Ming Dynasty: I risked my life to teach the prince, the emperor begged me not to die

Chapter 248: Ministry of Revenue
Madam Wu's health has been getting better these days.

On the second day of the Chinese New Year, Li Zhen had already found out the identities of the other party. The two men who assassinated were Lan Tingrui and Yan Benshu, farmers from the Sichuan Provincial Government, and the woman was a Miao.

Chen Ce was a little stunned, and Li Zhen seemed a little puzzled, and asked Chen Ce if he knew this group of people.

Chen Ce shook his head slightly. Although he didn't know them, he had heard that in the early years of Zhengde, a civil uprising of more than 100,000 people broke out in Sichuan. The leaders were Lan Tingrui and Yan Benshu. He never thought that these two rebel leaders, who would cause the biggest crisis to Zhu Houzhao's reign after he ascended the throne, would die in this way.

It also solved a small problem.

During the New Year period, Qin Hong really did not come to see Chen Ce again until the fifth day of the New Year, when the various government offices began to open one after another.

Last year, the national land survey work came to an end. The Ministry of Revenue was busier than any other government office at the beginning of the year. The data from the national land survey in such a short time was obviously not very accurate, but Emperor Hongzhi set a time limit, and the Ministry of Revenue had to ask the local governments to speed up.

Measuring the land of the whole country is naturally done for the princes and royal family to see. After the beginning of this year, Emperor Hongzhi will set up a stage for a big show.

The princes and royal family members of the various vassal states did not know that they were already fish on the chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered by Emperor Hongzhi.

The Zhang brothers and Wang Shouren's army spent the New Year in the southwest this year. After the spring, they will launch another counterattack against the Miru Tusi tribe. During this year, Wang Shouren visited various places in Yunnan and Guizhou alone, and studied the mountains, terrain and jungles until he became familiar with them.

After arriving in Guizhou, the Zhang brothers lived in seclusion, as if they were afraid of being shot if they showed up. I don't know how much they valued their lives.

Tang Yin has not returned from Suzhou Prefecture yet, and it is estimated that he will be delayed for some time. Mrs. Wu was injured again, and Shuntian Express was temporarily handed over to Yang Yuzhen for management.

On the seventh day of the thirteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, Yang Yuzhen hurried to Huaihua Hutong to find Chen Ce and said to him, "Father! It seems someone is messing with us!"

Chen Ce said "oh" and asked indifferently, "What's the matter?"

Yang Yuzhen informed Chen Ce of what had happened in the past three days. Ever since Shuntian Express opened for business after the New Year, a group of people from the Ministry of Household Affairs would come to each express station and the headquarters, saying that they wanted to check the commercial taxes of the express delivery.

The Ming Dynasty did not pay much attention to commerce. The unified commercial tax rate was one in thirty. The Ministry of Revenue would not send people to inspect. The local government would ask the clerks from the municipal office to come and symbolically check the tax payment.

Now the Ministry of Revenue sends a group of clerks to check taxes every day, and people are afraid even to send express deliveries. Business is almost ruined by these people.

However, Chen Ce paid taxes normally, so he was not afraid.

There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. Chen Ce is more inclined to believe that these abnormal phenomena are revenge from Jiao Fang.

"It's okay, let them check it out." Chen Ce said calmly.

There is no problem with taxes. If they continue to investigate, it will be a waste of energy and manpower and they will not find any results.

Yang Yuzhen said, "No, today a chief official from the Ministry of Revenue came and asked us to pay the city tax of 2,000 taels of silver from last year."

Ok?
Chen Ce frowned. He had studied all kinds of taxes in commercial activities in the Ming Dynasty. He had told Tang Yin which taxes needed to be paid and which taxes did not need to be paid. Logically, he would not pay less taxes.

Several clerks came to Huaihua Hutong, found Chen Ce, and asked him, "Are you the owner of Shuntian Express?"

Chen Ce nodded.

The clerks said, "Sir, please come with us to the Ministry of Revenue."

Chen Ce asked in confusion: "What for?"

Several clerks said, "You'll know when you get there. Stop talking nonsense."

Chen Ce thought for a moment and said to Yang Yuzhen, "Come with me."

Yang Yuzhen: “…”

Can I not go? He now realized that this group of people from the Ministry of Households were not targeting Shuntian Express, but Chen Ce personally!
You are really causing trouble.

As if seeing Yang Yuzhen's reluctance, Chen Ce whispered to Yang Yuzhen:
"Do you know why the Ministry of Revenue is looking for me?"

Yang Yuzhen forced a smile and said, "I don't know." Chen Ce said, "I offended the son of Mr. Jiao. His son has a fiancée, and that wife is the woman you played with in the villa last time."

"I'm taking the blame for you."

"If the other party knew it was you..."

Yang Yuzhen's body trembled: "Father, don't say more! Just one word from you, and I will go through fire and water... Woohoo, please don't betray me, okay? If you don't mind, I am willing to offer you my hips."

boom!
Chen Ce kicked Yang Yuzhen on the butt.

The Ministry of Revenue was located outside the imperial city. This was Chen Ce’s first time to set foot in the Forbidden City, and also Yang Yuzhen’s first time.

Yang Yuzhen looked at the huge Forbidden City and said with emotion: "Damn it! Some people are not qualified to step into this place in their entire lives. Even if something happens today, my life will be worth it!"

"Ok?"

"Why won't you let me in? I'm with him."

Yang Yuzhen looked unconvinced and felt that these clerks in the Ministry of Revenue were too disrespectful. He had just prepared himself mentally to go through fire and water for Chen Ce, and now you tell me that I don’t even have the qualifications to enter the Forbidden City?

Chen Ce told the depressed Yang Yuzhen, "Wait for me here. I'll need to get the account books and other things later. You can accompany me."

Yang Yuzhen: “???”

You called me here just for this?
The Ministry of Revenue was very busy, and Chen Ce followed the clerks as they moved among the crowd of clerks.

Qin Hong caught a glimpse of Chen Ce's back and asked his attendants, "That person doesn't seem to be from the Ministry of Revenue?"

"My Lord, he is the owner of Shuntian Newspaper. Liu, the head of the company, found out that his business had evaded taxes and underpaid thousands of taels of silver, so he was specially summoned for questioning."

Qin Hong narrowed his eyes and called the Ministry of Revenue to question him? Haha, it seems that this kid has caused a lot of trouble. I wonder who he has offended and who has reached out to the Ministry of Revenue.

However, Minister Qin didn't have time for the moment. He had to go to the Qianqing Palace to discuss government affairs with Emperor Hongzhi. He just nodded and said, "I understand."

Qianqing Palace.

When Qin Hong informed Emperor Hongzhi of the land survey results, he sighed and said, "Your Majesty, the local government and the Ministry of Revenue have wasted a lot of energy and financial resources, but the survey results are still not satisfactory."

In the 12th year of the Hongzhi reign, there were 1,343,740 households in the country, 5,853,750 people, and 8,267,981 hectares of land.

There is not much difference from the fields eleven years ago, and there are even tens of thousands of hectares less, which shows that a large amount of land is still hidden.

In other words, this land measurement was of little use.

Emperor Hongzhi did not blame Qin Hong, but only asked: "Have the princes of the royal family really not found the hidden farmland? Is it true that the income from their farmland cannot support the population's expenses?"

Qin Hong was in a dilemma. Isn't this a problem known to everyone? It was so on the surface, but who knew how much land they had hidden in secret?
"Your Majesty, this is the result of the measurement."

Emperor Hongzhi said "oh" and did not continue asking, but asked Qin Hong with interest: "Did you see that boy? What did he say?"

Qin Hong said awkwardly: "Your Majesty, he said he had something to do a few years ago and sent me away."

Emperor Hongzhi: “…”

Qin Hong laughed again and said, "However, this kid was called to the Ministry of Revenue by the head of the Ministry of Revenue today, and he is currently being questioned in the Ministry of Revenue."

Emperor Hongzhi became interested: "Oh? What's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)