Datang: My Peerless Talent Has Been Exposed

"Old Fang, go outside and explain to the person brought by Lao Li, the money will be moved to the back, so don't delay our brothers drinking and chatting."

Li Shimin smiled and gave Zhang Nuo a thumbs up, Xiao Zhang's shopkeeper is grand!

But he didn't forget to come today, there is still a big matter to talk to the shopkeeper Xiao Zhang, that is, he obviously held back several times, but he didn't ask about the increase in the export treasury.

In the early morning this morning, not only the Ministry of War, but even the Ministry of Officials were actually talking about this.

Because the Ministry of Officials found that the housing subsidies given to officials seemed a bit insufficient. After many newly promoted officials came to work in Chang'an City, they could not rent suitable houses with the housing subsidies given by the yamen.

But if the salary is included, the family will have no money to eat.

When the problem came to Changsun Wuji, Changsun Wuji couldn't help it. He knew that the rent in Chang'an City had risen now. After all, his family had several houses for rent.

But the key point is that when the Ministry of Officials communicated with the Ministry of Household Affairs, they immediately responded with a sentence of no money, which made Changsun Wuji angry and didn't know where to send it.

Simply, he simply brought this matter up to the court meeting.

Of course, in the end it's just arguing with each other, and the empty treasury is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.

But the current situation is that there is no place to save money yet, but there are a lot of places to spend money.

Li Shimin had no other choice at the moment, so he could only go to shopkeeper Xiao Zhang to listen to his opinions.

Zhang Nuo first went to the kitchen to prepare the tamales and other dishes, and then told the Da Zhuang brothers, and when he returned to the table, he heard Li Shimin asking questions.

"Brother Zhang, tell me, is there a solution to the emptiness of the national treasury?"

Zhang Nuo looked at Lao Li as if he was a fool,

"Lao Li, are you okay? Why are you thinking about these things all day long? Is it because the food is not delicious or is your sister-in-law making you unhappy? Just live your own life, why are you thinking about what you have?"

Li Shimin didn't know how to respond to Zhang Nuo's attack. Could it be that this is his full-time job?

However, he didn't want to reveal his identity so early, so he had to come up with an excuse he had thought up before and said,

"Oh, it's not me, it's a relative of mine who works in the household department and has been worrying about the emptiness of the national treasury recently. If you have any good suggestions, my relative will definitely bring yours when reporting to the Shangguan. name."

"At that time, maybe the Holy Majesty will also know that you are a talented person in the market. After all, my brother, you will be an official in the court one day!"

Zhang Nuo nodded in approval, really, it seems not bad to be able to make a nickname in the court in advance!

So Zhang Nuo opened his mouth and said,

"If this is the case, then let me tell you my opinion. The empty treasury is nothing more than too few sources of income, so tax it!"

Li Shimin was a little disappointed, why did shopkeeper Xiao Zhang finally talk about tax collection?

Then if it goes on like this, it won't be easy for the people to fluctuate. What if someone really rises up?

Seeing that Li Shimin's expression was not quite right, Zhang Nuo knew that Lao Li probably wanted to make a mistake, so he patted him on the shoulder with a smile,

"I said, what are you thinking, Lao Li? You don't think that tax collection is for those miserable peasant households, do you?"

Li Shimin was taken aback, didn't he ask farmers to collect taxes?

Zhang Nuo leaned back with a smile, and said lightly with a smile on his face,

"Old Li, you have to understand that the farmer has been busy in the fields for a year, and the harvest is deducted from the food. How much money is there in total? Even if the state targets the farmer, how much can they reap?"

"The most important thing is that if the agricultural tax is changed, the whole world will be in chaos. How could I give such a bad idea to your relatives! Wouldn't that ruin my reputation! Or is it that you, Old Li, don't believe me so much?"

When Li Shimin was here with Zhang Nuo, almost every time he came, he would be insulted. He was used to it, and it was the same at this moment.

Zhang Nuo didn't care, and continued,

"In the final analysis, if the national treasury wants to increase revenue, it still has to collect business tax. This is the real big deal. If it is done, the emperor will be exempted from agricultural tax in the future!"

Li Shimin didn't hear anything else, but when he heard the sentence that the merchant tax can be exempted from the agricultural tax, his eyes lit up immediately!

Chapter 38

As an ambitious monarch, Li Shimin has truly inherited and carried forward the fine traditions of Li Yuan's reign.

One of the most important points is the extremely simple taxation.

In addition to renting and regulating, there are basically no other taxes, and the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty were the only periods in China that did not engage in salt and iron monopoly and collected miscellaneous taxes for industry and commerce.

This is not only a policy of lightly corvee and lightly endowed, but also a kind of great self-confidence.

Why did so many dynasties want to monopolize salt and iron? On the one hand, the treasury needs to make money, and on the other hand, it is to control the manufacture and circulation of weapons.

But at this time, whether it was Li Yuan who founded the country or Li Shimin at this time, they obviously trusted their own wrists and Datang's force to the extreme.

Both father and son believed that salt and iron were the things that the common people used in their daily lives, and they should serve the people first. That's why Changsun Wuji's family became the largest iron dealer in Chang'an City.

Zhang Nuo was also talking now, stood up and walked with his hands behind his back, saying,

"Old Li, you and I are both businessmen. The profit we earn in a day may be the income of a farmer for a year."

"But in fact, what we need to pay to Guochao is only two shi of corn per person, sixty feet of silk and a little grain, which is less than half of the money!"

"Why does the state look down on merchants? Isn't it because merchants don't do production, but they can afford fine clothes and fine food, and farmers work all day long but have poor food and drink?"

"So, collecting business taxes from merchants is the best way to solve the emptiness of the national treasury!"

Li Shimin frowned and thought about what Zhang Nuo said, and he agreed with it in his heart. After all, he knew that merchants were richer than farmers.

He didn't feel sorry for the little money for the merchants, but wondered if this matter would bring about some chain reactions.