Most officials in the Ming Dynasty were wealthy, especially the Donglin Party officials who were known as the "Clean Stream".

Song Dynasty officials were wealthy because of their high salaries. They could spend their salaries as they pleased. Even the famous minister Fan Zhongyan could afford to buy a thousand acres of fertile land and set up the Fan Family Charity House to help the poor.

But Ming Dynasty officials, though not paid well, relied on their privileges and their incomes were no less than those of Song Dynasty officials. Many officials even had immense wealth and owned thousands of acres of fertile land.

Li Sancai, the big tiger, had been brought down, but Zhu Youxiao was not going to let other corrupt officials go. Not only those in office, but also those who had retired, were not allowed to escape.

Moreover, severe punishment for concealing taxes, accepting donations, and illegal embezzlement began last year, and a grace period was given for self-inspection and self-correction.

Now that the deadline has arrived, the emperor is of course impatient and immediately issued an edict to severely punish those officials, gentry and local officials who are stubborn, greedy for money and trying to get away with it.

Although it is impossible to catch all illegal activities in one fell swoop, there is the iron-faced Censorate of Bi Zisu in the open and the East Factory thugs of Mr. Wei in the dark, so some people slip through the net for the time being, but not many.

The court's punishment was as harsh as ever, including expulsion from the family register, confiscation of property, and exile thousands of miles away. Not many people were killed, but they were all taken away to contribute to the development of Dongfan and Qiongzhou.

Zhu Youxiao had changed his mindset and did not immediately transfer the proceeds from the confiscation of property to the inner treasury.

What should belong to the Ministry of Revenue should be given to the Ministry of Revenue, and what should belong to the Imperial Treasury should be moved to the Imperial Treasury. It was all the country's money, so filling the treasury and easing the national finances was also his goal.

There was chaos everywhere, and many clean officials were now so "clean" that only the clothes on their backs were left. They were escorted by soldiers and their families to board ships, heading towards a new life and future.

The money and valuables accumulated over the years, as well as the land and houses purchased, all became the growth figures of the country's fiscal revenue.

This was the first fire of the year. Although some people expected that the emperor would not be satisfied with last year's "extortion", such a large-scale and severe punishment without leaving any room for maneuver still surprised them.

Always hoping for luck is one of the bad qualities of human beings!

Zhu Youxiao only glanced at the income figures and didn't calculate them seriously. However, he raised an eyebrow at a few of the punished civil servants and paid a little attention.

The water is too cold! Qian Qianyi, the "leader of Donglin" and the leader of the poetry world, now let's go back to Dongfan to discuss Fu! Well, I also saved Liu Rushi from being harmed by this old man.

And there is Ding Kuichu, whose nature is really hard to change. He has not yet been promoted to a high-ranking official, but he already has tens of thousands of family wealth and has donated thousands of acres of land in false trusts.

Zhu Youxiao sneered and threw the list of severely punished people on the table. In addition to these officials, gentry and local officials were also hit, a total of 65 people.

In other words, sixty-five families became impoverished and were exiled to Dongfan or Hainan, where they would start a new life.

Although these 65 families included both young and old, and their journey into exile must have been extremely difficult, Zhu Youxiao did not pity them. He had already given them a chance, but if they did not cherish it, who could he blame?

The confiscated gold, silver, valuables, houses and land totaled more than four million, barely enough to cover the war expenses in Liaodong and the southwest.

But apart from these two wars, the expansion of the navy, the construction of ships and the addition of guns, the replacement of the army's equipment, the expansion of artillery, the purchase of horses, the mule-based army, etc., were all very expensive tasks, and the finances were still difficult to amass.

Fortunately, with the lifting of the maritime ban, the revenue of the Maritime Customs will increase substantially; commercial taxes have also been increased, mining taxes will also begin to be collected, and the salt, tea and iron monopolies will be more standardized than last year.

Another important issue is the clearing of garrisons and the payment of military pay, which basically solved the military pay for the northwestern border troops and the inland troops, and was also a major part of the court's financial expenditure.

I can slow down a bit, but I haven't reached my goal yet, so I'm afraid I'll have to spend some of my private money. Zhu Youxiao didn't calculate it in detail, but he knew that with only one year's work, he could achieve this, which should be enough to comfort him.

As for the issue between officials and businessmen, the knife has been sharpened and it is just a matter of time.

After all, if a grace period is set, it must be observed. Keeping one's word and speaking with integrity will also guarantee credibility for continuing to promote reforms in the future.

After reviewing a few more memorials, Zhu Youxiao stood up from his chair, did chest expansion exercises with his arms, and moved his cervical spine, then slowly walked to the palace gate.

The fur cloak was gently draped over his shoulders. Zhu Youxiao didn't even turn his head. Instead, he patted the hand of Li Chengcheng, who was understanding and knew his thoughts, and walked out of the palace.

The air was already filled with the scent of spring, with melted water dripping from the eaves of the temple. However, the temperature still felt chilly, not the snow itself.

This is the case in the capital. In Liaodong, the ice and snow will melt in a month at most, so we can dig trenches and build breastworks, right?

Standing under the eaves, Zhu Youxiao's gaze moved from near to far, and his thoughts began to drift.

…………………………Dividing line…………………………

Spring is late in Liaodong. Until now, we have not seen its graceful figure, nor have we smelled its warm breath.

Stepping on the crunching snow, Fan Wencheng followed the servants to the hall. This was the residence of the Fourth Prince Huang Taiji, and it was also the place where Huang Taiji invited him to meet.

It had long been heard that the Fourth Prince Huang Taiji was both civil and military, and was kind to the Han people who surrendered to him, but Fan Wencheng had few opportunities to meet Huang Taiji, and they did not have a close friendship.

The servant who delivered the message came back soon and invited Fan Wencheng into the hall, interrupting his wandering thoughts.

"Your humble servant pays his respects to the Fourth Beile." Fan Wencheng bowed to Huang Taiji as soon as he entered the hall, his attitude very respectful.

"Mr. Fan, please don't be polite." Huang Taiji raised his hand from the main seat and said kindly, "Please take a seat."

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