Prime Minister Wang Wan saw that the First Emperor was obsessed with seeking immortality and was surrounded by a group of alchemists. His political affairs were becoming increasingly lax and his actions did not meet the standards of a saint. He went to see him and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that none of the saints from ancient times have ever lived forever." Yes, they all cultivate their character internally and cultivate virtue and governance externally, so that they can govern the world and be loved by the people!"
The First Emperor had always been very dissatisfied with Wang Wan's support for enfeoffment and his opposition to counties. However, considering that he was indeed loyal to the country and a veteran of three dynasties, he had been tolerant. Unexpectedly, he was now criticizing himself for seeking immortality based on the requirements of a saint. He was very unhappy. , asked: "Did the sage say that ministers should be responsible for managing the emperor's family affairs?"
Wang Wan was so busy: "I don't dare! I just remind your majesty that immortals do not exist. Otherwise, wouldn't all the sages from ancient times have become immortals?"
The First Emperor said angrily: "I have seen the Fairy Mountain with my own eyes, can I also see it wrong?"
Wang Wan still wanted to argue, saying: "Many of what people see are illusions. Those sorcerers just want to mislead Your Majesty and make Your Majesty mistakenly believe that those illusions are real! Your Majesty, please think twice!"
When the First Emperor saw Wang Wan seizing on this matter, he was furious and said: "It seems that the old prime minister is really old. You should go home and take care of yourself!"
Wang Wan remained silent and submitted a letter to resign the next day after returning to the palace. The First Emperor immediately agreed to his request.
When Wang Wan left Xianyang, only Chun Yuyue and a few other doctors came to see him off.
At this time, Wang Wan was very emotional and said: "I have been loyal to the country for decades and have never slacked off for a moment. I didn't expect that I would be deposed today! I am afraid that no one in the court can guide your majesty correctly!"
Chunyu Yue said: "Although the Prime Minister has returned to the fields, we will stick to the Prime Minister's ideas and persuade His Majesty to enfeoff the land once the opportunity is ripe."
Wang Wan said: "The issue of enfeoffment is of great importance! Please help me!"
All the doctors said: "Prime Minister, don't worry, we will do our best! Prime Minister, take care of yourself along the way!"
After saying goodbye, Wang Wan left Xianyang alone in a carriage without any belongings.
After deposing Wang Wan, the First Emperor promoted Li Si to serve as Prime Minister on the right. At this time, Wei Zhuang had also aged, and Feng Quji became Prime Minister on the left.
After Li Si became prime minister, he did not dare to slack off and immediately began to investigate the basic situation of taxation, corvee work, water conservancy and other matters across the country. Li Si discovered that the taxes in many counties were very different from the amount of land, and there must be a hidden secret.
So he sent people to counties and counties to investigate the situation, and reported to the First Emperor: "I did not dare to slack off after I succeeded as prime minister. I checked the tax situation across the country and found that many counties and counties were seriously in arrears with taxes. The reason was that the Guizhou leaders had insufficient land and even had no land to farm. , but after checking the land bills, I found that the land under the names of the Guizhou leaders was enough to pay taxes. For example, Sanchuan County has a population of 500,000 and a land of 2.5 million acres, which is enough to pay taxes of 80 per year. million dan, while last year only 500,000 dan were turned in.”
The First Emperor asked: "Where did all the extra land go?"
Li Sidao: "Since the reform of Shang Yang in Da Qin, we have rewarded farming. Those who produce a lot of grain and cloth can be exempted from labor and taxes. This has greatly stimulated farmers' enthusiasm for farming and reclamation.
In principle, all newly cultivated land belongs to farmers. But in reality, the land is nominally owned by farmers, but the cultivation and harvests belong to large households. This was originally because the war caused farmers to be displaced and the land was uncultivated. The big households took it as their own, but did not report it to the government. Since then, many large households have tasted the benefits and began to rely on their power to occupy a large amount of land, but they have to bear very little taxes. Farmers actually occupy very little land, but they have to bear a lot of taxes. "
The First Emperor pondered for a moment and said: "The head of Guizhou will be overwhelmed and the country's taxes will be reduced. How do you think the prime minister should solve it?"
“The minister believes that the capital of Guizhou should be allowed to own private land and order the landlords and farmers who occupy the land to report to the government according to the actual amount of land they occupy. The government will confirm it. The government recognizes and protects the legality of private land and uses it as a basis to collect land rent. The basis. If a large household occupies more land, it will have to pay more taxes. Otherwise, the excess land will be distributed to the farmers. Anyone who dares to occupy the land privately without reporting it will be severely punished!"
The First Emperor pondered: "This matter is of great importance. We must first choose one county to try it out, and then implement it nationwide. I heard that the prime minister's eldest son Li You is knowledgeable, so I appointed him as the governor of Sanchuan County to take the lead in implementing this matter!"
Li Si fell to the ground and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After Li You arrived in Sanchuan County, he immediately issued three orders:
First, all Guizhou and large households are required to report their actual land possessions to the government within ten days, and those who exceed the deadline will be fined Chengdan;
Secondly, the names of all large households should be registered, and the government would send people to check the amount of land at each house, and those who found falsehoods would be punished with tattoos;
Third, from now on, taxes will be levied based on the reported amount of land. Anyone who dares to occupy other people's land without reporting it will be punished!
At first, some wealthy families, relying on the protection of the ministers of the DPRK and China, had a sense of luck and underreported hundreds of acres of land. When the government found out, Li You immediately ordered to be tattooed!
One of the rich men was named Zhao Cheng, and his brother was Zhao Gao, the magistrate of CRRC. He threatened Li Youdao: "Do you know who my brother is? How dare you torture me?"
Li Youdao: "I don't care who your brother is or who your father is. If you violate my Daqin laws, you will be punished! Come on, execution!"
Zhao Cheng said angrily: "Li, if you wait, my brother will definitely not be able to spare you!"
After that, no one dared to resist Li You's decree, and Sanchuan County quickly completed the registration of the land.
In the second year, the tax revenue of Sanchuan County reached 1.5 million Dan, creating the highest tax revenue for a single county in Qin State.
The First Emperor was overjoyed and ordered Li You to return to the court in person to receive the award.
Li Youjin met the First Emperor and said: "Relying on your Majesty's wisdom and martial prowess, Li You lived up to your Majesty's trust and doubled the taxes of Sanchuan County without increasing the burden on the farmers."
The First Emperor said: "What a talented young man! Like father, like son! What reward do you want?"
Li You followed his father's instructions and replied: "I don't want any reward, I just want to serve your majesty all the time!"
The First Emperor laughed and said: "It's rare for you to be so loyal! Last year your sister married the young master Fusu, and now I want to recruit you as my consort, are you willing?"
Li You knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! This is the honor of a humble minister! May Your Majesty's happiness and longevity be endless!"
After meeting with His Majesty, Li Si and his son held a feast at home that night. All the Chinese, civil and military officials of the DPRK went to toast Li Si and congratulate him. There are thousands of carriages and horses in front of the gate. Li You was extremely happy and kept coming out to socialize.
The banquet ended very late, but Li You found Li Si sitting there in a daze, and stepped forward and asked, "Is father feeling unwell?"
Li Si sighed with emotion: "Oh! I heard Xun Qing say, 'Don't overdo things.' I, Li Si, was originally a commoner in Shangcai, a commoner in the streets. The emperor didn't understand that I have low talents, so he put me I have been promoted to such a high position. Nowadays, no one who is a minister has a higher position than me. It can be said that my wealth and splendor have reached the extreme. However, things are about to begin to decline at the peak of their development. I don’t know where I will end up!”
Li You decided that his father was too cautious and did not see the approaching danger.
Although Li You was recognized by the First Emperor for his meritorious service in governing Sanchuan County, he also offended many dignitaries in the court. Zhao Gao, the commander of CRRC, was very angry when he heard that his nephew had also been punished. However, forced by the power in front of Li Si and his son, he could only endure it, but the seeds of hatred were planted in his heart.
In the thirty-first year of the First Emperor's reign, Li You's great success in Sanchuan County made the First Emperor determined to implement the "real field policy" throughout the country.
As a result, the land of large and small landowners and farmers has been recognized and protected by the state, and they can directly cultivate the land and pay taxes to the state, which stimulates their enthusiasm for reclamation and cultivation. The state taxes have also steadily increased, but at the same time, this has greatly reduced the number of intermediate people. The income of the wealthy and powerful.
The New Deal violated the interests of the nobles and wealthy families, and they were very resentful of the New Deal. In the end, all resentment was attributed to the First Emperor. Many of them live in Xianyang all year round. Although they dare not initiate riots, they always want to find opportunities to abolish the New Deal and restore the old country.
After the First Emperor went on tour several times, he became increasingly unwilling to stay in the palace for a long time. He often went on tour in disguise, with only a few guards such as Gai Nie by his side.
Zhao Cheng has been resentful since he was sentenced. He bribed the eunuchs around the First Emperor. The eunuchs leaked the news to Zhao Cheng that the First Emperor often changed his clothes and went on patrols. Zhao Cheng convened big families to discuss countermeasures. Zhao Cheng said: "The First Emperor is unkind to us. Don’t blame us for being unjust. Killing the First Emperor will abolish the New Deal and regain our interests!”
The wealthy man Zhang Wei said: "Assassinating the emperor is a serious crime against the three clans!"
Zhao Chengdao: "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger's cub? Besides, we don't need to personally assassinate him!"
The wealthy people asked: "Brother Zhao, what good ideas do you have? Let's talk about it."
Zhao Chengdao said: "I have lived in Xianyang for a long time and know many local righteous men. They are all strong in martial arts and willing to sacrifice their lives for money. We only need to give them more money and let them assassinate!"
"Then they dare to assassinate the emperor?"
Zhao Cheng said proudly: "Haha, I have already inquired about this clearly. The First Emperor likes to change his clothes and go on patrols. He only has a few guards with him. We don't need to tell the martyrs the identity of the person who was assassinated. We only said that he was a rich man in rich clothes. That’s it! They are all greedy for money, so they will definitely not show mercy!”
So Zhao Cheng bought a large number of local ruffians near Xianyang, only to make enemies in the palace and let them avenge him. The gangster accepted the money and agreed.
One night in the Jiaping month of the 32nd year of the First Emperor, the First Emperor finished approving the memorial and had nothing to do, so he called up Gai Nie and four other bodyguards to dress up and go out on patrol incognito.
As soon as the First Emperor left, the young eunuch secretly told Zhao Cheng the news. Zhao Cheng didn't know the First Emperor, so he asked his servant Zhao Zhong to patrol around the gate of the palace.
When the First Emperor came out of the palace gate, he walked towards Orchid Pond while watching the scenery, walking very slowly. This was seen by Zhao Zhong who was on patrol. He saw the First Emperor and a group of five people coming towards him. The man in the middle was gorgeously dressed, with exquisite accessories and an extraordinary appearance. He thought that this might be the person his master wanted to assassinate, so he quickly ran to report to the local people. Yang Shuo, the local ruffian, heard the news and summoned more than 20 of his gangsters to go to Lanchi to wait.
When the First Emperor and his entourage arrived at Lanchi, Yang Shuo and more than twenty gangsters arrived just in time. When Yang Shuo saw that the five people in front of him were indeed gorgeously dressed and distinguished, they looked like rich people, he was secretly happy and heartbroken. After killing these people, not to mention asking for more rewards from the big family, the valuable items on these people alone are worth a lot of money.
So the gangsters drew their swords and started to chop without saying a word. The First Emperor was shocked. Fortunately, Gai Nie and the other four guards were all first-class Ouchi masters. They reacted quickly and immediately realized that someone was assassinating them. They drew out their long swords and started fighting with each other.
The First Emperor also learned swordsmanship from a young age. He drew his sword and stabbed two assassins to death instantly!
Although there were many gangsters, they were all a mob. They were usually brave and fierce in the market, but when they encountered guards with superb martial arts skills, they were vulnerable. Four or five of them were knocked down in an instant. Yang Shuo saw that the momentum was not right and turned around. Just wanted to run away. Gai Nie had long known that Yang Shuo was the leader, and how could he allow him to escape? He flew up and kicked him to the ground.
At this time, the guards patrolling the city heard the sound of fighting, rushed over after hearing the news, and captured all the gangsters. The leading guard recognized that the person in front of him was the First Emperor. He was shocked and fell to the ground, saying: "Your Majesty was frightened. I am not in good position to protect you. I deserve death!"
When Yang Shuo heard that the person he assassinated was the First Emperor, he was so frightened that he peed his pants.
The First Emperor said: "I am on patrol incognito this time, and all the guards are not guilty! You have done a good job in protecting me, and I will reward you heavily in the future. Gai Nie, you put these people in prison and wait for their fate!"
Gai Nie said: "Wei Chen takes orders!"
Then the group of people surrounded the First Emperor and returned to the palace. The First Emperor ordered Zhao Gao to interrogate the assassin.
Zhao Cheng heard that the assassination failed and was afraid of being implicated, so he quickly ran to Zhao Gao for help.
Only then did Zhao Gao know the whole story, and he was shocked. He knew that this was a serious crime against the three clans, and he shouted angrily: "Ignorant boy dares to assassinate the emperor! Are you tired of living a crooked life?"
Zhao Cheng was so frightened that he huddled in one place and dared not speak.
Zhao Gao looked at his useless brother and felt helpless. After calming down for a moment, he asked, "Do those gangsters know your identity?"
"Brother, I didn't identify myself, and they didn't know my name, but they had seen my face. If they saw it, they would definitely recognize me. My younger brother was frightened, so he went to find my elder brother."
"You are not too stupid! Brother, I have already promised you that I will help you avenge your tattoo in the future! You must never make your own decisions or do anything rebellious in the future! Make decisions after discussing everything with me!"
Zhao Cheng heard that Zhao Gao's tone softened and said hurriedly: "I don't dare to do it anymore. I will listen to my brother from now on!"
Zhao Gao let out a long sigh.
Yang Shuo and other gangsters were horrified when they found out that the assassin was the First Emperor. Zhao Gao interrogated them and deliberately threatened: "Do you know that assassinating the emperor is a major crime against the three clans?"
Yang Shuo and others calculated in their minds that once they told the truth, not only would their lives be in danger, but the whole family might also be killed. They all gritted their teeth and said that they were just robbers and didn't know who they were robbing. They just saw the First Emperor in gorgeous clothes that night, and they thought they were going to be a rich man, so they started to rob him of his money.
Zhao Gaodao: "According to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, since you did it without knowing it, you can be exempted from the crime of involvement, but the one you assassinated was His Majesty the Emperor, so you should be punished with five punishments!"
The ruffians cried out that they were wronged.
Zhao Gao then truthfully reported the confessions of Yang Shuo and others to the First Emperor.
After hearing this, the First Emperor was not completely sure whether it was true, so he asked, "What do you think of this matter?"
Zhao Gaodao: "I think the words of Yang Shuo and others are credible. There are many refugees in Xianyang City now. They are wandering around and have no real job. Even the Xianyang Order cannot control them. Your Majesty, why not capture them all and send them to the north to build the Great Wall."
The First Emperor let out a long sigh and said, "I didn't expect that there are so many refugees in Xianyang City. I'll just do what you want!"
Therefore, the First Emperor ordered that all the assassins be sentenced to death with five punishments. At the same time, for twenty days in Guanzhong, all local ruffians and hooligans without legitimate professions were captured and sent to the north to build the Great Wall.
