The Prosperous Era of Longwan

“Those who have land pay taxes, and those who have no land do not need to pay taxes.”

Emperor Longqing muttered something in his mouth. Although it seemed to make sense, he soon discovered that there seemed to be something unjustifiable in Wei Guangde's words.

"For good loans, the state and dynasty taxes and servitudes are distributed according to the land tax, and the servitude and taxes are divided according to the head.

According to what you said, Ding servants also have to live in the fields. Is this unfair to the landowners? "

The words of Emperor Longqing are actually the common standard in this era.

It is true that the fields have owners, but their owners pay their talents according to the land, and the servitude is the subject's obligation to the court. How can the servitude be transferred to the landowners.

Although there was no Ding service in later generations, even in the era when Wei Guangde came through, citizens still had the obligation to serve as soldiers and protect their homes and country.

"Your Majesty, there is no absolute fairness in the world."

Wei Guangde shook his head and said: "The reason why I have this idea is just to reduce the financial burden of landless and landless farmers. I think they have nothing and can only live with others and earn money through labor to support their families. Businessmen value profits. Why?" How much money may be given to them.

It's just enough to support a family, but it also has to bear taxes and servitude to let them live in peace.

If you cannot live in peace, things will change easily.

Why do those reckless farmers respond in large numbers as soon as they raise their arms? Rather than starve to death because they have no money to live, they might as well make a big fuss and survive in death.

They have no property and money, so the government will force them to rebel by charging them a small tax. However, those who have land don't actually care about paying that little money, because they can afford it, and they will not be like those rioters if they have a family. "

Seeing that Emperor Longqing was just frowning and thinking, Wei Guangde continued: "Your Majesty, I am just thinking about this matter. There must be many deficiencies. If Your Majesty had not asked, I would never dare to say it.

However, I feel that if our Ming Dynasty really realizes the idea of ​​dividing the land from one person to another, the civil unrest in various places can be reduced by half. "

After hearing what Wei Guangde said, Emperor Longqing rubbed his chin for a while and then said in a deep voice: "Then you have time to write a memorial, and I will think about it again."

"Your Majesty, it is not appropriate to bring this matter up yet."

Wei Guangde said hurriedly.

"Why?"

Emperor Longqing asked in confusion, since Wei Guangde thought this was a good idea, why was he unwilling to write it down and show it to him?

"Your Majesty, the matter of apportioning the land to the land must be decided after the implementation of the One Whip Law. It should be noted that one of the important advantages of the One Whip Law is that it incorporates miscellaneous taxes and labor service, and allocates them equally into the land tax.

It looks similar to sharing a small fortune, but it is actually not the case.

At the beginning of the People's Republic of China, fields were divided according to Dingkou. The emergence of landless and landless peasants was actually caused by the concentration of land from farmers to gentry.

Changes in landowners have led to an increase in population mobility between urban and rural areas, and farmers with little land and invincibles have flocked to counties to seek livelihood.

If the amount of Ding is short of Ding and the amount of silver is lost, the financial corvee is based on Ding, making inspection difficult. The tax is determined based on acres, and verification is easy.

To implement the One-whip Law, it is necessary to verify the acres and acreage. This is the foundation of finance.

What the minister is considering is to cancel the service of the peasants, calculate the tax according to the land, and determine the peasants according to the land. This needs to be mutually confirmed with the whip law. It can only be implemented if a financially beneficial method is found to divide the peasants into acres. "

Wei Guangde had only heard of the word "divide a small amount into an acre", and he understood the meaning according to the meaning of the word, which was to set the small tax in the land tax as a custom. However, Wei Guangde didn't know exactly how it was done in the Manchu Dynasty and how much it was set.

If there is too much, it will undoubtedly increase the burden on the people; if there is too little, it will be a loss to the government's finances.

After all, the financial situation of the Ming Dynasty has always been poor.

To put it bluntly, the purpose of reform is to collect more money, not less money.

As for some people who think that charging too much will increase the burden on the people, there is no point in it, because you are collecting money from the landlords, that can only be said.

Other officials may think so, but Wei Guangde does not.

The landowners have become very good at shifting burdens. If you charge too much, they will dare to make it difficult for the people to make a living.

Therefore, Wei Guangde felt that even if he wanted to divide the land from one person to another, he had to first go through a whipping method to find out the actual situation of the place, and then consider how to do it.

Emperor Longqing also understood. He knew that what Wei Guangde said about "dividing a small family into an acre" could only be an idea in the short term, but there would be no specific implementation method, and he was not in a hurry.

On the contrary, I felt that Wei Guangde was reliable and prudent in his work.

He is using the effect of the whip method to calculate the gains and losses of the court after the tenants enter the land, and to avoid meaningless court disputes. This is the true expression of loyalty to state affairs.

"That's fine, I'm just waiting to see your memorial."

Emperor Longqing said casually.

After Wei Guangde said goodbye and withdrew from Qianqing Palace, he rushed back to the cabinet and informed Chen Yiqin and Yin Shizhen.

"Your Majesty will not take Li Fang's life, but will he be imprisoned for a while to vent his anger?"

Yin Shizhen frowned and said after hearing Wei Guangde's words.

"Your Majesty didn't say what exactly Li Fang said?"

Chen Yiqin said to Wei Guangde.

"I didn't say anything. I think it's some private matter for His Majesty."

Wei Guangde replied.

Yin Shizhen suddenly said: "Why don't I go to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment tomorrow to ask."

"Don't."

Wei Guangde hurriedly stood up to stop him and said: "Your Majesty is unwilling to say it, it must be a very confidential matter.

Although I don't think Li Fang would really do this, it's not important. What's important is that His Majesty thinks he said it. After all, only they must know about it.

If you really go and ask, it would be unwise to be careful of being accused of spying on the secrets of the palace. "

"Listen to Shandai, let's stop this matter. We just need to take care of his daily life in prison."

Chen Yiqin nodded and said, "Speaking of which, now I really doubt that Li Fang really said something that I shouldn't have said."

Chen Yiqin's words made Yin Shizhen start to lower his head and think, but Wei Guangde didn't think so.

If you don't know, you have to do it yourself. Many things that you think are secrets are actually leaked by some inadvertent actions.

However, it is not ruled out that Li Fang was drunk or said taboo words under some circumstances, who can say for sure.

In the afternoon, Wei Guangde met Ma Sen, Wang Ting and others in the duty room, and handed them a charter he had drafted for circulation. Naturally, it was about the results that Emperor Longqing wanted. His relatives adopted a downgrade system and gradually reduced the amount of village land from generation to generation. , Shixun fixed the quota of two hundred hectares.

"I have considered this matter, sooner rather than later."

Wei Guangde said as they circulated: "The sooner the dust settles, the sooner the court can collect taxes.

If it drags on for a year and a half, the court will ultimately suffer the loss, as part of the land tax that the honorary relatives should pay will be missing.

After all, as long as His Majesty is dissatisfied, the matter may continue to be delayed. "

When Wei Guangde spoke, several people looked at him, and even Wang Ting, who was holding the draft charter in his hand, looked up at him.

"In His Majesty's heart, half is the imperial court, and the other half is the relatives. Now he only agrees to collect taxes from these people because of the financial difficulties of the imperial court. But if he looks back, he will think of dragging the word tactic"

Wei Guangde didn't say anything, and they naturally understood what he meant.

To put it bluntly, the court is the domain of civil servants, who help the emperor to replace the herdsmen, and the relatives are the foundation of the royal family's stable rule. It is easy to tell which side is more important.

Although civil servants are now powerful, so what, after all, they are floating officials, who are constantly changing, while honorary officials are hereditary and can be passed down from generation to generation, and they can enjoy the benefits of the court forever.

Whoever is most loyal to the emperor will naturally choose his relatives rather than civil servants in his heart.

That is to say, Emperor Longqing had not thought of this not long after he ascended the throne. If Emperor Jiajing was on the throne and wanted to collect taxes from his relatives, don't even think about it.

Wei Guangde said this to put pressure on them, but it was also true.

"What Mr. Wei Ge said is absolutely true. Although we have a clear conscience when doing things, His Majesty was deceived by traitors after all. He didn't know that we were dedicated to serving the country and could only have more or less. It is better to finalize the regulations first and then plan the plan slowly. Of."

Ma Sen echoed Wei Guangde's words as soon as he opened his mouth, but there was also a meaning in his words, that is, today's is actually just the beginning, and the Ministry of Accounts will find a way to continue collecting money from Xun Qi later.

"Mr. Ma is right. Now Shixun's relatives are extravagant and lustful, but the imperial court has insufficient funds. Now the tax collection regulations have been decided. In the future, when the national funds are insufficient, we will ask your Majesty to increase taxes."

Wang Ting also agreed to set a precedent first and then slowly tighten the rope later.

It's my fault that my predecessors didn't notice this and delayed this matter until today.

However, Wang Ting forgot that the fiscal deficit of the imperial court actually only appeared occasionally during the Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties. At that time, the revenue and expenditure were basically even, and the real large-scale deficit occurred in the middle and late Jiajing years.

At that time, Emperor Jiajing needed Shixun to stabilize the imperial power for him, so how could he allow them to increase taxes.

In fact, the Jiajing Dynasty tried every means to increase tax revenue, but they encountered an emperor who couldn't control the door, and a group of officials who had become a climate. Various hidden rules became more and more perfect, and they colluded with each other to embezzle the national treasury. By now the tail is too big to fall off.

As for Emperor Longqing, of course he had to worry about the emperor's mood, so he had to pay attention to the timing. He would only do it when the court had to do important things and had no money.

Wei Guangde was still sighing in his heart. If he really wanted to collect money, then according to the court system, scholars and nobles should collect money together. Only then would they be famous.

I am holding on to the money, and I just want to let my relatives come out. The idea is too beautiful and unrealistic.

Although it is said that scholars have less land, and only officials have thousands of acres of land under their names. Generally, people with high status have hundreds to dozens of acres of land. It seems that there is a huge gap between them and their relatives, but I can’t stand the crowd.

How many people are there, and how many people have benefited from the two large-scale knighthoods from Zhu Yuanzhang to Zhu Di.

The imperial examination is different. Every three years there will be a group of people who should pay taxes but do not. That is the key.

As for the deficit of the imperial court, no one here knows what is going on. The Metropolitan Procuratorate is in charge of those matters. It is called a clear stream, but in fact it is muddy.

However, these sensitive topics are all scholars here, talking about the teachings of sages and sages, and only care about the governance and security of the country. Naturally, they will not be interested in those stinky things.

When everyone talks about Tian Fu here, naturally they are only talking about the people's wealth and wealth in the hands of the ancestors, and will never offend other people.

The first draft was passed from Wang Ting to the censor of Tuntian. The censor quickly looked through the first draft, but he also knew in his heart that what Mr. Wei Ge said just now had actually sealed the matter and could not be changed.

Moreover, it seems that he has already waited for the approval of the Minister of Hubu and Wang Ting, the censor of Zuodu.

Well, the first level of officialdom kills people.

Although it is said that the censor can defy the sky, the earth, and the air, but with Wang Ting here, what can he, a little censor, do?

Aren't you worried about being put on the wrong foot in the yamen?

If Wei Ge Lao exerts his strength in the official department, and Wang Ting turns a blind eye, and he, a little seventh-rank man, is released as a county magistrate or something like that, it will be called a loss outweighing the gain.

Zhu Yuanzhang actually designed a good system, but he did not expect that in the Ming Dynasty, the officialdom has long been colluding, and the supervisory power of the Metropolitan Procuratorate has become a tool for officialdom struggle, losing its original meaning.

After reading the charter, what do you say?

The Censor of Tuntian naturally cherishes the amount of farmland owned by his relatives. According to this standard, only the top nobles have suffered greater losses, because they all own thousands of acres of farmland.

For more marquis and uncles, most of them only exceeded this amount by a little, and there were even a few who did not reach this amount.

Think about it, let’s leave it like this. The later work will be easier to do, and it looks good.

The figure set by Emperor Longqing was naturally well thought out and fully took into account the interests of his relatives and would not cause a violent backlash.

"Wei Ge Lao, Ma Shangshu, and Mr. Wang have no objections to the resignation."

The people sitting here are all second-rank officials of the imperial court. He is the only seventh-rank official, so he can only call himself a lower official.

"Well, since everyone has no objections, can the Ministry of Revenue send the memorial to the cabinet tomorrow?"

Wei Guangde was very satisfied and everyone was happy. No one had any objections. This was a good thing. The only thing left was to complete the procedure as soon as possible.

As the first step in the process, it is natural to write a memorial to the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"I will arrange this matter when I return to the ministry today. It should not delay things, Mr. Wang of the Metropolitan Procuratorate."

Mason said.

As for the memorial above, it is too simple. You can go back and summon the ministers around, and you can write the memorial directly, sign it, and send it over tomorrow.

However, Ma Sen was a little hesitant about whether the Metropolitan Procuratorate should also sign this memorial.

"If you two adults have nothing to do, you can go to the Ministry of Revenue together and sign the memorial."

Emperor Longqing's previous approval was to ask him to convene the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Yushi of the countryside to discuss the next memorial, so it is best for the new memorial to be signed by the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

"That's how it should be."

The Metropolitan Procuratorate doesn't have many errands on weekdays. The Thirteen Road Censors and the Farming Censors actually don't have much to do in the court, but if they are assigned to patrol the city, the affairs will be more complicated.

After the matter was settled, Wei Guangde sent them out of the check-in room. Even though he was busy dealing with these things today, he didn't even deal with a few memorials.

When Wei Guangde returned home from the office, although there were still many visitors at home, it was not as busy as the first month.

When Wei Guangde got off the sedan and returned to the house, the housekeeper Zhang Ji came over and said, "Master, at noon, Mr. Tan from the Ministry of War and General Qi from the Beijing Camp sent a message saying that they had something to discuss in the evening."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Wei Guangde said impatiently.

Zhang Ji should have sent someone to inform him about this matter as early as possible. If there were other things that delayed him and he did not return home, he would not be leaving people alone.

Although Qi Jiguang is nothing, Tan Lun's official position is not small, and such offending things are absolutely unacceptable.

"Today, a caravan from Liaodong came over and said they brought two thousand-year-old wild ginseng. I was in a hurry and forgot about it. Please punish me."