"Thanks to your Lordship's care, I will perform my humble duties with all my heart and be diligent in the king's affairs. I will go through fire and water to supervise the country, and I will repay the kindness of your Lordship." A sixty-year-old old man said.
"Well! You are the best reward for me if you work carefully." Gu Yi, the right servant of the Ministry of Personnel, picked up the tea cup.
The old man said goodbye wisely (serving tea to see guests off was a fine tradition started in the Song Dynasty and would naturally be continued in the Ming Dynasty).
The old man's surname was Cao, who was on the list. He was an official in Lingao County, Qiongzhou Prefecture. The imperial examination did not go well. After he was in his forties, he tried to pass the imperial examination but failed. In theory, he could become an official if he won the imperial examination.
But in the Ming Dynasty, there were so many candidates that it was so difficult to become an official! So the old man gave up the idea of becoming an official and lived at home guarding dozens of acres of ancestral land. It was his luck, and he caught up with Zhu Hengjia's rebellion.
There was a serious shortage of talents in the country, and it was required that scholars from all over the country should be mobilized to register with the Ministry of Civil Affairs so that they could fill the vacancies at any time. When the old man heard this, the fire of his career that had been extinguished was ignited again, and he immediately took a boat to Guilin to register with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Gu Yi, the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, was overjoyed when he heard that there was a candidate for the exam. Zhu Hengjia was appointed to supervise the country, but his name was not justified. There were very few big intellectuals who came to seek refuge. Basically, they were all young students, scholars and the like. The master of the exam was in Jing.
He was already considered a great intellectual among the feudal officials. So, he was received in person.
As a result, when they met, Gu Yi was dumbfounded. It was true that he wanted to be elected, but it was a pity that he was already sixty years old. He wanted to be an official at such an old age, which was simply adding to the chaos! It is true that we are short of cadres, but we are not short of veteran cadres! Gu Yi
I really want to ask him: Lian Po is old, can he still make a living?
Unexpectedly, the old man cited scriptures and spoke plausibly. Let’s start with the Book of Rites: “A doctor becomes an official at seventy.” The official retirement age in the Ming Dynasty was seventy, and I still have ten years before I am considered old; not to mention that even if I reach seventy,
, you can also stay in office, for example, Emperor Jiajing liked Yan Song, and the veteran Yan Ge did not retire until he was more than eighty years old.
When Gu Yi heard what he said, he felt that it seemed reasonable. He talked about a student again, which made Gu Yi feel embarrassed. Besides, the old man came across the ocean from Qiongzhou, which didn't dampen his desire to serve.
How to arrange it? It happened that Zhu Hengjia was going to clean up the salt administration, and there was a shortage of people in the Ministry of Household Affairs, so he was given a promotion of salt class and deputy promotion, starting from the seventh rank of a junior official.
After receiving the official seal and official robe, the old gentleman was extremely happy and came to Gu Yi's house to express his gratitude. Gu Yi said a few words of encouragement and served tea to see the guests off.
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"I have heard that if a tree grows long, its roots must be consolidated; if it wants to flow far away, its springs must be dredged. The people are the foundation of the country. Since ancient times, it has never been heard that a king competes with the people for profit, and the country can be safe. Your Highness, I promise
With the destiny of heaven and earth, how can we covet the interests of salt merchants and lose the hearts of all people??"
Mr. Cao was deeply moved by Gu Yi's encouragement. He didn't rest even after returning home, and wrote a book to Zhu Hengjia all night: "Quit fighting with the people for salt and profit."
Qian Wei, the general affairs envoy, saw Mr. Cao's report and knew that Zhu Hengjia was preparing to clean up the salt affairs. He did not dare to neglect it and immediately handed it over to the chamberlain to present to Zhu Hengjia.
Zhu Hengjia opened it and saw that he was angry and funny. He was about to rectify the salt affairs, but he didn't expect that the trouble would hit him first.
There are three things to do when a new official takes office. Since the old man Cao Dengbang has become a seventh-rank official who collects salt tax, he has to do something about it. His memorial was sincere and sincere. He first talked about the people, the king, the country, the trees, and the springs. dialectical relationship, and then firmly demanded that Zhu Hengjia cancel the salt monopoly rights of the Jingjiang Palace in Guilin.
The Jingjiang Prince's salt monopoly in Guilin has a long history. It is said that when Zhu Hengjia's grandfather was Jingjiang Xianding King Zhu Rensheng, the Jingjiang clan had flourished for more than two hundred years, and the expenses were huge. The court had to subsidize 50,000 taels of silver every year to barely make up for it. Later, the imperial court felt that it was a bit too much, so it stopped giving money and asked him to be responsible for the salt business in Guilin. Guangxi produced almost no salt, and salt was imported from Guangdong. The salt was monopolized in the Ming Dynasty, and there were specialized salt merchants in various places. Salt was concentrated in Wuzhou and sold to various places. After the Jingjiang Palace obtained the salt monopoly of Guilin Prefecture, it immediately took exclusive control of the transportation and sale of salt in Guilin Prefecture and became a major salt merchant in Guangxi.
Zhu Hengjia couldn't bear to give up the profit of 50,000 taels a year. It's true that Gu has money, but the family's big business also costs a lot of money! There are seven fairies in the harem alone. If they lose 50,000 taels a year, won't Gu and his ladies have to live in the future? Are you living in poverty?
But it doesn’t matter if you don’t agree. I am about to clean up the salt affairs, and they ask you to take the lead and let it benefit the people. If you don’t agree, how can other salt merchants be convinced? Should the salt affairs be cleaned up yet?
"Damn old guy, everyone knows about the solitary sale of salt, but they don't talk about it. But you are brave enough to expose this matter." Zhu Hengjia was indignant.
"Your Highness, why are you so angry?" Concubine Shi Xian, who was sitting next to her, asked with a smile. Originally, under the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, the harem was not allowed to interfere in politics. When the emperor read the memorials, he basically read them alone. But Zhu Hengjia was a time traveler, so he didn't So particular, I like to call my concubines over when I work at night to add fragrance to my red sleeves, serve tea, pour water, fan myself and so on. Matching men and women makes the work less tiring!
When the princess asked, Zhu Hengjia told the whole story.
Concubine Shi Xian immediately stood up and congratulated Zhu Hengjia: "I heard that if you are wise, your ministers will be upright. Now Cao Cao is on the list to remonstrate directly, precisely because you are a wise man in the supervision of the country. I congratulate the supervision of the country."
Zhu Hengjia laughed loudly when he heard this: "The words of my beloved concubine sounded familiar to me. They seemed to be the words of Empress Changsun to persuade Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. If my beloved concubine wants to be empress of the eldest son, then she should become Li Shimin. Don't follow that little old man. It’s common knowledge!”
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When he went to court the next day, Zhu Hengjia wanted to see what the little old man in Shangshu looked like, but he couldn't find him.
According to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, all officials in Beijing should go to court regardless of their official position, but only fourth-grade officials or Yanguan have the qualifications to speak to His Highness the Supervisor. Although Jingfan is short of cadres, it is only a relative shortage. The outside of the Chengyun Hall was still crowded with people. A seventh-grade sesame petty official was squeezed into the dark crowd at the back. Where could he find it?
Zhu Hengjia circulated the notes written on Cao's list to the fourth-rank and above officials standing in front.
Gu Yi, the right servant of the Ministry of Personnel, was so angry that his face turned red: Well, Cao Cao has been on the list. I asked you to work carefully, and you are so careful! How dare you scold the supervisory government for competing for profits with the people! You are so bastard. !
"Please tell me whether Cao Dengbang's essay is good or not?"
"Cao Dengbang is outrageous and rude. I would like to ask the governor to read it. It is his first time on duty. He does not understand etiquette and should not be compared to his ordinary knowledge." Guan Shouzhen, a bachelor of Dongge University and the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, is a kind person and quickly excuses Cao Dengbang. Cao Dengbang is also a householder after all. Subordinate officer, he is unlucky, and Guan Shouzhen’s face has nothing to do with it.
"Guan Qing, I think Cao Dengbang's essay is well written! Very good! Come on, Xuan Cao Dengbang comes closer to answer."
Cao Dengbang, who was crowded in the last few rows, heard the summons one after another and knew that he was being called. He quickly walked to Zhu Hengjia. The old man was very excited, finally meeting Tianyan!
"Cao Qing, I heard that you are very diligent! I was just conferred an official position yesterday morning, and I was given this training in the evening?"
"In the supervision of the country, when I was conferring officials yesterday, Master Gu encouraged me and asked me to do my job carefully. I was thinking about the old man, and time waits for me! So I went up all night to report to the holy family of the supervision country, and to report to Master Gu for his instructions."
Zhu Hengjia was delighted: If you are careful when you are on duty, you are also careful to cause trouble for me! Good! Very good! If you give me trouble, I will also give you some trouble.
"Cao Qing, your boss seems to be very proficient in salt affairs!" Zhu Hengjia set a trap for Old Man Cao. Guangxi's salt tax revenue could not be raised, so Zhu Hengjia tried many methods to no avail. He just wanted to leave the problem to Old Man Cao. .Can’t you? If you can solve it, of course it’s good; if you can’t solve it, let’s see how I deal with you!
"In charge of the country, I am from Qiongzhou, and Qiongzhou produces salt. So I know a little bit about salt affairs." Cao Dengbang was not modest, but answered with emotion.
"Oh, you are the deputy director of the Salt Class Promotion Department. Is there any way to raise the salt tax for me? My request is not high, just 200,000 taels per year."
"If the governor of the country follows my policy, I will be sure to collect a salt tax of 300,000 taels per year. In three years, it will be more than one million taels per year."
Seeing that the old guy had fallen into the trap, Zhu Hengjia secretly rejoiced: I'll make you crazy! If you can't do it, let's see how I can punish you.
"Oh! Don't talk too much, Cao Qing, the salt merchants are not easy to deal with!"
"In charge of supervising the country, I believe that the fundamental reason why salt tax revenue cannot be raised is not the salt merchants, but the system!"
"Oh!" Zhu Hengjia became interested, "Please tell me in detail."
"To solve the problem of salt tax, I have only four words: One case leads to universal sales."
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After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, salt was monopolized.
At the beginning, the "Kaizhong Law" was implemented: using the "official salt" (or "yin salt") controlled by the government to exchange for the food and wages required by the border army. That is, letting the merchants transport the food and wages to the border, and then according to the grain transported by the merchants. A corresponding amount of salt is given, and merchants use this salt to go to designated salt farms to sell salt, and then send it to designated areas for sale to achieve the purpose of monopoly.
By the Chenghua period, corruption was serious and it was difficult to implement the Kaizhong Law. In order to increase fiscal revenue, it became common for the government to directly transport and sell salt. Beginning in the second year of Wanli, Guangxi officially began to transport salt. In the forty-fifth year of Wanli, Yuan Shizhen came to Lianghuai
The "Compendium Law" was implemented in the salt area, and the salt law of the Ming Dynasty began to change into the "exclusive business to divert shore" system.
The so-called "exclusive trade to lead to the shore" means that the government transports salt to places designated by each province and sells it to fixed salt merchants. Each province sets its own salt price and cannot sell salt across borders. The designated place in Guangxi is Wuzhou.
The so-called "one case general sale" means that the monopoly of exclusive traders is no longer implemented, and the government sells salt in designated areas to any merchant who wants to buy salt. Merchants who buy salt can sell it across provinces, and there are no longer geographical restrictions.
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Zhu Hengjia was a little confused: "Cao Qing, why can the salt tax be raised by changing from 'exclusive trade to the shore' to 'one case of general sales'?"
Cao Dengbang was confident: "In the supervision of the country, the salt tax revenue cannot be raised because the official salt in each province is concentrated in the hands of a few big salt merchants. They monopolize the salt price, so the salt price is naturally high. The people cannot afford official salt, so they have to eat high-quality salt."
Poor private salt. However, the tax collected by the government per kilogram of salt is fixed, so they cannot enjoy the benefits brought by the increase in salt prices. To put it bluntly, 'special merchants diverting salt from the shore' means enriching the salt merchants and suffering for the court and the people!" "I still don't quite understand, how can salt merchants make money when official salt sales are small?"
Cao Dengbang smiled: "You don't know something in the prison country. The official salt sold by salt merchants is of good quality and is for rich people. Although it is sold in small quantities, the price is extremely high and you can still make a lot of money. Some salt merchants would rather
I don’t want to sell the salt cheaply even if I keep it in the warehouse.”
"Official salt is sold for less, so where does the unsellable salt produced in the lonely salt farm go?"
"Theoretically, it should exist in the salt warehouse, but I don't know whether there are scandals such as corruption and smuggling."
"Then please tell me the benefits of 'one-size-fits-all sales'."
Cao Dengbang cheered up: If you don't make decisions for the people when you are an official, it is better to go home and sell sweet potatoes. If you can let the people eat affordable salt, you will not be such a high official for nothing!
"In the supervision of the country, I believe that the benefits of 'one case for universal sales' have three points: first, it can increase the sales of official salt, thereby increasing the salt tax. If there are more businessmen buying official salt, the sales volume of official salt will naturally be high; the official salt will no longer
Monopolized by a few big salt merchants, the price is naturally low. The lower price also promotes the sales of official salt. The tax collected by the court is fixed at twenty-two cents per kilogram of official salt. The more sold, the higher the salt tax.
Secondly, it is a great thing for the people and other merchants who were not qualified to sell official salt. The common people can eat affordable salt, and those merchants have more ways to make money; thirdly, it can crack down on private salt smuggling. The quality of official salt
It is better than private salt in the first place. Official salt is cheaper, so smuggling private salt is naturally unprofitable. Less smuggling increases the sales of official salt."
After listening to Cao Dengbang's explanation, Zhu Hengjia took a breath: "Cao Qing, why has no one thought of such a simple truth before?"
"Jianguo, in fact, this method was tried during the Wanli period. However, the big salt merchants were too powerful and the policies in various places were not unified, so it was difficult to succeed."
"Big power?" Zhu Hengjia sneered: "Who else is more powerful than Gu in Guangxi? Cao Qing, Gu Fengqing was appointed as the Chief of the Fifth Grade Salt Class Promotion Division, and also concurrently served as the Division of Salt Envoy. The Salt Administration of the Ming Dynasty I will take care of this area for you! If you do a good job and let the people eat affordable salt, I will let you build a merit monument for you!"