Yao Shan, the prefect of Suzhou, finished his official duties, changed into his regular clothes, and walked into the Confucian Temple and Academy with a volume in his hand.
In the courtyard of Minglun Hall, Wang Bin, Han Yi, Yu Zhenmu, and Qian Qin were discussing together. When Wang Bin raised his head and saw Yao Shan, he smiled slightly, stopped the discussion, and said : "Brother Ke Yi is here."
Others turned sideways and saluted.
Yao Shan smiled heartily and said a little apologetically: "Sorry, I've been busy with official duties recently, so I'm late."
"It seems that brother Ke Yi is bound to win the Shiyou Prefecture. If his salary is raised in the future, he will treat us to three more drinks."
Qian Qin joked.
Yao Shan clapped the book in his hand and said: "If Suzhou is selected as one of the top ten prefectures, I can afford not to mention three cups, but five cups."
"It's really grand..."
Yu Zhenmu said with disdain.
Han Yi and others laughed, and Yao Shan shook his head helplessly.
Qian Qin led everyone to sit aside and prepared to sit down, and then said: "Talk about the classics is not the important thing today."
Yao Shan looked at Qian Qin in surprise and asked, "If we don't talk about classics and books, what should we talk about?"
Qian Qin laughed and took out a pamphlet from his sleeve. Yao Shan took it and took a look. It was full of suggestions on lifting the shackles of business and increasing business taxes.
After Yao Shan saw it, he raised his head and looked at Qian Qin and said, "Brother Qian, although your surname is Qian, you are still a famous person in Suzhou. In the past, you sneered at the way of merchants and disapproved of it. Why did you change your attitude today?"
Qian Qin smiled slightly and said: "I didn't take it seriously in the past because I thought that trade poisoned the people and was detrimental to people's livelihood. However, when Qian traveled to Suzhou Prefecture, he found that there were countless merchants and prosperity had become the norm. Didn't Brother Yao want to compete for the top ten prefectures? ?This is the way to win."
"What you call a way to win is to lift the ban on merchants and then impose heavy taxes? If that's the case, then you don't want to be in this top ten prefecture!"
Yao Shan's face darkened.
Seeing that the two of them were frozen, Yu Zhenmu quickly said, "Brother Yao, please don't be angry. How about we let us discuss it?"
"bring it on!"
Yao Shan said solemnly.
Yu Zhenmu looked at Qian Qin and said, "Brother Qian, let's talk freely."
Qian Qin nodded seriously and said to Yao Shan: "Brother Yao, you and I have known each other for many years. I believe you know what my character is. But today, there are some things that I, Qian Qin, also want to say. For this Suzhou Prefecture, for the Ming Dynasty!"
Yao Shan looked at Qian Qin, the anger on his face gradually dissipated.
As Qian Qin said, he has been a close friend for many years, but he is by no means a money-lover.
Qian Qin looked at Yao Shan seriously and said: "The imperial court has implemented a whip method to curb the national policy of annexation. I dare to ask Brother Yao, can Suzhou Prefecture implement it?"
"Seven counties and one state will be implemented in full without any delay."
Yao Shan replied.
Suzhou Prefecture has seven counties and one prefecture under its jurisdiction. The seven counties are Wu County, Changzhou County, Changshu County, Wujiang County, Kunshan County, Jiading County and Chongming County, and the one prefecture is Taicang Prefecture.
Qian Qin asked again: "Then the imperial court changed the tax rate from 30 taxes to 15 taxes. Can Brother Yao think it is a heavy tax?"
Yao Shan frowned slightly and said: "Compared with the various types of taxes and corvee in previous years, the tax is one for fifteen, which is not a heavy tax."
"Then why is a tax of 1 per 15 for merchants a heavy tax?"
Qian Qin asked rhetorically.
Yao Shan was speechless, thought for a moment, and said: "Businessmen make a living by selling goods and making profits. Once taxes are increased, their profits will inevitably be reduced. By then, Suzhou Prefecture will probably only be depressed and no longer prosperous."
Qian Qin shook his head slightly and said: "Brother Yao is only half right. Businessmen do make a living by making profits. Increasing taxes will also reduce their profits, but it will not lead to depression."
"Oh, if there is no profit, why don't the merchants leave far away?"
Yao Shan asked coldly.
Qian Qin took out a letter and handed it to Yao Shan, saying: "This is a letter from a good friend of the Ministry of Household Affairs in the capital. Brother Yao works as an official in the government office, so he must know about the management of the cultural troupe, right? I heard that although the cultural troupe comes from the inner palace, the price is high. It’s a profit, but it’s used for the commercial tax of 1 in 15 taxes, and I heard that the Ministry of Household Affairs made a profit of thousands of taels from this.”
"Although it is a heavy tax, the cultural troupes still make huge profits. Even after the national policy of curbing annexation, they continue to perform. It can be seen from this that the tax of 1 in 15 is considerable. And looking at the Ministry of Household Affairs, the treasury is rich due to the increase in taxes. If Brother Yao petitions the imperial court for an order to implement the one-for-fifteen tax law, merchants in Suzhou Prefecture may not leave, but the commercial taxes in Suzhou Prefecture will increase significantly."
Yao Shan read the letter and said: "The art troupe is just a performance by women, not selling goods."
"What about the medical gauze from King Liao and King Min? Aren't they goods? Aren't they taxing one for fifteen?"
Qian Qin asked rhetorically.
Yao Shan stood up and said: "The two kings of Liao and Min are engaged in business as princes. If they don't tax heavily, wouldn't they bully the market? Who can compete with them for profit?"
Qian Qin laughed, took out another letter from his sleeve, and said: "Brother Yao, since you said so, you are behind, don't blame me for not reminding you."
Yao Shan was puzzled. He opened the letter and read it. His eyes widened and he asked, "This, this is not true, is it?"
Qian Qin said confidently: "Brother Yao, playing chess is not just about looking at the next move, but also looking at the next move. After a whipping method and a national policy, the products must be abundant, and farmers must have surplus. But what about the surplus? After keeping what is used, You will definitely be able to exchange it for money and buy cloth and general merchandise from merchants. It only takes a year or two for merchants to flourish."
"Zhang Bing, the chief envoy of Peking, had lifted the ban on merchants as early as last year and promoted trade. I heard that the imperial court was preparing to trial a business tax of 1 in 15 taxes in Peiping. If Brother Yao dares to be the first in the world, then Suzhou Prefecture will win. Passing through Beiping Prefecture, it became the first prefecture in my Ming Dynasty's new business strategy."
Yao Shan looked deeply at the letter. Although the information could not be completely true, it was certainly not groundless.
If Beiping really implements the 15-1 tax, it will not be the end, but only the beginning!
The emperor has used the two kings and the cultural troupe to get the merchants in the capital and the Ministry of Households accustomed to the existence of a tax of fifteen to one. Although these taxes have not been imposed on the merchants in the capital, the Ministry of Households has seen the benefits of increasing taxes.
The national treasury is full and the merchants are making endless profits. What is the benefit of this?
The Ministry of Household Affairs probably has no reason to oppose the increase in business tax.
At present, the imperial court has included subordinate officials into the salary list. Although it has reduced the exploitation of low-level farmers by subordinate officials, it has also increased the expenditure of the imperial court. It must be that the imperial court needs money just when it needs money to implement new business strategies and increase its support for merchants. Taxation is also reasonable.
If this is true, does Suzhou Prefecture dare to be the first prefecture in this new business strategy?
Do you dare to implement new business strategies in Suzhou?
Yao Shan looked at Wang Bin, Han Yi, and Yu Zhenmu. The three nodded slightly to express their support.
The capital, Kunning Palace.
Xu Miaojin hugged Zhu Wenkui with a smile, and looked at Zhu Yunwen behind the desk from time to time. Seeing that Zhu Yunwen was carefully reviewing his documents, she couldn't help but feel a little proud.
I found out the problems with the Imperial College by myself.
In the past, I never felt that there were any problems with the Imperial College, but when I looked carefully, Xu Miaojin was secretly surprised by the number of problems in the Imperial College. If some problems were not eliminated and allowed to exist, the eight thousand graduates of the Imperial College would only be able to use a handful of talents. number.
