Some people may be surprised that a fifth-rank local official published two memorials and said a few bad words about the salt law, which prompted the court to quickly appoint two officials to rectify the salt law. This is a bit fantasy and unnatural.
It’s not like Li You opened the Imperial Court shop, so how could he be so stupid as to go to war against important financial resources just because of Li You’s gossip?
Behind the simple appearance, there is naturally a profound truth.
Last year, when Mr. Li was still serving in the cabinet, he encountered the northern salt merchants who were causing trouble and going out of business. In order to show his talents, and later because of the eldest princess's ambition for the salt industry, he took advantage of his position to carefully check a lot of salt industry information in the center.
Furthermore, through my own unlimited speculation and analysis of the conspiracy, I have a deeper understanding of the situation than ordinary people.
More than thirty years ago, in order to save money, the imperial court made some moves to lay off provincial officials, eliminate redundant posts, and streamline government agencies.
At that time, there were two relatively sensational changes in the Jiangzuo area. One was that the governor of Jiangnan was dismissed and his powers were merged with Nanjing. The second was that the salt patrol censor stationed in Yangzhou was dismissed and his powers were merged with those of Jiangbei.
According to the official position of Yushi and Huaidong who was also stationed in Yangzhou, he was divided into two official positions: patrolling the road.
The abolition of the Salt Patrol Censor, who was responsible for the supervision of the salt industry, certainly saved the burden, but it also led to the gradual expansion of the Salt Transportation Department and its increasing control over the salt industry.
After all, neither the patrol censor nor the Huaidong branch patrol can focus entirely on the salt matter. As time goes by, one thing fades away and the other grows, and the supervision of the salt industry gradually becomes in name only. It is like the system in the past.
Look, the Metropolitan Procuratorate of Henan Province is responsible for supervising the Department of Ceremony, but who can actually supervise it?
Calculating the price of rice at one tael per stone, the total annual income of the Jinghe Dynasty was about 50 million yuan in money and grain. However, excluding the support of the imperial army and garrison troops, local officials, and the vassal princes, the court expenses were about 20 million yuan.
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The 20 million came from four sources, namely, the Salt Department, the Cao Grain Bureau, the Customs Department, and the Municipal Shipping Department. Among them, the Salt Department and the family accounted for one-third. In other words, the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department and the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department accounted for half of the world's salt industry.
So he dedicated one-sixth of the imperial expenses.
Such a yamen has become powerful in the local area, and its control over the salt industry has gradually exceeded that of the imperial court. It can also control the wealth of three hundred salt merchants, which combined is as rich as the country. How can it not worry the knowledgeable people in the imperial court? In other words, it can control the wealth of three hundred salt merchants.
It’s just not pleasing to the eye…
Therefore, the reason Princess Guide dared to enter the salt industry was not because she was an arrogant and reckless royal person, but because she saw an opportunity that could be exploited.
But for so many years, they have remained on hold for four reasons. First, for various reasons, local officials in Yangzhou were unwilling to oppose the Salt Transportation Department, and they often failed to defeat the Salt Transportation Department.
Second, officials from the DPRK and China are far away from each other. When talking about salt, they are always a bit empty and can only scratch the surface.
Third, there are many people who have benefited from the Salt Transport Division, and their countless filial piety is not in vain, so they don't want to get into trouble.
Fourth, the head of the Salt Transportation Department is often a close confidant of the most powerful person in the DPRK, which increases the human factor and makes it more difficult to rectify the Salt Transportation Department.
Although there are difficulties, what must be done must always be done. Justice must defeat evil. All that is needed is an opportunity.
In another time and space, this opportunity was the "Lianghuai Salt Preliminary Case". In this time and space, the opportunity became Li You's "One Hundred and Eight Articles".
Although these 108 items are all very trivial and trivial, and there is no earth-shattering industry secret in order not to alert others, but with the promotion of caring people, if an opportunity is needed, it will be an opportunity.
In fact, Mr. Ding, the current Lianghuai Salt Transport Secretary, has a good reputation and an excellent reputation in official circles.
Although he was born in a noble family and held a powerful position, he was not arrogant and treated others politely. He never spared no effort to entertain officials of all sizes who came from north to south, and never let the other party gain or lose power.
Everyone who came to his door helped him generously, which was true to the style of ancient Mengchang.
However, Ding Yunshi's mentor Zhang Laoshou has died of illness, and he has been sitting in the most lucrative position in the world for eight years. It is time to move...
Without further ado, Yang Futai was shocked when he learned that he had been appointed as Prime Minister to organize salt rituals. After asking Li You, he had no intention of staying in the palace for a long time. He took the imperial edict and got into the eight-carriage sedan chair.
Return to the office in a hurry.
When Yang Futai learned about Li You's 108 articles at the beginning of the month, he concluded that Li You was trying to stir up trouble in the salt affairs in order to relieve his own pressure and took the opportunity to drag him into trouble. However, he did not want to go along with the situation and help Li You.
You make wedding clothes.
When his aide Xu Shuqin reminded him to take a high look at Li You, Mr. Yang had a brilliant idea. He could recommend to the court that Li You follow the example of the salt patrol censor in the past and let Li You rectify the salt law!
Once the righteousness is in hand, Li You must have relied on his own ability and backing, and he is powerful in Yangzhou City to be able to compete with the Yanyun Division.
As for the Salt Transportation Department, the salt merchants and Li You are serious enemies. If Li You gains power, although the Salt Transportation Department cannot be brought down, the Salt Transportation Department will definitely be unable to deal with it.
Previously, the Salt Transportation Department could influence the local area, but Li You could not penetrate into the Salt Transportation Department, so it seemed helpless. But if Li You has the reputation of rectifying the salt law, and the Salt Transportation Department has less influence on the local area, this will disappear.
Under his leadership, the Salt Transportation Department will inevitably be passive everywhere.
At that time, the Yanwu Yamen can only seek help from the Governor's Yamen who has no grievances and no grudges, because at the local level, only the governor has the power to suppress Li You. Other than that, there is no other way.
In this way, the Salt Transport Division can be obtained easily, so why should Yang Fu try so hard to suppress and conquer the Salt Transport Division? Li You is enough if he makes good use of it!
At the same time, Li You was entangled with the Salt Transport Department, and the affairs of welcoming the driver had to be put aside for a while, so it might as well be a step in.
In fact, Yang Futai's thoughts were similar to Li You's. They both wanted the other person to be a mantis catching cicadas, while he was the oriole.
Yang Futai recommended Master Li to the court, but he was also worried that some people would recommend him with ulterior motives, so he had to sacrifice himself first.
In this matter, as the second-rank governor stationed in Yangzhou, his petition was of course the most influential. Others' memorials could not compare. If he wanted to agree, he could only agree to his petition and let Li You rectify the Salt Law.
Regulating the salt law is just an errand, and it has nothing to do with rank. As long as Li You is allowed to do it, his responsibility will be removed for the time being, and he can sit back and watch the fight between tigers and tigers.
However, Yang Futai did not expect that the imperial court approved his petition and also approved Li You's petition. As a result, due to mutual pushback, both of them took up the task of rectifying the Salt Law. Only one of them had the title of Prime Minister.
One is just reasonable.
In other words, the imperial court treated his two memorials and those of Li You equally!
Yang Futai was stunned and speechless at this. Without personal experience and only listening to oral rumors, how could anyone truly recognize Li You's potential? Xu Shuqin was right, Li You should really be treated as an equal.
In fact, Yang Futai was overly surprised and his guess was a bit exaggerated. Li You did not rely entirely on power, but as the first person with three hundred years of historical experience, he had a keen sense of general trends and opportunities and seized them.
It's just time to dig a hole.
However, although Mr. Li dug a hole, he could not grasp the consequences of digging a hole, and turned himself into a "salt rectification ritual".
