Chongzhen saw that if he didn't stop it, the court would be in danger of becoming a vegetable market completely, so he sent an edict to the eunuchs to stop the quarrel among the ministers, and it took a lot of effort for the court to calm down. Chongzhen and the others quieted down and said: "What you Aiqing said is reasonable, but the most important thing at the moment is to drive Abatai internally, except for Huang Taiji." As for what Ning Yuanbo said, I think it is very good, but the current enemy will not consider it for the time being, and it will not be too late to discuss it when Ning Yuanbo will show his strength in Shenyang and when the Jingshi will sacrifice his captives. At present, you Aiqing should first offer advice and suggestions for the affairs of Liaodong. ”

Li Shouhan saw that the emperor intended to delay, so he said: "Your Majesty, the official gentry is involved in a lot of grain payment, and it is difficult to implement it for a while, but the two customs offices in Tianjin and Denglai, in order to raise military salaries, should be implemented immediately. The rent reduction in the Second Five-Year Plan is also a good act for the convenience of small people, even if it cannot be implemented immediately, it should be announced to the world and gradually promote rent reduction and interest reduction. ”

That's it!

The ministers in the hall suddenly fell to the ground with a stone in their hearts. The so-called long-term discussion is not discussed, and if it is not discussed, it will not be implemented. With the current organizational form of the Ming court, it is the coordinated government structure that has been admired countless times by countless elites, a small government and a big society, where is the resources in the hands of the imperial court that can implement the system? If there were such resources, there would be no arrogant generals like Zuo Liangyu and Renlong.

Next, everyone's attention quickly shifted to a lively discussion on how to establish the two customs offices in Tianjin and Denglai.

According to the intention of the initiator, Ning Yuanbo and Li Shouhan, the customs of Denglai and Tianjin do not need to be set up separately. He changed the name of the eunuch Yamen of Nancao, who was currently stationed in the Nigu area of Tianjin, who was in charge of receiving money and grain from Nanzhong, and changed the name of the guard, and then divided it into two, one stationed in Tianjin and the other stationed in Denglai.

This construction was more exciting than the financial and taxation system suggestions of Fang Cai.

The eunuchs who stood in the dark corners around the hall with low eyebrows and pleasing eyes all showed joy in their eyes, and some of them were so bold that they even peeked at the two ancestors standing behind Emperor Chongzhen. At this time, Wang Dehua and Wang Chengen were also calm, but they were extremely excited in their hearts.

The current Admiral Nancao Eunuch was changed to a customs officer. Undoubtedly, the customs were also included in the sphere of influence of the so-called 24 yamen. The establishment of the two customs offices can undoubtedly control the overseas trade of several northern provinces, and single-handedly pinch the lifeblood of merchants?

With the customs, the sailors can be mobilized justifiably, and even invite the sailors under the command of Ning Yuanbo to go back and forth to guerrilla patrols. The Jianghai Joint Defense Agreement established with Ning Yuanbo and the nobles of Nanjing can echo from afar between the north and the south. So. The entire prosperous and wealthy area of the Ming Dynasty is invisibly under control.

A steady stream of silver dollars will flow into the emperor's inner palace like a tide, the big river is full of water and the small river is full, and the emperor's treasury has the silver dollar that cannot be filled. We slaves and maids should help clean up a little.

In the past few years, dealing with the Nanyue Army, the eyes of the eunuchs can be said to be wide open, it turns out that the outside world is so wonderful, no wonder the Three Treasures of the year would rather die at the bottom of the sea than go to sea to the Western Ocean in his old age! If nothing else, just look at the hand of people who donated money to build temples everywhere after they came back.

However, since the eunuchs who are no longer in the following can think of the importance of this customs, how can those adults who have read the scriptures of the sages not think of it?

"陛xià! I have this chapter! ”

"Your Majesty, the minister has something to say!"

Coincidentally, two people stood up from the back of the civil service.

One is to fight back in the recent trend of Xue (Guoguan), from the official department of Li Rixuan, the current cabinet chief assistant Zhou Yanru's disciple Dong Tingxian to the Zhou Ge Lao's subordinate to the Ministry of Officials Wenxuan Shilang Wu Changshi.

The other is Xiong Rulin, a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang.

Xiong Rulin is not bad, except for Shouhan, in view of the fact that he also led his troops to cross the sea in Tong'anzhi County, Fujian, and fought with the Dutch in Xiamen and achieved victory, he can be regarded as a comrade-in-arms with the same hatred as himself, so he nodded very friendly to this Xiong Zhizhong.

The other Wu Changshi, with his nostrils facing the sky, did not look at Li Shouhan, which made Shouhan very unhappy. He didn't know that because of Wu Changshi's defection, Zhou Yanru quickly grasped many facts about Xue Guoguan's corruption and bribery, which caused a big turmoil in the DPRK and China, Li Rixuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, and Li Zhiwen, the secretary of the Ministry of Households, resigned, and Li Banghua, the imperial history of the Imperial History of the Left Capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Shi Bangyao, the Imperial History, and Meng Zhaoxiang, the waiter of the Criminal Department, were demoted, and dozens of officials were also blamed for the fall of the government, or seized the salary, or the rod was punished, or the apprentice, or the dismissal and idleness.

Such a big change can only be compared with Chongzhen's edict in the second year, and the pattern of the DPRK and China has changed greatly.

Not only in the court, but also in the palace, there was also a purge.

On charges of accepting bribes, spreading rumors, and killing people, Wang Yumin, the chief eunuch of the ceremonial eunuch, was demoted to Fengyang, and the eunuchs Qi Benzheng, Zheng Zhihui and others of Dongchang were given to death.

Wang Yumin was demoted, and he was also involved in Liu Yuanbin, the eunuch of the prison army, and there was a royal history to impeach Liu Yuanbin for arson and plunder, and the emperor was angry and summoned Jinyi Wei to arrest him and enter Beijing.

In the past few days, a series of changes in the DPRK and China have dazzled the people in Beijing, and when everyone comes back to their senses, some people suddenly find that the biggest gain in the chaos between the DPRK and China is Zhou Yanru, the first assistant of the cabinet.

Wu Changshi's counterattack struck a blow that made the officials and households, as well as a large number of courtiers dismissed, and the second secretary of the ministry had to be Zheng Sanjun and Ni Yuanlu, who had a very high voice.

Both of them are from the Donglin Party, and as early as before their comeback, Zhou Yanru had promised all members of the Donglin Party that they would carry Zheng Sanjun, Ni Yuanlu and others into the cabinet, and sure enough, his promise was about to come true.

With such a great contribution to Zhou Yanru, Wu Changshi's arrogance in the court can be imagined.

But Xiong Rulin's power momentum has never been slightly inferior to him.

First, the household department gives power in the matter, and the so-called six branches give the matter, and the one in charge is the text of the six parts. Because it is divided into six departments, it is called six departments in the matter.

The palm prints of the six divisions are all given to the matter but the seven grades, and there are left and right to the things to be from the seven grades, and there are also a number of things (from the seven grades). The grade of the six subjects is only seven grades, and the number of people in each department is not the same, but the power of the six subjects is very large.

"Refutation": that is, to assist the emperor in dealing with the chapter, "copying", "science and staff": that is, to inspect the affairs of the six departments, "cancellation": cancellation refers to the daily return of the holy decree and the chapter to the attached section, every five days to the cabinet for the record, the executive organ in the specified time limit to deal with government affairs, by the six departments after the verification of the five days a cancellation.

Xiong Rulin, the household department, is in the matter, as the name suggests. It is related to household expenses and so on. Don't underestimate him, a seven-rank official. If you go back a few years, you will have to talk to the Governors, Prime Ministers, Presidents and the like when they see him, not to mention those who are the general soldiers.

Xiong Rulin's prestige was not because of this once majestic position, but because of his impeachment of Yang Sichang, who was called a traitor.

"Yang Sichang is not guilty. Lu Xiangsheng was not praised. Frustration of loyalty. To the heirs of Chang to draw a plan to practice salary, drive the Central Plains surname as a thief. The original appointment was given to Shen Xun in the matter. For the heir to Chang Planning, with 3,000 people stationed in Xiangyang, the city is broken, and the supervisor Yu Jue is also. For the heir Chang invoked, was trapped by Xianglian, bribed Chen Xinjia heavily, blamed Yun Fu Yuan Jixian, and now dismissed Song Yihe. are all ministers of the wrong country. Guilty. ”

Listen, from Yang Sichang to Song Yihe, everywhere the muzzle is headed, there is no blur of flesh and blood.

Now these two people have jumped out together and have something to say, but it is quite surprising.

In the eyes of courtiers and Chongzhen, Wang Chengen and others, Wu Changshi belongs to the kind of mercenary person, as long as it is profitable, that is, if there is milk, it is a mother, but this person is now arrogant, but he must face it squarely. And Xiong Rulin makes everyone think that he is a rather broad old master, who only has the words of a saint in his eyes, and does not know how to weigh and adapt.

What are these two jumping out of together today?

"Your Majesty, since the establishment of the banknote customs in my Ming Dynasty, it has been in order to dredge the banknote law, pay taxes with banknotes, and pay taxes from commercial and residential goods. It is a tax tax for merchants in Beijing Province to gather in the towns and towns...... Order: Pay money. The thirteen banknotes set up before and after were all subordinate to the Ministry of Households, and the taxes were used to pay for the military salaries and rewards in various places. The purpose of setting up the banknote customs is to collect ship tax, and the two customs of Linqing and Hangzhou also collect goods tax. It is supervised by the head of the household department and the head of the mission. The ship tax is levied on the shipholders who carry commercial cargo. At the initial stage, according to the distance of transportation and the size of the ship, the length and width of the ship are divided into different grades, and the material is estimated and taxed. ”

As the person in charge of the approval and promulgation of the power business of the Ministry of Households, Xiong Rulin talked about the relevant regulations of the banknote customs as if he was looking at the patterns in his palm, and told the matter of the banknotes.

"At the time of Xuande, the area of the customs was mainly rushed by the waterways along the North Canal, including the Miaoxian Pass (moved to Hexi in the 11th year of orthodoxy), Linqing Pass, Jining Pass, Xuzhou Pass, Huai'an Pass, Yangzhou Pass (in present-day Jiangdu County, Jiangsu), and Shangxinheguan (in present-day Nanjing). During the Jingtai and Chenghua periods, Jinshazhou Pass (in the southwest of Wuchang, Hubei), Jiujiang Pass, Zhengyang Pass (in Shou County, Anhui Province), Hushu Pass (also known as Suzhou Pass, in Huguan Town, Suzhou), and Beixinguan (in Hangzhou, Zhejiang) were set up along the Yangtze River, Huaishui and Jiangnan Canal. After several cuts, Wanli six years, there are still seven passes in Hexiwu, Linqing, Jiujiang, Hushu, Huai'an, Yangzhou and Hangzhou; After His Majesty ascended the throne, he set up a banknote customs in Wuhu. ”

"Now what Ning Yuanbo is playing is nothing more than setting up two more banknote customs in Tianjin and Denglai, because it mainly collects taxes and silver from ships entering and leaving the sea, so it is called customs. However, everything has changed, how can the previous banknotes be attributed to the Ministry of Households, but now the newly established customs are under the jurisdiction of the Internal Supervision Department? Ning Yuanbo's move was to deliberately trap His Majesty in a dangerous place in the name of greedy money and good goods! Minister, impeach Ning Yuanbo! ”

"Minister, Wu Changshi also has this intention!"

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

For a while, there was a one-sided situation in the Imperial Palace, and the ministers rushed to jump out to echo Xiong Rulin's impeachment, and Hanlin, who was outside the palace, was even more impatient to find pen and ink and began to draft a note to impeach Ning Yuanbo in the square outside the palace.

In the blink of an eye, Ning Yuanbo and Li Shouhan changed from a big hero and a big savior to a street rat, belonging to the kind of chaotic ministers and thieves that everyone can be punished.

"Your Majesty, the minister has something to say!"

A voice was extremely discordant in the midst of a barrage of criticism.

"The minister wants to ask his colleagues, I just kept saying that there are banknotes everywhere, I don't know how much the tax amount is in the past years? Has it ever been collected and put into storage? ”

Although the minister is not talented, he has also paid attention to the archiving of various classics and official documents over the years. In the 16th year of Chenghua, 24 million banknotes were collected every year. When 120,000 taels of silver. From Jiajing to the beginning of Wanli, the annual cashier was generally maintained at about 230,000 taels. Emperor Shenzong Xian was willing to rectify it, and there was the examination system left over by the Jiangling Xianggong, and the tax revenue of banknotes in various places rose sharply, to 335,500 taels in 25 years. In the first year of the Apocalypse, it soared to 520,000 taels, twice as many as the twenty-five years ago. ”

"At the beginning of His Majesty's accession to the throne, the tea tax that could be collected in various parts of Jiangnan amounted to 600,000 taels, and now how much is the tea tax? In the ten years of Chongzhen, the tea tax in Zhejiang Province alone has been reduced from 200,000 taels of silver in the Wanli and Tianqi years to 12 taels of silver per year! Twelve taels! Wait, where did all this tea tax go? How much silver can be collected in the treasury tax every year at the banknote customs today? If there is this 600,000 taels of tea tax and 500,000 taels of bills customs tax. 陛xià. Why are you afraid of the mainland rogue and Liaodong Jiannu? ”

The voice was sonorous and powerful, and Shouhan was also a little frightened when he heard it, if he talked about a lot of taxes in the Ming Dynasty, such as the salt tax. A large part of the leakage is lost. It was caused by his wanton wholesale smuggling of refined salt to the mainland. But. Now who of the princes standing in the court dares to stand up and pat his chest and say, I have nothing to do with the salt tax?

According to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty's salt system, the merchants who held the salt were divided into 10 classes according to the region. Each class of salt is 200,000 citations, 300 catties of salt per introduction, or six coins and four cents of silver, called "woben", and three taels of silver are taxed, and three taels of silver are paid to the minister (transportation). The annual salt output is 600 million catties, at that time one catty is equivalent to 596 grams now, the total amount is equivalent to 672 million catties now, and the official statistics of the Hongwu and Wanli periods have a population of 60 million, but how much is the salt tax revenue? .

According to the provisions of the salt system, the salt tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty court should receive 13.28 million taels of silver for every 6 taels of silver, 6 taels and 4 cents of silver! But in fact, it was only 2.5 million taels of silver at most, and the salt tax was greatly lost. And this number happened to be when the notorious eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who was 9,000 years old, took control of the government and vigorously cracked down on the persecution of the fair and virtuous Donglin party.

When it comes to taxes, everyone has a bad heart. For a while, he didn't care about pursuing these in detail, and just followed his reputation, and some people were already preparing to scold this mercenary eunuch. However, when people locked on to the man, most of the people present were helpless.

That person was Chen Yan, the left attendant of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of Dongge University.

The government and the opposition do not have a high evaluation of Chen Yan, thinking that he is mediocre and mean. There is no good evaluation of him in the history books, such as the wanton exclusion of dissidents during his official period, the communiqué of personal vendettas, and so on.

However, he has a specialty, that is, he is good at colluding with ministers and speculating on his intentions. His Rite Servant and Scholar of the East Pavilion was the product of his great friendship with the Inner Prisons. Chen Yan, who has tasted the sweetness, wants to have a good relationship with the eunuchs. Therefore, under the situation of many Donglin gentlemen in the court, he was regarded as a eunuch.

It was for this reason that he had a general understanding of the purpose of the emperor's meeting today.

Since the Wanli Tianzi Xinghai trade, the customs tariff has been a major pillar of the Ming Dynasty's finances, and it is also an important source of domestic currency. Since the first year of Chongzhen's reign in the name of reinstating the ban on the sea, the inner treasury can no longer get a tael of silver from the increasingly prosperous national maritime trade - but this ban does not mean that no one gets silver from it, and the silver is lost to the silver treasuries of the major maritime merchants.

Now, for the sake of the military situation in Liaodong and the mainland, the emperor has to and can't care about face, but it is because of the military urgency that the emperor takes this silver so seriously. And what kind of virtue are the people in the household department, which of the Manchu Dynasty civil and military and the emperor's eunuchs is not clear?

If the household officials were reliable, then Emperor Shenzongxian and the Duke of Wei of the previous dynasty would not have sent a large number of eunuchs to various regions to supervise the collection of taxes. At present, the treasury will not be empty, so that 3,000 battalions can practice in it.

Chen Yan knows very well that in addition to constantly exploiting the heads of farmers in various parts of the Central Plains, Chen Yan is now in the financial operation of the Ming Dynasty, turning wave after wave of peasants into homeless people and homeless people into homeless people. The reason why he can barely support it and have a little sign of turning yellow to green is entirely because of Ning Yuanbo.

The so-called customs is actually a trading company under Ning Yuanbo's rule to import all kinds of goods to the mainland, and Ning Yuanbo is unwilling to eat too ugly, so he leaves a mouth to pay customs duties.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Ning Yuanbo is loyal to the country, and has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars of money and grain to the inner government every year for many years, and is quite good at financial management and economic methods. Regarding the matter of banknote customs or customs subordination, I might as well ask Ning Yuanbo. ”

Chen Yan's words were no less than a big stick, which hit all the ministers present, especially the group of people who wanted to collectively impeach Li Shouhan just now.

You actually want to impeach Ning Yuanbo, you really don't know how thick the sky is! You have forgotten jì, where did the money and grain of the court and the court come from, and how did the grain and rice of the Jingshi come from now? Forget it, at this moment, there are more than a thousand loyal guards of Ning Yuanbo outside the palace? When you impeach him, as long as the emperor does not want to completely finish the Ming court, he will not be allowed to play.

Take 10,000 steps back and say, that is, the emperor really became a pig's head like his surname, and in the face of impeachment, Ning Yuanbo went south in anger, and who dared to stop Ning Yuanbo? At that time, the state affairs of the dynasty will be very bad, what should you do with this group of rotten Confucians?

I'm afraid that when Ning Yuan's soldiers come to the city, you won't even be able to find a place to cry! (To be continued......)

PS: A few days ago, because of a cold, there was a mistake, and at this time, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty is no longer Xue Guoguan. It's Zhou Yanru. I'm sorry everyone.