"The underdevelopment of commerce and trade and the unreasonable distribution are the crux of the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Yijun frowned, and said in a deep voice: "But I heard that the private trade is very developed now, needless to say in Jiangnan, since I answered the tribute, even the commerce and trade in Tumochuan in the north are quite good, and Xuanda has seen a lot of people in various places, and they all say that Xuanfu and Datong are about to become the north and the south of the Yangtze River." Also, isn't your Jinghua Trading Company also trading with Tumochuan to make money? ”

"The emperor thinks that this can be called 'developed'?" Gao Shishi sighed: "Your Majesty, since you mentioned the minister's Jinghua Trading Company, the minister's heart is open, and he is willing to talk about this issue with the emperor." ”

Zhu Yijun showed an interested look, looked around, and happened to have a few big stones in front of him, so he said, "Okay, let's go, let's go sit over there and talk." ”

Gao Pragmatic knew that Zhu Yijun lacked exercise, and although he was young, he couldn't walk much, so he smiled: "Okay." ”

The two of them stepped forward to the pile of big stones, Chen Ju and Cao Ke hurriedly cleaned the stones as much as possible for Zhu Yijun and Gao Shishi, and the two of them didn't care about their demeanor, one person sat with a big stone.

Zhu Yijun looked around with a little weakness, fortunately, it was already night at this time, and a large number of people and horses were near the Huangzhuang Courtyard, and there were only occasional patrolling guards passing by in this outer circle, but they sat here and did not move, and they looked like two scholars, and the sentry guards would not care.

Seeing that he wouldn't be embarrassed, Zhu Yijun relieved himself and said, "Okay, you talk about it, I also want to hear your way to make money." ”

Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "Almost ten years ago, the Jinghua Trading Company was still called the Jinghua Caravan, at that time, because they could get horses from the Mongols and sell them to the Xuanda Border Army, so they could export (the meaning of leaving the customs), and by the way, they would follow up to do some cloth and silk business, well...... There are also some horses and the like, which can earn about 50,000 taels of silver a year. ”

Jinghua Trading Company started from the Xiangma of Gao Pragmatic, Zhu Yijun knew this, Xuanda Border Army quietly allowed some caravans to go out of the customs and trade with the Mongols in order to get some war horses, Zhu Yijun also knew some, so he was not surprised by these, he was surprised by the amount of 50,000 taels of silver.

Zhu Yijun's eyes widened: "Before the tribute, they could earn 50,000 taels a year?" Do you know that when the port was opened, the tariff was only more than 20,000 taels a year in the first two years? ”

The word tariff has actually existed for a long time, but Gao Pragmatic likes to use it very much, and even Zhu Yijun is used to it now.

Gao pragmatic shook his head with a smile and said, "Does the emperor know what the gross profit of them in Xuanda last year was?" ”

Of course Zhu Yijun didn't know, so he shook his head directly.

"The gross profit is about 430,000 taels, and the net profit is a little more than 360,000 taels." Gao pragmatic and calm authentic.

Zhu Yijun's eyes almost popped out all at once, and his voice changed: "How much?" Net profit of 360,000 taels?! ”

Gao pragmatic nodded and emphasized: "It's just the two lines of Xuanfu and Datong." ”

Zhu Yijun Huo Ran stood up: "Shanxi Province can't pay 360,000 taels of taxes a year!" ”

That's for sure, the country's annual income is only 5.1 million taels, of which almost 1 million taels come from the four major ports, and then remove the gradual increase in commercial taxes in the country in recent years, and the increase in taxes per mu of Qingzhang fields, in fact, the basis is only 3 million taels.

And Zhu Yijun's "tax of Shanxi province" must have only said Tian Fu. How many fields are there in Shanxi? Speaking of which, there are 42 million acres, but Shanxi is mountainous, there are very few fields there, and there are many thieves in the fields, how many taxes can be paid? When converted, it can be regarded as a beauty of heaven and earth with more than 100,000 taels.

Therefore, the income of Jinghua Commercial Company on the two lines of Xuanfu and Datong alone is as much as twice that of Tianfu in Shanxi Province. Zhu Yijun, as the emperor, only "Huo Ran stood up" when he heard the news, but did not jump up directly, which is already very stable......

"Therefore, people like ministers are the ones who should pay taxes the most." Gao Pragmatic sighed: "The emperor might as well think about it, just the minister, the Jinghua trading company, will make so much money in Shanxi in a year, but the minister does not need to pay taxes, what is this money used for?" If you change to another family, you will probably have to buy land or repair a garden. Gao Pragmatic also stood up when he said this, after all, the emperor was standing, and he couldn't sit still.

Zhu Yijun's eyes wandered, he thought about it, and wondered: "However, you are a jinshi, you should not pay taxes, and the country should hide the wealth from the people......"

"If it is said that the wealth is hidden from the people, and the people do not pay taxes?" Gao pragmatic smiled: "Your Majesty, this is a rich man." ”

"This is also the ancestral ......" Zhu Yijun sighed, and then was a little surprised, as if he only met Gao Pragmatic today: "Pragmatic, what you just said me, I sound like I want to pay taxes?" ”

Gao Shishi laughed and said: "Your Majesty, if all the Jinshi in the world pay taxes, the minister is willing to be the first to pay, but if the other Jinshi do not pay taxes, the minister can't pay alone." ”

"Cut!" Zhu Yijun glanced at him: "I thought you were so poor that you wanted to help me." ”

Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "The minister actually doesn't care about the money he pays taxes, but the emperor, do you really think that the minister can solve the problem of lack of money in the court by paying a tax?" The minister thought that he couldn't, even if the minister paid it a tax of one million taels a year, it couldn't really solve the problem - forgive the minister for being rude, the problem now is that the emperor is asking for rice with a golden rice bowl. ”

This is indeed a bit rude, in other words, Zhu Yijun must be "angry", or even "angry", but Gao Pragmatic is not "someone else", he is Zhu Yijun's ten-year hair and classmate, and may even have some friends.

So Zhu Yijun just kept his face calm, suppressed his anger, and asked: "I know what you mean, what you mean is that the Ming Dynasty is actually not short of money, at least the scholars and some people related to the scholars are not short of money, and the real lack of money is only those Shengdou Xiaomin, and I, the emperor!" ”

"The emperor is wise." Gao Pragmatic guessed that the emperor would not be angry with him because of this, after all, Zhu Yijun had been a classmate with him for ten years, and many of his thoughts were influenced by Gao Pragmatic, and he knew that Gao Pragmatic's words were true, so Gao Pragmatic said: "But this is only half of it." ”

"Half?" Zhu Yijun's eyes rolled, his face darkened for three points, he snorted, and said, "Do you want to say that the other half is the hidden fields of Huangzhuang, Wangzhuang, the clan of the vassal kings, and even the relatives and nobles?" ”

Gao pragmatic smiled: "The emperor is wise. ”

"Don't just be 'the emperor's wisdom'!" Zhu Yijun's anger gradually came up, glaring at Gao Shishi and said, "Don't I know that there are many hidden fields in their hands? Didn't I know that these fields were staggering together, and that they were going to take away from the land that many people should have? But what do you want me to do? Preferential treatment of the clan, preferential treatment of honorable persons, preferential treatment of scholars, this is the ancestral law, for the long-term peace and stability of the world, can I still issue an edict to abolish it? ”