Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"The God of Wealth is back."

On the day before Taizu's death anniversary, Xia Yuanji finally came back from Jiangnan after a long journey.

In this important ceremony that declares the legal succession of the new emperor, no participating officials are allowed to take leave unless there are special circumstances. The orderliness of the personnel far exceeds that of previous imperial meetings.

After entering the palace to report his duties to Emperor Yongle, Xia Yuanji went to the President's Reform Affairs Office to visit Jiang Xinghuo.

"Master Jiang didn't ask about the situation in Jiangnan?" Xia Yuanji sat down and took a sip of tea with a smile.

"If you have anything to ask, you'll know it just by looking at your skin color."

Jiang Xinghuo rolled up his sleeves and stretched out his arms. When compared with Xia Yuanji, they were two shades lighter. Obviously Xia Yuanji was hotter than when he was exposed to the sun.

Xia Yuanji couldn't help but laugh and thought that when he entered the palace today, none of the eunuchs in the palace recognized him. It seemed that he was really dark.

"But let's talk about it, how is Jiangnan doing now?"

"Um……"

Xia Yuanji pondered for a moment, with a solemn look on his face: "The water control is still effective. I can't guarantee that it will be more effective, but at least in the past ten years, there will never be waterlogging in summer. The rivers around Taihu Lake are basically Dredging has been completed, and the fields have been cleared. There is no humane attitude here, and it continues the style when Master Jiang was here. No matter who the family is or what their background is, they will all be cleared away, and the whole Jiangnan officialdom atmosphere is completely new."

"Huang Ziwei did his best?" Jiang Xinghuo asked again about his subordinates in Jiangnan.

Xia Yuanji nodded in approval: "He is very hard-working and a talented person. In the past, he was so slack just because he could not change the environment."

Jiang Xinghuo didn't say anything, but just thought to himself that it seemed that not all people who messed up were hopeless. After all, most of them were incapable of changing the environment, and not being able to change the environment did not mean that he was incapable of getting things done. good.

Then Jiang Xinghuo asked again: "Where is Ye Zhixing (the name was changed two months ago)? Have you completed your official status?"

"Report to Your Majesty, you can either go to the Ministry of Industry's Camp and Maintenance Office to be appointed as a senior official (zheng 7th grade) and then look for an opportunity to transfer to the Dushui Qingli Division, or you can go to a place in the south of the Yangtze River except Songjiang Prefecture to serve as a county magistrate. As for where you will end up, we still have to see Arrangements made by His Majesty and the staff."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and asked the question he was most concerned about.

"How is the progress of production and the second phase of construction in the manual workshop area now?"

In Jiang Xinghuo's view, other aspects of the reform are secondary aspects, and only the vigorous development of new manufacturing forces is the real main aspect.

"Currently, we are fully engaged in production. Not only are the large factories producing cotton textiles, but the small factories in the second phase are also trying to recruit people from different places to produce specialty textiles. For example, crape myrtle silk from Haining County, Hangzhou Prefecture, Small factories such as Hu silk from Huzhou Prefecture, Pu silk from Jiaxing Prefecture, Ou silk from Wenzhou Prefecture, native cotton silk from Ruian County, raw silk from Ningbo Prefecture, and pure silk from Dongyang County of Jinhua Prefecture were all established one after another. "Xia Yuanji replied.

"Whose idea?" Jiang Xinghuo was slightly surprised.

"Tang Yin, she has great ideas. If it weren't for her background and being a woman, she should be employed."

"We need to investigate more."

Jiang Xinghuo was noncommittal and asked again: "There are so many female workers gathered in Shanghai County. Most of them are refugees who were abducted by the White Lotus Sect. They can be considered as uprooted from their hometowns. Is the order in the factory stable? Are there any young gangsters coming to make trouble?" How are the female workers’ rotation and family visits arranged?”

"The wages are good, the food is good, and the order is very stable. There are troops stationed around, so no one dares to make trouble. The soldiers are also strictly prohibited from bullying female workers, so everything is fine."

"If you take turns."

Xia Yuanji was slightly in trouble, but he still chose to tell the truth: "Currently, the production tasks are very tight, and there are four days off every month. In addition, family leave has not been implemented yet. After all, there are concerns. First, I am afraid that people will leave after making money. I won't come back, and secondly, although the road is safe, no one can guarantee anything will happen."

"I know there are difficulties."

Jiang Xinghuo sighed and said: "Let's deal with the current matters first. Tomorrow's [Taizu's Death Day] is the last hurdle. Once you pass this hurdle, there will be a bright future."

Speaking of which, Xia Yuanji had to ask some questions that concerned him most. After all, he was the Minister of the Ministry of Finance.

"What happens next? There are a lot of cotton and silk fabrics piled up. If they really can't be sold, the space, labor, and equipment will all be paid for by the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse."

In Dahuangpu's handicraft factories, the Ministry of Revenue invested a lot of money, but now the Ming Dynasty is full of money-burning activities. Although the Ministry of Finance did not pay for the voyages to the West, it could build the city of Beijing, repair the "Yongle Dadian", and levy Annan's military expenditures. Which one doesn’t cost hundreds of millions?

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty now has a huge financial problem. Last year, the national fiscal revenue in the 35th year of Hongwu was 34 million shi in terms of grain, of which 88% (about 30 million shi) was agricultural tax, 7% was salt tax and tea tax, and 5% was tax. For commercial tax, according to the ratio of 1 shi meter = 0.2 taels of silver, this income converted into silver is 6.8 million taels of silver.

The most frightening thing is that, accounting for 88% of the agricultural tax, land of the nature of official land such as Weisuo military land and Huangzhuang contributed nearly 80%, which is about 23 million shi, and this income increased with the Jingnan campaign. In the end, it must have been declining year by year, because many of the regular soldiers in the health centers were eliminated, which greatly affected the young and middle-aged labor force in the health centers.

Compared with the Northern Song Dynasty, which had a smaller territory, the commercial tax revenue in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty was 8 million taels, accounting for 70% of the total tax revenue. The total revenue was about 11 million taels, while the commercial tax rate in the Northern Song Dynasty was 5%, and in the Ming Dynasty it was 3%. The huge commercial tax gap cannot be explained by tax rate differences at all.

In the early Ming Dynasty, fiscal revenue was extremely dependent on agriculture and agricultural output income from official land. This was an extremely fragile and single fiscal state.

Xia Yuanji's anxiety is visible to the naked eye: "If this batch of urgently produced goods cannot be completed in the unarmed free trade zone tomorrow, or Annan cannot be dumped out, not only will the reform be at risk of failure, but this year's finances may also change." It is extremely difficult to conquer Annan, and the military expenditures for conquering Annan are too high."

"So this is the crux of the problem - you can't let go of the child and you can't trap the wolf!"

"No matter how many voices of opposition there are in the temple, the maritime ban must be abolished, the tribute system must be changed, and foreign trade must be carried out."

Jiang Xinghuo said seriously to Xia Yuanji: "Furthermore, the domestic salt class is open to China and France, water transportation, and business suppression. All must be changed. If we don't change, it won't work. Now that we are on the eve of global trade, how can we still rely on the sky to make a living? I don’t believe that what the Northern Song Dynasty could do, the Ming Dynasty couldn’t do. The Northern Song Dynasty did not have Gansu, Ningxia, Yanyun, and Yunnan, but it could collect 8 million taels of domestic commercial tax. Why couldn’t the Ming Dynasty? And the Ming Dynasty had a larger scale than the Northern Song Dynasty. In handicraft workshops, the textiles we produce are more high-quality and cheaper. When the Malacca Strait is under control and the trade routes to the Mamluks and Ottomans are opened, overseas trade can also achieve a tariff of 8 million taels a year. Believe it or not ?”

Xia Yuanji wanted to believe it, but couldn't believe it.

If he can make the Ming Dynasty's finances skyrocket from 7 million taels a year to 17 million taels a year during his tenure as Minister of Revenue, and do this every year, it will not be like going to Japan to mine silver mines. If his income grows like this, there is no doubt that he will become a figure as famous as Guan Zhong in Chinese economic history.

As a professional financial expert, Xia Yuanji certainly knows that if Ming Dynasty can achieve domestic agricultural taxes, domestic commercial taxes, and overseas trade tariffs, each accounting for 1/3 of the fiscal revenue structure, then this will be far healthier and more healthy than relying on the weather now. Stablize.

There is no doubt that this will be an epoch-making initiative.

But although the dream is full, the reality is extremely skinny. After thinking about the future, Xia Yuanji still has to face a lot of bad debts.

"We can't lose a step."

"We won't lose a step!"

"We've come this far, which step did we lose?"

Jiang Xinghuo said with certainty: "The focus of the second stage of the reform is financial reform. Let His Majesty and the entire temple see a steady stream of money. With money, His Majesty can do whatever he wants. And new policies can also be bound to When officials all over the world get real benefits from their salaries, just like the fertilizer workshops of Beijing officials before, how many people will oppose the reform at that time? Once interests are involved, the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue will increase even more. , the more profits they gain, the more overseas official positions and promotion paths they have, and when the time comes, those who advocate expansion and foreign trade will probably be this group of civil servants."

"I understand, and I also believe that what Master Jiang said can be realized, but what about tomorrow's [Taizu's death anniversary]?"

"I've also heard some rumors. I'm afraid there's more to this matter than meets the eye!" Xia Yuanji took a deep breath.

"Is someone looking for you?" Jiang Xinghuo asked.

Xia Yuanji shook his head: "I just heard it. It's just speculation at the moment. I'm afraid the specific inside story will not be revealed until tomorrow."

"The remnants of Jianwen had some plans, but the focus was not on them. They only played a role in fueling the flames. It was actually the conservatives in the temple who really caused the undercurrent of this matter to become a huge wave. Currently, there are one Shangshu and two The minister is going to die personally."

"Is it that serious?"

Xia Yuanji frowned.

"Otherwise, what do you think?" Jiang Xinghuo asked with a wry smile.

"Of course I know this matter is not simple, that's why you called me back."

Xia Yuanji took a sip of tea and asked in a solemn voice: "Sun Yu, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue (former left counselor of the Chief Secretary of Peking, direct descendant of Zhu Gaochi), and Li Wenyu, the right minister of the Ministry of Revenue, are they involved?"

The former represents Zhu Gaochi, and the latter is Yu Xin, the former Minister of Household Affairs, who was recommended by Xia Yuanji and left to Xia Yuanji as his capable deputy. He also supports reform and financial reform.

No matter who is the problem between the two, Xia Yuanji will find it difficult to accept it.

Fortunately, Jiang Xinghuo's answer made him relax.

"No one participated."

Xia Yuanji silently calculated. No one from the Ministry of Revenue was involved. It was impossible for the Minister of Rites and the Right Minister to participate. Wang Jing, the Left Minister, was suspected. Then there were four remaining Ministers from the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Punishment, and Ministry of War. Among the eight ministers, "one minister and one minister", who were involved?

Frankly speaking, at this moment, Xia Yuanji couldn't guess it, he still had to figure it out.

Because the remaining people are all suspects and basically are not supporters of the reform.

But in Xia Yuanji's first reaction, the only person who could rule out suspicion was probably Zheng Ci from the Ministry of Punishment. Zheng Ci only followed Emperor Yongle's orders and was extremely slick. Even if he didn't support the reform, he would not do it on the anniversary of the death of Emperor Taizu. ] On this important occasion, we openly opposed the reform.

Jiang Xinghuo picked up a pen and wrote and drew on the paper.

Officials: Shang Shu Jian Yi, left minister Xu Siwen (former deputy envoy to Peiping, Yanjun civil servant system, direct descendant of Zhu Gaochi), right minister Liu Guan (right minister of the household department was transferred, and had a rift with Xia Yuanji)

Ministry of War: Shangshu Ruyu (direct lineage of Emperor Yongle), left minister Qiao Wen (former Peking Liwen, Yanjun civil service system, direct lineage of Zhu Gaochi), right minister Shi Kui (famous upright official)

Ministry of Punishment: Shangshu Zheng Ci (direct lineage of Emperor Yongle), left minister Ma Jing (veteran of Hongwu, former minister of Dali Temple), right minister Li Qing (veteran of Hongwu, former censor of Qiandu on the right)

Ministry of Industry: Shangshu Huang Fu, left minister Chen Shou (direct lineage of Zhu Gaochi, praised as "the first among ministers"), right minister Jin Zhong (direct lineage of Emperor Yongle, second-ranking counselor of the Yan army)

In fact, from this list of senior officials at the level of minister and minister, it can be clearly seen that although the senior official at the minister level, the prince Zhu Gaochi, did not directly intervene, at the level of minister, after a series of civil servant transfers in the first year of Yongle, In addition to appointments and dismissals, Zhu Gaochi placed four Zuo Shilang in the four key departments with the most important powers: household, officials, soldiers, and workers among the six departments!

The Ministry of Rites is the main position of the reform faction, while the Ministry of Punishments is firmly controlled by Zheng Ci, the emperor's licking dog. Although Zheng Ci is shameless, he has done an extremely good job in safeguarding the interests of the officials from the Three Laws Department system. Okay, the top and bottom of the Ministry of Punishment are basically all professional bureaucrats with criminal names who were born or transferred from Dali Temple, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Punishment.

However, with one hand holding the three ministers of the cabinet and the other hand holding six ministries, the Yan army's civil service system represented by the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi and the surrendered ministers, that is, the eldest prince faction, have become the most unscrupulous people in the temple. A force of neglect.

In addition, there are the reformists who did not fully occupy the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Households, the imperialists who were direct descendants of Emperor Yongle, and the conservatives who inherited from the Hongwu-Jianwen era.

Of course, the spectrum of the temple has never been either/or. It is just a simple division based on [attitude towards reform]. In addition to the reformists who support the reform and the conservatives who oppose the reform, the division is based on the attitude of the leading figures. The attitude changes at any time. The imperial power faction and the big prince faction have a reform attitude.

The actual temple is much more complicated. Conservatives may not necessarily oppose certain reform policies, and the reformists may not necessarily support all reform policies. Conservatives may also be the big prince faction, and the big prince faction may be Zhang Zhang. The face is the imperial power faction. The most complicated thing in the world is the human heart. Can anyone tell it accurately?

After all, to put it bluntly, this is the era of imperial power. Although everyone usually divides into groups, when the critical moment comes, everyone becomes the imperial power faction.

But if we divide it simply to easily and quickly understand the current attitude of each faction toward the reform, there are currently six ministers, six ministers, and twelve ministers, a total of 18 people.

The reform faction occupied 2 ministers and 2 ministers, a total of 4 people.

The eldest prince faction occupied 4 ministers, a total of 4 people.

The imperial faction occupies 2 ministers and 1 minister, a total of 3 people.

The conservatives occupy 2 ministers and 5 ministers, a total of 7 people.

Although the conservatives are not united within themselves and even have considerable conflicts with each other, they remain unanimous when it comes to the reform, that is, they all resist the reform and insist that the laws of their ancestors cannot be changed.

"Take off all the officials who support the reform and those who are obedient to His Majesty and the eldest prince and see. These three types of people will not openly oppose the reform tomorrow."

After drawing × on paper and subtracting, the list became much slimmer.

Shangshu level: Jian Yi, Shangshu of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Huang Fu, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry

Rank of ministers: Wang Jing, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, Liu Guan, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Shi Kui, the right minister of the Ministry of War, Ma Jing, the left minister of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, Li Qing, the right minister of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs

"Wang Jing has been confirmed, so the question now is, do we only need to select a minister and a minister?" Xia Yuanji asked.

"Well, the Minister actually already has the answer, but the other minister doesn't know it." Jiang Xinghuo nodded and replied.

Xia Yuanji smiled bitterly.

He already guessed who it was.

"Huang Fu, right? Duke Jian has grown up to seek a country. Even if he is dissatisfied with changing the laws of his ancestors, he will not throw away his official position and authority easily. Otherwise, no one will be able to As the Ming Dynasty's 'white jade pillars holding up the sky and purple golden beams bridging the sea', Mr. Jian will carry them until the last moment."

"right."

Jiang Xinghuo was also a little helpless.

Is Huang Fu a good official? Of course he is a good official, and he is a rare capable minister.

In the history of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, Huang Fu was appreciated by Lao Zhu when he was young, and he was appointed as the chief secretary of Xiangcheng. He then established the dynasty for more than 40 years, and served as the chief envoy in Annan for 19 years, supervising water transportation and military discussions. Tuen and Fu'annan were mature, loyal, upright and honest. History books said that he was "consistent in his conduct and integrity."

But it is people like this who are the main force opposing the reform.

Because the belief he held on to in his heart was in fundamental conflict with Jiang Xinghuo.

"There is one servant left. It's actually easy to guess."

Xia Yuanji said: "The two ministers of the Ministry of Punishment are both old criminal names from the Sanfasi system. They have a good relationship with Zheng Ci. Their Sanfasi system has always been an independent small kingdom. Whoever becomes the emperor has to use these professional bureaucrats. They They oppose the reform because the 'law' they use is the law of their ancestors, but it does not mean that they will openly engage in confrontation."

"Shi Kui, the right minister of the Ministry of War, is somewhat similar to Huang Fu, but not completely. Although they were both imperial students and were appreciated and promoted by Emperor Taizu Gao, his resume is completely different from Huang Fu. As a student of Yitai, he served as the chief secretary of Xiangcheng and Qingyuan, and later moved to the Jinwu avant-garde. In the last years of Hongwu, he was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Industry. Shi Kui served as a censor as a student of Yitai, and later as the inspector of Shaanxi. He was honest and good at He is famous for solving cases, but he has always been in good terms with the two ministers of the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is not his best place at all, but the Ministry of Justice is."

"So the last three ministers are actually the same type of people. They don't like the reform. They are opposed to the reform, but they will not come forward easily."

"Then there's only one answer."

Jiang Xinghuo also agreed with Xia Yuanji's guess and continued: "Liu Guan, the right servant of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, there is a high probability that it may be him. Not only does he always oppose the reform, but he also has a rift with you."

It must be said that Liu Guanzhen is not a good person.

In the history of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, after Zhu Gaochi came to the throne, Liu Guan took charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and was given the title of Taibao of the Crown Prince. At that time, Yi Qian, the young minister of Dali Temple, wrote to Yi Qian many times to express his opinions. Zhu Gaochi was tired of Yi Qian's complicated words, so Liu Guan followed Renzong wanted to impeach Yi Qian, and asked the fourteen supervisors to supervise the imperial censors to criticize what Yi Qian said as false accusations. Therefore, he was despised by public opinion.

When Zhu Zhanji came to the throne, Liu Guan held a banquet and had a lot of fun. The singers and prostitutes were more than satisfied with the banquet and even accepted bribes in private. The censors with his subordinates in the Metropolitan Procuratorate were also corrupt and indulgent without any scruples. Zhu Zhanji decided to rectify the government and the public. Due to the trend, Liu Guan was sent to Jinyiwei's prison, and his son Liu Fu, who helped him make money, was exiled to Liaodong to guard the border, and Liu Guan was ordered to follow him. Eventually, Liu Guanke died in Liaodong.

"History of the Ming Dynasty" records: "Li Zhigang's danger and Wuzhong and Liu Guan's ink are not enough."

Think about it, what could be put together with Li Zhigang, who has no integrity and spends his life in an endless cycle of "making money - going to jail for making money - spending money to get out of jail - making money to make up for it - and then going to jail for making money" Good guy?

"Now that the people have been sorted out according to the list, what is Master Jiang going to do?" Xia Yuanji asked.

"Pre-emptive strike."

Jiang Xinghuo said simply: "Wang Jing's students and Liu Guan's sons are not clean."

Xia Yuanji said thoughtfully: "In other words, how did Li Zhigang get into the imperial prison and use the same method to deal with them?"

"right."

Jiang Xinghuo replied: "If you are not strict in disciplining students and family members, of course the recommender and the biological father are jointly and severally responsible. Let's reflect on it before going to prison."

"What about Huang Fu? He is an upright official. He is actually the same type of person as me and you, but in a different direction." Xia Yuanji asked with some regret.

"Let him speak, make a clear argument in public, and explain it clearly to the whole world. I did not appear on the stage in person during the three debates of 'The king dominates justice and benefits the past and the present', and this big stage in front of Taizu Xiaoling Mausoleum is related to whether the reform can enter In the second stage, I will do my part.”

Jiang Xinghuo put down his tea cup: "As for Bao Zhao's remaining men, they are just a bunch of bedbugs in the sewer."

——————

Imperial Palace, Fengtian Hall.

"Your Majesty, Sang Hongyang of the Western Han Dynasty had the [Salt and Iron Conference] with all the sages, and Wang Anshi and Sima Guang had the [Yanhe Palace Debate]. There should be some arguments as to whether Jiang Xinghuo's method is feasible. In fact, Huang just now What Shangshu said is correct."

Looking at Jin Zhong and Jin Youzi, the "two gold" confidants, Zhu Di frowned.

Why is it so complicated?

Wasn't it enough that we had three debates before the edict: "The king dominates, justice benefits both ancient and modern times"? Isn't it just a change of approach? As for the quarrel?

As Zhu Di's core supporter, "Er Jin" has been with Zhu Di for a long time, so he naturally understands his thoughts, so Jin Youzi explained.

"Your Majesty, the dispute was based on public opinion in the civil society. The dispute was whether to act kingly or domineering, to value justice or to value profits, to learn from the past or learn from the present. Now the dispute has become clear. Naturally, we should act domineering to make the country strong. In military affairs, if you make a country rich, you will have to make huge profits, so you have to adapt to the methods of your ancestors, and you cannot imitate the ancients."

"Now what Huang Shangshu means is to hold another [Salt and Iron Conference] similar to the Western Han Dynasty to discuss what role the imperial court should play in the entire country's economy."

"."

Zhu Di was silent for a moment and asked a question: "What is the [Salt and Iron Conference]?"

Jin Youzi: "."

Jin Zhong: "."

Finally, Jin Zhong spoke: "The [Salt and Iron Conference], also known as the Salt and Iron Conference, was proposed by Du Yannian, the admonishing official during the reign of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty. General Huo Guang, in the name of Emperor Zhao, ordered Prime Minister Tian Qianqiu and imperial censor Sang Hongyang to , convened more than 60 virtuous and literary people to conduct a comprehensive summary and debate on various policies during the Emperor Wu period, especially the salt and iron monopoly policy. At the end of the meeting in July of the same year, the liquor monopoly and the iron monopoly in some areas were cancelled. During the reign of Emperor Xuan, Huan Kuan compiled it into "Salt and Iron Theory" based on the records of the meeting at that time."

"Let's start from the beginning. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, under the auspices of Sang Hongyang, a series of economic reforms were implemented successively, such as Suan Min, Gao Min, Salt and Iron Official Business, Equalization, Equalization, Currency Reform, and Jiuqian. These reforms These measures significantly increased the financial revenue of the Han Dynasty and laid the foundation for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to conquer the Xiongnu in the north."

"etc!"

Zhu Di came to his senses, co-authoring this so-called [Salt and Iron Conference] was to cancel Sang Hongyang's various policies to help Emperor Wu of Han manage his finances, right?

So who is "Sang Hongyang" now? Who is "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty"?

Of course Jin Zhong understood what Zhu Di meant by "wait", so he decisively changed the subject.

"Actually, it was because Sang Hongyang's policies of salt and iron, equalization of exports, equalization, and wine tasting violated other people's economic interests. Among the opponents, in addition to local powerful people, were the newly rising aristocrats, of whom Huo Guang was the representative. Your Majesty, our Ming Dynasty’s [Salt and Iron Conference] cannot repeat the mistakes of the Han Dynasty!”

Jin Youzi followed up decisively: "Yes, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty used Sang Hongyang's financial management skills to be able to achieve the feat of an emperor through the ages."

With the help of the two roundworms in his stomach, Zhu Di roughly understood the former, and asked: "What is the process of [Yanhe Palace Debate]?"

"The main reason is the difference between Wang Anshi and Sima Guang. The topic of the [Yanhe Palace Debate] is that the industrial and commercial economy in the Northern Song Dynasty was developed, but the country was very poor and weak. The court was a beggar, but among the people, because they did not restrain land annexation, the poor The wealth gap is huge, what should we do about this?”

"Wang Anshi advocated increasing the power of the economy, which means that the court should take away all economic powers, follow the example of Shang Yang and Sang Hongyang, and carry out economic reforms led by the court; Sima Guang's view was exactly the opposite of Wang Anshi. He advocated cutting expenditure, which means that the court should not To spend money indiscriminately, land annexation must be restrained, the people must be enriched, and the court must not plunder people’s money.”

"Wang Anshi's point of view is that 'the people do not add taxes but the country uses spares'. Sima Guang particularly hated this sentence. He denounced Sang Hongyang for using these words to deceive Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, which led to the rise of thieves in the late Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and was forced to issue the "Crime" "Ji Zhao". In his opinion, the wealth of the entire Song Dynasty has a certain amount, whether it is among the people or the court, the two will encroach on each other."

Zhu Di looked at his father's portrait: "I understand. It seems that Huang Fu is right. The Ming Dynasty does need a new [Salt and Iron Conference] or [Yanhe Palace Debate]."