Facing the reactions of several ministers, Yu Zijun on the side was a little nervous, but Zhu Qiyu was very calm and waved his hand.
"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry. Our monarchs and ministers discuss matters privately and express their opinions. This is not a court meeting, so there is no need to make such a fuss."
As soon as these words came out, all the ministers below were slightly stunned, and they vaguely understood something in their hearts.
So, they all looked at Shen Yi next to them. Sure enough, this old guy looked like he had expected it.
Also, for this kind of memorial, if Yu Zijun wanted to say anything, he must have asked Shen Yi in advance to avoid making any irreversible mistakes in front of the emperor.
Since Yu Zijun said this, it means that Shen Yi thinks it is okay to say it.
Different words, said by different people, naturally represent different meanings. If this view is just Yu Zijun's, then it doesn't matter. After all, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers and will always have such and such thoughts and experiences. It's not enough, it's possible that the thinking isn't thorough enough.
However, if it was Shen Yi who instructed Yu Zijun to say this, it would be completely different. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, it is impossible for Shen Yi not to have a comprehensive understanding of commercial tax issues.
Since he asked Yu Zijun to say this, it might mean that the Ministry of Revenue has already planned to make a fuss about commercial tax?
If we think about it further, the emperor tacitly approved the sea trade behind his back. In this case, if Hube had this idea, could it be the emperor's idea?
Suddenly, several ministers below all looked at the emperor above them. As expected, after the emperor comforted them with a few words, he spoke to Yu Zijun.
"It is a good idea to imitate the mutual market, but as you have heard what the gentlemen just said, the mutual market and sea trade are different after all. If the commercial tax is to be increased, how should we raise it?"
really!
As soon as these words came out, the ministers present had only 30% speculation in their minds, but turned into 70% certainty. As expected, this matter is inseparable from the emperor.
At the same time, a proud smile appeared on Shen Yi's face.
Commercial tax matters were not ordered by the emperor. However, as Shen Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and had experience in managing mutual markets, how could he not have imagined what the real purpose of the emperor's opening of the sea was.
They all talk about opening up financial resources, but these financial resources cannot be obtained directly by liberalizing private trade.
In the final analysis, it still has to fall on the commercial tax.
However, sea trade has not yet started, so it is a little premature to talk about taxation. However, some groundwork needs to be done.
Therefore, Chen Yi boldly guessed that in this speech, even if the emperor did not say it clearly, he would at least hint to Yu Zijun and Wang Yue to let them prepare in advance.
On this basis, he instructed Yu Zijun to behave so boldly in front of the emperor. After all, young people, sometimes speaking a little too much is not a big deal. Of course, the premise is that it is in line with the Sacred Heart.
Now it seems that his guess is indeed correct, the emperor really intends to make a fuss about commercial tax...
Master Shen squinted his eyes and looked at Yu Shiyue next to him. He couldn't help but feel a little proud. So, this imperial prelude is right. It depends on who can understand the emperor's thoughts better. Everything else is empty.
However, it is a pity that at this time, Yu Shiyue was frowning and thinking about business taxes, and had no time to notice Master Shen's secret show off, which made him a little disappointed...
Of course, the most important thing now is Yu Zijun's performance. After a brief thought, Yu Zijun continued to speak, saying.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, there are two differences between mutual trade and sea trade. First, the mutual trade market is fixed, and bulk goods are mainly in the imperial shop. Moreover, the grassland has a greater demand for Ming products, so most of them are from the imperial shop.
The store is sold and the other party purchases it, so the accounts are clear and can be verified, and the business tax collection is simple."
"According to the current regulations set by the Ministry of Household Affairs, in matters of maritime trade, the imperial store will select some local merchants to act as imperial merchants, so the imperial court's control over them will inevitably be reduced. In addition, overseas
It is far away. Therefore, maritime trade must be a combination of buying and selling. If the imperial court follows the example of mutual trading and only collects commercial taxes from imperial merchants, it will be unfair. This is one of them."
"Secondly, as Mr. Wang just said, once sea trade opens, land trade along the coast will inevitably flourish. In this way, if the commercial tax on land trade is different from that on sea trade,
It will also make merchants take desperate risks. The coast is not as good as the north, and there are strong cities to rely on. The coastline is very long, and commercial taxes are too high. There will inevitably be a large number of smugglers, and it will be difficult to stop them."
These words were so profound that several ministers present could not help but secretly nod their heads. At the same time, they also secretly increased their vigilance.
Because being able to say these words can only mean that Yu Zijun has already suspected the case, and it was not a temporary idea, which further confirms their speculation.
After hearing this, the emperor's expression became serious and he said.
"What you said is good, so do you have any good ideas?"
To put it bluntly, raising a problem is not difficult, but solving it is difficult.
In fact, it is not difficult to come up with a solution to the two difficulties mentioned by Yu Zijun, which is to increase commercial taxes across the board, not just for maritime trade.
However, this path, at least for now, is unworkable.
Not to mention the institutional issues involved in raising commercial taxes, at the implementation level, the first thing to face is the initial problem, whether to collect taxes based on the transaction of goods or based on the identity of the merchant.
If it is the latter, then more and more people will inevitably flee their residence. In the end, the business tax will be in vain. Moreover, they are all doing business. The only difference in household registration is that the taxes to be claimed are very different.
This is simply intensifying conflicts.
But if it's the former... then it's even more impossible to control. There are so many transactions happening all over the place every moment. It's basically impossible to collect taxes.
"Your Majesty, in order to solve this problem, I believe that we should not start with the imperial merchants, but should start with the merchants of various countries."
Obviously, Yu Zijun is also very aware of this problem, or in other words, a certain wily Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue has long known the crux of the matter.
At this moment, through Yu Zijun's words, the fox's tail was finally revealed.
"If the commercial tax is comprehensively raised, firstly, it will hinder the ancestral system, and secondly, it will involve many people. However, the tax system of the Ming Dynasty is used for the people of the Ming Dynasty. Now that sea trade is open and overseas merchants come to our Ming Dynasty, then,
Their trade in the Ming Dynasty should naturally be customized."
"Therefore, I think that a new tax system can be formulated specifically for merchants from various countries to ensure the benefits of sea trade!"
Specifically for businessmen from various countries?
All the ministers present were slightly dazed, and soon fell into deep thought.
I have to say that this is indeed a good idea. As Yu Zijun said, before the imperial court banned the sea, not only did it not allow people to go to the sea, it also had a repulsive attitude towards businessmen from various countries, so naturally there were no regulations for them.
But now, the situation has changed. If sea trade is opened, even under the cover of official trade, it will inevitably attract the attention of many foreign businessmen. In this way, it is indeed possible to establish a tax system specifically targeted at these people.
Bypass the ancestral system and express yourself freely.
but……
"Your Majesty, this matter still needs to be considered."
For this reason, several other ministers present could not sit still. The person who spoke this time was Wang Wen, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
This die-hard emperor's party frowned and said.
"In the matter of sea trade, according to the regulations of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, tribute is still mainly paid by tribute envoys. It is a bit unreasonable to pay tribute and also charge commercial taxes to them."
When Wang Wen said this, he obviously did not mean to object, but to objectively state the problems involved.
To put it bluntly, the maritime ban is still a constraint. The opening of sea trade this time is actually a variant of tribute trade. That is, the vassal countries came to the Ming Dynasty to perform pilgrimage and presented tributes, and then the Ming Dynasty gave back. In this way, it was completed.
Substantial trade.
Although it is said that this has completely become a mere formality, and many 'envoys' will not even come to the capital and complete trade directly locally, but after all, the status is still there, and there are indeed many real envoys every year who will
Arriving at the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute.
Therefore, in this case, if you want to collect business tax, then it is always difficult to explain the status.
Faced with this situation, Yu Zijun was obviously prepared, but before he could speak, Shen Yi beside him said.
"This is actually not difficult. These foreign merchants are not all tribute envoys. As for the real tribute envoys, the imperial court will still lead them to the capital. Others will be dealt with according to official trade. As for the reason, the coastal area
The Japanese pirates are raging, and the imperial court needs to station a large army to ensure peace and stability in the area. We, the people of the Ming Dynasty, will naturally not say more. However, if these foreign businessmen come to the Ming Dynasty and want to be protected, they will naturally have to pay some taxes."
Yes, once this old man comes forward, he will be a known person.
Several other ministers present looked at each other, and then Yu Shiyue stepped forward and said.
"Your Majesty, if you follow what Shen Shangshu said, I feel that the term commercial tax is easy to confuse people. You might as well change it to another name. These foreign merchants need to go through port customs to enter and exit, or they can be included in tariffs, or even more as appropriate."
As soon as these words came out, it was a disguised agreement with Shen Yi's statement.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu looked at the other ministers, Zhang Min and Wang Wenlue thought for a while and said:
"Your Majesty, this is feasible, but there are still many details that need to be discussed."
In other words, the Ministry of Revenue needs to come up with more detailed regulations before moving forward.
Zhu Qiyu nodded and said.
"In this case, after the household department goes down, we will improve this matter and put it in the subsequent regulations."
"I obey the decree."
Chen Yi bowed and raised his hands to accept the order.
Then, Zhu Qiyu turned his attention to Yu Zijun and Wang Yue who were standing aside, and said.
"When you go to Fujian, you shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the imperial court. I am very assured of your abilities. However, the matter of sea trade is about changing the old system after all. I hope that no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can remember what you have been entrusted to do today and overcome it. It is difficult to accomplish the great affairs of the imperial court."
These words of encouragement made both of them so excited that they immediately fell to their knees and said.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that I will do my best to repay Your Majesty's kindness."
"Um……"
Zhu Qiyu nodded, and then glanced at Huai En next to him. The latter immediately understood and brought two chamberlains to Yu Zijun and Wang Yue, holding out two silver seals. Then Zhu Qiyu spoke. road.
"This seal is for the exclusive use of secret memorials by officials of the third rank and above. I give it to you today. Fujian is thousands of miles away from the capital. If there is anything that cannot be solved, write a secret memorial and stamp it with this silver seal. I promise you four hundred If it's urgent, it will be sent directly to the emperor."
As soon as these words came out, Yu Zijun and Wang Yue were stunned for a moment, and when they realized what they were saying, they were filled with excitement.
You must know that the significance of these two silver seals is extraordinary.
Just like what the Emperor said just now, this can only be owned by high-ranking officials of the third rank and above. Now it is given to them as a special favor. Its symbolic significance is greater than its actual significance.
After all, they were sent out to do things, so it was impossible for them to ask Beijing for help when they encountered any difficulties.
However, with this silver seal, and the fact that it was given by the emperor himself, it means that they have the ability to directly access the heavens.
This is the most important thing!
With the silver seal in hand, local officials, regardless of their rank, must give them some face. This is a huge help to them.
"I thank Your Majesty for your grace!"
The two raised their hands high and respectfully accepted the silver seal. At this point, the duel between the king and his ministers could be considered to have come to an end.
After his Majesty's resignation, Yu Zijun and Wang Yue packed their bags and left Beijing to take up their posts within a few days. However, their duel slowly spread throughout the capital.
For the elders in the court, they are really unable to complain. The emperor is really capable of tormenting people.
That’s all for suppressing the Japanese pirates. After the Japanese pirates were wiped out, we had to open up sea trade. Now that the sea trade matter has not been settled, another tariff has been introduced...
However, on the one hand, this matter is still in the process of being brewed. If it is really to be implemented, at least it will have to wait until maritime trade develops. On the other hand, the tariffs mainly involve merchants from various countries, and are not much related to the Ming Dynasty's own commercial taxes.
A big obstacle, so compared to the previous sea trade, the discussion this time was much quieter.
At this time, the courtiers are more concerned about Beijing and Chacha. In addition, the year is not good this year. There are insect infestations in several places. Although it is not as serious as the snow disaster and drought of the previous two years, but
The court hall was also very busy.
In the midst of this busyness, one piece of government affairs was slowly being settled. The first was the corruption case that had lasted for more than a year. With the Ministry of Punishment sentencing the last prisoner to exile, it finally came to an end.
.
Then came the Fujian nest case. Although there were many officials involved, the evidence was clear. The court was short of money, so in the end most of them were sentenced to confiscation of their homes. The only surprising thing was that the main culprit was Du Ning. Perhaps he was thinking of his previous actions.
The credit to the imperial court, or perhaps the money he was greedy for, was not left behind in the end.
Therefore, the emperor finally let him go, dismissed him from his official position, and sent him back to his hometown. Moreover, he also kept his hometown's fields and did not confiscate them and return them to the public. It was a pretty good result...