The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"From what Guangde can see, according to Taizu's design, his business taxes were actually collected through Yahang. Now Yahang is using its relationship with the government to exploit merchants, and most of the profits are not entered into the national treasury. .”

In the Ming Dynasty, the collection of commercial taxes included transportation goods tax and warehouse storage tax.

Industrial tax applies to mining, shipbuilding, military industry, weaving, kiln smelting, burning, papermaking and other handicraft industries. When goods are stored in "collapsed houses" by merchants from all over the country, one-thirtieth of the tax and an intermediary fee of thirty One-thirtieth of the storage fee, which is one-tenth.

"Taifang" is actually the "official tooth" run by the government, that is, the official store. The store was built during the Zhu Yuanzhang period to ensure the circulation of goods and avoid disorderly stacking. The operator was Yahang.

In addition, there are also private dental shops. They need to pay taxes to the government on time to obtain dental veneers, otherwise they are "operating without a license."

"There are more than 50 dental shops in Tongzhou, and they pay more than 4,000 taels of tax every year. This is just one place."

Wei Guangde was still talking eloquently there, and King Yu also roughly understood what Wei Guangde meant.

If you want to collect business taxes, start with Yahang and rectify Yahang. If you want to get money quickly, you can designate a port for sea trade.

It will take a long time to rectify the tooth shop, but it can collect a large amount of commercial tax. After all, goods need to be circulated, and the tooth shop controls the circulation channels, but this industry is very deep.

To put it simply, the only way to increase national treasury revenue in the short term is to open a sea route, designate a port for maritime trade and collect taxes. This was Wei Guangde's experimental field based on the "special zones" of later generations.

"The Guangzhou and Quanzhou you mentioned earlier, if you have to make a choice alone, which one do you think is the best?"

King Yu asked.

Wei Guangde thought that King Yu would choose to rectify the Yaxing Bank, which was more conducive to the long-term interests of the Ming Dynasty. Unexpectedly, King Yu still wanted to solve the problem of financial constraints in the short term.

He stopped what he had said and had no choice but to say: "The choice of where to do business depends on the purpose His Highness wants."

"I remember you said at the beginning that if those maritime merchants were given a way to survive, they would no longer become Japanese pirates and cause trouble to the place, right?"

King Yu asked.

"Yes, most of the Japanese pirates were actually maritime merchants. Most of the people who join the Japanese pirates now are people who have nothing to do on the seaside. They can't rely on the sea to eat, so they can only surrender to the Japanese pirates."

Wei Guangde replied.

"Give them the choice to do business instead of becoming Japanese pirates. Will they be willing?"

King Yu asked.

"We can only block those who come after us, and we can only kill those who have fallen to the grass, leaving no one behind."

Wei Guangde answered simply. They had become Japanese pirates and had blood on their hands. It would be difficult for them to clear their names even if they wanted to.

It is natural for them to pay for their lives by killing people. If they killed Mingren as Japanese pirates, they must pay the price.

"Good loan, please pay more attention to this matter."

King Yu suddenly said: "Your father once went to Zhejiang to suppress Japanese pirates. You and Yu Dayou are familiar with each other. You might as well ask them more about where those Japanese pirates are from?"

"Your Highness means"

"Money needs to be earned, but this is secondary. The main thing is to solve the problem of Japanese pirates. If opening a port can prevent the seaside people from doing Japanese pirates, it will also be a great merit."

For King Yu, solving the Japanese problem was indeed more important than solving the shortage of money.

It's his father who's having a headache now, and he'll be the one in the future. Now he's just preparing for a rainy day.

In King Yu's words, he actually revealed his attitude. He agreed to open a port to maritime merchants, and the location had a general direction.

Open ports wherever there are many pirates. The purpose is naturally to let these people stop being pirates and engage in maritime trade honestly.

However, he seemed to feel that what he said was too simple and general. King Yu continued: "When choosing a place, you can't rush it. You have to take your time and search carefully.

Moreover, when it comes to establishing a sea ban, we must make decisions before taking action, and we must not give people the opportunity to join forces to oppose it. Otherwise, all previous efforts will be wasted and we will follow in the footsteps of those who lived in the past. "

King Yu was a little confused at the moment. He didn't know why. He originally just wanted to ask Wei Guangde for a way to strengthen the army, but he didn't expect that the money was coming.

Although it seems that solving the problem of money shortage can improve the combat effectiveness of the Ming army, whether what Wei Guangde wants is to collect tariffs from trade or to rectify the dental industry, he finds it very troublesome.

Wei Guangde said it himself, the water is very deep, and there may be a lot of resistance if it is implemented. He is also a master who is afraid of trouble, and he really doesn't want to wade into this muddy water.

As for opening a port for trade, when thinking of this, King Yu thought of the Japanese pirate problem that Wei Guangde had mentioned before. In order to survive, many people along the coast took risks and joined pirates. Their essence was just to sell Ming Dynasty products and make money.

Maritime merchants turned into Japanese pirates. Not only Wei Guangde said this, Gao Gong and Yin Shizhen also mentioned it, but the countermeasure was to suppress and kill them all. However, Wei Guangde proposed to allow them to go to sea to do business and give them a way to survive, which would not only increase the number of people in the imperial court Taxation can also eliminate the Japanese invasion. Correspondingly, additional dispatches to the south can be stopped, and military expenditures can be reduced.

Accordingly, King Yu is now more inclined to Wei Guangde's proposal. Let them go out and sell Ming products to make a living. It can also help the court earn money, solve Japanese problems, and reduce military expenditures. This has too many benefits.

But the difficulty is not much lower than the previous one. After all, it does go against the ancestral rules.

Opening the sea, King Yu also knew that Wei Guangde was not the first to initiate this matter. Many people had mentioned it before, and all of them were rejected without exception.

Although the resistance is great, it won’t be more than straightening the teeth, right?

After all, according to Wei Guangde, it was actually the coastal official families who opposed the opening of the sea. As for the evidence, Wei Guangde directly brought out the case where the Japanese invasion started. It was the Xie family in Yuyao who colluded with the Japanese pirates to smuggle goods, and the spoils could not be divided. Everyone was wiped out.

The Xie family of Yuyao was the cabinet scholar family of the Hongzhi Dynasty.

With Wei Guangde's reminder, King Yu finally understood why those officials who proposed opening up the sea ended up so miserably.

To rectify the dental industry is to make the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom, especially the middle and lower classes, enemies. This affects their interests. There are also tax collection agencies such as the tax department and the river bank who were rewarded by the ancestors. It is also a problem not to take it back from the feudal king.

In short, from King Yu's point of view, rectifying the tooth industry seemed to be able to completely solve the problem of Ming Dynasty's financial difficulties, but there were too many troubles.

It seems that it is not easy to recreate the annual income of the Song Dynasty.

"There is no hurry about what we are discussing today. We still have time, but we still need to find out what we need to know."

King Yu said to Wei Guangde at this time.

"yes."

Wei Guangde stood up and said respectfully.

This is considered to be a secret order from King Yu, to inquire about information and prepare for the opening of the sea after King Yu comes to power.

"When the time comes, write down the information you have learned and how to plan it, and leave it to me alone."

King Yu also seemed very cautious at this time, after all, it was a matter of open sea.

"I still don't quite understand. Since Taizu ordered that "no boards are allowed to be put into the sea", why did Chengzu do it?"

King Yu said again at this time.

"Your Highness, the system established by Taizu was not to prohibit sea trade, but to encircle and suppress the remnants of Zhang Shicheng and others. Therefore, at that time, Ming people were prohibited from going to sea privately to prevent them from contacting the rebels.

In addition, when the Ming Dynasty was first established, the surrounding vassal states did not know it. When the Japanese pirates came to harass the Ming Dynasty, they thought they were still Meng Yuan. As for the so-called Japanese communication in the Hu Weiyong case, it may not be true. After all, it is really necessary Wherever there is trouble, you need to contact the Japanese pirates.”

At first, King Yu nodded frequently, approving Wei Guangde's words, but when he heard Wei Guangde talking about the Hu Weiyong case decided by Taizu, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately shook his head.

Wei Guangde knew at a glance that he had made a mistake and hurriedly shut up.

"In this way, we have indeed misunderstood the sea ban order. Only Chengzu understood Taizu's intentions, so he sent people south to the west."

King Yu spoke at this time.

"exactly."

Wei Guangde nodded in agreement.

It was agreed here that King Yu called Li Fang back and asked about Zhang Juzheng.

"Your Highness, Mr. Zhang hasn't come back yet. It seems like his trip was in vain again."

Li Fang replied from the side.

As an old man who has always stayed with King Yu, Li Fang was really curious about what they talked about when King Yu and Wei Guangde were talking today and actually called him outside to see the door.

However, the people in the palace still knew what was good and bad.

King Yu asked him to go out, naturally he didn't want him to know too much, so although he was curious, he had no intention of prying.

"Forget it, don't say anything if Mr. Zhang comes back empty-handed. It's the same for all the yamen. You have to understand the difficulties of the household department."

King Yu said, thinking about the expenses of the palace again. Although it hurt a little, he still said: "As for the expenses, if the Ministry of Revenue really can't get the money for a while, we can use it from the inner treasury first, and wait for the household to wait. I'll make up for it when the money from the department arrives."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Li Fang replied.

After sitting for a while, King Yu got up and returned to the inner courtyard. Wei Guangde continued to read. After almost an hour passed, Zhang Juzheng returned from the Ministry of Household Affairs.

As Yu Wang guessed, Zhang Juzheng really returned empty-handed.

"His Highness said, everyone must understand the Ministry of Finance."

Wei Guangde said with a smile after listening to Zhang Juzheng's story.

"The Ministry of Household Affairs actually has money, but it has its uses and is unwilling to change it. In fact, the official salary from the capital could have been paid out soon. We just waited for the Yunnan copper materials to arrive, but it was a pity that His Majesty intercepted it again."

Zhang Juzheng sighed.

"what happened?"

Wei Guangde asked curiously.

"The previous deposits of the Ministry of Revenue were paid to King Jing for the feudal ceremony. It was originally planned that Yunnan copper materials would be sent to Beijing to make money, but there was a delay in transportation, which resulted in no salary being paid this month.

Seeing that the copper was about to arrive in Beijing, His Majesty said that the inner court had no money and wanted to withdraw it. The soldiers in the border towns did not dare to touch it, and they could only suppress our salaries further. "

Zhang Juzheng said: "As soon as I went there today, Gao Shangshu was notified to go to Xiyuan. I only found out about it at this time. Yesterday, His Majesty sent a note to the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for money, but Gao Shangshu stopped him. Today he was called to Xiyuan." See you in the garden."

"Have you heard anything yet?"

Wei Guangde nodded. The imperial court had no money, and the inner court had no money. It would be difficult for Gao Yao to be a minister.

"Your Majesty has forced us to get money, which is our salary, haha."

Zhang Juzheng smiled bitterly as he spoke.

"By the way, Mr. Yuan Wei, the new Minister of Rites, who I was arguing with Gao Shangshu today, I heard that it was Mr. Yan Ge who persuaded and planned such things in the past. Your Majesty's eyes are like a fire!"

Zhang Juzheng felt happy when he remembered hearing Gao Yao's curse words in the check-in room. Now he said it so that Wei Guangde could also know, and added a sigh.

"You really have a sharp eye. If Master Gao is allowed to serve as the Minister of Rites, I am afraid that you will stand up to support Gao Shangshu at this time."

Wei Guangde found it interesting and smiled.

"That should be the case. No wonder His Majesty has allowed Lord Yuan to take the position. His Majesty is still far-sighted."

Although Gao Gong is smooth, that is his attitude as a person. He is very principled in dealing with things. He will never blindly agree to flattery just because the emperor promotes him.

"Gao Shangshu is not a fuel-efficient lamp. When he curses, the officials in the capital will target Yuan Shangshu instead of him."

Wei Guangde suddenly felt that Gao Yao was not really angry when he cursed people in the check-in room. He must know that many people outside were going to the household department to ask for money.

on purpose.

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng was startled, and then he nodded and said, "That's how it should be."

"By the way, do you have an appointment with me tonight? A businessman from my hometown came to the capital, and he brought a lot of sealed vat wine, a specialty of his hometown, so why don't you come to my house tonight and have a taste."

Wei Guangde smiled again and said that the things were indeed delivered two days ago. Wei Guangde also invited some friends tonight. When he saw Zhang Juzheng, he thought of the teacher behind him.

If Lao Kan and the others were to be promoted step by step in the capital, it would probably take a long time, but if they traveled around the place, the promotion speed would be faster.

Let them get Zhang Juzheng's favor, and in the future they will have good official positions in the local area, and they can also help speak a few words to Xu Jie, the second assistant, which will get twice the result with half the effort.

"Oh, there is good wine, and the relationship is good. Let's go together later."

Zhang Juzheng immediately agreed and made an appointment to go to Wei Guangde's house for a drink together.

At this moment, a servant suddenly ran in from the courtyard gate and rushed straight to the house where they were in a panic.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wei, the news just came that Zhou Yan, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, died."

The waiter stood at the door and whispered into the room.

"What? You came in and said, when did it happen?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng stood up suddenly and said to the waiter outside the door.

"yes."

The chamberlain agreed, then entered the room, saluted Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng, and said, "It was only half an hour ago. The Zhou Mansion has sent people to the palace and the Metropolitan Procuratorate."

"I have to go and tell Prince Yu that tonight's banquet can only be postponed."

Wei Guangde woke up from the shock at this moment, stood up and said to Zhang Juzheng: "Master Zhou is my fellow Jiangxi fellow, so I have to go there."

Zhou Yan can also be considered Wei Guangde's boss. After all, he is from the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and perhaps because of his fellow villagers, Wei Guangde does well in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

You must know that unless they are sent to other places, there are really not many people in the capital who hold concurrent posts in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Zhou Yan can definitely petition to accept the official position of Wei Guangde as the Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

When Wei Guangde was added to the title of Procuratorate, Emperor Jiajing asked him to investigate something. He added it for convenience. Perhaps the emperor also forgot about it later.

Of course Wei Guangde knew that Zhou Yan was not in good health, and personally sent him a 300-year-old ginseng.

"Let's go see Prince Yu."

Zhang Juzheng nodded. The censor of Zuodu was dead, so Prince Yu's palace also wanted to express its intention and notify Prince Yu first.