Chapter 115: Fighting against the current situation
"In the beginning, we didn't have to pay business tax, and all the profits went to my Zheng family, so we lived a comfortable life."
"But since the Wanli period, when the imperial court sent garrison eunuchs to Zhejiang, our Zheng Family Winery has been required to pay tax money to the Zhongguan tax envoy every year, and the amount of tax money is decided by the tax envoy. Sometimes it is less, sometimes more, sometimes more.
In addition to profits, we also have to lose money. Last year alone, our Zhengjia Winery paid taxes of three hundred taels!"
"This is just my Zhengjia winery, there are hundreds of other wineries in Kuaiji!"
"Just one county in Kuaiji pays tens of thousands of taels in taxes. How many are in Shaoxing, how many are in Zhejiang province? How many are the eight prefectures and prefectures in Jiangnan? How many tax dollars are there in the entire Ming Dynasty?"
"Let me ask, is the annual income next year really only a mere 20 million?"
Yilun Hall suddenly fell into deathly silence, and all the scholars fell into deep thought.
Because Zheng Zunfeng opened up a scar, the Ming Dynasty actually had to pay commercial taxes, but the tax money did not flow into the treasury of the Ministry of Household Affairs, but into the emperor's inner court key treasury.
Hearing this, Gao Hongtu couldn't help but feel lucky that he didn't step forward to stop him just now.
Now that this scholar has uncovered the scars of the mine supervisor and tax collector, things will become much easier to handle.
Gao Hongtu couldn't help but want to take a look at Chongzhen's face at this time. The sage must be very angry at this time, right?
But it's useless to be angry. You're doing it all on your own. Who asked you to summon these scholars to Nanjing? Who asked you to encourage the scholars to talk about the chaos in the government?
Are you shooting yourself in the foot now?
Zheng Sen also glanced at Chongzhen worriedly, but found that Chongzhen's face was fierce, but he was not angry because of it. It seemed that Brother Zheng was talking about something related to me.
Zheng Sen also stopped Zhen Yanqian when he got there.
Brother Zheng is apologetic, but he hasn’t given up completely yet.
Although this person is from Shaoxing, his style is completely the same as that of Master Shaoxing.
Looking directly into Chongzhen's eyes, Brother Zheng apologized: "Your Majesty, the common people would like to ask how much tax money the mining supervisors and tax envoys of each province sent to the Zheng family in the inner court last year?"
Brother Zheng, sorry, that was not a question, but a pressing question.
However, Chongzhen was angry instead of happy. That is the imperial minion I want!
If you have some courage and courage, how can you fight against these sinister and cunning old bureaucrats of the Donglin Party?
As for the issue of Zhen Yanfeng being domineering, or the issue of me being a subordinate, that is nothing at all. Dealing with the Donglin Party is the main conflict, and priorities must be clearly distinguished.
Besides, Brother Zheng is now Zhang Juzheng or Wei Zhongxian.
Brother Zheng, at least, is not like Yan Song or He Kun. He can just continue to beat him now.
I, Chongzhen, am the Wanli Emperor who ascended the throne at a young age, so I can only be at the mercy of Zhang Juzheng.
When Chongzhen stood up and responded positively: "Last year, the mine supervisors, tax envoys, weaving bureaus and other royal agencies in each province sent more than 7 million taels of tax silver to my inner court, the Zheng family."
"So many?" That was Zheng Zun's first reaction.
Gao Hongtu and other cabinet officials did not dare to doubt it.
His Majesty sent so few mine supervisors and tax envoys to various provinces, and only collected a mere seven million taels of tax money? This is the same as the feeling of workshop owners and merchants across the country.
"They may be common, but they are really not that few."
Chongzhen sighed heavily and added: "If this were not the case, I would have been humiliated by hundreds of officials because of the hundreds of thousands of unpaid wages in Liao Town! I raised donations shamelessly with the dignity of the emperor, but the officials in Beijing only donated a few dollars.
Ten thousand taels of silver, but before the thieves retreated from the capital to pursue the stolen goods and pay them, they confiscated more than 10,000 taels of silver from the homes of hundreds of officials in the capital!"
"This matter has always been testified by the superiors." Zheng Zunsun and Sun Fanzhi of Changping Prefecture finally put it to use and stood up and said, "Before the fall of the capital in Jiashen, the thieves only copied one from the Hubu Taichou and the Zhengjiajiu in the inner court.
There were more than a thousand taels of silver, but more than 10,000 taels were copied from the homes of Chen Yan, the chief minister of the cabinet, Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo, and other distinguished officials in the capital!"
"Yes, you can testify later." Fu Shan and Zhu Yanzuo stood up one after another before Ji Yunhong came.
"This matter is known to everyone in the capital. If you don't have any friends in the capital, just ask."
"My Majesty did not believe that." Zheng Xiongqian waved his hand and continued, "In fact, the number mentioned by His Majesty is not much different from what I estimated."
"There is no rumor among the public,"
"Speaking of the mine supervisor, the tax envoys will receive one silver, the internal money will be one, the middle envoys will be seven, the followers will be eight, and the local stick will be seven!"
"Now it seems that the rumor is definitely true. 40% of the tax money collected by the provincial mine supervisors and tax envoys was divided up by the envoys, attendants and local sticks, and only 10% was sent to the inner court Zheng family wine!"
"Ten times seven million is twenty million."
"In other words, your Xiao Ming's annual income should be 20 million, but it should be 20 million, 20 million, 70 million taels! Unfortunately, the other 20 million in tax money will flow into the envoys' private pockets.
But only the wine of the Zheng family in His Majesty’s inner court has not flowed into the imperial palace, so the state supply has been insufficient, thieves have sprung up, and things have been delayed for a long time!”
Having said that, Zheng Xiongfeng finally came up with my conclusion: "In view of this, I think that if the source of income is small, it is necessary. It is absolutely necessary to add items and levy commercial taxes. As long as the source is cleared up and the Chinese envoys are allowed to participate in the local affairs,
If 40% of the tax money from Stick Greed Mo flows into the national treasury, then the country will be able to solve the problem with enough money, but Xiao Ming will still be unable to do anything!"
Hearing those words, Chongzhen burst into laughter.
It is true that the butt determines the head.
Brother Zheng was born as a merchant, so he had no choice but to speak for merchants.
The bottom line is that it is feasible to impose additional commercial taxes.
"What you said is wrong, scholar!" Zheng Xiongqian had just finished speaking, and Zhen Yan stood up and said with emotion, "It's just that it's not enough to clean up the source, but it still needs to be supplemented by cutting expenditures!"
Chongzhen turned around and found that it was Gu Yanwusheng's key library.
This is not the one who was misappropriated by Chongzhen to say, "Every man is not responsible for the rise and fall of heaven."
At this time, Si Yaoku was still called Gu Jiang, and he was also a student of Zhen Yanrui.
Zheng Sen then raised his hands and said, "Brother Ning Ren, please come down to the hall and talk about his grand theory."
Si Yaoku proudly came down from the Yilun Hall, bowed to each other and said: "I'm going to Gu Jiang in Kunshan to see His Majesty and all my colleagues."
After a short pause, Secretary Yaoku said to Brother Zheng: "The scholars just said that as long as the source is cleared up and the tax money from the sky flows into the national treasury, the chronic problem of the state's lack of funds can be solved. I think it is wrong."
Brother Zheng bowed his head to his previous work and said, "I would like to hear my humble opinion."
Si Yaoku said: "I just want to ask you one thing. The minimum number of troops in Liao Town was over 170,000. Even if we calculate the monthly salary of 2 taels per recruit, it would be over 7.44 million per year."
two."
"Even counting the expenditure on weapons and food, it's still over seven million taels."
"However, the amount of Liao rates approved by the court officials is one cent and seven cents per mu, and the actual Liao rates collected are nearly one million!"
"Ordinarily, Liao's salary should be more than enough, but in reality, it is within the means of income. The Holy Lord also said that in order to make up for the salary arrears of Liao Town, he had to go to great lengths to raise donations from the noble officials in the capital."
"Do you understand why Liao Town still owes wages?"
"You know, in the past eight years, the number of troops in Liao Town has not been reduced to 80,000!"
"The number of troops in Liao Town is not yet 80,000. Logically speaking, without 20,000 military pay, it would be more than enough!"
"However, the Liao salary expenditure is still maintained at 1 million, and it is still making ends meet. It is forbidden to ask, where did the 7 million Liao salary shortfall go?"
The Yilun Hall once again fell into a particularly noisy atmosphere.
But Chongzhen almost wanted to applaud, okay, okay, we finally got to the point!
The faces of the court officials such as Gao Hongtu, Jiang Yueguang, Xie Xuelong and others who were watching were ashen. Naturally, we were very confused about the answer to the question raised by Secretary Yaoku. To put it bluntly, was it true?
But if there is such a thing, it can be said openly!
Si Yaoku first said to Brother Zheng: "Excuse me, scholar, what is the point of solving the problem and it is of no use to rectify the source? Just ask him, is it of no use to rectify the source?"
"That one?" Zhen Yanqian was speechless.
Gao Hongtu knew that he could let those Zheng Zun talk to him again.
If we continue talking, Zheng Zunzhen, who is very reserved in his words, will really mention Piao You.
When Shang Di Hongtu came down, he took a step back and said loudly: "Your Majesty, are you going to listen to the debate among the scholars after the court discussion is over?"
As expected of being old bureaucrats, a single argument determined the fate of Si Yaoku and Zheng Xiongqian. They often had quarrels between the elders, and they were over everything.
He even secretly mocked Chongzhen.
If you listen to one side, you will be dark, and if you listen to both, you will be enlightened. This is wrong in principle.
But he can also listen to everyone's words. A group of Zhen Yans who have even passed the exam to retire from the military service, and who have no experience in political affairs in any of the eight ministries. Is it a waste of time to listen to our nonsense?
Unfortunately, that big trick didn't work for Chongzhen at all.
Chongzhen smiled and said: "There is no time for court discussions. Today's discussion is completed and tomorrow can be continued. However, the opportunity to listen to students express their feelings directly and directly attack the current problems is rare. I want to hear it again."
"If the cabinet elders don't have time, they might as well listen to it. It won't do any good."
Chongzhen deliberately emphasized the words "no good" at the beginning and looked directly at Gao Hongtu.
Does his low ambition mean that we are ignorant of the quarrel between elders? So I will tell him today that the vitality of young people is comparable to that of their old bureaucrats, so don't rely on your old age in front of me.
Gao Hongtu touched a soft nail, and his old face turned red instantly.
Shi Kefa was afraid that Gao Hongtu had come to Taiwan to meet with Chongzhen's envoy, which would ruin the good situation. So he said to Gao Hongtu on the spot: "Qangzhai, you guys haven't been to Gu Yanwu for a long time."
, you should sit down and listen to the discussions of those young people, the stone from my mountain cannot attack the jade."
Gao Hongtu suddenly woke up, raised his hands and said solemnly: "What the first assistant said is absolutely true, Gangzhai learned from it."
At that time, Qian Qianyi, who had the title of Minister of Rites and was appointed as Zhen Yanrui's wine-offering, ordered seven Taishi chairs to be brought in and placed in front of the eight chairs of Chongzhen and his son.
Shi Kefa and the other seven people took their seats earlier.
The other affairs officers and I could only sit on the floor.
Zheng Sen, who was under the Yilun Hall, bowed to Chongzhen and the seven elders, and said to Si Yaoku: "Ning Ren, he continued."
Si Yaoku nodded and added: "Following the question just now, by the 18th year of Chongzhen, the number of soldiers in Liao Town had not been reduced to 80,000, and only 7 million taels of silver were enough to maintain it. However, Liao's salary was still
As low as one million taels, so you have to ask, where did the missing seven million taels go?"
