After hearing Lin Fan's voice, Emperor Chongzhen was convinced that his son already had a plan to deal with it. If this was the case, then let him handle it entirely.
"Lin Fan, what do you think should be done about this matter?"
Emperor Chongzhen asked in a deep voice.
"Reporting to your majesty, Mr. Zhao said that it has brought disaster to the country and the people, and has put our Ming Dynasty in water and fire. It is absolutely necessary to kill the nine tribes!"
Lin Fan said coldly.
hiss!
Zhao Buru immediately took a breath of air. He had long thought that Lin Fan would have murderous intentions for him, but he did not expect that Lin Fan would act so directly.
All the officials were also frightened and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty! You must not do it! All the affairs of the Salt Transfer Department are extremely complicated. None of the ministers understand it. Only Mr. Zhao knows!"
"Your Majesty, the price of salt is soaring now, and Mr. Zhao still needs to solve it. You must not kill him!"
"Master Wuhou, you don't know the seriousness of this matter. The soaring price of salt is not something that Master Zhao can control!"
Listening to what these officials said, Lin Fan said coldly: "Haha! These salt merchants are not allowed to mine privately yet, but they dare to use the salt in their hands to blackmail the court. If they are allowed to mine privately, then there is still something wrong in their eyes.
The imperial court?”
"Zhao Buru's government will not fail to see this matter. He actually dares to offer such a solution. Isn't this a disaster for the country and the people?"
"Your Majesty, kill this Zhao Buru and I will take care of the salt issue!"
good!
Emperor Chongzhen secretly applauded that Lin Fan indeed had a solution. In this case, he would go along with the situation and help him.
"What Lin Fan said is absolutely true. This Zhao Buru is indeed harboring evil intentions and deserves to be killed!"
Emperor Chongzhen said coldly.
"Your Majesty! We can learn from the sun and the moon about our loyalty. We also know that doing this will bring disadvantages to the court, but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages!"
"Your Majesty, please think about it. Although these salt merchants can mine privately, our court can earn more money. With the money, the court can raise more soldiers and horses!"
"With strong troops and strong horses, what can those salt merchants do?"
Zhao Buru said hurriedly.
Hearing that Emperor Chongzhen was about to kill him, Zhao Buru was also afraid. Lin Fan sneered and said: "Salt merchants can mine privately, but let me ask you, do you know how much salt they dug out?"
"If a salt merchant digs out one hundred catties of salt a year, does the court charge them a salt tax of one hundred catties?
Do you know how much they sold for?"
"Now that salt is under the control of the imperial court, the price of salt will skyrocket in the world. If these salt merchants stop selling salt in the future, won't the people have no salt to eat?"
"Throughout the dynasties, salt has been strictly controlled. Moreover, the most important income of the Ming Dynasty is salt tax. Private salt is not allowed to flow into the market. This is a rule set by Emperor Taizu. No one is allowed to
Change!"
After Lin Fan finished speaking, Emperor Chongzhen said: "What Lin Fan said is very reasonable. Private digging of salt must not be allowed. I will not agree to Zhao Buru's proposal!"
"Come here! Pull Zhao Buru down and chop him!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please spare your life!"
Zhao Buru hurriedly begged for mercy.
The officials stood up and interceded for Zhao Buru, saying: "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhao cannot be killed. If he is killed, who will be in charge of the Salt Envoy Department?"
"Your Majesty, if Mr. Zhao is missing from the Salt Envoy Department, who will communicate between the imperial court and the salt merchants?
Lord Wuhou seems not to be good at this."
After hearing what these officials said, Lin Fan sneered and said: "Haha! Why do you need to communicate with those salt merchants?
Your Majesty, please issue an order now, asking those salt merchants to sell all the salt they have in their hands within fifteen days, and after fifteen days, all salt quotations will be invalid!"
What!
All the officials were shocked when they heard that Lin Fan was going to invalidate all the salt. You know, the Ming Dynasty had always been very strict in controlling salt.
Even now, the role of this salt guide has never changed. Every salt merchant must have a salt guide.
And this salt quotation allowed the officials to make a lot of money. After all, those wealthy businessmen had to buy salt quotations every time they went to purchase salt. Naturally, they had to benefit from the salt quotation.
If Yanyin becomes useless, it will be equivalent to cutting off their financial path!
"Ahem! Mr. Wuhou, if Yan Yin is abolished, wouldn't it mean that those salt merchants can no longer sell salt? Does the court have to sell the salt itself?"
"Nonsense! It's just nonsense. Emperor Taizu has always said that the officials do not compete with the people for profits. The court sells salt by itself. If it is not easy to operate, isn't this the same as competing with the people for profits?"
"Those salt merchants are also part of the common people. They sell salt for the imperial court, but they are actually acting as coolies. Your Majesty, please be aware of this!"
The officials were angry at Lin Fan.
Emperor Chongzhen was also skeptical about Lin Fan's proposal. After all, the salt introduction policy has been implemented for five or six hundred years!
The Song Dynasty had salt introduction, and it was the same policy in the Yuan Dynasty. If it were to be changed at this time, they would not be able to create a complete strategy to deal with it in a short period of time.
"Lin Fan, if the salt quota is revoked and the court itself sells salt, do you know the trouble involved?"
Emperor Chongzhen asked.
"Reporting to your Majesty, I naturally know the difficulty in this. Therefore, I said that this must be done!"
"When the Ming Dynasty was not yet established, Emperor Taizu created the Ming Dynasty with a bowl. Was it difficult at that time?"
"Compared with Emperor Taizu's time, this difficulty is simply child's play. Your Majesty should face the difficulties instead of compromising to them!"
Lin Fan said in a deep voice.
"Haha! This old guy doesn't even understand this. If you don't take this opportunity to solve the salt merchant's problem once and for all, will you have another chance in the future?"
"Salt must be in the hands of the court. Moreover, people all over the world need to eat salt. The court only needs to make some early plans and open official shops throughout the Ming Dynasty and sell the salt by itself!"
"After a year, the imperial court will earn tens of millions of taels of silver no matter what. All of this money was previously made by salt merchants!"
"These people are not satisfied with the benefits provided by the imperial court. They also want to damage the country and the country. These cancers must be eradicated."
Lin Fan thought in his heart.
Emperor Chongzhen's old face drooped at this time, and his son scolded him again. However, this scolding was too right. Why was he always confused in important matters?
"Haha! Marquis Diwu, you really can stand and talk without pain in your back. Why do you face difficulties in the face? Do you know the importance of this matter?"
"Lin Fan, do you know that once something goes wrong with salt, you will be the sinner of the entire Ming Dynasty!"