Prince of Chaos

Dong Qichang was dragged by Wang Xijue to the small room in Wenyuan Pavilion, and the two sat facing each other.

Wang Xijue looked at Dong Qichang with a smile on his face, which made Dong Qichang more or less flattered.

Although Wang Xijue was very friendly to him on weekdays, and never pressured Dong Qichang with the style of a chief assistant, but it was the first time that someone was as gracious as today.

After all, Wang Xijue is still the chief assistant of the cabinet, and a chief assistant can do this, which shows that Dong Qichang is very important in the cabinet.

Of course, no matter how heavy this weight is, it is impossible for Shoufu to put down his airs to please his subordinates.

The most direct reason for this situation is today's Ciqing Palace deliberations.

It is not impossible to punish Ye Xianggao severely, and the tax systems of the north and the south are on the same track.

After all, since ancient times, people have been suffering from inequality instead of scarcity, and uneasiness instead of poverty.

The reason for punishing Ye Xianggao was that he was indeed caught with a leaky foot. Who let him be so carefree in Nanjing, even if he spent the night in a flower boat on the Qinhuai River in normal times, it was just a romantic affair.

However, Ye Xianggao has been in Nanjing for so many years and failed to handle the errand assigned by the crown prince. How can the crown prince tolerate him?

Therefore, he should be unlucky, and no one can save him.

The issue of the tax system between the north and the south, to put it bluntly, is the incongruity between the interests of the north and the south. The scholars in the south are envious of the prosperity and want to come in to get a share.

However, after seeing the Nine Sides tax system, they were unwilling to give up their benefits, so they made a fuss, thinking that there would be a large number of people to force the crown prince to cancel the Nine Sides tax system, and pay according to the tax system drawn up by Emperor Taizu.

However, is Nine Sides still the original Nine Sides?
Jiubian is now the crown prince's forbidden scorpion, whoever dares to touch the fruit here will be courting death!

Therefore, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will continue to follow Ye Xianggao's case to directly promote the same tax system in the north and south, and collect the same tax as the nine sides in the south.

Although these problems are serious, to be honest, they are not serious. It is nothing more than everyone restraining themselves and cooperating. After the wind blowing by the crown prince, it is not their decision whether to pay taxes or not?
After all, since Emperor Taizu, they have been able to resist taxes. After Emperor Yingzong, they have made non-payment of taxes a daily routine. Even if the court wants to punish them, they are not afraid. ?

Moreover, in the south there is also a routine of asking for a staff.

The so-called asking for a stick is to hire someone to bear the board that one is going to suffer, so that one is punished, so compared with a board and the tax of cutting one's own flesh, it is just a cloud.

After all, even in the prosperous Jiangnan, there are still more poor people than rich people.

It's not too cost-effective to give these poor people money and let them go out and get a board.

In fact, the reason for such a strange phenomenon is also very simple, that is, the penalty for resisting taxes is so light that everyone dares to refuse taxes openly.

Therefore, the financial dilemma of the Ming Dynasty was planted when the country was founded. It is simply impossible to expect a feudal society that does not have much correction ability and talks about the ancestral system and benevolent government every day to carry out judicial progress, judicial reform and taxation changes. Kidding.

In many courts, since the founding king made the laws, if no strong monarch appeared, these laws would almost have to be obeyed until the dynasty perished.

Moreover, during this process, the enforcement of the law is often disturbed by various human factors. Compared with the so-called benevolent and virtuous government, many sins will be lightly let go, which will lead to the collapse of the law over time. .

The biggest harm of the collapse of the law is that the imperial power is no longer strong, the emperor is no longer able to speak out, and the scholar-officials can use public opinion to suppress the imperial power.

After a long time, the imperial power has been weak, and a society that should have a strict legal system has become a society of human feelings. The rich and powerful will be exposed lightly if they break the law, and the poor people will be punished by all kinds of so-called even if they do not break the law. Follow the rules, and then become slaves and playthings of the rich and powerful.

Therefore, even if the issue of the north-south taxation system was finalized in the Ciqing Palace, no one present, as well as people above and below the ruling and opposition parties, were really afraid.

They are willing to give imperial power face, so they pretend to be obedient for a while, if they don't give face, then continue to do their own way, what can imperial power do?

Anyway, this is an era when the imperial power does not come down to the county. When the county magistrates below are in collusion with the local gentry, so what if the emperor is more wise?

Can the emperor abandon his "foundation" and work with the scholar-bureaucrats?
Obviously this is impossible.

However, at the end of the discussion, the crown prince actually mentioned the issue of checkpoints.

This level is no small problem.

This level is a big problem that cannot be solved!

Because the checkpoint also has a name called "Caoguan"!
For the word Chaoguan, there is no need to elaborate too much, it can be taken as it is.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to abolish the banknotes. Isn't this just smashing people's jobs?
How low the salary in the Ming Dynasty was is obvious to all.

It can be called the best of the dynasty!

Although these salaries seem to be quite a lot when converted into modern amounts.

However, everything must be told in the context of the times, and telling stories out of the context of the times would be hooliganism.

When a foreign official goes out, he has to spend his own money to hire a teacher and staff when he reaches the state capital.

The imperial court does not pay for the expenses of these masters and staff, and the officials have to pay for it themselves.

But in ancient times, it was very expensive to hire a decent teacher and staff. It is just a dream to hire a teacher to work part-time with only a little salary!
There is another problem, which is a problem unique to ancient times. In ancient times, a lot of etiquette and rules were paid attention to. When an official dragged his family to a place, his wife and concubines were not able to earn money. There is also a servant girl to serve.

It’s not like when a magistrate takes office in modern times, his wife can still come out to work, and she will also be transferred along with the work, and will be arranged to work in a planetarium library or a certain association to receive a salary.

This was impossible in ancient times. In the thousands of years of Chinese history, it has never been heard that the wife of an official can come out to work.

Therefore, these expenses are also a considerable amount of expenses. Therefore, if you want to maintain a basic decent life, the little salary given by the court is really not as good as drinking the northwest wind.

Therefore, Chaoguan appeared naturally. The emergence of Chaoguan not only effectively solved the income problem of officials, but also played a role in restricting population flow and maintaining feudal rule.

And once the money gate is touched, it is digging its own grave!

Therefore, whether it is Wang Xijue or other ministers, they are actually very panicked.

Because this money pass is really unbearable!

If you really want to move money, unless it is a change of dynasty!
However, looking at such deep-rooted and intertwined financial interests, it is presumed that even if the dynasty changes, this problem may not be resolved.

And the fact is just like this, even in the era before Zhu Changluo traveled, these "money gates" still existed.

Like a small business hawker who wants to open a small shop, a factory will be visited by various government offices. It is not firefighting expenses, sanitation treatment fees, market management fees, etc. There are so many names that make people dizzy, and , and even make people pick out the thorns, it is simply an amazing and great invention!

Therefore, Zhu Changluo said in the Ciqing Palace that he would abolish the checkpoints of Daming. To put it bluntly, the crown prince must have lost his mind!

"Xuanzai, try it. This is the old man who just got a can of Yunnan coffee recently. It is in short supply. Even princes and nobles may not be able to drink it a few times."

Dong Qichang looked at the coffee in front of him, his eyes lit up, the aroma was right, and he could tell from the first smell that it was the top coffee beans carefully selected by Xishan Huangzhuang in Yunnan Coffee Farm. This is a treasure equal to its weight in gold!

Although Dong Qichang twitched his index finger, he still held back.

Dong Qichang said: "Yuanfu, I won't be rewarded for nothing. This coffee is too expensive."

Wang Xijue said: "What is Xuanzai talking about? Is the old man just asking you to drink coffee? Besides, I am the chief minister of the cabinet, who can make me ask for something? Treating you to drink coffee today is just like pure and mysterious. I just want to chat with you."

Dong Qichang also understood that this was just rhetoric, and he also knew that today he would definitely not be able to escape, and luckily the crown prince gave enough hints and instructions when he stayed in the Ciqing Palace for a while.

Therefore, Dong Qichang did not panic.

Dong Qichang took a sip of the coffee with confidence, and then enjoyed the bitterness on the tip of his tongue and the sweetness under his tongue.

Wang Xijue was in a good mood watching Dong Qichang drink his coffee.

Wang Xijue said: "Your Highness said about the checkpoint today, but I still can't express my thoughts. Originally, I should have said this directly to His Highness, but considering His Highness's determination, I think it is better to talk to you, Xuanzai. Okay, after all, you are His Highness's mentor, and you have always been in His Highness's heart, so it will be safer for you to help me with my advice."

Listening to Wang Xijue's words, Dong Qichang knew that Wang Xijue couldn't bear it. After all, the fact was too great. If Wang Xijue could bear it, it would be hell.

Dong Qichang said: "Yuanfu, it's okay to say, as long as I can help Yuanfu, I will definitely help him."

Wang Xijue was pleasantly surprised, he really didn't expect Dong Qichang to dare to do so much, and actually said that he would definitely help.

Wang Xijue was not polite anymore, Wang Xijue said: "Xuanzai, you know that the checkpoints are harmful, but the checkpoints are also where the country is stable. All problems in the world need money to solve, and the imperial court's annual taxes That is more than 2000 million, although it is about three times higher than before His Highness supervised the country."

"But it's still a drop in the bucket! Over the years, Henan, Shaanxi, Shandong, Anhui and other places have been building basic water conservancy projects. The expenditure for this item alone is as high as 1000 million taels of silver, which used up half of the imperial court's taxes. There are also ordinary Some droughts, floods and other problems also cost a lot of money, and the money spent on it every year ranges from one million to three to five million."

"According to these two things alone, seventy-eight out of ten of the imperial court's annual tax of 2000 million yuan has been used up, and the remaining money will be distributed to officials, and some money will be kept for the Chinese New Year."

"It can be said that although the imperial court's taxes have increased compared to before, they are still unable to make ends meet. If the checkpoints are abolished at this time, and officials from all over the country have no financial resources, how can they work for the imperial court with peace of mind?"

"Take the governor of the imperial court as an example. The governor is usually a second-rank official of the court, and his annual salary is only 180 taels. Even if His Highness grants a double salary, it is only 360 taels of silver."

"However, can these 360 ​​taels support a governor? A governor always has his own master, staff and various book offices when he goes to a place. These people cost money, and a good master costs more than 1000 a year. The salary of two. Counting on the little salary given by the imperial court, how can we support a government office?"

"Thus, these checkpoints are very important and cannot be abolished, at least until these problems are resolved. Otherwise, the court will be paralyzed in an instant, and all officials can't sleep even if they stay twelve hours a day. Complete these complicated government affairs."

"Your Highness may not know about these issues, but how can I, as a courtier, watch His Highness take the wrong step? Your Highness is the foundation of the country, the future of Ming Dynasty, and the foundation of Ming Dynasty. How can we sit on the sidelines and fall into the trap of Your Highness for such an important matter?" In the mire?"

"So, Xuanzai, you can help the old man to give advice, and see how to persuade His Highness to withdraw his order, so as not to make a big mistake!"

After listening to Wang Xijue's words, Dong Qichang quietly took a sip of the still warm coffee. He never thought that the problem Wang Xijue was going to talk about was so serious.

However, fortunately, the crown prince also expected this and opened his mouth. There was no one-size-fits-all, so Dong Qichang was still able to hold on.

Wang Xijue watched Dong Qichang calm down and drink coffee after listening to his words. He couldn't help admiring this young junior. He really has the style of a general who does not change his face when a mountain collapses in front of him. In the future, the cabinet will be entrusted to him In his hand, Wang Xijue can also rest assured.

Dong Qichang said: "What Yuanfu said is true. The checkpoint is indeed related to the stability of the country, and it is true that it cannot be fixed across the board. Even if it is to be moved, it must be gradually figured out. First, you must find the right direction, and then you can use it to solve the problem. The way to deal with it slowly.”

"Just now, His Highness stayed with the younger generation for a while, and also talked to Eunuch Sun about the barriers set up by the guarding eunuchs sent by Ouchi. In general, it is similar to the governor's problem that Yuanfu said."

"His Royal Highness also thinks that checkpoints are a big deal and cannot be dealt with across the board. We must first sort out the classification, and understand the function of each checkpoint and what the money collected is. We must first know what is done, and then we can deal with it according to the actual situation."

"So, Yuanfu, don't be impatient. Your Highness's sacred heart is lofty, and his gaze is definitely beyond the reach of ordinary people like me. Your Highness has already thought about him, and he must have known it at this moment. Yuansuke's old-fashioned heart."

"So, about the checkpoint. Yuanfu doesn't need to be anxious. He just needs to report the actual situation to His Highness in detail. This junior believes that His Highness will definitely make an extremely wise decision!"

Wang Xijue never expected that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had already thought of this, which made Wang Xijue heaved a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was really afraid that if His Royal Highness was also arbitrary this time, it would be troublesome.

Wang Xijue was in a good mood, he took a sip of the coffee in front of him contentedly, and then said: "Usually I think this coffee is too bitter, if it wasn't for its refreshing effect, I wouldn't want to drink more. But today, this cup of coffee makes me taste the aroma. It’s not bad, it’s not bad.”

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The issue of banknotes in the Ming Dynasty is a bit unsolvable, so I also plan to avoid the important ones and finish it lightly. . . .Disappointed readers, I originally planned to write a big one. . .

The next volume is Jiangnan!