During the Chenghua period of Emperor Xianzong, the two sides stopped developing Sino-French countries, and salt merchants were ordered to pay grain in the Ministry of Revenue and transport the department to exchange for salt intake.

At that time, the government was becoming increasingly corrupt. Seeing that it was profitable to hold salt, the royal family, eunuchs, nobles, and bureaucrats filed for salt quotations and sold them to salt merchants to make profits. This phenomenon was called "occupying the nest".

This phenomenon has become more and more serious, destroying the Kaizhong system and seriously affecting the fiscal revenue of the Ming government.

Zhu Yijun saw a very famous subcontracting in later generations from this. This is the same as subcontracting.

The powerful nobles and royal families obtained salt intake through power. Usually, the price of such salt intake is very low, and the price sold to salt merchants is very high. They took away a lot of money from it without doing anything.

Salt merchants naturally need to be profitable, which has led to the high salt prices.

The price of official salt remained high, so the salt merchants began to smuggle salt and make great efforts. In the end, the Ming Dynasty, the court, and the people of the Ming Dynasty were injured, who ate salt at high prices and were exploited by a group of borers.

In the second year of Longqing, Wang Chonggu once vigorously promoted the military farming system on three sides, but by this time, no one was willing to do it.

The nobles and royal families still controlled the salt intake. The salt merchants only needed to buy it with money. They ran to the border to farm and endured the hardships. At this time, the salt administration of the Ming Dynasty was already difficult to return.

Cao Yikui focused on the salt administration and made detailed investigations, obviously he was not a verbal official.

When Zhu Yijun saw Cao Yikui standing there with a solemn expression on his face, he smiled and said, "I don't know what's the matter, I don't know if you check it out. To be honest, I'm also very curious. People say "rich can rival a country". I really want to see what it looks like if a wealthy can compete with a country."

"The Ming Dynasty's treasury has seven million taels of silver. I want to know if anyone has more silver than the people in the treasury."

"In this way, I set up a Ming Salt Department in the Ministry of Revenue. I will transfer you to this yamen. The Salt Department specializes in salt. I will give you this opportunity. Don't do anything else after you take office, so check it out for me first."

"Check how many salt fields there are in the Ming Dynasty, and find out the salt production every year."

"It would be better to check the private salt matters at the same time. It would be better to find some corrupt officials and profiteers. I think some people in the Ming Dynasty should be taken out and hung on the city gate building, but I don't know if you dare to do this for me."

After saying this, Zhu Yijun turned to look at Cao Yikui with a faint smile on his face.

In fact, Zhu Yijun's attitude was very obvious. This was to treat Cao Yikui as a knife and cut the sword at the salt merchant. Zhu Yijun believed that if this knife continued, the only one that would never be brought out would be salt merchants, and the harvest would definitely be very big.

If you want to rebuild many things, you have to demolish them, otherwise how can you rebuild them?

This matter is definitely not easy. If Cao Yikui accomplished it, Zhu Yijun would like to grant him a Grand Secretary to the Cabinet. Now it depends on whether he has the courage.

"I will receive the order!" Cao Yikui knelt on the ground and said loudly.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said with a smile: "Very good. In a few days of morning court, I will discuss your memorial with the ministers. I believe there will be a good answer." When he said this, Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "Okay, you go down!"

Cao Yikui left, and Zhu Yijun began to think about the candidate for the Ming Dynasty Salt Department.

This yamen is not an ordinary yamen. Zhu Yijun is planning to use the Salt Department as the foundation to set a standard for the future construction of the Ming Dynasty tax department. Zhu Yijun sighed. It seems that he still has to invite that great god out!

"How is that Wang Yongji?" Zhu Yijun turned his head and looked at Zhang Jing and asked.

After listening to Wang Yongji's name, Zhang Jing knew who this person was after a moment of thinking. Although it was a few years ago, Zhang Jing still remembered it very clearly. After all, this person is very special and there are not many people who value it so much.

"Return to the emperor, Wang Yongji was just promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing last year."

Zhu Yijun nodded, and let these two people support the salt department first. As for the great god named Hai Rui, Zhu Yijun still doesn't know if he can come out. In fact, Shanghai Rui was excluded by the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom, not only Zhang Juzheng.

Those who used Hai Rui to attack Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Juzheng died, but Hai Rui was not valued.

On the seventh day after Zhang Juzheng's death, his son Zhang Jingxiu helped Ling back to his hometown Jiangling to bury his father. With the departure of Zhang Juzheng's coffin, it completely proved the end of an era and also represented the beginning of an era.

"I'll call a few cabinet scholars to discuss this in the afternoon!" Zhu Yijun looked out of the Forbidden City and said expressionlessly.

"Yes, the emperor!" Zhang Jing bowed and replied, with a serious expression on his face.

Just as Zhu Yijun was about to turn around and walk back, Zhang Hong, the eunuch in charge of the Sili Supervisor, walked in and saluted Zhu Yijun respectfully. Zhang Hong said, "Emperor, Empress Dowager invites the Emperor to Cining Palace."

After hearing Zhang Hong's words, Zhu Yijun nodded. Since Zhang Juzheng's death, Empress Dowager Li has been chanting scriptures for Zhang Juzheng.

Now that Zhang Juzheng's coffin has left the capital, she has fulfilled her wish, and then she wants to summon herself.

Zhu Yijun came to Cining Palace and met Empress Dowager Li. He also had a meal with Empress Dowager Li.

Unlike what Zhu Yijun thought, Empress Dowager Li didn't say anything, and didn't even mention Zhang Juzheng. Although she also said something that made Zhu Yijun diligent, she had no requirements. It can be seen that Empress Dowager Li was a little worried, but she was also very peaceful.

Although the court discussion of the cabinet minister is a court discussion, in fact, there are only two cabinet ministers now.

Ma Ziqiang and Lu Diaoyang died, and now Zhang Juzheng is the same, and only Zhang Siwei and Shen Shi are left in the cabinet. According to the order of progress in the cabinet, Zhang Siwei is the chief minister of the cabinet, and Shen Shi is the second assistant of the cabinet.

When Zhu Yijun saw these two people, their expressions were a little serious.

"You two beloved ministers, please don't have any tribute!" Zhu Yijun signaled the two of them to get up, and then said, "Mr. Zhang passed away. There are only two beloved ministers in the cabinet, so I am really unable to do so. Today I will recruit two beloved ministers to set the new cabinet ministers down."

"According to the previous order, the two people who entered the cabinet were the Minister of Personnel Pan Sheng, and the Left Minister of Personnel Yu Youding. After these two people entered the cabinet, there were four people in the cabinet. I think it would be better to join another one and get five people together."

Although the number of ministers in the cabinet is uncertain, there are usually five, namely the Grand Secretary of the Huagai Palace, the Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Palace, the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Palace, the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, and the Grand Secretary of the Dong Pavilion.
Chapter completed!