I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 263 The problem of the clan (please subscribe)
Just how to increase revenue and reduce expenditure?

Zhu Youxiao has already done a lot of things about open source, such as commercial taxes, customs duties, salt taxes, etc.

When making the calculation just now, Wang Yingjiao did not take into account the customs duties and the salt dealer's deposit. If they were included, the income would definitely increase again, so there is no need to open source for the time being.

As for saving money, I have already been very frugal. Even the daily expenses in the palace have been halved. Even the money for my wedding came from internal funds, without spending any money from the Ministry of Household Affairs.It's already enough to do it from him, but we still need to work hard on the fundamental support of the imperial court.

One is military pay, and the other is clan salary.

Military pay is not bad, at least you can get repercussions after spending it. Even if some people will definitely get empty pay from it, they are still capable of fighting, and they are loyal to the court.

As for the clan, there were tens of thousands of people alone, and the big vassal kings were arrogant and extravagant, such as King Fu. His grandfather, Emperor Wanli, loved him very much and spent millions of taels of money on his marriage.

When King Fu came to the feudal vassal, Shenzong was afraid that he would suffer hardship, so he rewarded him with a one-time rent of 200 hectares ([-] million acres) of land.

There was not enough land in Henan, so they collected it from Huguang, Shandong. They also gave King Fu all the miscellaneous taxes along the river from Jiangdu to Taiping and the salt tax and tea tax from Sichuan. He also gave King Fu the exclusive right to sell salt shops in Henan.

Zhu Youxiao gets extremely angry every time he thinks about this matter. Not to mention how my concubine and her family bullied Guangzong before, what is the use of giving so much money to King Fu, a prodigal?He was arrogant and licentious all day long, and did not benefit the court at all. In the end, Li Zicheng lit the sky lantern, and all his family wealth was taken advantage of by Li Zicheng.

His son, Hongguang Emperor Zhu Yousong, was still in a state of intoxication and lust, and had the intention of drafting women when the power of the Southern Ming Dynasty was in danger and the Qing army came in force?It really disgraced his ancestors, and also ruined the last remaining breath of the Ming Dynasty. It was completely extinguished.

In addition to King Fu, the other great vassal kings were even worse. Not only did they occupy tens of thousands of hectares of land, many of them also held some special privileges.

For example, the King of Zhou had the tax collection power in Kaifeng, King Lu owned 26 rivers and lakes, the commercial tax of Lucheng County was given to King Qingyuan, etc.

Although the big vassal kings are very prosperous, the small vassal princes and clans may not be so easy. Many of them have insufficient food and clothing, and borrow money to survive.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao had long wanted to change the increasingly deteriorating imperial clan system, but he was worried that the previous emperor's throne was unstable. If he took action against the clan at will, there would be a lot of criticism.But now that the power has been stabilized, the clan affairs can be put on the agenda. Even if it is not done now, at least the layout can be planned in advance.

Seeing that the emperor's brows were furrowed and he seemed to feel that the royal family had spent too much, Wang Yingjiao, who was still reporting, quickly said:

"Your Majesty, more than 150 million taels per year is actually not bad. It may have been difficult for the Ministry of Revenue to make expenditures before, but now it has a slight surplus, which can still be supported. Today, as long as the deposit from the salt merchants is handed over, the court can get another tens of millions The income will be even greater this year, and this is all due to His Majesty’s wisdom.”

"Wang Shangshu's words are wrong. The imperial court has long thought about the disadvantages of the clan. In the 20th year of Wanli, Emperor Shenzong once issued an edict saying that the clan's lumi expenses were very high. He wanted every chief secretary to discuss the amount and consider it a fixed amount, regardless of the amount. The number of clan members in each province is certain, but the salary and silver are certain.

After this edict was issued, there were many discussions in the cabinet at that time. I believe everyone present knew about it. But what do you think now? At that time, the number of people in the clan was about 6, and the salary quota was 110 taels.

Nearly 30 years later, the number of people has exceeded 15, and the salary has also risen to a high of 150 million. There is no quota at all. What should we do if this continues?I am afraid that as the number of children in the clan increases in the future, the salary and salary will continue to rise.

Over the years, the reward fields, self-support fields, and royal palace fields of the vassal kings in various places have accumulated to tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of hectares. The land spans countless prefectures and counties. They also monopolize the local tea and salt taxes, and the descendants of the clan have He is acting unscrupulously in the local area and disrupting local order. Your Majesty, please be careful. "

Zhu Guozhen immediately became angry when he saw what Wang Yingjiao said. He had been a local official for many years and knew the pros and cons of the clan best. In his opinion, although the court spent most of its money on side affairs, the clan issue was definitely a serious problem that must be faced squarely. .

Everyone present is a smart person. How could they not know the seriousness of this problem? It’s just that some people have upright personalities. Even if they know that this problem is very difficult and the emperor will definitely get angry if they speak out, they still can’t help but dare to speak out. Word.

Zhu Guozhen was such a person. He spoke out and gave advice without fear of the emperor's anger.In addition to him, there is another pure remonstrator in the palace, this person is Zhao Nanxing.

"What Mr. Zhu Ge said is true. We must pay attention to the issue of clans. In fact, the number of clans is not bad. Over the years, the most serious land annexation is the clans of large vassals. The local government is helpless to deal with them. The farmers except paying taxes to the court. In addition, not only did they have to pay another land rent to the feudal prince, but they also suffered from exploitation by the feudal prince's officials.

If this is the case, that's fine, but the salt taxes in the southwest and northwest are mostly controlled by the feudal kings. If things continue like this, it will be difficult for the court's salt laws and tea taxes to be implemented in these areas. How can the court implement the policy of increasing revenue? "

Zhao Nanxing is a very strong and courageous person. When Zhu Guozhen said it, he was naturally not afraid and directly stood up to support Zhu Guozhen.

His implication was not that direct. He knew that the emperor was extremely concerned about finance and taxation matters, so he just adopted a roundabout tactic. He only mentioned the vassal king in his words, which would not be of much benefit to the court's finances and taxation. As for the other villains, how could the emperor not be so smart and witty? Where is Xiao.

Seeing the two people's repeated statements, Zhu Youxiao was not surprised at all. He himself had opinions on the affairs of the vassal king, let alone the two of them.

"Your Majesty, there is no one who has more respect for you than this dynasty. However, the clan affairs cannot be solved overnight. We still need to consider it in the long term. Otherwise, people in the world will feel that your Majesty does not care about the blood of the people, which will damage your majesty's name of benevolence."

Seeing Zhu Guozhen and others expressing their stance, Ye Xianggao also expressed his support. He had been the chief minister of the cabinet, how could he not know the seriousness of the clan's shortcomings.

But this matter is not as easy as dealing with the tax-arrears gentry in Southern Zhili. After all, they are all of royal blood and involve many things. It will not happen overnight.

"I am aware of the problems you mentioned, and I have been deeply worried about them. As Mr. Ye Ge said, this kind of thing cannot be solved overnight.

The court must discuss carefully, not only to save expenses, but also to take good care of the clan. Let's find an opportunity to discuss this matter in the future. "

Seeing such a debate, Zhu Youxiao nodded expressionlessly. The clan issue was indeed deep-rooted. Now it was not just a matter of spending money, but also related to people's hearts, court prestige, finance and other aspects. It must be considered in the long term.

No matter what, the matter of reforming the clan has already been on his mind, and he must think about it carefully.

Seeing that the emperor had set the tone, everyone stopped arguing and all agreed.

"The issue of royal family salary is ultimately related to finance. Over the past six months, after continuous rectification, the court's income has increased sharply, and it can do more things. As the saying goes, increasing revenue and reducing expenditure is the right way of finance and taxation. The court cannot only increase revenue, but also You have to save money, otherwise no matter how much money you have, it will not be spent. You have to discuss this matter slowly and come up with a charter and give it to me for review."

The clan issue was temporarily suppressed, and the topic returned to financial issues.

"I understand, I will discuss this matter with the Ministry of Revenue after I return, and I can save some unnecessary expenses." Liu Yishen stood up and expressed his position after hearing the words. The emperor's actions are obvious to all, and the Ministry of Revenue should also take the lead in doing this kind of thing. .

"Well, this kind of thing can be done, but I have a few requirements. The first is not to save for the sake of saving. Officials' salaries are already very low. Don't reduce their subsidies for no reason or reduce their salary because of my words. treatment.

The second is that we cannot arbitrarily abolish institutions and eliminate officials. Many officials depend on the imperial court for their livelihood. Even if they are to be abolished, there must be sufficient reasons and it is really necessary. Do you understand? "

"I understand!"

Zhu Youxiao looked at Liu Yishen who handed over his hand and gave him a relieved look.

He knew in his heart that if he wanted to reduce expenditure, he definitely did not mean to reduce expenditure from officials. The poorer they were, the more greedy they would be. If he laid off officials on a large scale just because he wanted 10,000+ taels of silver, the remaining officials would definitely feel sad. How could you focus on doing things for yourself?

Liu Yishui had just sat down here, and Ye Xianggao seemed to want to make a suggestion, so he saw the opportunity to stand up, cupped his hands and said:
"Since Your Majesty wants to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, I have something to say."

"It's okay for Mr. Ye Ge to say it."

"Our dynasty is based on agriculture. The imperial court also knows that agriculture is the foundation of the country. However, due to the war, it was forced to impose Liao pay on top of the official tax. Therefore, your Majesty was deeply worried after he ascended the throne.

Therefore, the method of opening the source did not impose official taxes, but chose to impose miscellaneous taxes, salt taxes, and customs duties. However, I thought that these taxes were all related to merchants. Rather than saying that they were salt taxes, customs duties, and miscellaneous taxes, they were It's business tax. "

Zhu Youxiao heard that it did make sense. This was also his consistent thought. To put it bluntly, he attacked businessmen and others, not farmers.

"What Ai Qing said is true. As the saying goes, there is no stability without agriculture, no wealth without work, and no life without business. Agriculture is the foundation of the country and cannot be lightly touched. We can only start from other aspects. Therefore, rather than miscellaneous taxes, The salt tax is really not as good as a commercial tax."

Seeing that the emperor agreed with his words, Ye Xianggao leaned over and nodded, and then said again:

"I have always lived in the south of the Yangtze River. I have always known that the business affairs of our dynasty are far better than those of the previous dynasties. Merchants at home and abroad flocked to it and made huge profits. There were many people who became rich because of business. In the south of the Yangtze River, there was a phenomenon of neglecting the people and giving priority to business.

But on the contrary, the commercial tax in our dynasty is rarely seen in the past dynasties. Even private commerce is the highest in previous dynasties, but the court cannot profit from it at all. Therefore, His Majesty will increase the commercial tax for this reason.Every time I think about it, I feel that what your Majesty did is indeed in line with the truth, but it is also inappropriate.

In my opinion, there is no distinction between scholars, farmers, industry, and merchants. They are all subjects of the imperial court, so they cannot be biased. Since the imperial court now wants to increase business taxes, the development of merchants should be protected. The imperial court can no longer bully them at will. , officials cannot squeeze at will, otherwise I am afraid that such heavy taxes will cause all industries to wither, and everyone regards business as a fearful path. "

As soon as these words came out, Zhu Guozhen, Wang Yingjiao, Zhao Nanxing and others immediately turned to look at Ye Xianggao, with a trace of surprise and admiration in their eyes.

Regarding the views on business and merchants, the opinions within the Donglin Party were both unified and divided.

For example, they all agree that the court should pay attention to and be considerate of business. In particular, they believe that scholars, farmers, industry and commerce can all be regarded as their own business, and there is no distinction between high and low among the four. This is a bold denial of the traditional division of business and the equal order of the four peoples. , even in this era, it is very advanced.

However, everyone has different opinions on the issue of commercial taxes set by the imperial court.

Some people think that the commercial tax should be stopped. For example, Gao Panlong, the censor of Zuodu, is very opposed to the imperial court's increase in commercial tax. He feels that increasing taxes is plundering the people's wealth and is not a way for the imperial court to make money.

However, Ye Xianggao was very opposed to his view. He had served in the court for a long time, so he naturally knew the importance of commercial tax to the court and could not be easily abolished.

He believed that the imperial court could impose taxes, but it could not impose taxes indiscriminately. Prices and tax rates must be clearly marked. During the collection process, bribery must be avoided to enrich one's own pockets, and the legitimate interests of merchants must be protected.

This approach resonated with Zhu Guozhen, Zhao Nanxing and others, especially the one about protecting businessmen from being bullied, which many people have already put into practice.For example, when Zhao Nanxing, Zhu Guozhen, Gao Panlong and others were in their hometown, they came forward many times to protect industrial and commercial bank accounts from being abused by tax collectors and relatives.

It's just that their view that they can tax merchants but must protect their interests seems too advanced now. Many Zhejiang Party, Qi Party, etc. are not very interested in it, especially the Zhejiang Party, as the interests of the Jiangnan gentry. Party, they naturally realize the importance of merchants, but they would rather increase official taxes than increase commercial taxes.

Therefore, during this period of time, Zhao Nanxing, Zhu Guozhen and others have been coming to Liu Yishen, Ye Xianggao and others to discuss whether they can prevent the emperor from blindly imposing commercial taxes and restrain the tax officials from depleting the land.

Unexpectedly, Ye Xianggao directly brought up the matter this time when the emperor was discussing increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. They had to secretly admire and approve of it, but it also made Liu Yisui feel a little wary.

After Ye Xianggao finished speaking, Zhao Nanxing and others, who felt that what was said to their hearts, couldn't help but look at the emperor on the throne. They saw the emperor put his hands on his knees and moved his index finger on his knees as if thinking. .

This made several of them feel uneasy. They couldn't guess what the emperor was thinking at this time. Did he agree or disagree?
"There is an old saying: If you exhaust the lake to fish, you will not get anything, but there will be no fish next year; if you burn the fields to burn the fields, you will not get anything, but there will be no animals next year. What Ye Ge said is true. Since taxes on merchants are to be increased, then we must not exhaust the lake to fish. Otherwise, all industries will wither, which will not only be detrimental to the people, but also detrimental to the court."

Seeing the emperor's words of approval for Ye Xianggao, not only Ye Xianggao's mind was immediately settled, but everyone in Donglin was also suddenly overjoyed.

"Your Majesty is wise, scholars, peasants, industry and commerce are all based on this, and there is no distinction between high and low. Since the imperial court can value scholars and peasants, it can also value industry and commerce."

After hearing this, Zhao Nanxing immediately started to praise him. He was becoming more and more satisfied with the emperor.

"Haha, since the imperial court wants to collect commercial taxes, it cannot just exploit merchants, but also protect them. Why don't the cabinet work with the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Punishment and others to discuss a regulation on the protection of commerce, and finally give it to me to take a look at. If it’s appropriate, let it be promulgated throughout the world!”

Zhu Youxiao did not accept Zhao Nanxing's words. Although he agreed with Zhao Nanxing's words, there were still a minority of people in the court who agreed with this statement. As the emperor, he could not express his position immediately, otherwise it would easily cause ideological confusion.

So he told them to take action directly and come up with regulations to protect merchants and commerce.

　Ask for a subscription, ask for a monthly pass!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)