Chapter 29
Inside the imperial palace, Yaoyao said huffily, “Lin Beifan, have you gone mad again? Have you thrown away your senses? Can your national treasury even sustain hiring so many people and offering such high salaries?”
“I’ve done the calculations. The monthly payroll exceeds 200,000 taels, which amounts to 2.4 million taels a year. Your national treasury simply cannot bear this burden! There’s still time to change this, you must rectify it immediately!”
Lin Beifan shook his head: “No changes!”
Yaoyao became anxious: “Why won’t you listen to reason? I’m saying all this for your own good!”
“I have made this decision after careful consideration! Only by doing this can we revitalize the economy of the Xia Kingdom at the fastest pace and achieve prosperity!”
Yaoyao pressed on, “What careful consideration? It seems to me you just came up with this on a whim!”
Lin Beifan shook his head again, laughing, “Do you know the three engines that drive the economy: consumption, investment, and exports?”
“What are you even talking about?” Yaoyao said, confused.
Lin Beifan sighed, “I knew it. Explaining this to an economic illiterate like you is hopeless!”
“How dare you look down on me, Yaoyao!”Yaoyao clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with anger. “How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”
“Alright, I will explain it to you simply!”
Lin Beifan cleared his throat, took a sip of tea, and then said, “You’ve seen the economic situation in the Xia Kingdom, the market is depressed, and the people’s livelihood is withering because the common people have no money in their hands!”
“So, to revitalize the economy of the Xia Kingdom, the first step is to put money into the hands of the common people! That’s why I am offering high wages, to let the common people earn money and have money to spend!”
“Mm-hmm, and then what?” Yaoyao nodded repeatedly.
“After the common people have money in their hands, they naturally go out to spend it, to buy things! Trading always needs merchants, right? So, there became more merchants doing business with the common people. In this way, the merchants became wealthy, didn’t they?”
“Mm-hmm, go on?” Yaoyao nodded again and again.
“Once the merchants have money, what do you think they do? Of course, they continue doing business and making money! If they want to earn more, they will definitely expand their business scale, and to do that, they will need to hire more people! As a result, more common people make money. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, yes… that’s the idea!” Yaoyao nodded.
“When the common people earn money, they will certainly spend it! Once they spend money, it forces the merchants to grow and expand, to hire more people to do business, and so the cycle continues…”
Lin Beifan spread his hands and laughed, “In the end, when everyone has a job, everyone has money, and everyone is living the life they want to live, won’t the economy improve?”
“Indeed, everyone is richer, but you’re at a loss! Your national treasury can’t sustain that for long!” Yaoyao said.
Lin Beifan shook his head, “Who says I’m at a loss? I can collect the money through taxation! The more money people earn, the more taxes they pay, and I will become richer too, don’t you think?”
Yaoyao was dumbfounded and stuttered, “That… that’s the logic! But there’s only so much money, if everyone earns, who loses out in the end?”
“No one loses, everyone earns!”
Lin Beifan declared loudly, “Because money is not just money; it’s merely a medium for the exchange of goods! It only becomes real money when it circulates! The faster it circulates, the more money there is, and the more everyone earns! If it doesn’t circulate, it’s nothing at all! Do you understand what I mean?”
“I don’t understand!” Yaoyao quickly shook her head.
She understood every single word Lin Beifan said; they all made sense, but when put together, she couldn’t comprehend them.
If money isn’t money, then what else could it be?
Why is it that only when it circulates is it considered real money?
The faster it circulates, the more money there is, and the more everyone earns!
Without circulation, money is nothing!
Yaoyao felt as if Lin Beifan was suppressing her intelligence, and she said irritably, “Lin Beifan, can you speak in a way that I can understand?”
“Alright, I’ll give you a simple example!”
Lin Beifan said loudly, “Look at all the minerals we have. If we sell them, don’t we make money? After making money, if it’s distributed evenly among all the common people, doesn’t everyone make a profit? What is this called? This is called stimulating the economy through exports, understand?”
“I can understand that easier. Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Yaoyao obediently sat down.
Lin Beifan looked up at the sky, speechless.
“What about the food?”
Yaoyao asked anxiously, “Even though you’ve bought a lot of grain from me, it’s not enough to feed so many people! It will all be eaten in less than half a year. What will you do then?”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Half a year is enough! Because after half a year, it will be the autumn harvest, and we will have our own grain!”
“But the land in your Xia Kingdom can’t possibly produce enough grain!”
“It definitely can! In addition to the existing farmland, other areas are being cleared for cultivation, and they will produce enough grain to feed the entire nation! If you don’t believe it, we can wait and see!”
Lin Beifan said with a mysterious smile.
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