Wealth, rice, oil and salt, drainage ditch in front of the house, and a willow tree behind the house, a small family will have many trivial things. In a country as big as the Ming Empire, there are still many things to do. Where natural disasters occurred, the court needed to provide disaster relief, and Japanese pirates During the plundering of coastal prefectures and counties, our people suffered numerous casualties. Their houses were burned and their property was looted. The coastal guard station needs to take more precautions. The nomadic people in the north have to start going south to thresh the valleys again due to the cold weather. The weapons of the border soldiers need to be maintained and winter coats need to be distributed. The city walls need to be strengthened, and of course all of this requires money. What the Ming Empire lacks most now is money. The tax revenue of only three million taels per year is difficult to maintain the normal expenses of the Ming Empire.
Zhu Xiluo sat on the only bench in the room, and the others could only stand.
"The meeting begins." As the host of the ceremony, Hao Liande first said, "Today is the end of the past week, and then we will determine the focus of the next week's work."
Zhang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, spoke first, "Your Majesty, everything went well last week, and the work for the next week will continue gradually. However, the Chinese New Year will be over in more than a month, and many heaven-sacrifice activities need to be prepared in advance. The veteran has probably calculated We need 80,000 taels, and please ask Your Majesty to approve a note so that the Ministry of Household Affairs can allocate the money."
"Holy Majesty, I think this is not possible. It is already cold. The soldiers on the frontier are still wearing single clothes and need to be issued cotton-padded clothes by the court. Mongolia in the north is also starting to make moves. The city wall fortifications still need to be strengthened and the court will allocate funds. It is conservatively estimated that it will cost 50,000 taels of silver. This year Different from previous years, with constant disasters and poor grain harvests, money must be spent wisely. Border security is important. Celebrations that veterans think can be canceled will be cancelled, and those that cannot be canceled should be spent as little money as possible," Song Qian, the Minister of War, Ding Guogong, said.
As the Minister of the Ministry of War, he had served as a bandit, led soldiers and fought in wars. He truly lived and ate with the soldiers. Song Qian was a person who truly understood the soldiers. The frontier was bitterly cold and the soldiers did not even have a cotton coat for winter. The imperial court Finances have always been very difficult, and military expenditures have been difficult to guarantee. Many soldiers are skinny and have worn-out weapons. Many officers and soldiers have not received military pay for several years, and there are many who sell their children and daughters to make ends meet. , but the lovely frontier soldiers endured all the hardships for the sake of the peace and prosperity of the Ming Empire.
"Ding Guogong's statement is a great fallacy. Sacrifice to heaven is a great humanistic ritual. Ritual is the foundation of a country. Confucius said: "If you don't learn ritual, you can't stand up. Ritual is a personal virtue. It is the foundation for cultivating one's character, managing one's family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. Book. "The way is based on virtue, the unity is based on etiquette, and the people have shame and dignity." The teachings of the sages linger in the ears like Huang Zhongdalu, shocking the world. Only by learning etiquette can you know honor and disgrace, so as to achieve a safe life; learn etiquette, can you Cultivating moral character leads to a successful career; learning etiquette can gather the soul of the country and show the style of a great country. We must start from learning etiquette, stir up the turmoil and promote the pure, establish ourselves and others, constantly gather cultural soft power, and revitalize our Chinese civilization and etiquette. Our country!. Sacrifice to heaven is a major event, we should not take it lightly, and we should spend not a penny less." I also plan to rely on these large-scale events last year to make some money to live a prosperous new year and reduce the expenses for worshiping heaven. Naturally, Zhang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, is not willing to do so.
Zhu Xiluo is now afraid of money, "Yin, money, it's all money when you talk and talk, but these things need to be solved. The border is unstable, and the throne is not safe. If you don't sacrifice to heaven, the gods will do it." To blame it will harm the national destiny of the Ming Empire, and both sides will spend money, and both will spend a lot of money."
"Mr. Zhen Guo, how much money does the household department have now?" Zhu Xiluo rubbed his swollen head.
"Going back to the Holy Spirit, there is still a shortage of 80,000 taels of silver in the accounts of the household department." Qian Song still understands his own three-quarters of an acre of land.
"Why is it so little?" Zhu Xiluo was surprised when he heard that it was just such a small amount of money. He was still thinking of asking the Ministry of Finance to transfer some money to him. The concubine’s hairpin is a must-buy.
"Your Majesty, I remember clearly from this account book that today's tax revenue is only 3 million taels. Your Majesty spent 300,000 taels to repair the yard. The brothers of the concubine thought that their land was too small. Your Majesty asked the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate 100,000 taels to He bought hundreds of acres of good farmland. The third prince went to Qiongzhou for training. Seeing the hardship of the people, he requested an order to allocate 50,000 taels from the Ministry of Household Affairs. Henan drought, Shandong locust plague, and land collapse in Jilongshan, Fujian, each allocated 300,000 taels. In addition, the Holy Spirit saw that the weapons of the Beijing garrison were worn out, so he asked the Ordnance Bureau to build a batch of new weapons at a cost of nearly 800,000 taels. There were also other expenses that were clearly recorded in the account books. In short, the current Ministry of Household Affairs has basically If it’s empty, I won’t even be able to pay for the holiday gifts for the important ministers at the end of this year.”
"Uh, okay." Although Qian Song loved money, he didn't embezzle all three million taels of the national treasury. If you don't become a rich man, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Zhu Xiluo regrets that he embarked on the path of rebellion because of a pig's elbow. The monk is quite good. He doesn't need to worry about money. He just eats and drinks every day. The Ministry of Revenue has no money, and he can't get it out of his own treasury. As long as someone is willing to pay, Zhu Xiluo has the idea of letting the rich sit on the throne for a few days.
"Master Zhang, the Minister of Rites, how much do you need to save some money for this year's sacrifice to heaven?" Now Zhu Xiluo is like the housekeeper's wife, she can only deduct a little from here and a little from there.
He needs about 10,000 taels for the Chinese New Year, and he also has 5,000 taels for each of his close ministers, plus the purchases needed to worship heaven. Zhang Songhe made a rough calculation, "Your Majesty, I calculated at least 60,000 taels, old minister." Two, really can't be less. Last year's expenditure for worshiping heaven was 80,000 taels. This year, the Ming Empire suffered so many disasters because of God's warning. It should be grand, and envoys from all over the world will participate in the heaven-sacrifice activities. If it is too big, Being shabby will also damage the majesty of our Ming Empire."
Well, the filial piety from God is indispensable, and the face in front of the younger brothers must also be taken into account, "Okay, just sixty thousand taels." Zhu Xiluo made the decision.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my best to spend every tael of silver wisely and not waste a penny."
"Your Majesty, those soldiers on the border..." Sixty thousand taels were given to the Ministry of Rites. What should the Ministry of War do? Song Qian asked hurriedly.
"The Ministry of Household Affairs will keep half of the remaining 20,000 taels to distribute holiday gifts to all the veterans, 5,000 taels will be allocated to the inner treasury, and 5,000 taels will be allocated to the soldiers on the border, so that my soldiers can endure it and appreciate their hard work. I will keep it in my heart.” After careful consideration, Zhu Xiluo made what he thought was the most appropriate allocation for the remaining 80,000 taels in the Ministry of Revenue.
The "holy and wise" official minister Li Yutang, the minister of rites Zhang Songhe, the minister of punishment Liu Wenzhengshu and the cabinet minister Li Jinchen were the first to prostrate themselves.
The three princes looked at each other with bitterness in their mouths and could only bow down.
As military personnel, they know the hard work of soldiers best. In such a cold winter, wearing a single coat to survive the winter is to guard the border of the Ming Empire, and it is to sacrifice one's life for the Ming Empire.
"The Holy One" Zhang Luzi, who has the hottest temper, the most impatient temper, and the most sweet-tempered person, said, "I have lived up to the expectations of the Holy One. The task assigned to me to collect taxes on a pilot basis in Songjiang Mansion has been successfully completed."
In fact, tax collection is a thankless task in any dynasty. If you can't collect it, you will be impeached by a bunch of shameless censors. If you don't do anything with the imperial salary, but if you collect taxes, it will Offended many local gentry and court ministers. After all, pure businessmen do not exist. Therefore, as for tax collection, Zhang Luzi did not do it at all. It was just a waste of time, and it would fade away over time. At worst, he would be impeached by the official censor, and he was thick-skinned, which was inevitable. A few pieces of meat,
He and Zhang Luzi were responsible for the pilot tax collection in Songjiang Prefecture. Qian Song also knew whether he had done it or not, and whether he had collected the tax or not. After hearing what Zhang Luzi said, Qian Song understood what he meant. It was nothing more than himself. dig into your pocket
Qian Song echoed from the side, "Yes, Your Majesty, with the efforts of the old ministers and the British Duke, the merchants of Songjiang Prefecture paid taxes enthusiastically, and they paid the taxes in just six months,"
After looking at Zhang Luzi, Zhang Luzi stretched out five fingers. Qian Song understood clearly, "Turn over fifty thousand taels of tax."
Qian Song's heart ached a little when he mentioned the money. As expected, the money would be added to two to five, and he and Zhang Luzi would each pay half.
The Zhang family controls the grain industry in Songjiang Prefecture and now runs a snack workshop. They have plenty of money. However, he can only secretly engage in smuggling and can't make much money. As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he still has no financial resources to give to Zhang Luzi. Compare. Twenty-five thousand taels of donkeys were a drop in the bucket, and it would be a waste of money for him, but for those poor soldiers, Qian Song was willing to spend this money.
"Haha, good, you two beauties are really my loyal ministers," Zhu Xiluo laughed loudly when he heard that he had money. If it weren't for being too fat and squeezing the oral space, everyone could see that he was wise and wise. The wisdom teeth of the emperor of the Ming Empire were, no, dragon teeth.
"Fifty thousand taels, quite a lot. In this case, the concubine is interested in a hairpin. I am worried about not having enough money. In this case, 50,000 taels will be left, and 30,000 taels will be allocated to the border soldiers." There is money to buy the hairpin. Yes, the concubine must be very happy, Zhu Xiluo smiled even happier.
Well, the emperor wants to spend money to make his women happy. No one has any reason to criticize. Love of beauty has to pay a price. Cosmetics don’t cost money, clothes don’t cost money, and jewelry doesn’t cost money. Women, spend some money. What's the matter? This is a matter of course that even the Jade Emperor cannot refuse.
If you really love her, you should be willing to spend money on her. Buy the most expensive clothes, buy the best cosmetics, and wear the same gold and silver jewelry three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Loving someone is a price that must be paid.
They were both Paoze brothers. Song Qian also understood the thoughts of the two princes. He cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, although I am not in Songjiang Mansion, my nephews are also doing business. I am willing to give 20,000 taels as business tax to the frontier soldiers." I want to buy cotton-padded clothes, and I am taking the decision for Duke Min. Your Majesty the King is also willing to spend twenty thousand taels of silver."
Wang Shouyi had also led troops, and Song Qian believed that he would definitely provide the money.
The four princes advance and retreat together, and the money comes out together.
"Okay, I love you now." Zhu Xiluo was really happy when he heard the ministers enthusiastically donating money.
"Although I am only a woman, I can also appreciate the hard work of the frontier soldiers," Zhu Xirong, who had been silent until now, also spoke up, "It is because of the hard work of those soldiers that we can live a peaceful life now. Their hard work makes us You must also feel that in this way, the little girl is willing to spend 10,000 taels to buy a few sheep to give to the soldiers to improve their food."
As Zhu Xiluo's sister-in-law, Zhu Xirong, the military minister faction and civil servant faction, did not participate. She has always been a mediator, and she would not speak easily in every regular meeting. It is really rare to take the initiative to speak for the border soldiers this time, and she is still willing to It is even more difficult to get money, and it is not easy for the eldest wife and the little wife to live in peace.
"Okay, my sworn sister is interested. I will leave the matter of buying sheep to Xiao Dezi." He solved the hidden dangers at the frontier without paying any money. This is the way to be a king. After stroking his beard, Zhu Xiluo was very satisfied.
"Yes, I obey the order," Hao Liande agreed.
Looking at the four ministers who had not spoken yet, Zhang Luzi asked, "Do you have any businessmen at home?"
"No, I am a scholar. How can I do the things of a businessman who buys low and sells high to pursue profit and forget his integrity?" Li Yutang, the official minister, first expressed his position.
"Lao Chen's family is very thin, only Lao Chen belongs to his family. My son likes to study and does not want to do business." Zhang Songxi waved his hand hurriedly.
If there is no business in the house of the Minister of Civil Affairs, it is because Mr. Li has other incomes besides his salary, the filial piety of low-level officials who want to be promoted, and the income from buying and selling officials. Otherwise, how can he support a large family just by relying on the salary from the court? Zhang Songhe is in charge of the Ministry of Etiquette and does not have much money. How can he maintain his arrogant and luxurious life without doing business at home. It's just that the people doing business are not their relatives.
"Most of the criminals encountered by the veteran when he was in charge of the Criminal Department were businessmen. Those who the veteran looked down on were businessmen, so naturally they would not do business." Liu Wenzheng even more guaranteed his righteous words.
Little Li Jinchen also said that his family does not do business.
"It's okay if you don't do business. You see, Duke Min of Ding and sister Xirong are willing to pay for food and drink for the soldiers on the frontier to survive this winter, but you guys won't show any expression.
Poof, four people fell to their knees,
"Your Majesty, my family is poor. To be honest, Your Majesty, my family is not even willing to hire a cleaning boy."
"The old minister's winter coat is from last year. I took it out to mend it this year. I really don't have any money."
"I don't have any money either"
"Holy Lord, I swear, I really have no money, anyone who cheats is a puppy."
Li Yutang cried about being poor, Li Jinchen had no new clothes, Zhang Songhe was not good at lying, he simply had no money, Liu Wenzheng swore. In short, no one has money.
"Four dear friends, there is no need for this. How can I reach out to you for money? Now the expenses required by the frontier soldiers are enough, and everyone can live a stable New Year."
