I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 64: Please seize the power of the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs
Bi Ziyan was good at managing money and had served in Nanzhili, so he naturally knew the situation there clearly.

"Your Majesty, I am not lying. This imperial court has a tax system and a fixed amount. Is this comparable to the excessive tax collection by the mining tax envoys at that time?

Sun Shangshu just said that he was afraid that large-scale tax arrears would trigger a civil uprising. I also said just now that the tax arrears in Jiangnan are mainly caused by local wealthy families.

I want to ask the minister. I don't know if I am afraid of dissatisfying the local nobles, or if I am really afraid of provoking a popular uprising.

When Sun Ruyou saw Bi Ziyan talking about him like this, how could he bear it? He immediately retorted:

"In the heavily taxed area south of the Yangtze River, since there is a precedent in Suzhou, we must pay attention to it. Mr. Bi must not slander anyone."

Bi Ziyan didn't take it seriously after hearing this. He was worried about national affairs and couldn't stand Jiangnan's behavior. Hearing what Sun Ruyou said, he didn't give him face and replied:

"The Minister said that Shenzong resisted taxes in Suzhou, and the minister found it very funny. I have tried to check the deeds of that year, and I know the customs of Suzhou and other places.

At that time, Sun Long, the Suzhou mining tax envoy, was in charge of tax affairs.Because local tax evasion is so rampant in Suzhou, the already low commercial tax revenue continues to shrink, so that other money is diverted to make up for it.

This is why we need to crack down on tax evasion.At that time, Suzhou Huang Jianjie, Tang Xin and others joined Sun Long and proposed to impose a tax on the silk weaving industry, with a tax of three yuan per machine.

This tax is extremely low. I once served as a sales official in Songjiang. I know that if the loom works well, it can make at least six taels of profit a year. Compared with three coins of silver, the annual profit is very small.

However, some people suddenly spread rumors that the imperial court had imposed heavy taxes, which led to local silk weaving workers, instigated by various rumors, to launch riots and kill the advocates Huang Jianjie, Tang Xin and others, and destroy their homes.

The minister wrote again to inquire about the reason. At that time, someone in Suzhou said that everyone was naked, did not hold any weapons, and did not steal anything. After the mining tax caused Sun Long to escape, the Suzhou government came forward and actually stopped it.

Moreover, the chief culprit, Ge Cheng, was detained by the government, but the local government did not impose punishment and changed his name to Ge Xian, and then reported it to the police.As a result, the residents of Suzhou City sang his praises. After he came out, the Jin gentry all treated him with courtesy and called him a righteous man.

I think that such an organized tax resistance must be directed by local wealthy officials and gentry, otherwise it would not be the case.No wonder Zhang Taiyue once said that Suzhou is famous for its food dependence, and its residents are the most rogue. This place can be called a "ghost country" because of its fruits.

Sun Shangshu is from Jiangnan and was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Wanli. It is impossible that he does not know the reason for this matter. Now as an important minister of the imperial court, he not only does not share the worries of the imperial court, but also speaks for it. I really don’t know what his intentions are! "

Bi Ziyan didn't give any face to Sun Ruyou. Sun Ruyou's face became even more ugly when he said this. Everyone present watched the show for a while and sighed in their hearts. Bi Ziyan's sharp words made him afraid that it would be difficult to deal with him in the future, right? It will take more efforts.

However, his words did make some sense, and Zhu Youxiao understood the reason, which was in line with his wishes, but he didn't want them to continue arguing like this now.

"Okay, don't argue. What you said, Bi Ziyan, seems to make sense, but if you just talk without practicing tricks and just talk about problems, anyone can talk about it. Then I'll ask you, do you think the front taxes in the three provinces of Jiangnan are so high? , what should be done, everyone present can also give suggestions and discuss more."

Bi Ziyan was also waiting for this opportunity, and now he could finally make the above suggestions to the emperor.

"I believe that to collect tax arrears on a routine basis, we should not just send important officials there, but we should also unify the power, set up dedicated positions, carry out strict examinations, and impose more punishments!"

After Bi Ziyan finished speaking, Li Ruhua, the Minister of Household Affairs, immediately understood, stroking his beard and nodding, showing admiration.

Bi Ziyan hated evil and was very good at managing money, and often discussed wealth matters with him, but there was no discussion with him about today's move. He probably knew that he would offend too many people and didn't want to implicate him.

"Oh, tell me more specifically, what are the solutions to these four strategies?" Bi Ziyan took a deep breath after hearing this. He knew that what he was going to say would definitely arouse dissatisfaction among the officials in the DPRK and even the Southern Zhili, and they would definitely impeach such officials. Xue himself was afraid of dying without a burial place, but he had already made a decision before he came. He only hoped that the emperor would listen to his memorial.

"Your Majesty, Jiangnan has repeatedly been in arrears with taxes, so it is necessary to set up full-time supervisors. Previously, the imperial court had set up governor Yingtian and governor Su Song to pursue the fugitives because of this matter, but they could only be in charge for a short time and not for a long time. The reason is that they He has little power and responsibility, and is too involved in local affairs.

The largest among them is the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs, which is in charge of the national salt industry and yellow registration, is responsible for the taxes of Southern Zhili, is responsible for the taxes of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Huguang, as well as the salaries of various institutions in Nanjing. Half of our tax councils Pass through Nanzhili.

South Zhili, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi have a lot of arrears, and the Nanjing Household Department is in charge of them. How can they not take responsibility?

Therefore, I would like to request that the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs be responsible for the national salt industry and yellow registration, be responsible for the taxation of Southern Zhili, and be responsible for the taxation of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Huguang. The newly established Governor of Southern Zhili is responsible for the affairs of Southern Zhili and can also urge Southern Zhili to recover its debts.

This minister said that the authority should be unified and full-time officials should be established. "

As soon as Bi Ziyan finished speaking, the officials present exploded. They never expected that Bi Ziyan would touch the mind of the Nanjing Household Department. This was against the ancestral system. Not even Zhang Taiyue mentioned it. He was now a servant. The temple minister dared to say such arrogant words.

When Sun Ruyou saw Bi Ziyan's opinion, he knew that he would definitely offend the public, so he immediately criticized him:

"Master Bi's words are really absurd and arrogant. Since the formation of our court, the responsibilities of the six departments of Nanzhili have been determined for a long time. Now you want to change the ancestral system. It can be said that you have ulterior motives."

Shen Guan also came forward after hearing this. He had been in charge of Nanjing and knew the stakes. It was true that many taxes were reduced by the Southern Zhili for various reasons, but this had always been the case. The imperial court had never touched the Nanjing Ministry of Household Affairs. How dare Bi Ziyan say this.

"Your Majesty, this nonsense goes against the ancestral system and is not good for the country."

Although the Donglin Party also agreed to make up for the arrears and even charge more business taxes, Bi Ziyan's proposal was definitely too important and they did not dare to do it, so Liu Yishui and Han Xu also wrote letters suggesting that it should not be done.

But he did not agree or support him. When the Minister of Hubu saw that Li Ruhua was being attacked by a group of people, he immediately expressed his support.

"Your Majesty, what Bi Ziyan said is for the sake of the court. I think it is not completely inappropriate. The responsibilities of the Nanjing Household Department have already been determined, but it is not impossible to change. However, if they are all unified, I am afraid of causing turmoil. I suggest that we should take a long-term approach and choose one of them. It’s not impossible for Beijing’s Ministry of Household Affairs to do the same.”

Seeing Li Ruhua stand up, Yuan Keli was also interested.He has known Bi Ziyan for a long time and knows that he hates evil but is not afraid of power.After hearing this today, I knew that although his proposal was difficult to implement, it would indeed be beneficial to the court if it were implemented, so I also stood up to speak for him.

You said something to me, and because of Bi Ziyan's shocking remarks, everyone in the Wenhua Hall became quarrelsome.

Zhu Youxiao looked at this situation and sighed in his heart. He didn't know that the financial system of the Ming Dynasty was extremely complicated. It was first divided into north and south, and then each unit had its own income. As a result, the Ministry of Household Control had very little money, so there were already taxes. He wanted to reunite, but there were so many things involved at this time that even he had to consider it carefully.

I was just surprised that Bi Ziyan had such a high opinion and risked the disapproval of the world to put it forward, and I couldn't help but admire him in my heart.

Since Bi Ziyan has done this and devoted himself to national affairs, he can't just stare at it, but he must also find a way to settle this matter.

It's just a matter of him saying a word, stamping it, and asking the cabinet to issue a document. It can only be solved by getting everyone in the court or most of them to agree and let them understand that this matter is also good for them. It seems that several people have to be found. Talk to a key person and get their support.

With a plan in mind, he motioned to Wang An to silence everyone present.Then he said:
"This is a serious matter, so we must not ignore it! Let's do this. It's almost noon now, and you are all tired. Let's take a rest first. I have specially ordered you to prepare meals for you today. Let's discuss it after dinner."

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(End of this chapter)