The governors of the three provinces all came to celebrate Emperor Chengping’s birthday.
They get together today.
"What does Zhao Lin mean? He should just be doing his job as the Governor of the River. Why does he need the Maritime Customs Office?"
Jian'an Governor Shen Qishuo said angrily.
"What else can we do? Just look at the money we have from Shanghai Trade." Qingyuan Governor Ge Ruochuan sneered.
Lingnan Governor Gao Yeshan said nothing, but his face looked solemn.
"Master Gao, why don't you speak?" Shen Qishuo asked.
Gao Yeshan said, "The question now is, did Zhao Lin take the initiative to go to the Maritime Customs Office, or was it given to him by the Emperor?"
"Is there a difference?" Shen Qishuo said dissatisfiedly.
Gao Yeshan glanced at Shen Qishuo calmly and said, "Idiot! There's a huge difference."
Shen Qishuo slammed the table: "You..."
Ge Ruochuan quickly advised, "You two, now is not the time to get angry. Let's discuss how to deal with this matter."
The three provinces are all located close to the sea, with Jian'an Province in the middle, Qingyuan Province and Lingnan Province on both sides.
There have been many frictions between Lingnan Province and Jian'an Province, and even the top leaders of the two provinces are not in a good mood with each other.
But today is definitely not the time to be angry.
Gao Yeshan ignored Shen Qishuo and said, "If Zhao Lin asked for it, it means he knows the real situation of the sea trade. Even if he doesn't understand it clearly, he knows the general situation. He is here for our money."
"What if it was given by His Majesty?" Ge Ruochuan asked.
Gao Yeshan said, "That's even more troublesome. It means His Majesty is very dissatisfied with us and no longer trusts us. That's why he has transferred the jurisdiction of maritime trade to the central government and given it to Zhao Lin, asking him to collect taxes on maritime trade."
Shen Qishuo blurted out: “In other words, no matter what, it’s not a good thing for us?”
"Of course it's not a good thing." Ge Ruochuan said solemnly: "No matter which one, someone is eyeing Shanghai Trade's money. If Zhao Lin asked for it, it would be fine. If His Majesty gave it to him..."
Ge Ruochuan didn't say anything else, but the three of them knew the seriousness of the matter.
"It is said that Zhao Lin took the initiative to ask for it." Shen Qishuo chuckled and said, "Originally, the emperor was not going to give it to him, but he said that he could double the tax on maritime trade to at least one million taels of silver a year, so the emperor agreed."
Ge Ruochuan and Gao Yeshan were both surprised.
"I didn't expect that Lord Shen has such connections in the palace. He even found out this. How amazing." Gao Yeshan said sarcastically.
Ge Ruochuan asked, "Have you found out what Zhao Lin thinks of Shanghai Trade?"
Shen Qishuo ignored Gao Yeshan and said, "Zhao Lin asked the emperor directly for it. It is obvious that he is very familiar with the maritime trade. This is a targeted move."
All three of them had gloomy expressions.
"Damn it! He really is after our money."
"One million taels a year, he's so bold!"
"All the money has been given to the emperor. What should we do?"
Ge Ruochuan and Gao Yeshan were cursing at each other.
Shen Qishuo knocked on the table and said, "Okay, you two, there's no point in scolding me anymore, let's see how to deal with it."
Gao Yeshan thought for a moment and said, "It's not that it can't be handled, but we just need to divide some of it up."
"I'm afraid it's more than just a portion." Ge Ruochuan said with a gloomy face, "We have to pay at least one million in taxes every year, and then give Zhao Lin some benefits... This guy is extremely greedy, and he wants at least 100,000 taels, which means we have to spend an extra 500,000 or 600,000 taels. But if we befriend him for this, it's not for nothing. After all, he is a big, thick leg."
The current annual tax on maritime trade is only 300,000 to 400,000 taels. Adding the 100,000 taels they planned to pay Zhao Lin, it would be 500,000 to 600,000 taels.
"Humph! Zhao Lin has a huge appetite, one hundred thousand taels may not be enough. Don't forget, how much silver did he seize during the house searches in Jiujiang Province? What if he thinks it's not enough and wants to search us?" Shen Qishuo said.
The three people's faces turned ugly again.
I am willing to pay 100,000 taels for Zhao and Lin to live in peace.
If we give more, they will take less, which is not good.
"The last time Zhao Lin raided the homes of officials from the Jiujiang Governor's Office, he gave the Emperor about five million taels. The old eunuch Zhu Zhongyan also received one million taels. Adding the distribution to his subordinates, he must have received at least ten million taels. He's so good at making money, how could he be interested in a mere 100,000 taels? I think he wants to raid our homes." Shen Qishuo said.
"It's not necessary to confiscate all his property, but 100,000 taels is definitely not enough to feed him." Gao Yeshan thought for a moment and said, "Why not just go and talk to him? As long as it's not too excessive, it'll be fine. After all, he is now a close minister of the emperor and is favored by him. Even the elders cannot compare to him."
"We can talk, but we have to draw a bottom line first. How much is appropriate to give him?" Ge Ruochuan asked.
"We three provinces each give 100,000 taels, how about 300,000 taels?" Shen Qishuo suggested.
"Isn't that too much? The taxes we pay to the court every year are only more than 300,000 taels, and we give him 300,000 taels alone. Isn't it obvious that we have embezzled a lot?" Gao Yeshan disagreed.
"But I'm afraid he won't be interested in something worth 100,000 or 200,000." Shen Qishuo frowned.
All three of them were speechless.
After a long pause, Ge Ruochuan said, "This boy's appetite is truly too big. He can earn millions or even tens of millions of taels from a single raid. How could he possibly be interested in our small wad of silver? But if he gives us too much, don't say we're reluctant to give it to him. Even if we were willing to give it to him, we can't just give it to him for free."
"Master Ge is right. Why should we give him the money we worked so hard to earn for free?" Shen Qishuo echoed.
"Hey, I've come up with a good idea." Gao Yeshan slapped his thigh and said, "Why not give him shares? We'll all prosper and suffer together. This way, even if he knows we're making a lot of money, it won't ruin our business. How do you think?"
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