The prince's disobedience, unfilial piety, cruelty, and greed and despicable deeds were told by Chen Yongxi from Shanxi as early as when he entered Huguang. Not only the Dashun officials of Xiangjing Prefecture and the Zuo family subordinates of Wuchang Mansion are saying this, but also many people are saying this in Hankou Commercial Town, where Chen Yongxi hired a shipowner.

"Chen Jishan, if you took the grass people's merchant ship to the east last year, the grass people couldn't ask for it, how could they ask you for money? With the signboard of the subordinate officials of the vassal palace, this trip to the southern capital will be unimpeded. The grass people transported a boatload of white rice from Huguang, saying that it was sold for the palace, and the remaining banknote tariffs along the way were enough to cover the boat fare. But now the situation is different, even if it is an official ship, it must also have a tax exemption form issued by the General Taxation Department of the Ministry of Households, and the tax exemption form must also indicate the type of ship and the goods, people and animals carried...... So even if you get the tax exemption form from the tax department, you still can't follow the boatload of goods of the grass people! Moreover, this tax exemption form is also difficult to issue, and it must be issued only if it is a ship with actual official business and military affairs. ”

In a teahouse near the Hankou wharf, Chen Yongxi explained the latest tax policy of the Ming Dynasty to a rice merchant named Yao Daqiao, who had two river boats of 500 stones, which could carry 1,000 stone of white rice produced by Huguang to the east at a time - although Nanzhili and Zhejiang in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty are known as the land of fish and rice, but in recent decades, silk and cotton have flourished, so in Zhejiang and Nanzhili's Jiangnan provinces, many rice fields have been changed into mulberry fields and cotton fields with higher economic benefits.

One consequence of this is that the rice and noodles in the southeast fish and rice country are gradually unable to be self-sufficient, and they need to be purchased from Huguang, Jiangxi, Jianghuai and other places. After selling white rice, the merchant ships that transported rice would buy silk, cotton cloth, various daily necessities, salt and other items and sell them to Huguang, Jiangxi, Jianghuai and other places.

Therefore, there are a lot of goods transshipped through the Yangtze River every year, and the transaction volume is huge. However, because of the bad rules of "three no-levies", the golden waterway of the Yangtze River can hardly bring much tax revenue to the Ming court.

"How can it be so harsh?" Chen Yongxi couldn't believe his ears, "If you collect taxes like this, aren't you afraid of the officials forcing the people to change?" At that time, the people of the southeast were not much tossed! Now that this is the case today, the imperial court is not afraid of chaos in the southeast? ”

"Chaos? What's the mess? Yao Daqiao smiled bitterly, "Like those nobles in Nanjing for more than 200 years?" Send the dead to take out the family property and send the wife and daughter? ”

"Won't anyone stand up to fight the tax and smash the customs?"

Yao Daqiao shook his head, "Who dares?" There has to be a place to protect things like that...... Otherwise, you will have to be beaten to death on the spot! ”

In the Wanli period, there was certainly the possibility of officials forcing the people to rebel, but more often it was the collusion of officials and businessmen, and those who resisted taxes and made troubles were covered by local forces. For example, Ge Xian, who "led" the Suzhou tax resistance incident, surrendered after the incident, was sentenced to prison and spent 12 years in Suzhou government prison...... After making such a big mess, he didn't kill his head, and he was only sentenced to twelve years. With the protection of the gentry of the Suzhou government, it is conceivable what his prison life was like.

If the local powerful gentry were all united with the old emperor of Wanli, ten Ge Xian would also be killed on the spot!

"Now the local people don't dare to protect it?" Chen Yongxi asked in surprise.

"What are you protecting?" Yao Daqiao shook his head again and again, "At least Hukou Pass, Anqing Pass, Wuhu Pass, Longjiang Pass (Nanjing), Zhenjiang Pass, Jiang**, and Shanghai Customs, where the seven passes of the Yangtze River are located, will not be protected." Who dares to make trouble there, kill on the spot without discussion! ”

"Why?"

"Because the taxes from these seven Jiangguan are linked to the quota of Xiucai, Renren, and Jinshi in the seven counties!"

Yao Daqiao paused, and said, "And where the customs are smashed, where the place will be compensated, if not, the talent and people in the place will be suspended, and the officials will be dismissed one after another...... If you don't pay for one month, you will be exempted from one-third, and if you don't pay for three months, you will be dismissed from all your posts and will be taken over by the neighboring counties! Tell me, what are the local gentry officials making trouble? After the trouble, let the outsiders come to fish for oil and water? ”

Of course, this is also a bad move that Wei Zaode, who lacks virtue and smokes, "came up with". Now that many important state capitals and counties in the southeast have begun to implement new policies, there are a large number of shogunates, and these are all local snakes. As long as they help, there will be no trouble in the local area.

Yes! And so it goes! Chen Yongxi's eyes widened, and his mouth was wide, so he could almost stuff his fist into it.

Yao Daqiao's words were not finished, he sighed, and said: "And these seven Jiangguan are all equipped with guards with knives, all of them are from the Xiaoling Wei New Army, and they want to cut people...... Do you know where the new army of Xiaolingwei came from? ”

"What's the way?"

"Zongzi! They are all sons of the sect who have fallen in distress everywhere...... was accepted by the prince into the new army of Xiaoling Wei for training, and after suffering enough, they all became like wolves and tigers, and they were all holding back their evil spirits! They can get a tax commission! Whoever wants to stand in the way of their wealth will wait to be stabbed! They are all poor and crazy sects, what reason do you have with them? They all have a copy of the Ming Dynasty, shouldn't they collect some taxes? Who would dare to hit them? What is the crime of beating Zongzi to death? ”

This is a good place for his "brothers" arranged by Zhu Cihong! Go to the General Taxation Department directly under the Ministry of Household Affairs to act as a "thug" - their establishment is still in the Xiaolingwei New Army, but they are only released to serve outside, usually somewhere for three years, and then return to the Xiaolingwei New Army, waiting for the next release.

During the period of exile, they can not only get money from the new army of Xiaolingwei, but also get another generous fortune from the tax customs in various places - the tax officials who serve in the tax customs are also the same as the imperial history who served in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, under the left and right directors (the chief of the general tax department), they are all wrong for life once they enter the tax customs, and they can only serve in the tax customs and military tun guards in the future. However, their income is very secure, although they do not have a job, but they can get a commission from the income of the tax customs and the military cantonment......

"What? What the? Let Zongzi supervise taxes? Chen Yongxi was completely stunned, "How can this be?" Didn't the courtiers admonish? ”

"What's the matter?" Yao Daqiao snorted, "Isn't this all the suggestion of Wei Zaode, the leader of the Eastern Forest?" ”

"The leader of the Eastern Forest, Wei Zaode?" Chen Yongxi was stunned and stunned, "Why is Wei Shoufu Donglin?" ”

"The ...... elected by the Donglin Conference Now the Donglin Party is no longer asking for the people's lives, and is specifically collecting wealth for the prince and harming the people! ”

What the? Donglin has become a eunuch......

Chen Yongxi said in his heart: I am a dignified gentleman, but I can't be a eunuch!

The businessman named Yao Daqiao said with a smile at this time: "Chen Jishan, you are a big family...... I also brought a lot of things, and the grass people didn't charge you more, so they charged you fifteen taels of silver. When you arrived in Nanjing, you became an official of the crown prince, even if you were a seven-rank official, you would have five or six hundred taels a year, and fifteen taels of silver was nothing. ”

"A seventh-grade official has five or six hundred taels?" Chen Yongxi glanced at Yao Daqiao, "Do you think this official is a corrupt official?" ”

Yao Daqiao smiled: "Corruption and bribery can't be said, now the Imperial Court is very powerful!" The number of five or six hundred taels is the rent of the imperial court plus the rent of the field. ”

"So many?"

Yao Daqiao smiled: "Isn't it, today's Ming court taxes are ruthless, and the salaries for officials have also risen a lot, which is called high salary and honesty...... You are a northern official, if you don't have any industry in the south of the Yangtze River, this official is still very tasteful! ”

Not really! Chen Yongxi is right to think about it! I am a Shanxi person, whether I have an industry in the south of the Yangtze River, and the "Daming Ten Thousand Taxes" cannot be taxed on my head. It's a few hundred taels a year...... Isn't there enough food and drink for a large family?

This official ...... Gotta do it! It's better to be a tax collector! There are also people in the official's house, and they know best how profiteers evade taxes and smuggle! You'll be able to overcharge a little more tax then!

Thinking of this, Chen Yongxi nodded heavily and said, "Okay, fifteen taels is fifteen taels...... When does the trip depart? This officer wants an urgent military report from the north! ”

Yao Daqiao smiled: "Today, leave today!" ”