"Although these four generations live together, they also have a lot of troubles. To be honest with you, your Majesty, the descendants and grandsons of the old minister are now on separate sides, and they still cannot recognize them all. It is difficult to tell who is who according to the genealogy!" Li Shaoyou said with emotion: " What happened after his death also troubled me..."
Hearing Li Shaoyou's emotion, Emperor Liu glanced at him sideways and said, "There seems to be some overtones in what you said. Why are you worrying about inheriting the family? With so many descendants, there must be some useful talents!" "
"Your Majesty is as sharp as ever! You have seen through all my petty thoughts!" Li Shaoyou flattered him a little, and then said: "Most of my disciples are mediocre and cannot be used for much purpose. They can only live a mediocre life. It is already rare. As for inheriting the family and shining the lintel of the family, I no longer have such extravagant hopes..."
"You are not sincere in what you say, and you are being humble. How can you belittle your own children and grandchildren like this?" Emperor Liu shook his head: "I have also heard that half of your children and grandchildren have been sent to the border by you, Anton. , Anxi, Monan, Annan, Yunnan, Annan, Nanyang, wherever the banner of the Han Dynasty is flying, there are the footprints of your descendants of the Li family, and half of them persisted, pioneering and colonizing, and spreading the prestige of our country. Although these are not as good as those eye-catching civil and military skills, in my opinion, they are all actions of a good man and a true man!"
Faced with Emperor Liu's affirmation and praise, Li Shaoyou hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is overly complimentary. The incompetent children and grandchildren of the old minister really cannot afford such evaluation.
To be honest with Your Majesty, in the past few decades, thanks to Your Majesty's generous treatment, the veteran has also accumulated a lot of wealth, but it is not enough to share with so many people. Therefore, it is necessary to send them to various places and let them make a living on their own..."
"Haha!" Emperor Liu smiled and said, "But the places you are sent to are all remote and wild places, unlike some noble disciples who rush to prosperous and wealthy places to live a comfortable life!"
When he said this, Emperor Liu's tone showed faint dissatisfaction. Over the years, Emperor Liu has been encouraging the Han people to migrate abroad. As the core ruling class, the nobles have been relatively active. Various families and tribes have also sent their children to the border areas, but overall, they are still in the minority. , more people still prefer to stay in China and live a life of feasting and revelry.暷
After pondering for a while, Emperor Liu couldn't help but said with emotion: "You have made a good decision. You have many children and grandchildren. No matter how big the family fortune is, it cannot withstand division. It is better to go out and work more to let them be self-reliant..."
Emperor Liu's words were full of meaning and clearly pointed. Li Shaoyou lowered his head subconsciously and stopped expressing any opinions.
Looking at Li Shaoyou, who was a bit shrunk like a turtle, Emperor Liu waved his hand and said, "I accidentally got you into such a big circle. Let me tell you straight away. What do you think about the things behind you?"
After hearing the question, Li Shaoyou showed an "awkward" smile, and then said solemnly: "Your Majesty, among all the veterans, only the seventh son Zong Kai is slightly talented, stable, and honest in character. The veteran intends to pass it on to his family, but he is not a direct descendant. I have some concerns..."
As soon as he said this, Emperor Liu immediately realized what this old boy meant, and stared at him with a sharp look: "Do you want me to issue a decree to give Zong Kai as his heir? Why don't you understand this?" concern?"
Having seen through his thoughts, the embarrassment on Li Shaoyou's face finally became more real, and he whispered: "How dare you, old minister——"
Before he could finish the following words, Emperor Liu rebuked angrily: "Thank you for having the nerve to propose to me that there are differences between elders and young ones, and that there are differences between legitimate sons and daughters? Those two legitimate sons of yours, whether they are Zong Rui or Zongze, now you are all governors of the state capital. They can manage hundreds of thousands of people in a state capital, but they can't handle the affairs of Duke Shouguo like you? I think you are old and confused, and you have come to me in a biased way. !"
Seeing Emperor Liu's reaction, facing this severe rebuke, Li Shaoyou couldn't stand it any longer and hurriedly stood up and knelt down: "Your Majesty, forgive me! It was my confusion that led me to do this foolish thing... "
Upon seeing this, Emperor Liu stared at Li Shaoyou coldly for a while, making him sweat. Then he looked away, his expression softened, and he waved, "Get up!"
"I don't dare!"
"Let you get up!" Emperor Liu's tone was a little stern.
Li Shaoyou just stood up and looked at him. Emperor Liu sighed and said with some seriousness: "You are already quite old. Just seek stability. Don't mess around..."
Emperor Liu's words clearly showed no self-awareness, but Li Shaoyou had to respond honestly: "Old minister, I understand! Your Majesty's teachings, I will definitely keep them in mind!"
"Okay! Let's talk about business!" Emperor Liu wanted to stand up again, supporting the imperial case, but it seemed a little difficult. Li Shaoyou hurriedly stepped forward to support him.暷
Emperor Liu did not refuse. He led Li Shaoyou to the map of the Han Dynasty that was always hanging in front of the emperor. He looked up at it for a while and then said, "I am calling you back to the capital this time because I have something to entrust you with!"
Hearing this, Li Shaoyou immediately said: "Please give me your Majesty's orders!"
"I believe you also know something about the tax reform. I want to make a decision to implement it. However, for several months, the progress has been quite unsatisfactory. The formulation of the new system has been in a sluggish state and is very controversial." Emperor Liu said eloquently talk:
"I know that many people are dissatisfied and worried that their interests will be affected. Although they dare not speak out against it, their attitude is already obvious in their actions.
However, no matter how great the resistance is, I will never give up if I decide to push forward. Some people may think that I am old and can be bullied. They think they can compete with me and delay me. How can I not do what I want?
Over the past few decades, I have promoted so many new policy reforms. Which one has been smooth and trouble-free? But I got through it all. To tell you the truth, this may be the last major reform since I came to power. Success will benefit the present, and merit will be in the future. As for failure, I have never thought about it.
No matter how big the resistance is, I will overcome it one by one..."
Listening to Emperor Liu's narration here, expressing a firm attitude, Li Shaoyou couldn't help but frown, thought a little, and cupped his hands and said, "I don't know what your majesty plans to ask me to do?"
"I have no worries about the overall situation of the imperial court with Zhao Pu in charge. As long as he fulfills his duties and adapts a little, I can see progress!" Emperor Liu continued: "But the reform must not just stay at the central level. Ultimately, it must be implemented at the central level. Implementation by local provinces and states therefore requires a two-pronged approach, combining internal and external measures. Gyeonggi and Hanam Province were previously selected as tax reform pilot areas. In the past few months, progress has been slow, but in the future, I will not let them wait and see. .
But I have recently thought that this is not enough, so I have selected two more places as the first batch of reformed roads. One is Yulin Road. Although the chaos in that year caused serious damage, it also eliminated a large number of evil spirits and monsters. The reform will not be too much of an obstacle. It is a large, non-traditional farming area, and its tax regulations on livestock breeding can serve as a reference for the court to formulate further tax systems.
On the other hand, I chose Jiangnan Road, which is a popular place for fireworks and a land of plenty. Although the amount of cultivated land is not as good as that in the north, the output is very high and it is also the most representative road in the country.
In recent years, Jiangnan Province's tax revenue has always been at the forefront of the country, and it is also one of the best regions in the southern provinces. Therefore, Gangnam-do is worth trying first.
I plan to send you to Jiangnan to preside over the tax reform. There is no hurry for the rest. First, make preparations to find out the situation of the land. Find out all the hidden fertile soil and record it in the book.
The key to tax reform lies in land. I checked the land registers in various places, and those data are becoming more and more unbelievable. It has been 24 years since the tax reform was launched, and the amount of cultivated land in the country is actually not as good as it was 20 years ago. It is simply unreasonable!暷
After you arrive in Jiangnan, you must clean up for me! When the new system from the imperial court is officially finalized, you will implement it immediately. The two will cooperate to implement the tax reform for me! "
Listening to Emperor Liu's explanation silently, his tone was not too serious, but Li Shaoyou felt a pressure rushing towards him. After thinking about it, Li Shaoyou solemnly responded: "Yes!"
Li Shaoyou had no room to refuse this matter.
Emperor Liu was naturally satisfied with his performance. He couldn't help but raise his hand and patted his shoulder, saying: "Reform is a tiring thing. There are so many threads that it is difficult to sort them out. The executor needs to be able to A strong and enterprising person. However, I don’t believe in this. I feel that I have to use veterans like you to rest assured! Brother You, you won’t let me down..."
Hearing this,
Li Shaoyou felt awe-inspiring and said very resolutely: "Old minister, I can only devote myself to it and do my best!"
Nodding, Emperor Liu said again: "There is another reason for letting you go to Jiangnan. When the matter of Jiangnan was first decided, the imperial court carried out a large-scale migration to break the control of Jiangnan by the old officials, clans and landlords in those places. , the effect is there, I settled a large number of northern soldiers, which greatly strengthened my control over Jiangnan.
But over the past two decades, a lot of abuses have also occurred, both in the government and among the people. The previous anti-corruption efforts have eliminated not only corrupt officials, but also many heroes and soldiers who fought bloody battles for the Han Dynasty.暷
Even if I make up my mind, I will only treat the symptoms and not the root cause. In addition, the influence of the decades of separatist rule in the Southern Tang Dynasty has not been completely eliminated. All these need to be cleaned up for me after you take office!
It's a big responsibility, take care of yourself! "
"I understand!" Li Shaoyou took two steps back and bowed.
The gesture was complete and the explanation was clear. Emperor Liu's expression returned to relaxed and calm. He suddenly thought of something and said playfully: "For you nobles, this tax reform is tantamount to cutting off your own flesh. Take you. Speaking from home, once customization is implemented, most of the thousands of hectares of fertile land will have to pay taxes according to regulations. I wonder if you are willing to do so?"
After hearing the question, Li Shaoyou said with a genuine expression: "I owe all this to you, my Majesty. The kindness and kindness are enough for my family to enjoy endlessly. The tax reform is beneficial to the country and the people. Although the veteran's structure is not big, it is also How can we be like ordinary misers who only care about personal gains and losses?"
"Hahaha..." Emperor Liu smiled again: "It's just that, how many people in the imperial court can be as enlightened as you..."
Of course, Emperor Liu only listened to half of Li Shaoyou's statement and believed half of it. Everything depends on the specific performance.暷
