Looking around at the group of people, Emperor Liu said playfully: "You have made the tax system issue clear and clear. Since you have such a clear understanding, why have you never spoken to Jin before? I still need to take the initiative to ask, could it be? Intentionally deceiving?"
"I don't dare!" Emperor Liu said this. It was beyond what these ministers could bear. No matter what their mentality was, they all had a look of panic on their faces.
Seeing this, Emperor Liu's mouth curled up slightly, with a strong sense of ridicule: "You don't dare? You've done it, why don't you dare to talk about it now! You people are just used to fooling me!"
"I don't dare!" At this time, everyone including Liu Yang stood up and knelt down neatly.
Seeing this scene of people kneeling down, Emperor Liu put away his cynicism, gently waved his hand, and said calmly: "Everyone, please get up, there is no need to make such a gesture!"
"I don't dare!"
Everyone seemed to have turned into repeaters, and their voices became more uniform. Upon seeing this, Emperor Liu couldn't help but pat the table and said: "Get up!"
Long Wei was perked up, and he didn't dare to continue "teasing" Emperor Liu. He stood up slowly, and didn't dare to sit down anymore. He stood respectfully. After pondering for a moment, Emperor Liu glanced around and said: "You are all agile people. By this time, I am afraid you have more or less realized my intention!"
This time, without waiting for them to say any hypocritical polite words, Emperor Liu said directly: "I have always wanted to change the tax system. Before, I felt that the time was not coming, so I took into account all aspects and sought stability. But now, I feel that the time has come. , the shortcomings of the two taxes are becoming increasingly apparent, and the court cannot turn a blind eye. Since you prime ministers are well aware of the shortcomings, let’s talk about how to eliminate them and innovate!"
Emperor Liu expressed his thoughts directly, and the ministers were not too surprised. Everyone was expressionless, but a sense of doubt permeated the air of the imperial garden.
"Why don't you say anything? Do you still want me to name them one by one?" Emperor Liu said quietly when they saw their silence.
Hearing this, Li Fang hesitated and reported: "Your Majesty, I believe that a more comprehensive and in-depth investigation is needed regarding the shortcomings of the tax system, and then we will carefully consider it and come up with a perfect solution. Then we will proceed step by step. implement"
"Investigate, discuss, and then continue to drag it out until it ends, then nothing comes to an end?" Emperor Liu immediately responded.
"Your Majesty, what I want to say is that this matter is of great importance. We should not act too hastily. We should act cautiously!" Li Fang defended carefully.
Emperor Liu stopped looking at Li Fang and looked at Wang You: "Wang Qing, what do you mean?"
Wang You's old face was really not relaxed. He pondered for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty, what Mr. Li Xianglao said is reasonable. The reform of the tax system is like the shaking of Mount Tai. The relationship is so important that it cannot be ignored. It really requires detailed and sufficient investigation. Prepare."
After hearing what Wang You said, Emperor Liu looked at the others: "Do you all hold this opinion?"
Upon hearing the question, although Emperor Liu's eyes were a little penetrating, both Zhao Kuangyi and Lu Duan gritted their teeth and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, please act with caution!"
"Everyone agrees." Seeing this, Emperor Liu had a dark look on his forehead and murmured in a low voice.
He looked at his prime ministers coldly, each of them was promoted and appointed by him personally, but at this moment, they were all respectful and careful in their words, but Emperor Liu felt like he was being confronted.
"Why doesn't the prince say anything?" Looking back, Emperor Liu turned to Liu Yang.
Liu Yang was naturally serious, and after thinking for a moment, he responded: "I think it is possible to adopt a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, we can investigate and discuss to prepare for the tax reform, and on the other hand, we can deal with and rectify the problems that have been exposed now.
In my opinion, most of the ills mentioned by the ministers just now are caused by people. The officials in Xiaguan County ignored the public sentiment and were perfunctory. Starting from this aspect, strict tax regulations and dealing with those lazy officials should be able to reverse the trend and solve some conflicts. ! "
After listening to Liu Yang's opinion, Emperor Liu smiled and said meaningfully: "What do you mean, the prince, to deal with people? I wanted to kill some corrupt officials who harmed the country and local tyrants and evil gentry who harmed the people, but you all rose up to oppose, What can you say that will cause instability among the government and the people, and turmoil in the hearts of the people? Why are you now proposing to start with personnel matters?"
Seeing Emperor Liu settling old scores again, Liu Yang remained serious, but he was inevitably a little embarrassed. Glancing at him, Emperor Liu said coldly: "How well you reconcile this mud! What you said is a feasible solution, but do you think this is what I want?"
Upon hearing this question, Liu Yang couldn't help but fell silent, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please tell me!"
"You are talking about improvements, not reforms! Even I can see the results!" Emperor Liu's tone became harsh unconsciously: "It's just a temporary relief! What's certain is that it won't take long, after three to five years , I’m afraid the cycle will repeat itself again, and those lazy officials you mentioned will come back. If some corrupt and corrupt officials are added to the mix, the situation will be even worse. The problem is still there, and the situation will not change at all!"
The word "reform" went straight into everyone's ears, and everyone's expressions became more solemn. They were dealing with Emperor Liu like this because they were afraid that he would make major changes.
But since the words came to this, everyone knew that Emperor Liu had already made up his mind and it was imperative to do it. It was impossible to just dissuade him.
It was Liu Yang who asked the prime ministers their doubts: "I wonder how your Majesty plans to reform the system?"
This time, it was Emperor Liu's turn to think deeply. Of course, he had already had the idea. After some deliberation, Emperor Liu said in a calm tone: "From my perspective, the principle of the two-tax system is correct. The court can save worry. The government saves effort, divides the rich and the poor, and takes into account fairness.
However, good policies also need a good basic condition. Many good policies of the imperial court in the past had problems during their implementation. There were human reasons for them, and the same was true for the tax system.
However, in my opinion, there is one of the most important issues in the tax system. If it is not solved, then the disadvantages of the tax system will never be solved! The crux of the matter is how to judge rich and poor. In this regard, the court cannot come up with a clear standard.
Regardless of the people and the leaders of Guizhou, how can we fully examine how much property those big businessmen, big businessmen, and powerful landlords, including you noble officials, have? Since it is difficult to distinguish between the rich and the poor, wouldn’t it be an empty talk to share taxes equally between the rich and the poor? "
As Emperor Liu explained, everyone came to their senses and anticipated what Emperor Liu would say next. Sure enough, after only a pause, Emperor Liu continued: "The shortcomings you have mentioned before are not enough. This is the flaw of the imperial tax system itself! To treat a disease, you need to find the cause, and to correct the shortcomings, you must start from the root!
What I mean is that the court should find a clear tax standard. The most important property for the people in the world is land. Gold and silver can be buried in the ground, money and silk can be hidden in warehouses, but this land cannot be hidden unless the government wants to!
Therefore, the biggest change in the tax system is to re-establish the basis for tax calculation. Regardless of nobles, officials, businessmen, or civilians, their taxes should be calculated based on the wealth and size of the land they own, and the household tax should be completely abolished! "
When Emperor Liu finished speaking his thoughts, the air became quiet. Seeing their sad faces, Emperor Liu smiled faintly: "Let me tell you what you think of this proposal!"
Upon hearing the question, he raised his brows and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, is this too much of a move? I'm afraid."
Hearing his hesitant tone, Emperor Liu immediately turned his face and said: "What are you afraid of! Afraid of trouble? In the past, taxes depended on land, households, and property. Now they are unified into local taxes, which saves time and effort, and can also alleviate the problem." Isn’t it a big step forward to eliminate conflicts and eliminate public grievances?”
"Still! There is something unspeakable in this!" Emperor Liu looked at Zhao Kuangyi with a sinister look, which suddenly made his hair stand on end.
Of course there is trouble, and the biggest trouble probably comes from Dahan's huge vested interest group. Under the two-tax system, the main taxpayers in Han Dynasty are undoubtedly ordinary farmers at the bottom of society.
The nobles, bureaucrats, and landlords who controlled a large amount of the means of production were actually only responsible for a small part of it. This was the result of Emperor Liu's deliberate balance. Now, Emperor Liu is eager to try, to touch the cheese of these powerful people and landlords, to use knives on them, and to let out their blood. You can imagine what kind of waves it will cause.
It can be said that although the civil administration movement that was launched last year and is still continuing today has made a lot of noise, it has not touched the fundamentals. Compared with this, this relatively inconspicuous tax reform, especially according to Emperor Liu's reform, The impact was more profound and the resistance was greater. Looking at the reaction of minister Zhao Kuangyi, Emperor Liu knew it.
(End of chapter)
