Chapter 88

~30 min read 5,889 words

The Emperor is truly not attending to his proper duties. Chapter 88: Grand Secretary, I will take you to see a rainbow. The Great Ming's Single Whip Law had a long history. Starting from the first year of the Zhengtong era, the regular taxes of the fourteen prefectures in the Southern Yamen began to be partially converted into silver and sent to the capital, with an annual income of about one million taels of silver.

But the person who truly confirmed the Single Whip Law and proposed that the Great Ming's tax burden should be shifted from physical taxes to currency taxes was named Gui E.

Gui E was a Jinshi in the sixth year of the Zhengde era. In the eighth year of the Jiajing era, he succeeded Zhang Cong as the Junior Grand Secretary of the Wu Ying Hall and entered the Cabinet. The following year, Gui E submitted the "Ren Min Kao Shu," proposing the Single Whip Law.

Gui E proposed the concept of currency tax, outlining the requirements for compiling corvée labor and clearing land, which was attacked by Yang Yiqing and others. Gui E had to retire and passed away not long after.

Yang Yiqing and others were very resistant to Gui E's Single Whip Law. They defeated Gui E, but the national treasury was still in great deficit. The imperial court had no money, so it couldn't support soldiers, couldn't support talent, couldn't pay the salaries of all officials, and couldn't do anything.

In March of the tenth year of the Jiajing era, Censor Fu Hanchen submitted a memorial, requesting an imperial decree to implement the Single Whip Law.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Mencius, 'Jinxin Xia' says: 'There are taxes on cloth and silk, taxes on grain, and taxes on labor. A gentleman uses one, relaxes the other two. If he uses two, the people will starve. If he uses all three, fathers and sons will be separated.'"

"What is the tax on cloth and silk? It is commercial tax. What is the tax on grain? It is land tax. What is the tax on labor? It is corvée labor."

"Mencius said that among the three, only one can be levied. If two are levied, it is a heavy tax, which will lead to starvation on the roads. If both cloth/silk and grain are levied, and the people are forced to perform labor, fathers and sons will be separated, and families will be ruined."

"This is also one of the reasons why all generations have cursed the tyranny of the Qin laws, because the Qin laws started the three taxes. The Qin three-tax law left the world exhausted, and the violent Qin perished. However, all generations have followed the Qin laws, and the three taxes have never been cut off."

This is a basic fact. Everyone cursed the violent Qin for the three taxes, but for the past thousand years, haven't they followed them just the same?

Zhang Juzheng continued, "During the Han, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties, there were land taxes, poll taxes, and labor services."

"In the Tang dynasty, there was rent, service, and tax. Rent refers to each adult male paying two shi of grain; tax refers to each household paying three zhang of silk and two liang of hemp, depending on local products; service refers to each adult male performing twenty days of corvée labor; tax refers to the two out of ten collected on transactions at ferries and markets, which is called the tax."

"Our Great Ming's founding Emperor opened up the country, and the Ming followed the Tang system, setting the three-tax law. Commercial tax was six out of a hundred. Land tax was set by the Yellow Register and the Fish-Scale Map. Initially, it was one out of fifteen. From the twenty-third year of Hongwu, it was one out of thirty, and in the fertile land of Su and Song, it was two out of ten. Corvée labor had many names, generally divided into four categories: labor service, corvée labor, miscellaneous labor, and labor difference, etc."

"In the tenth year of the Jiajing era, Censor Fu Hanchen submitted a memorial, requesting the implementation of the Single Whip Law, which would distribute the corvée labor of a province equally among the grain and land of that province, calculating the amount of silver per shi of grain and per adult male, weighing the complexity and simplicity, and making flexible allocations."

"The Single Whip Law is to combine land tax and labor service—that is, the tax on grain and the tax on labor—into one law, levied on the land."

The Single Whip Law, originally called the Single Compilation Law, is to combine the land tax and labor service that have existed since ancient times.

One hundred and ten adult males make one jia, each li belongs to the prefecture and county, the prefecture and county summarize to each prefecture, each prefecture summarizes to the Provincial Administration Commission, and then the Provincial Administration Commission converts the land tax and labor service of a province into silver and distributes it equally among all the land."

Whoever holds the land is taxed. Combining the various names of labor service into this land and levying it from the land is to weigh the complexity and simplicity and make flexible allocations.

Its greatest significance lies in reducing the names of various taxes and levies, reducing strong personal attachment, and reducing the tax pressure on tenant farmers and vagrants.

Zhang Juzheng continued, "With the clarity of Li Lou and the skill of Gongshu Zi, without a compass and square, one cannot draw a square or circle; with the hearing of Shi Kuang, without the six pitch pipes, one cannot correct the five tones; with the way of Yao and Shun, without benevolent government, one cannot govern the world."

"Even with the good eyesight of Li Lou and the good skills of Gongshu Zi, if you don't use a compass and square, you can't draw a square or circle; even with the good hearing of Shi Kuang, if you don't use the six pitch pipes, you can't correct the five tones; even with the teachings of Yao and Shun, if you don't implement benevolent government, you can't govern the world well."

"The matter of land tax and labor service, the tax on grain and the tax on labor, is a heavy weapon of the country and cannot be moved easily. Let's not discuss it for now." Zhang Juzheng talked about the Single Compilation Law but stopped there.

If you want to implement the Single Compilation Law, you need to clear the land; measure the land of the world, and know who holds these seven million qing of regular land. Clearing the land requires officials to practice it; the civil service requires removing the evils of bribery and appeasement; removing the evils of bribery and appeasement requires a promotion mechanism of the 'Examination and Achievement Law' to break the inherent promotion mechanism of human relationships in the past.

This all takes time, and it all requires constant harmony between yin and yang in the struggle, constant summary of experience and lessons in the collision between the spear and the shield, and constant change bit by bit. It is not something that can be achieved overnight, let alone a government decree that can be done by asking the little Emperor to stamp it.

The collision between the spear and the shield will become more and more intense. The more sparks it sparks, the more doubts will appear. Only by resolving these doubts can the government decree be effectively implemented.

In this collision between the spear and the shield, the significance of Zhang Juzheng's existence as the Senior Grand Secretary governing the state is to prevent the country from collapsing.

Zhang Juzheng said, "Luo Gongchen spoke about the matter of taxing foreign ships, which is talking about the tax on cloth and silk—that is, commercial tax—collected from the Red-Haired Barbarians. The Sage said: 'Without a compass and square, one cannot draw a square or circle.' If you open the sea for trade without rules, it cannot last long. If you tax today and don't tax tomorrow, repeating it over and over, the barbarians will be surprised and suspicious, and the Great Ming officials will not know what the law is."

"Simply put, if commercial tax increases, land tax and labor service don't have to be too harsh, which is also good for the gentry of the world."

Minister of Rites Wan Shihe immediately said, "Competing with the people for profit is a great harm to the world! Causing the common people to run to overseas—how can this be? The wealth of the world is transported overseas, and our Great Ming has no wealth. How can we collect taxes? The ancestors had established laws, setting up the sea ban, so naturally, there is the ancestors' reason."

"Until the Longqing era, just for the sake of convenience, the Yue Port was opened to provide convenience for merchants, and they dealt with the Japanese pirates in a false way, providing food and pay, providing food and pay for the people. This silver is limited. If the imperial court collects it, how can the people make a living?"

"Taking it like a tiny amount, using it like mud and sand. Is it the heart of one person or the heart of millions of people! The violent Qin loved strict laws and luxury, people remembered its cruelty, the violent Qin perished, and today it still takes strict laws and luxury! When will the time of death come? Both you and I will perish!"

"If you ask me, just abolish this Yue Port. Whenever Japanese pirates rise, the royal army will gather, and taking them will be like reaching into a bag. Pacifying them is enough."

Zhang Juzheng said that without a compass and square, one cannot draw a square or circle, so we must set rules and collect taxes on foreign ships, and manage this Yue Port matter well.

But Wan Shihe said that providing food and pay for the people—money is limited. Collecting money from the gentry is equivalent to collecting money from the people. At that time, the imperial court will lose the hearts of the people, just like why the scorching sun doesn't perish; the people will perish together with the imperial court.

Zhu Yijun looked up at Wan Shihe, then lowered his head again, taking notes on his book unhurriedly. This Wan Shihe, I'm afraid, is like Lu Shusheng, who had long ago received benefits, which is why he was running around so much for this opening of the sea.

Lu Shusheng initially opposed Luo Gongchen's taxing of foreign ships.

Wan Shihe also opposed it.

For this Minister of Rites to reach this point, he has somewhat disgraced the rites and laws.

Rites and laws are the discipline and constitution of the world. Originally, at the beginning of the country, the Ministry of Rites was the head of the six ministries. Now, the Ministry of Rites is becoming more and more 'pure and noble.' 'Pure and noble' is a nice way of saying it; to put it bluntly, the Ministry of Rites is out of touch with reality, its status is steadily declining, and it has already fallen to the bottom, above the Ministry of Works.

Because of Confucian rites and laws, the status of the Ministry of Works has always been very low, ranking last for ten thousand years. If it continues like this, the Ministry of Rites will become the last.

"Minister Wan, what you said is truly interesting." Tan Lun sat up straight, looked at Wan Shihe with amusement, and asked, "Do you mean that if the imperial court collects taxes from foreign ships, it is collecting money from the gentry, and collecting money from the gentry is collecting money from the common people? Is that what you mean?"

"Yes!" Wan Shihe nodded quite definitely and said, "Corrupt officials drain the people from below, and many people flee and become vagrants. Now discussing taxing foreign ships—isn't that the imperial court earning the money that merchants should have earned? Aren't these merchants transferring this part to the common people? Am I wrong?"

When Tan Lun heard Wan Shihe say this, he immediately asked, "Taxes on cloth and silk, taxes on grain, and taxes on labor are all taking the tiny amount of the common people. He Yi not just stop collecting them altogether? What does Minister Wan think?"

Wang Guoguang said with a smile, "Minister Wan, why not come to the Ministry of Revenue as Minister?"

"The imperial clan needs money and grain, the nobility needs money and grain, the officials need money and grain, the nine borders need money and grain, supporting talent needs money and grain, disaster relief needs money and grain, dredging rivers needs money and grain, leveling post roads and official roads needs money and grain, and building the Great Wall needs money and grain. Every winter, the Great Ming asks the Ministry of Revenue for money and grain everywhere. You come, don't collect the three taxes, and appease these people who are opening their bloody mouths, not giving money and grain, and wishing they could eat me."

"You come and be this Minister of Revenue."

Wan Shihe immediately said, "The Sage said that a gentleman uses one, relaxes the other two. If he uses two, the people will starve. If he uses all three, fathers and sons will be separated! Following the laws of the Three Dynasties, using one is enough."

Hence Hai Rui looked at Wan Shihe and asked with a smile, "Does Minister Wan usually live by eating primordial energy and live long by divine spirit?"

Hence Hai Rui's sentence was very ugly, directly expelling Wan Shihe, this Confucian scholar, from the Confucian ranks.

Confucius did not talk about strange powers and chaotic spirits. Wan Shihe's usual speech was detached from reality, just like a person living detached from the five grains without eating, only needing divine clarity to live long—it was unrealistic.

Wan Shihe was scolded, and he didn't know how to talk back. The meaning he expressed was too detached from practical implementation.

"Is it enough? Is it enough to use one or two?" Wang Guoguang tilted his head and looked at Wan Shihe, asking, "Of course we must listen to the Sage's teachings, but we must naturally look at practical implementation. The national treasury is in great deficit, and income is not enough to cover expenses. If it weren't for Zhang Cheng and Luo Gongchen getting 240,000 silver back to the capital this time, the government offices wouldn't even have money for firewood next month."

When Wan Shihe heard this, his mouth twitched twice, and he finally couldn't talk back, saying, "That's the Ministry of Revenue's business!"

"Then the Ministry of Revenue agrees to tax foreign ships." Wang Guoguang immediately took over the conversation, which was his stance.

"The Ministry of War also agrees to tax foreign ships." Tan Lun expressed the Ministry of War's stance. Without silver, without money, and without grain, how can we let the soldiers fight?

"The Grand Secretary has handled it properly." Minister of Personnel Zhang Han was an honest man. His stance on this matter was that the Grand Secretary did the right thing. As for why it was right, the court officials had already expressed it very clearly, just like people need to eat, and the imperial court needs to collect taxes.

Three ministries had voted in favor. According to the weight of the Great Ming court officials, this court discussion had already passed, because Zhang Juzheng's weight was the highest. He was a cabinet minister, and the Cabinet held the floating notes. Zhang Juzheng wouldn't listen to them and insisted on sticking the floating notes according to his own meaning. As long as he convinced the Emperor, it could be done.

The reason for the court discussion was Zhang Juzheng's promise to the Emperor.

In Zhang Juzheng's "Chen Wushi Shu," he made specific requirements for the little Emperor: attend court, read memorials, summon cabinet ministers and court officials, and also made requirements for himself: state affairs all need court discussion, and made requirements for all officials: capital officials need assessment.

"The Ministry of Justice thinks that taxing foreign ships is afraid that the Red-Haired Barbarians will learn from the Macau incident. They should not be allowed to split the land and multiply. The Red-Haired Barbarians have always been without reason and virtue. If they go deep into the interior to multiply, I am afraid it will be infinitely harmful. Losing the country for a piece of cowhide." Wang Zhigao agreed to tax foreign ships, but taxing foreign ships did not mean giving the Red-Haired Barbarians land.

Ge Shouli was stunned and asked suspiciously, "Losing the country for a piece of cowhide? What is this allusion?"

Zhu Yijun also looked up. This allusion was very fresh, and it was the first time he had heard it.

Minister of Justice Wang Zhigao explained, "The allusion of Luzon being destroyed by the Portuguese. During the Zhengde era, the Portuguese Red-Haired Barbarians forcibly traded with Luzon. After a while, the Red-Haired Barbarians saw that the country was weak and could be taken. In the thirty-second year of the Jiajing era, the Portuguese offered heavy bribes to the King of Luzon, begging for land the size of a cowhide to build a house to live in."

"The King of Luzon did not realize the fraud and allowed it."

"The Red-Haired Barbarians tore the cowhide, connected it to several thousand zhang, surrounded the land of Luzon, and forced them to keep the agreement."

"The King was terrified, but he had already promised, so he had no choice but to listen. In the fourth year of the Longqing era, the Portuguese—that is, the Governor of the Philippines, Francisco, who traded with our Great Ming at Yue Port—killed the King, drove the people on the island into the sea, and founded a country."

Hence Hai Rui looked at Ge Shouli and said, "When I was in Qiongzhou, I heard the refugees of Luzon and the Great Ming merchants say so. Luzon has indeed been destroyed."

"Luzon has been destroyed?" Ge Shouli was lost in thought. Luzon was also a tributary state of the Great Ming, paying tribute every three years. I am afraid I will never see it again.

The court officials were silent for a while. Today they were discussing Luo Gongchen's taxing of foreign ships, but after discussing it, they found that the overseas situation seemed to have changed greatly.

Zhu Yijun had been listening to the government. Hearing that everyone had quieted down, he put down his brush, sat up straight, and said, "Gentlemen, I have something to say."

As soon as the little Emperor spoke, everyone looked at the Emperor on the stage.

Zhu Yijun looked around and said, "The Minister of the Court of Ceremonial Rites, Sun Lun, reported that the daimyo of Owari, Japan, Oda Nobunaga, exiled the Ashikaga shogunate, and the King of Japan, who was enfeoffed by Emperor Chengzu Wen, was expelled. Since the twelfth year of the Zhengde era, the Great Ming and the Portuguese have had three conflicts on Tunmen Island, and then wiped out the Red-Haired Barbarian pirates in Zhoushan. Now I hear you gentlemen discussing state affairs, and I have doubts."

"The Portuguese came from the west, and the Spanish came from the east. They claim to have come from the Far West. You gentlemen are all ministers of the Great Ming's country. Where are these Portuguese and Spanish? They all came from the Far West. One came from the east and one came from the west. How did they get to the Great Ming?"

The Portuguese were well known to the Great Ming. After all, during the Zhengde era, two Portuguese envoys stayed in the capital for a long time, one named Huo Huo Huo Zhe Yasan and the other Tome Pires.

In the first year of the Jiajing era, the Portuguese envoy Huo Huo Huo Zhe Yasan was ordered to be beheaded by the Jiajing Emperor who had just ascended the throne. In the third year of the Jiajing era, the Portuguese court pharmacist Tome Pires died in prison.

The Spanish were not well known to the Great Ming. The Great Ming had little contact with them. Their captain and the Governor of the Philippines had just had a galleon trade with the Great Ming at Yue Port, and 240,000 silver was taxed from four million silver.

Two countries from the Far West, one from the east and one from the west, could both get to the Great Ming. He Yi is this?

Zhu Yijun, as a little Emperor with a rich desire for knowledge, asked because he didn't know. Where are these two countries?

Zhu Yijun knew the geographical location of Portugal and Spain, and also knew that the earth was a sphere. Getting to the Great Ming from the east and west was possible, but the court officials didn't know.

The officials were silent.

Wan Shihe bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Portuguese and Spanish countries are just small barbarian states not worth mentioning. They are just barbarians from the extreme northwest. They have not heard of the imperial transformation and do not understand etiquette. They are not worth worrying about."

Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and asked, "Minister Wan, not worth worrying about?"

"A captain of the Spanish, excluding the cargo on the ship, had more than four million taels of silver. Minister Wan, four million taels of silver can be considered not worth worrying about? Has our Great Ming become so rich? My virtue is cool and young. Is this how you fool a child?"

"Your subject doesn't dare! Your subject is guilty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Wan Shihe was so scared that he hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty. If this charge was confirmed, he would be deceiving the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and asked coldly, "Do you know where the Portuguese and Spanish are, Minister Wan?"

"Your subject truly doesn't know." Wan Shihe knelt on the ground and answered this question.

Zhu Yijun looked at Wan Shihe and said coldly, "To know what you know and not know what you don't know is knowledge. Liu Liu Zhizhi is knowing, and not knowing is not knowing. You are the Minister of Rites. Do you still need me, a child, to teach you the Analects?"

"Aren't you the Minister of Rites? The Court of Ceremonial Rites is under your management. You don't know where the Portuguese and Spanish are? How did you become this Minister of Rites?"

"You don't know the ancestral laws, you haven't learned the Analects well, and you manage the Court of Ceremonial Rites but don't know where the sea barbarians are. What are you doing every day?"

"Since you entered the court two months ago, every time you discuss something that might damage the interests of the gentry, you jump out. You are scolded by the Ministry of Revenue, scolded by the Ministry of War, and scolded by the Chief Censor."

"Are you serving as an official for the Great Ming? Or are you serving as an official for the gentry?"

Zhu Yijun omitted the previous questions and asked this one question alone. There were too many questions, and Wan Shihe couldn't answer.

Zhu Yijun just wanted to remind the Great Ming officials to pay attention to the changes happening overseas. Japan was moving towards unification, and the Portuguese and Spanish were coming from the east and west, successively destroying tributary states like Goa, Malacca, and Luzon. Three of the Great Ming's fifteen non-conquering countries had already been destroyed.

Wan Shihe insisted on jumping out and saying: The Emperor shouldn't know where these two sea barbarian countries are. Anyway, they are just small barbarian states not worth mentioning. Isn't this asking for a scolding?

Zhang Juzheng, as the entrusted minister and teacher of the Emperor, had to think of a way to solve the problem if the Emperor had any questions, even if he had to scratch his bald head.

Wan Shihe jumped out and said that the Emperor didn't need to know. Who does he think he is, demanding the Emperor not to know!

"Your subject is serving as an official for the Great Ming." Wan Shihe answered, biting the bullet.

Zhu Yijun sneered. The entire Zhao Wenhua Hall could hear the little Emperor's slightly jumpy laughter, but no one jumped out to accuse the little Emperor of losing etiquette, because the official who should have questioned the little Emperor's loss of etiquette, Minister of Rites Wan Shihe, was kneeling on the ground pleading guilty. The little Emperor's sneer was mocking Wan Shihe.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "Tsk, do you believe it yourself? Do you ask the Great Ming officials if they believe it? Do you ask the ceremonial officials and the correction officials if they believe it?"

"I won't ask anymore. If I ask again, you'll go back and commit suicide. At that time, I'll get the reputation of being cold and ungrateful again."

"Get up and think carefully about how this Minister of Rites should be served. Don't just know how to collect silver and talk nonsense all day. Those who govern the state achieve their ends through bribery. You are a second-rank official of the Great Ming. Listen to your own words. You don't feel ashamed, but I feel ashamed, and the imperial court feels ashamed."

Wan Shihe knelt on the ground, neither getting up nor not getting up, neither bumping his head nor not bumping his head, neither going back to commit suicide nor not committing suicide. He could only tremble and say, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace."

"So, gentlemen, where are these Portuguese and Spanish, and why are they both in the Far West, one coming from the east and one coming from the west?"

Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, allow your subject to figure it out and then report to Your Majesty."

"No rush, continue the court discussion." Zhu Yijun waved his little hand, showing a smile, and restored his sunny and cheerful image. The Grand Secretary was very pleasing to the eye; he was not losing his temper with the Grand Secretary.

Every time the Grand Secretary smashed his understanding of the world and reconstructed it, he had to answer the little Emperor's questions. This was a submissive heart; this was a gentleman.

Wan Shihe was just asking for a scolding!

Zhu Yijun didn't govern personally and didn't chase Wan Shihe to scold him. Wan Shihe jumped out himself, so Zhu Yijun's punch had to be tasted by Wan Shihe.

Zhang Juzheng, as the entrusted minister, had to think of a way to solve the problem if the Emperor had any questions.