Huangming

Chapter 452 Salt Tax Pilot Program: Breaking the Deadlock in Lu
Before the morning mist had completely dissipated inside the Guanghan Palace, Zhu Youxiao had already finished reading through the remaining secret reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At this moment, the sound of eunuchs announcing their greetings came from outside the hall:
"Your Majesty, it is now the hour of Chen (7-9 AM). Please proceed to the Huangji Gate to attend to state affairs."

Zhu Youxiao straightened the collar of his bright yellow everyday robe, then rose and boarded the imperial carriage.

As the imperial carriage traveled along the long palace road, the guards and eunuchs along the way all bowed and paid their respects, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Today's audience with Your Majesty concerns three major issues: the Grand Canal, the Nine Garrisons, and the Jiangnan region. All the civil and military officials are aware of this, and Your Majesty must devise a plan.

On the Huangji Gate Square, civil and military officials were already lined up and waiting.

The civil official, dressed in scarlet and blue robes, stood on the left.

The military officer, dressed in armor and carrying a sword, stood on the right.

Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe, Vice Grand Secretary Liu Yizhu, and other senior officials Ye Xianggao stood in the front row, all with solemn expressions.

Upon seeing the imperial carriage arrive, all the officials bowed in unison: "Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne at the Huangji Gate, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials below, his voice steady and calm:

"All of you, rise. Today's meeting will begin with three matters: the Grand Canal transport, the nine border regions, and the floods in Jiangnan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ruhua, the group assistant, stepped forward and bowed:
"Your Majesty, the Grand Canal has been blocked for more than half a month due to floods in Jiangnan, and grain prices in the capital have soared."

"I have ordered the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner to dredge the waterways, but the dikes between Suzhou and Yangzhou are severely damaged and require the mobilization of laborers for repairs. It will take at least another ten days before the waters are navigable."

Zhu Youxiao nodded.

"What about the floods in Jiangnan?"

Zhu Youxiao asked again.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has distributed the relief grain to various prefectures and counties. However, there are still refugees gathering in the Suzhou and Songjiang areas because local officials and gentry are embezzling grain. I have sent people to investigate, and the results will be available soon."

The officials below immediately began to discuss among themselves:
Some suggested that the canal dikes should be built first to ensure the passage of grain and fodder.

Some argued that the officials and gentry in Suzhou should be dealt with first, and the displaced people should be appeased.

Some military officers also suggested strengthening the military forces in Datong to guard against Wang Wei's potential rebellion.

They argued for nearly half an hour but still couldn't reach an agreement.

Zhu Youxiao sat on the throne, calmly watching the ministers argue.

After the murmurs subsided, he slowly spoke, but his tone was no longer as gentle as before:
"The canal needs repair, the displaced people need to be appeased, and the nine border regions need to be defended. These are all urgent matters."

But today, I would like to bring up something that is not urgent.

Salt tax.

Upon hearing this, the area below immediately fell silent.

All the officials looked surprised, wondering why His Majesty would bring up the salt tax at this time.

Zhu Youxiao's gaze fell on the Minister of Revenue: "Minister Li, how much of the salt tax from Lianghuai went into the national treasury last year?"

Li Changgeng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Your Majesty, last year the salt tax in Lianghuai totaled 1.03 million taels."

"One million and thirty thousand taels."

Zhu Youxiao repeated it, his tone tinged with coldness.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the salt tax in Lianghuai reached a peak of over four million taels.

In the early years of the Wanli reign, there were also more than three million taels.

Now that Yuan Shizhen is implementing the salt transport system, the salt tax revenue is only a little over a million taels. Where did the difference go?

Upon hearing this, Fang Congzhe, who was below the steps, suddenly had a flicker in his eyes.

Yuan Shizhen's salt transport system involved the interests of the salt merchants of Lianghuai and many people who made a living from it.

Ye Xianggao, on the other hand, had a furrowed brow and a worried expression.

He had long been aware of the drawbacks of the system of transferring resources through the system:
Yuan Shizhen contracted out salt permits to a few salt merchants, allowing them to monopolize the salt industry. In turn, the salt merchants secretly bribed officials to lower salt taxes, resulting in a sharp decline in national treasury revenue.

However, the salt merchants' influence was deeply entrenched, and even some eunuchs in the palace had accepted bribes. He tried to submit a memorial to rectify the situation several times, but he had to put it aside because he was concerned about the vested interests of these groups.

Now that His Majesty has suddenly brought this up, it seems he's about to get serious.

Zhu Youxiao observed their reactions but did not point them out.

He simply said, "The salt tax has decreased instead of increased after three years of implementation of the Salt Transport Law; there must be something fishy about it."

"You may all keep this matter in mind for now, and discuss it again later."

Having said that, he returned to the main topic and issued decrees concerning the Grand Canal, the nine border regions, and the floods in Jiangnan:
"The Ministry of Works is ordered to dispatch 5,000 craftsmen and local laborers to dredge the canal dam within five days."

The grain supplies for Datong were temporarily transferred from Xuanfu, and Xiong Tingbi was ordered to send troops to escort them.

The provincial inspector was ordered to investigate and severely punish officials and gentry in Jiangnan who were withholding relief grain, confiscating their property to replenish the relief funds.

"I will obey your orders!"

All the officials bowed in unison, but they all kept in mind the matter of salt tax that His Majesty had just mentioned.

After the imperial audience concluded, Zhu Youxiao returned to Qionghua Island in the imperial carriage.

"Your Majesty, we have arrived at the Guanghan Palace."

Wei Chao gently reminded him and lifted the carriage curtain.

A cool breeze carrying the scent of lotus blossoms swept in, dispelling the summer heat inside the imperial carriage.

Zhu Youxiao got up and got out of the carriage. His gaze swept over the burly general standing outside the hall, and without stopping, he walked straight to the side hall.

He had already sent word to summon Li Changgeng, the Minister of Revenue, and Zhu Chengzong, the Duke of Cheng, to this place to discuss matters.

As soon as they entered the side hall, Wei Chao leaned forward and asked in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, just now at the Huangji Gate, Your Majesty said that you want to pilot the reform of the salt administration. Do you know if there are any specific directions?"

If we rashly take action against the Lianghuai region, the officials behind those salt merchants will likely cause trouble.

The salt administration is a matter of fundamental importance.

As the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Wei Chao worried that if the reforms went too far, they would shake the foundation of the state.

Zhu Youxiao walked to the desk and sat down, a faint smile playing on his lips:
"It's good to cause trouble."

I want to see just how many corrupt officials are lurking behind this system of governance.

Let them panic for a few days, see who will speak up for the salt merchants, and who will secretly tip them off. Remember all these people, and settle accounts with them later.

He paused, his tone becoming more pragmatic.

"As for pilot projects, the waters in Lianghuai are too deep. We need to choose places where the salt merchants are less powerful and where officials are less involved to conduct pilot projects. There will be less resistance to the rectification. Once we figure out a method, we can go back and deal with Lianghuai."

Upon hearing this, Wei Chao felt relieved and flattered him, saying:
"Your Majesty is wise!"

Not long after Zhu Youxiao sat down, footsteps could be heard outside the hall.

Leading the way was Li Changgeng, the Minister of Revenue, whose dark circles under his eyes were so heavy they looked like ink, and whose steps were somewhat unsteady.

In the past few days, he has barely slept a wink because of the relief grain for the floods in Jiangnan and the blockage of the canal transport. He has even neglected to eat, and he has lost a lot of weight.

Following behind him was Zhu Chengzong, whose official robes as the Duke of Cheng made him appear tall and straight.

"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants Li Changgeng and Zhu Chengzong, respectfully wish Your Majesty good health!"

The two men knelt down, their robes billowing. Li Changgeng's voice carried a hint of weariness, while Zhu Chengzong's was calm and composed.

"Get up and give me a seat."

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, signaling Wei Chao to pour tea for the two of them.

After the two sat down, he got straight to the point:
"I have summoned you here today to discuss matters concerning the salt administration."

This morning, during the imperial audience, I mentioned the salt tax in Lianghuai. You should understand that I wasn't just saying it casually.

Upon hearing this, Li Changgeng paused, his hand holding the teacup still, and said with a wry smile:
"Your Majesty, I have long heard of the mess that the salt administration in Lianghuai is in, but..."

He sighed before he could finish speaking.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the nation's finances. The annual salt tax from Lianghuai was only one million taels, which made him more anxious than anyone else. However, the salt administration involved too many things, and as the Minister of Revenue, he couldn't do anything about it.

Zhu Chengzong frowned and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, the salt merchants of Lianghuai have been colluding with local officials for many years. I've heard that they're even involved in the grain transport and garrison systems. If we take action against them, it might trigger a chain reaction."

As a nobleman, although he was not as familiar with the ways of collusion between officials and merchants as the civil officials, he knew that those salt merchants were wealthy and powerful and were not easy to deal with.

Zhu Youxiao sneered and threw the "Lianghuai Salt Tax Register" on the table in front of the two men:
"See for yourselves!"

In the 45th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, Yuan Shizhen established the "Guangdong Law" and said that it would take ten years to clear up the accumulated levies. As a result, the accumulated levies now exceed two million levies!
I fear the situation will be even worse in ten years!
Border merchants paid their grain taxes, and domestic merchants paid their silver, but despite holding salt permits, they couldn't get salt. In the end, they were forced to sell their permits cheaply to hoarders or pay exorbitant prices to "buy subsidies." How many merchants went bankrupt because of this?

He stood up, walked up to the two of them, and his tone suddenly became more serious:

"Look at the salt producers! The imperial court has set quotas, and they have to pay salt according to the quotas. However, there are layers upon layers of 'floating taxes,' and the silver given by the government is not even enough to buy salt seeds!"
During the Wanli era, they were still able to collect 373,000 taels of silver, which was less than 53% of the quota.

By the time of the Tianqi era, salt producers had either fled or died, leading to a sharp drop in salt production. Merchants were forced to rely even more heavily on purchasing subsidies.

This is a vicious cycle!

Li Changgeng picked up the salt tax register and looked at the shocking figures, his face growing increasingly grim.

Although Zhu Chengzong did not understand the details of the salt administration, he still understood what was being said.

The Salt Transport Law, though seemingly well-organized, actually granted a monopoly on the salt industry to salt merchants. Officials and merchants colluded to exploit salt producers and merchants, ultimately harming the national treasury.

"What about the smuggled salt?"

Zhu Youxiao's gaze swept over the two of them, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

"The production of legitimate salt was insufficient, and salt merchants were driving up the price of salt, so ordinary people had no choice but to buy smuggled salt!"
There is now more smuggled salt in Lianghuai than official salt!
With the sales of government-mandated salt plummeting, salt taxes naturally could not be collected.

I have examined the salt tax records from the reign of Emperor Taizu. The Lianghuai region could collect more than four million taels of silver a year.

In the early years of the Wanli reign, there were also more than three million taels!

Now, things are really messed up; we're barely making a million taels a year!"

At this point, Zhu Youxiao clenched his fist tightly.

Previously, a secret report was sent by the eunuch in charge of the Jiangnan region, saying that the largest salt merchant in Lianghuai made millions of taels of profit every year and secretly distributed dividends to Yuan Shizhen and others.

These people not only eat meat, but they also gnaw the bones clean!

They simply didn't respect him, the emperor.

That's all my money!

"They think I don't know?"

Zhu Youxiao's voice was as cold as ice.

"Salt merchants monopolized the salt industry, officials protected and indulged them, salt producers suffered, merchants went bankrupt and fled, and in the end, the national treasury was empty and the people could not afford salt."

This system of resource allocation, far from being about clearing away excess and attracting wealth, is clearly fattening up a bunch of parasites!

Li Changgeng trembled upon hearing this and immediately knelt down:
"Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty! I failed to investigate the malpractices of the Lianghuai salt administration, resulting in losses to the national treasury. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!" The Ministry of Revenue is responsible for supervising salt taxes, and now that such a serious problem has occurred, he cannot shirk his responsibility.

Zhu Youxiao raised his hand and waved it, his tone softening slightly:

"I summoned you here not to investigate anyone's fault."

With the floods in Jiangnan still raging, the salt fields of Lianghuai will inevitably be affected sooner or later. This is precisely the time to implement a new salt administration policy. Dwelling on the past is useless; solving the problem is the fundamental solution.

Li Changgeng's knees, which he had just straightened, were still a little cold. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but look up at Zhu Youxiao, and the guilt in his eyes was gradually replaced by doubt.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. However... the salt administration has been plagued by problems for many years, especially in the Lianghuai region. A single change here can have far-reaching consequences. I wonder where Your Majesty intends to break this deadlock?"

He had originally thought he would start in Zhejiang, or try his hand at the Changlu salt region near the capital, but he did not expect that Zhu Youxiao's next words would completely exceed his expectations.

"Start with a pilot program in Shandong."

Zhu Youxiao's voice was not loud, but it made Li Changgeng and Zhu Chengzong pause slightly.

Zhu Chengzong was the first to react, his brows furrowing slightly:

"Your Majesty, Shandong has just suffered from Xu Hongru's rebellion, and the people's livelihood has not yet fully recovered. Will implementing a new salt administration at this time...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Youxiao waved his hand, clearly having already considered this.

Zhu Youxiao walked to the desk and slowly said:

“There are two advantages to selecting Shandong as the pilot area.”

"Firstly, during Xu Hongru's rebellion, many salt merchants from Dengzhou and Laizhou colluded with the rebel army, and many of them were later investigated and punished after their homes were searched."

The remaining people were mostly frightened birds, no longer having the confidence to monopolize the salt profits as before. The local gentry had also been depleted of grain and fodder during the suppression of the rebellion, and their strength had not yet recovered. Their ability to resist the new policies was far inferior to that of the Lianghuai region.

Secondly, Shandong's salt administration has historically been subordinate to the Huai River region, lacking an independent interest group. Salt distribution and management of salt producers were relatively simple, making adjustments easier even if mistakes occurred during pilot programs, unlike the Huai River region where chaos could jeopardize the entire system.

Li Changgeng's eyes gradually brightened:
"Your Majesty is wise! I only thought of starting with the easy things, but I did not expect that the chaos in Shandong was a good opportunity to 'destroy and then build'."

With no deeply entrenched forces hindering their efforts, and leveraging the momentum gained from suppressing the rebellion to implement the new laws, the experience gained could be summarized and then extended to the Huai River region, achieving twice the result with half the effort!

Seeing that he understood the deeper meaning, Zhu Youxiao began to explain in detail the specific regulations of the new salt administration:
"First, we must eliminate the miscellaneous items and restore clarity to the salt tax."

“The current ‘passage fee,’ ‘capital transfer fee,’ ‘passage inspection fee’ in the Shandong salt-producing area, as well as the ‘tea money’ and ‘paper and pen money’ privately collected by salt officials, are all illegal apportionments and must be abolished!”
Only two statutory taxes are retained: the 'official price' and the 'surplus salt silver', totaling one tael, four mace, and six fen of silver per 'certificate'.
The official salt tax is five qian and six fen, and the surplus salt tax is eight qian. This is written in black and white in the regulations. Local officials who dare to impose additional taxes will be prosecuted for corruption!

Li Changgeng was anxious, thinking to himself, "If we abolish miscellaneous taxes and set a fixed tax rate, merchants will no longer be exploited at every level, and more people will be willing to come to Shandong to trade salt!"

"However, simply setting a tax amount is not enough; someone needs to keep an eye on it."

Zhu Youxiao then turned his gaze to Zhu Chengzong.

"We must also strengthen oversight. I will issue a secret edict to the Salt Commissioner and the Garrison Eunuch of Shandong, granting them the real power to 'investigate the flow of salt profits' and 'impeach corrupt salt officials'."

"Any salt official found to have embezzled more than a thousand taels of salt profits, or to have colluded with salt merchants to share the spoils, will be directly escorted to the capital for interrogation without being reported, and their property will be confiscated!"

"Furthermore, the problem of accumulation needs to be addressed."

Although Shandong does not have the same problems as the two million permits in Lianghuai, it still has tens of thousands of permits tied up in the hands of merchants. If this issue is not resolved, it will be difficult for new permits to circulate.

My idea is to compile a list and determine the amount to be sold: the accumulated quotations will be compiled into five lists, each with 30,000 quotations, and the new quotations will be sold together at a ratio of one to two.

Merchants who buy two new salt certificates only need to cancel one existing salt certificate along with the existing one, and the remaining salt silver for the canceled existing salt certificate is halved.

At the same time, all accumulated tokens must be sold within five years, and progress will be assessed annually. Merchants who meet the targets will be given priority for new tokens the following year.

Those who fail to meet the requirements will be disqualified from using China Salt for the following year.

In addition, for merchants who have held salt certificates for many years, money will be taken from the previously confiscated property of salt merchants belonging to the rebels, with a compensation of two coins per certificate to make up for their losses and to reassure them to cooperate with the new policies.

Li Changgeng's eyes were full of admiration:
"Your Majesty's strategy has not only resolved the predicament of the accumulated deposits but also appeased the merchants, achieving two goals at once!"
"I just did a quick mental calculation. If we can successfully sell off all the accumulated salt permits, plus the tax revenue from the newly issued permits, Shandong's salt tax revenue will at least double compared to previous years!"

"Just one time is not enough, not enough."

Zhu Youxiao shook his head.

"To ensure that government-owned salt surpasses privately-owned salt, we must lower prices and improve quality."

I intend to reduce the price of Shandong salt from 5.6 qian to 5 qian, and the price of surplus salt from 8 qian to 6 qian, totaling 1 liang and 1 qian per salt, which is 18% lower than before.

At the same time, it was stipulated that salt delivered by salt producers must be inspected, and inferior salt must be returned for re-boiling. If the quality of official salt was inferior to that of private salt, the salt field official would be directly dismissed!
In addition, the problem of poor people carrying smuggled salt on their shoulders also needs to be addressed.

The old system of "listening to the people carrying goods on their shoulders" was reinstated, but it was changed to government supervision and people selling goods.

When poor people went to the salt fields to buy salt, they paid five cents for every hundred catties and received a "convenience ticket," which allowed them to sell their salt in towns and villages. This provided a way for the poor to make a living, brought small-scale smuggled salt under government control, and generated additional tax revenue—a win-win-win situation.

At this point, Zhu Youxiao's tone softened slightly:
“The salt producers are the foundation of the salt administration. Yuan Shizhen’s previous salt transport policy forced most of the salt producers to flee. The new policy must stabilize them.”

I intend to allocate two qian (a unit of currency) per jin (a unit of volume) of salt tax as working capital for salt producers, an increase of 50% over the original amount. The salt inspector will personally supervise the distribution of this allocation, and salt officials will not be allowed to retain any of it.

Salt owed by salt producers before the first year of the Tianqi reign (1621) will be waived and will not be pursued further.

If a salt field suffers a disaster, salt producers are allowed to exchange silver for salt, with each salt deposit valued at three coins, to prevent them from going bankrupt due to the disaster.

In addition, the personal control of salt officials over salt producers was abolished, allowing them to voluntarily form groups to boil salt, thus improving efficiency.

Only when the salt producers are stable can the production of legitimate salt increase, merchants no longer need to rely on subsidies, and the amount of smuggled salt will naturally decrease.

Li Changgeng's heart trembled slightly.

He calculated that if these measures could be implemented, Shandong's salt tax would be at least 500,000 to 600,000 taels a year, nearly three times the current 200,000 taels. Moreover, with the introduction of new salt and the reduction of smuggled salt, the tax could rise further!

He was filled with emotions.

"Your Majesty's strategy takes into account the interests of officials, merchants, farmers, and the people, solving the immediate problem while also seeking long-term benefits. I admire it!"

With Your Majesty's meticulous planning, the Shandong salt administration pilot program is sure to succeed!

"Whether it will succeed or not, we'll have to wait and see after it's implemented. There's no point in talking about it now."

Zhu Youxiao, however, was not so optimistic.

"You think the new policy will succeed because you see the comprehensiveness of the regulations, but you forget where the money will come from."

This money was taken from the pockets of salt merchants and powerful figures, from the private pockets of corrupt officials, and from the hands of those who had exploited salt producers for many years.

This obstacle is by no means insignificant.

Li Changgeng was taken aback upon hearing this, and the excitement he had just felt for the prospects of the new policy instantly cooled down.

He only calculated the increase in salt tax, but forgot that although Shandong had been ravaged by war, there were still salt merchants who colluded with local officials. Those people had enjoyed the benefits of the old salt policy for more than ten years. How could they be willing to give up their interests?
Zhu Chengzong also composed himself.

When land was surveyed in Beizhili, the gentry obstructed the process openly and covertly. The salt administration reform involved even deeper interests, so the resistance would only be more intense.

"Dong Cheng."

Zhu Youxiao suddenly spoke, his tone becoming more serious.

"I am giving you a task: set off immediately for Shandong to cooperate with the Salt Inspector Zuo Guangdou and take full charge of the reorganization of the salt fields in Shandong."

Zhu Chengzong suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly flashing with a bright light, his previous gloom vanishing completely.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty obeys!"

The task of regulating the saltworks is no simple matter.

Rectifying the salt fields meant confronting salt merchants and officials head-on, investigating corruption and cracking down on smuggled salt—precisely where a "tough stance" was required.

but
Others fear obstacles, but he longs for them.

If no one resists, his usefulness will be diminished. Only by uprooting those deeply entrenched forces can he prove that he, the Duke of Cheng, is a man of genuine ability.

Only these merits can wash away his infamy and his sins.

Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied with Zhu Chengzong's reaction, and he said with a smile:

“You are strong-willed and ruthless, while Zuo Guangdou is upright and resourceful. The two of you complement each other perfectly.”

"Remember, when you encounter salt merchants who resist the law, hoarders who dare to secretly hoard salt certificates, or even officials who collude with smugglers, do not be lenient with them."

Anyone who obstructs the new policies shall be detained first, then reported to the Emperor for punishment; their property shall be confiscated and their wealth seized without exception.

"I will definitely fulfill your mission!"

Zhu Chengzong bowed deeply, his waist bent extremely low, and at that moment he had only one thought in his mind.

He must reorganize the Shandong salt fields to show His Majesty his abilities and let those nobles who mocked him see that Zhu Chengzong has the skills to establish himself.

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand: "Go and make preparations. We will depart in three days. Make sure Zuo Guangdou is safe."

"Yes!"

Zhu Chengzong and Li Changgeng responded in unison and turned to leave the side hall.

Zhu Youxiao stood by the window, his gaze following their figures as they disappeared into the shade of the willows outside the palace, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

The Shandong pilot program for salt administration reform is only the first step.

He knew in his heart that even if the new policy was successfully implemented, the salt tax in Shandong would only rise to 600,000 taels at most, which would be a three-fold increase, far from his goal.

What he wanted was not an increase of hundreds of thousands of taels, but a salt tax of tens of millions of taels.

Like during the reign of Emperor Taizu, the salt tax should become a pillar of the national treasury, sufficient to support the military expenses of the nine border regions, sufficient to cope with the famine in Jiangnan, and sufficient to free the Ming Dynasty's finances from dire straits.

But right now, he can't do it.

The military power in the nine border regions has not yet been fully controlled, and Wang Wei and the Prince of Dai in Datong are still causing trouble.

The floods in Jiangnan have just subsided, and the displaced people still need to be comforted.

In the imperial court, many officials were still secretly protecting the interests of the salt merchants...

Forcibly implementing deep reforms at this time would only exacerbate conflicts and could even trigger a rebellion.

One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. The current superficial reforms are merely to reclaim the "royal duties" that have been encroached upon and to bring the salt tax back to normal levels.

Then, we will carry out deeper reforms.

For example, the "salt ticket system," the "salt tax system," the "return of surplus salt to the public treasury," and the "salary for maintaining integrity"!
The salt ticketing system could break the salt merchants' monopoly and allow more businessmen to participate in the salt industry.

The integration of poll tax into salt tax reduced the burden on the people and increased tax revenue.

Returning the surplus tax to the public can prevent officials from levying additional taxes privately and make the salt tax more transparent.

The allowance for maintaining integrity can appease officials and reduce corruption.

These are the key factors that enabled the salt tax to exceed ten million taels, but each of these policies touches upon deeper interests and requires a stable situation to support it.

"The time has not come yet."

Zhu Youxiao murmured softly.

Now is not the time. He needs to first reorganize the nine border regions and ensure that military power is firmly in the hands of his own people.

We need to quell the chaos in Jiangnan and put the people at ease.

We need to gradually replace the old ministers in the court who are hindering reforms with officials who support the new policies.

Only when we wait until then will there be less resistance to pushing forward these deep-seated reforms.

In short
All of this will take time!
(End of this chapter)