Xue Tingxiang proposed raising the commercial tax in the dynasty, and explained all kinds of things, citing scriptures according to ancient times, and quoting widely.
Let’s start with the previous dynasty and extend to the present dynasty.
Not only the data on agricultural taxes, but also the various impacts on the court and even people's livelihood since the court opened Fu along the coast. Up to the emperor, in the middle to hundreds of officials, down to the people of Li people, whoever does not compete to praise each other is a great deed for the benefit of the country and the people.
Therefore, it is imminent to raise the commercial tax, and Dachang's peaceful and prosperous age can only wait here.
Even though Xue Tingxiang said it well, but this statement was still opposed by the ministers who came to attack them, and they actually argued with Xue Tingxiang when they were at the court.
The early morning, which could have ended in half an hour, was delayed until noon.
It can be seen that Emperor Jiacheng is very interested in this, and he actually gave him food for the hundred officials.
This practice of giving food to hundreds of officials has been practiced as early as the previous dynasty, but it was dismissed because of "many duties, and it is difficult to provide billions of dollars". From a routine to an occasional one, it actually clearly expresses what Emperor Jiacheng meant—all the loving gentlemen take a break, and let’s continue after eating.
Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, under the eaves and on the pedestal, were filled with small bills, and hundreds of officials knelt on the futon. The imperial censor in charge of the ceremonies walked back and forth, but couldn't suppress the buzzing voices below.
As for Emperor Jiacheng, he had long since returned to the Qianqing Palace, and naturally he would not be here to accompany him.
In fact, these people are talking about raising the commercial tax.
It was just when the quarrel was blushing and his neck was thick that he was suddenly stopped, and most of them could bear it. However, most of them are low-level officials, and very few high-level officials are so disregarding the court ceremony.
Even if the discussion is just a few words.
Xue Tingxiang's position is neither in the front nor in the back, and this row of seats is based on grades. The food on the table is not rich, but it is not bad, one meat and one vegetarian, and soup is also available.
There are also eunuchs with teapots waiting by the side, obviously wanting the officials to have enough to eat and drink, but there are very few officials who may be able to eat.
Only Xue Tingxiang.
He not only ate up two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, but also ate two large bowls of millet rice, and at this time he was holding the bowl to drink soup. It attracted the attention of all the officials, and there were not a few people who despised their ability to eat, stuff and do things.
"Master Xue really has a good appetite. It is a blessing to be able to eat and drink." It was sitting diagonally opposite Xue Tingxiang, the right counselor of the General Secretary Lu Bingfu, the fourth
Product title.
At this time, Xue Tingxiang had just finished drinking the soup, and was putting down the bowls and chopsticks. He took out a handkerchief from his arms and wiped his hands and mouth.
After carefully wiping it, he put the handkerchief into his sleeve and said, "Master Lu has praised it, but this official did not have breakfast because he was in a hurry."
With that said, he looked at the food in front of him, and then looked at the untouched food in front of Lu Bingfu, and said without any shame, "Could it be that the court food given by His Majesty made Lord Lu unhappy, so he did not touch it? But yes, This official is young and strong, and it is when the appetite is large, so naturally it cannot be compared with Master Lu."
These words seemed clear and indifferent, but they made Lu Bingfu fall on his back.
His words were obviously sarcasm, but the other party said that he praised him, and used this to ridicule him of his old age, and even gave him a big hat, saying that he didn't like the food given by His Majesty.
In light of this, it can be said that the appetite is small in age, and in serious terms, it can be contempt for the grace of God.
Lu Bingfu's face changed suddenly, and he picked up his chopsticks and said, "This official is not happy, but I have eaten more breakfast."
Xue Tingxiang nodded in understanding: "Master Lu really has a good appetite, and it is a blessing to be able to eat and drink. However, the way of health care is about eating seven percent full. Master Lu should pay more attention."
Lu Bingfu's freshly imported food was sprayed out on the spot, and he coughed violently, his old face flushed.
Xue Tingxiang hurriedly raised his hand to call for someone, and said with concern: "This official knows that Lord Lu feels His Majesty's grace, but there is no need to be in such a hurry. As the saying goes, urging work without urging food, even if Lord Lu is unbearably hungry, there is really no need to be so anxious. ."
When the censor who oversaw the court ceremonies arrived, he also helped Lu Bingfu to say a few good words and asked the censor not to name him. In addition, he asked the little eunuch for tea, which is very caring.
After such an experience, no one dared to talk to Xue Tingxiang, even if there was a lot of resentment in their hearts, knowing that this person was sharp and sharp.
It's not that he has sharp teeth and sharp mouths, he just fought against the heroes in the court, can he not be defeated
They are all the old oil of the officialdom, in fact, no one understands this truth. But it is related to vital interests, and I also know that Xue Tingxiang is favored by His Majesty. If this matter is really put on the agenda of Emperor Jiacheng, it will be everyone who will lose, and it will inevitably be lost.
When it comes to this, let's talk about the business tax.
Dachang has always been a country that emphasizes agriculture and suppresses commerce, and it has been like this since the previous dynasty. The imperial court placed a heavy emphasis on land tax, but neglected business tax, and the status of merchants was low, which can be seen from the social rank of scholars, peasants, and industry.
Although over time, commerce in various places has become more and more prosperous, and the status of merchants has increased day by day, but the business tax has not officially entered the category of tax collection by the imperial court.
There are too many reasons for this, and the biggest reason is nothing more than collusion between officials and businessmen.
There have always been more southern officials and fewer northern officials in the courtroom. The reason why this situation is formed is nothing more than one word to explain, a virtuous circle.
The southern region has been more prosperous than the northern region since ancient times. Climate, economy, etc. are all reasons, and people are richer, and the biggest manifestation is that there are more scholars.
The more scholars there are, the more officials of the imperial court, and the officials from the local area will inevitably support their hometowns. When the literary style is at its peak, more people read.
There are not a few ordinary people in the southern region who can read, but in the northern region, if you want to be a scholar, you have to use the power of the whole family, which is enough to prove it!
Similarly, the South has always been a prosperous place for commerce. There are many rich merchants in the Jiangnan area, whose lives are luxurious and extravagant, it is estimated that even Emperor Jiacheng will retreat.
Why can't I collect the business tax? Raising the commercial tax is equivalent to changing their jobs, which is why it is difficult to open Fu along the coast, and it is even more difficult to increase the commercial tax.
The previous dynasty tried to raise the commercial tax several times, but all of them were stillborn, all of which came from too much resistance in the court.
On the one hand, these officials accept the benefits of those tycoons, and on the other hand, they obstruct the court to raise the business tax, which is equivalent to sucking the blood of the people to fill their own pockets.
There are not a few officials who understand this, but they can either go with the flow or disappear from the crowd. Because anyone who dares to mention this will almost never end well.
Therefore, Xue Tingxiang's move is no less than poking a hornet's nest.
Xue Tingxiang was full of food and drink, and then scolded people again, and it was rare to feel refreshed. Thinking that there will be a long battle to be fought later, I think of Gong.
He didn't care if there was any disobedience. It was better to be disobedient now than to wait until halfway through a quarrel, so he called the inspector and whispered his needs.
The censor naturally wouldn't obstruct it, so Xue Tingxiang left in the eyes of everyone.
After he left, there was another chatter. Supervising the censor's eyes, nose, nose, and heart, just as if he couldn't hear or see. At this time, another person got up, but it was Chen Jian.
He also has to pay tribute.
Don't see that Gong's matter is simple, in fact, when it comes to the palace, there is no simple matter.
The palace and even the place where the saint lives are not here for you to pay tribute, so at first the former court did not set up toilets for officials.
Because of this inhumane behavior, many officials rushed to the court at night, but Mi Shui did not dare to enter. If the morning ended early, it would be fine, and there were not a few people who were hungry and fainted late.
Naturally, there are also people who make a fool of themselves in the court.
Because there were so many things like this, the emperor at that time specially set up a latrine in the front court for the use of courtiers. The latrine is located at the root of the southern city wall, not far from the cabinet lobby, and it is also convenient for the cabinet and ministers to use.
Xue Tingxiang ran all the way from the Hall of Supreme Harmony to the root of the southern city wall, scolding and scolding in his heart on the way, until he finally reached the place before he was released.
This latrine is very clean. Not only is there a few buckets, but it is also divided into compartments and smoked with incense, so there is no filth at all.
Xue Tingyan cleaned his hands and was about to go out when Chen Jian came in from outside.
Seeing this, he hurriedly pretended to have abdominal pain and went back to the compartment.
The eunuch who led the way was guarding outside. If he spoke in a low voice, he would not be able to hear him outside.
After sitting down, Chen Jian said, "You've stabbed a hornet's nest! You didn't say that before, why did you do it again?"
The other party lowered his voice, and in such an environment, where did Xue Tingxiang experience such a situation, he felt embarrassed.
"Well, that's a little hard to say."
It's not that it's hard to say, but Xue Tingxiang doesn't know what to say.
Before we talk about the matter, Empress Xiao'anhui's Zigong had just been sent to the imperial mausoleum, when Emperor Jiacheng suddenly summoned Xue Tingxiang.
He didn't say anything, but there were hints in his words.
Emperor Jiacheng had long wanted to deal with the issue of land annexation. As early as ten years ago, when Xue Tingxiang was just a small middle-class scholar, he had mentioned it in the court meeting, and the matter was finally settled.
But such an emperor, how could he let go of his ambitions.
Xue Tingxiang thought that Emperor Jiacheng understood that this kind of thing could not be rushed, and he really wanted to flatter him, for the sake of Dachang and the people. But for an official, it is undoubtedly in the oven, and if he is not careful, he will be doomed, and he will inevitably hesitate.
pity…
It's a pity that Emperor Jiacheng can't wait any longer.
Xue Tingxiang didn't know what Emperor Jiacheng was so worried about, but it was obvious that if it hadn't happened, he would have been able to sneak a joke, and let's see.
In this way, he can only be put on the shelves by ducks, which is why he has today's appearance.
"Well, since you've made up your mind, I'll support you later. I'll try to bring people from the Xu faction, but you know that people from the Xu faction probably don't want to see the imperial court raise business taxes."
In muddy water, who is cleaner than who
The so-called clean, but not in line with the emperor's will. How can there be a complete distinction between enemy and self in the world, for the same purpose, they can be enemies. Can also be friends.
Just like the old Wu Ge was defeated before, just like now.
It was obvious that this embarrassing situation was a little out of place, and Xue Tingxiang was still moved. He smiled and said, "You don't have to intervene in this matter, I am not interested in this."
After Baiguan entered the court food, he looked forward to it.
After waiting for nearly an hour, I was looking forward to Emperor Jiacheng, who seemed to rest for a while.
Ministers and emperors are naturally incomparable, such as Emperor Jiacheng, who sits high on the dragon chair, refreshed, and for example, the following officials who have backaches and may be unbearable.
This is how the second North Korean debate on raising the commercial tax began.
Different from the morning, the officials were unprepared at that time, and Xue Tingxiang was caught off guard. This time, they had obviously gone through careful preparations, and maybe they even made a draft. Just after Emperor Jiacheng's statement of 'expressing their opinions and weighing the pros and cons' was finished, some courtiers came forward.
Naturally, it is how inhumane it is to raise the commercial tax.
For this inhumane interpretation, this person took the previous Wanli tax case as circumstantial evidence, and elaborated on the riots of the common people and the turmoil of the society caused by raising the commercial tax.
In fact, this person is a bit far-fetched. The Wanli anti-tax case was because the Wanli emperor did not know who he was, and the eunuch was a disaster. Those eunuchs who acted as tax envoys went to various places, set up various tricks, levied levies, and profited from them. This caused dissatisfaction among the local people and led to riots.
Of course, besides the misfortune of the eunuchs, there is no need to mention whether anyone was instructed in this riot, but this case is indeed a necessary life-saving medicine for attacking the other party every time an official proposes to increase the business tax.
But for all emperors, there is probably no one who is not afraid of provoking civil revolt, so this person is also the right medicine.
And starting from this official, one after another official played again and again, all echoing this remark, saying it so loudly and with good intentions.
He just shook Emperor Jiacheng's shirt and said, "Don't listen to this villain, Xue Tingxiang. He has bad intentions and is trying to shake the foundation of the country."