The Ming Dynasty had a commercial tax, but the tax rate was very low, the specific tax rate was thirty taxes and one, which was formulated during the Taizu period and has not changed since then.

However, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, after nearly a hundred years of predatory destruction in the Yuan Dynasty, coupled with the rebellion at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was really a waste to be revived, and the provinces had long been cut off from business travel, even if they collected business taxes, they could not collect much. In other words, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, it doesn't matter whether there are businessmen in this Ming Dynasty, and he naturally doesn't pay attention to business taxes. Zhu Yuanzhang once instructed the household department, saying: "The traitors and traitors gather, and the taxes and finesse are very shameful." From now on, the things of the military and civilians marrying and mourning, boats, cars, silk cloth, etc., are not taxed. ”

From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, they did not attach importance to commerce, and the commercial tax was very low, and then it has been so, and even after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, commerce and trade in various parts of the Ming Dynasty were extremely prosperous, and many people in the south of the Yangtze River had 100,000 family assets, and there were many people with millions of family assets. However, with such a flourishing business, the imperial court did not collect much commercial tax.

It's not that the emperor doesn't want to, but there is no way. Because most of these merchants have gentry backgrounds, most of the commerce is controlled by the gentry. And after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, it was the gentry who controlled the imperial court, how could they allow the emperor to levy commercial taxes?

And because the gentry had the right of preferential exemption, even if it could not be levied on their heads, they could only be scavenged from ordinary merchants, and even so, the civil officials were not allowed to reform the commercial tax system. Even Zhang Juzheng changed the law, and did not change to commercial tax, did not try to change the tax system of thirty taxes and one tax, and did not cancel the preferential exemption of the gentry, because Zhang Juzheng knew that it was impossible.

So much so that the later emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in order to make money, could only privately send eunuchs to serve as tax envoys and send them to various places to loot. No way, it's all forced!

Therefore, when Wen Tiren proposed to increase the commercial tax, the officials in the court were like cats being trampled on their tails, and they were afraid that Zhu Youzhen would send a large number of eunuchs to various places to serve as tax envoys like Wanli and Emperor Tianqi, in that case, they would really have no choice. After all, the eunuchs represent the imperial power, and the merchants everywhere are powerless to compete even if they have gentry backgrounds.

Therefore, when they heard that Zhu Youzhen said that the commercial tax would only be levied in Beijing, these officials immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and the voices of opposition immediately decreased a lot.

As an official in the imperial court, no matter how rich you are, you have to maintain a clean appearance, and most of the civil officials in the court will not buy much property in Beijing at all, and their main industries are in the local area. And most of the industries in Beijing, most of the shops, are run by nobles. Most of the nobles came to Beijing at the beginning of the capital move, and for more than 200 years, they have already controlled most of the business in the city.

Whether the interests of the nobles are damaged or not, the civil officials naturally do not care.

As for the nobles, they naturally also have the right of preferential exemption, and their fields and shops were not taxed in the past, but now that Zhu Youzhen has obviously hit them with the idea, he is naturally full of reluctance.

However, the nobles are not one, such as the British dukes, all of whom have children serving in the Praetorian Guard, and some have also become high positions such as the chief soldier, which means that the honors and nobles are in charge of the military to improve their status, and these people will naturally not fight against the emperor for some taxes and silver. And some nobles have fallen to the extreme, and they don't even have the qualifications to go to the court, let alone speak out. And the group of Xungui itself is dependent on the imperial power, which annoys the emperor, especially a young emperor, naturally there is no good fruit to eat, many people have to hesitate, plus Zhu Youzhen said that it is just an expedient measure, so he can only acquiesce. As for whether these nobles will do anything in private, no one knows.

All in all, the establishment of the Tax Department to levy additional commercial tax in Beijing can be regarded as passed. As for the tax department, which is hung under the East Factory, in the eyes of many people, it is no different from the mine tax envoy sent by the emperor in the past, and naturally there will be no officials to investigate whether the tax department should be handed over to the household department to manage such a boring thing.

The establishment of the Taxation Department to levy commercial taxes in Beijing was decided, and the court continued the discussion.

Tang Shiji, the waiter of the Criminal Department, walked out of the train: "Your Majesty, there was a case of disaster relief and corruption before, and Your Majesty handed it over to Jinyi Wei to be responsible for investigation and punishment, but in the past two days, Jinyi Wei Ti rode everywhere and arrested him in Beijing, Shuntianfu, Wanping Daxing County, and many Yamen of the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses, from the chief officer to the ordinary officer, with arrests, so that the yamen only had the gatekeeper and the government affairs completely paralyzed.

Jin Yiwei has engaged in the expansion of corruption, and I heard that many officials who have nothing to do with this case have been implicated, which has caused panic in the court. Cases of official corruption have always been the responsibility of the Inspectorate, and criminal officials caught can be interrogated and convicted by the Criminal Department or Dali Temple. Therefore, the minister asks His Majesty to take back the right of Jinyi Wei to investigate the case and hand over the case to the Inspectorate or the Criminal Department to be responsible! ”

"The minister seconded the proposal, this time Jinyiwei made a lot of trouble!" Cao Yubian, the deputy capital of the left, also stood up.

It was not the imperial historian who came forward to impeach Jinyiwei and arrest the innocent, Zhu Youzhen was also a little surprised for a while. But if you think about it, you can understand it, because the person involved in the case is Gan Yongchun, the imperial historian who patrols the city, and he is also a member of the imperial history. In addition, it has been less than two days since the disaster relief occurred, and many people have not yet reacted.

And Tang Shiji's impeachment of Jinyiwei may not be out of public interest, and he may have something to do with the arrested officials.

"Tian Ergeng, now that Tang Shilang has impeached you for indiscriminately, how do you explain it?" Zhu Youzhen said lightly.

Tian Ergeng stood up from the train and looked at Tang Shiji coldly: "At an extraordinary time, Jinyiwei will naturally investigate the case vigorously and resolutely, as for whether the people who were arrested are innocent, there is naturally a trial case as evidence, if Tang Shilang has any doubts, he can go to Jinyiwei Zhao Prison to read the relevant files."

Jinyiwei is His Majesty's eagle dog, those who commit crimes against officials, deeply bask in the holy grace, and receive the salary given by His Majesty, but they do not want to repay the court and be loyal to His Majesty, they are greedy and shameless, and they are extremely evil. Officials like this, whether they are in the court or official officials, as long as I find evidence, I will arrest one by one, and I will not tolerate it! ”

"I don't object to Jinyiwei arresting people, after all, it is by His Majesty's order, but Tian Dudu, do you have to end the entire yamen? The yamen of Shuntianfu and Wanping Daxing counties are almost empty, who will handle civil affairs for Your Majesty? Tang Shiji asked angrily.