"Your Majesty, the gentry and wealthy businessmen in Suzhou are taking action!"
Early in the morning, when Chongzhen was having breakfast, Li Ruolian entered the lobby.
"How?"
"There are roughly the following methods. First, 80% of the shops on the street have closed down because of the lack of supply of goods. Among them, 80% are shops selling grain, oil, rice, noodles, sugar, vinegar, tea and pharmacies. Those that are still open have also increased their prices;
2. Many workshops have also stopped working. The reasons announced to the outside world are insufficient supply of raw materials, etc. The workshops have already compensated the merchants who paid deposits. Those that have not stopped working have also let some craftsmen go home;
3. Some large workshops refused to accept goods coming from the north, saying that sales were poor and inventory was overstocked;
4. Problems have also appeared on the canal. The cargo ships of local Suzhou merchants have appeared in the Suzhou river section, and their movements have been so slow that the cargo ships going north have been blocked for more than 20 miles.
If this is just it, forget it, shipwrecks have occurred in several river sections. It seems unintentional, but in fact it is intentional.
The sunken ships hauled sand, stone, wall tiles, ceramics, etc., so much so that the river water rose a foot higher in some parts of the river.
If it happens a few more times and there happens to be heavy rains upstream, the river might overflow its banks and thousands of boats gather together. The consequences would be disastrous!
5. It has been observed that Suzhou Prefecture and even the lower states and counties have sent memorials to Beijing City. We have intercepted several of them, all of which were to impeach Zhou Tingru;
6. The scholars in the city have begun to criticize Zhou Tingru verbally and in writing, and spread some gossip, saying that the current events are caused by Zhou Tingru's chaos;
seven……"
Boom...
Although the sound of the spoon colliding with the bowl was clear and crisp, Li Ruolian knew in his ears that the emperor seemed angry.
"there is none left?"
"Your Majesty, that's all for now!"
"Haha, these are still the methods, and I don't know how to play some tricks!"
Chongzhen put down the bowl and said disdainfully.
The methods of businessmen of later generations are endless, and they can directly kidnap a country and society.
Now, if these methods were used by the previous emperors, they might have to succumb. It is a pity that they met themselves.
"Is there any movement over in Nanjing?"
"Yes, the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel of Nanjing have already set off from Nanjing. If we take the waterway, we will arrive around noon the day after tomorrow at the latest!"
"interesting!"
Chongzhen murmured and asked again: "Have the Yanshan Guards arrived?"
"Back to Your Majesty, everyone has arrived!"
"That's good. Send word to Zhou Tingru to see me!"
"He's already waiting outside!"
After a while, Zhou Tingru entered the lobby, his face full of fatigue, but his eyes were shining with excitement.
Chongzhen said calmly: "You know everything about Suzhou Mansion, right? What are you going to do?"
"Kill, shut down!"
"How to kill? How to imprison?"
"Those who evade taxes will be punished several times the amount of silver taels for tax evasion according to Ming Dynasty law. It is difficult to say how much tax evasion and tax evasion there is currently, but the government can directly seal their residences and directly audit the accounts.
Or just use the excuse of Jin Yiwei to quote a random number and limit the payment within one hour. If you can't pay, you will get fifty military sticks, or preferably be beaten to death!
The main way to transfer benefits is to accept bribes and demand bribes, but their methods may be more elegant, giving gifts in the name of birthdays, births of children, etc. Although it is difficult to distinguish, many bribes that can be found can be directly cut off according to the Ming Dynasty Law!
…
Regarding merchants, the Ming Dynasty Law also has many regulations. If they close their doors and do not do business, then they should be satisfied. The court cannot force them to close their shops.
But the government could not provide them with roads. Without roads, they would not be able to leave within a hundred miles of Suzhou City, and they would be directly trapped in Suzhou City.
For merchants, there are also the registration system, the warranty system, the store calendar and the clearance system. For example, under the registration system, if you find some people to complain about the shop to the government, the government can directly seal the merchant's shop or property.
If they don't open the door, they'll seal it until their goods rot.
As for the rumors spread by scholars, the Ming Dynasty Law also clearly stipulates that the lightest punishment is a hundred canes. Since they like to spread rumors, just catch a few wet markets and execute them!
…”
Zhou Tingru talked about seven or eight countermeasures in a row, and each of them could name the regulations in the "Da Ming Edict", "Da Ming Law" or "Regulations on Questioning Punishments", which shows his understanding of the Ming Dynasty's criminal laws.
Chongzhen nodded gently, with a sneer on his face.
"If heaven wants to make them die, it must first make them crazy. Since they want to die, then I will help them. Go and prepare.
Don't worry about it for today, let's see if there are still others who can jump out and see if there are any other means. Starting at noon tomorrow, Yanshan Guard and Jinyi Guard will cooperate with you. Remember, don't let others take advantage of you and refute the opportunity, so as not to make it difficult for me! "
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will draft a set of regulations today and submit them to Your Majesty for review!"
"Go!"
After Li Ruolian left, Chongzhen looked at Li Ruolian and said, "Let Cao Zhen handle the matter of the shipwreck. Let's clear the channel first.
By the way, let him check to see which company is so bold, and then ask Jin Yiwei to check if there is any problem. You can decide how to deal with it. I am very angry about the canal matter.
But remember, everything in Suzhou and Jiangnan, whether it's beating people up, killing people, etc., must be done in a reasonable manner.
Jiangnan is a place where the number one scholars and great Confucians are prominent. They are sharp-tongued. I am not afraid of them, I am just afraid that they will incite the common people who do not know the truth.
You, Zhou Tingru, Cao Bianjiao, Chen Qian and others have all warned you about this. "
"Your Majesty, don't worry, everything will be done in accordance with the great law."
"Well, inform the queen that there is no need to delay, you can come to Jiangnan."
"I obey the decree!"
After Li Ruolian saluted, he slowly exited the lobby, and then rushed out in a hurry.
In the lobby, Chongzhen tapped the handrail with his fingers. Everything else was easy to say, but for his own selfish interests, the bank of the canal was damaged and the farmland was flooded. This was something he could not bear.
After a while, he said softly: "Fang family, in the Ming Dynasty's laws, which ones are directed at merchants?"
"Back to Your Majesty, I don't remember all the household laws in the Ming Dynasty Code, the power chapter, the commercial tax chapter, the punishment regulations in the Ming Dynasty Huidian, etc., as well as some supplementary laws. I don't remember all of them. Please forgive me! "
"Go and find everything you just said, I want to see it!"
Some of the countermeasures that Zhou Tingru just mentioned gave him some new ideas. On the one hand, he was deterred by force and on the other hand, he was restrained by law. He had a hard hand and a soft hand, a two-pronged approach.
A small tree will not grow straight if it is not repaired, and a tree will not grow straight if people do not repair it. This time, the gentry and wealthy merchants in Jiangnan must be repaired and honest.
There was silence in the lobby, but the entire city of Suzhou and even the entire prefecture and counties under Suzhou Prefecture were in commotion.
