"Your Majesty, there is no need to get angry. It is important to take care of the dragon's body. Brother Xun has already taken care of the matter. I think all Shanxi merchants are to blame."
Empress Zhou also hated these businessmen who cheated on others. Even if they paid more taxes and fees, the court would not be so embarrassed before, and her husband would not look a little old in his thirties.
Today, the Ming Dynasty is experiencing internal and external troubles, natural and man-made disasters, one after another, and merchants who evade taxes are also one of the chief culprits. It is natural for Li Ruo to take action against these Shanxi merchants. After these days of twists and turns, Queen Zhou increasingly recognizes herself. Son's view.
"Well, what Zi Tong said is true. The merchants are only interested in profit and are just trying to make ends meet. This should be dealt with accordingly. Pass on my instructions and ask Yang Sichang to come see me!"
Chongzhen felt that if the nobles were guilty of doing something, if they added more taxes to the people, a larger-scale resistance would break out. Now that he thought about it, only merchants were an easier target, and almost every merchant's hands and feet were not clean, and it was easier to prove the crime. get.
"...Your Majesty...this person has committed suicide a few days ago!"
Hearing Yang Sichang's name, Queen Zhou immediately became embarrassed. It was easy to pass on her husband's oral instructions, but the man could no longer meet the emperor. After some quick thinking, she could only tell the truth.
"Ahem... Zi Tong must not say that! Yang Sichang is my right-hand man, how can he subjugate the law? Could it be..."
Even though the beauty in front of him was his wife and the mother of a country, Chongzhen was not willing to believe what she said. After all, Yang Sichang had his trust and was a high-ranking minister in the cabinet. How could he be executed?
"Your Majesty, regarding this person, please wait until Brother Xun comes to see you before explaining. Your Majesty will definitely be relieved by then!"
Empress Zhou was unwilling to comment too much on the quality of this person. She knew that her husband valued Yang Sichang very much and gave him great power. However, if a closer look at what this person did, she was afraid that it would not achieve the results that her husband wanted. It will also be counterproductive.
"...Yeah! That's good!"
Chongzhen's face, which had just softened, became solemn again. Judging from the queen's expression, this matter must be true, and she would not dare to deceive the emperor because of this matter. But Chongzhen really couldn't figure out what Yang Sichang had committed and was executed for.
"Your Majesty must have been hungry when he woke up. Why not use this bowl of bird's nest first to gain some strength!"
Queen Zhou realized that if she continued to talk, especially about some state affairs, her husband would become angry again, so she might as well deal with it first, and then think about countermeasures when the eldest son came to see him.
"Thank you Zi Tong!"
Not long after he woke up, his body was no longer in control. Chongzhen struggled very hard. Finally, with the help of the queen, he leaned on the pillow and slowly ate the bird's nest that his wife had fed with a porcelain spoon.
"Auntie, why are you here?"
A certain prince came with a group of eunuchs to have an audience, but when he saw a group of concubines headed by Concubine Tian and Concubine Yuan kneeling outside the palace, they couldn't help asking curiously.
"Your Majesty has woken up, and my sister has entered the palace. She ordered me to wait here for my fate!"
It had been about a quarter of an hour, but Concubine Yuan Gui was not very clear about the situation inside. At first, Wang Chengen came out and said something, but now she no longer knows. Fortunately, the prince came, and she had hope again.
"Daban! How is Father?"
A certain prince suddenly saw Wang Chengen coming out of the house. He hurriedly took a few steps and wanted to find out what happened. He wanted to talk about it first. After all, this idiot has been guilty of second-guessing for a long time. Unless his brain is destroyed by electrocution this time, he won't be able to win easily.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty has woken up and looks calm. He is now being served by the Queen. Your Majesty, please wait a moment!"
Wang Cheng'en was the emperor's most reliable servant, but he never became arrogant. Year after year, he served the emperor with all his heart and treated people well. After the prince took charge of the country, his relationship with the prince also improved. Considered good.
"That's good, I have someone to work with!"
A certain prince also felt that he should wait for a while before going in, lest he get so angry that after Mars hits the earth, he would spit out the bird's nests he had eaten. It would be a waste, and he might as well feed the pigs directly...
Looking at it like this, there must be a fight between myself and the scapegoat. If I win, it will be good for the Ming Dynasty, the court, and the people. If I lose, this time and space will basically be doomed again.
As the last conventional emperor of the last Han dynasty, a certain prince was still unwilling to seize power through methods similar to the "Xuanwumen Incident".
It would be best to use the method of "releasing the imperial power over a glass of wine" to inherit the throne, but I am afraid that the scapegoat will not agree and asking the emperor to give up the throne will be tantamount to killing his wealth and life.
Considering that I am not old enough to drink yet, this method is generally not feasible. If I want to get the power into my hands smoothly and peacefully, I have to find another way.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty summons you!"
"good!"
This is the first big test in life since time travel. Fighting against the ministers, the capital camp, and the chamberlains before was just a warm-up exercise. If you can't defeat this big BOSS, then all the previous efforts will be in vain.
It seems more difficult than teaching a pig to climb a tree...
It’s not scary to see a big task coming from the sky, but it’s scary to see a big pot coming from the sky!
"My son, Zhu Cihong, pays homage to my father and wishes him eternal blessings and longevity!"
It's a blessing, not a curse, but there are too many pots. At the moment, I can only bite the bullet and decide whether it works or not.
"Haha, I haven't seen you for a few days, but Brother Hong can talk now. I don't want to live that long. Besides, mortals are mortals. Even if you are the king of a country, there are very few people who are over the age of seventy."
Although he said this, the eldest son's auspicious words still made Chongzhen Longyan very happy, and his expression suddenly became much happier. He also wants to live a long life, but he has so many state affairs that he doesn't even have much time to sleep. How can he live a long life if this continues?
"My son thought that my father was just resting for a few days and would regain his strength after a little recuperation. Today, the Eastern Barbarians have not been destroyed and the bandits are on the run. It will take some time for the Ming Dynasty to revive. If my father still has great ambitions, he will not give up. I’m going to see Grandpa Taizu!”
If you just kick your legs, that would be the best thing. I'm afraid that if you want to stay alive and have to take care of big and small things, it will make the court and the people suffer. A certain prince would like to have this person in front of him. Immortal directly.
"Brother Xun, I ask you, where is Yang Sichang?"
Chongzhen believed that this was indeed the case, but he still had to ask clearly about the eldest son's unauthorized execution of Yang Sichang, otherwise he would have no face, and a dignified minister of the country would die like this.
"To inform my father, this animal has lost its soul!"
A certain prince not only answered truthfully, but also wanted to confront this damn fat man again. If it weren't for him, Lu Xiangsheng would not have died on the battlefield, and he would also have destroyed one of the five main forces of the Tianxiong Army.
"You... are so brave! You actually executed my minister without my consent!"
Seeing that the eldest son not only showed no fear, but openly told the story to death, Chongzhen was choked with anger. Empress Zhou hurriedly stroked his back, winked at her son, and signaled to him that the emperor was recovering from a serious illness. For your sake, don’t add oil or vinegar.
"My father has misunderstood. The execution of Yang Sichang was carried out after a joint trial by the three judicial departments. All the witnesses and material evidence were present, and it was signed and approved by the cabinet. I have no personal grudge against him."
If this guy doesn't die, there will be many people in the court who will be his scapegoat in the future. Don't you see, no one said anything good for this guy that day, which shows how unpopular he is.
"Ahem! If that's the case, then please tell me, Brother Xun, what did this person commit that led to him being sentenced to death by the imperial court?"
Chongzhen must know the ins and outs of this matter. As long as there is anything wrong in the slightest, he must overturn the case for his loyal ministers, so as to prevent loyal and good people from dying unjustly.
"Last winter, the Donglu attacked the Ming Dynasty and invaded the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty. One of them broke into Shandong all the way, and the other broke into Beizhili. My father ordered Yang Sichang to coordinate the defense against the enemy. However, this animal failed to live up to the divine grace and defeated the soldiers of Shandong. The hoarding in Dezhou led to the emptiness of Jinan. The city was captured by the Donglu, and the emperor's uncle of King De was captured. Yang Sichang reported that this was the fault of Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, and others. All Shandong officials implicated in this matter were arrested and sent to Beijing to await trial. In addition to the obstruction, Lu Xiangsheng was originally responsible for the journey to the East. Later, Yang Sichang ordered Gao Qiqian to divide half of Lu Xiangsheng's troops, and ordered Baoding Governor Zhang Qiping to cut off the food and salary supply of his army. As a result, Lu Xiangsheng's army ran out of food and grass three days before the battle against the East. Even so, Lu Xiangsheng still led his troops to fight to the death. In the end, he was wounded by three knives and four arrows, and he was loyal to the country. Yang Sichang was still unwilling to accept it. After the prefect of Shunde reported to Yingshang that the incident was true, he still refused to collect his body from the Lu family, lying that Lu Xiangsheng disappeared, trying to shift the responsibility for the defeat to Lu Xiangsheng. Such national thieves framed Zhongliang, what did he do? They have all been identified, and the eunuch Gao Qiqianye has been arrested. Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong at that time, had something in his heart and did not dare to enter the capital. He led his troops to rebel in Datong. Later, he was dispatched by his ministers, Yang Wenyue, the governor of Baoding, to lead his troops to annihilate him. This is what happened I will send someone to deliver the ins and outs of the case, as well as relevant documents later, so that my father can come to a clear conclusion."
A certain prince became very angry when he mentioned this damn fat man. If this guy hadn't misled the blame-shifter, the Ming army wouldn't have been defeated so miserably in winter, losing tens of thousands of people.
"...I will make a decision after I read the memorial! Brother Xang said that Wang Pu rebelled in Datong?"
After hearing this, Chongzhen's face immediately became dull. He had never thought that Yang Sichang could implicate so many people, and that Wang Pu dared to lead a rebellion in Datong. It was really unreasonable.
"Reporting to my father, Wang Pu established himself as king in Datong. His country was named Qian Jin, and he claimed to be Emperor Taizu of the former Jin Dynasty. Later, the king's army broke into the city. The thief fled outside the pass. Later, Wang Pu and his son were killed by the pursuing troops. The head and the rebel flag have been sent to the capital, and the queen mother has also seen the words printed on the flag."
Fortunately, the battle did not last long and only lasted a few days. Otherwise, the king's wealth would have been divided among the soldiers who participated in the war, and the court would have to pay compensation.
"This thief is really hateful! He failed to live up to my expectations!"
Yang Sichang was enough to shock him, but what Wang Pu did made Chongzhen even more furious. His chest kept rising and falling, and he coughed hard several times before he calmed down.
"Informing my father, I have released all the detained Shandong officials and restored them to their original posts. I have ordered Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, to build a city, mine, and dry salt along the coast of the peninsula. He has also launched a work-for-relief policy to alleviate the problem of Shandong. Crisis and disaster relief are all about fire and water."
There is no other way. Otherwise, Shandong will become the second Shaanxi or Henan. If there is a large-scale famine even near the sea, then the inland will be completely miserable.
"... Are you competing with Min for profit from mining and drying salt?"
Regarding Yang Sichang's matter, Chongzhen didn't want to go into details, otherwise tracing the source would be caused by his improper employment. Since the eldest son's words were conclusive, it showed that it was generally true. Chongzhen felt depressed and couldn't vent it, so he could only listen to the story about Yang Sichang. The condition of Shandong.
"The gold mine is not owned by Minjian, and the tidal flats on the seaside are also used for salt drying. If Mintian is involved, I have informed the imperial court and Shandong Governor Yan Jizu that all will be treated preferentially. Please rest assured, father, that drying salt will benefit the country and Min. The seaside is all saline-alkali land. For local people, farming is far more profitable than drying salt. The local government in Shandong will purchase it uniformly. The purchase price is not lower than that of salt merchants, but the listing price is lower than that of salt merchants, so that the people can benefit. .”
Regarding the matter of gold mining and sun-drying salt, some people were firmly opposed to it at the time, but they were all defeated by a certain prince. Those who were stubborn could retire early, or go directly to Shandong to mine and experience life.
"...Isn't this move a competition for profit with the salt merchants?"
After hearing this, Chongzhen felt that what his eldest son said was quite reasonable, but he was worried that someone would report to the court and say that the government was selling salt to compete with salt merchants for profit, which would have a great impact on the dignity of the court.
"Father, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, merchants have been paying taxes according to the rule of thirty taxes and one tax. It can be said that the salt merchants headed by the Lianghuai region cannot even meet such a low standard, and they go to great lengths to steal Tax evasion. Logically speaking, the imperial salt tax revenue can reach at least millions of taels every year, but the actual income is far lower than this. Almost every salt merchant is evading taxes. What is the use of such merchants to keep him? If the salt merchant dares to accuse The imperial court must resolutely suppress it!"
In the north, the Shanxi merchants were the most cheated, while in the south, the salt merchants and maritime merchants cheated the Ming Dynasty together. Nowadays, law-abiding merchants are almost extinct, and there are people everywhere who don’t want to pay taxes. If this is the case, then use unconventional methods to collect taxes. alright.
"I have thought about imposing a salt tax before, but unfortunately it involves a wide range of things and the resistance is huge. There are also censors who criticized this move as competing with Min for profit and plundering the people's wealth, so it is difficult to implement!"
Just like he was concerned about his noble family wealth, Chongzhen was concerned about the salt tax for more than a day or two. However, this tax could not be collected easily. As long as the salt merchants in Lianghuai River refused to pay the tax, the court would be helpless.
"Father, don't worry, I have my own way to make the salt merchants pay taxes. The merchants in the capital have been dealt with properly, and the merchants in the south can't continue to evade taxes in the future!"
As long as he still wants to do business in the land of Ming Dynasty, a certain prince will not let go of any merchant. Just like catching turtles, he will fish them out of the pond and bleed them one by one.
"Oh? Brother Hong, tell me how to deal with the merchants in the capital?"
Chongzhen had absolutely nothing to do with the merchants. Since his eldest son was so capable, he was willing to hear the news, so that he could be prepared in the future.
"To inform my father, I only used three methods. First, I ordered him to show proof of tax payment. Second, I screened the confessions of prisoners who have been imprisoned. Third, anyone who reports tax evasion will receive a huge sum of money. award."
These three tricks are applicable to all walks of life. They are considered universal methods, but for businessmen who have no power or soldiers, any one of them can make them wet their pants.
Usually they are very good at playing tricks of collusion between officials and businessmen, but when it comes to the point of seeing blood, these losers immediately give in. Including grain merchants, salt merchants, and tea merchants, no one in the industry, or even one family, dares to force themselves. Steel factory guard.
