66 Chapter 066

◎North Korea debate◎

After three days of inactivity, the court meeting resumed.

Xie Changfeng stayed up late yesterday to read the letter from the newspaper and went through it in his mind. Unfortunately, after a good night's sleep, he had forgotten most of it and only had some vague impressions left.

Fortunately, Shao Shao was with him, so he was not worried at all.

Wu Shanqing held a mahogany tray and shuttled back and forth in the train, collecting memorials from the front to the back, which piled up high.

The tray was brought to the imperial desk. Xie Changfeng casually opened a book, read a page, frowned, thought it was empty and pretentious, and threw it away.

He opened another book, put it high up, and threw it away.

Whenever he threw a book, the hearts of the court officials below trembled and even their breathing became lighter.

Xie Changfeng flipped through five books in a row, each time displaying an expression of impatience. This was Shao Shao's instruction, intended to intimidate these brooding old hands.

After reading five books, he stopped flipping through them and his eyes fell on the Minister of Revenue Yuan Guande.

"Yuan Qing, please tell me how many private mines there are in the country."

Private mines are not privately owned, but are contracted with permission from the government. Part of the mined minerals must be handed over to the government, and the income from operating the mines must also be taxed to the court.

Of course, gold, silver and copper mines are not included.

The collection of mining tax was the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue, but compared with land tax and population tax, its management was not strict.

Most fields and population can be accurately registered, but mineral resources cannot be accurately registered.

There were many undeveloped mineral deposits in the Qi Dynasty, and there were many cases where they were discovered and taken over by private individuals. It was difficult for the government to conduct timely exploration and register them.

This question was difficult to answer, but Yuan Guande had done a lot of research in the past three days, so he replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, there are 2,586 registered private mines."

“How is the mining tax collected?”

"Taxes are collected in kind, ranging from 1% of the value to 10% of the value."

Because the government was too corrupt and manpower and financial resources were wasted, many of our ancestors opposed the taxation of mining.

However, driven by interests, mining taxes were developed in various places one after another. During the reign of each emperor, the mining taxes were changed. As a result, different regions and different types of mineral deposits had different mining taxes.

There are even some mines that are unable to cover their expenses, or their output is too low, or the mine managers are stealing from the mines.

In short, the more minerals were mined, the heavier the burden on the imperial court.

Many laborers were conscripted to mine, leaving the fields uncultivated, leading to food shortages, a sharp drop in land taxes, and an empty treasury, thus creating a vicious cycle.

Therefore, the mining tax system needs to be improved and mining technology should also be improved.

Xie Mingzhuo hit the nail on the head: "How much can each mine produce each year, Minister Yuan, do you know?"

"this……"

Yuan Guande was speechless. Even if there was a registration, he couldn't remember it.

"How can we collect taxes if we don't know the output? Do tax officials just believe whatever the mine owner says?"

Yuan Guande was sweating on his forehead. This was inevitable. No one could keep an eye on the mine output every day, right?

"Rong'an, you ask these questions, but do you have any ideas? You may share them with us." Xie Changfeng's face was full of kindness.

This was in stark contrast to the impatience they had shown when reading the memorial just now, and the ministers couldn't help feeling jealous, but after all, they were father and daughter.

Xie Mingzhuo turned and looked at the court officials: "You are all talented people in my Daqi. To be able to enter this court, it is impossible that you cannot come up with a good plan. You are welcome to speak freely. Father, no matter what they say, can you forgive them?"

The submitted memorials were not important. She asked these people to write policy papers not for herself to read, but to allow those among them who were interested to understand them more deeply.

Some words, spoken in the court, are more thought-provoking than those written in memorials.

It depends on who has the courage.

Xie Changfeng nodded: "At today's court meeting, you may speak freely. I will forgive you all."

All the ministers knelt on the ground to express their gratitude, but no one dared to step out to report.

Xie Mingzhuo counted in his mind, and when he reached fifty-nine, a voice finally interrupted him.

He was an unremarkable-looking man, wearing the robes of a third-rank official. The wrinkles between his brows were so deep that they could easily pinch a fly to death.

Xie Mingzhuo remembered him as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, named Wei Zhen. He seldom spoke in the court and was always a silent listener with a low sense of presence.

"I have a memorial."

All the ministers saluted him. Old Wei was quite brave. His boss had just been criticized by the princess, but he still dared to speak out. He was truly a warrior.

Xie Changfeng: "Minister Wei, please feel free to speak."

"Your Majesty, I believe that the key to reforming the mining tax system lies in standardizing the collection standards. However, as we all know, the output and quality of mines vary greatly, making it difficult to establish a standard."

Everyone nodded. This was also the reason why the mining tax had been so stagnant.

"I'm thinking, if we change the in-kind tax to a discount tax, will that solve the statistical difficulties in collection? Furthermore, establishing a tiered collection standard based on the characteristics of various mines could also alleviate the chaos in mining taxes."

Ministers: “…”

Xie Mingzhuo smiled upon hearing this and said, "Minister Wei's words have really enlightened me."

She was waiting for someone to speak up.

The taxation system of this dynasty was mainly based on the collection of taxes in kind. The land tax had to be paid in grain, the population tax had to be paid in grain, and even other miscellaneous taxes had to be paid in grain.

This gave rise to the tax malpractice of "Lin Jian Ki Hu".

If you want to reform the tax system, it is impossible to do it overnight. It will be easier for court officials to accept if you start with the mining tax.

As long as the mining tax reform can be implemented smoothly, the future grain tax reform will also be a natural outcome.

This Wei Zhen, if he doesn't make a sound, he will be a surprise to everyone.

"Minister Wei, what does tiered taxation mean?" someone asked.

Wei Zhen said calmly, "We'll calculate the output of various mines, large and small, and divide the tax into different tax ranges. For example, if an iron mine produces less than 10,000 catties of pig iron a year, the tax rate will be 30%; if it produces more than 10,000 catties but less than 50,000 catties, the tax rate will be 25%; and so on."

"Establishing different tax thresholds and rates is a very good approach," Xie Mingzhuo praised. "It can be applied not only to mining taxes but also to commercial taxes."

The ministers were very perceptive and agreed one after another.

"Princess, you have a point."

"What Minister Wei said can indeed alleviate the mine's concerns."

Xie Mingzhuo turned around and said, "Father, how about handing the mining tax reform to Minister Wei?"

"Wei Qing, are you willing to take on this important task?" Xie Changfeng asked.

Wei Zhen immediately knelt down to accept the order.

The father and daughter looked at each other and smiled. It was like that, how could a great country not have talented people? Aren’t they just “exploited” out?

The issue of mining tax has come to a temporary end, and the remaining issues are the official post stations and grassroots officials.

The official post system was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War's Chariot and Imperial Vehicle Department, so the Minister of War He Zheng had to go out and respond.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the reason officials extort money and enslave postmen at the post stations is because they do not charge passing officials and therefore cannot exercise control."

When everyone heard this, they thought that Mr. He was extremely bold. This statement offended all the scholar-officials.

If the official post station starts charging fees, it will harm the interests of all officials.

He is really not afraid of being drowned by spit.

He Zheng ignored the looks of these people. He finally understood that the princess, who was highly regarded by the emperor, was determined to achieve results.

In that case, why not take a gamble?

"Although the official post station was under the Ministry of War, all expenses were covered by the local government. Officials who stayed there had no concern for the local finances, so they naturally indulged themselves in pleasure."

Everyone's faces turned red. They had been exiled before and lived in government inns, so they all had this thought to some extent.

Anyway, it’s the local government that pays the money, so what does it have to do with them?

Xie Mingzhuo had already vaguely guessed what he was going to do next, and knowing that he was going to get another surprise, his smile deepened.

"Minister He means that officials on official business should advance their own expenses for accommodation at the official post station, and the official post station will issue a certificate. After the official business trip is over, they can use this certificate to claim reimbursement from their government office?"

In this way, the financial burden of the government where the official post station is located will be reduced, and the various government offices will also restrain their own officials in order to spend less money.

He Zheng was extremely surprised that the princess's idea coincided with his!

He had this idea for a long time. The corruption problem in government-run post stations was becoming more and more serious. Some government-run post stations were unable to sustain themselves and were on the verge of bankruptcy.

He wanted to change the status quo, but he didn't dare to take the initiative to do so, for fear of offending the scholars and officials all over the world.

Today, with the princess's support, he felt braver.

"Your Highness is absolutely right. I believe that only by ensuring that government agencies check and balance each other can we prevent this kind of chaos."

Of course, to eliminate corruption is just an exaggeration. It is impossible to eliminate corruption.

Xie Mingzhuo: "What should we do about the postman's predicament?"

Officials traveling back and forth were subject to public expenditure constraints, but they could still order the postmen around and, relying on their official authority, extort money from them.

He Zheng lowered his brows and said, "I am a fool and have not yet come up with a good plan."

"Do you have any suggestions?" Xie Mingzhuo turned to the other officials.

Someone replied, "Can we establish a supervisory position?"

"There are so many post stations across the country, do we have to set one up in every one of them?" someone else objected.

"Use severe punishments and severely punish them once they are discovered," an official from the Ministry of Justice suggested.

The problem of excessive exploitation of labor has existed since ancient times, and Xie Mingzhuo never thought it could be completely solved.

The truth becomes clearer as the debate continues. Let them argue for a while.

After an incense stick of time had passed, Xie Mingzhuo signaled to Xie Changfeng with his eyes, and the latter coughed lightly to suppress the argument among the ministers.

"The root of these problems is the corruption of some officials," Xie Mingzhuo said slowly. "To change corrupt practices, we must promote clean governance."

"That's a good idea, Princess."

Xie Mingzhuo looked at Chang Wei and said, "Since Lord Chang is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, why don't you take the lead and draft a code of conduct for officials to be honest and self-disciplined? This will be disseminated throughout the hierarchy. Officials at all levels must keep it in mind. The results will be included in the annual evaluation of the Ministry of Personnel."

Although it only treats the symptoms and not the root cause, it can suppress corruption in a short period of time and allow the spirit of integrity to emerge.

After receiving the order, Chang Wei asked, "Can grassroots officials also be included in the assessment?"

Two topics have already been discussed, and the protagonist of the third topic can be easily included in them.

The teacher is worthy of being a teacher. He saw through her intention at a glance.

Xie Mingzhuo nodded: "Yes."

After the discussion of the topic was over, officials from the Ministry of Rites presented matters related to the Wanshou Festival, and officials from the Ministry of War inquired about the military parade ceremony on the day of the Wanshou Festival. Then the meeting was adjourned and the court was dismissed.

"Wei Zhen stays." Xie Mingzhuo ordered.

The two discussed in detail the issues of mining taxes and labor service. With Xie Mingzhuo's encouragement, Wei Zhen, who was cautious at the beginning, gradually opened up his heart and told him all his thoughts.

As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he was extremely anxious when he saw the increasingly empty treasury.

Now that we have the opportunity to change the status quo, we must naturally do our best to seize it.

During the conversation, his admiration for the princess grew deeper and deeper, and he even couldn't help but express his idea of ​​reforming the land tax.

He realized his mistake as soon as he said it and apologized immediately.

Xie Mingzhuo didn't blame him, but he didn't continue the conversation. He gave a final, earnest instruction: "The mining tax is a complex and cumbersome matter, and it's not easy to change it. But my father and I both hope to implement the new policy next year. Can we do it?"

It is now the end of August, and there are still four months to go.

Wei Zhen gritted his teeth and said, "Yes!"

The resolution of the three issues will take time. Even though Xie Mingzhuo hopes that they will take effect as soon as possible, he can only wait and see.

Lao Chang had to take charge of the affairs of the Ministry of Personnel and had no time to teach today, so Xie Mingzhuo studied in the Wenhua Hall for an hour.

After having lunch in the Palace of Heavenly Purity at noon, he began to review memorials at his desk.

No matter how those officials resisted and were dissatisfied when they saw that it was the princess's personal approval, she firmly carried out this "boiling frog in warm water" policy.

With the support of her father, the emperor, her path would be much smoother.

She had read all the letters received by the newspaper. Most of the letters written by scholars were empty and vague. Only a few of them had unique insights and were obviously practical people.

The arrogance unique to literati makes them unable to remain anonymous.

Xie Mingzhuo wrote down their names and watched their progress.

As dusk approached, Yang Yunkai came to report.

"Princess, Xie Yu is in prison and wants to see Meng Zhuo."