The taxes of the Ming Dynasty can be divided into three categories.

The first is the positive tax, 5 liters of 3 in 5 spoons per mu for official land, and 3 liters of 3 in 5 spoons per mu for private land.

Even if it is calculated according to the grain production of 1 stone per mu, the tax rate is only 5.35% for official land and 3.35% for private land, which has to be said to be outrageously low.

Because the actual yield per mu in the Ming Dynasty was about 2 stones.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanjing is really sympathetic to the people.

However, whether it is the official land or the land of the gentleman's family, the tax must be paid, and no one is missing.

In addition to the positive tax, the second item is the Ding tax, that is, the poll tax, and the Cheng Ding has to pay the tax, and because of this, some big families and wealthy clans hide their Ding Kou in every possible way.

Therefore, the population of the illustrated generation is a confused account.

In addition to the regular tax and the Ding tax, the third major item is forced labor.

According to the regulations, adult males need to take a period of time each year to serve in land and water wharves, post stations, yamen and other institutions for forced labor, miscellaneous labor and even military service.

After Zhang Juzheng implemented a whip law, in view of the fact that some big families and local clans concealed Dingkou and used it to enrich their personal affairs, they spread the Ding tax and forced labor into the acres of land, and changed the levy to fold the color.

The levy and folding color is to collect the money directly, no longer collect the goods, and the Cheng Ding no longer has to bear all kinds of servitude, only need to pay taxes.

These two taxes are preferential and exempt for officials and gentlemen, and how many people can be exempted from military service for several officials, and how many acres can be exempted from military service, which is the tax and the apportionment of forced labor, which is not a regular tax.

In addition to these three taxes, there are additional three salaries.

However, due to the tax evasion by officials and gentlemen, coupled with the large number of people fleeing, the three salaries can only be apportioned to a small number of people who have not fled, and the absurd phenomenon of a family bearing the three salaries of the entire village has even appeared in Henan, and in the end the whole village has fled.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang did the wrong thing with good intentions and lifted a stone to shoot himself in the foot.

To get back to the point, what Huguang Patrol asked for according to Yushi Huang Shu was Huguang's Ding tax, forced labor and three salaries, which was actually a measure that really thought about the people, because it could directly reduce the burden of the small people.

Because the main audience of the levy and apportionment is the small people.

If Huang Peng asks for a reduction or exemption of positive taxes, he is reducing the burden on the gentry.

"No way!" Gao Hongtu said categorically, "You can't pay any less taxes!" ”

"The servant also thinks that he must hand over the full amount." Jiang Yueguang stroked his beard and said, "Right now, the saint is leading the border army of 28 towns to guard the border in Xuzhou, and the country is in urgent need of money, and Huguang is a large tax province, how can it be reduced or reduced?" ”

Gao Hongtu said again: "Besides, the disaster in Hubei is just Huang Shu's words, the servant has already sent someone to Hubei to investigate, the Yangtze River did have a big flood a month ago, but the disaster is not as serious as Huang Shu said." ”

This time, Xie Xuelong also stood on the side of Gao Hongtu and Jiang Yueguang, and said: "Huguang has a big water, why don't Nanzhi also have a big water?" If it is reduced, it must be reduced or exempted in one way in the south and in Guangzhou. ”

"Then let's draft according to this opinion, but the matter is big, and I am afraid that it will not work to hand it over to King Yong for approval, so I will send it to Xuzhou by urgent delivery and hand it over to the Holy Emperor for approval." Eventually, Shi Kefa offered a compromise.

Gao Hongtu and the four of them did not object.

……

Caowan Town, Huai'an Province, Yiding Camp.

Chongzhen served a bowl of hot soup with a pocket, took out a handful of food from the dry food bag and sprinkled it into the hot soup, then grabbed a small piece of hard salt and a small handful of tempeh and threw it into the feast to stir.

After stirring well, grasp and eat directly.

Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong also have the same example.

Sun Fanzhi, Fu Shan and other four scholars had a sad face.

This is simply a dried rice soaked in hot water, and then sprinkled with salt and tempeh, how can you eat it? But if you can't eat it anymore, you can only eat it hard, after all, this is what the saint eats.

A few of them are more expensive than the saints.

Just as he was eating, Jinyiwei commanded his fellow acquaintance Li Ruolian to return to the barracks.

"Holy." Li Ruolian reported to Chongzhen, "The situation is basically clear, what Fan Zhongjie, the prefect of Huai'an, said is basically true, and the price agreed between Lu Zhenfei and the grain merchant is indeed 1 tael and 5 yuan per stone, which is 50% higher than the market price." ”

Chongzhen took a bite of soaked rice, and asked while chewing, "Does Lu Zhenfei take any benefits from it?" ”

"This minister hasn't found it yet." Li Ruolian shook his head, and then said, "But one thing is certain, Lu Zhenfei has a close relationship with Kang Million, the largest salt merchant in Yangzhou, and among the grain merchants who came to Huai'an this time, Kang Million's grain amount is also the largest, with 500,000 stones!" ”

"Kang million?" Chongzhen's brows twisted into pimples.

Li Ruolian said: "Kang Million's real name is Kang Shaojing, his ancestral home is Huaiqing Mansion, Henan, and he made his fortune during the Hongwu period because of the opening of China and France to transport grain to Yulin Border Town, and he moved to Yangzhou so far, which has been passed down for six generations. ”

"That's not what I'm asking." Chongzhen's face instantly fell.

"I'm asking you, is there any transfer of interests between Kang Million and Lu Zhenfei?"

"It's not clear." Li Ruolian hurriedly said, "However, the 500,000 stone grains that Kang Million came to Huai'an Mansion were sold by Lu Zhenfei to Kang Million at the beginning, and the discount at that time was 9 yuan per stone. ”

"Is there such a thing?" Zhu Cihong said angrily, "Doesn't this mean that once you go back and forth, Kang Million will earn 6 yuan in vain?" 500,000 stone grain is 300,000 taels of silver! It's good business! ”

Zhu Cijiong was even more furious: "Father, is this considered collusion between officials and businessmen?" Does it count as a violation of law and discipline? If we count, we sent troops to arrest Kang Million, and then fined him 500,000 stone grain, it is not considered to break the rules, right? ”

The anger of Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong's little brothers was inflamed, but Chongzhen was unmoved.

Chongzhen stared at Li Ruolian coldly, and didn't make a sound for a long time, but Li Ruolian's face became worse and worse, and beads of sweat even oozed from his forehead.

Suddenly, Li Ruolian had a delusion, as if a mountain was pressed on his body!

When facing Chongzhen before, Li Ruolian didn't feel like this, but today, Li Ruolian really felt like a mountain on his body, and he couldn't breathe.

After a long time, Chongzhen asked faintly: "Li Ruolian, did someone greet you?" ”

"Holy!" Hearing this, Li Ruolian could no longer bear the huge pressure and knelt on the ground.

"Go, you go and tell them!" Chongzhen stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction of Shanyang City, and said sharply, "Tell them, don't think about misleading me, and don't try to teach me how to do things!" ”

"I am the Son of Heaven, Qiangang is arbitrary, and I am the only one!"

"No one should try to deceive me, use me, or fool me!"

Seeing Chongzhen angry, Wang Chengen, Gao Qiqian and several other eunuchs were so frightened that they quickly knelt on the ground.

Zhu Cihong, Zhu Cijiong's little brothers, and Fu Shan and a few other scholars were confused, what is the situation?

Only Hu Guozhu and Babai Yiding ate by themselves, as if nothing had happened.

And Li Ruolian, who was the party concerned, grabbed the ground with his head, kowtowed again and again, and his whole body was soaked with sweat.

"Tell them to follow the rules!" Chongzhen said in a deep voice.

"Commandment." Li Ruolian knocked his head three times in a row, got up and ran away.

Seeing Li Ruolian get up and leave, Chongzhen said again: "Everyone retreat, I have something to say to the prince and the king." ”

Sun Fanzhi, Fu Shan and others, as well as Gao Qiqian and a few other Tai retreated, and Wang Chengen also retreated to ten steps away, and guarded not to let anyone approach within ten steps.

Chongzhen said: "Hong'er, Jiong'er, have you all seen it?" Now you know how powerful the civil service group is, right? Their people are simply everywhere and everywhere! ”

Zhu Cihong said: "Father, was Li Ruolian bribed?" ”

Chongzhen said: "Li Ruolian should not have been bought, but was held by someone. ”

Zhu Cijiong said: "Father, do you want to arrest the people behind Li Ruolian?" Find out who is instigating? ”

Chongzhen smiled and said, "Who else can you ask to check?" Li Ruolian is unreliable, who else can you count on? ”

"This?" Zhu Cijiong was speechless for a moment, and then realized the seriousness of the problem, and there was no one available.

Chongzhen said again: "What's more, even if Li Ruolian is reliable, even if Jinyiwei is powerful, this kind of thing can't be found clearly, at most, just catch a few small fish and shrimp, the civil official group is much stronger than you think." ”

"That's exhausting." Zhu Cijiong said, "Who else is worth believing in their words?" ”

"Anyone's word can be trusted, and no one's word can be trusted." Chongzhen said as if speaking Buddhist sayings, "As an emperor, whose words are credible and whose words are not credible, you can only rely on yourself to discern, if you can't do it yourself, don't rush to make a decision, wait and see." ”

Zhu Cihong thought thoughtfully: "Just like just now, can't you convict Lu Zhenfei of the crime because of Li Ruolian's words?" ”

"Yes." Chongzhen said, "If you believed Li Ruolian's words just now and ordered Lu Zhenfei to be investigated, then you would have fallen into the way of the civil official group and were killed by them with a knife." ”

"It's too complicated, isn't it?" Zhu Cijiong rejoiced.

"Fortunately, I'm not the prince, so it's a headache for my brother."

"You have to learn a little bit too." Chongzhen frowned and said, "Of course, Hong'er is the first heir to the throne, but Jiong'er is the second heir to the throne, if Hong'er is in good health, there will be no accidents on the battlefield, although the throne has nothing to do with you, but you are not afraid of 10,000 in everything, just in case, if Hong'er has a good one, then you are the prince." ”

"Ah, this?" Zhu Cijiong was a little surprised, and said in his heart that his father was too direct.

"My father is right, the third brother also needs to learn the way of the king." Zhu Cihong breathed a sigh of relief, if he was secretly worried before, then now he is not worried at all.

Zhu Cihong asked again: "How did my father find out that Li Ruolian had a problem?" ”

"Yes, how did you find out, Father?" Zhu Cijiong was also very curious.

Chongzhen said: "Because Li Ruolian was too deliberate, he deliberately put two things that were more than three months apart together, and the result was that his fox tail was exposed. ”

"Father, the son still doesn't understand."

"Is Lu Zhenfei and Kang Million really okay?"

Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong asked almost at the same time.