In the past two days, Zhu Gaochi was really stumped by the memorial.
My slightly fat body lost two pounds.
I looked through the classics left by Hongwu on the salt calculation method and tried to see the disadvantages of the salt calculation method. But who dared to write about Emperor Gao's mistakes and bad government?
therefore.
What I saw were only a few strokes or records praised by historians.
Returning to the East Palace in a daze, Zhu Gaochi seemed to be deep in thought. He didn't even see Zhu Zhanyong appear in front of him.
"Zhan Yong, my father has no time today. You can eat some cakes and then go back."
As he spoke, he sighed softly and pushed the brocade plate in front of Zhu Zhanyong.
Zhu Zhanyong came to tell Zhu Gaochi that he had been tricked and that Zhu Di didn't know about the Salt Law. Even the emperor would not be happy if he didn't read this memorial.
But Zhu Gaochi didn't know that he had intercepted Xie Jin's carriage, so Zhu Zhanyong still had to pretend to be confused.
"Father, is there something on your mind?"
Zhu Gaochi seemed to feel uncomfortable under the pressure, so he nodded: "My father originally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to observe the government to share the worries of your grandpa, but now it will be difficult for him to write a memorial for three days..."
When he sighed, the old eunuch from Fengtian Palace came striding in and said: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, when will the memorial be sent to Fengtian Palace?"
Zhu Zhanyong handed over the memorial: "This memorial will no longer be read by the East Palace."
Zhu Gaochi was stunned and looked at this courageous son in shock. However, if he wanted to read it now, he would just be incompetent and furious. Reading the memorial is not just a check and a cross, and many people are involved behind it.
After listening to Zhu Zhanyong's words, the old eunuch felt a little angry, but he finally got an answer and turned back to report.
Zhu Gaochi took a deep breath, turned his head and said angrily: "You bastard! How could you say such a thing? If it's over, your grandpa will definitely slap your skin..."
"It's the fault of a son who doesn't teach his father. If Grandpa Huang wants to teach me a lesson, who will he teach me first?"
Zhu Gaochi's face tightened and he felt a chill on his back.
"What to do?"
"Grandpa Huang will call father in a moment. Father will tell you the truth."
Zhu Gaochi sighed softly: "Do you know the difficulties of the salt calculation method?"
"Of course I know."
"Nowadays, people in various prefectures in the south of the Yangtze River are deeply resentful."
"Father, do you know why?"
After searching the classics, he could not find the reason. Zhu Gaoxu looked at Zhu Zhanyong blankly, as if he wanted to hear what he said next.
Zhu Zhanyong had discussed it with Lao Zhu a long time ago and said simply and clearly: "Selling salt according to household registration means that the people can't finish it. The court still sells salt to the people forcibly according to the number of people in the family every month, which increases the burden on the people.
Like a forced tax."
Zhu Gaochi had a look of sudden realization on his face.
He was a person who cared about the people's sentiments. When he went south from Beiping Mansion to the capital, he saw many desolate places.
"No wonder, no wonder, no wonder there is so much resentment among the people in Jiangnan, and the people can no longer survive."
"The monthly requirement to buy a fixed amount is a huge burden for the people." Zhu Zhanyong said: "The salt calculation law should be abolished."
"But...but how to calculate the accounts of the Account Department?"
"My son, I have thought of a way. If Grandpa Huang asks, my father will just say this."
Zhu Gaochi was puzzled. After hearing this, his expression gradually became brighter. Before he could ask Zhu Zhanyong, the old eunuch from Fengtian Palace came to summon him again:
"Prince, His Majesty summons you to Fengtian Palace."
Zhu Gaochi straightened his regular clothes and followed the old eunuch to Fengtian Hall.
When he entered the palace gate, he saw Zhu Di sitting on a high seat with his eyebrows furrowed. This was the second time he saw Zhu Di in Fengtian Palace after coming to the capital.
In the main hall, there was also Chen Ying, the censor of the capital.
"My son has met my father!"
Zhu Di squinted his eyes and asked coldly: "I heard, you have been watching the government for three days, and you don't want to read the memorial?"
"Father, I don't know that the Songjiang Mansion's salt calculation method is really difficult to judge." Zhu Gaochi looked embarrassed.
"What's the difficulty?"
"The salt-by-mouth method was originally implemented because people bought salt many times and had too much small money, which made it difficult for the household department to calculate. So it was changed to the current salt-by-mouth method. Salt is sold to the people at a fixed amount every month based on the population."
"But the people may not be able to finish the food. The imperial court sells it by force every month, just like doing corvée work, which increases the burden on the people."
After Zhu Di heard the explanation, although he understood it, his eyebrows were still frowning: "Things like this happen every day in the court, and this is not the only one of the most difficult things in the world."
"My son, I have thought of a countermeasure, but I just want to discuss it with my father." Zhu Gaochi raised his head.
Chen Ying, the imperial censor of the capital, turned around. He had originally proposed the Salt Law to the imperial court to allow the imperial court to control the sale of salt and to facilitate the liquidation of the Ministry of Household Affairs. He had thought about it for a long time.
Because the court had no way to solve these two problems at the same time.
The only option is to choose the lesser of two powers that harm each other. He would like to hear, what other countermeasures are there?
"Let me hear it?" Zhu Di's voice was very low, and his attention was entirely on Zhu Gaochi.
"The solution I thought of was that salt would still be sold by the court, but the people who came to buy salt would change from common people to merchants, and they would be sold a fixed amount, and then the merchants would sell it to the common people. The common people were free to buy as much as they wanted.
The accounting of sales accounts was also transferred from the court to the merchants."
This is the result of many discussions between Zhu Zhanyong and Lao Zhu.
Zhu Di chuckled: "Isn't this the Kaizhong that Emperor Gao followed in his early years?"
"Yes, I'm sorry that I haven't finished yet."
"In the early years of Emperor Gao's reign, he implemented the Kaizhong Salt Law, which allowed merchants to transport grain to the frontiers in exchange for salt, and then transport it to various places for sale. However, his ministers wanted to change it, and instead of exchanging grain for salt, they exchanged it for silver.
For salt coupons, set up salt bureaus in various places to collect coupons and buy salt."
Zhu Di's eyes narrowed slightly. When the grain was transported to the border and farmed in the fields, the border troops couldn't finish it. It rotted in the warehouse and turned into silver, which could be collected into the national treasury and fill the national power.
When your mind changes, you will know that it is good governance.
Zhu Gaochi added: "In addition, the court needs to establish a salt law. Dukes, eunuchs and civil servants are not allowed to ask for salt from the court, and the court is not allowed to use salt as salary and give it to officials."
Although he didn't know what the purpose was, this was what Zhu Zhanyong asked him to say.
This set of salt laws, from the Kaizhong Method, to the Ye Qi Reform in the mid-Ming Dynasty, to the Qing Dynasty's Salt Law and Salt Law, was completed in one step.
In fact, the Kaizhong method is very useful. It allows merchants to transport grain to the border areas and use it as military pay, saving the court a lot of waste.
But it is monopolized.
After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, princes and even eunuchs asked the emperor for salt, so it was necessary to promulgate such a salt law.
Chen Ying's heart trembled, and she kept her eyes on Zhu Gaochi for a long time. She wanted to observe politics for the first time and give Zhu Gaochi power, but now he couldn't find fault.
Zhu Gaochi slowly raised his head: "I wonder what my father wants?"
Zhu Di couldn't help being shocked. He had considered everything from transactions to laws. He simply couldn't believe it. It was Zhu Gaochi who came up with it. He turned his head and looked at the old eunuch: "Go, bring all the great bachelors of Wenyuan Pavilion and all the six departments.
Summon them, I have something important to discuss with them, wait a minute, go to Jiming Temple and summon Yao Guangxiao too!"
