"I know that the national policy of supporting the clan will bring a heavy burden to the court every year."
The Empress sighed again.
"But preferential treatment of the royal family is an ancestral oath made by Emperor Taizu when he made an alliance with heaven and earth. If he arbitrarily acts on national policy, he will disrespect his ancestors and break his trust in heaven and earth. It may even cause Taizu's immortality to be broken. Such a great unfilial thing, How can future generations do this?"
"Besides, when the country of Great Xia was once again in danger of overthrowing three hundred years ago, had it not been for the fact that our ancestor, Emperor Guangwu, had a lot of wealth and decisively spent all his wealth to gather volunteers, the remaining clans in various places would have united as one and gathered under the command of Emperor Guangwu to regain Taizu together. With the cause of returning the world to the hands of the Jiang royal family, Daxia has long ceased to exist. This was also the original intention of Emperor Taizu when he established this national policy."
Speaking of this, the empress's voice inexplicably became much deeper.
Lu Chen has been in this world for several months, so he naturally knows the history of Daxia.
In fact, although it has been nearly a thousand years since the founding of Daxia, it has actually experienced two overthrows.
To put it simply, it is somewhat similar to the Eastern and Western Han dynasties. After the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, a hero with the blood of the previous dynasty's royal family restored the ancestral foundation, allowing the completely decayed dynasty to regain a new life amidst complete destruction.
However, during the change of imperial power in Daxia, no new dynasty was established.
If the Great Xia were to perish, the history of Xia in later generations would definitely not be summarized directly in the "Book of Xia", but would be divided into "Book of Xia", "Book of Middle Xia" and "Book of Later Xia" to distinguish this period of history.
Today the world still has the surname Jiang, so naturally no one dares to so rebelliously divide the history of Daxia into three parts.
The empress said slowly: "Therefore, I cannot change the national policy of giving preferential treatment to the royal family. I can only find ways to make up for the deficit in the national treasury and control the number of the royal family through various methods. Like the previous emperors, I try to let as many royal family members as possible enter the Taoism, so that He is like King Yu, who reduced or even stopped reproducing offspring because he was concerned about his luck."
Lu Chen only had one comment on this method.
“Treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.”
He shook his head.
"The Great Xia has lasted for thousands of years, and each generation of the clan has enjoyed the support of the imperial court since childhood. Some even hold the power of life and death for the people. There are very few people who are willing to immerse themselves in hard work, and they are limited by their talents. , most of the clans are unable to enter the Taoism, and coupled with the restrictions of the clan, they are unable to engage in the business of the four peoples. They have nothing to do and nothing to pursue. As a result, there are countless people who rely on the blood of the royal family to act recklessly and spend money. These people are entrenched in all parts of Daxia and suck the blood and marrow. The number of parasites continues to surge, and the money and spiritual stones that the court needs to waste every year on supporting the royal family will only increase rapidly and there will be no end."
"Not to mention whether the current annual revenue accounts of the imperial court are full of problems, the taxes on the current accounts alone can no longer support the huge expenses of supporting the royal family, and the national treasury is already in deficit. Even if the annual revenue of the imperial court increases several times, it will never be satisfied. The bottomless pit of the clan’s infinite expansion.”
"Things have extremes and desires are endless. It is impossible to control the infinite with the limited. When the imperial court's finances completely collapse, the world will fall into the chaos and chaos of three hundred years ago. By then, can we expect heroes like Emperor Guangwu to stand up and restore order? Whole mountains and rivers?”
After saying so much in one breath, Lu Chen felt his mouth was a little dry, so he picked up the tea cup that had been placed beside him and drank half of the tea left in it.
Hmm. It’s normal to be bitter yet sweet.
It's just that this time Gan seems to have gone a little too far.
But when she heard what he said, the empress' face was slightly shocked.
Lu Chen put down the tea cup and continued: "It is impossible that every time the country overturns, a clan will rise up and rebuild Daxia. And if Daxia is destroyed and Emperor Taizu completely cuts off the national destiny, the immortal way will inevitably collapse. By then, not only the ancestral system will be destroyed. It’s an ancestral issue.”
As he spoke, his expression became more solemn.
"So, when the situation is so serious, it would be truly unfilial to not try to change in order to continue the national destiny and preserve the country of Daxia!"
As soon as the words fell, the empress frowned and began to think deeply.
For a while, she didn't speak again, obviously weighing something.
Although he was extremely resourceful at a young age and had a deep palace, after all, he had been struggling under the nose of the Queen Mother for many years. Just dealing with that extremely suspicious and cautious woman every day required all his energy. Naturally, he had no spare time to focus on the country. On big things.
Now that she has just taken power, she does not know much about many aspects of state governance, and she is not yet deeply involved with Daxia's centuries-old abuses.
She needed to digest Lu Chen's words.
Lu Chen did not disturb him, but gently picked up the brush and started writing on the white paper.
After a while, he slowly lowered his hand.
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Hearing this, the empress immediately put away her thoughts and leaned over to look. A certain overgrown spot gently rested on Lu Chen's shoulder.
A gust of fragrant wind blew past, and a strand of black hair brushed past Lu Chen's cheek, giving him a tingling feeling.
Very comfortable.
But I saw Lu Chen writing on a white paper——
The annual salary is 12,000 shi for the prince, 3,000 shi for the county prince, 2,000 shi for the general of the country, 1,200 shi for the general of the auxiliary country, 800 shi for the general of the country, 600 shi for the lieutenant of the town, 400 shi for the lieutenant of the auxiliary country, and 200 shi for the lieutenant of Fengguo.
In the previous year, the central tax revenue converted into silver money totaled 42.28 million guan, and the total expenses for supporting the clan amounted to 11.52 million guan in silver money.
Suizhou's annual income converted into silver coins totaled 90,000 guans, and it cost 35,000 guans a year to support the Sui King and his family.
Looking at the data above, the empress' heart gradually sank.
"More than 30% of the local annual revenue is used to support the clan, and part of it must be kept in the treasury for emergencies, and part of it must be handed over to the central government. In this way, will there be money left for building bridges and roads, controlling floods, and benefiting the people?"
"The people have no clothes to wear, no food to eat, and people's livelihood is in ruins. It will definitely become more difficult for the imperial court to collect taxes."
"The annual income of the imperial court is gradually decreasing, but the expenditure to support the clan is increasing year by year. As a result, how can the national treasury not be in deficit?"
Lu Chen put down his pen. He didn't know what he suddenly thought of, and his voice gradually became colder.
"When Wei Chen served as the governor of the two states, in addition to assisting Xiao Shangshu in water control, he also sorted out local government affairs and consulted various files, and also gained a general understanding of some local situations and so-called officialdom rules. When there was a problem in the treasury, those representatives It shows how the so-called parents of the imperial court deal with things."
"You can tell the autumn by looking at the fallen leaves. Your Majesty, tell me, if the national treasury is in short supply, what will those people do in order to keep or obtain a higher position of power?"
Looking at Lu Chen's cold eyes, the empress couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
"how?"
Lu Chen didn't sell it, and said bluntly: "The treasury has always been short of money, either because of the people's ideas, or because of the businessmen's ideas, just like when the Demon Queen came to power, when the imperial court was squandering extravagantly, they plundered the people, and the people If the change is imminent, then plunder it from Shang."
Click
The small hands under the empress's dragon robe tightened suddenly.
In his mind, the people's livelihood conditions that he had investigated when he sent Xuan Jiwei to the three provinces to collect evidence gradually emerged.
The images in the talisman that Xuanji Guard sent back to the capital seemed to flash quickly before his eyes, gradually combining with the tragic situation revealed in Lu Chen's short sentence.
Nowadays, there are more than one hundred thousand members of the Daxia clan.
Continue to multiply on this basis
Just thinking about it makes people's scalp numb.
Although the people's lives are in dire straits not entirely due to the clan's disaster, it is certainly one of the main reasons.
"Although the two states cannot represent the entire Great Xia, Wei Chen believes that Great Xia will never have only one King Yu and King Sui."
Lu Chen stared at the white paper in front of him and his voice became heavier.
"Yuzhou and his party made Wei Chen realize an extremely cruel fact."
“The clan does not pay taxes, and the officials and gentry do not pay taxes. All the burdens of the court fall on the common people. They endure the hardest labor and pay the heaviest taxes, but are robbed by corrupt officials, oppressed by their clansmen, and The people they gave everything they had to support were treated like pigs and dogs.”
"What truth is this? Is there any crueler truth in the world than this?"
When he said this, the distracting thoughts in Lu Chen's heart almost completely dissipated, and his mind was instantly filled with the human tragedies he had witnessed during his trip to Yuzhou.
"The people are the foundation of Great Xia, and they are the only ones who will place all their trust in the imperial court. As long as the people live and work in peace and contentment, they will naturally turn to the imperial court. With Great Xia prosperous, how can it be in danger of overthrowing? Why should the clans spread all over the world be in danger? Become a backup when the country is overturned?"
"On the other hand, if this extremely unreasonable status quo does not change, Daxia will soon be destroyed!"
As the powerful words fell, the entire Zichen Palace continued to reverberate.
Like bursts of powerful bells, it constantly shook the empress's heart.
"Lu Qing, what you said makes sense."
After a while, the empress took a deep breath. The moment her eyes met with Lu Chen's, a solemn expression quickly appeared on her face.
"If we don't solve the problems that have been accumulated for thousands of years, no matter how hard I work and how prosperous the world is, it will be nothing more than a flower in the mirror and a moon in the water, which is meaningless."
Hearing this, Lu Chen's eyes suddenly relaxed slightly.
"Your Majesty, Great Xia is now at a critical juncture. It can either get rid of the old evils, the court will take on a new look, and move towards an unprecedented prosperous era, or it will completely sink into the old ways and hope for a new round of chaos and change."
"I understand."
The empress straightened up slowly, and then said to Lu Chen very seriously:
"Lu Qing, please help me to save Daxia, which is already in decline."
Lu Chen stood up at the same time, bowed slightly to the empress, and said solemnly: "This is what a humble minister should do. As the saying goes, he eats the emperor's salary and bears the emperor's worries. A humble minister has received the favor of the country and has the trust of your majesty. He should be loyal to you." The king's affairs are ruined for Daxia and His Majesty!"
The empress nodded slightly, her trust in Lu Chen becoming stronger in her heart.
Needless to say, Lu Chen's loyalty and character were outstanding.
Now he shows such talent again.
This is true ability and political integrity!
As the emperor of Great Xia, how could she not love such a loyal, courageous and talented minister?
"Lu Qing, what do you think about the national policy of supporting the clan and the various shortcomings you just mentioned?"
Speaking of this, Lu Chen immediately became energetic.
He thought for a moment, sorted out his thoughts, organized his words, and then said: "Your Majesty, when I was in Yuzhou, I realized that the system of clan support and the system of non-taxation of clansmen and gentry had a negative impact on the development of Daxia. After the harm was caused, I have been thinking hard about how to fundamentally eliminate these shortcomings. After thinking for many days, I came up with some solutions."
After hearing this, the empress did not immediately ask, but frowned slightly and said softly:
"Lu Qing, this matter must involve the fundamental interests of the clan, gentry and other behemoths, and it is very likely to arouse their resentment. Therefore, you should be cautious in everything, be cautious, protect yourself first, and then plan for it slowly. Don't act too hastily."
Lu Chen shook his head at the empress's kind reminder.
"What your Majesty said, I don't agree with. As the saying goes, it's not a waste of your life to do great things. If you flinch, you will definitely not be able to accomplish anything in the end. This matter is related to the fate of the country. If I don't have the awareness that I will die, I won't be able to do anything." How can we get rid of the thousand-year-old dark clouds that have gathered over Daxia and restore a peaceful and prosperous age to the people?"
Hearing these words and feeling the determination in them, the empress was immediately moved. There was a hint of strangeness in her eyes when she looked at Lu Chen.
The little hands under the dragon robe were clenched tightly, and the nails dug into the flesh without even noticing.
At this time, she only had one thought in her mind -
Such a loyal and unparalleled warrior, even if I risk everything, I will protect him!
After a moment, her little hands slowly loosened up, determination flashed in her eyes, and her expression was no longer entangled.
"Well, such a big thing requires great wisdom and courage. I really shouldn't hesitate."
She walked slowly towards the dragon chair not far away.
"Lu Qing, tell me your thoughts. I want to know where you plan to start."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lu Chen responded solemnly, and then slowly sat down.
"The harm caused by the clan has accumulated to this day. The root cause lies in the ancestral system established by Emperor Taizu Hongwu when he founded the country. All descendants and emperors must strictly implement the clan benefits set by his elders and receive fixed salaries according to their titles."
"Of course, Wei Chen does not intend to ask His Majesty to cancel this national policy and completely abolish the ancestral system, but he wants to work hard on the amount."
Hearing this, the empress suddenly narrowed her eyes.
"Lu Qing plans to submit a letter to reduce the clan's benefits?"
"No."
Lu Chen shook his head.
"Simply cutting salary is too straightforward. It will not only cause dissatisfaction among all the clans in the world, but also fierce resistance. It will damage His Majesty's holy name. How can a humble official do anything that makes His Majesty fall into injustice?"
Simply offending the clan is definitely not enough.
These people have no real power. Although they are powerful together, they may not be able to defeat him, who is protected by the empress.
We have to drag the other wave of people into the water.
The empress couldn't help but become more curious.
"Then what are you going to do, Lu Qing?"
"We can't let them lose all hope at once, we have to leave them something to look forward to."
"How to do it exactly?"
Lu Chen took a deep breath, and then said slowly:
"Weichen plans to change the original system of fixed salary distribution to one that links the clan's treatment with the local government's tax revenue and the people's livelihood."
Evolution second update tomorrow
(End of chapter)
