Son of Song Dynasty

Chapter 55

Zhao Dezhao was thinking about a lot of things to do, and he didn't bother to explain to Wang Xiuzhi in detail, so he just put the remaining half of the album back into his bosom, and went out of the bedroom.

As soon as he left the inner courtyard, he bumped into the porter head-on and rushed to report: "Ma Shangshu from the household department came to the door to ask for an audience."

A smile appeared on Zhao Dezhao's face: "Yo He, it's better to come early than to come by coincidence. I was also thinking about meeting him. This king will come out to welcome him."

After walking a few steps outside, Zhao Dezhao suddenly thought of a person, beckoned Qian Niu'er to him and told him, "Take my post, and post it to Tang Jixian's mansion, Yushi Zhongcheng, saying that the king has some important business. If you want to invite Tang Zhongcheng to your residence for a briefing, you won’t wait until it’s too late!”

Qian Niu'er took the order to go, Zhao Dezhao adjusted his clothes a little, and greeted Ma Shangshu in front of the mansion with a smile on his face.

Ma Shangshu was very satisfied, twirled his beard and smiled and said: "I have always heard rumors that His Highness is domineering and arrogant, and does not respect the virtuous or the elderly. Now it seems that this is completely wrong."

"I don't respect those people who follow others, form cliques for personal gain, and those who talk too much and don't live up to their names. But how can I not respect such an old and virtuous sage as Mr. Ma? Those people The so-called rumors are nothing but fabrications by people with ulterior motives."

Zhao Dezhao secretly insinuated and disparaged Zhao Guangyi's party members in his words, and at the same time he praised Ma Shangshu.

But Ma Shangshu didn't accept this, just smiled.

Zhao Dezhao laughed, stopped testing, raised his hand and said politely: "Please!"

He still had a good impression of this Ma Shangshu. This person's qualifications and talents were the most outstanding among the six Shangshu.

Valuing this person's prestige and talent is only one aspect. The most important reason why Zhao Dezhao is willing to give him special courtesy and respect is because this person is not a member of King Jin's party, although he is not on his side either.

However, under the current harsh situation where the King Jin's cliques are all over the court, Ma Shangshu can stick to the principle of keeping himself clean and not attached to Zhao Guangyi. In Zhao Dezhao's view, this is already commendable, and it is worth making friends with his heart. In the previous life, there were not great men Did you say that?Politics is about doing more harm to your own people and less to your enemies.

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Dezhao and Ma Shangshu walked into the county palace side by side, and sat down in the main hall.

Ma Shangshu is quick-tempered, and cut straight to the point as soon as his butt touched the chair: "Your Highness, the old man took the liberty to visit because of the deed tax that His Highness presided over. I heard that His Highness has already drawn up a plan, and the money will be formally collected soon?"

Zhao Dezhao nodded with a smile, and said to himself that when the household department comes to the door, can there be anything else besides talking about money?
Ma Shangshu said with a serious expression: "The old man has been managing the country's financial affairs for many years, and he knows that doing some practical things in wealth is complicated and complicated. Often a small hole can expand into a big hole if it is not plugged well, so , the old man has some doubts in his heart, and please give me your advice, Your Highness."

Immediately afterwards, without waiting for Zhao Dezhao to express his opinion, he asked questions one after another like a cannonball, basically all kinds of difficulties about taxation operations.

Zhao Dezhao listened with a smile, and he was surprised to find that the so-called difficult questions raised by this Ma Shangshu were actually the same as those raised by his emperor's father before, but they were more detailed.

The emperor's father and the Minister of the Household Department, two people standing at different levels and heights, raised such difficult questions about taxation that they were so consistent!
This reminded Zhao Dezhao of a sentence that he accidentally saw on the Internet in his previous life: The world in the eyes of a fool is different, but the world in the eyes of a wise man is like a bird!
"Ma Shangshu, the practical problems you raised have been carefully considered by me, and I have also figured out a solution..."

Zhao Dezhao patiently explained the methods that he had told the emperor's father before, and added more detailed explanations.

Ma Shangshu was very satisfied after hearing this, but he is a person who advocates hard work and has never been very good at flattery, so he only briefly told a Spring and Autumn allusion.

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, the king of Zhuangzhuang of Chu did not sing for three years, and became a blockbuster, and he became the hegemony!"

"Forgive me for being blunt: Your Highness in the past was really lacklustre; today's Highness is a blockbuster!"

Obviously, Ma Shangshu compared Zhao Dezhao to King Zhuang of Chu, one of the Five Overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period.

In Zhao Dezhao's view, although the weight of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period is just that, and it is far from reaching the ambition in his heart to sweep the world, Ma Shangshu, as an important minister of the court, can already say that he is quite sincere. .

But Zhao Dezhao soon discovered that the beautiful compliments were obviously not for nothing, and Ma Shangshu immediately raised the real key question: "How will His Highness plan to distribute the income from the deed tax collection? Will the internal treasury supervisor participate in the distribution of profits? "

After finishing speaking, Ma Shangshu stared straight at Zhao Dezhao without turning his eyes for a moment, as if he, the king of Tianshui County, looked like a million copper coins.

"I have guessed it a long time ago. In addition to asking for a share of tax money for the Ministry of Revenue and the treasury, you, Master Ma, would never think of coming to my door!"

Zhao Dezhao groaned in his heart, and with a smile on his face, he slowly replied: "In the eyes of Lord Shangshu, the Treasury Supervisor can't share all the money from the deed tax?"

"That's not true. It's not that the old man is inconsiderate of His Majesty's difficulties and is unrealistic in dealing with things. If His Majesty does not approve, the tax money will not be able to collect a penny. It's just that the internal treasury should not be too much, and the profit will be very good. It’s appropriate.”

When the word "[-]%" was mentioned, Ma Shangshu frowned, obviously unwilling, but had to make a compromise for the sake of the overall situation.

Zhao Dezhao shook his head: "[-]% is too little, the inner treasury supervisor needs [-]%."

"What? Why [-]%?!"

When he heard that [-]% would be taken away, Ma Shangshu screamed angrily as if his flesh had been cut three times.

"Only because only the palace can quickly mobilize a large number of idle eunuchs and send them to the states and government offices as the most basic administrative officials. Your household department will definitely not be able to get so many people, but if you want to hire them at the local level The local aborigines will easily link up with the local tyrants, so there are many disadvantages. Since the courtiers in the palace need to work hard, shouldn't they be allowed to share more?"

Ma Shangshu also knew that Zhao Dezhao was looking for a reason to give more money to his emperor's father, but he was powerless to refute, his face became extremely reluctant, nodded and said: "Forget it, the remaining [-]% goes to the treasury of the household department, it doesn't count. Worse."

Zhao Dezhao shook his head again.

(End of this chapter)