How do these descendants of honorable ministers know anything about business?
The person who asked the question was the steward of the Chengguo public house.
Wei Bin actually doesn’t understand business either: why does he need to understand this?
But Wei Bin had already made a rough outline of the regulations of Emperor Mingji.
But he spoke first and emphasized: "Things cannot be decided by you in a hurry. His Majesty gave me three months, and it has been two days now. Therefore, after I tell you the regulations of Huang Mingji today, I will return to Beijing as soon as possible." The government is negotiating with the government. If you are not in Beijing, you can send a horse with a secret message and can only discuss with the head of the household. Do you understand?"
After receiving a while of replies, Wei Bin nodded, and the two eunuchs each held a plate and walked to both sides.
"Take one volume each." Wei Bin said calmly, "Just read it in the palace, you can't take it back."
After saying that, he sat down and drank tea by himself.
When I glanced over, I saw that most of them were stewards taking a closer look, and some of them were the descendants of these lords themselves. Of course, there were also a few young men who seemed illiterate and seemed very boring for a while.
Wei Bin kept all these situations in mind, including the different expressions of these stewards.
After a long time, people began to finish reading, and then there was a small discussion in the hall.
Wei Bin didn't stop him, but encouraged him: "If you have any doubts, you can go through the details first, so that you won't have any clues when you ask again later."
Therefore, the discussion became louder.
The more people there are, the more courage is needed. After all, most of the families of the Dukes and Lords of the Ming Dynasty are here.
"How can such a huge company be sorted out in the future?"
"What kind of regulations is this review of accounts? Mr. Qi, have you heard of it?"
"Sea Trade House...doesn't it mean building a fleet of ships? Then all the companies along the coast..."
"..."
Wei Bin saw that no one was reading the brochure carefully anymore, but only opened it to confirm when they reached a certain point in the discussion, so he put down the tea cup: "I will explain the important points one by one, and then you can ask again."
The palace became quiet, and Wei Bin also stood up. He saluted in the direction of Qianqing Palace and then said: "Your Majesty has said that a gentleman loves money and gets it in a proper way. In the house of your lords, you are of high rank and rank. If you have something to do, you can only do it." The emperor has decreed that business is not allowed according to the ancestral instructions. However, as the family has multiplied, there are many heirs, and expenses are increasing day by day, it is not a long-term solution for you to just hold on to your salary."
After what he said, many people nodded. It seemed that the emperor was particularly considerate of the situation.
But Wei Bin then straightened his face: "However, relying on national law cannot be easily sanctioned. Relying on the honor of the Lord, you all know how many illegal things the Lord's family has committed. Lord Zu Xun is not allowed to do business, and now there are several Are you still complying?"
The stewards in the palace became uneasy: the traditional method was to let the servants come forward to do it. If they were really impeached, they would always deal with the servants.
"Your Majesty thought over and over before deciding on the regulations of the Emperor Mingji." Wei Bin emphasized, "With the Emperor Mingji, it is not to change the ancestral precepts so that your family can do business. It is to allow you to do business. Act according to your ability and each contribute your capital. From now on, if you participate in the affairs of Huang Ming Ji, you are doing things for His Majesty, and you are no longer violating the ancestral precepts. When you work in Huang Ming Ji, you are bound by the company's articles of association, and you have not violated the law. People’s concerns.”
He paused and looked around, taking note of the reactions of many families again, and then said: "Of course, this is not as unrestrained as you are in running your own business. You don't even know how much profit you can make every year. We want to warn you. , I want you to go back and tell the lord at home, the most important thing is: The purpose of setting up the Emperor Ming Ji is to reiterate the ancestral teaching that the lord is not allowed to do business!"
Wei Bin knew that this matter was not easy to handle, so the emperor asked him to come forward. What Wei Bin, the former Eight Tigers, wanted to do was to offend people.
This sentence was not explicitly stated in the charter, but the emperor mentioned it. Since that sentence could not be spread outside, the emperor still had room for change.
But Wei Bin must first clarify this meaning.
Everyone in the palace had complicated expressions.
Those two meanings are very accurate: when your family is doing business, you can naturally have a lot of room for maneuver based on your status as a lord, without any restrictions. With this kind of freedom, the annual progress is worth looking forward to.
After participating in Huang Ming Ji, there are still some re-accounting methods that I still don’t understand, and it is under the supervision of the ministers appointed by the emperor. Even how to run the business should have someone else responsible for it, right? Each lord's house can only send a few people to be small shopkeepers.
It is not clear how much money can be distributed each year. They are all old accountants, don't they know how to do accounts and are knowledgeable?
But Wei Gonggong Ming said: The purpose of establishing Huang Mingji is to reiterate the ancestral precepts.
The Lord's House is not allowed to do business, so will the Lord who is not participating now face a thorough investigation in the future?
Of course, there will be compromises. After participating, he would secretly find another servant to do other business as before. Or maybe the in-laws' business can be cooperated with Huang Mingji.
As they thought about it, their minds became more alive.
Wei Bin waited for them to digest it, and then said with a smile: "Everyone's current business, take this opportunity to report to His Majesty and estimate the price. In addition, if you think this is feasible, use some of your savings to invest in shares. This will All is fine. Once Huang Ming Ji is established, your lords will no longer have to worry about impeachment. After all, Huang Ming Ji is a royal company."
A steward couldn't help but ask: "Eunuch Wei, won't the court officials advise your majesty not to compete with the people for profit?"
"Your Majesty has his own plans." Wei Bin looked at him lightly and said, "Your Majesty protects the Lords from the wind and rain. How much kindness is this? Our family has made its meaning clear. You will state your interests when you go back to report. This investment The law is divided into three levels. The first is the general number. Dividends are distributed according to the shares. Your Majesty decides how to arrange the operation of each branch. The second is the bank number. The general number accounts for 70% of the shares, and the remaining 30% is for your honor to recognize. You can send a steward to be the accountant, so you can know the money coming in and out. The third is the store number, which also accounts for 70% of the shares. You can send a steward to be the shopkeeper to handle daily operations."
"When it was first established, there are currently seven businesses. The grain store, the salt store, the cloth store, the department store, the maritime trade store, the shipping store, and the labor service store. You are familiar with the first four, and let's talk about the last three in detail. .”
Seeing that they were all attentive, Wei Bin said slowly: "The Sea Trade Company starts from Guangdong. The tributary countries in Southeast Asia want to purchase good goods from our Ming Dynasty. The Sea Trade Company can supply goods and sell them; the Sea Trade Company can also make goods." Set up a fleet, go to sea to buy, and then sell to department stores and other merchants after returning to Hong Kong."
"Transportation means using fleets of chariots, horses, and ships to transport goods within the Ming Dynasty, which will gradually become safer, faster, and less costly."
"The labor service bank hires people who have no land and no industry." Wei Bin looked at them deeply, "This labor service bank was also tried in Guangdong first. There are a lot of local corvee labor, and in the future, all labor service agencies will probably do it for them. , so that many local projects will disturb the people as little as possible."
After carefully studying the articles of association, Wei Bin understood why this Huang Mingji was closely related to Guangdong's new law.
What is entangled with Tian Fu is corvee from beginning to end.
Why are there so many donations? In fact, for many ordinary people, the rent is not small, but being able to avoid corvee is the main reason.
The focus of the sea trade company is firstly on trading in the Guangdong Shipping Department, and secondly on laying the groundwork for future affairs in the southeast. The prospect of transfer operation is quite conceivable, but in the early stage it will only be responsible for the internal transfer of Huang Mingji.
Only this labor service company is extremely important, and I am afraid it will affect the success or failure of the new law.
The weak corvee has been a big problem throughout the ages.
How many tasks in the local area require manpower? But there are only so many people.
The pain of corvee service was the biggest motivation that forced many ordinary people to surrender to the officials and gentry.
Wei Bin could not imagine how much manpower this labor service company would have to gather in order to meet the needs of large-scale local projects.
Where do people come from?
Wei Bin would study this issue later and ask the emperor for advice.
Now when these stewards ask questions, he will answer those he can answer first, and those he cannot answer will be written down first.
Today was just a briefing. Wei Bin decided to wait for a month and a half before hearing their accurate reply. Many fast horses started from the capital and rushed to Nanzhili and some local dignitaries.
On the Guangdong side, Zhang Fujing is still waiting for a decision from Beijing on what Guangdong can do next.
But first he met someone.
"I've met Mr. Futai."
Gui E raised her head after saluting, and her little eyes looked at Zhang Fuking curiously and directly.
As soon as he was in high school, he was ordered to go south with his sword and kill high-ranking officials angrily. Zhang Zilin said: The governor recommends you to go to Guangdong.
So Gui E came to Guangdong and took up the post of magistrate of Huizhou.
From the county magistrate to the prefecture, this speed is also very good. But in front of Zhang Fujing, it was really not worth mentioning.
So Gui E was very curious about Zhang Fujing.
"...I heard that Brother Gui has a bad temper and repeatedly offends Shangguan?" Zhang Fujing asked.
"If the superior officer is a good person, why should the inferior officer offend him?" Gui E said straightforwardly and continued to look at Zhang Fujing.
The way he looked, the way he said this in this tone, and the way he looked at the reaction after saying it, Zhang Fujing felt that this guy really deserved a beating.
"I heard that Brother Gui also has insights into the new law?" This is what Zhang Zilin said in the letter to him.
But Gui E asked back: "I heard that Futai brought power to the Qing Dynasty to conquer the land, but Guangdong's powerful people didn't dare to hinder it?"
"...Brother Gui, what do you think?" Zhang Fujing felt like he wanted to clench his fists.
Gui E shook his head and sighed: "The damage to the fields is even worse in the north; in the south, the key points are the chaos. Futai should also have clarified it, right? Although the fields and soil are the same, the laws of each prefecture and county are very different. There are dozens or hundreds of laws. It is complicated, and taxes and services vary from place to place. When Xiaguan was the magistrate of Wukang County, he tried to divide official fields into one and civilian fields into one, and combined many service items into one. In the 13th year of Zhengde, Xiaguan once wrote "Please restore the old system to meet the needs of the people" "Guoan Min Shu", I wonder if Futai has ever read this book?"
Where did Zhang Fuking, who only passed the imperial examination in the 16th year of Zhengde's reign, read the memorial written by a small magistrate in the 13th year of Zhengde's reign?
But knowing that this guy had indeed tried the new method when he was the magistrate, Zhang Fujing bowed humbly: "Ask me for advice."
Gui E no longer asked for help. After returning the gift, he said: "Compile and review the corvee and unify the rules. Only when the people know everything about the land tax and the corvee can they farm with peace of mind. The superiors will not miss the right time, and the subordinates will not be afraid of exploitation by officials. It can be done by the court or the local government. In charge of the fields and subjects, one whip is used to urge the officials to carry out the duties according to the regulations. They can no longer use clever names to disturb the people and seek personal gain. This is a humble official."
Zhang Fujing thought silently.
Once you clear the land, you know how big the tax base is.
However, the specific amount of tax that can be collected depends on the collection ratio of various outputs. Taizu stipulated that a tax of thirty acres of land in the world was one tax, but this was only a land tax.
And to this day, farmers produce rice, wheat, silk, silk, cotton... there are too many kinds of real products.
Taxes are levied in fixed amounts in various places and people live within their means. The actual tax rates in different places are quite different. Summer wheat and autumn grains, strips of materials, and labor fees are apportioned. In fact, the tax rates and tax content are different in different places. This is called Keze.
These subjects also include salt tax, commercial tax, storefront courses, wine and vinegar courses, deed tax and deed work and ink courses, house vouchers, campus fees, stove courses, frying courses, Fishing reed class, stolen goods fine, atonement money...
This is what Gui E said. There may be dozens or hundreds of local tax types, and most of them are based on local conditions and formulated by the local area. There is too much room for local maneuverability.
In these disciplines, the showdown over corvee fees is even more chaotic. Lijia, Junyao, and Zafan are the three major types of corvee formed after the Zhengtong period. Combined with them, there are three major types: Suiban, Zuoban, and Zafan. The annual office is the tribute of materials to the royal family and the central government, the sitting office is the additional supply showdown from time to time and in varying amounts, and the miscellaneous office is the collection of labor and materials decided by the local government.
Gui E smiled sarcastically: "For the places where I have served before, the annual administrative office was less than 10%, the sitting administrative office was nearly 40%, and the miscellaneous administrative office accounted for more than 60%. The suffering of the people is not due to His Majesty's exploitation, but to His Majesty's exploitation. It is exploitation by local officials. Mr. Futai, even if the powerful do not fear the power and block it, how can it be compared to local officials resisting with all their strength? Without touching local laws, the new law will not be effective. If it touches local laws, then that is The public sentiment is boiling, making it difficult for officials to do their jobs."
He observed Zhang Fujing's reaction.
A few high-ranking officials are easy to kill. Where in the world is there a shortage of officials?
But is it possible to kill all the thousands of petty officials and larger-scale unworthy officials?
How easy is it to pressure them to take back the benefits they exploited?
To put it bluntly, even if it only takes half of the money that is currently plundered from the pockets of local low-level officials, if it can be established as a rule, then local taxes will increase a lot, and the burden on the people will be reduced a lot.
Zhang Fujing thought for a long time before he said: "Brother Gui, since you have tried it and thought a lot, you might as well discuss it with Magistrate Yang and draft a memorial using Huizhou and Guangzhou as examples. I will jointly submit the memorial with you. Please The imperial court will discuss the matter and implement it on a trial basis. Although it is difficult to govern officials and officials, we must try to do something."
After listening to Liang Chu's words, he also knew that he was indeed a soldier crossing the river.
If the new law in Guangdong is ineffective and does not cause chaos, then there will be no talk of its implementation in other provinces.
If the people's burden cannot be reduced, then the trend of donation cannot be stopped.
Is it possible to easily change the exemption and exemption of taxes and corvee for officials and gentry?
Zhang Fujing knew very well that it would really shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
After hearing what Zhang Fujing said, Gui E narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a long time, then saluted and said: "I accept the order. I just heard that Magistrate Yang is famous for his outstanding talents, so I'm afraid I can't get along with him."
Zhang Fujing smiled: "Since Magistrate Yang came to Guangdong, he also wanted to make meritorious deeds. Brother Gui and he are both magistrates. Are you still worried about offending him? I think Brother Gui is not a person who is afraid of getting into trouble."
Gui E rolled his eyes: "His father is the chief assistant."
"I am following the emperor's orders."
Gui E stared at him for a while, and grinned under his messy beard: "Futai is mighty!"
(End of chapter)
