Traveled through Daming, but was punished by the old Zhu Shizu

Xiao Zhu replied, "The government has a monopoly."

"Oh, yes, yes, monopoly! Since we are the ones to do the monopoly, what else does Liu Xiu need to do? From our point of view, it doesn't matter if there is him or not. We don't need to partner with him, we can do it on our own. do it."

There was cold sweat on Shen Wansan's forehead, this old Zhu was really too difficult to deal with.

Fortunately, Liu Xiu specifically explained this matter before leaving.

It's just...until the last moment, Shen Wansan really didn't want to use Liu Xiu's rhetoric!

However, now that the arrow is on the string, it has to be launched!

Shen Wansan bit the bullet and said,

"Your Majesty, please forgive the criminals for speaking out! If Your Majesty insists on doing this by himself, within three years, this matter will be completely impossible to do! On the contrary, it will become a burden to Your Majesty!"

Chapter 117 Giving Money to Corrupt Officials

Old Zhu's face immediately darkened when he heard this, and his voice was cold,

"Oh? Liu Xiu means that we can control the world, but we can't control this little salt industry?!"

Shen Wansan responded, "Of course."

"Hehe," Old Zhu looked down at Shen Wansan, Shen Wansan immediately felt like a thorn in his back, but when he thought of Liu Xiu's promise to him, Shen Wansan could only bite the bullet and push forward.

"What else did that kid Liu Xiu say? Tell us all about it! If you can't convince us, we'll take over the salt industry. This kid Liu Xiu has paid off!"

Shen Wansan said, "Your Majesty, it is not good for the salt industry to be completely left to merchants, because merchants put profit first, so they will inevitably hoard goods and disturb the salt price, which will only hurt the people and the country in the end."

Xiao Zhu and Queen Ma couldn't stop nodding.

Old Zhu hummed lightly, and said, "It seems that this kid thinks quite clearly!"

"However, Your Majesty, it is not good for the salt industry to be completely monopolized by the state. During the Hanwu period, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty monopolized salt and iron, which was effective in accumulating during the war with the Xiongnu. However, after the Huns were pacified, the salt and iron monopoly system caused It made the country rich and the people poor.”

"At the Salt and Iron Conference, Confucian scholars discussed with Sang Hongyang whether salt and iron should be monopolized by the state. However, from the Han Dynasty to the Huanling period, the upper echelon had always been allowed to control the salt industry. Instead of benefiting the people, Instead, a privileged class was formed. That was the later clan."

Old Zhu straightened up unconsciously. Speaking of which, Liu Xiu's remarks were very similar to Dong Daru's article on climate impacts on nomadic people going south that he had submitted to him a few days ago.

What's more, Liu Xiu's remarks often seem flimsy, but they can always point out the problem straight to the point.

in fact,

Now during the Hongwu period, the salt was completely directly managed by the government, and the model of selling salt to the outside world had a big problem...

As long as there is profit, there will be corruption,

Old Zhu can manage around Yingtian Mansion, but the world is so big, there are inevitably places that Old Zhu can't see,

In some places, officials and businessmen colluded, bureaucrats used salt to attract quotas to extort bribes, and merchants used the qualifications of selling salt to squeeze people, and the Ming Dynasty treasury was poor. Lao Zhu could only grit his teeth and watch these big corrupt officials and big profiteers. No,

Old Zhu is a good hand in governing the country, but the economy is really bad. In the Ming Dynasty, there will be no time when the treasury is abundant.

Moreover, when Shen Wansan went to Beijing today, he gave Lao Zhu an idea. In fact, Lao Zhu was always thinking about how to use Liu Xiu. After all, Liu Xiu was neither a descendant of a hero nor a scholarly family. Instead, he came from the most humble family of merchants.

However, Liu Xiu can always point out the weakest place of Ming Dynasty. The former has the royal family dragging down the finances, and now there are disadvantages caused by the salt industry monopoly...

My method of massacring corrupt officials is nothing more than fishing out the water. Corrupt officials are like weeds, once harvested, they will grow a new crop immediately. Lao Zhu also began to think whether our method is fundamentally wrong?

In business talk business, how about letting Liu Xiu use the businessman's method to try? !

As soon as this idea came out, Lao Zhu couldn't control it anymore, maybe the sale of salt is a good whetstone!

Seeing that old Zhu was silent for a long time, little Zhu smiled kindly at Shen Wansan,

"continue."

"Yes, Your Highness." Shen Wansan wiped off his cold sweat extremely quickly, "Master Liu means that it is not acceptable to hand over all the salt industry to merchants, nor to the government, and there is no way to eradicate corrupt officials. ..."

"How?" Lao Zhu subconsciously asked.

Shen Wansan gritted his teeth, his voice trembling, "If this is the case, why don't you just send money to the bureaucrats!"

"?"

Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then the anger in his chest could no longer be contained, he pointed at Shen Wansan's head and cursed,

"Those corrupt officials are corrupt behind our backs, and we still have to give them money?! Why are we so cheap?! It's a bunch of nonsense!!! It's just a bunch of nonsense!!!!"

Xiao Zhu quickly supported Lao Zhu, and said softly, "Father, calm down, calm down, this man hasn't finished speaking yet, why don't you just listen to him, maybe we misunderstood."

"Hmph!" Old Zhu took a few breaths before snorting coldly, "What fart does Liu Xiu have?! Let's let it go together!"

Shen Wansan continued, "Your Majesty, what Master Liu means is to give money to corrupt officials."

"Okay! Really think we are clay figurines who dare not get angry?! There is a girl here, if we don't kill Liu Xiu, can't we kill you?! Come on! Take Shen Wansan down and chop him up!"

As soon as the words fell, two Jin Yiwei rushed in from nowhere, one left and one right set up Shen Wansan, and were about to drag him away. Shen Wansan neither disturbed nor struggled, but asked calmly,

"Your Majesty, dare to ask if someone is changed to be the magistrate, can he not be greedy? What if it is His Majesty?!"

Seeing that Shen Wansan was about to be pulled out and hacked, Empress Ma couldn't help but speak when Lao Zhu flashed his eyes and suddenly said,

"and many more!"

The two Jin Yiwei threw Shen Wansan down. Shen Wansan's chest heaved violently. Old Zhu asked,

"What do you mean by that?"

"If your majesty goes down to be a local official, can you not be greedy?"

Old Zhu sneered twice, "Hehe, I can tell you with a pat on the chest, we! No! Greedy!"

Shen Wansan said solemnly, "That's because His Majesty doesn't regard himself as an official at all!"

"What does this mean?!"

"Your Majesty, if you are a ninth-rank official, and your annual salary is only sixty shi, will this food be enough for your family for a year? If your empress and Your Highness are hungry, will you not be greedy?!"

Old Zhu subconsciously said, "It's impossible for us to let our sister and boss go hungry!"

Lao Zhu suddenly realized, and quickly said, "But we won't be greedy either! These are two different things!"

Shen Wansan said earnestly, "Your Majesty, this is the same thing. Some big corrupt officials are cunning and greedy by nature, so they should be dealt with severely! But most of these corrupt officials are those who have the instinct to become honest officials!"

"They don't want to be greedy either, but the official salary for you is only enough to cover a family of three for a year. Anyone else would be greedy. If that's the case..."

"Then the fundamental problem of corrupt officials in Ming Dynasty is not with one or two people, but with the fundamental system!"

Shen Wansan was like a thunderbolt, shaking the palace into silence. Old Zhu knew who said these words, and he seemed to have seen that young man talking in front of him.

However, Lao Zhu did not accept it!

Old Zhu said angrily,

"Fart! Pure fucking fart! We used to be able to live with a mouthful of food, and we lived well! How come hundreds of stones of food a year is not enough for them?! They are so much more expensive than us gold?! "

Chapter 118

Shen Wansan secretly rejoiced in his heart, if he couldn't hold back, he would have been frightened foolishly.

Fortunately, before leaving, Liu Xiu counted all the possible words of Lao Zhu,

Naturally, this sentence is also included.

If Liu Xiu hadn't taught Shen Wansan what to say sentence by sentence, Shen Wansan would probably be ready to reincarnate now.

Before Shen Wansan could open his mouth, Lao Zhu looked at Shen Wansan with a fighting spirit, and said provocatively,

"Come on! How did Liu Xiu teach you this sentence! Today we will see if we are right! Or that brat!"

Xiao Zhu unconsciously moved closer to Lao Zhu, he was really afraid that Lao Zhu would pull out his sword violently and be chopped off by Shen Wansan.

"Your Majesty, Master Liu has indeed explained this matter."

"Speak!" Old Zhu walked up to Shen Wansan, "Come on! Get up and speak! Don't let that Liu Xiu think that we are overpowering others!"

"Criminals dare not..."

"stand up!"

"Yes…"

"Say!"

Shen Wansan said, "Your Majesty, Mr. Liu said that times and situations are different, so we should analyze specific issues."

Lao Zhu frowned, "Analyze specific issues... Hehe, that sounds nice. Come on, let's listen to Liu Xiu's analysis!"

"Your Majesty, Mr. Liu said that from the perspective of a ninth-rank official, not to mention sixty stones a year, even with a discount, they can survive. Even if there is no food, they will not die of starvation even if they eat grass."

"Hehe." Old Zhu cast a look at Xiao Zhu, "I mean, they won't starve to death at all! That's when we came here!"

"However, Your Majesty, when you were starving, it was under the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. The people were in dire straits, and starvation was everywhere. But now, under the rule of Your Majesty, how can the prosperous Ming Dynasty be compared with the chaotic one? This is called the difference in environment. "

Lao Zhu pursed his lips and remained silent.

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, there have been great meritorious officials. A group of meritorious officials accompanied Your Majesty to conquer the world, and they wanted to do the work of rewarding them. However, Your Majesty only rewarded the great meritorious officials, but completely forgot about those small ones. Daming Some officials were officials at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, but after the Tianzi Banner changed from Yuan to Ming, their salaries not only did not increase, but were so low that they were struggling to eat. May I ask Your Majesty, what do these people think of Your Majesty? The conditions are different."

Xiao Zhu subconsciously looked at Old Zhu, his palms were already covered with cold sweat,

"father…"

Lao Zhu closed his eyes, his voice was trembling,

"continue."

"Master Liu also said..."

Upon hearing the words Master Liu, Lao Zhu's eyelids couldn't help jumping wildly.

"Master Liu also said that now he just has to be greedy, but if things go on like this, a more terrifying situation will form."

Empress Ma asked, "What's the situation?"

Shen Wansan's eyes burst into light, "To be an official, you must be greedy!"

Lao Zhu suddenly opened his eyes and said angrily,

"What's the point?! You still have to be greedy?! Hehe, I'm really not afraid that we'll have another Hu Weiyong case?!"

Shen Wansan bowed and said,

"Your Majesty, this criminal didn't fully understand Master Liu's meaning, so he can only repeat what Master Liu said to His Majesty."