Since Cai Jing has already spoken, even if Zhu Mian and the others are unwilling in their hearts, they dare not continue to entangle this matter.

"You are very positive about this little thing, why haven't you been so concerned about military affairs?"

Zhao Ji yawned, teased the hundreds of officials in the hall, and said lazily: "Is there anything else to do?" If not, disperse quickly, and I will go back to make up for it. ”

The hundreds of officials below looked at each other, and some of them had some things to start, but they were all cumbersome government affairs, and they knew that the emperor was the most lazy today, unless it was a very important event, such as a matter related to national policy, otherwise it would be useless even if it was reported.

The emperor will only leave the next sentence and hand it over to Cai Xiang to deal with, and it is better to find Cai Jing directly after retiring from the dynasty.

There was nothing to do at the moment, and the hundred officials were about to sing a promise to retire, but at this time, a person walked out and called the emperor who wanted to leave his seat unhurriedly.

"Your Majesty, the minister has a matter."

"Oh?"

Emperor Zhao Ji was originally sleepy and about to leave, but after seeing that the people in the hall made a statement, instead of being impatient, he sat back on the dragon chair with an interested face, and asked the people in the hall with a pleasant face.

"Zhu Qing is rare to notice, you might as well talk about it!"

The person listed in the hall is none other than Zhu Mian, he looks harmless to humans and animals, and he looks like a well-educated and well-cultivated noble son.

It's just that Wu Zhi, who has been paying attention to Zhu Mian below, knows that before Zhu Mian changed into this beloved expression, he has always sneered at Wu Zhi's side with great viciousness.

Thinking about it, Zhu Mian should still have a backhand to deal with Wu Zhi.

However, seeing Zhao Ji's expression of favor to Zhu Mian, Wu Zhi felt a little sense of crisis in his heart, it seems that Zhu Mian and Zhao Ji's private friendship is no less than his own, and even higher than himself!

…………

"His Majesty trusted, responsible for the flower stone gang to travel all over the country, found that the folk exquisite and ancient flowers and stones are mostly hidden in the homes of wealthy merchants, and the homes of merchants are several times richer than ordinary people, this phenomenon is most common in Jiangnan, Shandong and other places."

Zhu Mian paused, and the emperor and the hundred officials listened quietly, no one knew what kind of medicine was sold in his gourd.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom, now that the private business is prosperous, there are many wealthy families who rely on business, and most of the people have abandoned their fields and gone to business......... Agriculture was the foundation of the country, so the minister suggested that taxes on commerce should be increased in order to enrich the treasury. As he spoke, Zhu Mian took out a book and presented it: "This is the minister's book." ”

After Zhu Mian finished speaking, Wu Zhi was the first to change his face, and now although there are many wealthy businessmen who operate many industries in various places in the Great Song Dynasty, since the establishment and development of Wu Zhi's Great Song Bank, the biggest and richest businessman in the Great Song Dynasty is undoubtedly Wu Zhi.

Of course, if you add the Shandong Chamber of Commerce under Wu Zhi, it is enough to occupy half of the business of the Great Song Dynasty.

Once the commercial tax is increased, every time it is increased, Guangwuzhi's family will have to pay nearly 10 million yuan more taxes to the imperial court every year, and if it is combined with the entire Shandong Chamber of Commerce, the extra tax paid is simply an astronomical amount.

And since the imperial court wants to increase taxes, or Zhu Mian proposed it, then the increase in tax rate must be more than one point so little, thinking of this, Wu Zhi was faintly worried, in case Zhu Mian's heart Hei proposed an unusually high commercial tax rate, then in an instant, the commercial prosperity that Wu Zhi had worked so hard to promote would be completely wiped out!

Looking at Zhu Mian's long prepared play, it means that he has been preparing this hand for a long time, Wu Zhi secretly gritted his teeth, this hand is indeed clever, once the play is passed, Zhu Mian will cross out a large amount of money between Wu Zhi and all the businessmen in his sphere of influence without discrimination, which greatly weakens Wu Zhi's power.

…………

This kind of major matter related to the country's tax revenue has no part for Wu Zhi to speak, he can only wait and see what happens, ignoring the gloating expressions of the officials around him.

- Everyone knows that Wu Zhi is a big businessman who is rich and rivals the country.

Liang Shicheng walked down and took Zhu Mian's recital and presented it to Zhao Ji, Zhao Ji didn't read it after he got it, but asked directly.

"How much business tax does Zhu Qing think should be added?"

Zhao Ji is an elegant person, and he has never cared about money at all, and he even has no concept.

"I think it's ........."

Zhu Mian looked left and right at the hundred officials, smiled imperceptibly at Wuzhi's side, and continued: "The minister thinks that today's commercial tax of thirty levies and one is too low, and it should be raised to ten levies and one levy. ”

As soon as this statement came out, the Manchu Dynasty was in an uproar, and every rise and fall in the tax rate was a major event related to the fortune of the country, taking the agricultural tax as an example, since the first emperor unified the six countries a thousand years ago, the agricultural tax rate has basically not changed much, but where the prosperous times must reduce taxes, but where taxes are raised, the people will be excited, which is like a mirror in the hearts of all scholars.

Although commercial taxation is not as important as agricultural taxation in people's traditional concepts, commercial taxation has surpassed agricultural taxation in the Song Dynasty and has become the main source of income for the Song Dynasty treasury, which has also become very important.

Therefore, the officials are still very cautious about the change of the commercial tax rate, and now they are surprised to hear that Zhu Mian is going to increase the tax rate by three times as soon as he opens his mouth.

Only Zhao Ji on the dragon chair and Wu Zhi under the hall were still unfazed. Zhao Ji didn't care about this kind of thing, while Wu Zhi secretly sneered, he was so black-hearted as Zhu Mian, it turned out that he was not Erer.

"What do you think?" Zhao Ji asked lazily.

Zhao Ji's mediocrity is only in the appointment of traitors and personal pleasures, and he still knows how to deal with state affairs.

"I think it's absolutely impossible!"

Murong Yanda, as the head of the household, naturally had to stand up and speak as soon as possible.

"Now that the commerce of our Great Song Dynasty is booming, it is still in the seedling stage, and it should be protected by laissez-faire, and heavy taxation is tantamount to killing chickens and taking eggs, which can only ruin the prosperity of commerce!" After a pause, Murong Yanda continued: "What's more, although the tax rate is dead, it follows commerce, the more prosperous the business, the higher the tax will rise, and the more full the treasury will be, there is no need to raise taxes!" ”

"Uncle Guo's words are wrong, my Great Song Dynasty national tax has been higher than agricultural tax since decades ago, and commerce has been prosperous for decades, how can it still be a seedling?" Zhu Mian obviously came prepared, and retorted: "Although my Great Song Dynasty treasury is not false, it is still not full, the annual income and expenditure are basically flat, the surplus is not much, and more commercial taxes are levied, so as to ensure that my Great Song Dynasty has reached the wonder of the copper coins piled up in the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. ”

Hearing this, Wu Zhi couldn't help but look at Zhu Mian with disdain, any high school student in later generations knows that the healthiest state of development of the country's finances is the basic balance of revenue and expenditure, and even a little deficit, which is the best.

Because the country's money is not like the people's money, the more you save, the more comfortable your life is, the fundamental state tax is taken from the people and the people, only by balancing the income and expenditure, the people can get more benefits, and the country will be more prosperous.

Although many of the tax revenues in the state treasury of the Song Dynasty were rewarded to the bureaucratic class, they still fundamentally followed the principle of taking from the people and giving to the people, such as overhauling official roads throughout the country, replenishing armaments, and establishing various welfare institutions...... There are also sewer dredging in Kaifeng City, sanitation workers, and urban management, all of which have to be paid from the state treasury for the expenditure of serving the people.

Although this position has been abolished at this time, the financial and administrative experience accumulated over a hundred years is not much better than that of modern countries in later generations, and the financial officials naturally understand the principle of balancing revenue and expenditure, so the Song court has always spent money lavishly, and each department even has an index of spending money.

…… It is the same reason that later generations of government departments will spend money suddenly at the end of the year.

Wu Zhi knew that Zhu Mian had been in the officialdom for so long, so he naturally knew this truth, and the reason why he said this was that his idea was to flatter Zhao Ji, who claimed to be a generation of Ming Jun, and naturally yearned for the great achievements of Tang Taizong.

"There is some truth to this......"

Sure enough, Zhao Ji nodded leisurely on the dragon chair.

"Your Majesty! The minister also thinks that the tax should not be raised! ”

This time it was Tang Geng who jumped out, and he advised: "Taxation is the foundation of the country, how can you act rashly?" ”

"It is true that taxes should not be raised, taxes are a national budget, and the whole body should be cautious!"

…………

At this time, many officials came forward to express their positions.

"Why can't taxes be raised? My Da Song business tax is not high, those merchants are all rich and flowing, it's time for them to bleed! ”

"It's just ......"

…………

The officials of Zhu Mian's faction immediately jumped out and retorted.

"Humph! People and businessmen should bleed when they are rich, and the vast majority of you are not richer than merchants, so why don't you see bleeding? Murong Yanda glanced at those officials and said coldly.

Those officials were suddenly silent, they had high salaries, and they also looted the people's fat and ointment, and they were often rewarded, so they were all rich.

"What are you talking about, uncle? Can we, when we receive the Emperor's favor, be the same as those merchants? Zhu Mian Yin Yang strange aura.

"People and businessmen make money by their ability, how can they not be as good as you?"

Murong Yanda heard what Zhu Mian meant, so he spoke politely.

…………

"Okay, okay, the two Aiqing will take a break for a while."

Zhao Ji pinched his eyebrows, this national event is the most troublesome, this is just the beginning of the controversy, and it will take a long time to discuss it before there is a conclusion, and when he thinks of the various arguments behind him, Zhao Ji has a big head for a while.

"That's right, Wu Zhi!"

Zhao Ji's eyes suddenly lit up, he looked down in the direction of Wu Zhi and called: "Wu Aiqing, you started in business, what do you think about this matter?" ”

Wu Zhi, who had always been determined to close his eyes and recuperate, was also stunned when he heard Zhao Ji's call, he didn't expect this kind of major national policy, Zhao Ji would actually think of asking his opinion.