Chapter 50: The Ministry of Revenue or the Directorate of Transmission?

Chapter 50: The Ministry of Revenue or the Office of Transmission?

"Your Majesty, this subject believes that levying commercial taxes, much like land taxes, serves to enrich the state treasury. The same principle applies to the salt tax. In Changlu, Lianghuai, and Liangzhe, to ensure the collection of the salt tax, the Great Ming has deployed at least tens of thousands of salt guards. This subject believes that, following the precedent of the salt tax, increasing the number of tax guards is imperative."

Xu Jingchang spoke fluently and with righteous indignation, "In the beginning, we should ideally have eight thousand, and at the absolute minimum, no fewer than five thousand. Only with this many tax guards can we ensure smooth tax collection and enrich the imperial treasury."

Zhu Di tightened his jaw and said, "Isn't that too many? With so many tax guards, how much will the expenses increase?"

"Your Majesty, these tax guards can be seconded from the Five Chief Military Commissions and temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue. This will not increase expenditures at all. Once everything is running smoothly and commercial taxes increase, adjustments can be made then, and things will be much more abundant."

Zhu Di still frowned. He looked at Xia Yuanji, "Minister Xia, is this your view as well?"

Xia Yuanji pondered slightly. He had brought Xu Jingchang along to see the Emperor, but in his heart, he was still guarding against the young man. This kid was full of wicked tricks. Having served in the Office of Transmission for a few months, he was even more difficult to deal with than veteran clerks of many years. Many people said privately that entering the Office of Transmission was like stepping through the gates of hell.

Without a doubt, Xu Jingchang was a green-faced, fanged demon within those gates.

How could such a person be trusted?

Today, however, things were different. Xu Jingchang had truly charged to the front lines, unhesitatingly fighting for power on behalf of the Ministry of Revenue, claiming his duty without a second thought.

Xia Yuanji felt somewhat moved; after all, this was speaking up for the Ministry of Revenue and striving for its benefits.

"Replying to Your Majesty, this subject believes that what the Transmission Envoy Xu has said makes a great deal of sense. Over the past few months, this subject has also collected commercial taxes, which cumulatively amount to nearly five hundred thousand taels of silver, ready to be transferred to the national treasury." Xia Yuanji paused briefly, then continued, "Your Majesty, the amount of commercial taxes may fall far short of the land tax and might not seem all that significant at first glance. However, the land tax is collected primarily in grain, which is extremely troublesome for both storage and transportation. When emergencies arise, requisitioning grain from various regions causes severe delays. Therefore, collecting commercial taxes and maintaining a substantial amount of genuine gold and silver to facilitate the court's emergency responses is essential. This concerns the great matters of the Great Ming's statecraft and the people's livelihood, which is why this subject dares to bare his liver and brains to address Your Majesty."

Xia Yuanji's words truly struck Zhu Di's most sensitive and receptive nerve.

In an agricultural country as vast as Great Ming, which also lacked gold and silver, tax collection had to rely primarily on taxes paid in kind; otherwise, the common people would suffer catastrophic losses.

More than a hundred years later, despite absorbing a third of the world's silver, the Single Whip Law of the Ming Dynasty still drove many peasants to bankruptcy. The core problem lay in the conversion from grain to currency, and even from copper coins to silver. Each additional step meant another layer of exploitation for the common people, essentially draining the pond to catch the fish.

Taxation in the early Ming Dynasty was still predominantly based on taxes in kind.

Yet, a problem persisted: many major engineering projects and military campaigns still required calculations in silver because silver possessed high value, light weight, easy portability, and stable monetary worth.

Otherwise, if you handed ten million guan of paper banknotes to the Ministry of War and told them to procure military rations, half a month later the banknotes would depreciate, buying only seventy percent of the goods, and in another month or two, only fifty percent would remain. How could a war possibly be fought under such conditions?

Therefore, instituting commercial taxes offered an incomparable advantage: it increased pure monetary revenue, which was of paramount importance to the Great Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di pondered repeatedly and had to admit that Xia Yuanji had persuaded him, and Xu Jingchang's proposal to increase tax guards was quite appropriate.

"Draw up a detailed set of regulations and submit them. Later, I will summon an imperial council to finalize this matter."

Xu Jingchang let out a long breath and immediately declared, "Your Majesty is wise! This measure will undoubtedly increase the annual revenue of the Great Ming, an achievement benefiting the present and leaving merits for a thousand generations."

After he flattered the Emperor profusely, Xia Yuanji also offered fine words, and the two men emerged from the palace.

Xu Jingchang said, "Lord Xia, in a few days I will turn sixteen. Although in our dynasty adulthood is reached at twenty-one, in the Tang Dynasty, sixteen was considered adulthood. No matter how you look at it, I am no longer a child. A few days ago, I even advised His Majesty not to lightly embark on a personal imperial expedition; after all, not every monarch is as miraculously valiant as His Majesty. Should any mishap occur during a personal expedition, it would shake the foundation of the state... Lord Xia, I will not remain in the post of Transmission Envoy for long, nor have I harbored overly grand ambitions. To accomplish one or two things, keeping a clear conscience and staying true to the glorious legacy of my ancestors, is enough. Regarding the matter of commercial taxes, just give your orders. This junior is willing to charge into battle, and even if I lose my official post, I will not regret it."

These words from Xu Jingchang were exceptionally sincere, so much so that even a veteran statesman like Xia Yuanji was moved.

"To find a kindred spirit in life is quite enough! How fortunate is Xia Yuanji to have the Transmission Envoy Xu willing to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to accomplish great things. You and I can truly be called comrades!"

Xu Jingchang and Xia Yuanji exchanged heartfelt farewells and returned to their respective ministries. Xia Yuanji felt a surge of emotions coursing through him. After calming himself for a good while, he picked up his brush and began drafting the strategy.

Unlike the hot-blooded Xia Yuanji, Xu Jingchang hummed a little tune and skipped happily back to the Office of Transmission. Yao Guangxiao was waiting for him there. Xu Jingchang chuckled and said, "Preceptor, I have prepared a table of vegetarian dishes. Let us play chess and chat. What do you think?"

Yao Guangxiao looked at the irrepressibly joyful Xu Jingchang and frowned slightly, "You brat, go find a mirror. A fox who has just successfully stolen a chicken wears the exact expression you have right now. This old monk is quite puzzled: which unfortunate soul have you schemed against this time?"

Xu Jingchang smiled and shook his head, "Preceptor, you think too harshly of me. I am a young man full of hot blood, devoted heart and soul to the country. While I dare not claim to be a rare loyal minister of the realm, I am certainly an outstanding youth of the Great Ming. You shouldn't always view me with such venomous thoughts."

Yao Guangxiao let out two dry laughs, "Xu Jingchang, what you are made of, this old monk knows all too well. If you won't tell me, I'm not in a hurry. We will just watch slowly, and sooner or later you will show your fox's tail. Alright, go prepare eighteen dishes for this old monk. Only when I am well-fed will I refrain from spoiling your plans."

Xu Jingchang was slightly startled, but he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

He and Yao Guangxiao drank wine and played chess, enjoying themselves immensely. Meanwhile, Xia Yuanji was vigorously wielding his brush, drafting his strategy with complete, undivided devotion.

Elsewhere, however, the court officials were in an absolute uproar.

Minister of War Liu Jun, Minister of Rites Song Li, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief Chen Ying, and several other senior officials had all crowded into the office of Minister of Personnel Jian Yi.

"Lord Keeper, no matter what, you must make a decision."

Jian Yi furrowed his brows slightly, "Are you referring to the Ministry of Revenue's demand for tax guards?"

Minister of War Liu Jun hurriedly said, "Indeed... Xia Yuanji has simply gone too far. He already controls the population registers and finances, and now he wants elite tax guards as well. What is he trying to do? With both money and soldiers in his hands, will the Ministry of Revenue become the absolute master among the Six Ministries from now on?"

Jian Yi's frown deepened, "Let's not speak of such things. His Majesty has agreed to levy commercial taxes, and I also believe it is a benevolent policy that benefits the state and the people. There is no need to make such a fuss over nothing."

Song Li leaned forward urgently, "Lord Keeper, I feel this matter is not so simple. Once the Ministry of Revenue has armed guards, they will investigate the estates and properties of all the officials. When that happens, Xia Yuanji will know precisely who is engaging in business and how much income they generate. If it were merely used for tax collection, that would be one thing, but if he uses this to form cliques, eliminate political rivals, and frame loyal officials, the future troubles will be endless!"

Amidst the worried murmurs of the gathered officials, Jian Yi's brow grew increasingly heavy.

The reason the Minister of Personnel stood at the head of all officials and wielded unmatched power throughout the court was primarily because his ministry controlled official appointments and personnel authority; no one could ignore the views of the Personnel Minister.

However, the problem was that if the Ministry of Revenue also grasped the purse strings while holding military power, and could leverage commercial tax collection to coerce all officials, there would emerge a super-department capable of both distributing wealth and punishing officials.

By then, the Ministry of Personnel would be utterly powerless to resist, and the head of all officials would naturally become Xia Yuanji.

What was to be done?

"His Majesty is single-mindedly devoted to enriching the imperial treasury, and commercial taxes are imperative; no matter what, they cannot be blocked," Jian Yi said in a deep voice.

At this moment, Chen Ying suddenly spoke up, "Even if they cannot be blocked, they cannot be handed over to the Ministry of Revenue; otherwise, the entire court will descend into chaos."

Jian Yi looked at the group, "If not given to the Ministry of Revenue, to whom else can it be given? To the Ministry of Personnel? Or the Ministry of War? Or perhaps the Censorate?"

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. This thorny problem was truly troublesome; giving it to anyone would inevitably disrupt the balance of the court.

"Lord Keeper, as things stand, it seems it can only be given to the Office of Transmission. After all, apart from transmitting administrative affairs, they hold no specific executive powers," Liu Jun suddenly said in a low voice.

The Office of Transmission?

Given how aggravating Xu Jingchang was, if he were granted the authority to collect taxes, wouldn't he turn the heavens upside down?

No, absolutely not!

Liu Jun lowered his voice and suggested, "Let the Office of Transmission collect the taxes, but every single cent must be entered into the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue. In this way, the Ministry of Revenue and the Office of Transmission will keep each other in check, and by fighting among themselves, the rest of us can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

Jian Yi frowned deeply, "I have no objection to giving it to the Office of Transmission, but I must also say this: Minister Xia is at least one of our own. If it is handed over to Transmission Envoy Xu, a man who never plays by conventional rules, I fear it will stir up an even greater calamity..."

The crowd fell into stunned silence. Just what was the proper course of action?

After a long while, Song Li slowly spoke, "Of two evils, choose the lesser!"