Zhu Youtang had arranged everything before his death, and Zhu Houzhao's ascension to the throne was a matter of course. There were no mistakes during this period. The most important thing during this period, besides the funeral, was to decide on the posthumous title.
A country cannot be left without a master for a day, and the government will not be delayed even during a great funeral. After many discussions, Zhu Youtang was finally appointed as Emperor Kangzong of the Ming Dynasty. Kang originally meant peace and harmony, and by extension meant abundance and vastness.
After the funeral, in the Wenhua Hall, a group of important ministers in the court had changed. Xu Pu, the chief minister of the cabinet, took office in the tenth year of Hongzhi. The current chief minister of the cabinet is Liu Jian. In addition to Li Dongyang and Xie Qian, the other two ministers in the cabinet In addition, Li Jie's senior brother Liang Chu has been promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs over the years, and last year he began to join the Cabinet Counselor for Machinery Affairs.
Li Jie has now been promoted to the rank of Zuo Shilang (the third rank) of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and concurrently serves as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. It is only a matter of time before he leaves the cabinet. Lun Wenxu and Zhan Ruoshui have also crossed over from the rank of historian to become a lecturer. At that time, they were Hanlin Academy Shi Lecturer (Sixth Grade).
Zhu Houzhao was only seventeen years old now, and the relationship between father and son was very deep. Even a month later, his face was still full of sorrow, and the sadness in his brows was not diminished. He still had to do what Zhu Youtang had repeatedly asked him before his death.
"I believe all of you dear friends know what the late emperor told me before he died. We will discuss it today."
What Zhu Houzhao was talking about was the opening of the sea. After Li Jie's unremitting efforts over the years, the issue of opening the sea in the court was no longer the same as before, and the mouth was gradually loosened. Last year, some officials in Beijing proposed the opening of the sea. thing.
After Zhu Youtang's death, Huaien had no intention of continuing to take charge of the internal affairs, and resigned from the position of Chief of Ceremonies. The eunuch who is now the Chief of Ceremonies standing next to the emperor is Yu Huatian. As for Liu Jin and others, Li Jie had long ago Cleaned up.
Liang Chu glanced at Li Jie and took a step forward and said: "Your Majesty, the late emperor thought of the importance of people's livelihood in the border seas, relaxed the sea ban, allowed trade, and allowed trade from east to west. Anyone who travels across the two oceans will control the number of ships and the number of ships traveling between them. Limit the journey, determine the goods for trade, set up ports and impose heavy taxes. The people along the coast will be grateful to your majesty. This is a policy that benefits the people."
Liu Jian smiled and nodded: "Of course, Your Majesty, the rich are the foundation of the state and county, and the upper and lower depends on them. The coastal areas are full of land, and the people have nothing to do. All the people's industries are in the boat dealers. It's not as good as Take advantage of the situation and let nature take its course.”
Xie Qian also echoed: "A flying canopy meets the drifting wind and travels thousands of miles. It rides on the force of the wind. Time changes and the world changes. It's natural!"
Then Zhu Houzhao turned his attention to Li Dongyang. Everyone in the court had discussed this matter several times, so Li Dongyang undoubtedly agreed. After the four cabinet ministers spoke one after another, Zhu Houzhao turned his attention to Li Jie.
When it comes to who Zhu Houzhao trusts the most in the palace, all the ministers know it well. The two have been familiar with each other since they were enlightened. It can be said that Zhu Houzhao's outlook on life, values, and world view are most influenced by Li Jie. When other people in the palace see Zhu Houzhao, It was no surprise that Li Jie was the first one to look at him after consulting the cabinet ministers.
Li Jie said: "Your Majesty, the wise change with the times, and the wise change with the times. A hundred thousand rich people are better than a million strong soldiers. The previous victory over the Tatars relied on wealth, soldiers. We have many generals and sufficient supplies of food, clothing and utensils, our troops and horses have not moved, and our food and grass have gone ahead. Our Ming Dynasty’s national strength is dozens of times better than that of the Tatars, and our firearms are a hundred times better than the Tatars’, so why worry about being victorious?”
Zhu Houzhao nodded slightly. Li Jie had told him countless times over the years about the importance of the economy. Not only did a penny stump the heroes, but the country was still struggling without money.
The reason why there has not been widespread opposition to the New Deal proposed by Li Jie in recent years is because what Li Jie proposed is a method of open source. The problem of redundant staff and redundant officials is not a problem as long as the national treasury is full. It can be changed in a subtle way. In a hurry.
"Opening the sea is good governance, benefiting all the people in the world, and seeking wealth from poverty. Farmers are not as good as workers, and workers are not as good as merchants. Mencius once said, if a son does not know how to do things easily, he will make up for the deficiencies with envy. Then the farmers will have more than enough millet, and the women will have more than cloth, and the people will be rich. Below you, you will be richer than above."
Li Jie borrowed the words of Mencius to illustrate the importance of exchanging what is needed in the economy. The original meaning is that if goods do not circulate, exchange what is needed, and use excess to make up for the deficiency, then the farmers' grain and the female workers' cloth will be useless. To turn poverty into wealth, engaging in agriculture is not as good as handicrafts, and handicrafts is not as good as commerce. If the people are rich, the country will be rich.
The concept of mercantile was quietly instilled in Li Jie when he was teaching Zhu Houzhao. It sneaked into the night with the wind and moistened things silently. It is still difficult to put it forward clearly now. After all, Confucian concepts cannot be changed instantly. Yes, this drastic change in concept can only wait for a gradual reversal in the future.
Zhu Houzhao said after Li Jie's speech: "Shan! What do other lovers think?"
As he spoke, he looked around and did not name any minister in particular. Those of the nine ministers who had not yet spoken answered one by one. Basically, they first praised the late emperor, and then praised Zhu Houzhao for being so wise and the benefits of opening up the sea. Class words.
After all the big guys finished speaking, the remaining officials with a slightly lower ranking did not make long speeches, but just echoed.
"I second the proposal!"
The result of the court discussion was no different from what was discussed before. The imperial court opened ports in Dengzhou Prefecture, Ningbo Prefecture, Fuzhou Prefecture, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Guangzhou Prefecture, and Tianjin Weiliu respectively, and the private traders were replaced by public traders. The transformation of business into legal public commerce was first implemented on a trial basis in six places, and the subsequent effects were observed before deciding whether to expand it. This matter was also the first major event after Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne.
Each of the six ports set up a special yamen to manage private overseas trade and collect taxes. The new yamen was named the Governor's Rate Hall and came under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Shipping Department. All private trade must be registered here, and ship pilots must be issued here before ships enter the port. Everyone must be inspected when leaving the port, and taxes are also collected by the Governor's Rate Office. Different proportions of taxes are collected based on the distance traveled, the items sold, etc.
If you bypass the Governor's Rating Office, it will be illegal trade. Once caught, you will be punished just like those committed during the sea ban. When the sea is opened, the court will not give up its vigorous crackdown on smugglers. All ships that are not registered at the Governor's Rating Office will be cracked down on. among the list.
As the imperial edict was issued to the world, the people along the coast and the smugglers were all rejoicing. Except for some large merchants, the remaining people were all cautious when going to sea, walking on thin ice. After all, the imperial court strictly prohibited private going to sea. If caught, it would be a death penalty. , now the opening of the sea in their eyes is tantamount to the rain after a long drought.
Those large merchants also fully supported the opening of the sea. Even if some people were dissatisfied, they had to obey the imperial will under the general trend. Li Jie's management over the years has already woven a huge network over the imperial court. Now With a deep foundation, these opponents are no longer taken seriously by him.
The situation after the opening of the sea was not as expected by Li Jie. The booming private trade brought a steady stream of income to the state treasury, and it became increasingly rich. Upon seeing this, the ministers in the court became more determined in the strategy of opening the sea.
