Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 119 Customs and Taxation

"Is there anything else?" Zhu Changluo saw that Li Ruhua was still sitting upright in his seat.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War reports that there is currently more silver than grain in Liaodong, and the prices of all commodities have soared. Therefore, I request Your Majesty to allocate more silver to purchase grain from various places and send it to Liaodong to stabilize the grain prices in Liaodong." Even someone as thick-skinned as Li Ruhua felt a little embarrassed.

"Do you really think of me as an ATM?" Zhu Changluo couldn't help but complain.

"ATM?" Li Ruhua didn't understand what the emperor was talking about, but he figured it wasn't a good word. Li Ruhua immediately prepared himself: if the emperor showed any sign of anger, he would plead guilty, leave, and return to find another solution.

Zhu Changluo pinched his nose awkwardly. "You don't have to worry too much about the Liao grain issue."

"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions." Li Ruhua breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the emperor looked normal. He straightened his waist and sat in a state of listening.

"Did you know there's a group of foreigners coming from Macau?" Zhu Changluo waved to the eunuchs, signaling them to bring hot water. "Two cups of warm water."

"I know." This matter itself was no secret, and since the foreigners were very active in communicating with the ministers, Li Ruhua was quite aware of it. "The foreigners recently sent me letters requesting an audience, but I did not meet them."

"If you want to see them, just go and listen to what they say." Zhu Changluo picked up a barrel-shaped glass cup half filled with warm water and handed it to Li Ruhua.

"I thank Your Majesty." Li Ruhua took the cup of water with both hands.

"Among these foreigners, there's a group of foreign merchants." Zhu Changluo pinched his biceps and found that they were much harder than before. He nodded with satisfaction. "It seems that exercise is effective."

"." Li Ruhua did not respond.

Zhu Changluo smiled and said, "These merchants, through the Jesuits, that group of scholars who call themselves Western Confucianists, went to Xu Guangqi and complained that the Ming Dynasty only imported gold and silver and nothing else, like a greedy Pixiu."

"What barbarians! They actually use auspicious animals as a metaphor to complain." Li Ruhua laughed.

The Pixiu is one of the five auspicious animals along with the dragon, phoenix, turtle, and kylin. It enjoys the smell of gold, silver, and jewelry, and only takes in, never gives out, symbolizing the accumulation of wealth.

"Trade is all about exchanging what you have for what you don't have. Western landlords have opened up a large area of ​​fertile land in India, also known as Tianzhu. It is said that the four seasons there are like spring, with three harvests a year and abundant grain production. Now that there is more silver than grain in Liaodong, it is just right for sea merchants to transport grain there. In this way, not only will the silver in Liaodong have a place to go, but the court can also save a lot of money on grain transportation." Zhu Changluo put the empty glass water cup back on the tray.

"Your Majesty wants to open a new Maritime Customs Office?" Li Ruhua heard the emperor's hidden meaning.

After the opening of the canals during the Longqing reign, the Ming Dynasty restored the Guangzhou Maritime Customs Office and added the Yuegang Maritime Customs Office in Zhangzhou, Fujian, replacing private trade with public trade. However, these two places were thousands of miles away from Liaodong, and if foreigners were to deliver rice at these two ports, it would still have to be transported via the Grand Canal.

Li Ruhua is really sharp, Zhu Changluo secretly praised.

"I have decided to establish a new Maritime Customs Office in Tianjin. Following the example of Yuegang, we will establish a government office in the port city and conduct both official and private trade with Western merchants." Zhu Changluo changed his tone and asked seriously, "What do you think?"

"In response to Your Majesty's words, I think it is inappropriate," Li Ruhua replied.

"What's the reason?" Zhu Changluo's expression and tone remained unchanged, but there was a hint of interrogation in his eyes.

Li Ruhua noticed this subtle change, but he still stroked his long gray beard and answered to himself: "Opening up trade is a good thing, but I think the trading ports should be located in Fujian and Zhejiang."

Li Ruhua, having achieved Jinshi in the eighth year of the Wanli reign, had served in officialdom for forty years. From magistrate to chancellor, from provincial to central government, from the Ministry of Personnel to the Ministry of War and finally the Ministry of Revenue, he possessed a profound understanding of every aspect of the Ming Dynasty. He devoted his energies to arbitrating and coordinating major policies, including fiscal revenue and deficits, the strength of border defense reserves, and the salt industry, grain transport, military farms, and animal husbandry.

"Fujian and Zhejiang? You are from Henan, right?" Zhu Changluo originally thought that Li Ruhua's opposition was just because it was none of his business.

"Your Majesty, please see me. I am from Suizhou, Henan, and have no commercial dealings with the maritime merchants of Jiangsu and Zhejiang." Li Ruhua finally understood the reason for the change in the emperor's expression. He smiled faintly and said, "Tianjin is located in the capital region. Opening a maritime voyage commissioner's office here and allowing foreign merchants to trade here will inevitably lead to trouble. If Westerners collude with Japan, using merchant ships to transport pirates and bandits, and allowing them to land on the coast of the capital region, I am afraid it will disturb your Majesty and undermine the national prestige."

"The corruption of the navy and garrisons is indeed a problem, but the court shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. My mind is made up." Zhu Changluo's expression softened. "I will select capable officials to handle Tianjin affairs. The Ministry of Revenue will draft a tax system and prepare to open a military pay station."

"Your Majesty wants to hand over customs revenue to the Ministry of Revenue?" Li Ruhua was surprised. Since the opening of the port during the Longqing reign, customs revenue had been collected entirely by eunuchs in the inner court.

"The Ministry of Revenue will be in charge, with the Imperial Court assisting," Zhu Changluo said. "Regarding the tax regulations, I will only state one principle. You will draft it accordingly when you return to the Ministry."

"Your Majesty, please give your instructions."

"Commercial taxes are paid by nobles, officials, and gentry alike. Regardless of title or merit, as long as a transaction occurs, taxes are levied, even for transactions within the inner court. No one is allowed to evade taxes for any reason." Zhu Changluo stroked his beard and said, "Taxes are only collected in currency such as gold, silver, and copper, not in kind. Taxes are calculated based on the transaction volume, and the specific percentage is determined by the Ministry of Revenue, which implements a floating tax rate based on the actual market value of different goods. Unless otherwise permitted by imperial decree, the tax must not be less than 10% of the total transaction volume."

"I obey your order." Li Ruhua knelt down and kowtowed to accept the order.

Zhu Changluo nodded in satisfaction, then personally helped Li Ruhua up. "Mr. Li, you are old now. You should walk less in the future. I grant you a sedan chair in the Forbidden City."

"Your Majesty!" Li Ruhua's old eyes were suddenly filled with turbidity.

"By the way. Don't be like Fang Congzhe who was afraid to take the sedan chair when he saw me walking." Zhu Changluo said finally.

------

On the evening of the third day after Zhang Shirui's discovery, Lu Wenzhao and ten other Jinyiwei escorted two horses and a carriage back to Beijing from Tianjin. The reason it took so long was because Lu Wenzhao had "kindly" hired a carriage for Zhang Shirui.

Ding Baiying was allowed to ride a horse, but she didn't want to see her senior brother's sullen face all the way, so she simply acted like a young lady and "enjoyed" the treatment of riding in a carriage with Zhang Shirui.

Although Lu Wenzhao didn't think anyone would dare to rob the Jinyiwei, he still breathed a sigh of relief the moment he entered the Yongdingmen city wall.

Lu Wenzhao noticed that shortly after they entered the city, a man on horseback turned around and left behind the gatehouse.

"Captain, that's a needle." Lu Jianxing also noticed the figure. "I don't know if it's from the Jinyiwei or the Western Factory," Shen Lian continued.

"No matter which government office he is from, we are back with our people." After relaxing his tense nerves, Lu Wenzhao felt a wave of fatigue.

"Should we go back to the headquarters first, or send Zhang Shirui back directly?" Lu Jianxing's tone almost called Zhang Shirui a "criminal".

"Let's go back directly. The order we received was just to guard the Zhang Mansion." Lu Wenzhao thought for a moment and said, "Well, Shen Lian, go back to the headquarters and report the situation to the head of the guards. Remember to emphasize that the people had already left before we received the order. We are neither trying to make up for the loss nor trying to gain meritorious service by burying the sheep in the pens. Remember, just state the facts, don't exaggerate, and don't shirk responsibility. If you say this wrongly, you will be putting the blame on the head of the guards or even the Imperial Household Department."

"Then where should we put the blame?" Shen Lian asked this question while glancing in the direction of the carriage.

"Don't go anywhere, don't cause trouble for yourself! Whatever the Tianshi Mansion has done, what will happen in the end is still unknown. There's a dark conspiracy going on up there, don't try to uncover it." Lu Wenzhao said in a low voice, "At our level, the most we can do is to kick someone when they're down. Pushing someone into a trap, or even digging one ourselves, is courting death. Just say that Zhang Sirui's departure was unintentional. Do you hear me?"

"I understand." Shen Lian nodded solemnly, then left the team alone.

Lu Wenzhao only said half of his words. He didn't want or couldn't let Zhang Shirui be charged with "fleeing from justice" because Zhang Shirui did not leave alone.

A quarter of an hour later, the group arrived at Zhang's Mansion in Nanxunfang.

"Miss Zhang, we're home." Lu Wenzhao knocked on the wooden window frame.

"Thank you, Lord Lu, for accompanying me all the way." Zhang Shirui was the first to leave the carriage and found dozens of Jinyi officers gathered at the gate of Zhang's mansion. She smiled bitterly and thought to herself: This is quite a scene. Fortunately, I'm back.

"Accompanying, huh!" Ding Baiying looked at Lu Wenzhao with disdain.

Lu Wenzhao ignored her and started talking to Yin Cheng who stayed behind. This made Ding Baiying very angry.

"Is there anything wrong?" Lu Wenzhao asked.

"I'll do the job, don't worry." Yin Cheng patted his chest and said, "We actually killed two rats, but they were just passing by."

"You should talk less nonsense." Lu Jianxing smiled and punched Yin Cheng.

Just as they were talking, a sedan chair with four carriages landed opposite Zhang's house.

Ever since the Huangji Hall meeting, Liu Yirong had been gripped by a state of panic. Although he knew immediately that Fang Congzhe would never denounce the Donglin Party for forming a clique and framing a border general, the fact that the Emperor publicly questioned Fang Congzhe clearly showed his extreme dissatisfaction with the matter.

So when Liu Yirong returned to his palace after court and saw the soldiers standing guard at the gate, he completely lost heart. He subconsciously assumed that the emperor's dissatisfaction, after days of simmering, had finally turned into anger, and that he had sent the Imperial Guards to take him to prison.

In a moment, the quick-witted Liu Yirong even began to pray that the Western Factory could play its theoretical role, urge the Jinyiwei to find out the truth and restore his "innocence".

But the soldiers standing at the door didn't react at all when they saw him. They were still chatting and staring blankly. Only then did he realize that the Jinyiwei were surrounding the Zhang Mansion, not the Liu Mansion.

Liu Yirong was once again puzzled: There was only a young female Taoist nun living in Zhang's mansion, how could it have alarmed so many Jinyiwei?
The next day, Liu Yirong got his answer in a memorial submitted by the Ministry of Rites. The memorial only approved the petition to remove Zhang Xianyong's title, but did not mention the conferment of a title on Zhang Yingjing.

After a brief discussion, the cabinet reached a conclusion: no unnecessary additions, just approval.

"Lord Liu!" Zhang Shirui was very polite. When she saw Liu Yirong getting out of the sedan chair, she bowed from a distance as a junior.

Zhang Shirui's shout caused all the Jinyiwei at the door to look towards Liu Yirong, which frightened him to death. Liu Yirong was stunned on the spot. After a long while, he said, "Miss Zhang, you are here too."

"Your humble servant, Lu Wenzhao, a captain in the Eastern Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is honored to meet the Grand Secretary Liu." Lu Wenzhao knew that civil officials did not like the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he originally wanted to pretend not to see it, but Zhang Shirui was so "unreasonable" as to greet Liu Yirong, so he could no longer pretend to be blind.

"Captain Lu, there's no need to be so polite." Liu Yirong returned Lu Wenzhao's greeting in an extremely unnatural manner, then half walked and half fled back to the mansion.

"Master Liu, forget it," Lu Wenzhao muttered to himself, but finally shook his head.

News of the dismissal and exile of Yang Yuan, Feng Sanyuan, and Gu Xu spread throughout Beijing's officialdom that very day. Later, news of the Emperor's crackdown on the Donglin Cult in the palace was deliberately leaked. This attracted considerable attention, notably Jinyiwei Commander Tian Ergeng, who sought to capitalize on this opportunity to further fuel the flames of the Donglin Cult. If he could uncover a major case, he would be in a stronger position to vie for the position vacated when Luo Zhangwei Qigu resigned.

Given the opportunity, Lu Wenzhao would certainly not hesitate to support Tian Tongzhi's offensive plan. In Lu Wenzhao's view, Tian Tongzhi had a high chance of ascending to power, and even if he ultimately failed, he wouldn't lose his position due to his failure in the competition for the position of Chief of Guard Affairs. He was the perfect candidate for wooing.

But forcing a connection between the Zhang and Liu families through Zhang Shirui's voice was a stretch. Regardless of the fate of the Tianshi Mansion, even if the Zhang family ultimately suffered a disaster, it didn't mean they could bring disaster upon Liu Yirong. Don't let that happen, only to set yourself ablaze instead of harming others.

There are so few perfect steps like Master Xu's. Lu Wenzhao collected his thoughts and watched Zhang Shirui enter the Zhang Mansion.

"Junior sister." Just when Ding Baiying was about to enter Zhang's house, Lu Wenzhao called her.

"Lord Lu, do you have anything else to say?" Ding Baiying tried her best to act cold.

"He's just a generous employer. Don't get yourself involved." Lu Wenzhao advised.

"I've gotten myself into trouble. Will Lord Lu pull me out of the imperial prison?" Ding Baiying stared into Lu Wenzhao's eyes.

"I'm a captain in the Eastern Office, and the imperial prison is under the jurisdiction of the Northern Pacification Office." Lu Wenzhao looked away.

"Senior brother, you have changed." Ding Baiying said no more and turned away.

She concealed her final sadness with decisiveness.

(End of this chapter)