In July of the first year of Zhengde, there was another heavy rain in the capital.
The rain falling like a curtain created huge splashes.
Li Dongyang and Xie Qian's feet were already wet before they took a few steps. The emperor considered that they were very old, so he ordered people to change them into dry clothes. It was simply raining heavily, making it impossible for anyone to leave. There is no particularly urgent matter in the court, and few people come.
Zhu Houzhao asked the two of them to stay in Qianqing Palace for a while.
"The morning before yesterday, at the court meeting, the officials of the Department of Science and Technology did not approve of my plan to abolish the Huaihe Transportation Department. There were also some criticisms at the top and bottom of the court. The truth has been explained thoroughly and exhausted, and I am tired of talking about it. I don't want to talk about it anymore. . We have free time today, Mr. Li Ge and Mr. Xie Ge, let’s talk about something else.”
Zhu Houzhao usually has a good temper, and life itself is not always a major event or a major choice that determines the fate of many people. Except for those times, the emperor will not be too harsh and his behavior is not weird.
At this time, he waved his hand and asked Liu Jin to set up the chessboard, and said with a smile: "It is said that drinking tea, playing the piano, burning incense, listening to the rain, and playing chess are the five most elegant things. Unfortunately, no one here knows how to play the piano, and we can't get them together, so we can only make do with it." That's it. How about I play a game of chess with Mr. Li Ge first?"
Li Dongyang saluted, and after being thorough, he sat down opposite the emperor, while Xie Qian was beside them.
"Your Majesty, please go first."
"Okay. My chess skills are slightly inferior, so you're welcome."
Ever since, the sound of rain was accompanied by the sound of chessboard falling, and time seemed to slow down here.
"I still remember that when I was the prince, I also stayed with my father and the two pavilion elders like this. It's a pity..."
Hongzhi was a really good man, at least he was a good father. Sometimes Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but miss him.
"Since your Majesty's reign, you have worked hard to govern and bring peace to the world. You can be regarded as the wise master of the Ming Dynasty. This is enough to comfort the spirit of Xiaomiao in heaven. There is no need for your Majesty to feel too deeply and hurt the dragon's body."
Zhu Houzhao's expression was calm, "I comfort my father's soul in heaven... Mr. Li Ge, Mr. Xie Ge, I am the descendant of the Zhu family. The foundation created by the ancestors of the Zhu family cannot be destroyed in my hands. I believe that every generation of emperors will At least I have such an idea. But from the First Emperor to the present, have you seen any dynasty that has had monarchs for hundreds of generations and kingdoms for eternity? There are many examples of prosperity and decline. The Ming Dynasty also had the same problem. During the Hongwu and Yongle years Guests from all over the world are in submission, but now, the Tatars dare to invade the borders, Hami has a disobedient heart, and there are still refugees all over the Central Plains..."
"Mr. Li Ge, Mr. Xie Ge, you are both people who have read poetry and books. Although you dare not say it with your mouth, you know in your heart that the Ming Dynasty cannot have a hundred emperors."
"Your Majesty!" The two men's hearts trembled, and they stood up as they spoke.
"Hey." Zhu Houzhao raised his hand and pressed it softly, "Today is a small talk. There is no sin in talking about anything. Sit down."
"Your Majesty's words are inspiring. Looking through the history books, it is true that all dynasties and dynasties are inevitably bound to prosper and then decline, and decline and then perish. The key point is that evil spirits and monsters are rampant, causing trouble in the country and making the people unable to live."
What Li Dongyang said is not unreasonable.
But Zhu Houzhao wanted to go deeper, "Everyone knows that if the people cannot survive, they will rise up. But how can the people survive? Land, right? However, in the Ming Dynasty, the number of landless people increased year by year. ? The yellow book and the fish scale book have not changed in decades, and the people who wrote on them are probably dead. A hundred years have passed, and everything has changed. If I, the successor, do not want to be flexible, how can the country be governed? Good?"
"I have long said that it was right for our ancestors to ban the sea, and it is right for me to open the sea. Everything must be in line with the times. Just like the two Huaihe River Transfer Department, the purpose of the imperial court setting it up is to better manage the salt field, but with It makes the salt field more chaotic, so what's the use?"
Li Dongyang and Xie Qian both understood.
Understand that this emperor is not the kind of mediocre king who takes national affairs for granted.
I also understand the emperor’s determination.
"Your Majesty..." Mr. Xie Ge gave a good idea, "Is it possible that... among the six transportation departments in the world, we will first select two of the Huaihe Transportation Departments to try the auction method, and the other five will remain unchanged for the time being."
The emperor's eyes instantly became stern.
Mr. Xie Ge quickly added, "It is said that it has not changed, but the Yamen of Yunsi has not changed. However, we still need to check the shortcomings of the Salt Law and investigate and deal with corrupt officials."
After saying this, Zhu Houzhao felt a little more comfortable.
"But I will not guarantee that the other transportation departments and the Salt Class Titration Department will always be retained."
"Wei Chen understands. If the improvement of the Lianghuai Salt Course is effective, then the court will naturally lose the basis and foundation to continue to oppose His Majesty."
That is what is called speaking with facts.
This idea is not bad.
Anyway, Chinese people just like compromise. If all else fails, then change one first.
In fact, Zhu Houzhao never wanted to make drastic changes. Auction is a new method. Whether people of this era can adapt to it and whether they can use it well are still two questions.
Moreover, drastic changes usually allow those with advantages to concentrate their wealth even more. Because they have advantages in information, ability, financial resources, and relationships.
"What Mr. Xie Ge said is actually a way of seeking the country." Zhu Houzhao showed a slight smile. After getting what he wanted, he stopped worrying about this matter and turned to talk about other things. "Actually, the courtiers have misunderstood Damn it, you two always know. I took the silver, which one thing did I do that was not beneficial to the country and the people? As the silver from the salt class increased, would I use it to build a palace? Search for treasures? Or refine elixirs and practice Taoism? , seeking immortality?"
Speaking of this, Wen Chen was worried.
"Your Majesty, you can't believe the words of some quacks..."
"I know." Zhu Houzhao glanced at Li Dongyang. This old guy couldn't understand the joke.
However, Xie Qian thought of what he had done in Yongshou Palace before, which made Emperor Long Yan furious.
Many foreign ministers appreciated this, because it showed that the emperor would no longer let the Buddha's art affect the court.
"Since your Majesty came to the throne, you have indeed saved money, been strict with yourself, and lenient with the people. This is what a saintly king does."
Zhu Houzhao accepted the flattery generously, "So. What does the court have to worry about if it gets more money? In the first year of Zhengde, the court only allocated 300,000 taels for river repair in one province in Shandong. Next year I plan to increase it to 2 One, three the year after that, in addition to the Yellow River, which is plagued every year, water conservancy is not repaired, and agriculture is not prosperous, but where does this money come from? "
Li Dongyang and Xie Qian both had excitement in their eyes, "Is the imperial court going to allocate funds for river repair to two provinces next year?"
"This is my plan. However, it depends on the specific situation of summer and autumn grains in Shandong this year. Shandong officials should let the cabinet and me see that after the river repair money is paid, the grain harvest will increase. Otherwise, I will doubt that the money Whether it is really used on the blade."
When I asked for money, I said nice things, but I couldn't use it when I went back. There were many people in the two capitals and thirteen provinces queuing up, so why should I give it to you?
Both Li Dongyang and Xie Qian understood what the emperor meant.
The emperor also sent messages to Liu Jian, the governor of Shandong, through them.
Even the cabinet can give appropriate support to Shandong.
"With Duke Xixian here, Shandong has no worries."
"If the imperial court can have more money, I also want to build library gardens in Yingtian, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and even Taiyuan, Luoyang and other places. After all, students in the capital can see free books, and those in other places can Students should also be able to see it.
I even thought that the rations for Juren may not have changed for many years. Should I increase them as appropriate?
Can more private schools in various places be opened by the government?
Can a private school provide two meals a day when it opens?
In this way, even the poorest children can study without worries as long as they are sent to private schools. In this way, our Ming Dynasty really doesn’t know how many pillars of the country should emerge. "
After this sequence, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian's hearts trembled, "According to what Your Majesty said, the imperial court's annual income must continue to increase. The more the increase, the better. If these can be realized, our Ming Dynasty will be far better than the Han and Tang Dynasties!"
"
"Now the two pavilion elders understand why I have to amass a lot of wealth and want to change the salt class again, right?"
Li Dongyang thought for a while and said seriously: "Since the salt class is a bad government, it should be changed!"
"Where's Mr. Xie Ge?"
"I second my opinion."
Zhu Houzhao does many things now, but he always has one righteous intention, that is, he really will not waste money.
Li Dongyang, Xie Qian and all the court officials believed this.
Therefore, once the wealth is plundered into the treasury or the young mansion, it will soon be released in other forms.
With the rise of Ma Zhili, the prefectures and counties in the Northern Zhili region abolished the herdsmanship year after year, the border army became stronger, the river workers had money, and even the intensity and frequency of disaster relief increased.
Where did this money come from?
Just look at the heads that were killed.
Now that the cabinet is well prepared, the six ministries are not a problem. The main Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Punishment are all his confidants. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry also know his temperament.
Even though the edict to cancel the transportation department has not been issued immediately, preparations for the salt farm auction have already begun, including the site selection and construction of the auction site, the verification and confirmation of the salt farm’s output, the determination of the price, and most importantly, the funding flow direction.
It is difficult for traditional officials to fully trust Zhu Houzhao anymore, especially when it comes to economic issues.
However, the powers of the Young Master have indeed expanded too quickly.
Zhu Houzhao thought for a long time and told the two elders about his new ideas.
That is to say, the Shaofu will be independent from the Ministry of Household Affairs and become the 'seventh department' in addition to the six departments. The name will no longer be called the Shaofu, but will be changed to the National Assets Department, or the State-owned Assets Department for short.
Zhu Houzhao can expect that his subsequent governance will involve a lot of money.
Moreover, concentration of power inherently leads to concentration of wealth.
To put it simply, more and more state-owned assets will be directly controlled by the emperor. Now that he has just ascended the throne, he can still use the method of plundering by 'ransacking homes', but this will not be possible in ten years, so this is also a long-term consideration.
However, Li Dongyang and Xie Qian may not understand.
