Xinshun 1730

Chapter 584 It's All Business

Although the words on his lips were somewhat mocking, Liu Yu could actually understand their complaints.

To put it better, this is called the enlightenment of human nature, the awakening of human nature.

Knowing to pursue one's own interests, knowing the unity of rights and obligations, regardless of good or bad, this is also part of the enlightenment movement: why should we pay?Is it natural to pay taxes and pay money?
Hearing what Lian Fuguang meant, it seemed that there were a series of reasons for this.

For example, if social welfare is handled by government departments, the importance of the clan will be weakened, in fact, the clan will be disintegrated.

For example, charity and social welfare are not the same thing, and should not be confused with each other. In Dashun, there are various preferential treatment such as being a student supervisor for donating money, but here even Fuguang and others do not pay taxes, so there is no need for such preferential treatment.

And the most important cultural conflict, asking the dead to collect taxes will cause great dissatisfaction among the Chinese.

According to what Lian Fuguang said, it is not known that the highest-class Chinese opposed the workhouse, but it seemed that the middle-class Chinese in the city also opposed it.

Liu Yu was a little confused as to whether this was true or not.

Just like the policy introduced by Qiu Zuguan, the policy of requiring slaves and slaves in the family to pay 25 yuan for burial after death, after all, there are seven or eight thousand rich Chinese in Batavia City. There are slaves in their families, which touched me Interests?
Or is it really because of the concept of "the dead are the greatest", that it is wrong to earn money from the dead, so that the whole city is angry and no one carries the coffin?

Or maybe Lian Fuguang didn't tell the truth at all, and he himself represented the seven or eight thousand middle- and lower-class Chinese in the city with residence permits?
He was muttering in his heart, but Lian Fuguang saw that Liu Yu stretched out his thumb and praised him with good reason, so he hurriedly said, "Your Excellency's absurd praise. We Tang people have their own civilization, and there are many things that are not the same as Westerners."

"The main thing is the inheritance tax and the compulsory donation to charity according to the percentage of assets. It is really incompatible with my Tang people, and there are many contradictions. It is also a bad government."

"I wait for people to speak lightly, so I would like to ask you to talk to the governor to exempt this tax and clarify the benefits and benefits. Tang people really don't like this kind of thing that has to be paid after death. If you don't want to implement this policy, I'm afraid there will be chaos in the future. .”

Liu Yu was already suspicious, and always felt that there was something wrong with what Lian Fuguang said. Even if he didn't dare to tell lies, he definitely didn't tell the whole story.

"When did the Dutch want to deduct five thousandths from the inheritance percentage and put them into the poorhouse to support the widows, widows, lonely, and food and clothing?"

Lian Fuguang gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, it's just these few months. It's still because of the bandits outside the city."

"Because of the bandit uprising outside the city, the governor is quite worried. He thinks that the living conditions of the Tang people should be improved, otherwise it may be easier for the Tang people to join the Wushan Party and become bandits."

"In the past, tens of thousands of people lived outside the city. It was a drop in the bucket, and it couldn't be managed. Now the imperial court wants to immigrate a large number of people to Ceylon to find a way to survive, and there are not many left."

"However, there are more and more Tang people going to Nanyang, and sooner or later people will continue to pour in. Bandits outside the city are rampant. If the living conditions of the lower classes are not improved, and some welfare is given, I am afraid that they will all join the bandits. Or they will come out again in the future. Riot thing."

"What I'm waiting for is not to oppose charity for the poor, but whether the money can be paid out of various taxes?"

Liu Yu heard the words, oh, thinking that this should be the legendary [Because we have been here]?
The insurgents outside the city let the Netherlands know that the treatment of the lowest-level Chinese still needs to be improved a little, otherwise it will be easy to pull the pole to revolt.

If there is no workhouse, then follow the thieves?
But Lian Fuguang and others still have illusions about the Dutch. They are a company and they want to make a profit. How can they use the various taxes collected to invest in social welfare?

It doesn't make sense for the Dutch to do charity or not, or to improve the lives of the lower class.

That's too late.

Even if you do, it's useless.

Besides, they are stingy, and they are reluctant to subsidize social welfare with the tax collected. Instead, they think about forcing the middle and upper classes to donate money, which happens to offend the middle and upper classes, which is a good thing.

But stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade.

Judging from Lian Fuguang's statement, this system of setting up workhouses seems quite avant-garde.

Kind of like a trust fund, a charitable fund.After death, if the heirs are young and underage, the inheritance will receive an annuity, and they will inherit the full amount of the inheritance when they become adults. If they can really do well, it seems to be not bad, and it will also avoid things like family extinction and property division.

In addition, relying on these property money to make money, maintain operation, and continue to be charitable.From decades ago to the present, there should be some tricks, right?It can be learned.

But according to what Lian Fuguang said, it seems that the operation was not very successful. It seems that everyone is against it?

In order to win Nanyang in the future, we cannot abandon all the policies of the old era, but we still have to discard the dross and extract the essence.

If this method is really useful, it can be kept.

I also understood in my heart that based on the words of these people alone, I am afraid that there may be three or two falsehoods in the ten sentences, so I said: "Well, you lead the way ahead and take me to the court. The court is in charge of these charitable people. what is it call?"

"My lord, it's [Weeskamer], we're called Wu Zhimi."

"Oh, let's go there together. I'll go over there to have a look, and take a look at the account book of the workhouse."

"Yes, my lord, please."

After answering, he took the initiative to lead the way and led Liu Yu and others to the Chinese court in Batavia.

Outside the courtroom, there are two wooden plaques hanging.

[The public is fair, and the public judges the truth; the hall is the same, discussing things in the same hall.People in court, so serve the public and work hard for the people.Anyone who is beneficial to the public will seek counseling and take measures to celebrate Shilin. 】

[Things are true and false, and things are right and wrong. They are not judged by the court, but they are based on the standard. 】

Although it's not as grand as Dashun's county government, it's just a large residential building, but the words on the wooden sign outside the courthouse already have some meaning.

On the table in the lobby, there is a thick set of "Da Shun Law", and on top of it is a set of "Batavia Law Collection".

Xu did not expect that Liu Yu would come, so Lian Fuguang hurriedly put the book of Batavia's laws aside, and stopped pressing it on top of "Da Shun Law".

But Liu Yu had already seen it, so he asked, "Do you usually judge cases according to the "Da Shun Law"?"

"Exactly."

"If there is a conflict between the "Da Shun Law" and Batavia's laws, who will listen to? The Celestial Dynasty and Batavia, are you familiar with each other?"

This is a fatal question, and even Fu Guang dare not answer it, thinking that you are looking for trouble for nothing?

As for?
Liu Yu smiled, sat on the table in the main hall, shook the "Da Shun Lv" which he had never read, casually flipped through a few pages, and threw it aside.

I said that people have to bow their heads under the roof, and the imperial court has no ability to win Nanyang. If they really criticize these people for forgetting their ancestors, so that the Batavian law is higher than the Dashun law, then it is just standing and talking without pain in the back .

"Wu Zhifan? Bring me the account book of the poorhouse, I want to see it."

The current Wuzhi fans hastily brought over the thick accounts, all of which are of course Chinese characters.

Liu Yu opened it, looked at it for about half an hour, finally saw something, and asked: "Which year did you say that Wu Zhi fan Qiu Zuguan was a Wu Zhi fan?"

"Master, it's 1705 in the Western calendar."

Liu Yu checked the ledger back to 1705, and found that the ledger was almost based on 1706 as the watershed.

Before 1706, most of the accounts were voluntary donations, which shows that the Chinese are not only thinking about themselves as Lian Fuguang said, but they also have a heart of compassion and are willing to do charity.

There are dozens of Dutch guilders more, three or five copper plates less, and even one or two copper plates.

But starting from 1706, the accounts suddenly went wrong, and the income skyrocketed.

There are many "donations" for marriage, "donations" after death, "donations" for burning paper, monopolizing cemeteries and selling graves, and so on.

However, Lian Fuguang said that "the servants must spend 25 yuan to buy a cemetery after their death", which only accounts for a small part of the income. It seems that there are not many seven or eight thousand Chinese in the city who have slaves at home.

After shaking the ledger, Liu Yu asked, "In 1706, did any new regulations come out?"

"Returning to my lord, at that time there were many rascals in the Tang Dynasty, who often used the name of divorce to deny part of the accounts. Therefore, Jiabidan, Lei Zhenlan, and Wu Zhifan often suggested to the governor. In that year, there was a rule that all Tang people should Marriage must be registered at Kapitan, and Kapitan will issue a marriage certificate. Anyone who gets married must donate 20 cash to the poorhouse."

He only said half of what he said, and the other half was that he had to give Jiabidan "happy money", because only the big seal in Jiapidan's hand could be pressed on the marriage certificate, and there was no way to get married without giving money.This is not the cost of production, but the "legitimate" income of Kapitan.

Liu Yu sneered and said, "Before 1706, there was no donation money for marriage. That is to say, since 1706, marriage must also have 'donation' money, right?"

"Lian Fuguang, Lian Fuguang, you're talking halfway. According to what you said, I thought that the Tang people in Batavia all had slaves and were extremely wealthy, so I hated Qiu Zuguan for that."

"Co-authoring this is when he was a fan of Wuzhi. You have to donate money when you get married, you have to donate money when you die, and you have to donate money for burning paper."

"He, Qiu Zuguan, set up a name so cleverly that no one would carry the coffin after his death. There is no injustice at all."

"Don't say that no one is carrying the coffin. If it is placed in the Celestial Dynasty, if you dare to do this, the monument after death will cover him with shit. It is easy for no one to carry the coffin!"

"How can I ask you to tell me that people in Tang Dynasty are all opposed to the clash of civilizations of 'receiving money after death', so I can't wait to carry Qiu Zuguan's coffin? There are not many slaves in the account book."

"Are you using me as a weapon? In the name of 'cultural conflict', what you really want to say is the inheritance tax? You tell me that the common people don't carry Qiu Zuguan's coffin because the servants are buried after they die. , This cultural conflict of collecting money after death has caused public anger? If the Netherlands does not abolish inheritance tax, will the people hold resentment?"

"Or is it because of Qiu Zuguan's ingenuity that he has to 'donate' money to get married and have children, so everyone hates not to carry his coffin?"

With a bang, he slammed the table hard, and Lian Fuguang and the others knelt there in fright, with cold sweat dripping down their backs, bowing their heads and not daring to speak.

He really didn't expect that the imperial envoys of the imperial court would actually come to see these messy ledgers, and they could see problems from the ledgers.

For a while, I was in a cold sweat, and I couldn't think of any excuses, so I could only kowtow like a pounding garlic.

Liu Yu pinched her aching head, thinking that she really can't count on you guys at all.

"Okay, stop knocking. I'm most annoyed at half-talking. Zhang San ate pork, Zhang San also drank poison, and Zhang San died. So, Zhang San died because of eating pork?"

"You're not a cool person, so you just said that if you don't want to pay that tax, you just settle it? You have to find a high-sounding reason, and you have to recruit seven or eight thousand Chinese, which seems to be the popular opinion."

"You guys, can't do anything."

After finishing speaking, he shook his head with a bit of resentment, thinking that there is nothing to learn from this welfare system, and this is another standard quest for the sword.

Guo Junguan who set up this project at the beginning must have good intentions.

It's kind of like a trust fund and a charitable foundation, but I guess it's because I've heard about some European policies, and I have a sense of benevolence and righteousness unique to Confucian scholars.But the stride is a bit big, and it's a mess.

In Europe, especially in the Netherlands, all kinds of stocks and hype, as long as you have money, the Amsterdam Futures Stock Exchange, find a few venture capitalists with higher means, or buy stocks, or buy overseas land, or buy plantations. Can make money make money.

If it catches up with the early stage of the South Sea Bubble and the early stage of the Mississippi Company incident, maybe the silver coins will really turn into gold bricks.

The problem is that in Batavia, if you engage in this kind of thing, isn't it just taking too long and tearing the eggs apart?

Where there is not even a stock exchange, dare to set up trust funds and charitable funds?

How does money make money?

This is a typical example of not paying attention to the economic foundation, not considering the different conditions, and just jumping on the head, seeking the sword, and finally good things turn into bad things.

What kind of trust fund would there be without the Amsterdam Stock Exchange?
In the end, it will definitely become another kind of exorbitant taxation of forced charity by borrowing administrative power.

In Nanyang affairs, we can neither copy Dashun's rule in the Central Plains, nor the Dutch rule in Nanyang, we can only find another way to start anew.

Tax package is definitely not an option, and the only "Wu Zhi Fan" welfare system that sounds good and can be learned from is also a product of pure nonsense.

Looking at Jiabidan, Lei Zhenlan and others who were still kneeling there, kowtowing like garlic, Liu Yu thought to himself that you have shattered my last little illusion, and I shouldn't think about you and my compatriots. There is a little fantasy.

Come on, smash everything and start over, Nanyang!

Thinking of this, he threw the account book on the ground, ignored the kneeling people on the ground, and walked straight out of the court surrounded by guards.

(End of this chapter)