Selling farmland?
Chongzhen's simple question made everyone except Yuan Keli and Zeng Xian confused.
Selling farmland? Where are you selling your farmland?
You must know that cultivated land, whether it is common people or wealthy businessmen and gentry, is a hard currency, which is easier to use than real money and silver.
As long as there is no major disaster and the court does not increase taxes randomly, five acres of cultivated land is enough for a family of three to survive.
As long as they are not forced into a desperate situation, few people will sell the farmland that their family depends on for survival.
Could it be that he is selling the land of the Qin Prince's Mansion that was cleared during this period?
If it's not like this, why do we need to plan it piece by piece?
As soon as this idea arose in the minds of everyone in the palace, Yuan Ke immediately confirmed their suspicions.
"Your Majesty, we need to confirm the scope of the farmland before we can talk about selling the farmland."
"How to say?"
"Your Majesty, all the 46,530 hectares seized in the Qin Prince's Mansion case have been prepared!"
"But because we re-measured the cultivated land in Xi'an and Fengxiang Prefecture, and cleared out 36,500 hectares of hidden and large-sized acres of cultivated land, how should we deal with this part?"
After hearing what Yuan Keli said, Chongzhen reacted immediately and forgot about it.
"Whose lands belong to them?"
"Your Majesty, 90% belong to wealthy businessmen and gentry, 10% belong to some scholars, and a few belong to ordinary people."
After pondering for a moment, Chongzhen said coldly: "First, confiscate all the concealed parts to the imperial court;
Second, the owner of this part of the cultivated land will be treated the same way as the wealthy businessmen implicated in the Qin Prince's case. They will trace the tax for ten years and make up for it ten times. But I only want food, and I don't want anything else.
Moreover, the children of the family are not allowed to take the scientific examination within three years, and those who have already served as officials are not allowed to be promoted for three years.
Scholars must make up for three years of taxes, but they are not allowed to take the scientific examination within three years.
As for the common people... we won’t pursue them, and we will reward them with ten sticks! "
There is no way to deal with the scholars and the common people, and it is like this in Shaanxi. Even if you want to trace it for ten years, they can't figure it out, so you might as well be more generous and forget it.
As for the wealthy businessmen and gentry, they can only make up their taxes obediently, otherwise we will consider it a crime to conceal taxes and evade taxes.
Fines can only be regarded as the most basic, and the key points are exile. If it is more serious, it will just click.
"On my way to Xi'an, all the cultivated land I could see was divided. Is this done now for all land in Xi'an?"
"Your Majesty, all cultivated land in Xi'an and Fengxiang is based on one acre for upper fields, and two acres for middle fields and lower fields!
At that time, lots will be drawn to mix and sell, ensuring that everyone can have something to go to, middle, and go to the fields. "
"good!"
Chongzhen suddenly slapped the bookcase and said: "Then we will sell the two parts of Qin Prince's Palace and Chamu together, but leave two thousand hectares of upper fields in Weinan and Lintong. I have other arrangements.
Today is March 27th, I will give you three more days to make preparations, and it will go on sale on April 1st! "
If the two are combined, it is 83,000 hectares. Excluding the 2,000 hectares reserved, it is converted into 8.1 million acres.
Based on five acres per person, 1.62 million people can have their own farmland, accounting for one-fifth of Shaanxi's population.
A group of people in the palace were all confused as they listened to the conversation between the emperor and Yuan Keli.
After working together for nearly four months, clearing land for farming, only now did they know that the cleared land was for sale. This was simply beyond their imagination.
But then many questions arose.
One acre of farmland costs 5 taels, middle fields range from 6 to 7 taels depending on the location, and upper fields cost 8 taels. Now that there is a major disaster in Shaanxi, the people don't even need six taels. Six taels is enough.
If it weren't for the imperial court's disaster relief, they would have starved to death. Where would they have the money to buy land?
If it was sold to a rich person, then why bother so much?
After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Chongjian said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Shaanxi disaster has depleted the remaining money in the hands of the people, and the sales will only benefit the wealthy businessmen in the end.
And even if the people can afford it, there will still be land annexation in the future, this, this..."
Listening to Zheng Chongjian's doubts, look at the doubts in the eyes of Hong Chengchou, Chen Qiyu and others in the palace.
Chongzhen and Yuan Keli looked at each other and smiled, and Zeng Xian also had a smile on his lips, which aroused everyone's curiosity even more.
"Your Majesty, in three days' time you will need to go to various states and counties to take charge. Can I explain it to you in advance?"
"allow!"
After hearing Chongzhen's permission, Yuan Keli looked at Zeng Xian. Zeng Xian bowed to Chongzhen and walked out the door.
After a while, he walked into the hall carrying a small box, and then took out a folded five-foot ranking paper from the box.
Upon seeing this, Hong Chengchou and Chen Qiyu immediately stepped forward to help.
"Notice on the sale of imperial land in Xi'an and Fengxiang, Shaanxi and related matters needing attention!"
After everyone gathered around and looked at the title of the notice on the list, they were all stunned, and then immediately looked at the content.
The entire content was only a few hundred words, and everyone read it very quickly, with shock and excitement in their eyes.
They will be amazed by installment payments, land tenure and ownership, land recovery, seam title deeds and more.
All the questions they were worried about were answered in this notice, and the rules were more complete than they imagined.
Zheng Chongjian, Hong Chengchou, and Chen Qiyu stared at the list with solemn expressions. They could see more and farther than other officials.
Other officials only saw that the people had land to farm and food to eat.
But they saw that the people were stable, the treasury was rich, the economy was prosperous, and the country was strong.
More importantly, once it is fully implemented, the people of Xi'an and Fengxiang will have their own land.
Then no tenants would cultivate the land in the hands of landlords, gentry, and wealthy businessmen.
When you work as a tenant to a landlord, you have to pay rent to the landlord. The landlord with a good conscience pays 20%, while the landlord with a bad conscience pays 40% or 50%.
After a year of hard work, the landlord got 50% of what he got for nothing, but he could only eat porridge every now and then, not having enough to eat, and he had no complaints about anyone else.
But if you have land, you are the boss, and you have to endure it if you are angry.
There is interest and taxes when buying the imperial court, but after a few decades it will be yours. If it is just land tax, it won't be much, and you will always be more careful and energetic with your own land.
Compared with the two, it is naturally more cost-effective to choose to buy land from the imperial court.
Under this situation, the land in the hands of the landlords, gentry, and wealthy merchants would no longer be cultivated. If no one planted it, there would be no harvest, and land taxes would have to be paid.
If you have a few hundred acres of land, the annual land tax is not a small amount.
Either you grow it yourself, but will they grow it themselves?
Either rent it to farmers for low rent, but do these people dare to do it? Who knows if the rent will be increased during the harvest?
Either sell it to the court, and it can only be sold at a low price, and if it is sold to others, there will be no one to breed it.
After the court took over, it was then resold to the common people, making a profit on the price, and benefiting the common people. In a virtuous cycle, the landlord's land could only end up in the hands of the common people.
You can imagine how the people in Xi'an and Fengxiang were excited three days after this notice was posted.
How frightened the wealthy merchants and gentry were, and what impact it would have on the entire Ming Dynasty's class structure.
