Guo Chong on the other side also looked at Zhu Biao in shock, and then began to try hard to recall whether he had said anything wrong that day and whether it would have left a good impression on His Highness.
The other scholars also looked at the prince with burning eyes. After all, according to the rules of the officialdom, most of them must go to the local government first. It would be good to be able to serve in the capital in ten or twenty years. By then, they might be given Now that His Highness has pledged his allegiance, if he can stand out in this department and be remembered by His Highness the Crown Prince...
Zhu Biao naturally knew what the scholars were thinking. Logically speaking, the prince and crown prince should not have contact with candidates for new subjects, but who calls him special?
Zhu Biao's mentality has calmed down now. These people are also the best talents in the Ming Dynasty. If they are well cultivated, they will be the backbone of the future court, which is still very useful to Zhu Biao.
After the scene calmed down, Li Shanchang and Song Lian stepped back a little. Zhu Biao took a step forward and said: "You are the heroes of our Ming Dynasty. You are all students who have studied hard in a poor family. Today, the imperial court is showing great kindness." The purpose of selecting scholars is to select suitable people from among you to assist in the prosperous Ming Dynasty. I would like to wish you to be named on the gold medal list and live up to the ten years of hard study."
The numerous scholars all bowed and saluted: "Students, please wait and thank Your Highness."
After the ceremony, every ten people were taken away by a guard and went to their dormitories according to the pre-distributed number plates to start the exam. No one dared to cause trouble here, everything was in order.
The formal distribution of test papers began half an hour later. The dormitories were compact and it could be seen that many scholars had some changes in their mentality. After all, it was a very stressful exam, but the environment was still very stressful.
Zhu Biao and Li Shanchang began to patrol the corridors of the dormitory at will. Along the way, there were many guards staring at the candidates in charge of them.
Li Shanchang said from the side: "The so-called heaven is going to entrust a great task to this people, and they must first work hard on their minds and muscles. If they can survive this test, they will be like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate."
Zhu Biao nodded. Exemption from taxes and corvees is a very practical benefit. However, there is actually not much problem with this policy. Zhu Biao originally thought that if he was admitted to the Jinshi Examination, his land would not have to pay grain, so there would be so many people in the future. Raise your fields and donate them.
Only after Zhu Biao visited the Ministry of Household Affairs did he realize how the imperial court could leave such a big gap. Strictly speaking, in the Ming Dynasty, officials also paid grain and gentry also paid grain. However, officials had exemptions and exemptions. The court stipulated that After passing the examination, you will begin to enjoy preferential and exemptive treatment from the state.
This exemption includes exemption from land tax, not all of it, but a certain number of acres. So if this famous student or official has not been exempted from the land tax, he still has to pay taxes and royal grain. .
And according to Zhu Yuanzhang's character, how could it be possible to provide large-scale land tax exemption? If this policy could be effectively implemented, then the benefits to the officials and gentry would not be much, but it would be enough to feel the sincerity of the court.
Therefore, the policies issued by the central government are rarely wrong. They are only restricted by the imperial power not going to the countryside, and local officials collude with each other, which infinitely amplifies the preferential policies of these countries. For example, the number of acres of exempted land can be increased indefinitely, and even the acres of relatives can be changed to one's own name to achieve the purpose of preferential exemption. This method is called "contribution."
If a local aristocratic family wants to get more tax exemptions, they should give some land to the officials in charge, and then ask the officials to report to the court that there has been a disaster in the area, or the acres of land have been reduced, and if the current year's taxes cannot be paid, they should pay part of it first and promise to make up for it in the coming year. together.
In the second year, you still get tax reductions in a similar way. You still owe what you originally owed, and you also owe what you owe now. If you owe this for a few years, if there is a natural or man-made disaster nearby, the court orders tax exemption or encounters For happy events such as the new emperor's accession to the throne, the emperor ordered the whole world to celebrate, and for situations such as a general amnesty, all previous debts would be forgiven. In this way, whether it is an official or a gentry, over time, it becomes a habit.
Therefore, in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang only stipulated that officials should be exempted from corvee. Those who had achieved imperial examinations were exempted from taxation. This was originally a temporary policy to encourage reading. However, through the efforts of generations of scholars, this policy changed from temporary to permanent, and the tax exemption limit was continuously expanded. In the later period, it was changed beyond recognition.
However, this matter is not too urgent. Although it is crucial, in the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, these gentry cannot afford to make trouble, and they do not have the courage to engage in large-scale land annexation. After all, this is a problem that will only occur in the later period of the dynasty. The problem in Ming Dynasty now is not land annexation, but that there is too much land that is uncultivated.
Zhu Biao planned to implement the method of apportioning dings to acres, and spread the ding tax evenly into the land tax, and levy it on a per-acre basis. The more land you have, the more you will pay, and the less land you have, you will pay less, so as to balance the tax burden. After all, compared with that small amount of tax, it will stimulate a large population. Increased growth is what Zhu Biao needs most. Without the restriction of capitation tax, people will naturally let go of their children. One more child means one more labor force, so why not do it.
Zhu Biao and Li Shanchang took a tour. Although there were thousands of people taking exams, they were still well supervised in the dormitory. Zhu Biao happened to see Wu Bozong writing furiously, and Zhu Biao stopped and looked at it for a while.
Li Shanchang stroked his beard and said: "He has a dignified appearance and extraordinary bearing. It seems that he is a son of a noble family. It is difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son."
The two of them walked to the resting room and sat down to rest respectively. Liu Jin poured tea for them. Li Shanchang took it politely and took a sip. He looked at the thoughtful Zhu Biao and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any doubts? Maybe The veteran can be of some help."
Zhu Biao heard this and said: "I am thinking about whether to abolish the population tax to encourage the people to multiply and cultivate."
Li Shanchang was silent for a while and said: "Your Highness, you know that the land tax and the head tax are real taxes, and they are also the largest source of tax revenue for our country. If the head tax is abolished, our country may not even be able to pay officials' salaries."
Zhu Biao was not surprised. After all, the imperial court relied on that little tax to support it. Although the Ming Dynasty did not fight big wars, it continued to fight small wars, consuming taxes all the time.
Business has not yet developed, and Zhu Biao is not ready to raise business taxes now. After all, it is necessary to encourage business. It is unrealistic to maintain a huge empire with agricultural taxes.
Zhu Biao slowly explained the specific method of dividing a small family into an entire family. After listening, Li Shanchang began to think deeply. The benefits of this method were obvious at a glance, but as the prime minister, he must also consider the pros and cons of this matter.
This kind of big policy is not something Zhu Biao just wants to do. He is telling Li Shanchang now just to let him discuss it in court. If there are no accidents, the matter should be settled, but the specific implementation will definitely take time.
Agricultural taxation is the foundation of the country. No one can joke about it, and it cannot be implemented directly without careful consideration. Zhu Biao believes that these national elites will make the best choice.
………………………
