"The emperor is so benevolent and righteous that he actually said that the farmland illegally occupied by the Confucius Mansion would be returned to us. How great!"
"Not only will it be returned to us, but 10% of the fertile land will be leased to us so that we can have enough to eat next year!"
"You can borrow grain, seeds, and cattle... The key is that you can borrow it at a reasonable price, and you will be exempted from taxes for one year. If you don't do it right, you won't be able to blame others."
"Next year we will return the land to the people here. From now on, the fields will be our own, and we will no longer have to give 50 to 60 percent of the harvest to the wealthy businessmen and gentry!"
"The Kong family, which has been weighing on our ancestors for generations, has finally been eliminated. From now on, we no longer have to worry about it, we no longer have to submit annual reports, and we no longer have to do hard labor for them. I feel that my life is promising!"
"Hey, even so, I'm always worried that someone will cause trouble. Those old Confucian scholars just now are not a minority in the entire Ming Dynasty. If they cause trouble, it will be a headache."
"Humph, that's all if they don't come. If they dare to come to Qufu to cause trouble, I will beat them up even if I risk my life."
…
Listening to the people's discussions, Kong Zhenyun sighed: "Our Emperor is much smarter than we thought.
Since ancient times, the imperial power has ruled the world together with the scholar-bureaucrats. However, our emperor chose the peasants with the weakest say in the four industries of scholars, agriculture, industry and commerce to unify the people's front.
Whoever makes the people eat well and live a good life will be recognized by them.
Although the scholar-bureaucrat class has power, can it be greater than the imperial power?
There was money in industry and commerce, but in the eyes of the emperor, it was only something that could be manipulated at any time.
And whether they are businessmen or soldiers in the army, they are at the bottom. The huge crowd will give the emperor unparalleled popular support. Even if the scholar-bureaucrats have any ideas, they are just fantasy and have not been put into practice.
After the foreign enemies are gone and the officials govern the Qingming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will still have at least three hundred years left. "
Kong Shangqian nodded, and if he understood something, it was not only his admiration for his father's wisdom, but also his appreciation for the emperor's overall situation.
Amid the discussions among the people, in the next three days, the county government issued three edicts in succession, pushing the already heated discussion to a climax.
The general content of the first edict was that the Ministry of Rites took the lead and Nan Zong Kong Zhenyun presided over a public sacrifice meeting on the birthday of Kong Xing, regardless of status;
The second edict was to open five social schools in Qufu County. Anyone over the age of ten, regardless of poverty, wealth, etc., could attend school for free for three years. The outstanding ones could enter the county school to compensate for years of oppression.
This edict completely made the people of Qufu happy. Although they didn't know a few big characters, they also knew that reading was the only way to be inferior in everything.
In the past, there was oppression and exploitation, and it was difficult to fill our stomachs. Let alone enrolling in school, now it is free.
Enrolling in school means there are endless possibilities for the future, so how can this not make them excited?
The third edict stated that all stores controlled by the Confucian government were sold, but there were many regulations, such as no malicious price increases, no joint monopoly, no shoddy goods, etc.
This edict is related to the daily life of the people and the long-term stability of Qufu. If wealthy businessmen join forces to raise the price, it will not only upset the pilgrims coming from afar, but also make the local people in Qufu miserable.
The edicts one after another are concerned about the sufferings of the people, and they are not just words. The people are naturally grateful.
In just a few days, Chongzhen gathered the hearts of the people in Qufu, and his reputation reached its peak.
In the Qufu County Government Office, Li Ruolian, Lu Xiangsheng, Cao Wenzhao and others gathered together, as well as the loyal Marquis Qin Liangyu who was stationed in Jinan.
"Tell us about the situation!"
Li Ruolian stood up and presented a booklet: "Your Majesty, the Jinyi Guards have been inventorying the Confucius family property for the past three days. The liquidation has now been completed. The Confucius family property is also stored in the twelve warehouses similar to the royal family.
Among them, there are more than 5 million taels of silver and 300,000 taels of gold. Among them, there are at least one million taels of copper coins accumulated in the cellar, most of which are rusty.
There are more than 5,000 pieces of various antiques, calligraphy, paintings and jades, among which there are more than 500 pieces recorded as rewards from emperors of all dynasties. From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the present, there are all kinds of items, and each piece is rare.
The specific value must be estimated by professionals, but a rough estimate is that it is at least 20 million taels.
There are more than 1,200 various shops, manors, etc., worth more than 3 million taels;
There are nearly a thousand boxes of various rare furs, medicinal materials, food ingredients, etc., worth at least five million taels;
There are dozens of granaries in the five provinces. If the records are accurate, there are at least 200,000 shi of grain in these granaries.
Finally, there is the field. According to land deed statistics, there are 23,653 hectares, distributed in dozens of counties in Shandong, South Zhili, Henan, and Hebei. Shandong accounts for about 50%. According to the five tuns, six factories, and ten Baguanzhuang management,
In addition, there are about 600 to 700 hectares belonging to Duke Yan Sheng personally. According to the minister's estimate, at least 80% of them were given by mergers and wealthy businessmen, gentry and officials.
Moreover, 80% of the cultivated land in Qufu belonged to the Confucius Mansion.
After all, the value of all the family property, except for the fertile farmland, is between 35,000 and 40,000,000 taels. "
hiss……
Even though everyone has seen the world, they were still shocked when they heard that Jin Yiwei had liquidated the family property.
The Jin Yiwei raided the homes of princes and nobles many times, but none could compare to the Confucius Mansion.
But it’s normal to think about it. Two thousand years have passed since the Kong family was ennobled by Duke Ai of Lu. It has survived countless wars and still remains standing. It is no lie to be known as the best family in the world and to be as rich as the enemy.
Although he was happy, Chongzhen was also full of gloom.
Behind a country that is incredibly wealthy is the wealth of the people. The miserable situation that the people of Qufu mentioned when they angrily scolded the old Confucian scholars a few days ago is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many worse things than that.
Especially for cultivated land, not to mention the distance, the taxes missed during the Ming Dynasty were at least tens of millions of taels.
Kong Shangqian is right, this is the person who lies on the merits of his ancestors and sucks blood.
After a while, Chongzhen suppressed the anger in his heart and said softly: "Marquis Zhongzhen, tell me about your side!"
"His Majesty!"
Qin Liangyu also presented a booklet: "Your Majesty, according to the undercover investigation of the ministers and Dongchang, from the governor of Shandong, the Third Division, to the counties around Qufu, etc., at least half of them have sex and profit transactions.
In the past ten years, at least three governors of Shandong were transferred to the post under the control of the Kong family;
At least 10% of the military attachés from more than 100 households in the Rencheng Guard, Jining Guard, Pingshan Guard, Dongchang Guard, Linqing Guard, Jinan Guard, Feicheng Qianhu Station, and Dongping Qianhu Station around Qufu are related to the Confucius Mansion.
Among them, the commanders of Jining Guard and Jinan Guard were assisted by the Kong family.
The commander of Ren Chengwei and Dongping Suo Qianhu were originally members of a branch of the Kong family a hundred years ago. Whether they were deliberately separated or whether they were promoted by their own efforts still needs to be thoroughly investigated!
According to our secret investigation, although these six guard posts are short of 40% of the personnel, they have all become military households but do not do military household things. When necessary, they can all become sergeants, and their combat power is more than that of the superiors. "
