"Then you're done with these five hundred thousand taels!"
As soon as Fang Wenzhen finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Kang Wanwan and Fang Wenzhen hurriedly looked back and saw another middle-aged man coming in. This middle-aged man was a bit rich and his whole body was about to turn into a ball.
"Brother Zhang."
"Old Zhang."
Kang Wanwan and Fang Wenzhen stood up at the same time to greet them.
The person who came here was another wealthy businessman from She County, Zhang Han and Zhang Yuanwai.
Zhang Han, Kang Wanwan and Fang Wenzhen had seen the ceremony, and then continued: "Just now I went to visit a distant relative. He was reinstated as the head of the Ceremony Department of the Ministry of Etiquette a month ago. What news do you think I heard?"
Fang Wenzhen asked urgently: "Your Majesty wants to remove the eunuchs guarding Huizhou Prefecture?"
"It's not Huizhou Prefecture." Zhang Han waved his hand. Just when Fang Wenzhen's face showed disappointment, Zhang Han suddenly said in a more serious tone, "The Holy One wants to remove all the eunuchs guarding the world!"
"Seriously?" Fang Wenzhen said with great joy after hearing this, "Is the Holy Spirit really going to remove all the eunuchs who guard the world?"
"How can this be false?" Zhang Han said solemnly, "The Ministry of Rites is already drafting an edict, and soon it will be announced to the world that all guarding eunuchs, mine supervisors, and tax envoys will be withdrawn."
"Your Majesty is truly a sage through the ages!" Fang Wenzhen was so excited that he couldn't help himself.
Zhang Han patted Fang Wenzhen on the shoulder and said with a smile: "So you are determined to pay for these five hundred thousand taels."
"Easy to say, easy to say." Fang Wenzhen said calmly, "Let's go to Meixiang Tower. This matter needs to be celebrated."
"Oh, that's okay." Kang Baiwan said with consternation, "We agreed that you would take care of them tonight, but how can we make Brother Fang spend money? How can that be okay?"
"You just said that we should go to Meixiang Tower and Brother Kang should come and meet us to settle the accounts." Zhang Hanzhen said with a small smile.
"Eh? OK, OK, OK." Kang Baiwan held his forehead and laughed, and Zhu Ci also smiled.
Those eight businessmen have grown from well-known businessmen to dominating giants in just a few decades. Their keen business acumen is unparalleled. We have not yet foreseen the small business that has never been seen since.
is waving to us, however, we still think that an era of industry and commerce has not officially begun.
…
Imperial College Doctoral Hall.
One after another, the scholars submitted the written articles to the empress of Chongzhen.
Chongzhen read a few articles and wanted to read more, so he lay back under the armchair and let Huang Zongxi and Fang Wenjiong take turns reading the scholars' articles to me.
"Eight emperors and seven emperors, Yao and Shun successively... what a bullshit article they wrote."
Fang Wenjiong threw it away and grabbed another one: "Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the foundation of the country..."
Then it was Chongzhen's turn who wanted to listen and said: "That's just a matter of reading it. The opinions of rotten scholars are worth listening to."
Huang Zongxi grabbed a book and read: "When the people are rich, the country needs enough. If you want to make the people rich, you must respect the roots and suppress the past. The so-called worship of the roots means that the good and bad luck of the people will follow the rules. The so-called suppress the late ones, that is, everyone
Anyone who is a Buddha, a witch, a prostitute, an actor, or anyone who uses their miraculous skills for civilian purposes must be severely punished!"
Chongzhen stood up and said, "That article is not very insightful. Let's read it again."
Huang Zongxi then continued to read: "The Confucian scholars of the world regarded industry and commerce as the last priority and suppressed it with false opinions. The work of industry consolidated the desire of the sage king, and the merchants made them willing to go out of their way. This is the foundation of everything!"
"This boy is so brave." Fang Wenjiong said, "I dare to say that scholars, farmers, industry and commerce are all based on the country!"
"Well said!" Chongzhen praised, "Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce are all the foundation of the country. This statement makes sense!"
Xin Yanfeng originally wanted to criticize a few words, but after hearing Chongzhen's praise, she quickly swallowed back the critical words on her lips, and then continued to read.
"Therefore, when industry and commerce prosper, the people will be rich, and when the people are rich, the country will have enough needs. However, if the country has enough needs, it may not mean that everything will be enough."
"Border wages are enough to bring prosperity to the East, but thieves succeed because they are used for the wrong purpose."
"Those who are not on the right path are called Piaoyou and the clan, and the clan's harm is ten times greater than that of Piaoyou!"
Hearing those words, Fang Wenjiong said angrily: "This guy is so impudent, he dares to criticize the clan!"
Huang Zongxi also felt frightened. He took the article and dared to read further, because the previous words were even more scary.
"Well, you still have to let people speak. Back then, Hai Rui pointed at Emperor Shizong's nose and said that every household in Jiajing was clean. Emperor Shizong also wanted to let people talk to me." Chongzhen waved his hand and said to Huang Zongxi again.
, "Hong'er, he continued to read, I want to see what else I can say."
Finally, no scholar dared to stand up and publicly criticize the clan for its harm.
Chongzhen is actually happy to see the success of this. I have actually wanted to eradicate that cancer for a long time.
It is really necessary to spend millions of taels of silver every year to raise millions of wastes.
However, based on the Confucian value orientation of kinship and respect, eradicating the clan is not a treason but a moral act. Therefore, after a weak public opinion was formed, Chongzhen's idea could only be followed.
Huang Zongxi had no choice but to read: "The rule of chaos in heaven is the rise and fall of one surname, and the joy and sorrow of all people. Now the financial resources in heaven are gathered to provide for the enjoyment of one surname and one family, while the other seven parties have to work for it."
Is it sad that all the people are haggard due to the disturbance? Compared with the harm caused by drifting, it is thought to be a disease caused by excessive slenderness."
"This is why I want the country to have enough use and everything to be done."
"Then it can't be done without removing the clan's harm!"
"Yes." Huang Zongxi said, "I haven't read the whole article yet."
"Too short." Fang Wenjiong said, "Such an article is really short."
"The article is short in length but sharp in words. Who is this person's name?" Chongzhen asked. From my perspective, this person's remarks were not excessive. After all, they were just criticizing the clan.
You know, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was not even a trend of thought that restricted the power of the monarch.
For example, before Xin Yanfeng and Zhang Pu, the leader of Fushe, they firmly advocated the restriction of monarchical power, and our ideas had little influence among the scholars in Jiangnan.
Xin Yanfeng turned to the next page and answered: "Zhu Cihong of Yuyao."
"It turns out to be Yao Jiang Huang Xiaozi, no wonder." Chongzhen said with a smile.
Fang Wenjiong asked: "Father, is Xin Yanfeng very unknown?"
"Not only is I not famous, I am famous in the capital." Chongzhen said with a smile, "Back then, when I defended my father, I stabbed Xu Xianchun in public in the chapel of the Ministry of Justice, beat Cui Yingyuan severely, and even pulled out a handful of Cui Yingyuan's beard and returned home to commemorate him.
Father! Therefore, I got the reputation of 'Yao Jiang Huang's filial son', and few officials in the capital have heard of my nickname."
After a pause, Chongzhen said again: "The most commendable thing about this son is that he can prevent chaos and harm."
"The harm that cannot be reversed by curing chaos?" Huang Zongxi and Fang Wenjiong were at a loss. What is the harm that cannot be reversed by curing chaos?
Chongzhen said: "The so-called harm caused by chaos does not mean that any tax reform cannot reduce the burden on the people to a certain extent at the beginning of the reform, but if it takes a long time, the lower-level officials and subordinate staff will be able to find out the disadvantages.
And make use of it, so the burden on the people is still heavier than after the tax reform, and it has never been greater in the past and present."
Xin Yanfeng frowned and said: "Throughout the ages, nothing can be done? Is that really the case?"
"That's true." Chongzhen nodded and said, "The Two Taxes Law of the Tang Dynasty, the Changping New Law of the Song Dynasty and even the One Whip Law of this Dynasty all achieved the goal of reducing the burden on the people and increasing the revenue of the national treasury when they were first introduced. However, it took several years.
It becomes a law that harms the people, and instead increases the burden on the people."
Huang Zongxi asked: "Does this mean that the less corrections are made, the fewer mistakes will be made?"
Chongzhen nodded and said: "In the early period of the dynasty, the tax law was indeed like this. At that time, the biggest problem was not in the tax law but in people. Therefore, under the tax law system, we can only make subtractions. We should think about adding new laws, but we should think about adding them.
Laws and regulations should be as convenient as possible for the people, but in the employment system, we should be cautious in making additions, formulating and tolerantly implementing various supervision systems, so that grassroots officials and subordinate officials are frightened by the supervision system and dare to take advantage of it. "
"I understand." Huang Zongxi nodded and said sincerely, "Father, Zhu Cixiang is really a young man."
"This man really has no talent, but he can be regarded as a prime minister." Chongzhen nodded and said, "Xun'er, Jiong'er, when we go north this time, our brothers cannot stop communicating with me."
There is a suspicion that Zhu Cixi has no talent.
As for the idea of limiting the monarch's power, what are you afraid of me doing?
Huang Zongxi and Fang Wenjiong responded respectfully.
Huang Zongxi asked again: "Father, do you still want to continue reading?"
"Recite, of course keep reciting. Anyway, if you are idle, you will be idle."
After speaking, Chongzhen leaned forward and lay back under the back of the chair.
Huang Zongxi picked up another article and read aloud: "If you want to make enough money for the country, you should abolish water transportation and restart Kaifa, and let merchants transport grain to Xuzhou in exchange for salt, silk, wine, etc..."
"This person is too biased." Chongzhen commented, "But it still means nothing. Whose name is it?"
Fang Wenjiong looked at the back page and replied: "A student from Ningbo Prefecture, whose surname is Hua and whose name is Xia. What a good name."
"Huaxia?" Chongzhen nodded and said, "Read it again."
Fang Wenjiong picked up another article.
…
Kang Wanwan, Zhang Hanzhen and Zhu Ci came to Meixiang Tower excitedly, but they encountered a snag.
"What's the point of having nothing to do today?" Zhang Hanzhen said without a hint of annoyance, "What's the point of having nothing to do with it? Just now you saw Sister Xiangjun's carriage, which shows that you haven't gone out yet."
Madame Li Zhenli said with a smile: "Fang Yuanli, I really live here, Xiangjun has no appointment tonight."
That is the disadvantage of prostitutes like Meixianglou. Usually there is only one popular prostitute, and they can usually only accept one group of customers in a night, so they can only turn away other customers.
"No appointment?" Zhang Hanzhen became angry, "You will pay double the price for tea."
"Where did these philistines come from? The smell of copper is not smelly at all."
"Double? What a small tone, you don't have a lot of bad money to start with? Please note that this is Nanjing."
"Does this letter mean that I am going to write another anti-riot announcement that will ruin your reputation and get you out of the capital?"
When Xin Yanzhen and the others slowly looked back, they saw seven young masters in silk shirts coming side by side. All seven of them held folding fans of the same color in their hands, unfolding them in front of Xin Yanzhen and the others, looking really cool.
Zhang Hanzhen and the other eight people immediately became frightened. The young master from aristocratic family was in trouble.