The amount of gold and silver plus 300,000 taels is the amount agreed upon by Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao, and it has been reported to the Empress Dowager Li for approval.

However, under Zhang Juzheng's efforts, it was decided to put forward the decision after the marriage of Emperor Wanli, because at that time, the use of the palace was reduced, and there may be the possibility of further compression.

The Empress Dowager Li strives to be frugal, and Feng Bao has other ways to make money, so Zhang Juzheng's suggestion is naturally completely agreed by the two of them.

But I didn't expect Emperor Wanli to mention it at the court meeting today, although the national plan was set by Zhang Juzheng, but on this occasion, the Son of Heaven said that it was the will, and the top and bottom must be taken seriously.

Zhang Juzheng frowned and glanced at Feng Bao again, but found that Feng Bao was also looking at the little emperor in surprise, his eyes met Zhang Cheng on the side, Zhang Cheng also smiled bitterly and shook his head.

It seems that this matter is completely the little emperor's own idea, Zhang Juzheng's shoulders moved, standing more upright, the emperor is not the milky child, he has grown up, and he is becoming more and more decisive, maybe he should be treated with a more cautious attitude.

Hearing the emperor's words, Zhang Juzheng was quite calm, and Ma Ziqiang, the head of the household, took a few steps forward on his knees and said earnestly:

"Your Majesty, the world's wealth is a fixed number, the palace uses more gold and silver, and less outside the palace, and now the treasury is full, but it has collected the previous arrears, and there are still many places to spend money, and 300,000 yuan has been squeezed out by the household with gritted teeth, please think carefully!"

After finishing speaking, he kowtowed heavily, the atmosphere in the court changed a little, and Zhang Juzheng didn't care about any courtesy of monarchs and ministers, but just glanced back.

Zhang Juzheng's eyes were very attentive, and when he swept his eyes, everyone felt their hearts tremble, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing came out to bow down almost at the same time, and Chen Sang excitedly said:

"Your Majesty, it is easy to go from thrift to luxury, and it is difficult to go from luxury to thrift, and now the country is prosperous, and there are places where money is used everywhere, and you must not set a bad example and loot the people's wealth for a family!"

"Add gold and silver, the taxes of the common people in Jiangnan and Jiangbei are heavy, and the world will be restless, or there may be external troubles and internal thieves taking advantage of the situation, please think carefully!!"

After these two people finished speaking, Ma Ziqiang, Li Youzi, the various ministers of the cabinet, Du Yushi and others all knelt down, and said a few impassioned words when they were given, and if they felt that they would lose too much, they knelt down and kowtowed.

Emperor Wanli always had a smile on his face, and the smile on his face only stiffened slightly when everyone knelt down, but he was still smiling.

Such a smile fell into the eyes of the ministers, and it was even more unfathomable, Zhang Juzheng lifted the hem of the court clothes, and knelt in front of the emperor, and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, the world is Your Majesty's world, the subjects of the world are Your Majesty's children, Your Majesty's food and clothing are all provided by the subjects of the world, and those who are elders use more points, and those who are children use less points, for the sake of the world, please cherish your people, don't use extravagance."

"The widow hasn't said how much silver to add, why are you Aiqing so earnest, you all get up, the monarch and the ministers are discussing, and there is no way to say so many words when you kneel."

The ministers did not get up, and Emperor Wanli did not insist, and said with a smile:

"Ma Aiqing, the widow asked you, where did all the gold and silver come from?"

"Back to Your Majesty, the gold and silver are all tax credits from the provinces south of the Yangtze River."

"What kind of taxes are these?"

"It's mostly Tian Fu."

As soon as they asked and answered, the ministers gradually straightened up and made eye contact, this question is said to be a matter of common sense, and when Emperor Wanli took it out, everyone felt more and more weird.

"Tian Fu? That is to say, the widow has to add the amount of gold and silver, and the apportionment must be apportioned to the people below, right? ”

"Even if the Holy Tomorrow is no more than the emperor, Your Majesty will use more points, and the people and farmers will use less points, and please be sympathetic to the people's livelihood and not increase gold and silver."

"The widow was still young when he was in the Yuwang Mansion, but I also remember that the guests who came to the mansion often said that the Jiangnan was rich and wealthy, and the accumulation of assets was not in the fields, but in the industrial and commercial trade, since the taxes of the peasant households could not be collected, why not collect the commercial tax?"

As soon as he heard Emperor Wanli mention commercial taxes, everyone in the house changed color in unison, and Zhang Juzheng said in a protest voice:

"Your Majesty, the right way for the country's wealth lies in the land, the land is the pillar of the country, and the commercial tax is a small road, if it is used greatly, it will definitely ruin the country's society, Your Majesty must not have this plan, please think twice, please be cautious!!"

"Please think twice, please be cautious!!"

The ministers said in unison, and then kowtowed together, and an almost neat muffled sound could be heard in the room, Emperor Wanli raised the corners of his eyebrows, the smile on his face faded, and he asked again:

"Mr. Zhang, in addition to the salt tax, can the commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty be less?"

"Back to Your Majesty, the world's commercial tax last year totaled 270,000 yuan, mainly from the canal tax income, but the ancestral system of this tax must be used to repair river work, tidy up the boats, and not be misappropriated."

This question was answered by Hubu Shangshu Ma Ziqiang first, after all, there is a specialization in the art industry, and the courtiers are one hundred and twenty points of spirit, and they dare not let the emperor find out the language problem.

Emperor Wanli nodded with a smile and said:

"The widow wants to set the annual gold and silver quota at 2.2 million taels, plus 1.2 million taels, what do you ministers think!?"

No one thought that the conversation would turn and directly talk about the amount, which is too shocking, 1.2 million taels, how many taels of silver is only a year in the wealth of the Ming Dynasty.

Shoufu Zhang Juzheng frowned, his face was full of solemnity, and he kowtowed again and said:

"Your Majesty, this number is too unbelievable, if it is really promulgated in the world, then the hundred officials do not know why, then the people are terrified, the peace season will inevitably be turbulent, and the society is also in danger of overturning, Your Majesty, this situation, the ancestors and ancestors can be willing to see, the spirit of the first emperor in the sky can be willing to see, and the queen mother can be willing to see !?"

At first, it was still a bitter persuasion, but then the tone became more and more severe, the smile on Emperor Wanli's face gradually disappeared, and the eunuch Feng Bao, the eunuch of the master of ceremonies, looked left and right, gritted his teeth and stepped forward to the ear of Emperor Wanli and said:

"Long live the lord, the slaves and maids are provincial, and the use in the palace can be squeezed out more, and if you continue to fight like this, the queen mother has to lose her temper, long live the lord forgot to kneel in the temple?"

Emperor Wanli knelt in the temple, and the Empress Dowager Cisheng wore formal clothes to sacrifice to her ancestors and abolish the establishment, which was what Emperor Wanli was most afraid of.

According to Feng Bao's estimate, when he said this, the little emperor accepted it when he saw it, but this time it was different, but Emperor Wanli gave him a smile and said in a low voice:

"Feng Banban doesn't have to worry, I know how to be measured."

Feng Bao was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt that the person in front of him was no longer the child he had seen since he was a child, the familiar round face was full of confidence and calmness, and there was a faint momentum emanating from it, this little ancestor was really already the emperor.

I don't know if it's sentimentality or what emotion, but Feng Bao subconsciously took a step back and said in a low voice:

"The old slave Meng Lang, please forgive me."

Wanli nodded with a smile, turned to Zhang Juzheng, whose expression was still serious, and said:

"That's what Mr. Zhang said, how about the widow give a step and add a million taels."

Zhang Juzheng's expression was solemn and already a little angry, he was a little puzzled, why did the little emperor, who was in control of everything, suddenly mention this inexplicable issue, could it be that someone in the court was provoking, but if it was really so, it was impossible for Feng Bao's Dongchang and the Jinyiwei under his control not to know the news at all.

"Your Majesty, one million taels is too much, please think carefully!!"

Zhang Juzheng didn't kowtow, but said loudly there, his voice was already a little high, and the curtain on the outside door of Wenyuan Pavilion was lifted a corner, and several guards looked at it and put down the curtain again.

"If I add this million taels, if I don't add land taxes and business taxes, then what?"

The ministers who were kowtowing to the ground raised their heads together and looked at the little emperor in amazement, how could the Son of Heaven say such crazy words after drinking, even Zhang Juzheng was stunned, Ma Ziqiang reacted quickly, and hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, the salt tax is also fundamental, and you must not dry up and fish ......"

"Ma Aiqing is thoughtful, and I don't have any ideas about salt taxes."

"If the tax is raised, it will still suffer the ...... of the people"

"I'm not going to raise taxes."

The Wenyuan Pavilion was completely silent, and both the ministers and eunuchs stared at the Wanli Emperor sitting on the dragon chair, and the fifteen-year-old god of the Son of Heaven continued:

"No tax increases, no donations, no crowding out of the treasury funds, since the amount of one million is set, I will raise it myself, but my business is the world's business, and my behavior is the rules and regulations, saying this is just a pre-notice to the ministers, everyone get up!"

After the meeting was quiet, the ministers got up one after another, and Ma Ziqiang, a member of the cabinet and a scholar of the household department, was old, and asked dizzily at this time:

"Your Majesty, if taxes are not increased, no new donations are made, and no public funds are squeezed out of the treasury, where will the palace raise the extra one million taels of gold and silver?"

Zhang Juzheng suddenly said:

"Huangzhuang Huangdian is a disturbance to the people, and the Queen Mother will never allow this."

"I'm not going to make a fuss about that."

At this time, even Zhang Juzheng was confused, and just as he was about to continue asking, he heard Zhang Siwei cough lightly behind him, and Shen Shixing said in a very low voice:

"Ge Lao, this is the Son of Heaven!"

Zhang Juzheng took a deep breath at this time, feeling that he was persecuted too much, but it was better to say that it was better to die, so as not to give birth to right and wrong in the future, and said at the moment:

"Since Your Majesty said so, the ministers should obey it, but they will not raise taxes, do not donate, do not crowd out the public funds of the treasury, and do not open Huangzhuang Huangdian, these cabinets must be written into the bill, I wonder if the celebrant can approve the red?"

"What I said, I will naturally be accurate, how can the celebrant not approve it."

Having said that, no matter how unbelievable it is, it must be over, Zhang Juzheng sighed and bowed down with the ministers.

"Your Ministers obey!"

(To be continued)