Soon, Bi Ziyan was promoted to the head of the household department and the manager of the Daming Grain Industry Bureau.The so-called Household Department set up a left waiter, which refers to the meaning of the household department adding a left waiter.This is a relatively common phenomenon in Daming.For example, many governors are in charge of local military affairs in the capacity of the left and right servants of the military department.Therefore, Bi Ziyan came to the household department to participate in the ministerial meeting.Fang Congzhe also came to the household department.Although his official position is that of the head of the cabinet, Zhu Youxiao has now given him the task of supervising the household department so that he can preside over the internal affairs reform.After all, the Ming Dynasty could not directly appoint a prime minister to implement decisions for the emperor.Zhu Youxiao can only let Fang Congzhe have the fact that although he does not have the name of prime minister, he has the reality of prime minister.Let him supervise the affairs of the household department, so that Fang Congzhe can have greater executive power in the internal affairs reform of the Ming Dynasty.There is also a historical precedent for the Cabinet to be in charge of six ministries.If the high arch has supervised the ministry.But Zhu Youxiao did not let Fang Congzhe also be in charge of the ministry.In terms of personnel, Zhu Youxiao still wants to hold it in his own hands, and Fang Congzhe can recommend officials at most as an auxiliary minister.In addition, Zhu Youxiao did not let Fang Congzhe also manage the military department.Because it is impossible for Fang Congzhe to get involved in military affairs while being able to get his hands on financial power.But even so, Fang Congzhe is now only inferior to Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong.Therefore, after Bi Ziyan entered the household department, he had to give Fang Congzhe a salute first: "I've seen Yuanfu!"
”Then, Bi Ziyan gave a salute to Wang Yingjiao, the secretary of the household department and the governor of Xichang, who was really in charge of the affairs of the household department."
As soon as you get the holy decree of the Ministry of Households, you must already know that the Ministry of Households is now discussing this matter, and if there is anything you don't understand, ask Bi Butang, who put forward this proposal, and then calculate how much grain you can take out to the Food Industry Bureau, and strengthen the construction of projects that benefit the country and the people."
After saluting each other, Fang Congzhe opened his mouth first.At this time, Zheng Sanjun, the left attendant of the household department, spoke first.Because everyone is a civil official, and Fang Congzhe also allowed all important ministers to speak freely during the previous court and ministerial meetings, and basically did not report to the emperor who was dissatisfied with the new policy.Therefore, in this kind of court meeting or ministerial meeting where only a few important ministers participated, they still dared to speak to each other, and Zheng Sanjun naturally dared to express his inner thoughts at this time."
Now Tianjin, Tongzhou, and the capital of several warehouses, with a total grain storage of more than 30 million stones, can only be used for large-scale construction, I really don't understand, the imperial court is so strict to urge the people of Nanzhili, to urge so much grain, why is it necessary!"
Therefore, Zheng Sanjun said in an aggravated tone: "Because of this, many people at the bottom say that doing so is tantamount to expropriation!"
”"This not only caused the people of Nanzhili to boil, but now they can only waste this food on the construction project, and they have to think of a way to add to the project, otherwise they can only rot!"
Zheng Sanjun continued.Then, Zheng Sanjun expressed his opinion and said: "Therefore, I think that instead of using this surplus grain for construction, it is better to avoid half of the world's money and grain next year, so as to show the emperor's favor, and use the extra grain collected this year as next year's military food and the needs of the capital!"
And the household department should use this to refute the decree of the cabinet. ”Zheng Gong has also been a state and county official, when he knows the harm of officials and inferior gentry, if the imperial court directly dismisses the meager endowment, it will not benefit the majority of the people, but will only benefit the powerful and powerful, and if the imperial court levies it, it will often concentrate the burden of the levy on the ordinary people, and the large households will be exempted, so because the treasury is overflowing, and directly exempting half of the world's money and grain next year will not benefit all the people."
Wang Yingjiao, the head of the household, replied at this time.Although he and Zheng Sanjun were both civil officials, Zheng Sanjun was born in a bureaucratic family, and before he became famous in the examination, his father and grandparents were all common landlords, that is, yeoman farmers with some land, so he was more concerned about the interests of the common people.Zheng Sanjun retorted because of this: "Now that the imperial court has implemented the examination law, the rule of officials is serious, in addition, in addition to the three provinces of the two capitals and the thirteen provinces according to the judges, the patrol according to the imperial history, has added the Dongchang Anti-Corruption Division, it can be said that inside and outside the court, the rule of officials has been very good, why is Wang Gong still worried about the bad things of the officials?"
Collusion between officials and gentry?
Could it be that the local officials and eunuchs really regard the iron laws of the imperial court as nothing?
”After asking, the corners of Zheng Sanjun's mouth raised slightly."
What is Zheng Gong's words, now the court officials are already very good, but this kind of harm of the inferior gentry can not be eradicated because of this, in Wang's humble opinion, benefiting the people is not so simple as a simple sentence, it needs to be considered, not to mention, my Ming Zheng tax is not high, only the local tax is high, so the central court is exempt from half of the regular tax, only for the large households with more land and more grain, it has a benevolent effect, but for the common people who have less positive taxes, it is meaningless!"
Wang Yingjiao said with some excitement."
Isn't it my people who have more land?
If half of the money and grain are really exempted, whether they are poor or rich, as long as they are landed, they can get fifty percent of the tax exemption and favor, and there is no partiality, instead of using the taxes collected from these landed people to feed more landless and homeless people, most of these people are because they are lazy to eat, do not work hard, and even do not abide by the king's law and wander around, what is the benefit of feeding them in the imperial court, and there are more and more Diao people who will only rely on the court to feed them, and it will be easier to make trouble when the time comes, it is better to be like now, Except for some of them who could work as porters on both sides of the canal to transport grain or perform other miscellaneous duties without starving to death, other infirm, sick and disabled people starved to death directly, so that the Gyeonggi homeless people would always remain at a fixed number!
”Zheng Sanjun asked a question and then continued.Wang Yingjiao immediately stood up and glared at Zheng Sanjun fiercely.Fang Congzhe pulled him: "Everyone is a colleague, this is just a ministerial discussion, Wang Gong, why be so angry." ”Wang Yingjiao had no choice but to sit down.Zheng Sanjun also raised the corners of his mouth slightly and arched his hand towards Wang Yingjiao: "Offended." ”Fang Congzhe asked Bi Ziyan, who had been silent all this time: "Bi Butang, you proposed the construction project with the surplus of the treasury, and you can tell me, what is Zheng Gong's argument?"
”"When he was appointed as the political envoy of Shaanxi Youbu, the acres of land in Shaanxi were liquidated once, and the clans and gentry accounted for ninety percent of the fields in Shaanxi, and this time the Qingzhang fields of Nanzhili have been published by the "Huangming Daily", and it was also calculated that although there was no clan in Nanzhili, the nobles and gentry of Nanjing also accounted for more than ninety percent of the fields; It can be seen that if it is really as Zheng Gong said, if half of the world's taxes and grain are exempted, it will only benefit the gentry, not the common people!
However, the imperial court has already given preferential exemptions to the gentry, and the reason why more than 30 million stone grains were demanded at once was not that the people were seriously in arrears of taxes and grain, but that the gentry were seriously in arrears of taxes and grain; Because the lower officials also made their own calculations according to the "Huangming Bao" and "Di Bao" contained in the Nanzhili collection of the levies, among the more than 30 million levies collected, eighty percent of the gentry occupied, and two percent were also owed by large households related to the gentry, either for their in-laws or for their family friends; It can be seen from this that the court's collection of arrears over the years has nothing to do with the people at all!
I really don't know why Zheng Gong thinks that the imperial court is expropriating and expropriating, how can the people's resentment boil?
In fact, in the process of clearing the acres of land in Nanzhili, it was also found that many common people were burdened with heavy taxes due to the collusion between the officials and the local squires, so His Majesty ordered the West Factory to ask the West Factory to pay the levies and make up the payment at the same time, and let the West Factory return the taxes, and this undoubtedly reduced a lot of burdens on the people, so what Zheng Gong said, there is some partiality and cannot be relied on. ”Bi Ziyan replied, and handed the booklet he brought to Fang Congzhe: "This is the result of the accounting of the lower officials, and Yuan Fu and the princes can see it at a glance." ”Fang Congzhe was surprised: "Bi Gong is really intentional, it is not an easy task to calculate the situation of the entire Nanzhili's fields!"
”"Yes!
The old man was ashamed that the household department did not do this. ”Wang Yingjiao also said with a smile.Only, Zheng Sanjun glared at Bi Ziyan, he wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to refute it for a while, because Bi Ziyan actually calculated it in black and white, which seemed reasonable, and he also refuted what he had just said, and said in his heart: "Okay, you Bi Ziyan, are you very idle in Taifu Temple, what do you do if you have nothing to do!"
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