The most reckless man in the Ming Dynasty

Tang Haoren felt a little numb.

He thought Emperor Hongzhi was the driving force behind Ye Qi's reform, but he didn't expect that he was the initiator!

"What? Sounds incredible, right?"

Ye Zhi sneered and then spoke quietly.

"In the fifth year of Hongzhi, the Susong River was silted up and flooded."

"The emperor ordered Xu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to immediately take charge of the management and dredge the Susong River. After all, Susong is a heavily taxed area, and the court had to pay attention to it."

"However, whether it is dredging rivers or recruiting civilians, it all costs money and food. However, the problem is that the national treasury has long been out of money and food!"

"In the fourth year of Hongzhi, my father Ye Qi replaced Li Min as the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Li Min was an official with outstanding political achievements, but he was not good at managing money and food. My father replaced him and was promoted to the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs. The national treasury was already empty and there was a shortage of money and food. The deficit is serious!”

"The chief minister of the cabinet at that time was not Liu Jian, but Xu Pu, who was originally from Jiangnan!"

In this way, not only can they gain a reputation for "pleading for the people", but once the court agrees to the reduction or exemption, the reduced portion can be "fairly and openly" put into their pockets.

"Who doesn't know that a project like dredging a river can take at least one or two years, or at most three to five years, and a mere one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand taels of silver can be spent?"

After hearing this, Tang Hao couldn't help laughing immediately, and his smile was very sarcastic.

"If you accept food, the beneficiaries will be Shanxi merchants from the north, but if you accept silver, the beneficiaries will be Huai merchants from the south!"

In the hearts of the people, only when an official has the people in his heart and always asks for orders from the people can he truly be worthy of the reputation of an upright official, be a good official in the hearts of the people, and be praised by the government and the public.

"It's up to you whether you believe it or not. I just don't want your Majesty to bear any grudge against my father."

There is another method that Ye Zhi just mentioned, which is also the most disgusting method, that is, local officials report famine, or "please for the people"!

Most of the talented officials respected by the people from ancient times to the present are those who can ask for orders for the people at critical moments.

"Ignore me, go on and tell your story."

Ye Zhi smiled bitterly and then fell silent.

"How dare you... do this?"

"What can my father do?" Ye Zhi asked back.

The Ming Dynasty implemented the two-capital system, divided into Nanjing and Beijing. Most of the grain production in the north was not high, so millions or even tens of millions of grains were transported to Beijing through the Grand Canal every year.

And it is precisely this kind of flattering words that has become one of the methods used by corrupt officials to accept bribes.

"The reason is that the late emperor was too "considerate" about people's livelihood. When a natural disaster occurred in a certain place, the late emperor ordered the reduction and exemption of summer and autumn taxes, and even used government property to provide relief to the victims. Only in Hongzhi four The late emperor has exempted nearly 6 million in taxes and grains. How can the court collect taxes? "

What a sage king and sage who "loves his people like his sons"!

This tax reduction and exemption is indeed a benevolent and benevolent act, but the question is, does this really benefit the people?

The corruption methods used by officials of the Ming Dynasty were famous for their many tricks and clever ideas.

For example, "Zese Huo Hao" means that when government officials collect money from the people, there will be losses due to melting and breaking the broken silver. This part of the loss is borne by the people. It is up to the government officials how much is lost.

Therefore, water transportation is a major plan of the country and there must be no accidents.

"Xu Guan, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, also understands this truth, so he can't shirk it and can only reach out to the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for money. But the problem is that the Ministry of Household Affairs has no money or food!"

"Then, in just a few months, the Ministry of Household Affairs made a profit of more than one million taels of silver by relying on the payment of silver. Xu Guan also took the money and happily went to dredge the river. It took nearly three years. It’s completed, and Susong has become a land of plenty again!”

Tang Hao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Because everyone with a discerning eye knows that once such a change is made, the Ming Dynasty's Nine Borders will be completely destroyed. Once the border villages are abandoned, food prices will skyrocket, and the lives of the soldiers and civilians in the Nine Borders will be difficult to live by!"

"That's right!" Ye Zhi sighed, "My father was really forced to have no other choice. When he accidentally talked with a salt merchant, he heard about this method, but he never thought of doing it!"

"But, your father still did it!" Tang Hao shouted coldly!

"My father was forced to have no choice but to go to the palace to face the Holy Spirit and proposed the strategy of collecting money and winning the prize. The late emperor agreed!"

Ye Zhi glanced at Tang Hao with a strange expression, and then continued: "Susong is an important financial and taxation area, so even if there is no money and food, the court must dredge the river immediately, otherwise it will even affect water transportation, and the entire capital may fall into a food shortage. !”

Even if you are lucky and meet a face-saving fool like Emperor Hongzhi, the court will not only exempt taxes, but also distribute money and food relief. Since local officials like themselves have won relief for the people, then local officials and It is natural for the people to share a portion of the relief funds together.

To put it bluntly, these are corrupt methods used by officials to exploit the people, but the people have become the "biggest victims".

The so-called benevolent government and good deeds have all become a means for the gentry to make money and profit!

"So, what you are telling is the truth?"

As for the local people who are actually affected by the disaster, they should pay a lot of taxes, but the disaster relief funds they should receive are none at all, or in other words, they are pitifully small!

Emperor Hongzhi did more harm than good!

The method is also very simple, that is, after collecting the taxes for the year, local officials are not in a hurry to hand them over to the court. When the court calls for collection, the local officials will apply to the court for tax reductions and exemptions on the grounds of disasters, people's livelihood difficulties, etc.

"Doesn't anyone care about the life and death of the soldiers and civilians on the nine sides?"

The people paid their taxes faithfully, and the burden on their shoulders was not relieved even a little bit.

Another example is "Lin Jian Kicking the Dendrobium", which is when the government officials collect grain from the people. When a dendrobium is full of grain, the servant will kick it, and a small part of the grain will be shaken out. The kicked out grain no longer belongs to the people. , but as losses during food transportation, the same losses are also borne by the people.

Understood.

It turns out there is such a cause and effect!

A figure flashed in Tang Hao's mind. It was a compassionate face that made people feel...disgusting after just one look!

"So, Dad You proposed a reform, changing the payment of food into the payment of money?"

The final result was that Emperor Hongzhi gained the reputation of caring for his people, and local officials also made a lot of money. It can be said that everyone is happy, everyone is very happy!

Ye Zhi's face was filled with sadness and his expression was very painful.

"Then, in August of the fifth year of Hongzhi, officials in charge of salt administration in various places received an order. From now on, the salt produced in the salt field would be traded directly with salt merchants for silver at the Yanzheng Yamen, and the silver obtained from the transaction would be sent directly to the Beijing treasury."

Tang Hao rubbed his brow in disgust and waved his hand to Ye Zhi.

Tang Hao was so frightened that he took several steps back, looking a little dazed.

Tang Hao was silent for a long time, and finally couldn't help but cursed angrily.

"My father, Ye Qi, is just a chess piece. Xu Pu, the chief minister of the cabinet, is the driving force, and the person who really nodded in agreement is the late emperor!"

However, the imperial court's tax revenue has been reduced, and it even has to subsidize the so-called disaster!

All this money eventually fell into the pockets of those corrupt officials, making them rich, making a lot of money, and even earned them a reputation as "pledging lives for the people"!

"Xu Guan has been blocking the office of the Ministry of Household Affairs, asking for money and food, otherwise he will not fulfill his duties. The late emperor urged him again and again, and finally the responsibility fell on my father!"

"What a holy king and wise master!"

The second update today, and there is another update. I hope readers will vote for it and subscribe to support it. Thank you very much!