On the official road on the outskirts of Chang'an City, there is still a little snow on the branches, and the grass beside the road has sprouted.
A red bellyband was thrown beside the road. Gu Wende looked up and saw Yan Zhenqing and Xue Bai walking side by side in front, not noticing his little movement.
He straightened his robes and wanted to step forward and say something, but couldn't. Only the scenes from last night were rising and falling in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel extremely ashamed.
Taking a closer look, Liu Jing, who was looking calm in front of him, had two bright red marks on the back of his neck...
"Teacher, if you can trust my ability to ask questions, I can be sure that those who fled have never been granted land."
"Call me 'county captain' and continue."
Yan Zhenqing was too lazy to correct Xue Bai when they were talking alone last night, but now in front of others, he was not allowed to be so clever.
"When the land is granted, no matter how many or how little, the young man must receive a bond. This is a common practice and is not new in recent years. If anyone dares to have objections, there are many officials to make them bow their heads."
Xue Bai knew what Yan Zhenqing really wanted to investigate, and continued: "The common people are the most patient. Without this acre of land, Qu Ada found a job in Chang'an, and his life was still manageable. He was in Xishi He set up a stall selling linen outside, and he paid the rent for eight years. As long as his family could have food, he would never become a fugitive and sell himself into slavery. But starting from five or six years ago, he paid the rent. It’s amazing.”
"Why?"
"If students are asked to summarize, the imperial court has reduced the proportion of rent in taxes."
"That's a good summary." Yan Zhenqing said calmly: "This is the merit of the right prime minister, and it is also the reason why the saint called him a 'virtuous prime minister' many times."
"Yes, it sounds like the right prime minister is really talented." Xue Bai said: "The waste of land granting, equalizing taxes without equalizing the land, everyone with a discerning eye knows that the mediocrity of renting must be changed. The right prime minister also knew it, so he reduced the mediocrity of renting. , changed to various miscellaneous taxes.”
Yan Zhenqing turned around and took a deep look at Xue Bai.
He suddenly couldn't tell whether he was a shameless villain who clung to Li Genu and would bite him back if he betrayed him, or a politician who had great ambitions but used unscrupulous means.
"Qu Ada is most afraid of the imperial decree that 'exempts the people from renting mediocre tunes for one year.' It is said that the taxes in Guanzhong are exempted, but the taxes are collected from far away, and the money has to be collected. This money is not like renting mediocre tunes. It is a fixed amount, and he has to pay as much as the official says. After paying the foot money, there is also a discount. If the cloth paid is soaked and the color is not good, the loss will be calculated and spread on his head..."
When Xue Bai said this, he thought of the way Qu Ada burst into tears when recounting these things, and also thought of the praised financial management methods of Yang Shenjin and Wang Xian.
"Yang Shenjin was appointed as the prefect, and when he received goods from various states, if there were any water damage or wounds, he ordered the state to levy and deduct the money. The levies in the states and counties continued over the years."
This was when he saw with his own eyes that Li Linfu wanted to protect Yang Shenjin, and what was written in the memorial was regarded as a great achievement.
In the past two or three months, these people used power to persecute him, but Xue Bai was not angry. There is competition in the power field, the survival of the fittest, and the willingness to accept defeat. This is common sense. But those who win power should at least do their part. This is the basic quality that those who gamble their lives should have.
Only this morning, Xue Bai felt angry when he heard the complaints of those who had fled.
Many people have died in Tianbao's five years. He can die, but he will never allow people to climb up by stepping on his body as a stepping stone. They will only keep breaking the foundation of the country.
There is no basic bottom line.
Where Yan Zhenqing looked, he saw Xue Bai's childish face tensed up, showing a sense of majesty and righteousness.
He thought about it and finally considered testing it.
First, he waved the two county officials to go to the front post house to buy some food. When he and Xue Bai were left alone, he asked: "Xue Bai, let's just talk about the tax law. What do you think of the right prime minister?"
Xue Bai looked at the backs of the two county officials and replied: "The right prime minister is a genius in tax law."
Yan Zhenqing said: "Really?"
Xue Bai pondered for a moment, raised his tone, and instead praised Li Linfu. The more he praised, the more generous he became.
"The Tang Dynasty was at its peak, unprecedented in history. Anyone with insight knows that the ancient tax laws can no longer adapt to the future, and the tax laws must be reformed. But the right prime minister does not need to reform, he only needs to change the proportion of tax laws in the national wealth. Collect new taxes without abolishing old laws, levy miscellaneous taxes without suppressing mergers, and the official warehouses will be full and the treasury will be abundant. It is precisely "recalling the heyday of Kaiyuan in the past, the small town still had thousands of households. The rice was dripping with fat, the corn was white, public and private The barns and barns are all abundant.' It was the sage and the Right Prime Minister who created the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty."
"The Tang Dynasty sometimes reduced the rent for a whole year, but the taxes increased. Why? Wang Xian checked the household registrations, and he could collect ten years of rent from the dead soldiers in one year. Yang Shenjin levied the discount Se, the tribute has never been cut off year after year. The right prime minister works hard day and night, conscientiously; the saint does not leave Chang'an for ten years, and there is no trouble at home; the people go to the big family, receive their protection, and live and work in peace and contentment!"
"In this way, step by step, until everyone in the world knows that it is better to collect miscellaneous taxes, and only need a little pain of loss of life and corpses everywhere, the tax system can be reformed on the basis of the right minister's tax law, and the tax system can be changed from taxation to other tax laws. This is all due to the work of the right prime minister. It is such a virtuous prime minister that he is worthy of ruling the world for more than ten years. His merit is in the country and will last forever!"
~~
"With such a method of reducing expenditure and the right prime minister being so wise, it is no wonder that the saint has relied on his right prime minister for more than ten years!"
In the Right Prime Minister's Mansion, the newly appointed Jingzhao Yin Xiaojiong is visiting Li Linfu.
The matter discussed is the top priority of this year's government affairs - the sage wants to expand the Lishan Hot Spring Palace and rename it Huaqing Pool; at the same time, the Longyou War is about to start, and the sage urges Wang Zhongsi to capture Shibao City.
Both of these were costly and complicated undertakings.
However, the Taifu's treasury, which was originally thought to be very abundant, turned out to be in deficit.
Yang Shenjin deserved to die. As soon as the Yang brothers were escorted back from Luoyang, the saint ordered them to die and sent the whole family into exile.
There are countless beautiful servants and maids in the Hongnong County Duke's mansion, and the dignitaries of Chang'an are already gearing up and preparing to share the food...
Li Linfu couldn't care less about this case.
He has been busy with official duties these days, working hard and sleeping late at night, thinking about how to raise this money for the saint.
To this end, he has thought of a good way to save money.
The imperial court spent a lot of money on paper for official documents every year. Li Linfu proposed to select the official documents that were regular every year. These would not need to be reprinted, which would save a lot of paper expenses.
But cutting expenditures is not enough, you also have to increase revenue...
"Don't brag in front of the truth. Jingzhao Mansion should be a model for all prefectures and counties in the world, and political achievements are indispensable."
"Right minister, don't worry. I'm going to investigate the fugitives. In the sixth year of Tianbao, the taxes of Jingzhao Mansion will be 20% higher than when Han Chaozong was there."
There was a cough from behind the screen.
Xiao Jiong was stunned for a moment, gritted his teeth, saluted again, and responded: "Thirty percent, there is still something to be done!"
Li Linfu then waved his hand and summoned Ji Wen to discuss the taxation of Jingzhao Mansion.
In the end, Ji Wen did not retreat and whispered: "Right Prime Minister, Xue Bai..."
"Are you in a hurry? Are you free? Let's talk after we find out who is behind it!"
Li Linfu knew very well why the saint relied on him, and only in the face of such serious matters would he let go of his jealousy of talents and exclusion of dissidents.
Finance and taxation are the foundation of the Holy Family.
Don't worry, there are a lot of people to be killed in Tianbao's sixth year. Let's talk about it after collecting the tax...
~~
Xue Bai and Yan Zhenqing entered Chang'an City from Mingde Gate and walked along Zhuque Street.
Zhuque Street is wide and bustling, with dense pedestrians, many of whom are well-dressed and plump.
The curly-haired Hu Shang walked by while leading his camel. His eyes were full of wonder at this incredible prosperity, and he shouted "Moo! Moo!"
During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, their family wealth was still strong, which also allowed them to relax from the depression of tracking down runaways.
When they arrived at Anyefang, Yan Zhenqing was about to return to Chang'an County in the west. When he turned around, he saw that Xue Bai was still following him. He waved his hand and said, "Go back?"
"I wonder if the students passed the teacher's test?"
Last night Xue Bai rejected Qingxu Bieye's beauty trap, and this morning he asked a lot of questions, and he thought his performance was okay.
Yan Zhenqing frowned.
He just wanted to scare Xue Bai off by doing some hard work, but in fact there was no test at all.
"Don't call me like that again. In this case, go back and write a policy paper with the theme of renting mediocre tunes. There is no need to rush. Think about it before handing it over to me."
"Students must write carefully!"
Xue Bai readily agreed, thinking this was a great opportunity.
Some people may look down on policy theory, but his experience has taught him that it is very important. Especially in the Tang Dynasty, if you want to convince others, you cannot do something and wait for word of mouth to spread slowly. Later, people will only misunderstand his thoughts and abilities.
How does one think one should govern? What kind of governance skills do you have? How much political ambition do you have? Policy theory is the most intuitive thing.
In troubled times, a reckless hero can kill tens of thousands of people with one sword and one shot. With his prestige, he slowly convinces his ministers of his ability to govern the country over decades. In this prosperous age, if you want to accumulate fame as quickly as possible, you must have the most intuitive and solid things.
Following Yan Zhenqing on the right path of officialdom is to strengthen the ability to govern the world step by step. This is the foundation.
Machiavellian tactics are just a means to help the fundamentals.
~~
Returning to Du's house in Shengpingfang, I saw Lu Fengniang and Liu Xiangjun sitting in the second courtyard chatting, with several children running around and playing around them.
"It's fun to have more children. I look so envious. I've long wanted to have another daughter, but my husband doesn't want to..."
Lu Fengniang hugged Xue Jiuniang, looking like she couldn't let go of the little girl.
When Xue Bai entered the hospital, the six children immediately stood in a row again and shouted in unison: "Brother Six."
"Brother Six, didn't you say you were going on a long trip? Why are you back so soon?"
"Well, I took a trip to a nearby one yesterday, and I'm going to make another trip to a far place in the next few days."
"ah."
Everyone was very disappointed.
Xue Bai saluted and went to the study.
Du Youlin was holding a book in his hand and was sleeping soundly. When he heard the knock on the door, he quickly sat up and straightened his beard.
"Xue Bai is here. I have something to say to you. Why don't you save your grandpa?"
"I've been saving."
"Then take a look at this." Du Youlin pointed to the note on the desk, "My second mother asked someone to give it to you. I read it first when you weren't here."
Xue Bai took it and took a look. There was nothing hidden in the note. On the contrary, everyone knew about it.
Xue Ling's creditor sued Xue Bai to the Wannian County Government and asked him to use Fengwei Restaurant to pay off his father's debt. He also ordered him to go to Qingmen Restaurant to redeem his debt, otherwise he would go to Jingzhao Mansion.
The other party finally saw his intention and refused to give him the opportunity to act as a filial son in front of others, insisting that he be a true filial son.
Xue Bai read it and didn't have much reaction. He asked Du Youlin for some advice on policy writing.
At the end, Du Youlin stroked his beard and said with emotion: "Okay, it's very rare that you can study hard, but don't forget that filial piety comes first. When recruiting scholars in the Tang Dynasty, moral character is the first priority, and filial piety is the first virtue."
"Don't worry, uncle, I will raise money right now and redeem him tomorrow."
~~
Xue Bai then went to Fengwei Building again.
He climbed up to the small attic. Du Jin had seen him coming from a distance and changed her robe into a skirt.
"Did you receive my message?"
She didn't lock the door with Xue Bai that night in advance. It must be because he didn't come that night, otherwise she would have to complain according to her temperament.
At this time, it has been posted.
"You didn't come back last night. I didn't dare to send the news to Mrs. Guo's house. I thought the news would be sent home so you could see it when you got back."
"I didn't go to Xuanyangfang. I went out of the city with my teacher Yan Xianwei."
Du Jin's eyes lit up and he said, "You have accepted Yan Zhenqing as your teacher? Although his official position is low, he is a direct branch of the Langya Yan family. He has been a Jinshi and is famous all over the world."
"Um."
"Let's get down to business...our plan was discovered."
"That's not a very quick response."
"What are you going to do?"
Xue Bai said in his ear: "Please help me arrange for someone to deliver a message to Pei Mian for me in the name of delivering food and wine, saying that I can't hold Lao Liang and Jiang Hai anymore. They can't see Jia Xiao and they want to sue the emperor." shape……"
"good."
"Is there anyone you can trust?"
Du Jin bit his ear and whispered: "Don't worry, I will make your 30% share worth it."
Xue Bai said: "Xue Ling can't die. I just seize the day and have no time to keep filial piety for him."
"I understand, I'll arrange a place."
"Okay, I still have to meet the Tian brothers."
"Are you in a hurry?"
"You influenced me to write policy papers."
"No matter what policy paper it is, I can help you write it."
"Do you want to do it now or wait until I come back?"
"Then go ahead and make the arrangements first."
Since the relationship between the two has changed, they have become more efficient in discussing treacherous plots in private.
When Xue Bai left Fengwei Building in a hurry, someone soon went out with food boxes to deliver food and wine. This was quite new in Chang'an.
~~
In the evening, Pei Mian returned home.
"Alang, someone said this afternoon that they gave you takeout."
"takeout?"
Pei Mian frowned slightly, opened the food box with the words "Fengweilou" engraved on it, and saw a plate of pastries.
Fengweilou is famous for its stir-fry dishes, but its pastries are only average and not as exquisite as they require certain ingredients.
Pei Mian drove away the others, picked up a date cake, broke it open, took out the small note rolled inside, read it, and smiled slightly.
In recent days, he has been sending people to keep an eye on Fengwei Building, trying to find the whereabouts of Lao Liang and Jiang Hai, but he has found nothing and only heard a lot of bad things about the Xue family.
But he didn't expect that Xue Bai was anxious before he was anxious.
"Tomorrow at the feeding time, Kang's restaurant?" He murmured: "Do you think I don't know your plan to drive away tigers and swallow wolves? You are a filial son."
Pei Mian knew that Xue Bai could not poison him, so he took a bite of the jujube cake in his hand.
It tastes pretty good...
