Silver was of utmost importance at this time. Upon hearing that there was a way to raise silver, Emperor Mingde became very interested and asked, "How can we raise it?"
In his memory, it was just about fundraising.
"Let the people spend their future medical and medicine money in advance." He smiled mysteriously, walked up to Qiu Chengshi, looked him in the eye, and asked, "Does Lord Qiu have a doctor in his household?"
Upper-middle-class families all kept doctors in their homes, solely for treating illnesses within the family.
Qiu Tang didn't understand what he meant at first, so she could only nod honestly, "Yes."
"Then, Lord Qiu, will your family's doctors go to the clinic to treat the common people?" he asked again.
Qiu Tang shook his head. "I'm not going."
This seemed to be the answer Huo Baichuan needed. After asking, he turned to Emperor Mingde and said, "Your Majesty, what can we do when ordinary people can afford to see a doctor but can't find a good one, and those who can afford a good doctor can't afford the money, and even after seeing a doctor, they can't afford the life-saving medicine?"
The ministers were outraged. They were making a petition, but instead of asking the emperor what to do, they were asking him what to do. If the emperor knew, what would he be doing here?
Emperor Mingde was actually quite snobbish. Huo Baichuan was the successor of the Huo family, so he was happy to give him face and asked, "What should we do?"
“We have imperial physicians, and medical books. Physician Peng is even working on compiling a medical classic. We also have the Imperial Academy, which teaches poetry, songs, rites, music, calligraphy, and mathematics. But can these save lives? No. I don’t mean that we don’t need to learn them if they can’t save lives.” As he said this, he walked to Zhou Lixing’s side. “We want to open a medical department.”
Zhou Lixing felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze and took two steps back. "What are you looking at me for?"
"Lord Zhou, when you were studying at the academy, did you ever think about learning what accountants know?" he asked with a smile, a question that had nothing to do with the previous one.
"The six arts—rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics—are naturally to be learned, but how could Lord Huo refer to the nine subjects of mathematics as the study of accounting?" This analogy greatly displeased him.
Huo Baichuan ignored him and turned to Emperor Mingde, saying, "Your Majesty, since Lord Qiu has added engineering disciplines, I propose adding medical disciplines to teach skills in treating and saving lives."
"Distant water cannot quench a fire nearby," Yang Zhong said slowly.
Faced with the doubts, he retorted forcefully, "Confucius once mentioned the idea of 'three parts with one left over.' Everyone has read the classics and knows what this means. What I am about to say is somewhat similar to the idea of 'three parts with one left over' proposed by Confucius."
"Nowadays, every town has pharmacies, and each pharmacy has a resident doctor. If we were to set up an institution and incorporate these doctors into it, managing them uniformly as a court hospital, responsible for the medical care of a certain area, and paying them a monthly salary, while the common people would only need to pay a few copper coins per person per month, which I would call medical insurance, those who pay for medical insurance would have their medical expenses covered by the court and the patient when they fall ill or have an accident. What do you think?"
"In the early stages, we can requisition private pharmacies. After a few years, we can train a large number of doctors and send them to various places to take charge of their respective areas and establish imperial medical offices. Do you think this is feasible?"
When Emperor Mingde heard his words, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a new continent. Although the medical expenses of the patients were borne by the court and the individuals, the taxes collected every month based on the number of people amounted to a large sum of money. If this cycle continued, the court would not have any burden at all. The people would be grateful to the court because they could afford to see a doctor and take medicine. In this way, a sense of cohesion would be formed.
However, even though the fee is very small, some families cannot afford it, so he couldn't help but ask, "How should this fee be collected?"
"It's simple. It's determined by income. For example, if Lord Zhou's monthly salary is three taels of silver, thirty copper coins will be taken from that three taels. If the family has many businesses and the monthly profit is thirty taels, then three hundred copper coins will be taken from that thirty taels of profit, plus a general contribution of three copper coins. Remember, it's per capita." In this way, those with higher incomes will pay more, and those with lower incomes will pay less, which can slightly control the gap between the rich and the poor. Although the effect is small, it's good if it can work.
"But what if the common people don't believe it and can't afford to pay? Paying some flour and sorghum is feasible. If that doesn't work, the court can build gardens, pave roads, or build ships, and the labor can be deducted. We can't keep making the common people work for free without paying them. They have to come to the government office to collect taxes when they get home. How frustrating is that? Such public resentment will only grow deeper and deeper. What do you say, Your Majesty?"
At this moment, it seemed as if he was the only minister. The method was good, but everything is difficult at the beginning. Who would do this? If he succeeded, he would be a meritorious official of the country; if he failed, he might be imprisoned. If he angered the medicine merchants, it would be even worse. You should know that many medicine shops and medicine merchants are backed by powerful and influential families.
You shouldn't offend them easily.
"That is a good plan. In your opinion, who is suitable to do this?" It was clear that Emperor Mingde had seen the value of this matter, but he also knew that it would not be easy to accomplish.
Huo Baichuan threw off his robes, knelt down, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens, but I have a matter that requires your permission."
As long as the old system can be broken and the new laws can be implemented smoothly, Emperor Mingde would grant any request. He nodded and said, "Tell me about it."
"Your Majesty, I propose to increase the land tax and commercial tax on aristocratic families." This statement was like a thunderclap, startling Yang Zhong and the other old party members so much that their faces turned ashen. The Emperor had hinted at this countless times over the years, but had never dared to say it outright. He never expected that this man, who had lived a peaceful and leisurely life for so many years, would dare to set his sights on aristocratic families in the face of natural disaster. He was simply courting death!
Yang Zhong immediately stepped forward and retorted coldly, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. Our families are already large, and the poll tax alone is already causing us immense suffering. If we were to increase land tax and commercial tax, we would not know how we would support our families. Moreover, we are from a scholarly family; how could we possibly increase commercial tax? Does Lord Huo mean we are lowly merchants?"
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