"We cannot allow the powerful officials and gentry to seize the people's land and then let the court pay for the social crisis caused by the people losing their land."
"We cannot ignore the increase in the number of refugees caused by right-wing wealthy households releasing domestic slaves in large numbers after the implementation of the New Deal such as clearing the land and land, and just wait for them to become rioters and bandits and be killed by the government and the army."
Zhu Yijun slandered, and then had Qi Jiguang's memorial to recruit miners in Yiwu taken out from the archives in the library and read carefully all night.
Zhu Yijun did not intend to recruit more miners from Yiwu. He wanted to use Qi Jiguang's voluntary investigation to learn more about the bankruptcy of a large number of homesteaders caused by the development of the Ming Dynasty's commodity economy, as well as the increase in the floating population caused by overpopulation.
Although Zhu Yijun needed to learn from Zhang Juzheng on how to implement reforms and how to use tens of thousands of civil servants across the country to execute his will, the insights from later generations made him notice that the scholar-bureaucrats of Zhang Juzheng's era ignored Some of them indicate subtle changes in new opportunities and challenges in social development.
Such as the emergence of the working class and the initiation of primitive capital accumulation by big landowners and big bureaucrats.
As an emperor, he cannot ignore these phenomena, nor can he simply interpret these changes as just a decline in social norms, which has led to an increase in the number of unruly people and an increase in the number of crimes.
Because if he ignores or does not intervene, what awaits him in the future will only be greater restrictions on his power and constraints on his life.
Henan, Guide.
While Zhu Yijun was investigating the bankruptcy of the working class and farmers in the Ming Dynasty late at night, Xu Ying met Shen Li on this day.
"Mr. Qianzhai has always been knowledgeable and well-informed. I have long wanted to ask for advice, but I have no chance. Now that I am passing through Guixiang, I thought about asking if it is convenient. I didn't expect that Mr. Qian doesn't mind bothering me."
As she spoke, Xu Ying raised her hands to Shen Li and said, "Please forgive me for your respect!"
"Thank you for your concern!"
Shen Li replied, and then said: "Second Young Master can come and make the humble house shine, not to mention disturbing."
Then, Xu Ying asked: "I heard that Mr. is purchasing land recently?"
Shen Li smiled and replied: "But there is a problem. The number of children in the clan is increasing day by day, and many people have to leave their hometowns to find work on the canal. As a member of the clan who has status, I also intend to purchase a hundred acres of clan land. Tenant the landless tribesmen without causing them to leave their hometowns.”
"Sir, you manage your family well, but is a hundred acres enough?"
Xu Ying asked.
Shen Li smiled and said, "We have limited official resources, so we have to do this. However, I plan to let the tribesmen try to grow the new grains mentioned by the emperor. This hundred acres of land may be enough to solve the tribesmen's difficulties."
"I have always admired you, sir, and would like to lend you one hundred thousand dollars in silver to buy a family farm, without charging interest!"
"I just ask you, sir, to order the people to grow only cotton instead of grain. When the time comes, my Xu family will recycle all the cotton yarn at a high price, and you, sir, can use the income from selling cotton to slowly repay the money you owe. I wonder what you think?"
"In this way, the father can not only feed more people, but also organize women and children in the clan to spin yarn, without having to worry about the clan being unable to live."
Xu Ying suggested at this time.
Shen Li was stunned for a moment, then said: "Thank you for your kindness, Second Young Master, but I have no intention of letting my people grow cotton. After all, if everyone in the world grows cotton, where will the food come from if there is a famine?"
"Yes, it is Mr. Qianzhai after all. His concerns are far-reaching. No wonder my father said that Mr. Qianzhai is the prime minister."
Xu Yingshan said with a smile.
Shen Li said: "Old sir, you have too much praise."
Then, Xu Ying changed the subject and asked: "Sir, have you heard that Duke Jiangling wants to implement a system where officials and gentry will pay grain and serve as errands together?"
Shen Li said: "Master Xiang mentioned it before."
Xu Ying asked: "I wonder if Mr. Qianzhai knows whether this is the emperor's intention or Jiangling Gong's original intention?"
"The meaning of the natural teacher!"
"Master Xiang is doing this so that the emperor can only be a benevolent emperor in the prosperous times in the future. I believe that Mr. Xu, as a loyal person to the country, will also be happy to see this happen."
Shen Li smiled.
"After all, it's Duke Jiangling. My father always says that we are not as good as him."
Xu Ying said with a smile.
Shen Li just smiled.
Then, Xu Ying asked: "What do you think of this strategy?"
Shen Li smiled and said: "When I am a citizen in my hometown, I no longer care about political affairs; no matter what policy the court adopts, I only act according to orders."
Xu Ying nodded.
…
"Shen Zhonghua said it was Jiang Ling's own intention."
After Xu Ying met Shen Li, she took a boat all the way down to Yangzhou and finally returned to Huating. After returning to Huating's home, she told Xu Jie about the affairs in Beijing and why he was looking for Shen Li. thing.
"It would be better if it was just Jiang Ling's own intention, but Shen Zhonghua's words cannot be taken seriously."
Xu Jie said something at this time.
"Father, no matter what the situation is, we have to come up with a solution now!"
"Canceling the preferential exemptions is not just as simple as having to pay food and work as a errand. It will undoubtedly not be conducive to our expansion of land acquisition. Those who donated to our Xu family in the past may not want to donate anymore."
Xu Yingdao.
"Let's wait and see what happens."
Xu Jie thought for a while and replied.
"Just wait and see what happens?"
Xu Ying was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Father, my son has an idea. Why don't we unite with a few big households to remove the Wusong River embankment that Haigangfeng built as a work-for-work relief program when he was the governor of Nanzhi? Got it!"
"As long as the fertile fields along the coast are submerged, the number of victims will inevitably increase. In this way, we can merge the fields at a low price! The extra profits the court took from us after canceling the exemptions will be made up from the merged fields!"
"It's easy to have your house confiscated if you resist the imperial court, but the common people can always be offended!"
"Kneel down!"
Xu Jie suddenly changed his color and scolded Xu Ying.
Xu Ying hurriedly knelt down: "Please give me father's instructions!"
"You are doing this to ruin the reputation of my Xu family! Where can I put my face?"
Xu Jie asked.
Xu Ying replied: "Father, since Hai Rui came to Nanzhi, do our Xu family still have face?"
"you!"
Xu Jie pointed at Xu Ying and was uttering a word. He was speechless for a moment. His face turned purple and he kept tapping the floor with his crutch.
"Father, my son knows that we are now a phoenix with no feathers, not as good as a chicken. He wants to restructure Jiangling. We dare not disobey or resist, but we can't even make up for some losses from those untouchables?!"
Xu Ying continued talking at this time, and added: "Besides, we have so much land now, if we really pay for it and work as an errand, it will not be a little money!"
"Get up."
Xu Jie's tone suddenly softened at this time.
"yes!"
Xu Ying said something at this time.
Xu Jieze said after Xu Ying stood up: "Even if we have to do this, we don't have to do it! Those who can't stand this new policy are not just our Xu family, there are so many wealthy gentry in the world, and there are many in Susonghang and Nanjing alone. Rich people, why do we need to be such a standout?"
"Father said so, but how long do we have to wait?"
"After the law was implemented, we endured the tax collection; we also endured the land clearing; now it's time for the officials and gentry to pay the taxes together. If we continue to endure it, other big households will be completely disappointed in us!"
Xu Ying said at this time.
"That will have to wait!"
"You want my Xu family to be the leader and then let us take the blame when something happens, no way!"
"If someone really destroys embankments and floods the fields, it's fine for our Xu family to follow them to take the grain and merge the fields, but we can't do such a thing that is easy to behead. If we want to do it, let those families in Nanjing whose ancestors have contributed to the Ming Dynasty do it. !”
Xu Jie continued talking at this time and said: "The most rare thing in the world is the word 'wait'. I have waited for twenty years to defeat Yan Song and my father. Can Zhang Juzheng be in power for twenty years?"
"What's more, the imperial court has begun to expand its troops. It is undoubtedly equivalent to preparing to kill one or two rising ones, as a warning to others!"
"How can we, the Xu family, take the lead at this time? Wouldn't we have fallen into Jiang Ling's scheme?"
"Be patient for now, wait until we can't help but take action first, and make the court confused, then we will take action to reverse the situation!"
"My son understands!"
Xu Ying replied.
…
"The Xu family didn't take any action?"
Zhu Yijun asked Zhang Jing after he received the information about the Xu family that Jin Yiwei sent back from Huating.
Zhang Jing replied: "Back to your lord, Xu Huating must be cautious. He doesn't want to get a reputation for being incompetent in running the family, or even give the court a reason to punish his Xu family."
Zhu Yijun nodded after hearing this, but he had to admit that it was not without reason that these Han landlords were pushed to the ground and rubbed by ethnic minorities in history. They were all too sophisticated, to the point of being too refined.
