Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 238 A New Approach to Commercial Tax Collection in the Ming Dynasty
After hurriedly tidying up, Zhang Juzheng, dragging his already soaked clothes, looked slightly embarrassed.

He sensed the underlying meaning of his youngest son's words: the idea of ​​a steady, long-term flow rather than draining the pond to catch all the fish is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

It also has important reference value for the governance of the imperial court.

"Cough cough~"

Zhang Juzheng coughed twice and said.

"Shiyuan, write a memorial about this matter and submit it to the cabinet. I will study it carefully and present it to His Majesty."

Zhang Yunxiu chuckled and said, "Your Majesty already knows. If Father has any questions, please ask me directly."

Zhang Juzheng's face darkened, and he said in a way that left no room for argument.

"No, you must write a memorial to the throne."

Faced with his father's stubborn pride, Zhang Yunxiu helplessly spread his hands.

The cabinet fell silent for a moment, and the scene was slightly awkward. The father and son were looking down at the documents, but they were still absent-minded.

Zhang Juzheng finally couldn't help but ask, "Regarding the Jingji Daily, do you have any plans?"

He was naturally aware of the turmoil that had occurred in the preceding days. The Gyeonggi Ilbo had gone to great lengths to attack him, portraying Seosan as a heinous criminal.

In their writings, the Zhang father and son seem to be comparable to Yan Song and Yan Shifan of the Jiajing era.

At first glance, this report seemed to be purely designed to cause trouble for Xishan, inciting public resentment and hatred towards the Zhang family.

But later it started to change.

It was the report in the Gyeonggi Ilbo that indirectly confirmed the fact of the explosion at the Seosan glass workshop, pushing the price of glass to a high point.

It could be said that the Gyeonggi Ilbo's report backfired, actually giving Jang Yoon-soo a helping hand.

It's hard to imagine that there weren't spies planted by Zhang Yunxiu in this newspaper.
But Zhang Yunxiu explained it in a nonchalant manner.

"These people are used to making wild guesses. They will exaggerate any slight movement in Xishan."

I simply set up a scheme to get a resident of Xishan who had already suffered a work injury to go to the Shuntian Prefecture to file a complaint. I didn't even need to promote it myself; others helped to fan the flames.”

In reality, he deliberately released a smokescreen, taking advantage of the fact that the Prince of Lu and the Shanxi merchants behind the Gyeonggi Daily were unwilling to see anything good about Xishan.

They then used the Gyeonggi Ilbo newspaper to spread news of the incident at the Seosan Glass Workshop, and some people went to verify it out of curiosity.

Even if something is riddled with flaws, people will still trust anything they have verified.

"The people behind the Gyeonggi Daily hope that something will happen to Seosan, and the gentry and merchants also hope that something will happen to Seosan, so that the price of glass will rise. This is what everyone hopes for."

Furthermore, Xishan's reluctance to directly explain the explosion, instead using various veiled rumors to mislead and manipulate the situation, from suspicion to verification, intentionally revealing flaws, is far more credible than Xishan's direct announcement.

Zhang Yunxiu raised an eyebrow and said.

"The way of commerce is also the way of human nature. Do you understand, Father?"

Zhang Juzheng retorted irritably, "You brat, have you become a spirit or something?"

"Father, this is called science! It's part of modern learning!"

Zhang Yunxiu said, shaking his head.

"Now that the price of glass has been initially set, it is the second pilot project for the economic development of our Great Ming Dynasty. The first was the former briquettes. After the development of many industries, it will surely become an inevitable trend. With the development of industry and commerce, it can bring in more revenue for the court than taxes."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Father, have you ever thought about what it would be like if the imperial court could exempt the land tax from being levied on the whole country one day?"

Zhang Juzheng trembled slightly, but still spoke solemnly.

"This is just a plan. The road ahead is long and arduous, so we must be more careful in the future."

“It’s not just a plan,” Zhang Yunxiu said, shaking his head. “Father, do you know that the Xishan Weaving Workshop and the Weaving Bureau in the Jiangnan region are the places where I am pushing forward my plan for commercial tax reform?”

Taking Xishan as a starting point, we will promote the implementation of commercial tax. In the future, as Xishan extends to all walks of life, collecting commercial tax will become an inevitable trend.

"If others don't pay, will it work?"

"Commercial tax?" Zhang Juzheng was somewhat surprised.

It should be noted that at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, all industries were waiting to be developed, and Zhu Yuanzhang also intended to protect and encourage commerce, so he set the industrial and commercial taxes as a fixed amount to be collected.

However, the policies of the Hongwu era are clearly no longer applicable today. In particular, since the Longqing era, the Ming Dynasty's industry and commerce have flourished, and collecting commercial taxes on a fixed basis is just a drop in the ocean.

This led to a very strange situation: by the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the imperial court was extremely short of silver, and the common people were suffering terribly.

The gentry and merchants who could run businesses and seize land were all incredibly wealthy.

Because of the long-standing policy, the imperial court was short of money, so it could only plunder the already struggling soldiers. When the soldiers could no longer survive, they rose up in rebellion, but they could not be blamed.

However, Zhang Juzheng was well aware of the importance of collecting commercial taxes.

However, implementing this method was even more difficult than the "land survey" and the "single whip law".

The bureaucrats and gentry, whose interests were intertwined, all opposed the reforms on the grounds that "ancestral rules cannot be changed and heavy taxes make people suffer."

Local officials, harboring ulterior motives, fear that if they rashly implement commercial taxes, it will only increase the burden on ordinary people.

Even the nobles, both high and low, in the capital all ran shops to varying degrees.

As a result, attempting to collect commercial taxes would be considered extremely unacceptable.

During the Wanli New Deal, Zhang Juzheng also attempted to reform commercial taxes by "reforming the Maritime Trade Office" and "adjusting customs checkpoints," but unfortunately, the results were minimal.

Last year, commercial taxes accounted for about 40% of the imperial court's total revenue, but most of that 40% came from the profits of the Maritime Trade Office.

Very little commercial tax was actually collected on the circulation of goods within the Ming Dynasty.

The collection of commercial taxes was so difficult that Zhang Juzheng had long since put the matter on hold, as implementing the "Single Whip Law" was far more urgent. But today, Zhang Yunxiu suddenly mentioned a new idea, leaving Zhang Juzheng no choice but to consider it.

He frowned deeply and asked very seriously.

"In your opinion, we should take Xishan as a model and the textile workshops as an opportunity to collect full commercial taxes. Then, we can promote this throughout the country with half the effort?"

That's exactly what I mean.

Zhang Yunxiu explained with a smile.

"I am confident that within a year, Xishan Textile Workshop will occupy half of the textile industry in our Great Ming Dynasty. In the future, all workshops that produce silk and cotton will have to rely on Xishan textile machines, and Xishan will dominate the world's cloth production."

Wouldn't it be much easier for the imperial court to implement commercial taxes then?

This is a roundabout method, different from the crude and direct implementation of commercial taxes.

That kid Zhang Yunxiu directly seized someone else's market and then paid the commercial tax himself.

This method is unprecedented, and only he could have accomplished it.

Zhang Juzheng's expression grew increasingly complicated, yet he suddenly realized a crucial issue.

"This method is quite novel, but there's a problem: is the current Lord of the Western Mountains His Majesty?"

Zhang Yunxiu helplessly spread his hands and said, "Father, if the Lord of Xishan is not His Majesty, can it still continue?"

Given Xishan's influence, it must have an official backing. Otherwise, no matter how good Zhang Yunxiu's relationship with the emperor was, no emperor would tolerate such a behemoth under his nose.

The fate of Shen Wansan serves as a cautionary tale.

Emperor Wanli held nearly 50% to 60% of the shares in Xishan, making him arguably the biggest beneficiary of Xishan's development—a situation that couldn't be avoided.

However, for a traditional Confucian scholar like Zhang Juzheng, the emperor holding enormous wealth was not a good thing at all.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng lowered his voice and said meaningfully.

"If people do not see what they desire, their hearts will not be disturbed."

The Zhenguan Zhengyao states, "As for carved objects, pearls, jade, and clothing, if people indulge in extravagance and arrogance, the end of the dynasty can be imminent."

He looked intently at his young son.

Do you understand?

Zhang Yunxiu immediately understood his father's meaning: he was worried that the Wanli Emperor had too much money but was unwilling to share any with the court.

Especially given Emperor Wanli's personality, once he had more money, he would inevitably become extravagant and wasteful. Who could possibly advise him against such behavior?

When faced with the emperor making money, Zhang Juzheng and his ministers looked on high alert, but Zhang Yunxiu didn't see it that way. He spoke confidently.

"Why are you worried about this, Father? All the ways in the world that can make people spend money are in my head. Why would I be afraid that His Majesty will be extravagant and dissolute?"

"This"

Zhang Juzheng really didn't know how to refute it. Indeed, judging from today's perspective, when it comes to talent for making money, there are countless heroes in the world, but none can rival him.

Now Zhang Juzheng was much relieved.

He spoke in a rambling, incessant manner, as if instructing his descendants.

"And regarding the Jingyang Palace matter, you often have heart-to-heart talks with His Majesty; you could mention that the imperial heir is the foundation of the nation."

Zhang Yunxiu: "The affairs of the inner palace are up to His Majesty, and I suppose there's nothing I can do about it."

"We must not rush into implementing the new curriculum. Recently, there have been some discontents in various parts of Jiangnan. Caution is the best policy."

Zhang Yunxiu: "The implementation of the new school is imperative. We have the powerful tool in our hands. If anyone dares to cause trouble, we will provide a one-stop service of impeachment, dismissal, and exile."

"The Jiangnan Textile Bureau and the Xishan Money Exchange have a significant relationship, and it would be inappropriate to rely solely on Si Zhe; we must pay close attention."

Zhang Yunxiu: "I trust Fourth Brother to handle things. I gave him three brilliant plans, and the Jiangnan matter will be a piece of cake for him."

Zhang Juzheng would reprimand Zhang Yunxiu, and Zhang Yunxiu would immediately retort, demonstrating that rebellion never comes without consequences.

After this exchange, Zhang Juzheng was also somewhat tired, and the conversation between father and son came to an end.

When they left, Zhang Yunxiu looked energetic, but Zhang Juzheng looked exhausted.

As he reached the entrance of the guardhouse, Zhang Yunxiu didn't forget to call out to those inside.

"Father, I'm leaving now! If you have any questions in the future, you can come and ask me again~"

"Hurry up and leave, and don't come back again!"

Zhang Juzheng looked quite disgusted.

He felt that if his youngest son visited Wenyuan Pavilion a few more times, he would live ten years less.

Inside the Thirty-Nine Shops Teahouse in Beijing.

Recently, a "new gadget" has appeared.

Whether inspired by Xishan or due to the excessively frequent trade in the capital recently, the market prices of various goods have fluctuated wildly.

The teahouse owner erected a huge display board in the center of the lobby, with small wooden signs indicating the prices of various goods.

Those unfamiliar with the business would be completely baffled, thinking that the teahouse was engaged in reselling.

But those in the know will call out a phrase.

"Futures trading market".

(End of this chapter)