Seeing the shocked look of the ministers, Zhang Juzheng said this in a deep voice.

The ministers in Wenyuan Pavilion stood up. They arranged on both sides according to their usual order. The atmosphere in the room became calm and they looked back to the time when Emperor Net came in.

Everyone can see that Wanli's mood is already very low, and it has reached such a point that the Internet has even lifted the Empress Dowager, the great god. Do you still have to continue fighting?

There is no benefit in fighting or having a quarrel with the emperor. If you don’t fight, you really need to apply for peace in Tianjin.

In the matter of commercial taxation, Shanxi requested merit for the county magistrate of a subordinate county in the early Ming Dynasty because the county had collected commercial taxes for more than the amount and increased greatly. However, after the article of requesting merits came to the capital, the Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang believed that this person was too good to record and was sentenced to exiled to the northwest. Since then, officials from all over the country have a rough judgment on how to deal with tax collection. Too heavy taxes are harsh, and not collecting less is to compassion with the people's sentiments. Of course, land taxes cannot be collected less. In the eyes of Zhu Yuan, a farmer-born farmer, it is natural for ordinary people to pay land taxes and taxes.

of.

Before and after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, wars and people's livelihoods were withered. Local destruction was extremely serious, and no taxes were collected in industry and commerce.

By the Hongzhi year, people's livelihood had recovered, the economy was prosperous, and industry and commerce had great developments, but the policies adhered to at that time were no different from those in the early Ming Dynasty.

Some Hangzhou local officials collected taxes and only placed a table and a box at the door of the yamen. There were pens, ink, paper and inkstones and an account book on the table. The box was a half-open wooden box.

The notice posted was to ask Hangzhou merchants to register their business in and out of the account books, and then throw money into the box as tax payment. There was no one guarding the table and box, all based on personal consciousness. No one was a fool. This set of household items was placed at the door of the yamen for three months, and a total of 700 cents were collected.

Such acts that were like jokes were praised by people at that time. They believed that they could be compared with the deeds of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, and Tang Taizong Li Shimin sent the prisoners home to reunite with their families. Then the prisoners returned on time within the agreed time limit, and Li Shimin pardoned their deeds.

This voluntary tax payment in front of the door is also considered to be a temporary story for gentlemen not to be greedy for money and not to demand the virtues of the people.

After experiencing Zhengde, Jiajing and Longqing, collecting commercial taxes will inevitably be called a beastly act that can capture the people and remove people's wealth and ointment, and vice versa, it is a gentleman's move to make people live a peaceful life.

The only commercial tax collection that is still effective is the seven tax customs set up on the Grand Canal from Hangzhou to the capital. Vessels must check the goods when passing the tax customs, and collect taxes according to the value of the goods they are loaded. However, these seven tax customs are extremely greedy, not to mention that many goods are transported through tax-free and inspection-free canal ships, and they can't receive anything at all.

The commercial tax system was corrupt and ineffective. There were reasons for the early stage, but in the middle and late stages, it was different. The south of the Ming Dynasty had economic prosperity in the far north.

This economic prosperity has brought about an improvement in education. The educational level provided by rich peasants in Jiangnan to their children is often only possible for small and medium-sized landlords to achieve.

Educational level determines the quality of the imperial examination, which determines the number of people in the south of the Yangtze River in the officialdom. Although the imperial examinations have a rigid proportion of six in the south and four in the north, civil servants and big men in high positions are almost all from southerners.

A high-ranking official often means wealth in his family. Even if his family cannot be rich for a short time, he still needs the support of his connections and financial resources from his hometown.

In other words, the middle and upper-class officials of the Ming Dynasty were often born in the wealthy class in Jiangnan, and the prosperity and wealth of this class was inseparable from industry and commerce.

Perhaps in the initial stage, we relied on land for recording and cutting, but the real growth was after the prosperity of industry and commerce. The wealthy family in Jiangnan may not be a big landlord, but they must be a big businessman and a big workshop owner.

They have a close relationship with maritime trade, and they are also the main body of commercial tax, so commercial tax is an untouchable bottom line for them.

Collecting commercial taxes means damaging their vital interests. Anyone who tries to do this is regarded as an enemy and will face pressure from the entire Jiangnan Shishen class.

In this class, their children have been constantly becoming high-ranking officials and nobles in the center of the Ming Dynasty, constantly maintaining this class, and this class relies on this maintenance to continue to expand, and then return to become an interest group that cannot be touched.

Whoever talks about collecting commercial taxes is the enemy of this class, and whoever is the enemy of high-ranking officials and nobles from this class. If we look at the people covered by this class, it may be a bit far-fetched to say that it is an enemy of the scholars and civil officials in the world, but it cannot be said that it is a mistake.

This is also the Ming Dynasty's government sent tax supervisors, mining supervisors, weaving and other internal supervisors to various places to collect money for the treasury. Civil officials from all over the country always fought one after another. You should know that these civil officials who dared to fight were not honest people. They searched for words and ink on weekdays... There are no fewer eunuchs than those who cried, and the officials plundered this and all the flowers in public places, and these civil officials plundered them all into their own pockets.

But every time there is a person who has such a struggle, no matter the government or the country, public opinion must be biased towards this civil servant. What kind of iron-strong and arrogant comments are added, why? This person protects the interests of the Shisun class.

Why does Zhang Juzheng, the assistant to the cabinet that is powerful in the world, always talk about the fact that there is a certain amount of wealth in the world, just clearing the land and reforming the tax service of agriculture. Instead of touching the industry and commerce that is much richer in oil and water, he dare not be enemies of this class.

Shishen is an official. Those who have fame and fortune do not need to pay taxes. The country has no money to collect in this area of ​​land, but commercial taxes cannot be moved. Otherwise, it will be a public enemy. From generation to generation, industrial and commercial landlords, Jiangnan Shishen has become monsters and parasites that suck blood on the Ming Empire. The more they prosper, the Ming Dynasty will not get any benefits or even harm.

What is the Ping An brand? From the perspective of the capital, the Ping An brand is not only a heavy silver for brothels and gambling houses, but the money collected by those merchants is definitely not a record, which can be said to be very reasonable.

On weekdays, rogues are rascals. When they work as servants, they will go to harass and extort them. The store will also suffer losses and delay normal business. Ping An’s money is no more than the extortion loss. It also makes people feel at ease to do business. It cannot be said to be a bad thing. Moreover, it is fair to pay more big business and pay less small business.

But this is determined based on the amount of business entry and exit of each company. The Public Security Department sends officials to check the accounts of each company and then collects money based on this amount.

What is this? It is called a safe brand, but it is actually a commercial tax. A change of name does not mean that everyone cannot understand it. No one can only read the books of sages, and everyone understands the meaning of it.

The capital was at the foot of the emperor, and there were only a few hundred households in the Jinyiwei, one in Shuntian Mansion, and the magistrate of the emperor. However, behind this was the eunuch of the Silijian, Zhang Cheng, and even the shadow of the emperor.

It was just the capital, after all, it was not the foundation of Jiangnan. Perhaps the emperor was having fun for a while, and after this interest came, everyone would slowly abolish this decree.

But it wasn't enough that Wang Tong was engaged in this activity in the capital, but he actually wanted to do this in Tianjin. What's even more hateful and hateful is that the emperor actually supported him and even issued an order.

First, it is the capital, and then Tianjin. If one of them is done one by one, wouldn’t it be recommended? If you don’t argue at this time, it will be considered that this policy of “Ping’an” is actually a policy of collecting commercial taxes, and it will be a disaster in Tiantian.

Maybe I can see it openly. What should I do if the huge foundation I have accumulated at home and the wealth and glory of my children and grandchildren behind me? I have to fight for it and I have to stop it.

But how could they speak? Just now, both censors kowtowed and advised them to retreat to advance, and said such heavy words. The little emperor actually called in the guards to arrest people. Although they did not take action, this was the first time Wanli had such a big temper.

What if I say, who will say it is to stop it. But in order to prevent my official position from being thrown into it, it would be too unworthy. Everyone in the room looked at each other.

The two censors of the Censorate had just made a straightforward advice. At this time, they took two steps back and were no longer willing to speak. Everyone's eyes briefly communicated for a while, but in the end they were still focused on Zhang Juzheng.

"Your Majesty, the imperial edict is the law at once, but everything in the world makes sense. The matter of the peace sign. From ancient times to the present, it has never been heard of. Let the Jinyiwei take charge of this matter, which is easier to cheat. Your Majesty, can you give me the truth about the peace sign? It is better to let the merchants with the sign be convinced?"

Those who heard this shouted in their hearts. Wang Tong instigated the emperor to do this, just to please the emperor and scavenge money. What can it be said? There is no reason in the court discussion. He could not be justified. Master Zhang and Eunuch Feng could report to the Empress Dowager Ming, and even the sign of peace in the capital could be cancelled. "Mr. Zhang, my dear friends, I ask you. Whose land is used for the shops in the world?"

"Report to Your Majesty, is it the king's land? Of course, it's Your Majesty's

"I'll ask you again, who built the city wall outside and who paid the silver?"

"It's the silver paid by the court"

"Who sent troops to patrol the streets and guard the streets, who sent troops to guard the four directions and protect them from doing business safely!"

"Of course it's Your Majesty, and naturally it's the Ming Dynasty."

"They can do business and be safe, and they are all in the joints for spending money to build city walls and support soldiers. Why can't the joints collect money from them? Is it wrong to use the silver they collect?
Chapter completed!