Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 15 Salt Pest Pests, the Emperor Swings His Stick

Salt tax has always been the most important fiscal revenue. For example, the salt tax in the Song Dynasty could reach 200 million guan every year, but the salt tax revenue in the late Qing Dynasty was actually equivalent to the land tax.

In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the finances were relatively weak.In the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, because Shanxi and other frontier areas were in urgent need of military rations, the government recruited merchants to transport grain in exchange for salt, thus creating the "opening Chinese method".

According to the military needs of the nine borders, the imperial court successively implemented the methods of accepting banknotes and Chinese salt, Nama Chinese salt, iron and iron, nano tea and Chinese tea Yima.

Just like this, the current salt administration in Ming Dynasty can be said to serve the Nine Sides, but this is also to stabilize the national defense of the north and promote the prosperity of Shanxi and other places.

It's just that such huge profits are naturally coveted by various forces.

As the cabinet pointed out, due to His Majesty's reward, foreign relatives, nobles and imperial relatives all got a share of the salt profit, which to a certain extent undermined the salt administration.

"Yanzheng, we must take care of it!"

Zhu Youtang returned to the Qianqing Palace and was about to start government affairs. He had a premonition that the "Edict of Enthronement" was going to be read out at this time, so he murmured as if feeling something.

From ancient times to the present, officials at all levels are best at deceiving their superiors.

The salt administration is like a big cake. The essential reason why many small merchants who hold salt certificates cannot get salt is that all forces have extended their tentacles to this big cake.

It has been nearly 100 years since the opening of the Chinese law, and the salt interest has long been no longer in the hands of small salt merchants in Shanxi and Shaanxi, but in the hands of large merchants in Shanxi, officials of the salt government system, and even those in the capital. Officials who act as umbrellas also get a share.

The reason why many honest small salt merchants cannot get salt is not that the salt factory is really short of salt, but that these low-status small salt merchants do not have a good relationship.

Just like this, the root cause of the corruption of the salt government was not the emperor's excessive rewards, but the officials' greed for ink, which made the salt extraction difficult. In addition, the collusion between officials and businessmen also led to regional monopoly in the sales of salt.

The golden sun was falling on the Fengtian Gate, Zhou Hongmo, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, faced this huge imperial decree according to the scriptures.

The more than [-] civil and military officials kneeling here listened attentively, and it was unexpected and reasonable that the first article of the new policy should start with the salt policy.

After all, the salt administration is related to Ming's finances, and all parties are fighting for this piece of cake.

If His Majesty is fooled into stopping the spam and making foreign relatives, dignitaries and royal relatives leave this cake, then their Beijing officials will only increase their charcoal and ice warnings every year.

It's just that this credit must be attributed to Xu Pu's hands, so they all cast admiring and crowded eyes.

Xu Pu felt the scorching gazes from all around him, but knew that he had already won the hearts of all the officials, so the corners of his mouth could not help but rise slightly.

Zhou Hongmo seemed to have noticed the strangeness of all the officials kneeling in front of him, but he looked up and continued to read: "I also heard that Shanxi and Shaanxi big businessmen colluded with officials and businessmen, and the quotations far exceeded the stipulated three thousand, which caused small businessmen to lose their money." Salt can be picked up. Now it is time to patrol the salt and inspect the censor to check the big merchants of salt merchants. The number is limited to [-]. The excess should be dealt with legally, and the salt officials are not allowed to make it difficult for small merchants to pick up salt. From now on, salt will be distributed according to the locality, and no crossing the border is allowed. Selling, offenders will be inspected and corrected by the censor. Because salt merchants are becoming more evil, this dynasty has relaxed business restrictions, and innocent people from three generations can enter."

"Collusion between officials and businessmen?"

As each word fell into my ears, not only did the smile on Xu Pu's face disappear, but all the civil and military officials present looked at Zhou Hongmo in disbelief.

Your Majesty's excessive rewards, this is a villain fabricated by the civil official group for the current chaos in the salt government, but the biggest crux is that they cannot get rid of the collusion between officials and businessmen.

The reason why the salt dealers in Tiyin still can’t get the salt is that Yanyin’s profits are too high, so the officials who manage the salt have set up artificial obstacles, and even deliberately created the illusion that the salt households were dissatisfied with the squeeze and fled.

Of course, it is not enough to just set up obstacles to salt extraction. Only by joining hands with those big salt merchants can we achieve the goal of regional monopoly of the salt industry.

It's just that the spearhead of the New Deal is now pointing at the collusion between government and businessmen, and at the big salt merchants who extract benefits from the people for them. It is undoubtedly a blow to their seven inches.

"No, I didn't write that!"

Xu Pu listened to this regulation, but shook his head slightly.

What he wants is that His Majesty realizes the mistake of excessive rewards, and wants His Majesty to restrain the greedy hands of foreign relatives, dignitaries, and imperial relatives, instead of beating their officials and big salt merchants who are in the same boat.

Zhou Hongmo originally wanted to continue reading, but found that there was a sudden commotion below, and Dang even reprimanded with a straight face: "Quiet!"

"Zhou Shangshu, did you take the enthronement edict by mistake?" Xu Pu hesitated for a while, and finally couldn't suppress his doubts and asked.

Zhou Hongmo is Wan'an's township party member. Just now he saw Xu Pu teasing Wan'an in front of the Meridian Gate, so he scolded him, "Presumptuous, are you not obeying the edict?"

"I didn't refuse to follow the edict, but the regulations drafted by me are not like this!" Xu Pu naturally had no intention of this, but he said the reason for his doubts.

In his long-standing concept, the prince always obeyed his advice.

Although the enthronement edict was said to have been discussed by important ministers like them, most of it came from him. There shouldn't be such a big change in the above, and there is no reason to point the finger at the collusion between officials and businessmen, which is the core of the salt government's ills.

"Xu Xueshi, you also know that our courtiers are just drafting, so why don't you let His Majesty listen to you?" Liu Ji was also dissatisfied with Xu Pu, and at this time he issued a warning.

Feeling the hostility from the people around him, Xu Pu's expression darkened immediately, and he stopped talking.

In fact, Zhou Hongmo already knew that Zhu Youtang had made considerable changes to the Enthronement Edict. He just wanted Zhu Youtang to summon him yesterday and say those words of encouragement, and he vaguely sensed an opportunity.

Now the revision of the "Ascension Edict" drafted by Xu Pu reflects that Zhu Youtang did not obey Xu Pu's words. This may not be an opportunity for him.

Zhou Hongmo immediately warned the noisy officials present before continuing to read aloud.

Zhu Youtang made changes to many regulations, but no major changes were made.

The power of civil officials is not that they are dark-hearted, but that they have done shameless things like male robbers and female prostitutes secretly, but on the surface they will create an image of a gentleman.

Taking the salt policy clause just now as an example, the ills they pointed out, such as the excessive distribution of salt by His Majesty, the rampant illegal salt, and the trading of salt in different places, actually exist, and they even need to be resolved.

That's why it is true that the regulations drafted by civil officials cannot be killed with a single blow, and many of them can actually be used.

No.20 Nine Articles, in recent years, the military and civilians in the world have been exhausted financially.Order to reduce construction, except for city walls, piers, passes, warehouses, canals, etc., all other non-urgent tasks such as the construction of temples, pagodas, temples, temples, houses and walls, etc., are all stopped... According to the imperial court, a husband is not allowed to be a good at military service, and a penny is not allowed to be good at science.Violators are punished with a felony.

Zhu Youtang chose not to change a single word of this regulation.

As for "Order the admiral of the Zhejiang Shiplift Judiciary, the officials in Shouzhuchi are not allowed to guard the local area and also manage the sea, and the imperial edict that has been issued and authorized is returned", this article was directly deleted.

The content of the last five items is the same as the enthronement edicts of previous dynasties, such as recommending talents and advocating etiquette, so no changes have been made.

Zhou Hongzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to read: "The above grace, the imperial edict expires, even if there is a secretary, it will be followed. If there is a delay, it will be considered a violation of the system, and Xu Xun will investigate and question the crime according to the censor."

After reading the entire "Edict of Enthronement", all the officials present took a deep breath.

It has been widely rumored that the emperor of this dynasty is benevolent (so foolish), but this new emperor is clearly sober in the world, even worse than the previous emperor.

It's just that now "the new king is in place, and there will be no refunds or replacements." The Ming Dynasty ushered in the young emperor who was already sober in the world in the "Edict of Enthronement": Hongzhi.

(End of this chapter)