In the eyes of the people of the world, Zhu Di was an emperor who was "very happy with his achievements".
Just because of his "great success", he naturally wasted countless money.
He went on expeditions to the north again and again, went to the Western Ocean again and again, and launched a war against Annan.
Therefore, countless ministers advised him. In addition to Xia Yuanji, who was worried about his gray hair every day in the Ministry of Household Affairs, there were naturally ministers like Li Shimian who almost made Zhu Di angry to death. They thought that what Zhu Di did was empty.
It empties the national treasury and consumes people's energy.
I don’t know if the people’s power was wasted on Zhang Anshi, but it was emptying the national treasury... This is really an injustice to Zhu Di.
Based on the tax collection capacity of the Ming Dynasty, the actual situation is that although Zhu Di did a lot of things, in fact... even if he didn't do these things, his annual income could be said to be very poor.
One of the most important reasons is that commercial taxes are almost difficult to collect, or rather... they are not collected at all.
This can be regarded as a miraculous thing. The two richest groups in the world, one is the gentry and the other is the merchants, do not need to pay taxes. The former is fine, but the latter is actually unfair if you say that the merchants do not pay taxes.
They, in fact, the exploitation they suffered was definitely not small, but these exploitations had nothing to do with the imperial treasury.
Looking at this number, Zhu Di said: "They all say that they need to recuperate and recuperate, how come... they are all so rich, more than two million taels. In previous years, the whole world only got this much in silver tax in a year.
This also includes official salt and iron money, and now only one government can do it."
Zhang Anshi said with a smile: "In order to encourage business, I have actually set the business tax at a very low level. It is not easy to ask for more. Businessmen all praise me for being kind and say that good people like me can find them even with a lantern."
Not available."
"Nonsense." Zhu Di laughed: "You took away more than two million taels from others, and you still pointed out that they thought you were good?"
"Your Majesty, if merchants make profits, they don't actually care about paying a little tax. What they are afraid of is uncertainty..."
"Um?"
Of course Zhang Anshi knew that no one likes to pay taxes. The reason why he said this was actually because merchants in this era had more terrible things to do, which made them prefer to pay taxes honestly.
Zhang Anshi said: "I asked someone to investigate and said that there was a merchant in Qixia. He was originally a salesman. Later, he gradually gained some capital and started selling silk. He said that in the past, doing this silk business was gambling his life. From the place of origin,
Purchasing goods has its own risks. One is afraid of bandits, and the other is afraid of officials. When these bandits see that you have money, they may kill people and steal the goods. And if you carry the silk all the way through various ports and passes, if you are targeted by officials, or
Some local gangsters will inevitably frame you for crimes. For the sake of safety, you have to find ways to stuff money. You are in panic every day, so... on the surface, the government has not collected taxes from him, but in fact
In order to deal with officials and thieves, his expenses were at least three to five times what they are now, not to mention that he would get into a lawsuit at some point, or... he would be harmed by bandits."
Zhang Anshi continued: "But the Taiping Prefecture has set a rule. As long as taxes are paid, the government will try its best to crack down on bandits. In addition, it will try its best to provide convenience. I dare not say that there is no possibility of collusion between officials and businessmen. But in this
However, the exploitation has been reduced by 70% to 80%, and the merchant feels that buying money is ten times a hundred times easier than before. Now in Taiping Mansion... all kinds of workshops and many shops were created in this way."
Zhu Di seemed to have grasped the core of it: "You mean... the merchants... actually paid out all the money that should be paid, and a lot of it, but... the money... fell to others.
in his pocket."
Zhang Anshi smiled awkwardly: "I didn't say it, I just made an analogy."
Zhu Di snorted coldly from his nose: "No wonder everyone here is obstructing the New Deal. They are all like mourning their heirs, but they all still have plausible words, ha..."
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty, forget it, don't worry about it, how can we still kill them?"
It's okay if Zhang Anshi didn't say it, but when he said this, Zhu Di became furious: "What if I kill them?"
Zhang Anshi laughed dryly: "Hehe... forget it, forget it, kill one, the new one will still be the same... If you don't shovel the soil clean, it will be in vain. I thought... this matter... let's forget it."
Bar."
Zhu Di gritted his teeth, and his back molars were almost broken: "Then eradicate them all. Damn it, the businessmen and people are complaining, all the money has been squeezed away, and not a penny comes to me. Whose family is this?
"
Zhang Anshi remained silent.
"Huh?" Zhu Di originally thought that Zhang Anshi would follow Zhang Anshi's words and say, "The world is yours."
But Zhang Anshi looked troubled, which made Zhu Di's heart... sink suddenly.
I have to say that silence can sometimes cause great harm to people.
Zhu Di said: "Do you mean...this is not my Ming Dynasty?"
"I didn't say that."
Zhu Di said: "If you have anything to say, it doesn't matter."
Zhang Anshi said awkwardly: "Your Majesty, it's almost done, we can't go into this matter further."
Zhu Di was furious: "I see there is something in your words."
Zhang Anshi coughed and said, "I will be punished by death."
Zhu Di was furious for a moment, but after all, he couldn't vent his anger on Zhang Anshi, so he had to lower his head, continue to read the memorial, and said: "Your grid seems interesting."
Zhang Anshi said: "Yes, I am now the right governor and manage many prefectures and counties. In order to select talents and for the governance of each prefecture, I plan to use this form as a means of performance. Your Majesty, look at this form in the future.
There will be a comparison of taxes in various prefectures and counties. In addition to that... there is also annual growth. By the way, here... these are the statistics of enrolled students, which are also included in the performance. Here is this table, which is
The output of pig iron, silk, and cloth in each county above the designated size. In the future, I plan to refine it further and count the number of hospitals and doctors, the number of workshops above the designated size, and even the water conservancy projects, bridges, and roads built every year.
Wait. Your Majesty, in fact, in my opinion, using the so-called gentleman to measure the quality of officials has no practical meaning. We often say that the public is upright and the court is full of righteousness. In fact, this is just a joke. Who is upright and who is not?
Evil? Can you tell the difference clearly? Doing so will only make the ministers only focus on the so-called 'official voice', and the 'official voice' just makes officials timid in their administration."
"Afraid?"
Zhang Anshi said: "In the actual process of governing the county, I discovered an extremely serious problem, that is, no matter what is implemented, there will always be a lot of opposition, and those who benefit...generally
He won't make a sound, but if he loses because of this, he will definitely shout and curse everywhere. Your Majesty, think about it, if you pay too much attention to official reputation, what will be the final result? As an official,
He didn't dare to do anything, so he just talked about it every day, just like this voyage to the West. If Your Majesty wants to go to the West, it will inevitably cause controversy, but what are the benefits of going to the West? If His Majesty also has an official reputation, I'm afraid that just this voyage to the West,
It will attract criticism from countless people.”
"And it is precisely those...people like Li Shimian in the court who, as imperial officials, are hardly responsible for actual affairs. They only talk about it every day, or impeach this one today, and impeach that one with great sorrow tomorrow. Look,
It seems that everything he does is to ask for orders for the people, but in fact, what good does he do to the world if he just sits there and feeds on the people? But such a pragmatic person is often praised as a gentleman and regarded as an honest minister.
Everyone praises and applauds, I dare to ask your majesty... Is the purpose of the imperial court to raise scholars to rule the world, or to let them receive salaries and cultivate fame? Isn't this the same as offering a statue of clay Bodhisattva?
?”
"So I think... this is the biggest harm to this dynasty. If the whole dynasty is full of people who talk like this, big problems will happen sooner or later. I think it is better to work out a performance and let the data speak for itself. Other people in this world will
Things can deceive people, of course, data can also deceive people, but at least... it is much more accurate than most things. The quality of a place's governance is nothing more than its money and food, its school children's enrollment, and its people.
Whether you can seek medical treatment if you are sick, and whether the transportation is convenient, all these factors are tabulated, and everything will be clear."
After hearing this, Zhu Di was very moved: "You can give it a try, then let's start from you."
Zhang Anshi said: "Yes."
Zhu Di then sighed: "The matter of my brother...that is, the King of Shu...still worries me. He is an honest man, but I didn't expect that he would be dragged into such right and wrong."
When Zhu Di said this, he felt depressed.
Many of Zhu Di's brothers were very ambitious, probably because their fathers were both Zhu Yuanzhang.
But this King of Shu, to be honest, is a rare honest person. However, for such a person with a good reputation to be suddenly promoted, Zhu Di had to be wary.
After all, the two brothers Zhu Di and the King of Shu are relatively harmonious in nature. Nowadays, everyone praises the King of Shu for being wise, but to some extent, it is actually because of the yin and yang that Zhu Di is unwise. As a result, Zhu Di must be wary of the King of Shu.
Many times, the so-called kinship between the Heavenly Family and the Heavenly Family is, under such circumstances, step by step towards confrontation, which is inevitable, not to mention brothers, even if they are father and son, it is not the case.
Zhang Anshi said: "Your Majesty... I am prepared with both hands. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
Zhu Di couldn't say anything to Zhang Anshi, so he just nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Zhang Anshi said goodbye and left.
The form study class went very smoothly, and each county allocated manpower to study. Then... Zhang Anshi ordered a printing workshop to print a large number of special forms and distribute them to each county.
When it comes to money and food matters, everyone is actually quite handy.
When new officials in various prefectures and counties took office, they immediately copied the experience of Taiping Prefecture and quickly investigated the hidden fields. Since it was hidden fields, then... it was a crime. Of course, it would not be like Taiping Prefecture, which directly punished the crime of bullying the emperor, but All the hidden fields were confiscated.
Suddenly, there were widespread complaints, and half of Zhili seemed to be in the crater of a volcano. There were even many attacks and killings of civil servants.
So, the model battalion went out to suppress the bandits, and the royal guards and cavalry came out in all directions.
Finally, in early winter, the situation calmed down.
Taking advantage of the slack period, they began to measure the land and distribute it. Because the experience was ready, there was no trouble. Of course, this was the result of Jin Yiwei's inquiries.
However, bad things do happen occasionally. For example, in Suzhou County, someone set fire to the county government office. Because the fire was burning oil, the fire was so strong that the local county magistrate was directly burned to death. Other civil servants were burned to death. Seven or eight people were burned to death.
Zhang Anshi led his troops to Suzhou overnight, searched them all night, inspected the damage, and ordered compensation.
After the matter was resolved and they returned to Qixia, Zhang Anshi summoned Chen Li. Chen Li was already frightened. When he saw Zhang Anshi, he bowed down and said, "I'm humble and incompetent."
Zhang Anshi said: "There is no way to guard against thieves for a thousand days. But in the future, we should be more careful in doing things. We must strictly guard against them and prevent these things from happening."
"I also heard that...many of our subordinate officials in the Zuo Dudu Mansion...their...their families..."
"you say……"
"I have found out that many of these people's family members are in their hometown, and some people have threatened... to do harm to them. Not only that... the ancestral graves of the Shouzhou County captain's family... were also dug up, and the coffins were opened and the bodies were slaughtered..."
Zhang Anshi stood up and paced back and forth. He took a deep breath and knew naturally that these conflicts could no longer be resolved.
When they were confined to Taiping Mansion, they were not at war with each other, but now... they are on the same level.
"Through a thorough investigation, we must find out who did it. After finding out, I will immediately send all those involved and their families to jail. They dare to play such a terrifying trick in front of me, Zhang Anshi. , it’s really a master’s degree.”
"yes."
"besides……"
"What are the orders from the Governor?"
"Send more people to protect me."
"Ah...yes, yes...I was so humble and careless that I neglected this matter. I will die for my humbleness."
Zhang Anshi waved his hand: "Go."
Within a few months, letters of instructions were sent to Chengdu.
Zhu Chun, king of Shu, quickly entered Beijing.
Zhu Di also ordered various inns to provide them with good hospitality along the way.
At the beginning of November, Zhu Chun finally... moved westward and finally arrived in the capital.
This journey was certainly tiring, and Zhu Chun was always frugal and not luxurious, so he only had a few followers.
He arrived in Guangzhou first after a long journey.
Guangzhou is the boundary of Nanzhili, and along the way... Zhu Chun was in a bad mood.
Zhu Chun was very vigilant about what he, the king of Shu, wanted to do as the left governor. He was not unaware of the situation in the capital. Some of the staff in the palace of the king of Shu were also worried that this time... it might lead to the palace's disapproval of him, the king of Shu.
Suspect.
It's just that... at this time, he had to come, because if he refused to enter Beijing, it might arouse everyone's suspicion.
Zhu Chun was named for his advocating education. A large number of wise men gathered in the palace, the most famous of which was Fang Xiaoru. However, Fang Xiaoru later entered the court as an official. Who would have thought that he would be killed by Zhu Di in the end?
This made Zhu Chun very regretful.
Among the few people accompanying him this time, there were two great Confucians accompanying him.
One of them is Liu Guangjin, a famous Confucian in Shu, and the other is Liu Desheng. This Liu Desheng once passed the imperial examination, but he was not keen on the imperial examination. Instead, he was obsessed with painting and poetry. He was used to being idle, but Zhu Chun treated him with great courtesy.
.
The three of them plus a few guards were naturally worried along the way.
Zhu Chun was in a very bad mood, and when he arrived in Guangzhou, he felt even more depressed.
There was still some distance from the inn in front, so Zhu Chun was already out of people and horses, so he let people stay wherever he wanted. The three of them were all dressed as Confucian scholars, so they didn't attract too much attention.
After checking in, Liu Guangjin and Liu Desheng came to see Zhu Chun in his bedroom. They saluted Zhu Chun: "Your Highness, you are about to enter Beijing. Do you want to send a horse to let me know first?"
Zhu Chun put down the "Xianyuan Ruizhiji" compiled by himself and looked up at the two of them: "No need, keep everything simple and don't make a big show of it, otherwise it will inevitably attract attention, which is not a good thing."
Liu Guangjin nodded: "Is Your Highness still worried about His Majesty's suspicions?"
Zhu Chun pondered for a moment: "Sometimes, people are burdened by fame. Naturally, I know what the princes in the court are thinking. They want to use me to question His Majesty's national policy..."
Liu Guangjin sighed: "Your Highness, the imperial court has indeed gone too far in the past two years. If this continues, something big will happen sooner or later. What is the difference between your Majesty's move and burning books and humiliating Confucians?"
Zhu Chun said seriously: "Be careful what you say."
"Yes." Liu Guangjin quickly fell silent.
But Liu Desheng smiled: "Your Highness...if Your Highness meets His Majesty, will Your Majesty really ask His Majesty to be the Governor-General of the Left?"
Zhu Chun pondered: "What I saw along the way was mostly that people's livelihood was in decline. Alas..."
Liu Desheng said: "Then what your Highness means is..."
Zhu Chun said: "Hey, don't talk about this..."
He shook his head, but did not express his feelings.
Liu Desheng and Liu Guangjin obviously also knew that His Highness the King of Shu was a cautious person, but it was not that they did not trust them.
But even he himself can't make up his mind yet.
If he stays in the capital, he will be jealous of his imperial brother. In addition, his reputation is too great. The more officials praise him, the more he will cause trouble.
But seeing the world... in such a state that even hundreds of officials are willing to risk beheading to embarrass His Majesty, it can be seen that the situation in the court has reached a point of getting out of control. If we don't do something, we will really be sorry for our ancestors.
.
"All the officials along the way were very happy when they heard that His Highness the King of Shu came to Beijing, and many local officials were moved to tears..." Liu Desheng said with emotion: "Everyone... If His Highness the King of Shu can...
If we take on this great responsibility, maybe the world can turn around, but the Ming Dynasty can no longer withstand the hardships."
Liu Guangjin sighed: "But this undoubtedly puts His Highness the King of Shu into a dilemma. The clan's governance of the capital is unprecedented, at least in our Ming Dynasty. His Highness the King of Shu is so popular that this is not a good thing."
What they both said made sense, so Zhu Chun pondered and said, "Go to bed early, we have to go on the road tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Zhu Chun set out. He always got up at midnight to read for a while, had some refreshments, and then continued on his journey. This was just a small county, and Zhu Chun didn't like to have to go back and forth, so
Too lazy to know that I will meet my parents here.
After a while, the guards brought Zhu Chun's donkey. Zhu Chun got on the donkey and rode away with the other two.
After leaving the city, we arrived at a certain place. Before we could go very far, we were suddenly stopped by a group of farmers. Someone led dozens of people and swarmed forward. One of them shouted: "How dare you, you have trampled on our crops."
When Zhu Chun saw this, he was calm and relaxed. He had a kind of nobility that was not angry and dignified.
Liu Desheng was furious and shouted: "Don't cause trouble."
Several guards behind him also became nervous.
The man stepped forward and said, "I see they are not good people. I am the chief of the local area. Come... to see what cargo they are carrying."
He shouted loudly, and a group of bankers rushed up behind him.
Liu Desheng said: "Do you know who we are?"
"I only know that you are not scholars." The manager crossed his arms and said proudly: "Although you are wearing Confucian shirts and turbans, you are carrying so much goods, but these Confucian shirts and turbans are made of Shu embroidery
, but what he said was Fengyang Mandarin. In all likelihood, you are merchants from Qixia. Now there are many merchants who, in order to avoid trouble, deliberately dress like scholars and try to deceive us and you.
Riding a donkey is neither fish nor fowl. If you are a scholar, you will definitely not be like this. There are rules in this state. Whenever merchants cross the border, their goods must be taken out of ten and let people see what goods you have here."
The man here looks menacing and smug.
Zhu Chun smiled: "What's the difference between you and a strong man?"
"Stop blabbering, that's the rule here."
The guards have already begun to touch their swords.
Unfortunately, the chief here was very angry. He stepped forward and kicked Zhu Chun's donkey hard. The donkey screamed in surprise and started to run around.
Zhu Chun was shocked and fell off the donkey.
In an instant, the guards drew their swords one after another. When they took a closer look, they were shocked: "This is an official army."
He shouted, turned around and ran away.
The dealers were at a loss and dispersed in a hurry.
Liu Desheng and the other two quickly helped Zhu Chun up and dusted him off.
Zhu Chun was extremely embarrassed and said: "The world has become like this, hey..."
"Your Highness, I will write to the county government here and tell them to seize the culprits."
Zhu Chun shook his head and sighed: "There are so many such people in the world, what's the use of taking one?"
At that moment, he comforted the donkey, then turned over again and said: "Let's go, let's go, we'll talk about it when we get to the capital, don't make matters worse."
Zhu Chun looked up and saw a ferry crossing in front of him, only to find that it was crowded with people.
Zhu Chun simply refused to ride a donkey and walked nearly a mile before he managed to get close.
But I saw that the place was already overcrowded, many people brought their families, and some even brought luggage.
At the ferry, there were many officers and soldiers, all shouting something.
Zhu Chun pulled someone and said, "What are you doing? Are you going to the market?"
The man turned around, with a sullen look on his face, and said vaguely: "You also go to Taiping Mansion to seek a living? Be careful, the road signs are strictly checked now..."
…………
It will be adjusted in the next two days. This is the second update yesterday. The update will be moved back in the next two days. There are two more updates today.