My father is Jiajing

Chapter 208 Let Yan Maoqing go first
When Gao Gong finished talking about the past and present of the Ming Dynasty's salt administration and its current development, Zhu Zaigui couldn't help rubbing his forehead...

It’s so damn complicated!
But at the same time, Zhu Zaigui also admired the elites who invented these management models, who were able to turn a simple thing into such a complicated model.

Are the benefits really that tempting?

No wonder the ancients often said: People die for money, and birds die for food.

When the interests are so great, they cannot be completely controlled by one family, one surname or one dynasty.

There are always some people who are jealous of the benefits and try their best to profit from it.

In order to prevent such corrupt people from making profits, the imperial court could only passively add new regulatory conditions and new supervisory personnel.

If this goes on again and again, it will naturally become bloated and complicated, and the original monopoly and huge profits will become a redundant government office that feeds a group of parasites.

But this yamen is involved in so many matters that it cannot be simply cut open and reorganized.

Otherwise, in an instant, people all over the world would have no salt to eat.

It can be said that these people really held the imperial court’s lifeline, turning the patent that should have belonged to the imperial court into the private interests of a group of people.

It really hurts!

I wonder what Guan Zhong and Emperor Wu of Han would think when they saw that the salt administration had deviated from its original intention?
But one thing is certain, even if they saw it, they would not hesitate to specialize in salt and iron.

Because the benefits are so huge that people simply can't let go. Even if they know it will be a poison in the future, they will swallow it without hesitation.

Because they also know that when the poison finally kills them, they will be long gone, and they will not even think about things that far ahead.

If this problem cannot be solved in the future, it can only be blamed on future stupidity. No wonder they set a bad example.

Because they still feel that the results were great at the beginning, but people were not good at management later on.

Therefore, in the face of huge interests, don’t easily boast about your rationality and nobility!

Those who dare to say that they are rational and noble must be because the interests are not big enough. Once the interests are big enough, it will only take a few minutes for human nature to be devoured.

"I didn't expect the salt administration to be so complicated. I really don't know how those people in the salt administration handle it."

"Think about the hundreds of millions of people in our Ming Dynasty, and the amount of salt we need to consume every day is also huge."

"Moreover, during the time of Taizu, the salt tax could earn more than one million taels of silver. Now, with a population several times greater than at the beginning of the founding of the country, we can only earn 600,000 taels of silver per year."

“The gap between them is really puzzling!”

After listening to Gao Gong's words, Zhu Zaigui also raised his own soul-searching questions.

Gao Gong listened to Zhu Zaigui's words and replied meaningfully: "Yes, the court can only obtain a fixed amount of tax from the salt administration every year. This is really a bit puzzling."

"However, I have also studied the salt policy of our dynasty. The salt policy of our dynasty is different from that of the previous dynasty. In addition to issuing salt permits in response to wars, it is also sometimes issued for disaster relief."

"The purpose is to quickly raise enough food and relief supplies. In addition, there are many salt farmers who make a living by boiling salt, and their livelihoods must also be taken into consideration."

"So sometimes I can't help but imagine that collecting 600,000 taels of silver a year is not a small amount."

Zhu Zaigui smiled. Gao Gong was right. The livelihood of the salt farmers who boiled salt also had to be considered.

However, as far as Zhu Zaigui knew, most of these salt farmers who boiled salt could only live to be in their thirties or forties due to their working environment and work intensity.

Although the average life expectancy of the lower-class people in the Ming Dynasty is about this age, it is still too little and too hard. Zhu Zaigui said: "It is right to consider the livelihood of the salt households, but we must also consider the quality of their livelihood."

"Without a quality livelihood, their livelihood today is at best just a survival."

"I think our Ming Dynasty is a great country, and Your Majesty is a saintly ruler. How can you let these people live in such hardship?"

"Could it be that after two hundred years of nurturing scholars, our Ming Dynasty has only nurtured some selfish people who only care about themselves?"

"Could it be that they are officials of the imperial court, holding the power granted by the imperial court, and eating the imperial court's salary, but in the end, all they think about is themselves? All they think about is bringing honor to their ancestors?"

"If this is true, is he worthy of the trust of His Majesty and the expectations of the people? You know, when they were in office, the local people all called them parents. I wonder if there are parents in the world who would exploit their children like this?"

Zhu Zaigui's words made Gao Gong silent. Although he knew that what Zhu Zaigui said was right, this was the way the world was and it could not be changed.

If we want to change the world, no one knows what method to use.

Because throughout history, those who have tried to change the world, not to mention those who have failed, those who have succeeded will almost always become exactly the same people as before.

Even more selfish, more callous, and more hypocritical.

Therefore, it is really difficult to change the world.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Gao Gong's silence, without any blame or rebuke in his heart.

Because Zhu Zaigui also knew that the world would remain the same even after hundreds of years.

It's just that the method has become more sophisticated.

But for today's era, that era is undoubtedly advanced, and it is still an era that we can learn from and move towards development.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui said softly at the end: "If I have a more sophisticated method of making salt, can it make the salt administration better?"

Zhu Zaigui's whisper immediately attracted Gao Gong. Gao Gong looked up at Zhu Zaigui with expectation in his eyes.

Gao Gong asked, "Does Your Majesty really have such a method?"

Zhu Zaigui leaned back and said, "Yes, there is, but we have to try it to know the result."

Gao Gong was instantly excited when he heard this, "Really?"

Zhu Zaiqi hummed and said seriously, "It's true."

When Gao Gong heard Zhu Zaigui's affirmative answer, he was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. Although he didn't understand what the method was, he knew that if there was such a method, it would inevitably lead to a new round of salt administration reforms.

If the salt administration reform can really tighten the interests of local salt officials and related salt merchants and make the salt administration run more healthily, it will definitely be a remarkable reform.

Gao Gong bowed to Zhu Zaigui excitedly and said, "On behalf of the people of the world, I would like to thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness!"

After being bowed to by Gao Gong, Zhu Zaigui jumped up quickly and said, "Don't bow to me, bow to Your Majesty. If it weren't for Your Majesty's blessing, I would not have thought of such a method."

"Besides, the salt administration is now involved in a lot of complicated interests. If we are not fully prepared to replace them, it is better not to do anything now. Otherwise, people all over the world will not be able to eat salt, and this sin is not something you and I can bear."

"So, we still have to take a long-term view and see how Yan Maoqing manages the salt first. If necessary, you can also help him and let him open up the situation and offend the people in the salt administration first."

(End of this chapter)