Repeal Prohibition?
The Minister of Revenue frowned and thought deeply.
"Could it be that they want to imitate the mining license and also issue a winemaking license?"
There are many historical reasons for the prevalence of illegal mining, which resulted in the widespread use of privately minted coins, causing the imperial court to lose a large amount of tax revenue.
In order to crack down on the private minting of coins, Gu Jiu gave the Shaofu an idea to bring all private mines under the jurisdiction of the court, and to uniformly apply for mining licenses, so that illegal private mines could be transformed into legal private mines.
If a private mine refuses to apply for a mining license, it will be deemed an illegal private mine. The government and local garrisons can close the mine, impose fines, and require it to apply for a new mining license in accordance with the law.
The local government retained 50% of the fine, and the Shaofu collected 50%.
If the fine is not paid, the private mine will be confiscated and become the property of the Shaofu.
After a series of blows, illegal private mining has become less and less common, and at least 80% of the world's mining industries are registered with the government.
With registration, there will be tax.
Mining taxes are also a considerable amount of money.
"Repealing the prohibition law and applying for a winemaking license, similar to the mining license, is one solution."
"Your Excellency, are you really going to lift the Prohibition? There's a war going on in the north right now, and food is in short supply. Even though the Prohibition is in name only, it's still a court law. When necessary, it can be used to restrict private brewing and save food. If you lift the Prohibition, you won't be able to restrict private brewing."
"Wrong! Repealing the prohibition and issuing brewing licenses is the only way to truly curb the private brewing trend among the people and save grain. It can also increase the court's tax revenue. It's like a mining license."
"Do I need a license to brew some wine at home?" the subordinate asked.
"Of course, you don't need a license to brew your own wine. However, if you sell it on the market, you must get a license. For example, the major wineries in the capital make a lot of money, but pay very little tax. This is clearly taking advantage of the court's loopholes."
"Many liquor shops sell their own liquor. My subordinates still believe that the issue of lifting the prohibition and issuing liquor licenses needs to be discussed."
The Minister of Revenue nodded and said, "There are many details that need to be considered carefully."
After thinking about it, the Minister of Revenue picked up his pen and wrote a proposal and put it in an envelope.
"Leave it to Madam Zhao. Please ask her to give me a reply."
The subordinate took the envelope and asked, "Why don't you go see Madam Zhao in person?"
The Minister of Revenue shook his head and said, "I am busy with government affairs, so I will not disturb Madam Zhao."
It's clearly an excuse.
I'm afraid that if I go to see Madam Zhao, she will ask me about last year's debts and this year's budget.
The Minister of Revenue was afraid of bargaining with Madam Tongzhao.
The subordinate took the order and left, going to the eldest prince's residence to see Madam Zhao again.
After reading the memorial written by the Minister of Revenue, Gu Jiu smiled, picked up a pen, wrote a number at the bottom of the memorial, and handed it to the official of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Please tell the Minister that this lady congratulates you on the good news."
…
After reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Revenue, Gu Jiu sent someone to hand over this year's budget to the Ministry of Finance, asking the Ministry of Finance to provide money and grain.
Huang Qubing, the Imperial Household Secretary, was reluctant to let Huang Qubing handle the matter. He only needed to sign the document.
Huang Qubing frowned, "For such a large amount, it's best to consult His Majesty. Otherwise, if His Majesty asks about it later, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain."
Huang Fu Ma was used to being a hands-off boss. "Write a memorial for your father and send it to the palace."
"As you wish, son."
Memorials from the Shaofu could be delivered directly to the Xingqing Palace without going through the Zhengshi Hall.
Chang En placed the memorial from the Shaofu in the middle position, which was neither deliberate nor showed any sign of intentional suppression.
Whether or not His Majesty can see me depends entirely on luck.
There are so many memorials every day, and not every one of them will be reviewed by His Majesty personally.
Emperor Wende was busy until noon when he finally came across the memorial from the Shaofu.
After reading the contents of the memorial, he frowned and asked, "The Ministry of Revenue has run out of money?"
It was barely the beginning of the new year, and the Ministry of Revenue was already out of money. How was it going to cope for the rest of the year? A few months later, officials in Beijing were complaining that the Ministry of Revenue was in arrears with their salaries.
"Your Majesty, the war in the north is very costly."
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, "Over the years, I've maneuvered around and increased so many tax sources, but the Ministry of Revenue still has no money and no grain."
Chang En said cautiously, "Although the Ministry of Revenue was short of money and food, during the war, the people's taxes and corvée labor were not increased. This is a benevolent policy! In the past thousand years, during wartime, the burden on the people has not been increased. Your Majesty is the first person in history, a wise ruler!"
Emperor Wende was very pleased.
He smiled. "You're right. The war in the north was a war that cost the nation its life, yet I didn't raise taxes a penny, nor did I increase the burden of corvée labor on the people. Those outside the war zone were still able to live and work in peace. This is a policy of great virtue that will endure for all time."
"Your Majesty's benevolent policies should be known to the world and passed down to future generations."
Chang En’s flattery was just right.
Emperor Wende laughed heartily, "Hahahaha... summon Lord Lu to an audience. Lord Lu is a man of great literary talent, and this task belongs to him."
The busy Zhongshu Ling Lord Lu suddenly had another task: to gather people and write articles to praise the emperor's merits. He wanted to make Emperor Wende an emperor of all times.
Of course, Emperor Wende could not be so shameless as to boast that he was the greatest emperor of all time.
Emperor Wende made a few subtle suggestions.
It was mainly Chang En who was a flatterer and talked the most.
Lord Lu grasped the essence.
Speaking of which, the Ministry of Revenue was very poor, but it always insisted on not increasing the burden on the people, not raising taxes, and not imposing additional corvee labor. This is rare in the past thousand years and is indeed worthy of praise.
Emperor Wende wanted to create an image of an emperor who would be remembered throughout history. Lord Lu wanted to persuade him, but he swallowed the words back.
Anyone with eyes could see that Emperor Wende was in high spirits and very enthusiastic.
Can't be persuaded.
Even if he is persuaded temporarily, Emperor Wende will still do something else.
In order to ensure that everyone in the world knows about the benevolent policies of the court and His Majesty, Chang En even privately asked the Newspaper Bureau to order all major newspapers and periodicals in the capital to unify their propaganda.
Focus on the relationship between war and the people's taxes, compare it with the current dynasty, highlight the advantages of the current dynasty, and your majesty's benevolent rule. Lay a solid mass foundation for creating an emperor who will be remembered for all time.
"Da Zhou Life Show" received the notice from the Newspaper Bureau and was confused and dumbfounded.
Samsoon was a little overwhelmed.
This is the first time I have received this kind of political task. I have no experience in how to carry out it.
Samsoon finds Choi Qi and asks him to make a decision.
Cui Qi acted as a hands-off boss and went to find Gu Jiu.
When Gu Jiu heard this, he laughed.
"Not bad, not bad, you're learning quickly. In just a few years, the court and the palace have realized the importance of unifying public opinion, and the role of the Newspaper Bureau has finally been demonstrated."
At that time, "Da Zhou Life Show" competed with "Guozijian Newspaper", inviting Cai Zhongshan and Xu Chengye to expose the dark history of the Guozijian. It happened to coincide with the imperial examination year, which triggered verbal lawsuits among major academies and regional disputes among students. The whole capital was in an uproar and the quarrel lasted for several months.
The court saw that things were not going well, so the Ministry of Rites intervened and established the Newspaper Bureau.
However, the Press Bureau was not under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.
I don't know what Emperor Wende was thinking at the time, but he established the Newspaper Bureau and placed it under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In other words, the boss of the Newspaper Bureau was a eunuch from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The eunuchs' supervision of newspapers and public opinion directly aroused the civil servants' collective hatred of the eunuchs.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs responded sharply and refused to give in.
Emperor Wende was obviously also standing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Emperor Wende trusted the Ministry of Internal Affairs more than the Ministry of Rites.
Eunuchs were equivalent to the emperor's household slaves, and the emperor could use them with confidence.
Newspapers are controlled by a group of angry young writers, and supervision must never be left in the hands of writers again.
This is Emperor Wende’s attitude.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs may not understand literature, but they understand loyalty to the emperor and the country. This alone is enough.
As the director of the Imperial Household Department and the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chang En had to carry out his orders without any compromise.
Cui Qi was very curious and asked Gu Jiu, "Madam, do you think this is a good thing?"
Gu Jiu said, "I have always insisted that newspaper publishing needs supervision. This is certainly not about engaging in literary inquisition, but about providing positive and proactive guidance. Although the Newspaper Bureau's requirements may seem like flattery and an attempt to build a personal image, when compared to the relationship between war and taxation throughout the dynasties, it still has positive significance.
The achievements of the Ministry of Revenue should not be erased. The world should know what the Ministry of Revenue has done over the years and how much it has contributed. In the past, for such a large-scale war, doubling the tax revenue would have been a minimum; doubling or tripling it would have been possible.
After a war, the people in the rear suffered from dire straits, a life worse than death. Such human tragedy should not be forgotten, but should be remembered. In recent years, despite many natural and man-made disasters, taxes have not increased, and the people have been able to live and work in peace and contentment. This is truly commendable."
"Madam, what you mean is that according to the requirements of the Newspaper Bureau, the "Da Zhou Life Show" must also write articles praising the merits of the country?" Cui Qi was a little dissatisfied.
Gu Jiu chuckled softly, "What I mean is that Life Shows should report facts. The Ministry of Revenue did not increase taxes and corvee labor, is this true?"
Seeing Cui Qi still had doubts, Gu Jiu mentioned something that had not yet been made public. "The latest news from the front is that the Beirong army bypassed the Zhuguan Pass and seized Xiaguan. A battle broke out at Xiaguan. The Xiaguan garrison held out for ten days, suffering nearly 10,000 casualties, and finally repelled the Beirong army. This forced the Beirong army to change its marching plan.
How was all this done? Let me tell you, Xiaguan was able to hold its ground and repel the Beirong army without any backup. It relied on unity and sufficient logistical support to give the Xiaguan garrison confidence.
Without sufficient food, clothing, medicine, and weapons in the warehouses, the Xiaguang garrison's confidence would collapse within five days. Once that confidence collapsed, the city gates would be breached, and the Beirong cavalry would march down like an empty city. The cities behind Xiaguan would be plundered and pillaged by the Beirong.
Xiaguan's ample logistical support was achieved thanks to the Ministry of Revenue's years of hard work and accumulation, which averted a major disaster. While the Ministry of Revenue often suffered from famine, it played a significant role in this war. We cannot erase the contributions of the Ministry of Revenue and the imperial court."
"Xiaguan defeated Beirong, why is there no news from the capital?" Cui Qi was surprised.
Gu Jiu said softly, "The messenger is still on the way. In two or three days, the news will reach the capital."
"But Madam learned about the military situation at Xiaguan in advance."
"This lady has her own information channels."
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