An unexpected planting leads to a bright future

"So fast?" asked the Empress Dowager in surprise.

Today is the first day of the preliminary selection for the Grand Selection. The entire court is paying close attention to it. The emperor's harem and the previous emperor's harem have gathered together, and various concubines have come to join in the fun. The focus of discussion is naturally the Grand Selection.

The Eighth Lady smiled and said, "Isn't it? After all, it was the Empress who presided over it."

As soon as she said this, cough cough, many people's faces turned unhappy. The Empress Dowager also followed up: "Old Eighth's wife is right, it is necessary to have someone in charge in order for the family business to prosper."

Oh my god! The concubines cursed inwardly. Isn't this like scolding a bald monk? Kangxi's harem had long been in a state of disarray. Each palace master had his own thoughts. Even the Imperial Noble Consort and the Noble Consort, who were said to be in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, were different from having an empress.

The two of them argued back and forth, marking their decades of court career as "not of high quality." The Empress Dowager was also speaking, so they couldn't refute her.

Looking at the Eighth Lady, everyone fell silent again. She was also a bit of a shrew, and since her legitimate mother-in-law hadn't said anything, everyone else had no choice but to follow suit. Concubine Liang had no grudges: she had never been in charge of palace affairs.

The Third Lady noticed something was amiss and quickly changed the subject: "If this continues, we'll be done early today, and we'll know how many people are left, right?"

The Fourth Lady interjected, "That's natural."

Shujia smiled reservedly, then suddenly felt bored. Everything was too by the book, which… took away a lot of the fun, and everyone had less gossip. In previous years, they'd gossip about which family had the highest military prowess and forced their way to the front, or which family was unlucky enough to get in first, leaving their escorts beaten to a pulp. And so on and so forth.

Shujia pondered: Is this a good or bad thing to do?

The Grand Empress Dowager wasn't too concerned about this. There were quite a few Mongolian Banner girls there today, and she was more curious about their future prospects. "When will the orders come in? Surely they'll be out sooner this time?"

Shujia bowed and said, "There are quite a few people this year, so Xiu's daughter came in a little faster. It will take some time for the eunuchs and maids to examine her, and it will definitely take until the latter part of the afternoon. The old ancestor must be tired, so why not rest for a while? I'll report to you as soon as there's any news."

"It'll be the latter half of the afternoon..." Squinting, he still couldn't see the clock clearly, so he simply asked, "What time is it now? Can we serve the meal sooner? Serving the meal sooner will allow me to rest earlier. The latter half of the afternoon will be spent waiting for news, so you all can get busy. Queen, send someone outside to help."

Shujia smiled helplessly: "Okay~"

The concubines and the wife of the old lady were sensible people, and they all dispersed for a while to give the old lady space to eat and rest.

Even without the old lady's urging, Shujia was also concerned about the status of the selected women. This was a "reform" she personally oversaw, and if successful, it would become a permanent practice. Furthermore, this was a suggestion she had made when the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported to her that this year's grand selection had begun.

Yunqi and Yunlu were more of a backdrop, but they were not ignorant. After hearing Shujia's proposal, they both thought it feasible. Ma Wu saw the benefits even more clearly and agreed to implement it. These three had already known who would make the decision after reporting the matter to Yinreng and receiving the response, "Go ask the Empress."

Speaking of it, Master Kang's dead wife attribute indirectly hurt himself. There was no queen in the harem, the empress dowager was an old lady who was not very reliable, and the concubines were not legitimate and there was a multi-party politics. The selection of concubines had to be controlled by him, a big man.

His long reign led people to believe that the emperor's duties included thoroughly examining his daughters-in-law. What a lie! The head of the household decides on the type of marriage, so shouldn't the mother-in-law be responsible for examining the daughter-in-law? The old man checking out his daughter-in-law for no reason... This is so bizarre.

In Yinreng's view, aside from his official job and educating his son, everything else was his wife's responsibility. Even when his son was young, his wife was responsible for his early education, and the results were quite good. Why should he be like his father, controlling and busy with everything?

After more than ten years of married life, it was Shujia's great achievement to cultivate Yinreng's habit.

Shujia didn't need to worry about the preliminary selections. Presumably, the eunuchs and maids wouldn't have the guts to randomly reject anyone. Those with good family backgrounds wouldn't dare; those with poor... ahem, if they were truly rejected, the Empress wouldn't care. As for personal qualities, there were still the subsequent re-selection, overnight stays, and other procedures to check them, so there was no need to worry about quality issues.

The selection process was still ongoing, and Shujia ordered the meal to be served. Afterward, she would arrange for the reselection, accommodation, etc. Furthermore, the two princesses had already been betrothed, and their dowries were being prepared by the Imperial Household Department. As their adoptive mother, Shujia also had to show her appreciation.

In the late afternoon, the Imperial Household Department indeed sent someone to deliver the list. Yinreng, who had been in front, also received the memorial. In the memorial, the Imperial Household Department members praised the Empress profusely. Who dared to take credit for the Empress's reforms? The Imperial Household Department also flattered the Emperor and Empress, saying that after decades without a Empress, everyone finally had a leader, and that this was all thanks to the Emperor and Empress.

Shujia took a quick look at the list, feeling relieved that none of the children from powerful families were missing. She took the list and went to report to the Empress Dowager.

Most of the Qing court documents were written in Manchu and Chinese, which the Grand Empress Dowager could not recognize. So Shujia asked the eldest princess to read out the names of the people, and she would comment on each one with the Grand Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was quite satisfied to hear that there were many Mongolian women this year. But as she listened further, she found that the backgrounds of the selected women were getting lower and lower. She could hardly figure out who was following who. "Alright, alright, you are trustworthy in your work. Just a little bit of your experience is enough for me. No need to tell me anymore."

"Please don't say that. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this, and I'm really nervous. I'm going to call them in in a couple of days to take a look. If you don't give me some advice, I won't be able to make it work."

The Empress Dowager said cheerfully, "Okay. Hey, does the Emperor know?"

"The Imperial Household Department must have a memorial for the Emperor. He's busy with something right now, so I don't want to disturb him. I'll send someone to report to him in a moment, when I think he's almost done with it."

"Yes, ask the emperor more." The old lady's first rule of survival is to always stay consistent with the emperor.

“Hmm—”

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The selection of concubines had stirred the nerves of many throughout the court, and everyone was eager to present themselves before the emperor. Failing to become the crown prince's father-in-law, the Third Prince was already old enough to consider an arranged marriage. Even worse, a marriage through a royal palace was possible! For those with less experience, marrying a Beile or Beizi would also be a good option.

But the emperor seemed to be unaware of the existence of the grand selection. When the Imperial Household Department submitted a memorial, he opened it and saw that the previous key target was on the list. He wrote "I know" and put the matter behind him.

To those who didn't know the truth, it looked as if the emperor was solely focused on his "control of fire consumption in all regions to prevent disturbance to the people." Prince Yong, however, was somewhat horrified: "Are you going to change the salt tax? This... tax law hasn't been implemented yet..."

Yinreng gave a bitter laugh. "I'm afraid Tsewang Arabtan won't wait for us to start a rebellion, and you know the state of the national treasury right now. If this war really goes on, the national treasury will be empty. There's money in the account, but it's not in your hands, so it's all gone. You're going to collect the deficit, but can you ever get it all back at once? You'd be lucky to make up for it within two years. Cao Yin's deficit was covered by Li Chenchang, the salt administrator, and he's still short of the balance, let alone the rest!"

The country is about to go to war. It has money to fight, but once the war starts, the treasury will be empty. It is impossible to give everyone IOUs as wages.

In order to prevent the treasury from being depleted, it is best to start raising money now.

Originally, tax reforms were a good idea, but they were slow to show results. From pilot programs to full implementation, it would take at least three to five years to see initial results—and that's still fast. Furthermore, tax reforms would also cause a degree of social unrest. The late Kangxi period was a time when many people rose up in rebellion. There's a genuine concern that further pressure might lead some educated and cultured individuals to join the overthrow of the old society. Add to that an invasion by foreign forces, and the situation would be even more turbulent!

It's not that I'm afraid of trouble; I believe I can weather it. However, if these factors erupt simultaneously, it would be a test of the nation's ability to withstand them. No leader would engage in such extreme sports unless absolutely necessary.

After much deliberation, the core ruling class of the agricultural country was ready to take action against the business. Unfortunately, the salt industry was a monopoly industry with huge profits and many disadvantages. Salt tax was also very important to the national tax revenue.

Yinreng inherited Kangxi's memory and even better manners. Driven mad by his thirst for money, he dug up a memory. He still remembered how Mr. Li Guangdi had impeached a man named Zhang Lin, who had profited over 1,617,800 taels of silver from smuggling salt.

When this incident broke out, he thought, this is really lucrative! In comparison, the salt merchants who enjoy the advantages of the state and are supported by the state are simply weak! Oh, he was also worried about money at the time, and the memory is very vivid.

If he didn't take action on this, he wouldn't be an emperor short of money!

Immediately, Yinreng convened a briefing with his key members, and everyone shared the emperor's sentiments. It made no sense for the money that should have gone to the state to go into the pockets of private salt dealers, leaving us all to worry about money, right? That was unanimous support.

Even someone like Wang Fan, who always talked about benevolence, righteousness, and propriety, said indignantly: "Disregarding the law is what needs to be dealt with. Your Majesty, please issue an order to the governors of all provinces to strictly investigate private salt. The outflow of private salt from all salt-producing areas is strictly prohibited." He even proposed measures such as strengthening the personal control of salt workers, and his actions were quite ruthless.

Yinreng praised Wang Fan's devotion to his country and said, "Then I have made up my mind."

Fortunately, the news of Tsewang Arabtan was still circulating within a narrow circle, and the court and the people were in a state of peace. The incident of Da Tiao also attracted considerable attention, while the emperor's proposed changes to the salt law, prompted by a memorial from the Censorate implicating the rampant illegal salt trade, did not cause much of a stir. Several people, eager to express their opinions, argued that the rampant illegal salt trade was a violation of law and a challenge to government authority, and that action should be taken.

Yinreng also gave orders.

The results were not ideal. By the time the salt pits in the south began to produce small quantities of salt and the selection process for the imperial concubines began, the sales of official salt had not increased much.

The reason is simple: economic laws at work. Official salt is taxed and expensive, while private salt is cheaper. People don't have much money, so even if you ban private salt, official salt won't sell, and banks aren't currently offering widespread mortgages. For example, a person can only afford 10 yuan to buy salt. With official salt, they can only buy one jin (approximately 500 grams), while with private salt, they can buy ten jin (approximately 500 grams). Without private salt, the official salt can only sell for one jin (approximately 500 grams), not ten jin. The total profit...is not as much as one might imagine.

This was only an ideal scenario; at least it increased the consumption of official salt. Normally, it was impossible to ban private salt production entirely through a decree. The market demanded private salt, so private salt dealers would take risks. Even if they raised the price to 5 yuan per jin, people would still prefer their salt to official salt.

While people's lives were not as prosperous as those of the Kangxi and Qianlong eras, many were still willing to take the risk of smuggling. Driven by financial pressure and the lure of profit, those willing to smuggle salt continued to exist, and the official salt market was still under pressure.

Seeing this, Yinreng was extremely anxious and angry, and he had to come up with another idea: to change the salt law. Anyway, the land tax was not feasible at the moment, and he had to kill Tsewang Arabtan first and raise money, so he fought against the salt tax.

Of course, there is also a very dark thought here: the business should be suppressed in the first place. After doing this, no one can say that I am not good! The rampant illegal salt is also a manifestation of the corruption of discipline. From now on, I will take action, and everyone in the government and the public will have no choice but to support me!

Prince Yong was called again.

After hearing his second brother's idea, Prince Yong's tone became a little depressed: "I think we should recover the deficit first. The old debts will pile up more and more. In the end, when people die and their family business is ruined, it will be impossible to recover much money." The tax reform that had been prepared for a year was shelved, and he was assigned a new task. He really couldn't be excited.

Yinreng glanced at his fourth brother and said, "The salt administration is also running into deficit. Private salt is rampant, and despite prohibitions, merchants are increasingly struggling. It's clear it's not the government's lax management, but rather a fundamental problem. While the situation isn't as severe as the Ministry of Revenue's deficit, it's also about squeezing out the abscess. The sooner we take action, the less effort we have."

Prince Yong still refused. In his view, matters had to be prioritized and urgent. Tax reform was necessary, as was the fire consumption tax. However, the salt policy was not yet so corrupt that it could not be supported: "Salt tax is related to national taxes and is extremely important. National tax revenue consists of land tax and silver for capitation, and salt tax. Since the land tax is to be changed, the salt tax must be suspended." You can't pull both legs at once, otherwise you will fall to the ground with a thud.

Yinreng said, "Let's not change the land tax first, but change the salt law!" He waved his hand, his thoughts clear. "This will save effort. I need to replenish the national treasury before Tsewang Arabtan takes action. This move may sound big, but it's just a business move. If we change the salt law and increase the salt tax, we'll have the confidence to change the tax law."

Prince Yong was silent for a moment before he said, "You mean... because of Tsewang Arabtan's incident, we need to save some money first?" He understood, but... he still felt a little confused. "What about the land tax?"

“It must be done!”

Both brothers had a subtle intuition about the situation. The country had been experiencing a series of problems in recent years, and change was imperative. Reform was a consensus, and the only question left to discuss was the sequence of steps. It would have been fine if they hadn't discussed it, but once they did, they discovered: So many problems were afoot in the country!

This wasn't something that could be resolved by a closed-door discussion between an emperor and a prince, with the rest of the people taking charge. After all, execution still depended on the lower levels, and even more frustrating was the fact that neither of them had come up with a reform plan, and they needed to discuss it now.

At that time, the Gangyan system was in force. Salt permits were divided into ten categories, and merchants were given special licenses, which allowed them to keep the salt as their own forever. This was a hereditary system. The government did not collect salt, but instead supervised the merchants. It was like a besieged city: outside capital could not enter, and those inside could not easily leave.

Monopoly will inevitably lead to corruption, and with the pressure from the even more corrupt government, the production of official salt is becoming increasingly difficult, while the production of private salt is becoming more and more rampant.

Another round of wrangling.

It is better to conduct a pilot project first. It is just right to hand this matter over to Li Chenchang. Prince Yong and the Crown Prince will supervise the work from the central level and report directly to the emperor.

Yinreng had planned and prepared many things in advance, and none of them were yet to be done. The first thing to be done was the salt policy, which had never been discussed!

Li Chenchang was quite capable, and since it was his job, he was familiar with the situation and understood the intricacies of the salt administration. He proposed replacing the "gang" salt with "ticket salt" and launched a pilot program.

Surprisingly... there was very little resistance from the salt merchants!

Of course, they themselves were forced to smuggle salt. Initially, the government "rewarded" them with capital to start businesses, making up for the merchants' lack of capital. State loans to support private commerce, doesn't it sound very touching?

Ugh! This isn't about supporting business development with preferential loans. The capital provided by the Imperial Household Department is being charged exorbitant interest. It's usury! Borrowing from the mafia's high-interest loans will only result in broken limbs, or at worst, a life lost, and the chance of hiding. Borrowing from the emperor's high-interest loans, the whole world belongs to him. Escape is impossible unless you sail to sea, and how easy is that?

They claim not to compete with the people for profits, but in reality they don't bear the operating risks. They collect not only dividends but also loan interest. If there's anything you need, you have to "donate willingly."

How could they not be happy now that their chains were gone? With the salt law reform, they had lost their monopoly. They had families and businesses, and hadn't been completely extorted. A lean camel is still bigger than a horse. And with generations of accumulated experience and connections, who would be afraid of whom in a competition?

At the end of the year, the salt tax had actually increased significantly, and many private salt dealers were officially legalized as a result.

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