After the Murder of the King.The situation in the capital has slowly settled down.After Wang Dehua, the governor and eunuch of Dongchang, committed suicide, all the people of Dongchang were put in prison to be convicted.Chongzhen knew that most of them were wronged, and even the Dongchang fans who followed Wang Dehua's murder of the monarch that day were all impersonated by dead soldiers.For the innocent.Chongzhen has never liked to engage in implication and killing, and soon after preliminary interrogation, most of them were released.At this time, it is almost the end of the New Year.Fang Zhenghua, Li Fengxiang, Gao Shiming, Zhang Guoyuan, Cui Chengxiu and others who were sent to the northwest by Chongzhen are also about to return to the capital.Chongzhen had a good impression of Fang Zhenghua, and he was ready to wait for Fang Zhenghua to come back, and then grant him the position of Governor and Eunuch of Dongchang.The East Factory is now undergoing a major reorganization, and the post of Admiral is temporarily vacant.Many well-intentioned eunuchs are in the relationship, wanting to win the fat difference of the governor and eunuch of Dongchang.And Wang Chengen has the closest relationship with Chongzhen, and he is the most trusted by Chongzhen, and he has the most people who follow his relationship.Every day, people come with large quantities of jewelry and goods to pay bribes.Even the beauties were sent, and Wang Chengen was quite speechless and had to tell Chongzhen.Chongzhen smiled faintly, telling Wang Chengen not to have any other worries, the goods, jewelry, and silver were all accepted as ordered, and the beauty returned.However, in a few days, Wang Chengen received hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, as well as countless other jewelry, goldware, jade, famous porcelain, spices, antiques, etc.Wang Chengen handed over all these things to Chongzhen.Jewelry, spices and other precious things are piled up in the room, which is simply shining with treasure and fragrant.Chongzhen picked up a large silver ingot at random, but saw that this silver ingot was in excellent condition, and it was ten percent of pure silver.There are very few silver of this caliber in circulation, and this silver ingot must have been minted and collected by a private person.Chongzhen said to Wang Chengen with a smile."
A few days ago, I sent so many eunuchs to collect taxes, and they only collected a few million taels of silver, and you, Wang Chengen, got hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in ten days, not counting all kinds of jewelry."
Wang Chengen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "The emperor forgives you." ”Chongzhen sighed, "No wonder the ancient faint monarchs liked to sell official beards, it turns out that this business is really profitable!"
I want to sell my official position at a clear price now. ”Wang Chengen couldn't cry or laugh."
Your Majesty, you are joking, everyone in the world is profit-seeking, they have spent money to buy official positions, and they will naturally desperately scrape and get their money back, and then the country will lose more and the people will suffer even more."
Chongzhen raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Yes, it's rare that you, a eunuch, can understand this kind of truth, much better than those ministers who are elegant every day." ”Wang Chengen was silent for a while."
Emperor Qi, the old slave was born poor, and he depended on his mother since he was a child, and later his mother was ravaged to death by bullies, and the old slave was helpless and had to beg everywhere for a living.""
That year, there was a big flood in my hometown, countless people were displaced, fleeing everywhere, and the old slaves stumbled and begged to the capital."
Later, the old slave was lucky to enter the palace, and later became a great eunuch, but the old slave never forgot the hard days of the past, and the old slave thought, if the officials of the Ming Dynasty can enforce the law impartially and not be greedy or inky, then the life of the common people will be much better."
Chongzhen looked at Wang Chengen appreciatively."
It's rare that Wang Daban can not forget his original intention, he is so prosperous, and he only embezzled 100,000 taels of silver, which is good.A hundred times stronger than those eunuchs who will only desperately make money when they become great eunuchs. ”Yes?
Wang Chengen was stunned!
He knelt down with a thud, trembling and unable to say anything, in a cold sweat.Chongzhen stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, and said kindly."
You don't have to be so afraid, now the ministers, generals and eunuchs who are not greedy are the 100,000 taels of silver in your family, compared to the hundreds of millions of silver stored by the officials and rich people in the capital, it is only a drop in the bucket, and it is not worth mentioning compared to the silver hidden in the people of the world."
Chongzhen knows.Historically, after Li Zicheng broke through the capital, he used torture to force out about 70 million taels of silver from the capital's dignitaries and wealthy merchants.The silver was re-melted and cast into huge square plates, and then transported to the Western Capital in carts, and there was an endless stream of silver along the way.Chongzhen estimated.Li Zicheng collected 70 million taels of silver, plus the layers of deductions from the generals under him, and the silver that the soldiers secretly hid when they looted.The entire capital can't run away with 100 million taels of silver.Chongzhen helped Wang Chengen up.He continued, "Besides, I know that the money you are greedy for is not used for personal enjoyment, but often for the poor, and I do not hate the greedy for money. ”After a pause, Chongzhen said coldly, "People die for money, birds die for food, it's just human nature."
However, while those officials are greedy for themselves, they also open the door to lawbreakers and cause a large loss of national wealth, which is the most hateful. ”After Chongzhen finished speaking.He picked up another piece of wood.But I saw that this thing was slightly heavy in my hand, the color was slightly black, and there were grease lines on it, so I went up and smelled it, and it was fragrant.This thing is agarwood!
Chongzhen pointed to the agarwood and said to Wang Chengen, "I don't produce this incense in the Ming Dynasty, this incense comes from the South Seas, and every year those illegal maritime merchants can earn millions of taels of snowflake silver just by smuggling this incense." ”"In addition to this incense, there are frankincense, yellow ripe incense, benzoin, suhe incense, wood incense, ambergris, etc., which are not smuggled back by maritime merchants, and they can earn countless silver from spices alone."
Wang Chengen looked directly at the agarwood in front of him, and seemed to be a little disbelieving, "In addition to spices, maritime merchants sell my Ming Dynasty's raw silk, silk, tea, porcelain, etc. overseas, and earn hundreds of billions of taels of silver." ”Wang Chengen said in disbelief, "Can you make so much?
But the commercial tax that I have received in Yuegang over the years is only tens of thousands of taels of silver?
Where has the silver gone" Chongzhen slowly walked to the wooden window, his eyes deep.Wang Chengen seems to have developed a delusion.He seemed to feel as if the emperor's gaze could see through the endless void and look into the unreachable future.Chongzhen's voice came slowly."
Since the opening of Longqing, the amount of silver that has flowed into my Ming Dynasty from overseas is conservatively estimated to be 500 million taels, and the tax paid by the maritime merchants is only 29,000 taels of silver.""
How many of these officials and maritime merchants have profited, and they would rather bury endless amounts of silver in the ground and fall in dust than pay an extra silver tax, these people are simply guilty of ten thousand deaths."