"I have betrayed the divine grace..." Facing the angry emperor, no matter whether he is a capable minister or a critic, the only choice is to kneel down and kowtow to self-examine. The posture is very impressive and the scene is very touching, but I don't know what is going on in my heart. Thought.
"... Everyone, please get up. It has been more than a year since I succeeded to the throne. I have always relied on all the great scholars. I just didn't know that Taicang is so empty. Who can help me solve my doubts?"
Looking at the old man kneeling on the ground, Hong Tao twitched the corner of his mouth and winked at Wang An behind him. When he turned his head, his dull expression returned, and even his tone was full of weakness.
"Back to Your Majesty, the summer tax and autumn grain totaled 26.7 million taels, and the combined silver was 17 million taels. Silk cloth, tea, salt, ship notes, etc. totaled 2.23 million taels, including 1.91 million taels of silver, 63.38 million taels of banknotes, and 81.76 million taels of money. 2.188 million taels of silver for the relay station, 200,000 taels of silver for monks and Taoists, 170,000 taels of stolen goods, and 55,000 taels of silver for the Ban Army, totaling 3.487 million taels of silver..."
As the chief minister of the cabinet, Shen Yiguang's basic skills are pretty good. When it comes to the general situation of the court, such as the income of the Household Department, he doesn't need to look at the materials or ask others.
The total revenue in the 32nd year of Wanli was 20.802 million taels from agricultural taxes, 2.238 million taels from commercial taxes, and 3.487 million taels from miscellaneous revenue. The total fiscal and tax revenue was 26.526 million taels. From the composition point of view, it mainly relied on agricultural taxes, accounting for 78.4% of the total revenue.
But these revenues are not all monetary. The taxes in the Ming Dynasty were mainly in kind, called natural taxes. That is to say, the main payment is not money, but food, cloth, fodder, cattle and horses, etc.
So last year’s total income included 8.776 million taels of silver, 26.609 million shi of rice and wheat, 14.142 million bundles of grass, 3.174 million taels of silk floss, 244,000 tons of cotton, 251,000 pieces of silk, 179,000 pieces of cotton cloth, 65.656 million guan of banknotes, and 81.826 million pieces of money. 10,000 coins, 214,000 dans of tea, 220,000 jins of gall alum, 448,000 jins of iron, 1.2 million sheets of paper, 22.59 million jins of charcoal, 25.19 million jins of firewood, and other miscellaneous items.
"Is it more or less?" In fact, Hong Tao had already asked Tian Yi and Chen Ju about these numbers, and there was basically no discrepancy. But you have to pretend to listen to it for the first time and look very serious. After finally finishing the work, I still had a confused look on my face, expressing that I didn’t know if I had enough money or not.
"Last year, the nine-border military pay was equivalent to more than 9.3 million taels of silver, the imperial salary was equivalent to more than 4 million taels of silver, the water conservancy repair and disaster relief was equivalent to a total of 1.38 million taels of silver... and the royal expenditure was equivalent to 15.26 million taels of silver."
Shen Li asked Shen Yiguan to go into trouble again. When it was his turn to speak, he talked about expenses. Not only was he unable to make ends meet, the bulk of it was the royal family's expenses, which was very unpopular.
"...My dear friends, could it be that I made a mistake in my calculation? The imperial court's expenditure is more than 3 million taels more than its income!" Hong Tao did not get angry, but started to do mental calculations with his fingers. The more he calculated, the tighter his brows became. Forget it. It took several times to confirm that the calculation was correct, but I was very, very confused about the results.
"Your Majesty, the imperial court has indeed been squandering grain in recent years and borrowing money from everywhere to make up for the shortfall." Zhu Geng was more honest and nodded to acknowledge the imperial court's financial difficulties.
"Hehehe... I thought that if the mining tax and mine supervision were removed, the people of this dynasty would be able to live and work in peace and contentment, and I would be able to live up to the expectations of several gentlemen and become a wise king. I never thought that the court would be in such an embarrassment. Wouldn't it be wrong if there was another war at the border? We’re going to send hungry soldiers!”
The young emperor finally understood. He slumped against the back of his chair, looking at the dragons and phoenixes on the caisson and mumbling words. He did not hide the shock and loss in his heart. He seemed to have aged several years in an instant.
"I am guilty and have failed to live up to the divine grace..." Seeing this situation, the five academicians knelt down and worshiped each other one after another, criticizing in unison.
"No, the foundation of our ancestors cannot be destroyed in my hands! You are all loyal ministers. There must be a way to make Taicang full. Don't mention the tax increase. Although I am not as knowledgeable as you, I know that water can carry water. A boat can also be overturned, but you can’t fish without draining the lake.”
This time the emperor didn't ask the bachelors to get up immediately. He didn't seem to see the people kneeling on the ground at all. He stroked his forehead with one hand and continued talking to himself. Suddenly he stood up from the chair, stared, his face twisted, and said Roaring like never before, almost like madness.
"Your Majesty, please calm down..." This shout pushed the heads of the five old men down again, and they were pressed tightly against the carpet, not daring to raise their heads any further.
"The total salary of the nine-border army is more than 9.3 million taels. Why is the royal expenditure only more than 15 million taels? Could it be that I am a dissolute and unruly emperor!" However, the usually gentle and temperless young emperor suddenly became aggressive today and did not give any money. As a way out, he roared and tortured his soul again.
"Mr. Shen Ge, you are the chief minister of the cabinet, tell me!" When no one answered, the furious emperor pointed at Shen Yiguan.
"I'm guilty..." Shen Yiguan still didn't raise his head. He knew the answer to this question, but he couldn't say it and didn't dare to say it, at least not from his own mouth. But I couldn't resist with silence, so I had to plead guilty and try to muddle through.
"It's not a crime to say it, but it's a crime to deceive the emperor if you don't!" After a few minutes of irritation, the emperor's mood calmed down a little, and he sat back on the chair and stopped yelling, but the question remained the same, and his voice was It seemed even colder.
"Your Majesty, 70% of the money and food used by the royal family accounts for the annual salary of the clan. Last year, the salary alone amounted to more than 19 million shi..." Seeing that the emperor really wanted to attack the chief minister of the cabinet, Li Zhi couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his head and answered this very important question. question.
In fact, the court officials knew very well what the bulk of the annual fiscal expenditure was, but they just couldn't mention it. After all, it was the rules set by Taizu, and no one dared to change them lightly. But he wasn't afraid. The worst he could do was die. It wasn't like he hadn't tried before.
"...Wang An, ask Tian Yi and Chen Ju to come quickly with the accounts of the clan's salary over the years. I have something to ask!" When he heard that it was not him who spent the money, the emperor's face looked a little better, at least his facial features did not move. , but his brows are still furrowed, and he does not intend to ignore this problem, but will continue to dig deeper.
In fact, even if the two eunuchs were not called, everyone here, including the young emperor who pretended not to understand anything, knew what the problem was in the clan. This is a bad debt, or a problem left over from history. It would be of little use to figure it out, and it would be difficult to change it.
In the early Ming Dynasty, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang established a feudal system and granted 25 vassal kings, allowing his children and grandchildren to occupy most major cities in the country, including border passes. His intention was obvious: he wanted to take away military power from the generals who were conquering the world together and prepare for the next step of the purge.
This is a bit like a group of buddies starting a company in later generations. The initial stage was full of hardships and the process was ups and downs. In the end, the company stood firm and was ready to go public. However, the big brother who took the lead had a little thought.
He didn't want to give the company's equity to his buddies who worked together, and planned to make it all his own, so he placed his sons and grandsons in the company as leaders of major departments, gradually removing the power of others.
In terms of character, Lao Zhuci is a bad person. For the sake of power and wealth, he will give up all morals and human relations in the world. Even the four irons who have carried the gun together have followed the trap.
