Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

After the field research in Yunlianghe-Xiaoxigou Village, there is no doubt that Jiang Xinghuo obtained some actual conditions about the living conditions of various strata of rural society and the new working class in this era, and also solved some problems that can be solved immediately question.

Of course, more fundamental, or institutional, problems still need to be addressed through monetary policy and legislative reform.

"National Master, Jin Shaoqing from Shenfa Temple is here."

Chai Che, who was wearing a green robe, knocked on the door and then said through the door.

"good."

Jiang Xinghuo put down the principles and regulations on civilian commercial insurance and overseas trade cargo insurance that he had tentatively drafted, and went out to meet Jin Youzi in person.

Jin Youzi is thirty-five years old this year. He is a typical old cousin from Jiangxi. He is not tall but has a handsome and elegant appearance. However, there is always a faint look of worry on his face, as if something is bothering him.

"I have met the Imperial Master."

Seeing Jiang Xinghuo walking out of the room, Jin Youzi saluted hurriedly.

Although he had just jumped out of the cabinet, been promoted to Shaoqing, and was actually in charge of the newly established Shenfa Temple. Perhaps compared with Hu Yan and Jie Jin, he was not bad, but Jiang Xinghuo was the most popular figure in the Ming Empire. One of the characters, even in the court, would cause huge shocks even if he stamped his feet, so he didn't dare to neglect him.

"No need to be polite, Jin Shaoqing, come in and sit down."

Jiang Xinghuo waved his hand to invite him in, and pointed to the chair that had been prepared next to him.

"Thank you, Imperial Master."

After Jin Youzi sat firmly, Jiang Xinghuo continued: "I wonder why Jin Shaoqing came here this time?"

He didn't beat around the bush, after all, both of them were busy. If there wasn't something important, Jin Youzi would definitely not choose to visit him at such a time.

"National Master Mingjian, this time I came to you because Vice President Xie went to Yangzhou Mansion. It is said that he was to deal with the salt affairs... It's just..."

Having said this, Jin Youzi paused and stopped talking.

"Just what?"

Jiang Xinghuo frowned slightly and asked.

Maritime bans, Beijing inspections, salt laws, and even insurance laws all have to go through the legislative body of Shenfa Temple. If Jin Youzi refuses to cooperate, or has some other secrets, I am afraid things will become more complicated.

"I heard that some officials in the Huanghuai Chief Envoy Department had been corrupt and accepted huge amounts of bribes. They even colluded with gangsters to rob merchants and rob people of their property, so they were bought and killed... This kind of case is very involved and it may not be easy to solve. ah!"

Jin Youzi sighed and said.

This is a euphemism. What Jin Youzi really wanted to express was that some officials in the Huanghuai Chief Envoy Department were silenced.

This shows that the entire high-level officials of the Chief Envoy Department may have been involved. Otherwise, there would be more than one official in the imperial court, so who would dare to take action?

The resistance to rectifying the salt affairs is greater than expected, and Jin Youzi may also be under considerable pressure from stakeholders on the issue of reforming the salt law.

"Did Huang Huai tell you?"

Jiang Xinghuo took a sip of tea and asked simply.

Jin Youzi was a little surprised by Jiang Xinghuo's directness, but after thinking about it, he felt relieved.

What is worldliness? That's for people who can't lift the table.

Why does Zhu Di seldom use these? Because he is the emperor, he has military power in his hands, and he can flip the table on anyone anytime, anywhere, so except for a few people, he does not need to worry about other people's feelings. He can show off his emotions as much as he wants. .

Jin Youzi had heard Zhu Di's words. In Zhu Di's view, it was the wimps who were incapable of overturning the table who would be cautious about these so-called human relations. In Zhu Di's eyes, sword and gun battles on the battlefield were the source of his power, not these. Useless skills, these skills have been cultivated to the extreme, don't those old bureaucrats have to obey him? Isn’t it true that I can decide his life or death with just one word? You have to kneel down and tremble after slamming the table?

Therefore, when Jiang Xinghuo, who had sufficient resources and power, directly revealed the source of his information, it was really not because he meant to embarrass him, but more because he wanted to communicate smoothly without making any twists and turns.

"Yes, Huang Huai had always been close to his subordinates when he was in the cabinet. Now that he has gone to the Huanghuai Chief Envoy Department as a counselor (from the fourth rank), he has heard some inside stories."

Jiang Xinghuo nodded slightly and said: "In the Huanghuai Chief Envoy Department, the problem is not only with the Lianghuai Salt Farm, but the entire Chief Envoy Department is rotten. I just take the opportunity to do an inventory. I believe in Vice President Xie's ability. "

Well, I believe that even if Vice President Xie died in the line of duty, I wouldn't even blink an eye.

Anyway, this matter is for Xie Jin to prove himself. If he can prove his abilities other than wielding a pen, then Jiang Xinghuo can let him do things. Otherwise, he will be the editor-in-chief of "Ming Pao" for the rest of his life.

Of course, Jin Youzi was under pressure from all sides. After all, the interests involved in the Salt Law were astronomical, and the cake to be moved was too big, so it was inevitable that there would be backlash. However, he was responsible for his duties and it was a new official taking office, so he really did not back down. room.

Now that Jiang Xinghuo was pretending not to understand, it was hard for him to say anything. After all, Jiang Xinghuo didn't care about Jie Jin's life or death, so how could he care about his life or death?

And these things really cannot be handled by the emperor trusting and supporting Jin Youzi.

Jin Youzi's Shenfa Temple, the legislative body, and Jiang Xinghuo's executive body had no choice but to cooperate.

"That's true, alas..."

Jin Youzi nodded slightly, obviously pretending to agree with Jiang Xinghuo's words, and dropped the topic.

"However, since Jin Shaoqing came to me, he probably didn't just want to tell me about this matter." Jiang Xinghuo asked.

Jin Youzi smiled bitterly and said: "Sure enough, nothing can be hidden from the eyes of the National Preceptor. Indeed, the official came here today because of another matter."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

Jiang Xinghuo said with twinkling eyes.

"Xiaoguan also heard from Huang Shangshu (Huang Fu) and Chen Shilang (Chen Qia) who were organizing the logistics in Guangxi. This time, because of the conquest of Annan, in order to facilitate the opening of China, the two regions of Guangdong and Guangxi unified the salt production area and salt sales area. There are no longer restrictions, but it can be used within both Guangdong and Guangxi, and the results are very good. Therefore, it is recommended that both Guangdong and Guangxi follow this example in the future. The salt affairs offices and salt merchants in Guangdong and Guangxi also expressed their desire to use private salt in southern Hunan and Fujian. In cooperation with the salt law reform of the imperial court, no matter how the imperial court plans to divide it, they will firmly support it, which is definitely a timely help for the Imperial Preceptor."

With Jin Youzi's connections and rank, it is absolutely impossible to find out this kind of news. The only possibility is that this is a secret jointly signed by Huang Fu and Chen Qia to Zhu Di, and Zhu Di told Jin Youzi, and Jin Youzi either passively or actively Come and sell yourself a good deal.

After Jiang Xinghuo listened, he was silent for a moment and said, "I appreciate Jin Shaoqing's kindness, but in my opinion, it is not necessarily beneficial for the salt production and marketing areas of Guangdong and Guangxi to be unified."

"Why?"

Jin Youzi was slightly surprised, obviously not expecting Jiang Xinghuo to refuse such an opportunity.

Jiang Xinghuo asked: "Do you think, as a commodity, salt can be sold to Annan, Champa and other countries?"

"Of course it's impossible." Jin Youzi answered resolutely. The Annan Kingdom and the Champa Kingdom themselves are close to the sea, or in other words, the countries in Southeast Asia are basically close to the sea, so how can they be sold.

"Yes, since foreign trade is impossible, then the people of Guangdong and Guangxi need to eat salt. From the perspective of the people, is it more beneficial to have two production and marketing areas in Guangxi and Guangdong, or to have one production and marketing area?"

"this……"

Jin Youzi was speechless.

He is not stupid. The meaning of Jiang Xinghuo's words is so straightforward that if it is a production and sales area, then the salt in the hands of ordinary people will only become more expensive as they buy it, while those powerful salt merchants will Can sell for a higher price.

And if there are two production and sales areas, under the balance of the private salt market, ordinary people will be able to eat cheaper salt.

The reason is very simple. For example, I am a citizen of Guangxi, and the price of official salt in Guangxi is higher than the price of "private salt" shipped from Guangdong. Why should I eat official salt?

"Moreover, Guangdong is a major salt producer, second only to the Huaihe River and the Huaihe River. If the production and sales areas are unified, do you think the salt in Guangdong will be cheaper or more expensive?"

The answer is simple, it will definitely be expensive because Guangxi produces less salt. If the production and marketing areas of Guangxi and Guangxi are unified and the salt price barrier does not exist, then the salt from Guangdong will definitely flow into Guangxi. Since Guangxi has many mountains and mountains, the freight must be included in the price of salt. .

Therefore, when the production and marketing areas are not unified, the people in Guangxi can eat cheap Guangdong "private salt"; but when the production and marketing areas are unified, the cost of salt for Guangxi people increases because they have no other "private salt" to choose from. , and the same is true in Guangdong. The originally cheap salt price will be raised to the same standard as Guangxi with the unification of production and marketing areas.

According to the problems in the Ming Dynasty's salt affairs system and the central government's control over Guangdong and Guangxi, the operation of unifying the salt production and marketing areas of Guangdong and Guangxi seems to be able to increase salt taxes. However, in the end, the actual result will most likely be that Cantonese businessmen will make a lot of money. was full, and the cost of salt for the common people increased greatly. In the end, the court may not have collected much salt tax.

Come and sell me something that is beneficial to you?

I don't know if Huang Fu and Chen Qia didn't notice it, or if there was something wrong with them themselves. At the moment, Jiang Xinghuo has no way of verifying it.

"The Imperial Master is thoughtful and the subordinates admire him."

Jin Youzi bowed his hands respectfully and said.

"I would like to ask Jin Shaoqing to explain this matter clearly to Huang Shangshu and Chen Shilang. The unification of the salt production and marketing areas of Guangdong and Guangxi is only a temporary measure taken by the imperial court for the Annan war. It cannot become a permanent rule. This cannot be considered in the reform of the Salt Law. As for the Huaihe River in southern Hunan and southern Fujian I will deal with the dispute between Guangdong and Guangdong when the time comes." Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment and said in a strict tone.

Then Jiang Xinghuo asked again.

"Now that we've talked about the Salt Law, regarding the sea ban and the reform of the Ming Law, do you have any concerns about the Shenfa Temple?"

The specific policy reasons for the maritime ban were analyzed by Jiang Xinghuo before during the [Fengtian Palace Debate].

But the sea ban is not just as simple as Lao Zhu’s saying “No one is allowed to enter the sea.”

At the legal level, Lao Zhu clearly stipulates that "if treacherous powerful figures, soldiers and civilians, etc., build illegal ships with three masts or more, they will take prohibited goods to the sea, go to foreign countries to trade, infiltrate pirates, and conspire to form gangs. And those who plunder good people as guides, the offenders will be executed according to the law, but they will still show their heads to the public, and the whole family will be sent to the border guards to join the army. Those who build the sea ships mentioned above and sell them to the barbarians for profit will be compared with those who will ban the weapons and put them into the sea. Therefore, Those who violate military rules and regulations will be beheaded, and those who follow will be sent to the army. Anyone who dares to trade privately will be severely punished. All incense and goods are not allowed to be sold, and existing ones are limited to three months. Exhausted".

But Lao Zhu is buried in Zhongshan after all. No matter how Jiang Xinghuo and Jin Youzi modify the "Da Ming Law" system, he can't rise from the coffin, so just changing the law is actually a very simple matter, complicated are the other two questions.

"What is the Imperial Master going to do about the matter of moving to the sea? This cannot be solved by Shenfa Temple changing the "Da Ming Law"."

Jin Youzi told the truth, and Jiang Xinghuo also knew that what he said was right.

Regarding the issue of relocation to the sea, the Ming Dynasty was not as abnormal as the Qing Dynasty. In terms of policy implementation, it was a targeted inward migration. Lao Zhu’s actual action was to abolish Changguo County in the 19th year of Hongwu. In the 20th year of Hongwu, residents of Zhoushan Island City and 46 other The residents of the islands moved inland to enforce the maritime ban and fight against Japanese pirates and the remnants of the anti-Ming forces who retreated to overseas islands.

Originally, Lao Zhu expected that the maritime ban policy would play a decisive role in consolidating coastal defense, but like many of his other policies, the final results were counterproductive.

In fact, the direct target of the sea relocation policy is the coastal people rather than the anti-Ming forces at sea. Therefore, not only cannot it be an effective means of coastal defense, it has even seriously intensified conflicts in coastal areas. This is because the people in coastal areas depend on the sea. , live by the sea, or engage in fishery production, or engage in maritime trade. To put it bluntly, it means "depending on the mountains and the mountains and the water." You, Mr. Zhu, have blocked the normal way of livelihood for the people in the coastal areas. Murdering parents, only if no one rises up to resist is there a ghost.

Regarding Lao Zhu's policy of relocating to the sea, the people resisted in two ways.

First, moisturize.

Run, it's very simple, that is to sail and take the whole family to various countries in Southeast Asia, no matter whether it is Annam, Champa, Luzon, or Java, it doesn't matter where you can go. This is also the reason why Chen Zuyi, the Pirate King, can make a fortune. The ten good places in Old Port are Where did the tens of thousands of Han people come from? This is the so-called "In the early days of the Republic of China, there were tens of thousands of people who failed to succeed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhangzhou and other counties and fled to the sea to make a living."

The second thing is to rob.

In the history of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, Mr. Gu Yanwu in the late Ming Dynasty made this very clear, "The people on the seaside have no physical way out and suffer from hunger. The poor people often go to the sea to steal and flee, and the sea ban is strict. If there is nothing to eat, they turn to the seashore."

Jiang Xinghuo said: "The issue of sea relocation is put aside for the time being, and the sea ban is lifted first. The sea ban is a big problem, and sea relocation is a small problem."

Jin Youzi nodded, it was a small problem, but a troublesome "little problem".

"On the issue of relocating to the sea, we must also consider whether the administrative districts abandoned by the Hongwu Dynasty should be moved back to their original locations, or should the status quo be maintained?"

"That's the truth. It won't be decided for a while."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled bitterly and said: "There are a lot of things involved here. It is not just wishful thinking that moving back is good. The Hongwu Dynasty moved a lot of counties and towns and brought them all back. How to get houses? Most of them may have lived there for so many years. No more."

"In addition to houses, there are a lot of troubles. What to do with the land at the current address? If you don't live here, you will definitely not be able to continue to own it. How will you supply resources when you move back? These are all on an island, and you can't be self-sufficient in a short time. , the population is too large, and having to support them for free for one or two years is a huge burden on the local government, and so on.”

"Of course, it's okay not to move. If you don't move, the trouble will be gone. But among the people, there must be many who miss their hometown and plan to return to the sea as their career."

Jin Youzi also added: "In addition, whether the people who left the Ming Dynasty should be readmitted and how to deal with their household registration are all matters, because the fact that cannot be ignored is that once the policy of relocating to the sea is abandoned and people who return to the country are accepted, among these people , there must be blood on their hands, and it is extremely difficult to identify, these people are all unstable factors."

"This is the truth, so I say that we should first impose a sea ban on a legal level and move the sea slowly."

These so-called minor issues must be carefully considered, rather than just amending a law and it's all done. At the moment, there is really no good solution.

The issue of the return of coastal people and the return of people who have gone abroad is actually nothing compared to the general principle of sea ban.

As long as the legal issues surrounding the maritime ban are resolved, overseas trade is developed, and customs duties are raised, many things can actually be solved slowly.

Jin Youzi said: "Compared with Qianhai, the problems of the Shipping Department are simpler."

The Municipal Shipping Department was an office established in various seaports during the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties to manage maritime foreign trade. It was equivalent to a modern customs, but had more responsibilities. During the Southern Song and Yuan Dynasties, the Municipal Shipping Department reached its peak.

If Jiang Xinghuo wants to restart maritime trade and collect tariffs, the Shipping Department must be rebuilt.

In the Song Dynasty, the responsibilities of the Municipal Shipping Department mainly included three aspects.

Permit to go to sea: Based on the goods declared by the merchant, the people on the ship and the place to go, a public certificate, that is, a permit to go to sea, is issued.

Inspection at sea: Send people on board for random inspections to prevent weapons, money, women, fugitive soldiers, etc. from being carried along.

Extraction of tariffs: A points system is implemented for the goods imported and exported by ships returning to the port, that is, the goods are divided into thick and thin colors, and a number of portions are extracted according to a certain proportion. This is actually a physical form of city ship tax, and the extracted goods must be sent to the capital. , and the shipping company will issue a public certificate to the goods after tax is collected, allowing them to be shipped and sold elsewhere.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, the customs duties of the Shipping Department accounted for 15% of the national fiscal revenue. During the Yuan Dynasty, the proportion was even higher, reaching more than 20% at one time. It was called "funded by the military state". The main reason for this was not The Mongols are better at business, but because the four Mongolian khanates basically ruled the entire Asia, from the Arab region in West Asia to the Yuan Dynasty in East Asia, the caravans of the Mongols and the Semu people could communicate continuously.

In the third year of Hongwu, Lao Zhu dismissed the shipping department of Huangdu City in Taicang. In the seventh year of Hongwu, he ordered the abolition of the three shipping departments in Quanzhou, Fujian, Mingzhou, Zhejiang, and Guangzhou, Guangdong, which had a long history and had existed since the Tang Dynasty. Hongwu was twenty-three years old. Zhu once again issued the "Forbidden Traffic Order of Foreign Domains". In order to completely ban overseas trade in the 27th year of Hongwu, Lao Zhu issued an order to prohibit the private use and trade of imported incense and goods. Even in the 30th year of Hongwu before Lao Zhu died, , did not forget to issue an order again, prohibiting people from going to the sea.

As the saying goes, "if you remember something, there will be repercussions." This is probably the case.

"Reopening the Municipal Shipping Department, at a legal level, confirms that the Municipal Shipping Department is the official customs agency of the imperial court. As for the corresponding regulations, they have now been drafted and will be handed over to the cabinet for review by His Majesty before being transferred to the Shenfa Temple."

Jiang Xinghuo's answer was very formal. This was a matter of process.

And since they are getting money for Zhu Di, there is actually no reason for the cabinet and Shenfa Temple to be stuck, and they must be dealt with as quickly as possible.

"good."

The two fell into a brief silence.

"in addition."

Jin Youzi thought for a while and asked: "There are a lot of rumors outside about the Beijing inspection. This is a private matter for the officials and the cabinet. I have come here to ask you to confirm whether all these rumors are true?"

The civil servants complained about the entrance examination itself. It is different from the assessment that pays money to the clan. As long as the clan raises less pigs and participates more in overseas voyages, the indicators will go up. However, the actual scene faced by the civil servants is much more complicated. Although Jiang Xinghuo The SWOT test method has a buffer period for elimination, but for officials, it is undoubtedly a very cruel thing.

Not to mention their good days, the Jianwen Dynasty, even the Hongwu Dynasty, when Lao Zhu swung his butcher knife and had heads rolling in, and had to work with a shackle, there was no such thing as elimination from the bottom.

Beheading your head will drop randomly, but losing your official position will be visible to the naked eye.

Coupled with the reactivation of the Beijing Police Department, the power of the official department was divided, which undoubtedly offended people even more.

Jiang Xinghuo will not be bribed. When Beijing investigates, he will definitely deal with it impartially. Who knows who will be panicked by then.

Therefore, it is quite normal for some rumors to spread among the various monasteries and yamen in the capital. Without these, it would not be that interesting.

"What do you think?"

Jiang Xinghuo raised his eyebrows and asked noncommittally.

Jin Youzi smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying: "How dare you make wild guesses? Imperial Master, you are dedicated to serving the country. How can I doubt you? I am just worried that if this news spreads without control, it may damage your integrity." reputation."

“Those who are pure will themselves be cleansed.”

There was no good answer to this question, and Jiang Xinghuo didn't want to have a casual conversation with Jin Youzi, so he only answered this question.

Because the previous discussions about salt laws and maritime bans were within the scope of official discussions, this did not fall into the category. Jiang Xinghuo was not obligated to answer what he said. Although Jiang Xinghuo didn't care, he could avoid this kind of thing if he could, and it would save him a lot of hidden dangers in the future. .

In fact, of course, the idea of ​​"the Qing Dynasty purifying itself" is just a rhetorical statement. There is almost no such thing as "the Qing Dynasty purifying itself" in this world. When working in the court, in most cases, you are splashed with dirty water and have to do dirty work. , it doesn’t matter about dirty water.

The authority of Shenfa Temple is limited. What kind of legislative autonomy did the feudal era expect? Jin Youzi can decide some things, but most of them involve Zhu Di's interests, and he must be obedient.

Jiang Xinghuo handed the draft on the table to Jin Youzi, changed the subject and said: "This is related to insurance. New things have to go through the legislative process. Jin Shaoqing will take a look at it first. I will ask Daming Bank to talk to the bank later, whether it is Commercial insurance for ordinary people and commodity insurance related to overseas trade are both beneficial to the country and the people. Trade contracts signed with Japan, North Korea, Annan, Champa and other countries basically have insurance-related clauses, so we need to hurry up. Click to push."

Jin Youzi leaned back in his chair and looked over seriously.

After a long while, he put down the draft in his hand and agreed: "This is natural. Since it involves maritime trade, His Majesty also attaches great importance to it. Don't worry, Imperial Master. As long as the legislation on the insurance industry is drafted, there will be no problem with Shenfa Temple. It will be handled quickly.”

In this way, the Salt Law, Maritime Ban, Beijing Inspection Law, and Insurance Law were all discussed. As for the procurement rights of the Yamen, Jiang Xinghuo had already handed it over directly to Zhu Di in a secret form. If Zhu Di felt it necessary to change it, , then something will happen.

Jin Youzi said goodbye and left, but not long after, another guest came.

A guest who doesn't seem to be here.

"His Royal Highness the Third Prince?"

Jiang Xinghuo was a little confused when he looked at Zhu Gaosui, who was dressed in a bullfight uniform and had a pumpkin hammer hanging from his belt.

After Zhu Gaosui closed the doors and windows tightly, Jiang Xinghuo became even more confused.

He lowered his voice and asked, "But what's going on in Luzon? Zheng He's fleet should have just set off from Qinghua Port in Annan, and it will take some time to arrive in Luzon for exploration."

"no."

Zhu Gaosui shook his head irritably. This was somewhat beyond Jiang Xinghuo's expectation. He thought the other party was here to ask about the progress of the overseas feudal lordship.

Luzon, Annan and Ming Dynasty formed an isosceles triangle, so after Ming Dynasty had the head and left side, it was very easy to control Luzon.

"Is that to convey an edict?"

Normally, when Zhu Gaosui came to see Jiang Xinghuo alone, he must have been randomly assigned by Zhu Di to deliver the order.

"No."

Zhu Gaosui didn't beat around the bush and said directly: "I told you about Xun Zhan's incident last time that I had an informant."

"Yes." Jiang Xinghuo recalled for a moment and remembered this matter.

At that time, Zhu Gaosui's informant was invited out for dinner by Xun Zhan, but he sold Xun Zhan backhand. Jiang Xinghuo only knew about this, but Zhu Gaosui did not say who the informant was at the time.

"The Criminal Division's case is for Cao Run."

Zhu Gaosui scratched his hair: "He reported a clue to me. It's a very troublesome clue. I am the only one who knows about the procurement issues within the Ministry of Justice. I don't know whether I should expose it or not."

Ministry of Punishment?

Jiang Xinghuo frowned slightly, things were very troublesome.

In order to promote the revision of the legal system of the "Da Ming Code", the Ministry of Punishment suffered a heavy blow after the last trial of Li Zhigang's three halls. The legislative power was taken out, and the left minister Ma Jing was also eliminated. According to the unspoken rules of temple struggle, We should not continue to attack the Ministry of Punishment, otherwise it will end in a fight to the death.

But the current situation is a little more subtle.

Jiang Xinghuo sighed and asked instead: "Then you come to the President's Reform Affairs Office like this, aren't you afraid that others will know?"

"I have my own excuse. Master, please help me study how to deal with this matter."

After that, Zhu Gaosui told Jiang Xinghuo exactly what happened.

"You said it was because of the paper?" Jiang Xinghuo was a little in disbelief.