"you win."
In the small study room of the East Palace, Prince Zhu Gaochi of Prince Yan looked at the chess game in front of him with an ugly expression, and admitted his defeat in frustration.
Because the weather has been getting hotter recently, the river ice dug out from the ice cellar last winter was placed in the corner of the wall more than half a month earlier than in previous years to cool down.
But even so, it was difficult to suppress the heat in Zhu Gaochi's heart.
Zhu Yunxi, who was sitting opposite him and playing chess with him, was always smiling.
"You have no room to fight back."
Zhu Gaochi angrily knocked the last white stone in his hand on the chessboard and looked sideways at Xie Jin and Xia Yuanji.
Finally, he looked at the chess game in front of him angrily.
The iron wall that I had worked so hard to build was smashed to pieces by that violent white dragon.
There is absolutely no structure at all.
But with the last move, the Tyrannosaurus took shape.
"You don't think this is chess."
Zhu Yunxi looked at the aggrieved little fat man in front of him with a smile, and chuckled: "It doesn't matter whether it's a white cat or a black cat. If it can catch mice, it's a good cat."
Zhu Gaochi slumped his shoulders and sighed softly: "So, you won the rumor this time."
As soon as this statement came out.
Xie Jin and Xia Yuanji, who were sitting on the sidelines watching the chess game, straightened their necks and looked at each other carefully.
Zhu Yunxi shook his head: "Although we have already made inferences, we still have to wait for Sun Cheng and Tian Mai's final confirmation today."
[To be honest, I have been using @ recently.
Then they targeted families who had conflicts with the government last year when they promoted the idea of dividing households into acres. Using this as a clue, they lined up one by one. Finally, after several confirmations, these people were picked out. "
Xie Jin couldn't help but sigh: "It's really just these people who did it."
Zhu Gaochi had a worried look on his face. He looked at Zhu Yunxi and whispered: "This matter must be handled smoothly, otherwise the place may be in trouble and such things will happen again in the future."
"The people are coerced into speculating about the court and the government, causing the people to alienate from the court..."
Zhu Yunxi said in a deep voice, his eyes gradually becoming gloomy, and then under everyone's gaze, he slapped the table with his hand heavily, causing the black and white chess pieces on the board to jump and fall to the ground.
In the study room, the only sound was the sound of chess pieces falling and rolling.
Zhu Gaochi and others also knew the true purpose of this matter.
Zhu Yunxi whispered with murderous eyes: "Do they want to control the countryside forever!"
In the study room, several people were silent.
This matter has touched upon a common problem in all dynasties throughout the ages.
Imperial power does not go to the countryside.
Take today's Ming Dynasty as an example.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court has been setting up the attribution of power in the court, the division of local administration, and the extension of power.
On the first day of the imperial court, Zhongshu Sheng was headed by Zhongshu Sheng, who led various ministries and bureaus to take charge of the power of the country.
At the local level, the three levels of Daofu and counties are the extension of the power and will of the court.
The power of the government ultimately rested with the county magistrates and county magistrates in local counties.
For these two official positions, officials are still appointed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the imperial court.
Under this situation, the county bookkeepers, county captains, and officials in the six offices of the county government were almost all filled by local gentry, or local officials with long experience. After the father died, the son succeeded, and the elder brother died. The younger brother succeeds.
Further down the line, although the imperial court also had management positions such as Li Zheng, Village Zheng, and Grain Chief, they were basically elected by the local government.
This led to the fact that in a village or a town, only the local gentry and merchant families had the power and voice.
They are responsible for explaining every policy of the imperial court to the people in the countryside, and are responsible for paying taxes every year in every rural area.
The idea of sharing one's land with one's own land fundamentally deprived local gentry and merchants of their power to exploit local people.
It turns out that from the beginning, when the imperial court promoted the idea of dividing households into acres, it did not take into account the large number of small gentry and merchants in the local area.
Now, they are launching their first counterattack against the deprivation of their rights.
The small study fell into silence for a while.
After all, no one has been able to do this for thousands of years. ….
After observing for a long time, Xia Yuanji finally spoke in a low voice: "Your Highness, if the imperial court is too strong at this time, I am afraid there will be changes in the summer and autumn taxes this year."
He looked at it from the position and perspective of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
After all, the court has not yet been able to take back power from the local government. Many local matters, especially the grain chief system that is between local officials and the people and is responsible for collecting taxes from the people and handing them over to the government, are still left to the local government. Those small gentry and merchants were in charge.
Xie Jin also said: "If the grain chief system cannot be changed at this moment, and the local government is forced to hold the local government accountable for what was investigated today, I am afraid that the local tax revenue will be difficult this year."
"Ignore it, or treat it with care?"
Zhu Yunxi said calmly, looking at Xie Jin and Xia Yuanji.
What they said is not wrong. They seek stability in everything they do when governing, and they are not likely to interfere in tax matters without making preparations.
Xie Jin and Xia Yuanji were speechless when asked.
Because this is simply not Taisun's usual behavior in the past.
At this time, Zhu Yunxi looked at Xiaopang on the other side of the chessboard.
Zhu Gaochi, who was being targeted, looked stunned and couldn't help coughing a few times, with a touch of red on his cheeks before he said slowly: "Actually... this matter...
If it can be properly arranged and carried out step by step, it is not impossible to continue, and it can also have a deterrent effect on the ground. "
After finishing speaking, Zhu Gaochi glanced at Zhu Yunxi silently.
Zhu Yunxi immediately smiled.
Xiaopang guessed his idea.
Zhu Yunxi hummed twice: "That's it for today."
Jie Jin and Xia Yuanji looked at each other, their eyes twinkling, and they stood up silently.
"I'll take my leave."
Zhu Yunxi turned his head and looked down at the completely messy chess game without saying a word.
Sun Cheng and Tian Mai, who were standing in front, looked at the emperor's grandson who seemed to be deep in meditation, and then they also bowed and joined hands: "I will also take my leave first."
"You two stay here for a while."
Zhu Yunxi's voice suddenly came out at this time.
Sun Cheng and Tian Mai paused silently with puzzled expressions on their faces.
Zhu Yunxi said softly: "We have sent people to secretly continue to investigate. The entire Yingtian Mansion, the entire Zhili, I want to see how many people are still thinking about treating the people and land in the countryside as private property." .”
"I accept your order."
Sun Cheng and Tian Mai were refreshed and looked murderous.
After the two left, Zhu Yunxi calmed down and looked blankly at the fat man sitting in front of him.
Zhu Gaochi smiled helplessly: "So, you have to take Yingtian Mansion and Zhili first."
Zhu Yunxi hummed: "What do you think I will do?"
"Go to Yingtian first, then go to Zhili, just like what happens when a street vendor in Zhejiang enters his own land." Zhu Gaochi muttered angrily.
Then, his eyes changed.
Zhu Gaochi stared at Zhu Yunxi and asked, "There are also methods for reforming the post station. You will also use them this time."
"Well, that's indeed the plan."
After hearing the clear answer, Zhu Gaochi nodded, with an expression of sudden realization on his face.
After clicking his tongue twice, Zhu Gaochi continued: "No wonder, when you returned to Beijing this time, you didn't ask for credit for the wounded soldiers who came back with us from the Southern Expedition."…
"Yes, the merits of the meritorious soldiers have not yet been fulfilled." Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "They are meritorious people who followed us on the battlefield."
Zhu Gaochi said softly: "So, you can safely put them in the local area to replace the local grain chief, Li Zheng, and Cun Zheng. Because they don't know how to stick together and are not locals, but as long as there are a few people together, they can defeat a village. , a place of deterrence, because they have gone to the battlefield and killed people.”
"Use the wounded to enter the local area and take over the local power. Apart from this method, I can't think of another way now." Zhu Yunxi's face tightened slightly: "It's just that you can rest assured when employing people now, but they are rooted in the local area, get married, have children, and reproduce. Will future generations make the same mistake again?"
After finishing speaking, Zhu Yunxi raised his head and looked deeply at Zhu Gaochi.
Zhu Gaochi sighed quietly: "There has never been a reliable way to restrain power. The core of power is constant concentration."
After finishing speaking, the young Prince Yan's face turned dark.
Zhu Yunxi was also a little depressed, but he quickly cheered up.
yes.
There is no absolute system in this world that can guarantee the stability and goodwill of power.
The only thing we can do now is to do our best to build the initial system well. And, give this system the possibility of having the courage to change in the future.
"What if the wounded soldiers of the army are used as local grain chiefs for a long time?" Zhu Yunxi said softly, and then quickly shook his head: "This method is inappropriate, and it is absolutely impossible for the imperial court to continue to conduct external conquests."
What lessons can future generations learn from this?
Zhu Yunxi's thoughts gradually faded away.
Zhu Gaochi, who was sitting opposite, didn't need to know the answer urgently. Instead, he took advantage of his free time to collect the scattered chess pieces, put the chessboard aside, and then started making tea.
After the pot of water made a gurgling sound, Zhu Gaochi began to brew tea.
dark green tea
The leaves were soaked in hot water and kept spinning, and the water slowly turned green.
"Hot tea, just made."
Zhu Gaochi pushed a cup of tea soup in front of Zhu Yunxi and spoke softly.
Zhu Yunxi's eyes moved slightly, and then he slowly looked at Xiaopang: "Under the joint control of the generals of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of War, officers who are difficult to recruit are selected as tax collectors and are permanently stationed in Daofu counties to supervise local areas. Every year, the imperial court has three The ministry will then send tax collectors to various places to supervise the collection of taxes. The affairs must be kept in their respective places. Before tax collection, the tax collectors will be released to Yingtian. How is this method?"
Tax Justice Department!
In later generations, it was called the executive branch of the world's leading assembly force.
You can avoid being held accountable by local officials, but you can never avoid being rounded up by the tax department.
Advanced technology.
Now, Zhu Yunxi feels that this is probably the best means and method.
It is independent from the power of local officials in the Ming Dynasty, but it is jointly managed by the three departments of the imperial court.
The Metropolitan Procuratorate can provide supervision, the Ministry of Households clears taxes, and the Ministry of War coordinates tax collectors.
Zhu Gaochi was full of surprise at this moment. He had never expected that the solution given by Zhu Yunxi was to start from scratch and replace the local grain chief system with a brand new tax collector system and maintain the integrity and sustainability of the new system. ….
This is to establish a new yamen in the imperial court!
Zhu Gaochi knew that once this matter was really accomplished, there would be another yamen with power.
Perhaps it is not enough to tie with the six departments, but it is enough to surpass Dali Temple and other yamen.
Involuntarily, Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Yunxi who had already started drinking tea in front of him.
What kind of wisdom and courage is needed for him to think of such a method and make such a decision.
"I thought maybe I could give it a try." Zhu Gaochi tried his best to stay calm and continued softly: "We will try this method in Yingtian Mansion first. If it is effective, we can immediately implement it to the entire Zhili."
This is a prudent statement.
Zhu Yunxi nodded: "Most of the world's taxes come from Zhili, and Zhili takes Yingtian as the first good place. Starting from Yingtian, from top to bottom, advance layer by layer. Once the task is successful, the enemy can be frightened."
Future generations can no longer say that the Ming Dynasty could not collect taxes!
As long as the Ming Dynasty is internally stable enough and its finances are not in trouble, even if natural disasters continue, it will probably be able to withstand the covetousness of foreign enemies.
most……
Zhu Yunxi's eyelids sunk, and his eyes hidden in the shadows were gloomy.
The most that can be done is to change the name of the Han family to take charge of the family.
Zhu Gaochi hummed: "Since the New Deal is going to be implemented, the hundreds of families who spread the rumors before must be severely punished."
"Let's deal with it during the court meeting."
Zhu Yunxi said dullly.
Zhu Gaochi moved slightly.
Mentioning this matter in the early court was to inform the world and deter the largest group of small gentry merchants in the world who controlled local power.
Probably, that was when the tax collector system was discussed in front of officials.
After all, the emergence of a new yamen is always accompanied by new struggles for power and checks and balances in the court.
There are also issues related to the cultivation of sweet potatoes and the competition for interests brought about by expanding the planting scope after the per-acre yield may be determined.
Thinking of this, Zhu Gaochi's eyes darkened and he looked at Zhu Yunxi opposite him with hesitation.
"The sweet potatoes will mature in a few months. Once the yield per mu you mentioned is confirmed, there will inevitably be another turmoil in the court."
Zhu Gaochi thought deeply: "It is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to plant sweet potatoes on all the land. This is inconsistent with the principles of heaven, earth, and society, and will also harm the fertility of the soil. At that time, we must first plant where, how much, and on what land. This will in turn It’s a problem.”
Zhu Yunxi nodded silently.
When he was planting sweet potato vines in Shanglin Garden Supervisor, he knew that things could not be kept hidden.
This is not a side matter, it is a general matter
Potatoes are planted in the ground.
The old man will know, and so will all the officials.
So, everyone came at that time.
Later, when everyone heard the figure of twenty stones per mu from their own mouths, they became excited, and even acted in ways that were inconsistent with the status of a high-ranking official in the dynasty.
All this is because they want to show off in front of the old man and themselves in advance.
Currently, there are only three to four sweet potatoes planted in Shanglin Yuanjian. According to Yuan Sutai's plan, the best he can do is to plant all that sweet potato land this year.
But compared to the entire Ming Dynasty, how many sweet potato seeds could there be in that piece of land?
Where the sweet potatoes were planted in previous years has become a point of contention for interests.
and……
Zhu Yunxi whispered: "The yield per mu of sweet potatoes is different from that of rice, wheat, millet, etc. The yield per mu of land is tens of stones. Will the court still collect summer and autumn taxes according to the current per-mu tax for tenants? The impact of this is far greater than The previous diversion was more far-reaching and involved more interests."
Zhu Gaochi couldn't help but nodded in agreement after hearing this.
Nowadays, the yield per mu in the Ming Dynasty is basically between three and five shi, and the tax amount set for each mu is based on the number of mu.
If the tax on sweet potatoes is levied in the future according to the current tax per hectare, there will be a huge gap.
"Therefore, the tax collector system must be promoted at the same time!"
Zhu Gaochi's worried eyes gradually became firmer and he spoke in a deep voice.
Zhu Yunxi nodded with a smile.
The establishment of the tax judicial system is to collect taxes more accurately without exploiting the people.
But, after looking at Xiaopang twice.
The smile on Zhu Yunxi's face gradually became ambiguous.
His eyes stared straight at Xiaopang, which made Zhu Gaochi's back feel numb.
Zhu Gaochi swallowed his saliva, hesitated and asked in a low voice: "What...what? Is there anything else?".
Shredded Pork Rice Noodles
