Why did successive dynasties emphasize agriculture over commerce?

There are many reasons.

Such as economic factors, social stability factors, class concepts, influence of values, etc.

In addition to these, there is another important reason: taxation.

Farmers make their living from the land, so no matter what the harvest is, the land will be there.

If the land doesn't move, the farmers can't move either.

The imperial court could send people to collect taxes at any time.

Doing business is different.

The merchants traveled all over the country, and their whereabouts were erratic.

In addition, due to the limitations of society at that time, it was impossible to levy taxes from the production stage, and taxes could only be levied from the transportation and sales stages.

Generally speaking, there are three types of commercial taxes, namely, transit tax, door tax and sitting tax.

The transit tax is a tax levied by local governments on caravans at checkpoints, which can be simply understood as local tariffs.

The tax in the Ming Dynasty was called Chaoguan.

In the first year of the Tianqi reign, the national banknote revenue was 520,000 taels of silver, an increase of nearly 200,000 taels from 330,000 taels of silver in the 25th year of the Wanli reign.

When Wei Zhongxian came to power, he reduced a large amount of taxes in order to win over southern officials and the businessmen behind them.

The second type of commercial tax is the port tax.

As the name suggests, the gate tax is a tax that must be paid when entering the city gate.

Local governments would levy taxes based on the amount and value of goods carried by merchants.

After paying taxes, the government will issue a certificate to the merchant, with which he can legally sell goods in the city.

The third type of sitting tax is another form of door tax.

Some merchants carry a large amount of goods that they cannot sell in one county. In order to avoid paying too much tax, merchants will agree with the government on the quantity of goods they will sell in the city.

If you carry a thousand cotton-padded clothes with you on a trip and want to sell 200 of them, you only have to pay tax for 200 of them.

When leaving the city, the government will check the quantity of goods. If you sell more than you want, you will have to pay additional taxes or accept a fine.

The portal tax and the sitting tax were controlled by local government, which were beyond Chongzhen's reach.

The only thing that can be controlled is taxation.

The purpose of establishing the Postal and Telecommunications Administration was to unify the collection of taxes across the country and transfer the power of local governments to the imperial court.

When the emperor opens his mouth, the six ministries and nine officials will run around to their deaths.

Although the post office has been decided, the various ministries need to discuss and appoint officials as soon as possible. At the same time, they need to communicate with local authorities to ensure that the new office can run smoothly after its establishment.

After watching the two old foxes Fan Jingwen and Fang Yuegong leave, Chongzhen looked around in the hall for a while and suddenly felt bored.

He returned to the Qianqing Palace before dark, then went to the Kunning Palace for dinner and had a long talk with the empress all night.

The next morning, it was time for the palace examination.

The candidates were both excited and nervous.

What makes me excited is that this is my first time in the imperial city, and everything I see is new.

The glazed tiles on the eaves of the palace, the pillars supporting the hall, the doors and windows made of exquisite wood and fine workmanship, the exotic flowers and plants, and the "gold bricks" under their feet.

Being nervous is because you are afraid that you will not do well in the exam and it will affect your future prospects.

The official from the Ministry of Rites who led the team in front of them said as they walked: "I know this is your first time in the Imperial City, so everything you see is new to you."

"The Imperial City has its own rules. You can look at the furnishings here, but you must look quickly and quickly. You cannot stare at one place in a daze, and you must not look around randomly. Do you understand?"

"Students understand." The scholars answered respectfully.

After passing through the small doors next to the Huangji Hall and the Zhongji Hall, the group arrived in front of the Jianji Hall.

Looking at the majestic and towering hall, the candidates felt a sense of fear.

Under the command of officials from the Ministry of Rites, the candidates stood on both sides of the Danchi, facing north and back to south.

(Danchi refers to the open space in front of the palace. It is not covered by eaves and is mostly painted red, so it is called Danchi.)

Standing on the Danchi were four Jinyiwei in bright red official uniforms.

Their clothes were decorated with golden dragon and phoenix patterns, with embroidery on the sleeves and lotus leaf shapes at the hems. Embroidered spring knives hung on the blue brocade belts around their waists.

The four men held swords in their left hands and a whip made of yellow silk thread in their right hands.

The hand-held end has a handle, which is carved from wood into the shape of a dragon head and decorated with gold.

Civil and military officials arrived earlier than the candidates. They stood in front of the candidates in court robes, looking down on them.

There's no way not to be arrogant.

After all, they are experienced people, and the officials standing in front at the time also put on a proud attitude.

"Go to the palace!" the official from the Honglu Temple shouted in a deep voice.

As soon as the official from the Honglu Temple finished speaking, four Jinyiwei holding golden whips waved their whips at the same time.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The whips in the hands of the four men cracked three times in unison. The deafening sound of the whips shocked everyone.

During the Ming Dynasty, there were whip-blowing ceremonies on important occasions such as New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, Emperor's Birthday, and palace examinations.

The "Da Ming Hui Dian" stipulates that the "Ding'an Song" should be played: The Nine Five Flying Holy Dragon, thousands of nations and countries respectfully follow. The whip is blown three times...

After the sound of whips, Chongzhen came to Jianji Hall wearing court robes.

The officials kowtowed three times and bowed nine times to the examinees, then stood up and returned to their original seats.

The first step is the policy test.

The emperor gave the examination questions, and the candidates answered them in the middle aisle of Jianji Hall.

The purpose of the examination is to determine whether the candidate has normal mental and intellectual abilities (in ancient times, there were many people who became stupid due to reading too much. Although these people had good test scores, they were no longer suitable to be officials).

In addition, the policy test will also test the candidates' adaptability and eloquence.

When Chongzhen was looking through the list, his eyes involuntarily fell on the name of a candidate.

Lu Gong!

(Lü Gong is not a completely fictional character. He was the first number one scholar after the Qing Dynasty entered the Shanhai Pass.)

Lu Gong became famous in one battle!

He was the nominal leader of the Southern Zhili Autumn Examination Crying Temple...

The reason why he is said to be the nominal leader is because the matter has become so serious that there must be someone behind the scenes fanning the flames.

Looking at Lu Gong's name, Chongzhen frowned.

According to common sense, the chief examiner should have failed him in the autumn examination. After all, crying in the temple was too evil and had too serious a impact.

But not only did he not fail, he made it through all the way to the finals!

"Interesting, really interesting! You are trying to deceive me!" Chongzhen sneered and closed the list.