In the middle of summer, the sun is fierce, but the garden of Xufu is full of green trees and rockery fishing ponds, which is a cool place in this hot summer.

At this moment, in the small pavilion next to the fish pond, Xu Jin and the little emperor Zhu Houxi sat opposite each other, and there were tea sets and a pot of seasonal melons and fruits on the table.

As I grew older, the two little cabbages grew more and more beautiful in early spring and early summer, especially when they stood together, it was really a bit of a disaster for the country and the people, and Zhu Houxi, this kid is no longer a ten-year-old little kid, he already knows the things of men and women, if he takes a fancy to this pair of twin sisters, it will be a troublesome thing, so Xu Jin didn't let the two sisters run around and hang around.

It's not that Xu Jin regards early spring and early summer as a forbidden, he really doesn't like to send women around like goods, of course, if he has a favorite man after early spring and early summer, Xu Jin is happy to fulfill it.

Next to the gazebo is an old peach tree, the trunk is S-shaped, the shape is very artistic, it is estimated that the whole tree is transplanted, the peach on the tree has the size of a thumb, Zhu Houxi bent down on the ground to pick up a falling fruit, casually threw it into the fish pond outside the bar, made a "bang" sound, a few koi thought that someone was feeding, immediately swam over happily, and quickly swam back to the shadow of the rockery.

Zhu Houxi sighed and said: "Even fish are so realistic, they flock to it when they think they have food, and they discard it when they find that it is not food." The hustle and bustle of the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit. The ancients did not deceive me. ”

Xu Jin frowned imperceptibly and asked, "Why is the emperor so emotional?" ”

Zhu Houxi said with a wistful expression: "It's not a matter of silver, last year, the treasury expenditure was less than 400 million taels, and the officials of the yamen and battalions in Beijing spent more than 1.35 million taels, and the military salaries of the border troops were more than 2.36 million taels, plus all kinds of expenses, a total of more than 5 million taels were spent, and the income was beyond their means." Some border troops have been in arrears for several months, and the border generals have been urging them to pay them, but the household department is crying with me every day...... Alas, I am afraid that if I do not pay my military salaries again, I am afraid that the border army will be like those fish, and abandon me like a piece of. ”

Xu Jin couldn't help but be secretly frightened, he only knew that the Ming Dynasty's current treasury was tight, but he didn't know that it was so tight, the huge country's annual treasury tax revenue was less than 4 million, and the fiscal deficit was more than 25%, which would be dangerous in the long run.

Xu Jin Zhengrong said: "Your Majesty, forgive the ministers for speaking bluntly, the bitter cold on the side, the soldiers on the border are already hard, if they can't even pay the salary, how can they be made to be loyal?" ”

Zhu Houxi said with a little displeasure: "As my Ming soldier, can I put the safety of the country at risk without silver?" ”

Xu Jin said calmly: "Food and clothing are the most basic needs of a person's life, and then the family and the country, if the people can't even fill their stomachs, it is unrealistic for you to let them be loyal to the country." Looking at the reasons for the change of dynasties, in the final analysis, it is caused by the inability of the common people to eat. Only with abundant food and clothing can the country and the people be safe. ”

The displeasure on Zhu Houxi's face gradually faded, revealing a thoughtful expression, and finally glanced at Xu Jin and said, "Xu Qing, if one day I can't make a fortune, will you leave me?" ”

Xu Jin couldn't help but sweat secretly, although the little emperor's question was a bit of a frustration, but the companion is like a tiger, even if the current relationship between the two is very iron, but if the answer is not good, it will inevitably produce pimples, which will lay hidden dangers for the future.

Xu Jin smiled calmly: "The lord is worried about the humiliation of the minister, the lord humiliates the minister to death, if the minister lets the emperor mix to the point that he can't even send a fortune, then the minister still picks up a piece of tofu to cover himself." ”

Zhu Houxi laughed and scolded when he heard this: "Slippery head, this is what you said, remember that last time I promised you to take the lead in clearing the Grange, you have to be responsible for filling up my inner library, otherwise you don't want it." ”

Xu Jin sighed: "It's easy to fill the emperor's inner treasury, but it's difficult to fill the Taicang (treasury)." ”

Zhu Houxi nodded thoughtfully, at the end of last year, Xu Jin brought nearly 500,000 taels of silver to the inner library, and then SF Carriage and Horse Shop paid a dividend of 10,000 taels, if it were not for the fact that the Carriage and Horse Dealer was in the expansion stage and needed a lot of capital turnover, it was estimated that the dividend could be multiplied several times. Therefore, the little emperor believed that Xu Jin was indeed capable of filling his inner treasury. However, the treasury will be in difficulty, and with the current gap between revenue and expenditure, the treasury will have to empty its stock sooner or later.

Zhu Houxi stood up and flicked his sleeves, and said angrily with his hand on the pavilion railing: "I really don't understand, during the orthodox years, my Ming Dynasty's annual tax income reached 12 million taels, but now it is less than half of that year." And this year, the national summer and autumn grain tax has been halved, alas, my life will be even more difficult. ”

Xu Jin said bluntly: "Since the Tumubao incident in the orthodox years, my Ming national strength is not as good as before, plus the founding of the country has been one hundred and fifty years, the atmosphere of government is naturally not as good as at the beginning of the founding of the country, the number of fields is concentrated in the hands of the privileged gentry, those who have land are not taxed, and those who have no land are taxed heavily. In this way, it is normal for taxes to fall sharply. ”

Zhu Houxi frowned when he heard this: "Then in Xu Qing's opinion, what should I do?" ”

Xu Jin said indifferently: "Rectify the rule of officials, clear the grange, change the tax system, and open the sea ban." ”

Remember the early years of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng reformed the tax system of the Ming Dynasty, known as "a whip law", which really filled the empty treasury of the Ming Dynasty, but unfortunately the good times did not last long, "a whip law" just implemented throughout the country, Zhang Juzheng died of illness, "a whip law" was also completely overthrown by the disgruntled Wanli Emperor.

Zhu Houxi nodded and said: "The rule of officials should indeed be rectified ruthlessly, as can be seen from the granary deficit case in Shandong. Now that the household department has started to clean up the grange, and the ban on opening the sea is not possible for the time being, Xu Qing thinks that the current tax system in my dynasty can be improved? ”

Xu Jin was asked, although he liked to read history books in his previous life, but he was only limited to a superficial taste, so he only knew that Zhang Juzheng's "one whip method" was effective, but he couldn't remember the specific content, and the most impressive thing seemed to be that there was a piece called "apportionment into the mu", that is, the conscription was incorporated into the field tax and collected together.

"It's a matter of national taxation, the minister doesn't dare to talk nonsense, wait for the minister to carefully consider and summarize, and then write it down for the emperor's reference!" Xu Jindao.

Zhu Houxi didn't care when he heard this, on the contrary, Xu Jin's cautious attitude made him more relieved and satisfied, walked back to the table and sat down, took a piece of watermelon on the fruit plate and nibbled it with relish.

Xu Jin also took a piece of watermelon with a "crab claw", and the two of them were gnawing happily, and the housekeeper Dabao walked in with a fart, first kowtowed to Zhu Houxi, and then said happily: "Master, that kid Sun Li really has two brushes, and the glass mirror actually let him make it." ”

Xu Jinxi said: "Really? ”

Dabao smiled and said excitedly: "Master, go and see for yourself, the person in the front living room, the made mirror has also been brought." ”

"Well, I'll go too!" Zhu Houxi sighed and gnawed the piece of watermelon in his hand, washed his hands and went to the front yard with Xu Jin, this kid is now poor and crazy, and he will come to the door when he hears the business of making money.