My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 136 Why should I share my money with them?

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry to return to the capital this time, because he knew that if he returned to the capital early, he would face protests and advice from civil and military officials.

In order to avoid this from happening, he planned to return to Beijing with Chongzhen.

In this way, even if he returned to the capital, he could push Chongzhen to the front and take the blame.

After all, Chongzhen is now the number one scapegoat in the Ming Dynasty!
Although he is not in the capital, every move in the capital is under his control.

This was thanks to the detailed intelligence he received from the Embroidered Uniform Guard every day, through which he always had a grasp of everything.

According to secret reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the number of disaster victims in the capital has far exceeded 200,000, and may even be close to 300,000.

This number far exceeded Zhu Cilang's initial expectations.

However, Zhu Cilang did not care too much about it, because in his opinion, having a large population is not just a burden, but also has many benefits.

After all, after returning to the capital, a new Ming Dynasty tax army will have to be formed, and the existing army will definitely not be enough by then.

Just pick out some strong and healthy people from these refugees and serve as the army.

In addition, he originally planned to plant 10,000 acres of sweet potatoes and potatoes. Now, in view of the increasing number of disaster victims, he decisively decided to expand the planting area tenfold, that is, 100,000 acres!

Anyway, there was too much land seized from the previous house searches, so I could use it to plant more sweet potatoes and potatoes.

In this way, not only can jobs and livelihood security be provided for many disaster victims, but they can also have something to do so that they will not be idle and cause social unrest.

More importantly, these sweet potatoes and potatoes will be ripe in three months, enough to feed millions of people!
Of course, even so, it would not be enough to consume so many victims, but Zhu Cilang had other plans!

That is to build two large-scale cities near the capital, which are expected to accommodate about 200,000 to 300,000 people.

The city's main buildings will be built with cement to ensure their durability, and the houses inside will also be built according to uniform standards.

After it was completed, part of it was used to house the homeless people, and part of it was used to house the families of the Beijing Camp, Guanning Iron Cavalry, and White Spear Soldiers.

As for the rest, they can all be sold or rented out, which will bring in a considerable income.

In Zhu Cilang's eyes, there are opportunities to make money everywhere in this world. As long as one is good at discovering and grasping them, one can create more wealth and value for the Ming Dynasty.

In addition to these things, in recent days, Zhu Cilang has been thinking about another thing, which is to raise the salaries of civil and military officials in the court!

As we all know, the salaries of Ming Dynasty officials were the lowest among all dynasties.

How low is it?

The first rank official had a monthly salary of 87 shi, which is equivalent to about 350 taels of silver.

For a first-rank official, the monthly salary was 72 shi, which is equivalent to about 210 taels of silver.

The second rank official had a monthly salary of 61 shi, which is equivalent to about 180 taels of silver.

For an eighth-rank official, the monthly salary was 6 dan, which is equivalent to about 18 taels of silver.

The ninth rank was an official with a monthly salary of 5.5 dan, which was equivalent to about 16 taels of silver.

From the ninth rank, the monthly salary is 5 dan, which is equivalent to about 15 taels of silver.

Seems like a lot, right?

But don’t forget that the Ming Dynasty paid officials more than just rice and silver.

Instead, it was distributed in combination of rice, silver, copper coins, physical objects, and Ming Dynasty treasure notes.

I won’t talk about things like rice, silver, and copper coins, but the last two things are sometimes almost no different from waste.

Basically, the ministers were given whatever was in the national treasury, regardless of whether these things were valuable or not.

For example, something is only worth ten cents on the market, but the imperial court insists on giving it to officials at a value of one hundred cents. What can the officials do?
Especially the last Ming Baochao. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, one Ming Baochao could only be exchanged for about 50 copper coins or even less, which was almost no different from waste paper.

However, when distributing it to civil and military officials, the court would certainly not distribute it according to the ratio of one string of Ming treasure notes to 50 copper coins, which resulted in the officials' actual salary being lower.

Coupled with the inflation in the late Ming Dynasty, prices of all kinds of goods rose several times, and most officials in the late Ming Dynasty were already impoverished.

If Zhu Cilang had not confiscated so much silver from their homes before, the court would probably still owe the officials more than half a year's salary!

In addition, other commercial taxes such as salt tax, tea tax, mining tax, customs duty, transit tax and business tax need to be reformed. Without exception, these policies require the support of officials to be implemented.

So Zhu Cilang decided to raise the salaries of all officials in the Ming Dynasty!
After all, the court collected so much tax, it couldn't possibly keep it all for itself, right?
What is there to say?

If you want a horse to run fast, you have to feed it well.

If they are not fed, why should they help implement the next commercial tax reform?
Only after he had a complete plan in mind did Zhu Cilang look at the somewhat sleepy Chongzhen and say:
"Father, I have something important to discuss with you!"

Chongzhen was a little sleepy at this moment. Hearing this, he opened his eyes reluctantly and asked:

"what's up?"

Zhu Cilang said seriously:

"Your son wants to raise the salaries of all civil and military officials!"

Ok?
When Chongzhen heard this, his eyes widened and his face was full of disbelief.

But he did not refuse in a hurry, but asked tentatively:

"How much salary increase are you going to give them?"

Zhu Cilang said as planned:
"The salaries of all officials will be doubled, and this double amount will no longer be paid in kind or in Ming Dynasty banknotes, but in rice and silver."

"I've calculated this before. Adding all of this up, it would only cost an additional eight million taels of silver a year."

When he heard this number, Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cilang in shock.

He could never have imagined that the Ming Dynasty had just reformed commercial taxes and had additional fixed income, but this rebellious son was thinking of spending money recklessly.

In Chongzhen's view, the lives of Ming Dynasty officials were already very good and there was no need to increase their salaries.

What's more, it has to double?
Moreover, he didn't even have to exchange it for physical objects or Ming Dynasty treasure notes, which was something he absolutely couldn't accept.

In Chongzhen's view, these were all Ming Dynasty's money, all his money, how could he give them to others?
Thinking of this, Chongzhen immediately refused:

"No, I will never agree to this!"

"The Ming Dynasty finally earned these commercial taxes, which should be used to strengthen the country and fight against Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and the Jian Nu. How could they do such a thing?"

Zhu Cilang was mentally prepared for this, so he explained to Chongzhen calmly:
"Father, you are well aware that this commercial tax reform has already displeased many southern officials."

"Although you killed some people before and succeeded in scaring these officials."

"But I am certain that they will never compromise easily and will definitely find an opportunity to cause trouble."

"It's the same with officials in the north. Those from wealthy families are also involved in a lot of business activities. If we tax them, it's like stealing money from their pockets. How can they accept that?"

"They're sure to cause all sorts of trouble when we get back to the capital."

"Of course, now that we hold military power, we are not afraid of them causing trouble. The worst that can happen is we can just kill them!"

"But if the killing is too severe, that won't work either. We can't let people say that the emperor massacred a large number of merchants and civil and military officials in order to collect business taxes, right?"

After hearing this, Chongzhen's expression eased a little.

He has always valued his reputation and began to think seriously about Zhu Cilang's words.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang continued:
"Father, although the commercial tax reform has been completed, subsequent reforms of other commercial taxes such as salt tax, tea tax, mining tax, customs duty, transit tax, and business tax still need to be promoted."

"However, after the previous commercial tax reform, subsequent changes to these tax systems may not be easy."

"Because the salt, tea, and mining taxes involve more officials, reforms will encounter many obstacles."

"But if we increase the salaries of officials at this time, it would be tantamount to telling all civil and military officials that the purpose of the Ming Dynasty's collection of various commercial taxes is to increase the salaries of officials."

"Indeed, those southern officials whose families run businesses and some powerful northern officials may not care about this little salary."

"But you have to know that most officials in the Ming Dynasty were relatively poor. They had few connections and no other ways to make money. They could only live on the court's salary."

"Take the imperial censors in the capital for example. In order to maintain their image of integrity, they often lead a very hard life."

"If they heard that the court was going to give them a salary increase, they would definitely support it."

"By then, most officials in the court will support the government's commercial tax reform, because only through commercial tax reform can their salaries increase."

"Those officials who had previously opposed it no longer dared to speak out, because if they opposed the commercial tax reform, it would be equivalent to opposing the increase in salaries for civil and military officials."

"That means going against all the civil and military officials in the world!"

"Who would dare to oppose this then? This way, the commercial tax reform can proceed smoothly."

"According to my previous estimate, we can collect at least 30 million taels of silver each year."

"Taking out eight million taels from this to increase the salaries of civil and military officials in exchange for their support for commercial tax reform and their loyalty to the court is a very cost-effective measure."

It has to be said that what Zhu Cilang said was so reasonable that Chongzhen had no way of refutation.

But then, Chongzhen frowned and asked:

"If I don't agree, will you give up this plan?"

Zhu Cilang shook his head.

"will not!"

Chongzhen was speechless for a moment.

"Then what else do you want to tell me? After returning to the capital, can't you just announce it to the civil and military officials yourself?"

"What are you talking about discussing? You've already decided on this matter, and you're trying to please me!"

When he said this, Chongzhen looked unhappy.

Zhu Cilang found it funny, but in fact he could certainly do that.

But it is still a bit troublesome to operate in practice.

First of all, the previous imperial edict had already reached the capital, and all the civil and military officials in the capital knew that Chongzhen had gone to Shandong with him.

Not only did he put down the rebellion in Shandong, he even carried out commercial tax reforms.

After doing two such important things, how could Chongzhen stay in the harem and not attend court after returning to the capital?

If this were true, the civil and military officials in the court would surely notice something. Besides, Zhu Cilang wanted to use Chongzhen as a scapegoat, so after returning to the capital, Chongzhen had to attend court.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang did not refute Chongzhen's words, but said leisurely:
"Since the emperor is unwilling, then I will do this for you!"

"You should know that in the nearly three hundred years since the time of Emperor Taizu, our Ming Dynasty has never increased the salaries of officials, let alone directly doubling them."

"Once this matter is completed, I will surely become the most sage king in the eyes of all civil and military officials."

"Even Taizu and Chengzu are no match for me!"

When Chongzhen heard this, his face suddenly changed.

Yup!

How could he forget such an important thing?
Anyway, whether he agrees or not, this thing has to be done. So why can't I take the good reputation for myself?

Raising the salaries of all civil and military officials was the first time in the Ming Dynasty!

It is no exaggeration to say that after he accomplishes this task, he will definitely become the most wise emperor in the hearts of all civil and military officials!
No!

This matter cannot be left to this rebellious son!

He is still the crown prince now, this matter is not suitable for him!
Let him, the emperor, do it!

Thinking of this, Chongzhen first pretended to cough lightly a few times to attract Zhu Cilang's attention.

Then he slowly said:

"I just thought about it again and found that what you said makes sense. The salaries of the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty are indeed a bit too low. Let's double them!"

"Also, let me announce this matter myself!"

"You're still young, not suitable for this kind of thing!"

Zhu Cilang was trying to suppress his laughter in his heart, but his expression showed great regret and reluctance.

But in the end he said:
"In that case, let's do it this way!"

Time flies, and three days passed in a flash.

After a long journey of nearly ten days, Zhu Cilang and Chongzhen finally returned to the capital.

Moreover, this return is completely different from the past. In the past, he might have chosen to keep a low profile, but this time he can no longer do so.

Because the previous imperial edict had already been sent back to the capital, everyone in the capital knew that the emperor and the prince had gone to Shandong together.

So as early as yesterday, the Jinyiwei had already spread the news that the emperor and the prince were about to return to the palace to the capital, causing the entire capital to boil over.

Early in the morning, civil and military officials gathered at the gate of the capital, waiting to welcome the return of the emperor and the prince.

When Chongzhen's carriage appeared in everyone's sight, all the civil and military officials immediately straightened their clothes, straightened their backs, and stood solemnly on both sides of the road, not daring to be negligent or disrespectful in the slightest.

At the same time, the Royal Band also played a triumphal song, and the passionate melody seemed to be telling the glory and honor of this trip to Shandong.

Although the main purpose of this trip to Shandong was to implement commercial tax reforms, it is also true that the emperor personally led the army to quell the local rebellion.

So in a way, this can be considered a triumphant return.

Immediately afterwards, when Chongzhen's figure appeared in front of everyone, all the officials knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor".

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor."

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor."

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor."

Chongzhen looked at the scene in front of him, and for a moment he felt a mixture of emotions.

On the one hand, he was enjoying this glorious moment of being admired by thousands of people and being cheered for the emperor, and on the other hand, he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction and pride in his heart.

But on the other hand, he knew clearly in his heart that all the credit should actually be attributed to his rebellious son!

Without him, this trip to Shandong would never have been so smooth!
But if you think about it carefully, it doesn't seem like a big deal for me to take advantage of my son?

After realizing this, Chongzhen no longer cared much, but instead enjoyed the kneeling worship of civil and military officials.

Not far away, Zhu Cilang did not show much excitement or excitement about the scene before him.

In his view, the threats and difficulties currently facing the Ming Dynasty have not yet been completely resolved, and the responsibilities he shoulders are still as heavy as a mountain. He is far from worthy of such enthusiastic cheers and praise.

Therefore, he didn't mind giving this honor to Chongzhen!

In this way, surrounded by the cheers and applause of civil and military officials, Emperor Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang returned to the palace together.

Then all the civil and military officials dispersed.

Even if someone couldn't wait to talk about commercial taxes, they would not choose to talk about it on the first day after the emperor's triumphant return.

After all, they are not stupid enough to slap the emperor in the face when he is happiest!
On the other hand, after Zhu Cilang entered the palace, he first met Queen Zhou, Chongzhen's other concubines, and his brothers and sisters.

At this time, they were all preparing to welcome the return of Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang!
During the period when Zhu Cilang and Emperor Chongzhen were away from the capital, the management of the harem was slightly more relaxed than before.

This was Zhu Cilang's special instruction. After all, he had already taken Chongzhen away, so there was no need to guard against him anymore.

In addition to doing her best to help the victims make some daily necessities every day, Queen Zhou also gathered with other sisters in the harem to chat and talk to pass the seemingly long time.

Seeing Chongzhen appear, Queen Zhou hurriedly knelt down with everyone behind her.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome your return!"

"Your son respectfully welcomes the triumphant return of Father and Brother!"

For a moment, everyone knelt on the ground in a black mass.

Chongzhen was obviously in a good mood at the moment. He quickly helped Empress Zhou up and comforted her:

"Queen, no need to be polite!"

"You all should get up too!"

Then, the others stood up.

As for Zhu Cilang, he had already avoided the kneeling of Queen Zhou and others, and then came in front of his brothers and sisters.

"Here, this is a gift my brother brought you from Shandong!"

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he took out a box from behind him like a magic trick. After opening the box, it was filled with some strange little gadgets.

These things are not precious, but they are rare for children.

Moreover, his younger brothers and sisters, the oldest of whom was only ten years old and the youngest was no more than five years old, surrounded Zhu Cilang and called him "Royal Brother" after receiving their gifts.

They look like brothers who are friendly and respectful to each other.

When Chongzhen saw this scene, he couldn't help but feel touched, because he vaguely remembered that his royal brother treated him in the same way!
From this point of view, this unfilial son will probably be a good brother in the future.

Of course, it would have been better if he hadn't rebelled.
Zhu Cilang didn't care what Chongzhen was thinking at the moment. After playing with his brothers and sisters for a while, he had a brief conversation with Queen Zhou, and then Zhu Cilang returned to the East Palace.

The people in the Eastern Palace had already known about his impending return, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

Not long after, Zhu Cilang also met the prince's concubine whom he had been longing for.

Of course, considering that he was too young, Zhu Cilang did not do anything out of the ordinary. He just satisfied his hands and eyes.

It is worth mentioning that Qiqige also made a special trip to visit Zhu Cilang.

Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Qiqige's attitude towards Zhu Cilang was obviously much better than before.

In the evening, Zhu Cilang took Zheng Xiaomei to the palace to have a reunion dinner with Chongzhen and Queen Zhou.

When he returned to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Cilang received a large number of memorials.

He took a quick look and found that most of the memorials were submitted by the cabinet.

In fact, the cabinet was fully capable of handling most of these matters on its own, but it still chose to present them to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang knew in his heart that this must have been done by the old fox Xue Guoguan.

The reason for doing this is simply to show his loyalty to Zhu Cilang.

At the same time, he was also telling him that even though he was the chief minister of the cabinet, he did not dare to make all the decisions by himself. Important matters should be left to Zhu Cilang to decide!
Zhu Cilang felt both amused and helpless about Xue Guoguan's thoughts, but he didn't think too much about it.

He just glanced through the memorials, then selected a few important ones for personal approval, and then ordered them all to be sent back to the cabinet.

Along with the gift, he also wrote three large characters on rice paper:

understood!
Don't underestimate these three simple words. For Xue Guoguan, they should be enough to make him feel relieved.

Then, early the next morning, Chongzhen rarely appeared at the morning court, and Zhu Cilang attended as the regent prince.

When the civil and military officials who came to the court saw this scene, they were not surprised at all.

After all, everyone knows that such a major event has happened. It would be strange if Chongzhen did not come to court!

And it’s obvious that someone will cause trouble today!
"When there is something going on, we will start, and when there is nothing going on, we will retreat."

As Wang Chengen's shrill voice rang out in the court, a moment later, someone really stood up impatiently.

Zhu Cilang had some impression of this man. He was an imperial censor of the Inspectorate.

He then said righteously:

"Your Majesty, I believe that raising the commercial tax to 20% is a gross disrespect to Taizu. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider before acting."

After he started speaking, several other censors immediately echoed him and stood up to express their objections.

"Your Majesty, this action goes against the national policy originally formulated by Taizu. I hope Your Majesty will revoke your order!"

"Your Majesty, how can the court compete with merchants for profits? This is inappropriate!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I also second the proposal!"

At one point, more than half of the imperial censors in the court stood up and expressed their dissatisfaction with the commercial tax reform.

(End of this chapter)