"The tariff cannot be lower than 40%."
Yang Xuan said.
"Four percent?"
"Is that too much?" Zhu Di frowned.
People in Lao Zhu's family are not good at economics, so they are not very sensitive in this area.
"How much? I don't think it's high at all."
"You know, the profit from overseas trade is ten times or even dozens of times."
"Even if it's 40%, they can still make a profit."
"Besides, if the court doesn't charge them, they can save the money?"
"They have to manage things up and down and build relationships, which costs a lot of money."
"Instead of giving all this money to corrupt officials, it would be better to give it to the court."
Yang Xuan said lightly.
"Then what if they are unwilling and still insist on smuggling?"
Zhu Di asked again.
"What does the imperial navy do?"
"And there are Japanese pirates and pirates overseas, and their smuggling is not that safe."
"As long as the imperial court can ensure the safety of trade routes, I believe many people will pay the tariff."
"Also, the fleet led by Zheng He can lead them to trade farther away and earn more money."
“It also keeps them safe along the way.”
"This is the advantage of the imperial court, and they have no reason to oppose the imperial court."
"Every bustle in the world is for benefit, and all the hustle and bustle in the world is for benefit."
"Businessmen value profits. As long as it allows them to make more money, this little tariff is nothing."
Yang Xuan smiled.
Zhu Di pondered, and after a while, someone called Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs.
"Your Majesty, Xia Yuanji, is here to see you!"
"I've met Marquis Changping!"
"Flat body."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Xia Yuanji stood up, guessing why Zhu Di asked him to come.
"Xia Shangshu, I have just discussed with Your Majesty the reopening of the Shipping Department, and now I want to hear your thoughts."
"Of course, all the income of the Shipping Department goes to the national treasury." Yang Xuan added.
Zhu Di's behavior of allocating all the income from his overseas voyages to internal funds severely dampened the work enthusiasm of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
During these days, I often complained to Prince Zhu Gaochi.
It is said that the minister, the minister, has nothing to do.
Money was used everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, and all departments came to him, the minister, to ask for money.
He can't make money either!
So please allow him to resign!
For this reason, Zhu Gaochi spent a lot of effort to calm Xia Yuanji down.
The imperial court cannot do without him, the Minister of Household Affairs!
Xia Yuanji immediately became energetic when he heard Yang Xuan say that all the income would be returned to the treasury.
"Your Majesty, please reopen the Shipping Department!" Xia Yuanji directly asked Zhu Di for an order.
As for the ancestral system, he doesn't care, he only wants money.
As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he was in charge of the Ming Dynasty's money bag, but the treasury was so poor that it was almost like a rat.
He is worried every day!
Even though the annual tax revenue is increasing year by year, there are more places to spend money.
Canal dredging, Sunchon reconstruction, book repair, disaster relief, water conservancy construction, military expenditure, etc.
Not enough flowers, not enough flowers at all!
Zheng He made millions of taels from this voyage, and Xia Yuanji saw the prospects of overseas trade.
If the Shipping Department is reopened, it will also be a good thing for Ming Dynasty. The national treasury will have a lot of income every year.
With new revenue coming into the national treasury, officials would not be too resistant to Zhu Di transferring all the income from his voyages to the West into internal funds.
As the old saying goes, no one likes a solitary eater.
Even the emperor cannot eat alone!
"Don't be anxious, let's listen to what Marquis Changping has to say first," Zhu Di said.
"Yes." Xia Yuanji looked at Yang Xuan again.
So, Yang Xuan explained what he had discussed with Zhu Di before.
"Forty percent tax?"
"I'm afraid the maritime merchants won't agree."
Xia Yuanji is still a little worried. This tax is too high.
"They have to agree even if they don't agree."
"The worst thing is that the imperial court won't open a shipping department."
"The Navy has strengthened coastal defenses and severely cracked down on smuggling."
"The court gives them face, and they have to carry it."
Yang Xuan said coldly.
"That's right." Zhu Di also nodded.
He doesn't mind doing exclusive business.
Seeing that the two people had the same opinion, Xia Yuanji didn't know what to say.
He is just a small minister.
"Xia Shangshu, you were responsible for preparing the goods for Zheng He's fleet to go to sea."
"You should know the cost best."
"You also know how much profit you have made now."
"The imperial court only collects 40% of the tax revenue, which is already very little."
"Besides, they didn't pay this tax in vain."
"The imperial navy will protect them."
After listening to Yang Xuan's words, Xia Yuanji thought for a while and felt that 40% tax was about the same.
If the overall situation were not considered, he even felt that the tariffs could be increased by 10% or 20%.
Anyway, the money ends up in the treasury.
"Then, as your Majesty and the Marquis say, the shipping department will be reopened and the tariff will be 40%."
In fact, with the 40% tariff, maritime merchants do not suffer at all.
Compared with this amount of money, the route is the most valuable.
Maritime smuggling, that is, several countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty.
Like the Indian Peninsula and beyond, they have no safe routes.
Moreover, exploring a safe route is very expensive. They may not have the courage or be able to do it.
Only the state can do this.
The matter regarding the Shibo Division has been tentatively settled.
The next step is to propose it during the court meeting and implement it.
I believe that with Zhu Di's methods and Xia Yuanji's cooperation, this will not be difficult.
"By the way, Xia Shangshu, have all the goods Zheng He brought back been sold?"
At this time, Yang Xuan changed the topic again.
"There are still nearly 40% unprocessed." Xia Yuanji said.
"How long has this been going on and you still haven't dealt with it?"
"How did you become the Minister of Household Affairs?" Zhu Di was a little dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty, I haven't rested for a day!"
"You can finish it with just one sentence, but it's not that easy!"
"If you think that I, the Minister of Household Affairs, can't do the job well, then find someone else to do it for you!"
Xia Yuanji complained.
He was not lying. In order to process the goods as soon as possible, all the staff in their household department started moving.
Yang Xuan on the side had a headache when he saw this.
This Zhu Laosi is just like Lao Zhu, not unreasonable at all.
"Xia Shangshu, your Majesty doesn't mean this either."
"Your efforts are seen by His Majesty."
"Your Majesty is just worried, I understand."
Yang Xuan spoke up to smooth things over.
Zhu Di snorted softly and walked down the steps handed over by Yang Xuan.
Xia Yuanji didn't dare to complain anymore, he was already a little bold just now.
"Xia Shangshu, I think if you follow the current sales method of your household department, it will be too inefficient and it will not be able to maximize profits."
…
