Miss Yang Ziyun, the sister of Yang Xiuqing (that is, Yang Qilong), the chief military officer of Zuofu in the Ming Dynasty, would never have thought that the person who greeted her eldest brother at the dock of Longjiangkou, the water gateway of Nanjing Yingtian Mansion, was not a dignitary of the Nanjing court, but It was... dressed in black, the chief of Longjiang Customs House under the Customs Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Ming Dynasty, and several tax collectors holding account books, tax stamps, and abacus.
"Customs? Do you have eyes? Do you know whose ship this is? Do you know who my brother Yang Xiuqing is?"
When the group of tax collectors boarded the ship, Yang Qilong was preparing the question book and memorial in his cabin - he had a master, so he didn't have to write the essay himself. But this time I went north to perform a secret mission, so it was not convenient to take the master with me. Therefore, he had to prepare the inscriptions for the Military Advisor's Office and the Prime Minister's Office, as well as the memorial for Zhu Heji himself.
Because the process of going north to make trouble this time was too tortuous and the story was too exciting - the Empress Dowager and the Empress of the Qing Dynasty were living in the Bada Hutongs. How could this story not be exciting? And Yang Qilong was good at writing. He couldn't put down the brush when he picked it up, so much so that he didn't even know that the sand boat had docked at the dock.
Of course, Military Advisor Yang, who is immersed in creation, is not worried about what kind of trouble the sand boat he is riding will encounter? This is a navy ship!
Moreover, when Yang Qilong and his party passed by Zhenjiang, they knew that the Yangzhou camp of the Qing army in Guazhoubu on the other side had been occupied by the Ming army. Now the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were ruled by the Ming Dynasty.
In addition, according to the flag management regulations of Ming Dynasty naval vessels. When the sand ship Yang Qilong is riding enters the waters controlled by the Ming Navy, the "strategist flag" will be hoisted!
Only the current left and right military advisors are eligible to own the "Military Advisor Flag"!
The Military Advisor Office of the Ming Dynasty was equivalent to the Army General Staff in later generations. The military advisors on the left and right had high positions, and logically no one dared to provoke them.
But when the sand boat on which Military Advisor Yang was riding docked at the Longjiangkou pier, the tax collector from Longjiang Pass came on board with a smile and came to touch the tiger's butt.
The Longjiang Pass chief who dared to touch the tiger's butt was named Chen Yidao, and he was from Hengzhou Prefecture in Hunan. His name looks like a pig butcher, but he is actually a scholar and participated in the Guangzhou Imperial Examination three years ago. However, he did not lose his reputation and failed to pass the Jinshi examination.
Although he didn't pass the Jinshi examination, he still got a job in the Household Department of the Guangzhou imperial court - to be a customs collector!
Probably the name given by my parents was too suitable for a tax collector - anyone who came would have to be killed! Chen Yidao's official career in the Customs Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Ming Dynasty was really smooth sailing. A few months ago, he was transferred to Nanjing to participate in the "New Tax System Training Course", where His Highness the Prince of Ming personally taught them the most advanced tax collection methods in the world.
Chen Yidao is a businessman in his family - the largest butcher shop in Hengyang County is owned by his father, so he has been good at doing business and accounting since he was a child. He naturally performed well in the "new tax system training class" that mainly focused on commercial taxes, and won the first prize Graduated with the best results. Then he was appointed as the director of Nanjing Longjiang Customs, "the first customs in the world".
Unexpectedly, just a few days after he took office, he would meet an aunt he "cannot afford to offend".
Chen Yidao is not a stern tax collector, he is a smiling tax collector who is friendly and makes money. He is also kind-hearted, fair and fat, has a very lovable smile, and is very patient... After taking a look at "Aunt Yang", his patience became a little overflowing.
"Miss Yang," Chen Yidao said with a smile as he took out a small book called "New Tariff Manual" and handed it to Yang Ziyun with both hands, "This is the "New Tariff Manual" written by the sage Ming Wang himself... .In today's Yingtian Mansion, not only the merchants of some worth, but also the officials all have a copy. Military Advisor Yang's business trip must have been a long time ago. I'm afraid he didn't receive this "New Tariff Manual". Why don't you take a look at him first?"
Miss Yang's eyes widened, "Why am I looking at this? I don't do business!"
Chen Yidao was not angry at all and continued to explain with a smile: "This dynasty has many restrictions on officials and their family members doing business... But no matter how restrictive it is, buying and selling is inevitable. If nothing else, The grain harvested from the fields granted by military advisors must be sold, right? If you want to sell grain, you have to pay taxes!"
Absolute prohibition of officials from doing business is impossible to achieve in today's New Ming Dynasty, because the officials of the New Ming Dynasty all own the most important means of production in the agricultural era - land!
They themselves are the "owning class", and after owning the means of production, they inevitably have to participate in business operations.
Running a farm can also be viewed as a business activity.
In addition, the joint ventures and factories of the Nanyang Franchise Trading Company, Dongchang Guanyinhao, Xijia Factory, Nanjing Machinery Factory, Nei Gunpowder Factory and other companies that Zhu Heji mainly supported also all have officials' shares or officials serving in them. .
Therefore, Zhu Heji's Ming Dynasty adopted restrictions rather than blanket prohibitions on officials' business dealings.
Chen Yidao then added: "In addition, it is also allowed for officials to use their official ships to bring some goods when they go out or perform official duties...but this tax must be paid!"
Miss Yang's eyes widened: "What's wrong? My aunt just won't pay, what can you do to me?"
Chen Yidao smiled and said: "Miss Yang doesn't know... Although the Ming Dynasty's customs tariff has not been fully implemented, there is no way to do it in Yingtian Mansion, Suzhou Mansion, Guangzhou Mansion and various customs clearance fields. Don’t hand it over.”
"What will happen if we don't make friends?" Miss Yang's eyes widened, "My aunt just doesn't want to make friends!"
Chen Yidao was not in a hurry, and still wanted to explain to her slowly: "Miss Yang, you don't know something...this tariff is very difficult to escape and resist! Because Yingtian Mansion, The main commercial ports and maritime trade markets in Suzhou and Guangzhou are guarded by tax collectors, and goods entering and leaving must present special tax books and tax stamps.
The tentative tax rate for this customs clearance is 1% of the estimated value of the goods passing through the customs, with a tax of 20 per cent...and when these goods arrive in the hands of the final buyer, they must be accompanied by all customs duties. Tax stamps, if these tax stamps record the total tax paid, it has reached twenty taxes one. Then the final buyer does not need to pay taxes, otherwise he will have to make up for the missing points... No one is doing this loss-making business, so goods without tax stamps must be paid. Sold cheaply. "
He paused and then said: "At the end of each year, the customs duties of the Customs Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs will be carried out corresponding to Tianfu, Suzhou, Guangzhou, as well as large merchants and handicraft workshops in various customs clearance yards. Calculation of taxes... Businessmen who produce more customs tax stamps will be able to reduce their business taxes in the coming year, and will also receive extra points for school entrance exams, priority in government procurement, and selection into the advisory council, among many other benefits. If they pay If the tax stamps issued are too few, the business tax for the coming year will be increased!"
After hearing Chen Yidao's explanation, Yang Ziyun frowned slightly and murmured in a low voice: "Who is so wicked as to come up with such a tax law?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard someone cough, "What? Is this new tariff law so immoral?"
Yang Ziyun looked up and saw a tall, bearded and fierce-looking man in black robe swaggering onto the boat, waving a fan.
When Chen Yidao saw this man, he was about to salute, but he stopped him with a gentle wave of his hand.
Yang Ziyun thought that the man in black robe was also a big tax collector, so he was not afraid at all. He straightened his chest and raised his eyebrows, "My brother doesn't do business, nor does he help others carry goods, so there is no goods on the ship, just some luggage. Are there going to be tax increases too?”
The man in black robe said: "There is also a quota for duty-free and inspection-free luggage, and any excess luggage will be subject to tax!
In addition, if the gold and silver your brother carries is included in the luggage, he will still have to pay tax! "
"My brother's gold and silver?" When Miss Yang heard this, her face suddenly changed. She looked at the man in black robe and asked, "You, who are you?"
It is true that Yang Qilong did not bring goods for others, but he brought one hundred thousand taels of gold... Yang Ziyun said in his heart: "This fierce man seems to know something. He can't be the censor, right?"
The man in black robe laughed loudly and said: "Go and tell your brother that Ming Wang Zhu Heji is here!"
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