Zhu Xiluo has long been tired of this kind of life every day. He is a lazy person. He hopes that he can drink tea and eat pig's trotters every day, then lie in bed and watch the palace drama. After all, his The relationship between the three women is not very harmonious, and I also want to study hard and mediate. After all, everything will be prosperous if the family is harmonious. If you don’t take care of the household affairs, how can you take care of the world? If the home is quieter, you can live a few more years and eat pig’s trotters for a few more years.
But this is his own Zhu family's territory. Outsiders are outsiders after all, and Zhu Xiluo really doesn't dare to let it go completely.
After hearing the reports from several important ministers, Zhu Xiluo felt groggy, like a student attending class and wanting to sleep.
The first person to speak was Liu Wenzheng, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. He gave a brief introduction to some of the most heinous cases that had occurred recently. Some of the death row prisoners also needed to be executed by the emperor. Then Li Yutang, the Minister of Civil Affairs, reported on the transfer and promotion of some personnel.
The grand finale was about to begin again. When everyone finished speaking, Qian Song also cleared his throat and did not stand up. He still sat there and said: "I will tell you about the financial situation in the first half of the year. Due to some natural phenomena in the first half of the year, Disasters and reductions in grain production have also severely affected grain taxes, which have been reduced by at least 10%. Silk tax revenue is also not ideal. Fines collected from family planning have also been reduced by about 50%. These taxes add up to 5 million. About taels, but the expenditure in the first half of the year has exceeded 8 million taels. The floods in the south and the drought in Shandong still require a lot of money to make up for it."
The taxes of the Ming Empire are mainly grain taxes and silk taxes. In addition to the family planning policy introduced in recent years, the Ming Empire's higher-ranking officials, nobles, dukes, ordinary people, merchants and wealthy merchants, and some low-level According to regulations, officials can only marry one wife, and each couple can only have one child. Of course, exceptions can be made for the above-mentioned special groups. Anyone who violates this provision will be severely fined in accordance with the "Family Planning Punishment Ordinance".
The implementation of the family planning policy was also determined by national conditions. Originally, the Ming Empire had very little land, and most of it was in the hands of some bureaucratic landlords, wealthy businessmen, and gentry. There was very little land that could be distributed to the people. In the early days of the establishment of the Ming Empire, , each household can still be allocated five acres of land, and the people can barely eat. However, within a few years, with the increase in population, land annexation has become more and more serious, and Zhu Xiluo is no longer as good as his ancestor Zhu Xiluo. So domineering, fighting landlords, and dividing the land. Now, the land in the hands of the people has changed from five acres to three acres, and now to one acres. And it is still decreasing year by year. How can one acre of land be enough to support the family? Faced with this situation, the Ming Empire introduced a family planning policy. In this way, controlling the population of the people could also reduce pressure on the land. Even if the family had fewer people, they could still have enough to eat.
The idea is good and the method is good, but the thought of having more children and more blessings has been deeply rooted in the minds of every citizen of the Ming Empire for thousands of years. How can one say that if you don’t give birth to a child, you won’t give birth to another child? . For this reason, Liu Wenzheng, Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment, came up with the idea of fining people for exceeding the birth rate, which also increased a lot of revenue for the state treasury.
Wealth is hidden among the people. The greatest wealth is still in the hands of those merchants. They can be said to hold 90% of the wealth of the Ming Empire, but these people do not have to pay taxes. Zhu Xiluo also tried, but Li Yutang gave up this idea with just one word. This idea is that no wise king in ancient times competed with the people for profit.
Even if there is a grain tax and a silk tax, there are still many people who do not have to pay taxes, such as those scholars with a good reputation. This was a failure of Emperor Taizu Gao, but Zhu Xiluo could not change it.
Hearing this, everyone felt nothing. After all, the national treasury is in deficit every year, and it is nothing more than a matter of money. Several of the editors here have not been paid for several months, although everyone does not rely on such a small salary to support their families. We have to make a living, but there is no business without giving money for free, so everyone is not very happy. When they heard the statistical report from Qian Song, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, everyone felt cold again. It is estimated that the salary in the second half of the year should also be Can't post.
Hearing this, Zhu Xiluo was also worried. After all, having no money is absolutely impossible. He has reduced his eight pig trotters a day to two now. If he continues to lose money, he may not be able to eat these two. Isn't it just to eat pig's trotters that I embarked on the path of rebellion? This is the driving force for my life to move forward. Without pig's trotters, what fun is there in life?
So Zhu Xiluo put down the tea cup and said, "A few of you have some good ideas."
Cabinet member Li Jinchen first said: "Increasing the national treasury is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. First of all, we should promote frugality. "Zuo Zhuan. The Twenty-Fourth Year of Duke Zhuang" says that frugality is the common virtue, and extravagance is the greatest evil. I suggest implementing a distribution system and distributing items needed by each household in a fixed amount."
Li Jinchen's intention was recognized by the capitulation faction as soon as he proposed it.
The capitulation faction naturally refers to Li Yutang, the Minister of Personnel, Liu Wenzheng, the Minister of Punishment, Li Jinchen, a member of the Cabinet, and Liang Songhe, the Minister of Rites. The four Dukes are another faction, the Duke faction, and the only female high-ranking official in the cabinet belongs to the Royalist faction.
Li Yutang agreed: "What Mr. Li said makes sense. It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. I have seen the virtuous countries and families in the past, and the success is from diligence and frugality, and the failure is from luxury. I hope that your majesty can set an example."
I stabbed your mother, and then pointed at me. I ate your rice. Didn’t I eat two pig trotters every day? As for criticizing myself every day, Zhu Xiluo cursed in his heart, even though he is the emperor and the most respected person in the Ninth Five-Year Plan. , is the existence of a big BOSS, but he still owes others wages. Keep a low profile, keep a low profile, so he nodded and said: "What you taught me sir is, I understand."
Then he turned to look at the others and asked, "Do you have any other good ideas?"
After a moment of silence, Qian Song, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, said: "Your Majesty, I think that frugality alone cannot solve the problem. Increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Putting increased revenue before reducing expenditure shows that increasing revenue is the best way."
Crack, the sound of the tea bowl being slapped on the table. No one was frightened by this sudden situation. The servant waiting nearby seemed to have been used to it. He quickly cleaned up the broken tea bowl and replaced it with a new one. Place it in front of the person taking the table.
I just heard a loud voice say: "Hahaha, I'm sorry, I'm used to it, I'm sorry everyone, did I scare you?" The person who spoke was naturally the macho Zhang Luzi. I didn’t expect that Zhang Luzi was still shameless and would know that he was embarrassed. However, no one expressed their opinions. They were just drinking tea and talking nonsense. Ever since the establishment of the Ming Empire, every meeting In the beginning, whenever you, Mr. Zhang, made a speech, you would smash a tea bowl. Everyone was already used to it. As for apologizing, it was just like gas coming out of the butt.
Seeing that no one was paying attention, Zhang Luzi was also uninterested and continued, "Old Qian, you are absolutely right. I, Old Zhang, think so too. What old man Li said about cutting expenditures and letting people work hungry is this human nature." That’s what I said.”
"Who are you calling someone who is not a human being?" Li Jinchen suddenly stood up and pointed at Zhang Luzi and asked. Although he was quite old, he was still a little angry. As for cultivating his character, that was something he was willing to consider only after he died.
Both Zhu Xiluo and Zhu Xirong had black lines on their heads, and they started again with helplessness in their hearts.
"Old Li, you have misunderstood. Why are you not a human being? You show everyone, you look like a dog, how can you not be a human being? You are wronging me and you are wronging yourself."
Zhang Luzi is full of grievances
"You" Li Jinchen is definitely no match for Zhang Luzi in terms of eloquence.
Li Yutang came out at the right time to smooth things over, touched Li Jinchen's hand, and comforted him: "Master Li, don't get angry with this bastard."
Seeing Li Yutang's actions, the three princes present couldn't help but turn their eyes to Li Yutang and Li Jinchen, including Hao Liande, the eunuch who had been standing next to Zhu Xiluo and the commander of the Jinyi Guards. Hao Liande couldn't help but wonder if this was true when he saw the gossip about the affair between Li Yutang and Li Jinchen.
Suddenly Li Yutang seemed to think of something. He had heard those rumors, but it was too late to take back his hand. He was suspected of being a thief with a guilty conscience, so he could only continue to put it on the back of Li Jinchen's hand, pretending to be nonchalant.
But everyone's mouths couldn't help but open, and they were all surprised. It was so blatant. Could it be that this was the rhythm of announcing the relationship. Although there are some traditions about male-male love, and it was also very popular in the pre-Ming Dynasty. Basically, a respectable person would have a face-souling person at home, but that was also the pre-Ming Dynasty, and now there are also officials in the Ming Empire who are good at this, but This is also a private behavior. Like Li Jinchen and Li Yutang, in front of the Holy Emperor and so many important officials of the court, is this the rhythm of announcing their love affair.
The straight man Song Qian asked: "Two adults, what are you doing? Could it be..."
Before Song Qian could say anything, Li Jinchen hurriedly interrupted, saying that he had heard those rumors before, "Don't misunderstand, Mr. Li and I have a pure gay relationship."
"Oh. So that's it. It's a pure gay relationship. Homosexuality is quite pure." Zhang Luzi said with a smile.
Liu Wenzheng was a sensible person, so he naturally knew that his colleagues had dug a hole to bury him. With such two pig teammates, Liu Wenzheng was helpless and could only continue: "The British Lord, this is the place where national affairs are discussed. If it is... Just small talk, please wait until the meeting is over."
"Oh, I almost forgot that we are in a meeting now." Zhang Luzi patted his head, as if his head had just come back from somewhere else, and said with a smile: "Okay, I will continue, by the way, where did I just say it?" "?
Qian Song tried to smooth things over at the right time. Zhang Luzi's education level was very low and he wanted to avoid making a joke. He cleared his throat and said, "Let me talk about it. The new dynasty has a new atmosphere. Grain tax has been the main issue of every dynasty and every generation since ancient times." Income, but society is changing, and the environment is also changing. A few hundred years ago, traveling thousands of miles a day was a luxury, but now, in some Western countries, there is something called an airplane that can travel thousands of miles a day, so I think. Just rely on Grain and silk taxes are difficult to maintain the normal operation of a country, and commercial taxes should be levied to increase the revenue of the national treasury."
As soon as Qian Song's words fell, it was like dropping a big stone on the calm lake.
