Chapter 352: Xu Jin, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet, sat on the bench
Of course, Xu Jin had to obey the emperor's wishes and start discussing business matters, so he took the initiative and said: "Your Majesty, I also agree that it is more important to discuss business matters first. I believe that the decrease in tariff increase is not due to the rampant smuggling trade, but It’s because the imperial court imposes heavy taxes, businessmen’s profit margins are reduced, and their enthusiasm for going overseas is low! ”
Although Xu Jin and other officials representing the merchant class were not interested in discussing tariffs and smuggling, if the emperor wanted to discuss the matter, they could only put forward their own opinions. All the problems can be boiled down to one point, that is, the tax is too high. The key point It’s because the business tax is too high!
Another business tax cut!
Zhu Houzhao found that many civil servants headed by Xu Jin, in addition to criticizing courtiers for engaging in internal political struggles, also insisted on reducing or reducing commercial taxes when it came to official affairs of the court.
The gap between rich and poor people in the east and west is too wide, so business taxes must be reduced or reduced!
Spain has repeatedly disturbed the people of the Ming Dynasty and wants to reduce or reduce business taxes!
The conflict between the chieftains and the Han people has intensified, and business taxes must be reduced or reduced!
Nowadays, the decrease in tariff increase is still due to the increase in commercial taxes, and commercial taxes must be reduced or reduced!
Zhu Houzhao had to admit that civil servants like Xu Jin did not have any clear and detailed ideas at this time. The most consistent idea was to reduce taxes. There was no sense of establishing a group, no intention to completely control the rule, and no clear goal.
This is different from my own Zhongjun Society. Apart from having no goal of rebellion, Zhongjun Society has everything it should have.
Turning the topic around, Zhu Houzhao knew that civil servants from the merchant class wanted the court to reduce taxes.
However, Zhu Houzhao knew that this tax could not be reduced.
Because the Ming Dynasty had exempted the world from corvee and reduced agricultural taxes a lot, even outside the customs, considering the impact of the Little Glacier climate on northern agriculture, not only did not collect agricultural taxes but also subsidized some farmers.
Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty wanted to maintain a financially sufficient situation for the central court, continue to increase investment in infrastructure, maintain a strong military, and invest in scientific research, it could only rely on tax revenue from commercial trade.
And in fact, the Ming Dynasty's business tax was not heavy, it was just a little higher than the previous tax ratio of thirty to one.
But for the gentry who were transformed from landowners to capitalists in the empire, they were accustomed to lower agricultural taxes and even being able to avoid taxes at will. They were still not used to paying large amounts of taxes to the court every year.
But these gentry pay more every year, but they also earn a lot.
Therefore, it must be false to say that these gentry are not selfish.
However, they always play the image of being selfless, just and upright in the court, and there are also a large group of children from bureaucratic families who also come from well-off backgrounds vying to agree with them.
Therefore, Zhu Houzhao sometimes had to admit that sometimes the more advantaged the court was, the less willing it was to pay for the court. This is called being obedient after getting an advantage.
Turning back to this, as soon as Xu Jin finished speaking, Cong Lan, the Minister of the Audit Office, stood up: "Your Majesty, I believe that the decrease in tariff increase is not caused by heavy taxes, because the commercial taxes implemented in the Ming Dynasty were not heavy. The National Audit Office has clear statistics. Even the worst-run commercial firms going overseas can make four or five times their profits, and the taxes they pay will not deter them from doing business overseas;
The old minister believes that the decrease in tariff increase is due to rampant smuggling. This also confirms what Jin Yiwei reported that pirates have been breeding at sea recently and Japanese pirates have increased greatly! ”
Zhang Wei also stood up: "Your Majesty, I think what I said is biased. Even if it is caused by rampant smuggling, it is also caused by the high commercial tax of the imperial court, which forces the merchants and people to steal."
"Tariff revenue is related to the revenue of the Ming dynasty's treasury, and today's commercial taxes are not high. If they are reduced further, it will only make the treasury poor in money and food, and the money and food will be unbalanced. Tax avoidance and smuggling by merchants are theft. The root cause is not heavy taxes, but actually For selfish reasons, or because of the support of local forces, I ignore the king's laws, so I think we should punish them severely! To protect the revenue of the national treasury!"
Zhu Zailei, the Minister of Household Affairs, also stood up. He also learned a lot from the people about the rampant smuggling. He knew that many coastal officials and gentry acted as a protective umbrella for some smuggling pirates.
But now, some civil servants in the court were still determined to cover up the increasingly rampant smuggling phenomenon, which made him unable to stand it, so he quickly accepted the message.
"Father! What the emperor said is inappropriate. The country must not be governed by tyranny but benevolent. Businessmen are smugglers and thieves and should not be severely punished, otherwise they may cause civil unrest. Therefore, I believe that the decrease in tariff increase is due to the reason. It is unavoidable that the imperial court should take advantage of the situation and rather than seize the benefits of the merchants and people again, it is better to open the source."
The second prince Zhu Zaitu also stood up at this time and said that he knew that the political views of his brother Zhu Zailei would definitely not please most civil servants and gentry, so he just agreed with the inner thoughts of most civil servants and gentry. to gain support from these people.
When Xu Jin and others first saw Zhu Zailei's request to crack down on smuggling, they were indeed very unhappy. After all, they, the wealthy southern gentry, were all smugglers. If they really wanted to crack down on smuggling, how could they survive?
The second prince's words satisfied them. It would undoubtedly be in their favor not to use tyranny to combat smuggling.
Min Xian, the right servant of the National Taxation Bureau, also stood up and echoed:
"Your Majesty, I think what the second prince said is true. Instead of taking away the benefits of the merchants and the people, banning smuggling, and triggering civil unrest, it is better to benefit the people and open up revenue. After all, merchants are also your Majesty's subjects, and nowadays there are more and more workers. And their income is increasing day by day, but they only enjoy the insurance benefits provided by the court and commercial banks, and pay a small amount of taxes;
Therefore, I believe that these workers should also bear a certain amount of tax, that is, the personal income tax should be raised, for example, an overtime tax should be levied to curb the phenomenon of people rushing to do processing first. This is also for their health. Otherwise, these people will not be able to work for a long time. If the hard work continues, the physical quality of the citizens of the empire may decline, and it may also cause disharmony in the family! ”
Zhu Houzhao wanted to laugh. Workers in the Ming Dynasty now implement an eight-hour work system. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty requires factory owners to give workers higher wages if they need to work overtime outside the eight hours. In addition, workers in the Ming Dynasty receive labor benefits. The basic principle of remuneration is that the more you do, the more you get, because the Ming Dynasty's workers' compensation system originally originated from the imperial court and came from Zhu Hou based on the principle of payment based on quantity rather than daily payment.
Therefore, most workers now work overtime in order to earn more.
The factory owners are also happy with this. They naturally hope that the workers will work more overtime, but they are not willing to let the workers get too many benefits, so that some people ask for the imposition of overtime tax to curb workers from working overtime in order to make workers healthier.
However, Zhu Houzhao did not expect that in the court today, a civil official actually proposed to collect overtime tax.
"Protecting the interests of workers and farmers is the basic principle of the Zhongjun Society. What are you doing, levying overtime tax, you can't figure it out!"
Xia Yan couldn't help but reprimanded loudly, and then reported to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty, migrant workers are people in cities and towns who have no land or even houses. They cannot have a stable place in life, and they cannot have a tomb to return to their roots after death. It all depends on I have worked hard to have enough food and clothing, but now if I levy it The overtime tax will undoubtedly reduce their income and make it difficult to live and raise children. Not only will it also reduce their desire to consume, the Ming Dynasty's commerce will be greatly reduced. I am afraid that the national treasury income will not increase due to the overtime tax, but will also be affected by business. Decrease in tax revenue! ”
"Common people have enough food and clothing in their homes. When running a country, we should avoid extravagance and be frugal. Why ask for beautiful houses and mansions? It is a gift from heaven for the children of common people to be literate and study. Why should we invite famous teachers to go to famous schools in order to be virtuous? How can we be equal to the rich in everything? Be happy! I believe that if the overtime tax is levied, it will not affect the income of the people, but will promote thrift among the people!”
Xu Jin refuted Xia Yan at this time. He couldn't stand Xia Yan's theory of putting workers and farmers first, but he couldn't refute it directly. After all, this was already public opinion, and he could only use the so-called Advocate the virtue of frugality as the theoretical basis for expressing your own opinions.
Zhu Houzhao did not expect that the discussion on tariffs and smuggling would reach the point of whether overtime tax should be levied. He couldn't help but said:
"Okay! I already know the remarks of all your beloved ministers. This is an internal matter, and naturally it is decided by the cabinet. Xia Aiqing, your cabinet will sort out and synthesize the remarks of all beloved ministers in the court today, and then compile it into a final decision, which is inherited from I." After saying this, Zhu Houzhao ordered to retreat.
Is it over?
Min Xian, Zhang Wei and others couldn't help but murmured in surprise, thinking that they were about to argue a few more words and explain a few reasons why the court should emphasize business, but why didn't His Majesty want to hear it?
But now, in addition to understanding the opinions of the ministers below, Zhu Houzhao really has no intention of making decisions personally. Instead, he still lets the cabinet act as his agent for internal affairs decision-making.
then.
Min Xian, Zhang Wei and others had no choice but to look at Xu Jin: "Mr. Xu Ge, please uphold justice for the businessmen of the world!"
Xu Jin nodded. He knew it without them having to tell him.
Xia Yan and Yan Song had already gone to the cabinet to check in. On the way, Xia Yan couldn't help but said to Yan Song: "Mr. Yan, you should understand that you started by benefiting farmers all over the world, and in the Ming Dynasty, many times, these farmers and Yan Song Craftsmen do not differentiate. Those who live in the countryside are farmers, and those who live in the city are craftsmen. Therefore, the cabinet’s decisions on rectifying maritime trade, cracking down on smuggling, and promoting tariff increases are left to you to decide. I believe you will take into account the considerations of the world’s farmers.”
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"Xiaoguan understands, please rest assured Yuanfu, I will show it to you after I have someone prepare it," Yan Song said.
When the secretary of the cabinet saw Xia Yan and Yan Song approaching, he bowed respectfully, but Xia Yan ignored Ni Yuanlin because he knew that Ni Yuanlin had always followed Xu Jin's orders, but Yan Song smiled.
Ni Yuanlin already knew what happened in the front hall, so he hurriedly came over and asked Xia Yan: "I would like to report to Yuan Fu, how should the lower officials plan for today's court meeting?"
Xia Yan still ignored him.
Ni Yuanlin was troubled by Xu Jin's absence, so he had no choice but to look at Yan Song.
Yan Song waited for a while before saying, "Just rest and let Su Qing come."
So Gao Gong, secretary of the cabinet, came over hurriedly: "Please give me your instructions."
Xu Jin also came over at this time. Seeing that Ni Yuanlin seemed to have nothing to do, he also knew that Ni Yuanlin must have been left out, and he felt the same in his heart. He could guess that even though he was the second minister in the cabinet, he was among the three ministers in the cabinet. , after Xia Yan formed an alliance with Yan Song, his position as the second minister in the cabinet was in name only, and he could not fight for the interests of the businessmen.
Ni Yuanlin was also full of dissatisfaction. As the secretary of the cabinet, he should have been very powerful. After all, he worked in the center of the empire. But now he not only has no chance of promotion because of his father's dismissal, but also because of the relationship between himself and Xu. Jin got close and was rejected by the first and third assistants.
Seeing that Xu Jin was being left aside as the second assistant, he couldn't help but complain, and saluted Xu Jin:
"Second Assistant, I really don't understand why you are not discussing the decision since you are a cabinet minister, let alone you are the Second Assistant, and Gao Gongcai was asked to draft the decision-making document just a few days after he joined the cabinet as Secretary. ! This official position is really frustrating!”
Xu Jin ignored Ni Yuanlin and went directly to his check-in room. He knew that Ni Yuanlin was dissatisfied with Xia Yan, but in fact he was not only dissatisfied with Xia Yan, but also with the emperor.
He knew that Xia Yan's ability to remain so proud had something to do with the emperor's support for him.
Of course, Xu Jin did not dare to have the idea or motive of regicide, but he knew that the real reason why the emperor could always play with his civil servants was not because of lackeys like Xia Yan, but because the emperor had been using the institution of Xichang , monitoring these civil servants.
"Your Majesty must let the West Factory be abolished! Even if the West Factory cannot be abolished, the people of the West Factory must not be so presumptuous!"
Xu Jin thought so.
Therefore, he no longer insisted on reducing commercial taxes, but wrote an article about the pros and cons of Xichang. He also did not bluntly say that Xichang should not exist, but analyzed the pros and cons. He believed that the civil servants would understand him. meaning, and increase the publicity of the shortcomings of the West Factory.
Xu Jin did not take issue with Xia Yan, but with Xichang, which was undoubtedly a good way to fight back.
Because, whether it is the East Factory or today's West Factory, people from all walks of life, whether civil servants or military generals, are quite dissatisfied with it. Some reasons are discrimination against the eunuchs who are in charge of the West Factory, and some are not. Reasons why you want to be monitored at all times.
Therefore, many people among the people began to speak out against Xichang, began to expose various shortcomings of Xichang, and even directly denounced Gao Zhong's crimes in Xichang, and directly demanded that His Majesty the Emperor should ban Xichang.
Zhu Houzhao will naturally not obey the wishes of these people. Xichang is now one of his means to monitor the people. Without Xichang, he would undoubtedly have lost his eyes in the deep palace. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao will naturally not obey the wishes of the people. Please ban the West Factory.
Xu Jin also knew that the emperor would not ban Xichang, but he would still secretly instigate people to continue to criticize Xichang. He had only one purpose, to make the people in charge of Xichang feel scared.
Gao Zhong, the admiral of the West Factory, is indeed very annoyed. What is annoying is that there are more and more negative comments about him, as if he is a great thief of the country.
But in fact, he didn't arrest a few people, and the people he kept arresting were actually Dongchang and Jinyiwei.
Gao Zhong knew that there was someone behind the scenes, but he was also worried that over time, His Majesty would really believe these rumors, or he would have to deal with him due to public opinion.
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(End of chapter)