Chapter 340: The Fox's Tail Shows

Should commercial taxes be collected?

That is not an easy question to answer!

The Chongzhen Emperor's ears immediately pricked up. Good, the fox's tail was finally showing — this was outright extortionate taxation!

"They should be collected!" Prince Heng nodded emphatically. "They must be! Now that the court has already abolished the land tax, if we do not properly collect commercial taxes and customs duties, how are we to build a new army, campaign against the Central Plains, and defend the true teachings? If the court truly refused to take this money, I fear all the scholars under heaven would not stand for it!"

Good, very good — this Prince Heng's political awareness was improving rapidly!

The fat Prince Fu also said: "They ought to be collected! When we were reflecting on our errors earlier, we already discovered that the failure to properly collect commercial taxes and the land tax was one of the roots of this dynasty's decay! Only by correcting mistakes can one do better, so they absolutely must be collected!"

Prince Fu was making rapid progress too!

"Prince Fu is right — they must be collected! If commercial taxes are not collected, how can the Great Ming sustain itself? If the Great Ming falls, we princes will have no place to die and be buried!"

That was Prince Jin, voicing his position with tears streaming down his face!

"Exactly! Did we not lose so many lives and squander our family fortunes precisely because everyone evaded and dodged taxes together, leaving the court with no money to raise troops and fight? This rotten policy must be changed!"

Prince Qin also spoke with great conviction — he was now thoroughly remorseful about his own family's past tax evasion and avoidance!

"If we do not change, we will all die."

Prince Zhou said, wiping away tears. His grandfather had certainly put on a grand show, claiming to have "spent a million in gold on city defenses," which was why Kaifeng Prefecture had withstood Li Zicheng three times and even shot out one of Li Zicheng's eyes.

The princes who spoke after Prince Zhou all firmly supported collecting taxes!

Clearly, all thirty-three princes had made progress!

Because they were all now penniless princes. Although Zhu Cilang had granted the ten Princes ten thousand mu of land each and the twenty-three Commandery Princes five thousand mu each, what was that bit of land worth? A princely establishment had its princely establishment's pomp and display!

Moreover, more than half of these princely establishments had brought along a crowd of destitute imperial clansmen and cadet descendants, all of whom had to be supported! All of whom had to be found arrangements for. If the court did not squeeze out a bit more, when would their hard days ever end?

Zhu Cilang nodded with a smile. The princes' attitude was within his expectations, because he had long since sent the fat Prince Fu and Prince Heng to put in a word — collecting commercial taxes was of great benefit to the imperial clan of the house of Zhu! Because the tax stations in each region would employ a portion of the cadet clansmen.

After the princes came the ennobled merit officials, represented by Zhang Shize, to state their position.

Needless to say, this group of ennobled merit officials also favored collecting taxes. Most of their business was in the north — in this age, communications were limited, and northern nobles could not possibly place large amounts of land and business in the southeast, or else their household slaves and servants below would skim off who knew how much, and they would certainly make nothing. So now they were basically all "propertyless nobles," and of course they wanted taxes collected!

And besides, it would be their own sons and younger kin doing the collecting! There was no need to embezzle much — whenever Zhu Cilang had his people raise money, he gave them a commission; even anti-corruption confiscations got ten percent, military colony rent collection got a "management fee" of ten to twenty percent, and collecting commercial taxes would surely also earn a commission.

If they could collect a hundred million, so much the better!

"Chief Grand Secretary Wei, what is your view?" Zhu Cilang put the question to Wei Zaode.

"Thousand Years, this subject also believes they should be collected," Wei Zaode said thoughtfully. "In the time of the Exalted Founder Emperor, xiucai, juren, and even officials had no right to tax and levy exemptions! This is a rotten policy! Since it is a rotten policy, it must be changed!"

Ah! They were going to strip the scholar-officials of their tax and levy exemptions?

Qian Qianyi and Hou Xun immediately grew nervous. The two of them were not only Donglin leaders but also great landlords, and their households also ran commercial enterprises. If the privilege of tax and levy exemptions were lost, the damage would be enormous!

Zhu Cilang asked with a smile: "Master Qian, Master Hou, what do you two think?"

"Thousand Years, this matter is of tremendous consequence and still requires careful deliberation!"

"Indeed. The court has only just relocated south, and nothing is yet stable."

Qian Qianyi and Hou Xun both disapproved.

"Oh?" Zhu Cilang smiled. "What unrest do you two gentlemen foresee in the southeast if strict collection of commercial taxes and customs duties is announced?"

"Some may resist the taxes."

"And they may even smash up the tax stations!"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "Is that all?"

Was that not serious enough?

Qian Qianyi said: "In truth, the court would not collect very much anyway. It is just that the petty clerks below would engage in graft and abuse the law, and who knows how much extra they would levy?"

"Mm," Zhu Cilang nodded. "Master Qian speaks truly. We must nip trouble in the bud. We can establish a Chief Tax Office, specifically responsible for collecting commercial taxes."

A Chief Tax Office? Qian Qianyi thought to himself: that would be a hated yet lucrative office! Who knew who could manage it, and who would dare to? Surely his fine student would not let those princes and ennobled merit officials run it? That would be troublesome. If the people below rioted and beat a eunuch to death, it would mean nothing; but if they beat a prince to death — that would be rebellion! And then there could be another confiscation!

Zhu Cilang then looked at Hou Xun. "Master Hou, you are Minister of Revenue. Speak your mind."

"Thousand Years," Hou Xun said, cold sweat covering his forehead, "this subject's tenure as Minister of Revenue is nearly at an end, and my mind is now entirely occupied with military affairs."

"Right," Zhu Cilang nodded. "You are about to step down as Minister of Revenue. Then We have an idea — could you help Us think it over?"

"Thousand Years, please speak."

Zhu Cilang said: "We wish to make the question of how to collect commercial taxes and customs duties the examination topic for this year's grand examination. What does Master Hou think?"

What? Make the collection of commercial taxes and customs duties an examination topic? Hou Xun wondered: did that mean anyone who wrote an essay opposing it would fail?

Hou Xun gave a bitter smile. "You would not have the candidates who write essays supporting the levying of commercial taxes and customs duties be appointed as tax collectors in the Chief Tax Office, would you?"

"Hahaha," Zhu Cilang laughed. "Master Hou is indeed a great talent! That is actually a fine idea. We will consider it!"

Hou Xun truly did not know whether to laugh or cry. His own son was taking the grand examination this year too, and would certainly place high. Who knew whether he would be sent off to collect taxes?

"Thousand Years," said Chen Rui, Minister of War, frowning, "the tax resistance during the Wanli years was extremely fierce. What if it flares up again? By then the Tartar caitiffs would be attacking from without, the gentry stirring chaos within, and Zuo Liangyu might also make some move."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded repeatedly at these words, thinking: listen to that — now that is the speech of a prudent man!

"It will not get out of hand," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "And besides, We are not afraid of chaos!"

What did that mean? Was he going to send the new army to carry out a massacre?

Minister of War Chen Rui stole a glance at Wu Xiang, Cao Youyi, Huang Binqing, Zhu Chunjie, and Wu Guoyong (now Guard Commander of the military colony garrisons) — they all looked thoroughly ferocious!

Seeing that Chen Rui had nothing more to say, Zhu Cilang said with a smile: "Since most of you gentlemen approve of strictly collecting commercial taxes and customs duties, then the matter is settled for now." He turned back to look at the Chongzhen Emperor. "Imperial Father, it seems today's session of reflecting on errors has been quite effective. There should be more such sessions in the future. Only by properly reflecting on our errors can we better correct them!"

(End of Chapter)