The Study On The Eunuch And Salt System Of Liang Huai In The Middle And Late Ming Dynasty

The Eunuch is the general term for the people who serve the emperor and his relatives in the court.Eunuches left different marks through their respective activities historically.The emperor did not do business in the middle and last of Ming Dynasty.The eunuchs took the opportunity to seize power which penetrate into political,economy,social and other fields.Eunuchs abused their power and sought wealth.Salt income as the financial income have rich profits second to the agricultural tax.The production of Lianghuai salt field was the largest and was seld widely.But it was the most important place plundered by the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty.During the Zheng Tong period,the eunuchs were ordered to supervise the salt tax and managed it and the number of eunuchs continued to increase.During the Wan Li period,a large number of eunuchs were sent to collect wealth in Liang Huai.During the Tian Qi period,Wei Zhongxian exercised power and his followers covered in the Liang Huai.They acted as the emperor Politically and their rights above the salt office.Economically,they find an excuse to ask for salt profits,forced salt lead to smuggle salt.Eunuch ask for salt lead and smuggled salt were one of the important reasons of salt system deteriorated,anti-smuggling but the effectiveness In the middle of Ming.In addition,eunuchs of sumggled salt have many ways in the Liang Huai area.They excuse to work and other things to get the salt profit,and also with those people such as officials and businessmen and their family.At the same time also they sold cross-regional salt in the Liang Huai that made the problem of smuggle salt in the Liang Huai region complicated.In short,eunuch smuggling salt was a major feature of Liang Huai smuggling salt problem in the middle and late period of Ming Dynasty.Eunuchs involved in Liang Huai area affairs,Speeding the crisis both the economy and political in the Liang Huai region.Eunuchs' exploitation salt caused salt producers to go bankrupt,salt merchants lose money and People lived standards decline,and also the social unrest.Moreover,the Liang Huai salt tax sharp drop affect the treasury income directly.Lianghuai salt tax accounted for more than half of the national salt tax,and salt tax accounts for more than one-third of the nationaltreasury.Therefore,the collapse of two Huaihai salt will directly lead to the Treasury tight and financial crisis.And with internal and external problems and military spend of the late period.Finally,it dilapidated Ming Dynasty financial to the brink of collapse ultimately.