Collusion between officials and businessmen, power and money transactions, and all the officialdoms and shopping malls have been like this throughout the ages. The reason why it is said to be an official businessman rather than a business official is because the former is skin and the latter is hair. Where will the skin be attached if there is no hair left?

Businessmen have a low status in traditional society and are even defined: merchants value profit rather than separation, and they can ignore anything in order to pursue profit, abandon their families and children, be unfilial to their parents, and go out to do business for a year or two or even several years.

Because of moral contempt and status suppression, once a businessman grows up, he must have a backer to save his property. "The magistrate of the family and the governor of the family" is not a joke.

In this way, collusion between officials and businessmen is inevitable. This is a hidden danger and will sooner or later become a serious disease. Therefore, rulers of all dynasties must at least be openly prohibited or suppressed such situations.

However, bans cannot be resisted, and suppression is just a joke. The reason is very simple. The luxury of the royal family, powerful families, noble families, and big families requires a large amount of financial resources to maintain.

As the saying goes, a family is big and big, and it is impossible to maintain a decent life by relying on salary and rewards alone. Only by relying on huge profits from doing business can you obtain a large amount of property. Therefore, it is common for tribe members to transfusion blood to the family through business.

It is normal for officials to open convenient doors for their own tribe members or shopkeepers who do business.

This led to a very ridiculous situation: the government openly demanded that officials behave morally and not be infected with the charity of merchants. In fact, as long as officials of all sizes have the ability, they have more or less industries.

If you have good food, you can do it perfectly on the surface. Most people cannot know whether there is an industry under their name. If you have different foods, you will find a passerby and ask a question and you will know that a certain store has something to do with a high-ranking official.

Yuwen Wen used the "collusion between officials and businessmen" to question Yang Ji, which was quite joking, because he was the mastermind behind the collusion between officials and businessmen in Huangzhou. In order to support his soldiers and to save capital to support his ambitions, he could only work hard to do business and operate industries and make money, and at the same time win over more people on his pirate ship.

However, Yang Ji heard the implication: collusion between officials and businessmen is not a problem, the problem lies in where "business" is "business".

Take the maritime trade as an example. If local officials collude with the white glove merchants of the imperial court, whoever dares to impeach will be "competing for profit with the people". A great conscience will not be enough to calm the grievances of the "people".

But if local officials collude with local merchants and monopolize the market and make the court's public unable to make money... they will also be impeached to "fight for profit with the people", but the local officials will die.

"King, it's too early to say this. The King wants to participate in the maritime trade to expand wealth. So in a short period of time, that problem is not a problem. As long as King Qi can support various expenses with the huge profits brought by the maritime trade, who can do anything to the king?"

"The officials are disrespectful and are so arrogant that if the sea trade is bigger, who is qualified to get a piece of the pie, the king may not have the final decision."

Yuwen Wen disagreed: "If you don't have the right to decide, you have control. If you want to eat alone, you will be unable to support yourself. The right way is to recruit people to share the benefits equally. The key is how to grasp the scale, otherwise the profit will be divided by others and you will be in vain."

"Does the King want to set up a Maritime Bureau? The matter is prioritized. The situation is unclear and the King is not sure of victory. Considering such a thing may only add to your worries."

"I tossed and turned every night and couldn't fall asleep. If I don't want to pass the time for a long time, would I spend my energy when I go to have a prostitute and have fun?"

"Uh, king, if you set up a Maritime Warehouse Department now, you may have led the wolf into the house and finally be controlled by the power of maritime trade. And..." Yang Ji looked around and confirmed that no one eavesdropped, and whispered:

"The king has a proper position, but the emperor or the powerful minister may not have a proper position. If he relies on the market to seize the plunder and fish in the waters, he may be afraid that the sea trade will wither."

Yuwen Wen looked at the busy Gudou Port not far away, and at the large and small sea boats berthed at the wharf. After a moment of excitement, he sighed: "If the sea trade cannot control and bring taxes to the country, the scale is only a tool for fattening countless wealthy merchants."

"You know, for hundreds of years, who is desperately demanding the ban on sea? It is the local snakes in the southeast coast who are capable of violating the ban on sea trade!"

"The eunuch Sanbao went to the West and led the imperial fleet. The court benefited from the development of maritime trade, so those people were jealous! Therefore, they tried every means to implement maritime bans and control the power of maritime trade in their own hands!"

"What do you say don't compete for profit with the people? Where are ordinary civilians qualified to be that "civilian"? If the imperial court can make profits from maritime trade, it can obtain a large amount of income from it every year. How could it not be paid military pay? How could Emperor Chongzhen hang his country on the coal mountain!"

"Taxes are the most important financial source of a country. If you cannot collect taxes, you cannot support the army, you cannot maintain the daily operations of the government, you cannot provide relief to the victims, and you cannot improve people's livelihood. If the people cannot survive, they will rebel!"

"I remember a poem that says, "I don't think of a safe and hungry mantis, especially a mantis." I have no shame in saying this kind of shameless poem, do you dare to say it?"

"King, the lower lord doesn't mean that." Yang Ji answered solemnly, and Yuwen Wen nodded: "I know you don't mean that. Not to mention that the Maritime Bureau may become a tool for the royal family to suck blood, but at least it can have tax revenue to the treasury, which is nothing more than a proportional issue, but that's enough."

"You may not be able to stay in Guangzhou for a long time, even if it lasts for a few years, so the most urgent task is to build the framework and let the successor "Xiao Gui Cao Sui". So what is the purpose of building the framework?"

"First, prevent the foreigners from becoming bigger in Fanyu and occupying the magpie nest, so that the government can effectively manage it; second, let the government dominate the maritime trade, and do not be confused by the spoiled words of the rich merchants, and let them "serve on their behalf"; third, establish a new tax system so that the court can collect taxes from maritime trade activities!"

"King, among these three things, except for the first one, it may be difficult to complete in the short term."

"The matter is human. I have already said that we should first set up the framework and set the tone. The successor will not change it easily unless he deliberately finds fault. After it is gradually improved, the situation will open up."

"King, is it really going to submit a court request to open an official office like the Maritime Bureau?"

"I'll talk about this later. It doesn't matter what the title is, but there is no official office like the Maritime Bureau to manage the maritime trade. Local officials dare to take strict control and wait for complaints!"

"In the coastal areas of Lingbiao, let alone Feng Xian and Ning, there are only ordinary families, and there are countless people engaged in maritime trade. There is no special management agency. As the general manager of Guangzhou, you dare to strictly collect taxes in Fanyu Port and Gudou Port, so you are not afraid of arousing civil unrest?"

"At that time, a basin of sewage will be poured on your head. Whatever competes for profit with the people or accepts bribes and demands for bribes are all slightest. If someone gets a "Ten Thousand Words" to report that you monopolize maritime trade and accumulates wealth and private soldiers, you will be ill-fated and wait for someone to lock them in Beijing!"

"Why do I say that officials and businessmen colluded? That means I need to have white gloves! Let institutions like the Maritime Bureau, which are both officials and imperial merchants, be in front of me, be in trouble. First of all, the Maritime Bureau is attacked and the officials are knocked and slapped. How can sewage be poured on you?"

Such a straightforward plot made Yang Ji speechless. Yuwen Wen became more and more excited as he spoke: "I have said so much, do you feel like you suddenly understand?"

"Uh, the lower official is ashamed of himself."

"Then what?"

"The king asks for instructions."

Yuwen Wen asked expectantly: "Didn't you say that you should treat the symptoms and the root cause? There are already methods to treat the symptoms, how to treat the root cause?"
Chapter completed!