Invincible Zhengde

Chapter 47 Situation
"Originally, these merchants were doing ordinary business, transshipment, shops, and some emblem paper." Yang Lian continued: "But during the Chenghua period, the imperial government's salt administration was bad, and these merchants focused on the salt farm. These merchants have not gained much from the payment of grains promoted by the imperial court."

Hearing this, Zhu Youtang's face became a little ugly, and he felt that he was about to suffer.

"These businessmen usually advertise Confucian businessmen. Zhu Xi, a great Confucian, is from Huizhou. His grandfather was once known as Zhu Banzhou, which means that half of the industry in Huizhou belongs to Zhu Xi's grandfather. In Huizhou, businessmen and officials are inseparable. Merchants build colleges and pay for poor students to study.”

"At the same time, I also encourage my clan to study, and even sponsor people in the whole village to study and take the imperial examination. Those who are successful in their studies become officials, and those who fail to do so go into business. That's why the businessmen in Huizhou are all Confucian businessmen."

When Zhu Houzhao heard this, he raised his head and looked at his father. Obviously, this was not what his father wanted to hear.These things sound nothing at first, they seem to be pretty good, the wealthy businessmen are doing good deeds to repay the village, but when you think about it carefully, the scary place here can scare people to death.

You must know that Confucianism suppresses business, and they say that they are scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen are the lowest.

But what are they doing now?Batch training, those who succeed will become officials, and those who fail will go into business. What is this?Where did you put the emphasis on agriculture and suppression of business?Could it be that you told the emperor all these things?He didn't do that in private, isn't that a fart?

When talking about subsidizing education, you must know that this is not the Hope Project. You take money from others, and they pay for your education. At the same time, they also find you a teacher, and even marry you. Under such a social system, they tie you up. tight.What will you do after you become an official?Of course I have to repay, but how to repay?

Their words are probably more effective than the emperor's imperial decree, is it scary enough?This is a power grab from the state.

Zhu Youtang glanced at his son, and the expression on his face became ugly, which was much more terrifying than forming a party for personal gain.The key is to let his son tell the truth. Someone is really doing this. This is a big deal.After thinking about it, Zhu Youtang said to Yang Lian, "Continue talking about salt!"

"Yes, my lord!" Zhu Youtang agreed, and then quickly said: "Since the imperial court opened the bank, these Anhui merchants have started to deal in table salt."

"Because they are backed by the Lianghuai Salt Field, they have been operating it for so many years. They have the final say on the Lianghuai Salt Field. They also use the salt to extract the salt, and they can extract it, even the salt decades ago. They can also be exchanged. Other salt merchants can only queue up, and other salt merchants mentioned salt, and it is difficult to ship it out.”

"In the entire Shanyang Huai'an, they are all their people. It is impossible to use the canal to transport salt without their consent."

"They wantonly bought salt and sold table salt. Now, the entire Lianghuai salt field is their world."

Zhu Youtang looked at his son again, and it was the same as what he said. You must know that this was what his son said at the beginning, and he was going to do it.Bribe officials, hold the salt field, and then hold the entire Daming salt industry, and then further train and bribe officials, and swallow the entire Jiangnan.

After swallowing the south of the Yangtze River, he bribed and trained high-ranking officials, trying to train them to the center of the court, and even the cabinet, how ambitious he was.

The problem now is that what his son said is true and correct, someone is really doing this, Zhu Youtang's face is terribly dark.

In fact, Zhu Youtang's idea was wrong. It's not that someone is doing it, but everyone is doing it, otherwise there would be no subsequent party disputes.Everyone is relying on their own capital, and they are all doing this. After reaching the center, their respective interests are different, so they are beaten to death.

Of course, it is not always fighting, and there are common interests, such as exempting business tax, exempting mining tax, hiding land, consolidating tax exemption for scholars, and so on.

Although these people are fighting fiercely, they are fighting for their own interests, which is of no benefit to the court and the emperor.Because of the same interests, no matter who these people come to power, they will do the same things, and they will not benefit the emperor or the court at all. Are you angry?In such a situation, what should the emperor do?
Of course, those who choose to be obedient and willing to spend money for themselves, who are these people?Of course the eunuch!
With the eunuch as the leader, a large number of officials were recruited, and then a eunuch party was established to maintain their own status. This is the historical background of the birth of Wei Zhongxian's eunuch party.

If there were no eunuchs and eunuchs, the Donglin Party would do the same, and the Qi, Zhejiang and Chu Party would do the same, and the specific difference would not be very big.It's just that some people are not so greedy for profit and are willing to give a part of their interests to keep the country alive, while others are simply greedy for profit.

Shanxi merchants were beaten up by Huizhou merchants, and they couldn't beat them in salt. What did they do?Play smuggling directly, relying on geographical location to get out of the country.

After the Jin Dynasty entered the customs, the eight major Shanxi merchants became the eight imperial merchants. Of course, Huizhou merchants were not vegetarians either, and they even produced red-capped merchants like Hu Xueyan.It's just that the Qing Dynasty was dominated by the Manchus, and it was impossible to empty the Qing Dynasty like the Ming Dynasty. People would kill people with knives, and the Manchus and Hans were born to check and balance.

Zhu Youtang was silent for a long while without speaking, and after a long time he sighed softly, then turned his head to look at his son.

Zhu Youtang really couldn't understand, what was in his son's little head, how could he think of so many things, he didn't think of these things.Now that the results of the investigation are out, these people did what their son said, and after Nayin opened the middle school, they did what their son said.

"Where's the Ye family?" Zhu Youtang looked at Yang Lian and asked with the last hope in his heart.

"Back to the emperor, there are a total of [-] salt farms in Lianghuai Salt Farm, distributed in Huaibei and Huainan. Among these [-] salt farms, the Ye family occupies seven." Yang Lian said without thinking.

The atmosphere in the hall was quiet again, and Zhu Houzhao couldn't bear to look at his father's expression anymore.But Zhu Houzhao still raised his head and looked over, he was really afraid that his father would be pissed off.Seeing that although Zhu Youtang's face was dark, but there seemed to be no major problem, Zhu Houzhao breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, Zhu Houzhao knew it without guessing, because it was a routine operation in Daming's officialdom, and it was not surprising at all.

"Okay, I'm a little tired, let's do this first!" After saying this, Zhu Youtang stood up, turned around and walked back.

(End of this chapter)