The Second Master of the Red Chamber

After the ceremony concluded, Jia Lian immediately summoned the cabinet ministers and the heads of the six ministries to the Southern Study to discuss matters.

Inside the Southern Study, a new set of desks and chairs has been arranged on one side of the imperial desk where Emperor Ningkang once handled state affairs.

Jia Lian sat upright inside, flipping through the book in his hands.

Beside the desk, Cao Zhong replaced Dai Quan, standing with a whisk in his arms.

The ministers filed in and stood in two rows in the hall. Then they all knelt down and said, "Your subjects pay their respects to the Crown Prince. May the Crown Prince live a thousand years!"

Jia Lian then looked up at everyone and smiled, "Gentlemen, you may dispense with the formalities."

After everyone thanked him and stood up, Jia Lian glanced at them and asked, "Is there anyone who hasn't arrived yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dongsheng stepped forward and replied, "Your Highness, apart from a few vice ministers who have important duties to attend to and are unable to leave their posts..."

The remaining five cabinet ministers, the six ministers and vice ministers were all present.

"very good."

Jia Lian nodded and said, "I have summoned you all here today for three main reasons."

"Firstly, as this is my first time acting as regent, I lack experience and many matters require your assistance."

If I have done anything inappropriate in handling government affairs, I hope you will all offer your advice.

I am here to express my gratitude in advance.

The ministers all said they dared not. They looked up at each other and saw the light in each other's eyes.

Regardless of whether Jia Lian's prior statement was merely polite or sincere, it at least proves one point.

That means the Crown Prince Jia Lian shouldn't be too difficult to serve.

"The second thing."

Although my father has moved to Taiyuan to recuperate, he has entrusted me with all the important affairs of the country.

However, as the saying goes, a filial son does not change his father's will for three years.

Before I received the Emperor's favor, I had already paid close attention to the many policies and decrees he had formulated, and I deeply believed that they were all policies that benefited the country and its people.

Therefore, you need not worry that my rule will contradict the policies implemented by my father.

On the contrary, I will do my best to promote the national policies that have been temporarily suspended due to my father's serious illness.

I urge you all to understand this point.

Hearing Jia Lian say this, many ministers breathed a sigh of relief once again.

As veteran officials of Emperor Ningkang's reign, what they feared most was that Jia Lian would have his own ideas and arbitrarily change or abolish the policies implemented by Emperor Ningkang after taking office.

Such actions could lead to chaos in the government or, in severe cases, to national and public ruin.

After all, changing policies frequently is a major taboo for those in power.

Of course, there were also some people who did not agree with the policies implemented by Emperor Ningkang, and they were slightly disappointed.

"Your Highness is extremely filial and deeply understands the ways of governance. He is a blessing to His Majesty and the court."

Waving his hand to stop Zhao Dongsheng's flattery, Jia Lian said, "As for the national policies formulated by Father Emperor and everyone else, I will not concern myself with them for the time being."

I presume that Father and everyone have already discussed and agreed upon the specific procedures. From now on, you only need to follow the procedures step by step.

I will only inquire about two matters today.

First, there's the policy of clearing out all acreage. I wonder what the current situation is, and who is in charge?

Everyone looked at Zhao Dongsheng.

He was the former Minister of Revenue, and he had been in charge of leading the land survey.

"Your Highness, even if Your Highness had not inquired about the matter of clearing up the fields, this old minister would have still intended to submit a memorial regarding it."

When His Majesty ordered his ministers and others to implement this policy, his original intention was to curb land annexation among the people and increase tax revenue for the national treasury.

However, when it was actually implemented, it turned out to be more difficult than expected.

According to reports from local officials, very few local powerful families, nobles, and relatives actively cooperated after the decree was issued.

Even many officials outwardly complied but inwardly defied the rules.

His Majesty was initially troubled and furious about this, but then his health deteriorated...

Therefore, the land survey policy has only been well received in the northern and southern Zhili provinces so far. Other provinces and prefectures... However, Your Highness, rest assured, this old minister will do his utmost to promote this matter, sparing no expense to ensure its success.”

Seeing Zhao Dongsheng remain tight-lipped, Jia Lian countered, "What kind of price does Grand Secretary Zhao intend to pay when he says he's not afraid of the consequences?"
How many years are you prepared to spend?

"This……"

Zhao Dongsheng didn't understand Jia Lian's meaning for a moment.

Didn't you just say that you would do your best to implement the policies left by your father?
Jia Lian tapped the table and said, "I have also carefully studied the policy of clearing land acreage and know that it is a good policy that benefits the country and the people."

However, those who govern large countries often achieve the opposite of their goals if they are impatient for quick success and instant benefits.

Since Grand Secretary Zhao also said that this decree would be difficult to implement and would only have a good response in the two capitals.

In my opinion, we should try to "grab one crab with both hands first".

It will be implemented first in the two provinces of North and South Zhili, and will be postponed in the other ten or so provinces, and in the generals and protectorates.

Once the pilot program in the northern and southern provinces is successful, the imperial court will have accumulated enough experience, and then it can be promoted to other provinces and prefectures.

What do you gentlemen think of my proposal?

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this.

Regarding the land survey policy, many court officials felt that Emperor Ningkang was acting too hastily, and some even opposed it in their hearts.

However, Emperor Ningkang took a firm stance and went to great lengths to subdue the imperial clan and nobles, leaving them no choice but to cooperate.

If we follow Jia Lian's suggestion, we should first implement it in the two capitals...

This undoubtedly greatly alleviated the conflict.

After all, although the two capitals were the center of the world, their territories were small, and the number of people and interests involved was much smaller compared to the whole world, so there was naturally less resistance.

In other words, even if something unexpected happens in the future, the impact can be contained within the two capitals, preventing a major upheaval in the country.

This is from the perspective of the opponents.

Those who supported the new policy also felt that Jia Lian's suggestion to first try it out in the two capitals was a compromise.

As a result, all the officials expressed their support for Jia Lian's opinion.

Zhao Dongsheng hesitated for a long time, thinking to himself that Jia Lian's previous words about pushing forward with all his might and "not changing his father's will for three years" were just empty words.

It seems he also felt that some of His Majesty's policies were implemented too hastily.

But this is good too. It saves me a lot of trouble.

"Your Highness's words may temporarily save the court trouble, but as the saying goes, it is not scarcity that is a concern, but inequality."

If this policy were only implemented in the two capitals, I'm afraid the powerful clans and gentry there would have many complaints..."

Jia Lian waved his hand: "I am aware of Grand Secretary Zhao's concerns."

I already have a solution, so please be patient.

After dismissing Zhao Dongsheng, Jia Lian looked at the Minister of War and several vice ministers.

"I have heard that the Emperor intends to disband the Green Standard Army and has ordered the Ministry of War to come up with specific regulations. I wonder what the progress is?"

The officials from the Ministry of War exchanged glances, and then the old Minister Fan Chengju stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the disbandment of the Green Standard Army is a matter of great importance, and there are too many things to consider."

The slightest misstep could trigger a chain of unforeseen events.

Therefore, specific regulations cannot be formulated overnight.

The old minister and his colleagues in the Ministry of War are doing their best to discuss this…

The implication is that it's being worked on, not finished yet, and the boss should wait a bit.

Jia Lian said, "Minister Fan, there is no need to panic. I have no intention of blaming you."

If the Ministry of War has not yet formulated a complete set of regulations, I have a suggestion for your reference.

I plan to establish a new army, primarily using firearms.

They were worried about finding a source of soldiers.

I thought it best to select the best from the hundreds of thousands of Green Standard Army soldiers across the country and train them into a new army.

This would solve both the manpower problem for the new army and the issue of where some Green Standard Army officers and soldiers would go.

What does Minister Fan think?

"Your Highness intends to form a new army?"

Fan Chengju subconsciously asked another question.

Seeing that Jia Lian only smiled and did not answer, Fan Chengju thought to himself that it made sense.

Jia Lian consistently championed firearms, and his two transnational battles were won thanks to the power of firearms.

It is not surprising that they would attach importance to firearms.

So he began to consider Jia Lian's suggestion, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He slapped his thigh and laughed, "Your Highness's words are truly feasible."

This old minister believes that since Your Highness intends to form a new army, you might as well expand its size.

This would fill the gap in combat power left by the withdrawal of the Green Camp.

Secondly, the Ministry of War could use this opportunity to hold a nationwide Green Standard Army competition. The winners would join the new army, while the losers would be eliminated, given severance pay, and ordered to retire and return to their hometowns.

The military values ​​the victor over the vanquished; therefore, reducing resistance to disbanding the Green Standard Army in this way will be greatly reduced.

The other vice ministers' eyes lit up when they heard this, and they all agreed.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Since everyone thinks this proposal is feasible, I instruct your Ministry of War to come up with specific regulations within three days for me to review."

"Yes."

Seeing that Jia Lian had settled several important matters in just a few words, many ministers stared at him intently.

Many people were thinking that since this man rose to power through military affairs and was still young, governing the country would be too difficult for him.

In hindsight, I was overthinking it.

It's clear that the Crown Prince has put in a lot of effort to make these three initial moves upon taking office.

Moreover, in handling government affairs, he has learned some of the decisiveness of the current emperor.

Faced with the scrutiny of the assembled officials, Jia Lian remained calm and composed.

He first took a sip of the tea that Cao Zhong had served him, and then continued, "Regarding the previous decrees, I will only be concerned with these two matters for now."

For other matters, such as rectifying official corruption, everyone simply followed their assigned duties and did their own thing.

If there are any difficulties, we can discuss them at the court meeting later.

Next, I will talk about the third purpose for which I have gathered you all here today.

Upon hearing this, the officials all knew that what was about to be said was what Jia Lian truly wanted to do, something that represented his personal beliefs.

Therefore, everyone was focused on figuring out the new crown prince's political strategies as soon as possible.

"I have read the official gazette from the Ministry of Revenue before. The current official tax rate of our dynasty is one-tenth."

However, as far as I know, during the reign of Emperor Taizu, the official tax rate of our dynasty was only one-thirtieth.

I am somewhat confused as to why there is such a large difference. Is there any esteemed person who can answer my questions?

Upon hearing Jia Lian's question, the senior officials in front exchanged glances, and finally looked at Zhao Dongsheng.

Zhao Dongsheng quickly stepped forward: "What Your Highness says is true; the current tax rate of our dynasty is one-tenth."

However, it would be an inaccurate statement to say that the tax rate was one-thirtieth during the reign of Emperor Taizu.

In fact, the so-called one-thirtieth tax was only set at the beginning of the dynasty when Emperor Taizu saw that the people of the Central Plains were suffering from poverty and displacement, and he could not bear to levy too high a tax on them.

However, this was only implemented for a short period of time.

After the third year of the reign of Emperor Taizu, except for a few areas that had suffered severe war damage, the tax rate gradually increased to one in twenty, or even one in fifteen.

Even so, compared to previous dynasties, the taxes levied on our dynasty are quite light.

Jia Lian nodded, then asked, "If that's the case, when was the tax rate raised to one-tenth?"

"This……"

Zhao Dongsheng glanced at the direction Jia Lian was looking up at, and was speechless.

Seeing this, Fan Chengju stepped forward and said loudly, "What's so hard about saying this?"

For a long time, our dynasty implemented a tax rate of one-fifteenth of the total tax.

In the later years of the retired emperor, the court was in deficit every year. Some court officials suggested to the retired emperor that the country had been at peace for a long time and the people were much richer than before. They suggested that taxes should be raised to a level similar to that of previous dynasties.

So it became one-tenth of the tax.

Jia Lian's expression darkened slightly.

Of course, he was doing this for his ministers to see.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but complain in his heart that the retired emperor was really sparing no effort to squander the reputation he had built up in the first half of his life in his later years.

One-tenth of the tax may not seem like much.

However, this was merely the official tax levied by the imperial court on the people.

Other various exorbitant taxes and levies are not included.

According to his understanding, if an ordinary person grows a bushel of grain, he will at most keep half a bushel for himself.

Although, this has been the case in almost every dynasty.

But just because it has always been this way, does that mean it's correct?
What Jia Lian wanted to change were these oppressive policies that were slowly corrupting an empire.

Therefore, he had to express his dissatisfaction.

Seeing Jia Lian's behavior, many ministers looked ashamed.

Regardless of the dynasty, any increase in taxes on the people indicates the incompetence of the officials in the court.

Especially the way Jia Lian was looking at them now, it was like an invisible slap in their faces.

After more than ten breaths, and when most of the ministers had bowed their heads involuntarily, Jia Lian slowly spoke:
"I don't care what happened in each dynasty."

As long as I remain in power, I will never allow any increase in taxes to be levied on the people to make up for the court's deficit.

The imperial court belongs to us all; if the imperial court is in debt, it is our responsibility.

If we try to shift even our own responsibilities onto the people, then neither of us has the right to stand here.

Faced with Jia Lian's rebuke, all the officials bowed their heads and said, "Your Highness is right."

"I intend to reduce taxes and restore them to one-fifteenth of the total tax rate."

What are your thoughts?

The officials humbly accepted Jia Lian's reprimand.

However, when they actually heard that Jia Lian wanted to reduce taxes, many people became anxious.

Especially officials in the Ministry of Revenue.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

The imperial court has been implementing a tax rate of one-tenth of the total tax for many years. If the tax rate is reduced rashly, where will the court make up for the lost revenue?
If the imperial court lacks funds, how will the various national policies that Your Highness and we discussed earlier be implemented?

"Your Highness, I second your opinion, but I hope you will reconsider."

Several ministers, not just those from the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward to offer their advice.

Jia Lian looked at Zhao Dongsheng and asked, "What is Grand Secretary Zhao's opinion?"

Zhao Dongsheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "This old minister also feels that it is inappropriate to rashly reduce taxes. I hope Your Highness will reconsider this matter."

"What about the other Grand Secretaries?"

Upon hearing Jia Lian call out his name, Prince Teng stepped forward and said, "I think Your Highness's suggestion is feasible."

His Majesty is currently seriously ill, and Your Highness is assuming power for the first time. Therefore, you should bestow blessings upon the world and benefit all people.

Firstly, to pray for His Majesty's well-being, and secondly, to let the world see that His Highness the Crown Prince is a good prince who loves his people like his own children.

As for the court's shortage of funds and provisions, it is just as Your Highness just mentioned.

The deficit caused by the imperial court should be resolved by us ourselves. Why should we always think about the common people?
At worst, the court can simply cut back on its annual budget.

Just like this disbandment of the Green Standard Army, it will save the imperial court a large sum of military funds!

"That sounds nice, but where will the savings come from?"

"Nonsense..."

"Grand Secretary Wang was also a soldier, so he should know the principle of soldiers being fed."

Besides, the initial disbandment of the Green Standard Army was to implement a policy of streamlining the army and improving the treatment of border troops and regional garrison troops, not to save military spending!

Although Prince Teng was a high-ranking official, he was still Jia Lian's brother-in-law.

However, when it came to their own interests, the crowd showed no mercy and immediately launched an attack on him.

It was practically an open declaration that he was a treacherous villain who only cared about currying favor with his superiors and disregarded the fate of the court.

"Enough!!"

Jia Lian shouted sharply, stopping the noisy scene.

"As Minister Fan just mentioned, for a long time, our dynasty implemented a tax rate of one-fifteenth of the total tax."

If it was possible then, why can't it be possible now?
Ultimately, it's because these officials are used to a comfortable life and are unwilling to bestow favors upon the people!

I'm making this clear: I'm definitely going to cut taxes.

However, since so many adults feel this is inappropriate, and I am not a person who is impatient for quick success or unreasonable.

Just as Chief Minister Zhao had previously said, the people are not worried about scarcity but about inequality.

Since the policy of clearing up farmland was being implemented, the imperial court first piloted it in the two capitals, the north and the south.

"Then let's first try this tax reduction policy in the two capitals."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, everyone's expressions softened.

As I said before, if we only do it on a small scale, the impact will be within a controllable range.

Moreover, the reduction in taxes in the two capitals (north and south) is negligible and has little impact on the overall situation.

Only then did Zhao Dongsheng understand the solution that Jia Lian had mentioned earlier.

So that's where it was.

It seems this future ruler wasn't just making things up. (End of Chapter)