Salt tax has always been the most important fiscal revenue, such as the salt tax in the Song Dynasty can reach 12 million yuan per year, and the salt tax revenue in the late Qing Dynasty is equivalent to the national tax of Tianfu.

In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the finances were still relatively weak. In the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, because Shanxi and other border areas were in urgent need of military rations, the government recruited businessmen to transport grain in exchange for salt, thus creating the "Open China Law".

According to the military needs of the nine sides, the imperial court successively implemented the method of paying money in salt, Nama in salt, Na Tie in salt, nano in tea, and Yima in tea.

It is precisely in this way that the current salt policy of the Ming Dynasty can be said to serve the nine sides, but this is also to stabilize the national defense of the north and promote the prosperity of Shanxi and other places.

It's just that such a huge profit is naturally coveted by all forces.

As pointed out by the Cabinet, the salt administration was undermined to a certain extent by the fact that His Majesty's bounty had led to the fact that his relatives, nobles, and imperial relatives had all received a share of the salt profits.

"Yan Zheng, I'm sure it's time to take a good cure!"

Zhu Youzhu returned to the Qianqing Palace to prepare for government affairs, and had a premonition that he was going to read out the "Enthronement Edict" at this time, so he muttered with feeling.

From ancient times to the present, officials at all levels have been best at deceiving their subordinates and concealing their superiors.

Salt politics is like a big cake, and the essential reason why many small businessmen who hold salt cannot get salt is that all forces have extended their tentacles to this big cake.

It has been nearly 100 years since the implementation of the Kaizhong Law, and the salt profits have long been no longer in the hands of the original small salt merchants in Shanxi and Shaanxi, but in the hands of the big merchants in Shanxi, and also in the hands of the officials of the salt administration system, and even the officials in the capital who act as a protective umbrella also get a piece of the pie.

The reason why many honest small salt merchants can't get salt is not that the salt factory is really short of salt, but that these low-status small salt merchants are not in place.

In this way, the root cause of the corruption of the salt government was not the emperor's indiscriminate reward, but the officials' greed for ink, which led to the difficulty of salt extraction, and the collusion between officials and businessmen also promoted the emergence of regional monopolies in the sales of salt.

The golden sunlight was falling on the Fengtian Gate, and Zhou Hongmo, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, read the book in the face of this oversized holy decree.

The more than 3,000 civil and military officials kneeling here listened attentively, and it was unexpectedly reasonable that the first article of the new policy should start with the salt administration.

After all, the salt policy is related to the finances of the Ming Dynasty, and this cake is now a contest between all parties.

If His Majesty is fooled to stop indiscriminately distributing salt and let his relatives, nobles and royal relatives leave this cake, then their annual charcoal and ice examples will only increase.

It's just that this credit is undoubtedly due to Xu Pu's hands, so they cast approving and crowded eyes one after another.

Xu Pu felt the scorching gazes around him, but he knew that he had fallen off the hearts of hundreds of officials, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

Zhou Hongmo seemed to notice the strangeness of the hundred officials kneeling in front of him, but he raised his eyes and glanced at it, and continued to read: "I also heard that the officials and businessmen of Shanxi and Shaanxi Dajia have colluded, and they have far exceeded the regulations by 3,000, so that small businessmen have no salt to mention. Today, the salt patrol and the patrol according to the imperial history are to check the salt merchants, limited to 3,000 people, and the excess should be dealt with by the law, and the salt officials are not allowed to embarrass small merchants to mention salt. In the future, the salt will be sold according to the local area, and it will not be allowed to be sold across the border, and the offenders will be corrected according to the imperial history. Because the salt merchants are evil, the business restrictions are relaxed in this dynasty, and the three generations of innocent people can enter. ”

"Collusion between officials and businessmen?"

As word by word drilled into his ears, not only the smile on Xu Pu's face had disappeared, but the civil and military officials present all looked at Zhou Hongmo in disbelief.

His Majesty's indiscriminate reward, this is a traitor fabricated by the civilian clique for the current salt and political chaos, but the biggest crux is that they can't get rid of the collusion between officials and businessmen.

The reason why the salt dealers who brought in the salt were never able to get the salt was because the profits of the salt were too lucrative, so the officials in charge of the salt had set up artificial obstacles, and even deliberately created the false impression that the salt farmers were dissatisfied with the oppression and fled.

Of course, it is not enough to set up obstacles to salt extraction, only by joining forces with those big salt merchants can the goal of a regional monopoly of the salt industry be achieved.

It's just that now the spearhead of the New Deal is aimed at the collusion between officials and businessmen, and at the big salt merchants who extract benefits from the people for them, and it is undoubtedly a stick on their seven inches.

"No, I didn't write that!"

Xu Pu listened to this regulation, but shook his head lightly.

What he wants is for His Majesty to realize the mistake of indiscriminate rewards, and for His Majesty to restrain the greedy hands of his relatives, nobles, and royal relatives, instead of beating their officials and the big salt merchants who are in the same stream.

Zhou Hongmo originally wanted to continue reading, but found that there was a commotion below, and he reprimanded with a straight face: "Quiet! ”

"Zhou Shangshu, is this enthronement edict wrong?" Xu Pu hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't suppress his suspicion and asked.

Zhou Hongmo is Wan'an's township party, but just now he saw Xu Pu teasing Wan'an in front of the noon gate, and even scolded him: "Presumptuous, aren't you edicted?" ”

"This official did not fail to obey the edict, but the regulations drafted by this official are not like this!" Xu Pu naturally didn't have this plan, but he said the reason for his suspicions.

In his mind, the prince was obedient to him.

Although this enthronement edict said that they were discussed by these important ministers, most of them were made by him, and there should not be such a big change on it, let alone point the finger at the collusion between officials and businessmen at the core of the malaise of the salt government.

"Master Xu, do you also know that our courtiers are just drafting, can't it be that Your Majesty will listen to you?" Liu Ji was also dissatisfied with Xu Pu, and then he warned him.

Xu Pu felt the hostility of the people around him, his face suddenly became gloomy, and he stopped talking.

Zhou Hongmo actually knew that Zhu Youzhu had made considerable changes to the "Enthronement Edict", but he just wanted Zhu Youzhu to summon him yesterday and say those words of encouragement, and faintly sensed an opportunity.

Now the revision of the "Enthronement Edict" drafted by Xu Pu reflects that Zhu Youzhu is not obedient to Xu Puyan, and this is not an opportunity for himself.

Zhou Hongmo immediately warned the noisy officials present, and then continued to read aloud.

Zhu Youzhu made many changes to the regulations, but none of them were overhauled.

The power of civil officials is not that they have a dark heart, but that they have done shameless things like male thieves and female prostitutes behind their backs, but they will create the image of a gentleman on the surface.

Taking the salt policy clause just now as an example, the ills they pointed out such as His Majesty's indiscriminate distribution of salt, rampant illegal salt, and the trade of salt in other places actually exist, and they even need to be solved.

It is precisely for this reason that the regulations drafted by civil officials cannot be killed with a stick, and many of them can actually be used.

Article 29: In recent years, the military and civilian financial resources of the world have been exhausted. In addition to the city walls, piers, passes, warehouses, canals, etc., the rest of the internal and external yamen, the construction of temples, towers, nunnery, temples, houses, and walls should be stopped...... In foreign countries, the military guards are not subject to the express text of the imperial court, and a husband is not allowed to serve without permission, and a single money is not allowed to be arbitrary. Violators are punished with felonies.

Zhu Youzhu chose not to change a word about this kind of regulation.

As for "ordering the governor of Zhejiang City to raise the department, the officials in the Zhuzhu Pond are not allowed to guard the localities and manage the sea road, and the edict that has been issued is authorized to be returned", this article was directly deleted.

The content of the last five articles is the same as the enthronement edicts of previous dynasties, which are to recommend talents and advocate etiquette, so they have not been changed in any way.

Zhou Hongzhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to read: "The above grace, when the edict arrives, even if you have a division, you will carry it out. If there is any delay, it will be regarded as a violation, and Xu Xun will be investigated and questioned according to the imperial history. ”

After the entire "Enthronement Edict" was read, all the officials present gasped deeply.

It has always been rumored that the son of heaven in this dynasty is benevolent (good foolish), but this new monarch is clearly sober in the world, and he is afraid that he is better than the first emperor.

It's just that now that "the new monarch is in place, no return will be made", and the Ming Dynasty ushered in a young son of heaven who was already sober in the world on the "Enthronement Edict": Hongzhi.