When they started arguing, Zhu Houcong looked at them quietly.
"Both the two battles at Tuen Mun were decided at sea, and they never invaded the hinterland. The annual grain quota in Guangdong in summer and autumn exceeded one million taels, and it was only worth 100,000 taels of silver to be transported to Beijing. Last year, the amount of grain and wages was more than 400,000 taels. Within four years, Guangdong How much can we save on transportation costs? If we don’t send a little more this time, what will happen if other provinces intend to follow suit and ask for taxes in lieu of payment in the name of banditry?" Li Hao was the first to retort.
Yang Tan also spoke: "Your Majesty's wedding will take place after the autumn grain harvest. The summer grain quota in Guangdong is only more than 5,000 dan. At this time, only places like Guangdong have the most people!"
Mao Ji said: "However, Guangdong has already cleared the land, and everyone knows that the new law will be implemented. At this time, the corvee has increased. Doesn't it give the wealthy gentry an opportunity to incite the people to cause trouble?"
Wang Qiong joined the battle group: "It's just a matter of clearing the land, and it has not been restructured. If any wealthy gentry takes the opportunity to cause trouble, the sword given by Emperor Zhang Fujing will still be there!"
Fei Hong shook his head: "If this happens, won't all the provinces be frightened? Last year's rebellion by rebels, killing officials, and instigation may happen again, and the whole world will be uneasy. The new law must be implemented, but we can only slow it down."
Jiang Mian: "There is also the matter of the daughter of Grand Scholar Sun becoming the empress. Who is it that breaks the ban on the Chinese language? Da Sinong, your Ministry of Household Affairs has invited various places to bring fragrant tea. Isn't this another reason for Guangdong to share the distribution? Spring? How time-consuming and laborious it is to pick and prepare tea, and the products that are donated need to be selected from a hundred! The strong men are working, and the women and children are picking tea. Who has time to plow the fields in Guangdong in the spring?"
Li Chong's heirs were all dumbfounded: Sun gave birth to a daughter? Queen?
Besides, what's the decorum for you to quarrel like this?
Uncle Zhang Zilin, didn’t you say that the monarch and his ministers were united in the national policy meeting?
Zhu Houcong watched their performance quietly.
In the local area, it was the conspiracy of the gentry and the local officials' desire for power to please the emperor.
In the imperial court, it was the backbone ministers responsible for practical affairs in each ministry who secretly buried their selfish desires in national policy, and it was the central ministers who used this to fight.
How many people are thinking about reform to become stronger?
The concept of country is very vague in their hearts.
The definition of people is also different in their minds.
Wen Yanbo said: Your Majesty wants to rule the world with the scholar-bureaucrats. On the surface, many people will not agree with this sentence, but they will silently like it in their hearts.
And now, what is the background behind this superficial fight and quarrel?
Gui E couldn't see it, and neither could Zhang Fujing and Yang Shen.
No one wants to harm anyone, it's all a tacit understanding.
Otherwise, if the ministries reported it and the cabinet had opinions, why didn't they mention it? Regarding the additional factions related to this year’s wedding, why does the emperor have to nod and agree to everything?
Zhu Houcong smiled when he heard this: You want me to take the blame, you want to make peace, you want to remind me in a subtle way of the fundamental difficulties of the new law.
"Okay, stop acting."
The emperor's words made the hearts of these veterans jump greatly.
Zhu Houcong stopped their further quarrel: "Guangdong is trying out the new law, and the provinces are uneasy. What is the current situation? The whole world is converging to block the effectiveness of the new law in Guangdong. In three to five years, the changes will get worse and worse, and I will be cut off. Think about it, am I right?"
Zhang Fujing, Chen Jin, Maifu, and Zhu Qi are watching the situation in Guangdong. What Zhu Houcong wants to solve is the root of the problem: everything is because of the new law.
When the imperial study became quiet, Li Chongsi also felt the same as Cui Yuan did at the beginning: This minister who participated in the national policy meeting must prepare a few pills with him.
Why is the world converging to block Guangdong... In this national policy meeting, isn't it just that all the ministers are united to block the emperor?
The first assistant could only speak again on behalf of the people: "Your Majesty, I have said before that I am not willing to reform the evils and make new ones. However, the evils have been accumulated for hundreds of years, and this is the difficulty of the matter. The foundation of land tax, the use of corvee, and the supervision of courses Management, warehousing and transshipment, and military and political divisions are all entangled. In Guangdong, there are also difficulties such as ban on shipping, shipping, and border guards. Where to start with the new law? It is not because that side is against the so-called ministers' land. And it’s difficult.”
Yang Tinghe seems to have really become a member of the reform faction now. It's not that he doesn't want to do it, but he has to explain clearly what the difficulty is.
"Shrinking ropes to hide fields, deceitfully hiding households, using disasters to report famine, spreading wildfires, widening lines...these local methods are collusion between the gentry and wealthy households and officials. Last year, Guangdong only cleared less than three prefectures, including Guangzhou Prefecture and Zhaoqing Prefecture. The situation of land is already very worrying. The land allocated to the two governments has dropped by 20% compared to the Hongzhi period. This has already taken into account the result of part of the land being hidden and part of the land being seized without proof of sale."
"As for the military farmland in Guangdong, there were only more than 70 hectares in the early days of the People's Republic of China. Now? More than 70,000 hectares! I don't know how many civilian fields in Guangdong have been converted into military camps over the years. However, even though the output of Guangdong's farmland has exceeded 150,000 shi , the imperial court still needs to send food and wages to the government every year!" Yang Tinghe sighed, "Your Majesty, this is just the land clearing of less than three mansions, and we have not yet implemented a new policy on taxes and servitude."
Zhu Houcong listened.
Fields are the assets that can provide the most stable output in this era. Even if you want to do business, the stable output of the fields is guaranteed, but there is always huge uncertainty in business.
As far as the country is concerned, food is also the most important, and people must live first.
Zhang Fujing killed many people in Guangdong and collected a lot of stolen land as official land. This official land also needs to be cultivated by ordinary people. When common people cultivate government land, they not only pay land tax, but also pay an additional rent to the local government.
Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that one mu of official land should be taxed at five liters, three in five spoons, and one mu of civilian land should be taxed in three liters, three in five spoons. As for official land without official status, the standard land tax is one mu, one dou, and two liters.
But only the last sentence of Yang Tinghe's words touches the root, only one word of it.
"Taizu once compiled the fish scale book and said that the wealthy people in Zhejiang and Zhejiang were afraid of avoiding corvee labor, so they often used their land property to cheat relatives and tenants, which was called iron-footed cheating. Over time, it became a common practice that the villages bullied the states and counties, and the states and counties bullied the government. There are many disadvantages, which are called deceitful sending to the sky. As a result, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. What Yang Ge said about shrinking the rope to hide the field, hiding the household with deceitful sending, reporting famine through disaster, flying and spreading, and widening the line are all basically the same. These little tricks, right?”
"Your Majesty is aware of everything." Yang Tinghe was silent for a moment, a little surprised, and then looked at him seriously after he finished speaking.
He really understands...
"In the beginning of the country, only officials in the capital were exempted from the tax, and only a certain number of acres were exempted, and officials from outside were reduced by half. By the time of the emperor's brother's reign, only four hundred acres of land were exempted for the first rank. Those who had official status, and those who were promoted to official positions with courtesy, There are exemptions and exemptions for all corvées. Isn’t that right?”
Wang Qiong nodded, already knowing what the emperor was going to say.
"In the early days of the Republic of China, it was also stipulated that supervisors, students, and officials could be exempted from corvee, right?"
Yang Tinghe looked at the emperor with a solemn expression.
"So what is the current situation in the local area?" Zhu Houcong looked at Yang Tan with a smile, "How much of the annual land tax for the great agricultural minister is actually paid by the official household and the official land?"
Yang Tan felt sweating on the back of his head and answered bravely: "More than half..."
Zhu Houcong nodded: "Don't forget, sir, when I came to the throne, the first thing I did was to check the accounts. In the fifteenth year of Chenghua, my Ming household registration was more than 70 million. In the seventeenth year of Hongzhi, it was 60 million. In the first year of Zhengde, , more than 46 million. In less than 30 years, what kind of natural disasters and military disasters occurred in the Ming Dynasty, so that a full 30% of the population was reduced? In the two years before the emperor's brother ascended the throne, more than 1,300 people died in the Ming Dynasty Ten thousand people? During the ZTE period, more than 10,000 people died every day? Regardless of whether it was ZTE or not, no matter how much fewer people there were or how much less land they were entitled to, the land tax was never less and the annual income was never less. They were all very stable. Do you think it’s strange? "
There was silence in the imperial study room, and everyone looked at the emperor with complicated expressions.
Stop being so weird, I know you understand.
As long as you can express your fear of avoiding corvee...
Zhu Houcong looked at them in embarrassment quietly.
Where did the people in the Ming Dynasty’s demographic census go? He's not dead, he just escaped. Without legal status, they are all slaves.
Why? The land tax was heavy, and the corvee was even heavier.
Taizu set a tax rate of thirty to one tax. This ratio is actually not high. So why do people want to flee their hometowns?
Because officials and gentry were exempted from corvee and official households had certain tax exemptions, it was most cost-effective to sell their land to official households.
Because the local government apportioned corvee labor, officials and officials would not allocate it to the tenants of official households.
What should a wealthy person do if he doesn’t want to enlist? Find officials and people with meritorious status, and "sell" the land to them.
Many local wealthy households were actually tenants, or "partners" of the government gentry.
Many farmers are also willing to sublease land from wealthy households for farming, and wealthy officials and gentry households will also "cherish" their tenant farmers and "domestic slaves."
Because this is a profit chain, you can cultivate more diligently and produce more without having to bear the burden of labor.
For real private land, the tax rate is very low. However, the proportion of real household land now accounts for less than 40% on average nationwide.
Therefore, although the land due to be endowed is getting less and less, the land endowment has always been stable.
Stability means that there are no problems, and there will be no big checks on people in the local area who are illegally evading land taxes.
In fact, more than half of the taxes in the Ming Dynasty were paid by officials. The wealthy households and farmers who rented their land were executives and workers respectively.
The situation is so funny. What is Daemingzhu stone?
Zhu Houcong also checked the accounts in detail and discovered that in the Ming Dynasty, there seemed to be no so-called exemption of land taxes and corvee for both officials and gentry in his memory!
He didn't know that this was the preferential and exemption system for officials and gentry that was originally formed in the 26th year of Jiajing and was further expanded during the Wanli period.
At that time, everyone from Beijing officials to foreign officials, from scholars and officials to miscellaneous officials, all had regulations on exemption from birth and tax. During the Wanli period, the first-rank officials in the capital were exempted from the land tax of 10,000 acres, and the eighth-rank officials were exempted from the land tax of 2,700 acres. The foreign officials were reduced by half. A Jinshi who is not an official can be exempted from a maximum of more than 3,000 acres, a scholar can receive more than 1,000 acres, and a scholar can receive up to 80 acres.
As for corvee, let alone talk about it. It's called how many dings can be exempted, but in reality, who cares how many dings the officials and gentry have in their homes?
In this situation, how can the finances not collapse?
Zhu Houcong looked at them quietly: So why are they acting in such a tacit understanding now?
Half hoping that Zhu Houcong would see where the real difficulty lies, and half hoping to dissuade him from touching it.
It was a real chaos in the world, affecting officials, gentry and wealthy households all over the country.
This is the actual meaning of Fang Muxian's words.
The Ming Dynasty's land tax is carried on their shoulders! The purpose of moving their fields is not the land tax. How much is the land tax in total?
What is being moved is the burden of corvee on these fields, and they are required to bear the burden of corvee.
The officials, gentry, wealthy households, and subordinates are all decent people, so how can they and their people do the corvee work? Just apportion it to ordinary households.
If households were busy farming, they would have to pay in silver, and the government would then hire people to serve.
Local governments impose exorbitant taxes and this kind of corvee labor is the real burden on the people!
Li Chongsi thoroughly felt the difference between today's national policy meetings and the court.
The emperor was neither happy nor angry, he just explained the problem thoroughly and let them find a solution.
Cui Yuan looked at the emperor in embarrassment: There is no way to think of this.
Why is there no way to get the land after clearing it in Guangdong? Because the methods proposed by Zhang Fujing and Gui E could not solve the fundamental problem.
Many local laws were compiled into one whip, which could not solve the problem of corvee distribution.
The people who carried out this whip were local officials and subordinate staff, who themselves were not responsible for other allocations other than land tax. In the end, it is up to the common people to shoulder the responsibility. At most, there should be less corruption in some places.
"I have said that in the next three years, I will only focus on three things, and Guangdong's new law is one of them." Zhu Houcong looked at them, "There is no way? Then let me tell you a direction first?"
"...Your Majesty, please make it clear." Yang Tinghe could only bite the bullet and listen to what he had to say first.
"I have always made it clear." Zhu Houcong glanced at him quietly, "I know that studying outside of work is very expensive. I also know that the local editor's salary is very small. The wealthy households, officials, gentry, and distinguished relatives involved in commercial tax are not involved. It is not a pillar of stability, I know the same. However, Tai Shigong said: There are people who die because of service, and there are people who die because of no gifts. Serve the people but not the officials and gentry, sooner or later the Ming Dynasty will have no people to serve, and sooner or later the country will perish. The foundation of our country is ultimately the people. These pillars are also based on the people and on the etiquette and order of the Ming Dynasty."
"The implementation of the new law in Guangdong is secondary. The ministers and others are involved in national policies. At this time, they are just discussing, so don't act. The fundamental problem is there. What the monarch and his ministers need to discuss at this time is whether the new law will avoid this fundamental issue." In Li Chongsi's eyes, the emperor said these words calmly, "Although I am indeed co-ruling the world with the scholar-bureaucrats now, if all the people in the yellow book disappear from the officials and gentry, will I become a scholar-bureaucrat in the future? Rule the world and reward my descendants with a bite to eat?"
Li Chongsi's hair stood on end, and he left his seat and knelt down together with the others in a tacit understanding: "I don't dare, Your Majesty, please calm down..."
"Do you think I am angry?" Zhu Houxuan smiled, "I told you when Fang Muxian said such arrogant words. What a scholar wants in his life is to harmonize his family and serve his country. I understand the importance of motivation very well. Nature. If you become an official, you will serve the country, if you don't serve, you will educate. I will also protect the status of officials and gentry. When we discussed the etiquette, I also said that I bear the responsibility of safeguarding the interests of everyone in the order of etiquette. Thinking of the new law, we talked about it. Others have misunderstood the new law. Why do you also misunderstand it? Do I seem to be someone who does not understand these principles? Get up and take your seats."
Eighteen people, plus Zhang Bi, the "scholar-official" whose pen was shaking with fear just now, stood up and sat down again tremblingly.
How does it feel when the emperor understands so well?
But is it really okay for scholar-bureaucrats to rule the world and give the emperor a bite to eat? The killing intent is too strong!
"I said that just because I hope you and others will understand the truth behind it. All the people in the world are my subjects. Now the eldest son is successful in studying, and the second son takes care of the family business on his behalf. The younger son is responsible for many important and chores in the family. . The frail body is overwhelmed, and the youngest son is almost the slave of the older son. Even if I want to discipline their brothers and sisters, I have to look at the face of the eldest son and the second son. What kind of father is kind and son is filial?" Zhu Houcong looked at them, "Everyone. Sir, is this the situation? Is this the truth? If things go on like this, will the parricide of fathers and brothers happen again?"
There is nothing wrong with using a family as a metaphor for a country.
But now, do we really have to blame the eldest son and the second son?
"So I made it clear to you and others. I believe that this new law in Guangdong will face the fundamental problem of corvee service." Zhu Houcong looked at them, "Unless you don't attend the national policy meeting, otherwise after it is agreed, you and others will be with me. The new law must be implemented. , Your Majesty and others are all those who advocate reform. How to do it can be discussed later; but walking with me is still going in the opposite direction, and this is more important."
Li Chongsi wanted to escape, but couldn't.
When he first arrived, he encountered what was probably the most important national policy meeting.
He understood the spirit of the meeting.
From now on, no one of the central ministers who sit at the national policy meeting will be inconsistent with the emperor in the general direction. At most, they can suggest whether to take the water route, the dry road, or the narrow path.
Otherwise, the remaining positions will be the end of the career.
"In order to ensure that the monarch and his ministers are united, I said at the beginning of the establishment of the National Policy Council that ministers participating in the National Policy Council will have those three major privileges. Even if they just come here for a visit, they can also receive honorary and non-stop salary. Therefore, Wang Qiong and others are involved in old affairs , I can also protect my favor first." Zhu Houcong finally pointed out, "I will only focus on the Beijing camp and this matter at the national policy meeting for three years, so you can think carefully about your stance now, and avoid the fundamental problem of corvee service."
The emperor remained silent.
Two months after the Spring Festival, the emperor once again became tough on something, but his words and deeds were consistent, and he was only talking about the new law in Guangdong.
This attitude is difficult to express. This attitude cannot but be expressed.
Because it has risen to the level of loyalty or disloyalty, "filial piety or not".
So the ministers acted in a tacit understanding, so why did they use this matter to fight?
Even if you fight someone away and sit in his seat, you still have to leave if you avoid this fundamental issue.
It's definitely not an honorary position, he's almost a new Mao Cheng.
The emperor was calm.
No wonder he is not in a hurry now. Zhang Fujing is like an ant on a hot pot in Guangdong, but he is not at all anxious about what he wants Zhang Fujing to do next.
He first wants a center that is as strong as an iron barrel and truly "the king and his ministers are of one mind".
If there is no result on this position issue, I am afraid it will continue to be discussed until it is truly stabilized.
If you don’t agree, change the batch.
If you have other ideas, kill some first.
Just kill these, while continuing to be generous, easy-going, and honest with others.
Before the new law has been officially implemented, before Guangdong has even just cleared the land, are you going to join forces to rebel? In what name?
If it is settled now and starts to move later, and there is another rebellion, ministers who have experience in participating in policy will be the targets of greatest suspicion!
There is no need to be afraid then. With the concerted efforts of the eighteen important ministers at the national policy meeting, what kind of things cannot be suppressed?
Yan Song finally understood what kind of fish were caught on these lines, such as the emperor's weddings, relatives, heirs of Emperor Zhengde, new laws, etc.
The big fish at the national policy meeting.
He has lived in the countryside for a long time, and before that he only stayed in the Hanlin Academy. He has no pressure from family interests and township party interests, at least not much.
Therefore, Yan Song was the first to say righteously: "I think what your Majesty said is true. It is time to take action on this fundamental problem!"
Wang Shouren was silent for a while, and then said: "This is a matter of conscience, there is no way to avoid it, and I agree with it."
Yang Tinghe looked at him:...
Cui Yuan is an honorary relative. He knows that His Majesty has new ideas about honorable relatives, so it is not a big deal to watch the excitement: "I also think that we should not avoid it."
Sun Jiao has already found the count's "retreat": "...I think it is really necessary to plan for my descendants."
Among the other five cabinet ministers and nine ministers, which one has not been an official for many years and represents huge interests?
But Wang Qiong, Wang Xian, Yang Tan, and Li Hao all understood His Majesty's true intention of protecting them: "I second the proposal."
If you don't say anything now, you will be punished for several crimes!
The rest were still deep in thought.
There is no choice in this matter. If you don't take a stand, you can either become an official or find a casual job and stay there without opposing and cooperating with the new law in the future.
It is difficult to rebel. Look at what kind of emperor this is now. He will definitely lay out the fishing very patiently.
Do you want to be imaginary and trustworthy? If it doesn't exist, they will definitely arrange their own tasks and take the lead in implementing them.
"I second the proposal..." Li Chongsi was unwilling to get out as soon as he came.
"I second the proposal..." Zhang Zilin saw the importance of the Ministry of Rites in the future, and he also had a "criminal record" with the emperor.
All six ministers were alive, leaving only eight people.
Yang Tinghe thought of Yang Shen who had gone to Guangdong to practice "meritorious service", and thought about how after leaving and leaving the important task of safeguarding the interests of the nurse gentry to Fei Hong, would this old fox have any regrets for having indulged Prince Ning so that his family's ancestral graves were dug up? Use the knife yourself.
He spoke from the bottom of his heart with helpless tears in his eyes: "I... second your opinion."
Why do you care about mental studies? Just continue to stay in the court? After finding out that His Majesty understands the importance of Neo-Confucianism, he should leave.
When Yang Shen entered the imperial study and the war broke out in Tuenmen, how could he be coaxed by a series of events and the emperor's "heart-to-heart words" that "it was difficult for everyone" and stayed there until now?
It's too late!
He knows how to get things done best, have you forgotten? !
After Yang Tinghe dared to take the lead, he finally made a series of statements.
Zhu Houcong nodded with a smile on his face: "I am very relieved that the monarch and his ministers are united."
Li Chongsi finally confirmed: The unity of the monarch and his ministers at the national policy meeting has always been formed in this way.
What was Zhang Zilin's mood when he said this?
(End of chapter)
