Xu Miaoyun thought for a moment. Zhu Rong had indeed told her about the tax law.
She was originally a confidant that Zhu Xiong had planned to nurture, and she was going to be a white glove in the future.
After discovering that Xu Tong was literate and intelligent, Zhu Rong told him a lot,
However, this knowledge was fragmented and he needed to organize it.
"Alright, let's talk while eating!”
When the Emperor returned from court, he hadn't had breakfast yet. Empress Ma immediately prepared a table full of food for the whole family to eat together.
Xu Miaoyun thought for a long time and finally sorted out Zhu Rong's business tax law.
"His Highness did not systematically mention the business tax to Miao Yun. He only mentioned it occasionally!”
" When we talked about taxes, His Highness said that the Ming Dynasty's taxes were very problematic."
"The biggest problem is that the taxes on merchants are too low. This will become a hidden danger for the Ming Dynasty sooner or later!”
Xu Miaoyun's simple and straightforward opening remarks quickly attracted the attention of the Zhu father and son.
Compared to Zhu Rong's careless slip of the tongue the other day, Xu Miaoyun's story was more systematic.
"His Highness said that the tax law used in the Ming Dynasty is the two-tax law of the Tang Dynasty. It mainly taxes the population and cultivated land.‘
"But the result of this is that the agricultural tax accounts for 80% of my Great Ming's tax revenue!
"In order to promote recuperation, the emperor encouraged land reclamation and farming, and reduced taxes. This caused the financial income of the Ming court to be on the verge of being very tight!”
"During the bumper years, the imperial court's tax revenue was less than 30 million dan of grain!”
"Even if the emperor himself is thrifty and the officials are poor, the northern expeditions, the rebellions, and the various expenses of the country have consumed more than half of the national treasury!”
"If we encounter a famine, not only will we not be able to collect taxes, but the imperial court will also have to open the granaries to release grain to relieve the people. This will cause the imperial court's already poor finances to become even more tense."
"But on the other side, there is a group of people who are almost as rich as a country!”
"Their tax revenue is equivalent to that of the common people, but it's very little, even negligible!‘;
"His Highness once said that his father is not valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce. Merchants are simply the emperor's biological sons!”
Xu Miaoyun's words made Zhu Yuanzhang's face turn red instantly. He looked down on profiteers. In addition, the new dynasty had just been established and needed to recuperate. Therefore, he spared no effort to crack down on the industrial and commercial industry. However, the result of this attack was that the merchants became even richer.
It had to be said that this was a kind of irony.
Zhu Biao noticed his father's awkwardness and asked,"
"Then did Fifth Brother say the reason?”
"Is there any way to solve it?”
"As for the reason…Are you sure Your Majesty wants to listen to your husband's words?”
"Speak!"
"Miao Yun, you are one of us. You don't have to give me face. I want to hear the truth! I won't make things difficult for him…"
"Unless I can't help it!"
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath and added in his heart.
Xu Miaoyun smiled and said,
"My husband said that it was because the emperor was too greedy!”
"How dare you!"
As expected, Old Zhu could not help but slap the table. Empress Ma slapped him back with her chopsticks.
"You're not joking. Zhu Zhongba, is this all you have?”
After being lectured by Empress Ma, Old Zhu instantly extinguished his anger.
"Sister, I couldn't hold it in for a moment, right?”
"Miao Yun, please continue. I promise I won't be angry!”
Xu Miaoyun smiled faintly. She knew that the Emperor would react this way. However, after saying Zhu Rong's words, she said,
But she had to do this. If Zhu Rong could say such things to a "servant" like her, it was hard to say that the walls would not have ears.
Instead of waiting for Old Zhu to hear it from others, she might as well take the initiative to say it.
"My husband said that His Majesty's initial intention of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce was absolutely right. Now that the world has just been settled, the war brought about by the change of dynasties has already made this country need to recuperate. If industry and commerce are developed, the people will not farm and will not be able to develop in the Ming Dynasty!”
"Therefore, the emperor is right to suppress industry and commerce!“
"But it would be a big mistake to kill the industrial and commercial sector!”
" As a result of the decline of industry and commerce, the small merchants had no profit to make and quickly went bankrupt. Just as the emperor had expected, they turned to open up wasteland.
"But business won't die completely because of the emperor's attack!”
" This resulted in two consequences. One of them was that the big merchants with resources quickly filled the empty market that was suppressed by the emperor. Yes, the rich became richer. There were many people like Shen Wansan who became richer after the change of dynasties.
"The other consequence is that the emperor will personally step in and compete with the people for benefits, monopolizing many industries! Among them, the dental business was the most typical. Since it was a government business, the tax revenue was naturally low!”
"And the emperor ate the most sumptuous mouthful of the world's industry and commerce, and the other wealthy people also ate the soup and meat!”
"The things of the government naturally belong to the imperial court, but those rich people are being paid the same tax as the government. This has evolved into the laughable situation today!”
"And also for future generations!"
After Old Zhu heard this, his face turned red. He knew his own problem.
When he was young, he was afraid of being poor, and he became an emperor from a poor farmer.
His biggest worry was the fear of betrayal, which led him to not trust anyone except his family and wanted to interfere in everything.
In the end, the commoners suffered and the rich benefited.
"My husband said that emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce can only be temporary, not permanent!”
"With the emperor's current method, after the farming industry in the future is prosperous, business will recover sooner or later!”
"However, when the people wanted to enter this industry, they realized that the rich and the government had already controlled all the channels!”
"When they come in, they are like farmers exploited by the landlord. They can barely make a living!”
"Then Da Ming's business will never be able to recover!"
"Hmph, if we don't revive, we can't touch the foundation of Great Ming!”
Old Zhu was still a little unconvinced after being scolded by Zhu Xiong.
Xu Miaoyun said,"
"No, His Highness said that industry and commerce are especially important, so important that they can even continue the dynasty's luck!”
"What?"
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao felt like they couldn't keep up with Xu Miaoyun's pace, or rather, they couldn't keep up with Zhu Rong who wasn't here.
If you want to talk about taxes, then so be it. Why do you want to talk about the continuation of the dynasty's luck?
"His Highness once told Miao Yun that the reason for the change of dynasties was mostly because of exorbitant taxes and land annexation!”
"But the root of this is that the common people can't live anymore!”
"As long as there is a way out, the people will not be willing to rebel!”
"But, why hasn't any empire done such a simple thing?”
"It's very simple. The founding monarchs of the past dynasties established their countries from the flames of war. At the beginning of the founding of the country, the world was almost crippled.
"Only four or five out of ten civilians can survive the war. At the same time, there are still large areas of fertile land in the world that have been abandoned!”
"As long as the founding emperor encouraged them to recuperate, then the people would have the motivation to reclaim the fields. With the fields, their lives would be better, and the people would have children!”
"If the child goes to open up the fields, the income of the imperial court will increase. From then on, the golden age will come!”
"But…"
When Xu Miaoyun said this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao nodded at the same time. There was nothing wrong with what Old Fifth said.
Zhu Yuanzhang's policy was to follow this path, but Xu Miaoyun's word of 'but', made Zhu Biao and Old Zhu unable to calm down.
Sure enough, Xu Miaoyun changed the topic and continued,"
"There will come a day when more and more commoners will open up the barren fields in the world, but they will find that there are fewer and fewer fields that can be opened up!”
"If the fields in the world can't support so many people, some people won't be able to survive!”
" When the people don't have their own land, they can only go back and farm for the rich and the landowners. This is back to the days before His Majesty.
"The lives of the commoners will become more and more difficult, and because the commoners have no land, the court will not be able to collect taxes!”
" When the imperial court leads a hard life, they will increase taxes. Even if they don't want to, it will gradually turn into exorbitant taxes."
" And exorbitant taxes will cause more farmers to go bankrupt. In the end, their land will be bought by the landlord…"
"If this continues, one day, someone will rise up…”
Old Zhu's face darkened as he listened. The second half of the story was his experience in the first half of his life.
Zhu Rong could be said to have seen through the essence of the rise and fall of dynasties.
Human hearts and ethics were not the key to a dynasty's eternal existence.
The real cause of the dynasty's demise was that the people had no way out.
However, what did this have to do with business?
"The people rebelled because they couldn't live!”
"But what if they have another way to survive other than farming?”
Xu Miaoyun finally changed the topic back to business.
"Girl, you mean that industry and commerce is the way to continue the dynasty?”
Xu Miaoyun nodded and said,
"Actually, Miao Yun thinks that His Highness has already helped Da Ming extend his life once."
"What?"
Old Zhu and the Crown Prince didn't react for a moment. When did Zhu Rong extend Da Ming's life?
Xu Miaoyun's tone was really arrogant.
Had he become lawless after being with Zhu Rong for so long?
Facing the two's doubts!
Xu Miaoyun chuckled and said,"
"Sweet potatoes!"
Old Zhu and Zhu Biao immediately understood what Xu Miaoyun meant and couldn't refute her.
Ever since sweet potatoes were discovered in Zhu Rong's place, sweet potatoes had been planted in the palace.
It had been a month since the sweet potatoes were planted.
Although he had never experienced the first harvest, Old Zhu had also asked people to dig out these things to take a look. The yield…
It could only be said that this thing was definitely something that could change the fate of the Great Ming Dynasty.
Combined with Zhu Rong's theory, sweet potatoes could indeed allow the people to live longer.
However, even if there were sweet potatoes to extend his life, this was still not the best way out.
The common people have no land to cultivate,
But the landlord occupies a large piece of fertile land,
The only result would probably be a reshuffle of the world…
"Reviving industry and commerce can increase employment opportunities. The people can still live and work in peace and contentment without farming!”
"But if the commoners enter and discover that the officials and merchants have already taken control of everything!”
" Then, the true despair at this moment!"
"Sister-in-law, everything that No. 5 said is just his speculation!”
Zhu Biao couldn't help but retort, but Xu Miaoyun replied,
"Southern Song Dynasty!"
"The Song Dynasty annexed so much land that it was not weaker than the end of the Yuan Dynasty!'
"However, the Song Dynasty's industry and commerce were a hundred times better than the previous dynasties!‘
"Even if the Imperial Court is weak and there are strong enemies outside, we will pay tribute every year!”
"In the internal affairs, the despots and the landowners annexed many lands, but the Southern Song Dynasty never had any trouble!'
"It's nothing more than that the people have something to rely on!”
Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao fell into deep thought.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。