Although Chongzhen wants to attack the two Huai salt affairs, several cabinet ministers already know it. However, they imagined that the emperor's angle was just to audit the accounts of the transportation division.

However, the accounts of the two Huai salt affairs are complicated, and it is difficult to calculate the personnel involved. Even when Zhang Juzheng was in charge of the new policy, he did not conduct a large-scale inventory of the accounts of salt affairs in various places, because the forces behind the interests of salt affairs were too strong, and the annual salt tax of 170,000 or 800,000 taels of silver accounted for almost half of Taicang's annual revenue.

The two Huai salt taxes account for half of the world's salt taxes, with an annual income of 800,000 or 900,000 taels. Even a strongman such as Zhang Juzheng did not dare to touch the salt tax easily, because he was worried that the officials who controlled the salt affairs would rebel against the new policy.

Compared with the revolt of the gentry in the world that the new policy has already caused, Zhang Juzheng obviously has no spare energy to deal with the interest groups colluded between salt officials and salt merchants.

Last year, the cabinet members heard Chongzhen's ultimatum to them, and listened to the emperor's meaning, which was to attack the two Huai salt affairs. Although they obeyed the emperor's orders and transferred their relatives, friends, sons and nephews from the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division.

However, several ministers did not think that the emperor could find out any clues by sending people to check the accounts of the transportation department. After all, these salt officials and salt merchants were good at dealing with the imperial court's audits.

Otherwise, there would not have been a situation where the state tax of the imperial court accounted for only one-tenth of the interests of the salt industry, while the officials and salt merchants accounted for nine-tenths of the interests of the salt industry.

In the eyes of the cabinet ministers, there may be a problem with the accounts of the two Huai Salt Transportation Divisions, but if they want to find out the truth, it is not a task that one or two upright ministers can accomplish.

Therefore, the ministers originally thought that Chongzhen's rectification of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division would at most appoint a few cronies to go shopping, find out a few of the Fortune Division's rats, and then add tens of thousands of taels of silver to the treasury every year, and give an explanation to the upper and lower levels, and this matter will be revealed.

But everyone did not expect that the beginning of the rectification of salt affairs would be opened with the emperor holding a copy of the Ming Times at the cabinet meeting to question everyone.

Everyone present actually knew very well that Chongzhen's current behavior was completely pretentious. After all, the Daming Times is a newspaper under the name of the Inner Government, and Chongzhen took such a newspaper and asked everyone, isn't this a show?

But even if everyone knew this, they had to pinch their noses and accompany the emperor to finish the scene, after all, Chongzhen is now holding the righteousness in his hands.

If the emperor only thought that the officials of the Yun Division were corrupt and sent one or two ministers to check the accounts, except for the officials of the two Huai Yun Divisions and the salt merchants, the people of the world would not feel that this had anything to do with him. In the end, it was nothing more than a struggle between the emperor and the forces behind the salt industry in Lianghuai.

To be honest, in fact, everyone is not optimistic that the emperor will win in this battle. After all, after the abolition of the Kaizhong Law, the salt industry in Lianghuai has developed for more than 100 years, and has completely become an industry controlled by local gentry and wealthy merchants.

If the imperial court made any moves on the salt tax, either it would not be able to collect the salt tax, or the price of salt in various places would be high, and the people's lives would be difficult, causing local chaos.

However, under the banner that the people cannot afford to eat official salt, the situation is different. The people didn't care how much salt tax the court could collect, but they cared very much about how much salt they ate could be cheaper.

In this way, the imperial court's rectification of salt affairs has become a matter of conforming to public opinion. Even if they are in the salt industry in Lianghuai, they can't prove that the people can't afford to eat salt, which is a moral policy.

Last year, the government put the Changlu Salt Farm under its name, and renovated the old salt field by the Bohai Sea in Tianjin, and also expanded to the north and south coasts, from Shanhaiguan in the north to Liuxian in the south, and is vigorously renovating the salt pans.

The Changlu salt field has increased from 20 to 27, and the annual salt output is only more than 3,600 catties, that is, 18,000 tons. However, last year's production exceeded 25,000 tons, and this is still under the condition that the Yantian has not yet been fully renovated. In this year, just entering June, the salt output of Changlu Salt Field has exceeded 20,000 tons, and it is expected that the annual salt output will not be less than 50,000 tons.

The salt from the Changlu Salt Works did not fully flood the market for edible salt, and a considerable part of it was wholesaled to fishing companies for use in the distant-water fishing industry. The other part is supplied to the newly built chemical industry. And Japanese businessmen also bought a lot of processed long reed refined salt.

The rapid development of salt production in Changlu Salt Farm has made the Lianghuai Salt Farm, which occupies the first place in Daming output, become a little less eye-catching. And the household department also regretted that last year for only 120,000 taels a year tax package, the sale of the Changlu salt farm.

According to the salt introduction system of the Ming Dynasty, in essence, the tax per catty of salt is as high as 3 cents, although because of the corruption of the salt law, the annual Changlu salt tax is about 120,000 taels or less.

After Sihai Commercial Bank and Neifu took over the Changlu Salt Farm, the price of salt in Beizhili was adjusted several times, and finally set at 3 cents per catty. A penny of cost, a penny of taxes, a penny of profit.

According to the output of 1,800 tons in previous years, the salt tax received by the inner government has also reached more than 360,000 yuan. Based on the annual output of 50,000 tons of salt, the salt tax is as high as 1 million yuan. At this time, the annual tax that should be paid by the Lianghuai salt farm was about 900,000 taels, but the actual tax received by the imperial court was only 600,000 taels.

In other words, the Changlu salt tax has essentially exceeded the two Huai. After deducting the expenses of the tax-collecting personnel and the annual tax package of 120,000 taels, the internal government also had an additional income of 7 or 800,000 yuan. After Tobe knew about this, he was naturally a little nervous.

In Beizhili, 1 cent can be exchanged for 8 Wen, and 3 cents is 24 Wen. This price is a bit more expensive for the people near the salt works. But for the entire people of Beizhili, it is still cheap. In addition, the main sales target of Changlu salt is not the common people, but the ocean fishing industry and a few factories in Tianjin and Beijing, so they are not worried about sales.

In the Lianghuai salt field, the cost is certainly lower than that of the Changlu salt field. Each catty of salt is only two cents, and the price of salt near the salt-producing area is only 8 or 9 wen. But for every 100 miles inland, the price almost doubles. The average price of salt in the entire Nanzhili area also requires 3 or 40 Wen a catty of salt.

The further inland you go, the higher the price of salt becomes. Referring to the development process of the Changlu Salt Farm last year, the household department naturally wanted to put the Lianghuai Salt Farm under its own jurisdiction.

It's just that although the Lianghuai Salt Farm is a piece of fat, there are many people looking at this piece of fat. Even Guo Yunhou didn't dare to rashly get involved in the two Huai salt affairs, Chongzhen wanted to move the two Huai salt affairs, and the household department was naturally willing to follow the emperor to interview for a try.

But now that Chongzhen has pulled out such a big banner and rectified the salt affairs of Lianghuai with whether the people can eat salt, Guo Yunhou asked with some emotion: "Dare to ask Your Majesty, where do you plan to start?" ”

Zhu Youzhen put down the newspaper in his hand and said to Guo Yunhou, Huang Liji and others: "It just so happens that the affairs of Henan are over, and I plan to let Li Kuilong and Han Yiliang go to Yangzhou to inspect the salt business, and ask the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division to explain that the people can't eat cheap and good salt..."

Huang Liji listened for a while, and felt that Chongzhen's arrangement was decent, and there was no obvious problem. Obviously, these officials of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division are going to be unlucky, but this is also an opportunity.

However, he looked at Guo Yunhou, who was quite moved, and couldn't help but pour some cold water and said: "There must be officials in the middle of the two Huai Salt Transportation Divisions who have fallen and corrupted. However, the annual tax paid by the Lianghuai salt farm still accounts for about one-fifth of Taicang's annual income.

Li Kuilong and Han Yiliang's talent and prestige are insufficient, let them investigate the corruption of the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Division, will it appear, the case has not been investigated, has it caused chaos in Yangzhou? ?

The minister thought that in order to rectify the salt affairs of the two Huai, I am afraid that it is still necessary to find an upright and honest official, so as not to turn good things into bad things. ”

Huang Liji's suggestion suddenly woke up several other ministers, yes, now Chongzhen's momentum in the Daming Times has set up a stage for a thorough investigation of the Lianghuai salt issue.

With this name in hand, the investigation of the salt issue has become a good opportunity to make political achievements. Although the beneficiaries of the Lianghuai salt industry are powerful, they are nothing in the face of the anger of the Ming people.

With such a name, after the completion of the rectification of the two Huai salt affairs, it will inevitably be restructured in imitation of the Changlu Salt Farm. At that time, whoever has made contributions to the rectification of the two Huai salt affairs will also have the right to speak on the direction of the reform of the two Huai salt industry. Plugging in the salt industry of Lianghuai, this is an industry that can be eaten for several lifetimes.

For Huang Liji and Guo Yunhou want to get a piece of the pie, Zhu Youzhen obviously doesn't care, after listening to the suggestions of several ministers, he said calmly: "The specific affairs naturally still need to be implemented by the gentlemen, since the gentlemen feel that Li Kuilong and Han Yiliang's qualifications are insufficient, then the gentlemen will recommend three more people, and then set up a joint investigation team on salt affairs with the two of them..."

After detailed discussions with the cabinet ministers about the emperor's proposal, the three people who participated in the investigation were finally decided.

At the same time, Zhu Youzhen also put forward a suggestion, "I think that the current market price of salt is chaotic, the price of official salt is high and of inferior quality, and although the price of private salt is cheap, the quality is poor and it damages the national tax revenue."

Last year, the imperial court issued an order to abolish the rationing system of household officials, but it did not solve the problem of salt for the common people.

I believe that the current salt system has made some merchants sit on the monopoly profits, but the state has not received a penny of benefits, and the common people are even more deeply affected by the high price of official salt.

Therefore, I plan to let the provinces control the price of edible salt, and I think that the retail price of edible salt per catty should be between 3-5 cents, and the quality should not be lower than a certain standard.

For areas where the price of salt exceeds 5 cents per catty for 3 consecutive months, the restriction on salt production shall be lifted. Salt dealers who use shoddy goods to ruin the reputation of official salt should have their qualifications to sell salt revoked. ”

Guo Yunhou suddenly said with some worry: "Although Your Majesty's idea is good, the minister is worried that those large and small salt merchants may not accept it, if they make trouble, I am afraid that there will be a situation of salt shortage in various places, and the people may not understand Your Majesty's kindness." ”

Zhu Youzhen shook his head and said: "The imperial court can not stand on the front line, and let those county gentry meetings established on a pilot basis in various places take the lead.

As representatives of the gentry of the county, they always have to speak for the people of the county. Whether the price of salt in the county is too high or not, whether it is necessary to open the salt market, and submit it to the county gentry meeting for discussion.

It was regarded as an experiment, and the imperial court did not interfere much. ”