A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 476

Return to Chang'an again.

Familiar city walls, familiar city gates, familiar roads, even familiar Marquis Wu, villains, Fang Ding, Wu Huaiyu on a horse looked at Chang'an, which had only been away for a few days, but felt a little strange.

Even a little disgusted.

Compared with the countryside of Longqiao, this one of the largest cities in the world at this time made him feel less natural and comfortable.

He didn't like the wall after wall, the deserted and quiet street.

He desperately wanted to tear down the square walls in Chang'an City and make the streets lively.

The hustle and bustle of the market as in the Qingming Shanghetu should be what the people need, not this road wall that separates or even locks everyone up.

As soon as he got home, Dou Lu Huairang came.

"Erlang really went to the countryside to harvest wheat?"

Although other aristocrats also went to the village every year to harvest wheat, but it was just a symbolic move of the sickle, and they went to the countryside to escape the summer heat.

"A dignified prime minister, Erlang is really amazing to be able to stay in the country for seven days."

"What's the matter?"

Wu Huaiyu asked directly.

"I just came to report to you on an errand,"

Dou Lu Huairang, the Du Zhi envoy of Guannei Dao, is the direct subordinate of Du Zhi envoy Wu Huaiyu. As the Du Zhi envoy of Guan Nei Dao, the top ten Taoism in the world, of course, his responsibilities are heavier, especially the metropolis of Chang'an City is also under his jurisdiction.

Right now, one of Doulu Huairang's main tasks is the market shop project of several pilot workshops in Chang'an.

"It's going too slowly,"

Wu Huaiyu frowned after listening to Doulu Huairang's report, "According to your progress, it may not be completed before the Chinese New Year."

Dou Lu Huairang said the reason, but Wu Huaiyu didn't listen to it.

"With this efficiency in handling things, it's better to abolish the branch divisions."

Hearing this serious tone, Doulu Huairang couldn't help but be serious, and corrected his attitude, "We will definitely rectify it."

"I hope to be able to complete the pilot project of street shops in several fangs immediately, and I will soon implement the project of street shops in more fangs, and I will soon invite saints to demolish the walls of fangs in a few fangs. Try it out in the surrounding squares of the three cities in the east, west and south."

Dou Luhuai was surprised.

"Isn't this too urgent, and is it really necessary to demolish the walls?"

"That's right, after the square wall is demolished, the front street will be changed into a commercial street, and shops will be built on both sides."

"Aren't there enough street shops in the square?"

"It's not enough. I also plan to build some commercial areas outside Zhucheng Gate, such as mansions, inns, warehouses, and car dealerships."

Dou Lu Huairang couldn't understand Wu Huaiyu's thoughts.

Wu Huaiyu told him, "Do you know how big Chang'an is and how much potential it has? If it is unified today, Chang'an will become more and more prosperous as a capital city, and soon a population of one million will not be a problem. Such a large capital city consumes a lot of goods every day. , how big a business opportunity is this?
We now complain about the lack of money every day, and the yamen used to only know how to release public money and charge high interest.

In fact, we are holding a golden rice bowl and begging for food. "

People in later generations know that city management is very profitable.

As the capital city, Chang'an also has great potential.

Removing the wall of the square and building shops along the street inside the square and outside the square can not only meet the current needs, solve the problem that the two cities cannot continue to accommodate businesses, but also solve the difficult situation for the people to shop and consume. It can also promote business and industry, and naturally also drive tax revenue.

The industrial and commercial tax should be implemented in an all-round way, which is a source of income that Wu Huaiyu values ​​very much.

What's more, Chang'an also gathered the most powerful and numerous craftsmen in the world, and the development of handicraft industry here is also an excellent foundation. With the promotion of the imperial court, no matter whether it is government-owned or private, it can develop better, which is of great benefit to both public and private.

"It's very troublesome to make it so big."

"Are you afraid of trouble when you become an official?"

"However, if the wall of the square is torn down and the shop is changed, there will be many obstacles."

The obstacle Dou Lu Huairang said was mainly the noble officials, because the fangs were closed before, and the people in the outer circle of the fangs were basically the most prestigious noble officials in the fangs, so that they could open doors or windows on the street, while ordinary people Live in the square center.

Previously, the renovation of the square was to renovate shops on the side of the central cross street. It was facing ordinary people, and everyone was more cooperative. Whether it was buying or renovating, they could follow the requirements of the government.

But now if the square wall is torn down and the houses along the street are to be converted into shops, then the houses of noble officials may be captured directly. It is estimated that few nobles are willing to change their houses into shops, even if their houses are large, they only change shops along the side of the street , but there will certainly be many people who oppose it.

"If there is no difficulty, you must go up, if you have difficulties, you must face them, and if you encounter problems, you must solve them."

After talking about work, the two drank tea.

Doulu Huairang didn't mind what happened just now, he sipped his green tea and said to Huaiyu with a smile, "We are old acquaintances too, but I always feel that you are asking for trouble for your actions recently."

"A lot of people are officials, and they are Xiao Gui and Cao Sui. With the attitude that more things are worse than less things, even if they encounter lawsuits, they will mainly focus on mediation, peace and harmony, and they will not take the initiative to do anything to offend others. Unpleasant thing. You are becoming more and more different now, and you feel like you will offend anyone. "

Dou Lu Huairang even bluntly said that Wu Huaiyu's buttocks were a little crooked.

You are also a big noble and big landlord now, if you insist on implementing land tax, that’s fine. Many people think that tax should be collected on a per-household basis. The result is that there is no upper limit for the one-body payment of grain. Those big nobles and bureaucrats with 10,000+ hundreds of thousands of acres of land have to pay thousands of shiyi warehouse grain a year, which offends too many people.

And the monopoly of salt, tea and wine, the collection of mining tax, the monopoly of gold, silver, copper and iron, etc., all made the aristocrats who actually operated these very dissatisfied.

Even the industrial and commercial tax law that is going to be implemented today offends people.

Not to mention that land and house transactions have to pay deed tax, which has to be paid by the buyer, which makes the aristocrats who annexed the land pay more money.

"I heard that the Wu family has reduced rent and interest in the past two years, which is very good for tenants and workers. Many other landlords have expressed their opinions, saying that the Wu family has bad rules."

Many things Wu Huaiyu does now, whether public or private, offend people.

Dou Lu Huairang is tactful and deliberately persuaded him with kind words.

"Brother Doulu, you should also play Xiaoshu Jingyi, right?"

"Ah."

"Then you should also be considered a Confucian scholar?"

"Yes."

"The Book of Rites in the Nine Classics respected by my Tang Dynasty, No. 40 Two Great Learnings, the Three Programs and Eight Items proposed, Brother Doulu, do you still remember?"

The book of Great Learning is said to be written by Zeng Zi, a Confucian sage. Some people say that it is actually a Confucian work during the Qin and Han Dynasties. This article was selected into the Book of Rites, and it expounds Confucian thought very well.

"The three principles of the university are Ming Mingde, being close to the people, and striving for perfection. The eight items are investigation of things, extension of knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and peace of the world." Although he was born in Beijing, he also read the Nine Classics very carefully.

Huaiyu nodded, "What are the three cardinal principles and eight principles of the university, what are they emphasizing? Self-cultivation is the premise of governing people, and the purpose of self-cultivation is to govern the country and the world, and the consistency of personal moral cultivation."

"As the saying goes, if you are poor, you will benefit yourself alone, and if you are rich, you will benefit the world.

With great power comes great responsibility. "

"When I was nine years old, Zhongnan Xiaoyaozi, a land god, took me up the mountain to practice, and obtained the scriptures. When I went down the mountain, I was appreciated by the saints, and I was on the rise. Now I am professing majesty, worshiping the minister, and taking charge of the country's finances. I have this honor. I am in such a high position. I can't I only know how to enjoy, through grace and power, I only know how to annex fields, accept the surrender of merchants, and blindly enjoy,

Although I have practiced Taoism in Zhongnan for nine years, I am also familiar with the classics of Confucian sages."

"We have to do something within the scope of our ability to make the world better. We have to leave a few words in this history."

"Of course I can do nothing, but I don't want to wait until I am seventy and eighty, lying on the sickbed before dying, recalling my life, doing nothing, then even though I live to be eighty, I will die."

"I hope this world will be better. This is what the sages have always taught us. Everyone contributes to make this world a better place. We can't say that the Tang Dynasty is no different from the Han Dynasty, and it is no different from the pre-Qin era. We are developing, and all kinds of knowledge and technology are improving, and we should also make everyone's life better."

"Scholars, farmers, businessmen, and businessmen each perform their duties. Now that we are scholars and still live in the temple, we have more responsibilities to do these things."

Dou Lu Huairang was in awe of what he said. Although he didn't realize it, he admired it from the bottom of his heart.Just like every time on the battlefield, he will shrink back when he fights, but he also admires and respects those warriors who can charge forward bravely from the bottom of his heart.

The battlefield needs warriors, the times need standard bearers,
Just like in a fire, those who can retrograde firefighters are the same.

"Erlang, what you said is already a semi-saint." Dou Lu Huairang said bluntly.

"It's useless to just talk and not do it. We have to do it. We can't just listen to what we hear, we have to see what we do.
We all have our own historical mission. As the prime minister, I, Wu Huaiyu, not only have to live up to the teachings of my master Xiaoyaozi, but also have to live up to the appreciation and trust of the saints, and moreover, have to live up to the expectations of the people of the world. "

In the past two years, the Wu family has reduced rents and interest rates for their tenants, and improved the treatment of their servants. These are all things Wu Huaiyu thinks should be done.

Even if slaves and tenants are inevitable in this era, a little improvement in conditions can reduce many conflicts. Just like the court, when formulating policies, they can care more about the people, and social conflicts will also be reduced a lot. This is the key to harmony.

"Some people say that you, Mr. Wu, robbed the rich and helped the poor, and deliberately invited people to buy people's hearts."

"Let them talk. I hope that I can assist the sage to restore the stability of the world as soon as possible, and even create a prosperous Zhenguan era as soon as possible. As for some obstacles on the road, just clear them."

"Aren't you afraid of being backlashed? After all, you have offended so many people, and you may not be able to bear it!"

Wu Huaiyu just smiled.

"Erlang, even the monks in Chang'an know that if you don't follow the ruler, it will be difficult to establish a law. I can make such a move because there is a holy monarch behind me. If a saint and a gentleman treat him, I will repay him."

If Li Shimin can't even handle this, then how can he go from a person who killed his brother and imprisoned his father to a great emperor who created the rule of Zhenguan?

This person can be ranked among the top three in the achievements of ancient Chinese emperors. Even though he is still young, his mind is already at the top level.

He can use Wu Huaiyu as his prime minister, so he is not afraid of those people's obstacles.

Monarchs and ministers know each other and work together to create achievements.

"Erlang, can you join hands with me? Or are you afraid?"

Dou Lu Huairang licked his lips and gritted his teeth, "Count me in."

(End of this chapter)