due to food issues—either civil wars or international conflicts—leading to more common people from other countries integrating into Great Xia.Although Great Xia is vast and rich in resources, with a harmonious government and people, this has also led to a series of problems.
“Your Majesty, since the establishment of the Celestial Empire, our country’s housing and land prices have been soaring. They have already increased by more than 30% in less than a month! In more important cities, the increase has reached 60%! And in our capital city, housing prices have risen by nearly 80%! If this continues, it will inevitably lead to significant problems. Please, Your Majesty, take notice!” Heshen reported to Lin Beifan in the Imperial Study.
“How about the prices of essentials like grain, oil, salt, and cloth?” Lin Beifan asked with concern.
“Your Majesty, the prices of essential livelihood commodities like grain and salt have increased by more than 10%, which is still within control! This is mainly because these items are regulated by the court, so the increase isn’t substantial, and most of the inflation is driven by the private sector! However, if we don’t control it, I fear it will soon become unmanageable, and the common people will suffer,” Heshen said with a worried heart.
“What the Minister says is very true!” Lin Beifan nodded solemnly.
For a long time, all kinds of livelihood commodities in Great Xia have been controlled by the court, and wages are also issued by the court, so prices have been relatively stable.
But now, in less than a month, not only housing prices but also the prices of various commodities have increased by more than 10%, averaging nearly 20%.
This means that the cost of living for the common people has increased by 20%.
The same wages now only have 80% of their previous purchasing power.
If this continues, with ongoing currency devaluation, won’t the common people suffer?
And this could also hinder economic development and severely impact Great Xia’s economy.
“Minister, what exactly is causing this?” Lin Beifan inquired.
“Your Majesty, after analysis, your humble servant has identified several main reasons,” Heshen spoke gravely.
“Firstly, since Great Xia established the Celestial Empire and became the foremost nation, it has also become a land of desire for many. This, to a certain extent, has driven up the prices of various goods!”
Lin Beifan nodded, “Continue!”
“Secondly, since this year’s autumn harvest, the grain yields in other countries have generally been poor, with only Great Xia standing out. Due to a global shortage of grain, this has led to significant price increases for our grain and other goods!”
Lin Beifan nodded again, signaling the other to continue.
“Thirdly, due to the food issues, the world is in turmoil, leading to a large influx of common people from other countries into Great Xia! Their arrival has further driven up the prices of grain, housing, and land!”
Heshen continued gravely, “Your humble servant has investigated and found that most of the common people who come to our Empire are nobles and dignitaries from other countries! They have a habit of acquiring real estate and land for family inheritance!”
“However, housing and land are mostly in the hands of our court, with very little circulating among the public! Therefore, due to supply and demand, the prices of real estate and land have risen very quickly! The prices of grain and other commodities have been controlled by the court and are sufficiently supplied, so the current increase is limited!”
“Fourthly, there are also people taking advantage of the situation to hoard goods and speculate, disrupting the market!”
“Minister, do you have any good solutions?” Lin Beifan asked.
“Your Majesty, nearly 40% of our common people work for the court! Therefore, we can convert their wages into actual goods like grain and salt to supply to the common people! This way, we can reduce their cost of living and also lower commodity prices to maintain stability!”
“As for housing and land prices, the main issue is caused by the nobles and dignitaries who come to settle in our Empire! We can ignore the land prices because there’s very little land in circulation on the market, and most of it is in the hands of our court! Even if the prices are incredibly high, it won’t affect the overall situation! What we need to manage is the housing prices!”
“Most of the houses in Great Xia are made of concrete and provided by our court, consistently priced at 25 silver taels! However, these concrete houses are not what they are looking for!”
“We can designate a noble district specifically for this group of nobles and dignitaries! The houses can be designed by them personally, and they can have as much space as they want, as long as they can afford it!”
“This way, their money will be drawn out of the market and flow into the noble district, and our court can earn a considerable fee from it, which will also bring down the housing prices!”
“As for those who speculate and manipulate the market, they will be eradicated without mercy once discovered!”
Lin Beifan was overjoyed, “This idea is good, exactly what I had in mind! Minister, such a thorny issue has become so simple in your hands, truly befitting of my most trusted minister!”
Heshen replied with feigned modesty, “Your humble servant dares not take credit. This is actually all due to Your Majesty’s achievements! If it weren’t for Your Majesty’s development of a unique Great Xia model and laying a solid foundation, your humble servant would not have been able to resolve this matter! Your Majesty’s contributions are immense, your humble servant has only made minor adjustments!”
Although this statement was somewhat flattering, it was indeed his sincere thought.
Without the foundation laid by His Majesty, it would not have been possible to resolve this matter so easily.
Lin Beifan laughed and scolded, “You flatterer, always looking for opportunities to flatter me! After so many years, you haven’t changed a bit! I want to scold you but can’t find a reason!”
Heshen immediately lowered his head and pretended to be obedient.
Lin Beifan waved his hand, “Minister, proceed with your plan! Once it’s successful, you will be duly credited!”
Heshen was overjoyed, “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
***
TLN: Thank you for the tip Detrolord!!
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