Can you live forever

The royal family wanted to redeem it, and when the news spread, it was already a sensation in the world.

When the court meeting passed, the Ministry of Households established a project, and began to approve the royal family's assets, people still had a feeling of unreality. Although the matter of returning the government to the people was publicly said many times, it did not really happen after all.

Moreover, in people's perception, although the Holy Son of Heaven ruled over him, the world still belonged to the Son of Heaven.

But now the royal family wants to redeem...

"The times have completely changed, Brother Gangfeng."

At the end of the early court, Gao Gong and Hai Rui walked out of the Chengtian Gate side by side. After today's court meeting, Gao Gong understood that the matter of returning the government to the people was a certainty.

Once the redemption is completed, the emperor's ownership of the country will change.

The emperor is still the nominal owner of the country, but only the naming rights are left, and the royal family assets will also become one of the many assets under the jurisdiction of the court.

Since then, the country is greater than the emperor.

Hai Rui stopped in front of a sesame seed cake stand, asked Gao Gong if he wanted it, and bought two pickled vegetable sesame seed cakes for 2 yuan, which was very cheap, but to Hai Rui, it was a lot.

Indeed, the salary system of Ming Dynasty has changed now.

For example, the right deputy of Hai Rui, the censor, is an official of the third rank, and the monthly salary is the salary of the 11th rank.The official salary starts at level 7, and the ninth-rank official is level 7. After that, the salary increases by 1 level for each level, and the salary of first-rank officials is 15.

今年帝国财政厘定的基础工资为200元，那1级工资就是300元，2级工资450元……每级增长50%。

In other words, the monthly salary of a ninth-rank official is only 3417 yuan.

Hai Rui, as a third-rank official, received a monthly salary of 38923 yuan.

Not counting the difference in purchasing power, the direct exchange is 38.9 taels of silver, which is at least double the monthly salary of 35 shi for grain before the reform, and even higher considering the increase in purchasing power.

And now the imperial court has a unified housing arrangement for officials in Beijing, and there is no need to pay extra rent.

Life should be rich.

In fact, Hai Rui's poverty was not simply due to low income. In history, Hai Rui was also promoted to the fourth rank, so he couldn't even afford an egg. The old mother bought two catties of meat for her birthday, and it became news.

Hai Rui is poor because whenever he is an official, he will help the poor.

Nowadays, the imperial court equalizes the land and exempts taxes, and insists on "people-oriented". There is relief for the lonely, old and weak. It seems that they don't need Hai Rui's help, but if people want to do good deeds, there is always a place to spend their money.

Most of his salary is used to buy pens and inks, which are donated to poor villages everywhere for children to learn.

and so.

Even if he climbed to the top and became the right deputy capital censor, Hai Rui still lived a poor life, and being able to get him to buy a piece of biscuit was enough to show his approval of Gao Gong.

After eating the biscuits, Hai Rui said calmly, "I don't think this is a good thing."

Gao Gong was taken aback: "Brother Gangfeng, why did you say that?"

Hai Rui looked at the Forbidden City not far away, and said, "If the royal family wants to redeem it, it's not just a matter of dividing the internal money and the account of the household department, and then it's over."

"The Wang family took the lead in the previous redemption, and the rules have already been established."

"So we were able to reform smoothly. After calculating the actual assets and the invisible assets influenced by the forces, the Wang family evaluated the price at 20 billion taels. It will be closed to Ning Bo, and hereditary will not be replaced."

"From then on, from wealthy merchants and aristocrats to landlords and squires, they rushed to buy them."

"Of course the imperial court is printing money with full power, and there are real assets for endorsement, so there is no worry about not being able to get the money out."

"But the problem is, we've been under a long-term financial burden."

"The Wang family evaluates 20 billion taels, converted into 2 trillion treasure notes, and pays 2 million yuan per year, and pays off in 1 years. Indeed, this amount of money is not even enough for interest. The imperial court is equivalent to taking the assets of the Wang family for nothing."

"But does the imperial court only need to pay one royal family?"

"Brother Suqing, do you know how much the imperial court will pay for redemption and payment every year in the next hundred years or thousands of years?"

Gao Gong really didn't think about it.

I can only ask: "How much?"

Hai Rui stretched out two fingers and said, "In the next hundred years, the annual redemption payment will be 200 billion yuan, and in the millennium it will be 80 billion yuan. Do you think it's too little?"

That's a lot.

In the past, they didn’t dare to do anything every year, and the household department lost 200 million taels of silver. When Jiajing first came to power, the household department did not have so much income for a year...

If the royal family wants to redeem it, it may take ten thousand years...

"Wait, not only the royal family, but also Jiangnan."

Because it's not a war, even if Xu Jie is resolved, Jiangnan's already-implemented land equalization cannot be changed violently. After all, many people have had loans for several years, and finally paid them off. You said that you don't need to take loans to buy land?Everyone divides by head?
How many people would go crazy?
Therefore, money has to be spent here, and it is a large sum of money, which is the money to buy the entire Jiangnan property. This is the mess left by Xu Jie, but the court must clean it up.

This is a financial burden for at least ten years.

When this burden is unbearable for the imperial court, the largest amount will be the most conspicuous...

Hai Rui nodded, and said: "Emperor Taizu expelled the Tartars and restored China. How can the founding of the country be counted? Emperor Chengzu's seven voyages to the West, surveying and mapping the world, and establishing tributes to all nations, is the merit not counted? Xuande died early and Yingzong was humiliated In the end, Gongbian was killed, Zhengde fell into the water, and the emperors of all dynasties defended the country and sacrificed, can it be counted?"

"His Majesty has made great efforts to govern, pioneered reforms, turned the tide, calmed the world, retired after success, and returned power to the people."

"How can it be counted?"

"Compared to this, what is the little money in the internal money? What about the financial power of the Royal Bank? How should the Royal Bank be changed to the Daming National Bank?"

"Today's redemption, the account must be settled."

"Since we have to calculate it clearly, it must be an astronomical figure! The imperial court can't afford it!"

Gao Gong said: "The Wang family can still pay in 1 years. The royal family's share can be divided into 10 years or millions of years. The amount can always be reduced. Anyway, there is no need to pay interest."

Hai Rui said, "It is precisely because the time is so far away that people despair."

Gao Gong: "Why?"

Hai Rui: "Things are different."

"..."

Gao Gong understood what Hai Rui meant. Even after assessing the royal family's assets, it was finally decided to pay only 10 billion to the royal family every year. After a few years, the imperial court would not be willing to continue to bear the burden.

Not only the court.

The common people even feel that the royal family has done nothing, so why should so much of the tax they pay be distributed to the royal family...

indeed.

In black and white, the opinions of the people can’t affect anything. If it’s not necessary for the court, they won’t turn their faces because of this little money. However, after handing over the power, they try their best to keep the position of the emperor, isn’t it just to patrol the sky on behalf of the people? , Keep the highest supervision right?
Therefore, the most hurtful thing is public opinion...

Without the support of public opinion and the supreme supervision power, how can it be implemented?

Gao Gong suddenly lifted his spirits and said, "No, I have to go to the letter, and the matter of redemption needs to be discussed again!"

Hai Rui said: "Tomorrow, I believe the national teacher will not fail to see this, but I can't think of any solution for the time being."

……

at night.

Jiajing traveled with Zhang Zhixiang, and said: "The Ministry of Households has initially calculated that the redemption price will be an astronomical figure just for the items listed. The same is true for debts."

"If you owe too much, you don't want to pay it back."

But Zhang Zhixiang said: "Actually, it's very good."

Jiajing was taken aback: "How to pay back?"

Zhang Zhixiang looked to the south and said, "After returning the government to the people, isn't the new emperor going to live in Yingtian? For the second longevity revolution, it's better to designate Yingtian as the ancestor of dragons from Kyushu."