A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 696
"Xianggong Wu wants to release you as a good man, why aren't you happy?"

Prince Chengqian couldn't help but said to the oil seller, with a hint of hatred in his tone.

Old Man Qian didn't know who this young man was, but he knew he was special just by looking at his clothes, especially the jade on his waist. He didn't dare to say that he didn't know the world, so he had to explain in a low voice.

He really doesn't want to let him go and become a good man. With his current status, he works in the Wu Prime Minister's house, joins the military family, works on the fields, and sells oil on credit in his spare time. He is very satisfied with his current life.

"What's wrong with a good man, why are you so afraid of a ferocious beast?" Cheng Qian has now begun to learn some government affairs, and he also knows very well how much benevolent government it is for his servants, guest women, and peasants to all change their lowly status into good ones.

But this old man was so ignorant that he hugged the teacher's thigh and burst into tears.

The air was filled with the rich fragrance of peanut oil, and the sound of chants from a group of young and strong men pushing the hammer could be heard in the square.

It's a sunny autumn day,

sunny,

Five huge windmills are rotating slowly, and several workshops under the windmills are busy, with many merchants and people coming in and out.

"Uncle Qian, get up."

Cheng Qian couldn't figure out why Old Man Qian and the others were unwilling to shake off their humble status and reform. In fact, Wu Huaiyu knew it in his heart.
There is indeed a huge difference in status between the good and the bad. Not only do the good and the bad not get married, they even have unequal legal status.
The law of slaves and maidservants is comparable to that of livestock, which can be bought and sold.Buqu, guest daughter, and fanhu are slaves who have been freed once, but have not yet been able to escape from lowliness and become good.

Although the law originally clarified that although Buqu and others could not be bought or sold, they still had low status and were still attached to the master's family, so in fact they still had no personal freedom. The law said that they could not be bought or sold, but they could be gifted and transferred, so they could be transferred under other names. Collecting money is actually a business under another name.

Legally speaking, the status of Bu Qu and others is slightly higher than that of slaves. For the same crime, Bu Qu and others are one level higher than the crime committed by the husband, and slaves are one level higher than Bu Qu.

A good man's punishment for his servants and servants will be reduced accordingly, or even not punished.

Slaves have no private property, but servants and others can own some.

But after all, there is no household registration and must be dependent on the owner.

Now the imperial court is promoting the cancellation of the lowly status of bureaucracy, guest girls, and peasant households, allowing them to become good people and establish households. In fact, the real purpose of the imperial court is to weaken some of the power of powerful families.

For example, Lao Qian's current status is Bu Qu. According to the new regulations, by next year, all Bu Bu with such status will be converted into husbands. They must register, register, have their own account, and have their own identity. No longer dependent on the powerful landlord family.

Of course, there are pros and cons.

The advantage is that the personal status has indeed been greatly improved, and no one can transfer or gift them to others. However, after establishing a household and having an identity, although there is legal protection, you also have obligations to the country, such as paying taxes and serving in the military.

Although the proletarians can be classified as clients, and they are exempted from land tax and charity grain, and even lower-class households can be exempted from taxes, but as long as they are strong, this service is inevitable.

And once you set up your own business, it means that you can no longer take shelter from the powerful, and there may be various kinds of apportionments in the local government and the township.

Of course, for Lao Qian, he is actually the most reluctant to get rid of his humble status. What's more important is that now his family is following the Wu family, which is really a good place to enjoy the shade under the big tree. The Wu family treats their slaves and servants well. After giving Wu Huaiyu, life in the Wu family was good.
At least we have two meals a day, so we don’t have to worry about food or housing. Our work is arranged, and our food and clothing are also arranged.

Whether you are free or not is not important to old money. What matters is whether you can live, have food to eat, land to live in, and clothing to wear.
Can it be stable and safe?

The Wu family had given him all this. Not only was everything arranged, he would also have food and clothing as long as he obeyed the arrangements and did things, and he would even receive some New Year's rewards, etc.
And he worked for several years, performed well, and was released as a subordinate, so he was qualified to farm a piece of land with the warriors. He didn't have to produce anything, only using manpower, but he could get a [-]% share of the harvest.

In fact, it is actually more than [-]%, because the Wu family only needs [-]% of the staple food in one season, and the miscellaneous grains in the other season are not divided.

The Wu family didn't have many restrictions on them. It didn't matter whether the old man went to sell oil or his son went to work during the off-season. They didn't take a commission on the money they made.

When his son got married, the Wu family even gave him a gift.
What a wonderful home like this. Compared with other good tenants with household registration, Lao Wu's family doesn't even have to pay taxes or serve in the military.

There is no need to worry about the rent increase of the Wu family. With the status of a member of the Wu family, such as when his son marries a wife and goes to bed, his wife and children are sick and need medicine, etc. When they are in urgent need of money and food, they can borrow it from the Wu family, and they only charge a small amount of interest. .

How could Lao Qian be willing to leave such a master family? Not only Lao Qian, but also the other members of the Wu family were basically unwilling to leave.

Following the Wu family, it seems that I have a backer and even an iron rice bowl.

As a member of the Wu Family, you don't have to worry about running out of food, whether you arrange for a team to farm the fields, directly become a hired worker, or become a village clerk, etc.Even their children, when they are in their teens, can ask the Wu family to arrange errands.

Whether you are working as a shop apprentice, or as a book boy, etc., you can always have an arrangement and have something to eat.

What kind of song is this? It means that he is from the Wu family.

Relatively speaking, there is no big benefit in turning from lowly to good. The court has no space to give them points. Those temples or criminal officials' subordinates were fine before. If they are still good, at least they will be given points. fields, or give them a permanent lease of a piece of land,

But such opportunities are rare.

Now the imperial court wants to turn these tribes from lowly status to good ones. Apart from changing their status to a good man, thinking that they are not subject to the restrictions of marriage between good and lowly people, and that there are no restrictions on joining the army and studying, and that their legal status is improved, there is no other practical reason. benefit.

No land share, no money to give,
There will be no errands arranged,

In everyone's eyes, this is not a good thing. On the contrary, a strong man will have to do free labor for the court for at least 20 days a year.

"Uncle Qian, you get up first,"

Huaiyu held up Lao Qian, who was trembling with fear. He was really panicked, as if he would become a homeless wild dog after deportation and returning to good health, and he wouldn't know what to do in the future.

Especially for people like Lao Qian who have experienced more than ten years of war since the late Sui Dynasty, they have truly experienced hard times and even desperate times.
Now he is very satisfied with the military life of the Wu family. He does not envy any good man at all. If there is no land or property, then everything is fake.

If they are part of the Wu family, the Wu family will take care of and protect them.

"Xiangguo, please don't drive us out."

Cheng Qian said on the side, "Buqus, guest women, peasant households, etc. are lifted out of lowliness and become good people. This is the benevolent government of the saints, this is good government."

Lao Qian looked at Wu Huaiyu and gritted his teeth, "Xiangguo, it's really not possible. I'm willing to sell my whole family into slavery again. Please don't drive us out of the Wu family."

After comforting Lao Qian for a while, he pulled him up first.
"Uncle Qian, you have been in my house for almost five years. You are a real old man. In fact, you don't have to worry. This new policy is indeed a saintly and benevolent policy.
You are just breaking away from the Wu family affiliation and establishing your own business in the Yamen. Nothing else will change.You can still continue to farm the land you and Wu are currently farming, and the rent will not change. You sell oil in your spare time, and your sons are not restricted from doing part-time or short-term work.
With your current conditions, you are a client, so you must still register, so you don’t have to worry about household taxes. If you don’t have land, you don’t have to pay local taxes, free warehouse grain, Huohuo, Dingliang, etc.,”

What Lao Qian's family really has to bear is Yiding's 20 days of regular service every year, and if he changes to serve as a local handyman, it will be [-] days.

Of course, you can also fold silk for labor, just pay money or silk, but it is still a lot of money. You can fold three feet of silk every day, which is equivalent to one and a half feet in 20 days. According to the current price of silk, that is three hundred The money is worth six shi of millet, and it is more cost-effective to work as a slave.

"Can you not leave the Wu family?" Lao Qian still looked hopeful.

Not only did he feel that after establishing his own business, he would be burdened with labor and distribution, but what he was even more worried about was that after leaving the Wu family, there would be no one to protect him. To meet a good and virtuous family like the Wu family, the old money would be a waste of money. Fortunatley.

Not all powerful people from aristocratic families will treat lowly people like Buqu Kenu kindly.

Wu Huaiyu supports the new policy of the imperial court. The problem of land annexation is difficult to cure. There will always be landless people, and there will be more and more people.
It's okay if you are a good citizen, but if you become a bitch without household registration, whether it is a slave or a servant, it is actually a great loss to the court. It is poached by a wealthy family. In many statistics of the court, what slaves, servants, etc. Tribes, monks, nuns and Taoist priests are not included in the statistics and do not count as the country's population.Population is always the country's largest resource.

Without household registration and no legal status protection, Buqu, guest girls, etc. must actually be seriously dependent on powerful landlords.
The imperial court retained slaves, but abolished the official and private status of servants, guest girls, and peasant households. Wu Huaiyu supported it.

Although it is a bit poaching, but from a glance, the Tang Empire is a giant ship sailing on the sea. Although the Wu family is in the upper echelons of this giant ship, they are also people on this ship. If they do not maintain In order to ensure the safety of the entire ship, he only cared about his own enjoyment on the upper level. After the ship broke into the water, it would eventually sink.

Many powerful nobles, especially those from aristocratic families, are particularly concerned about personal control. Upstarts like Wu Huaiyu cannot compete with them.

Wu Huaiyu has a more modern thinking, or the thinking of many wealthy families today is still feudal thinking, which focuses on control.Wu Huaiyu's thinking is capital thinking, which values ​​efficiency.

Just like a slave, the old nobles don't care how much you can do in a day. What they want is that you are absolutely obedient and do whatever they ask you to do.Compared with Wu Huaiyu, what he values ​​​​more is how much things can be done and how much value is generated. Efficiency comes first, so the Wu family's workshops or manors also introduced reward and punishment mechanisms early, and even piece-rate and work-point mechanisms.
If you do well, you will be rewarded, and you may even finish ahead of schedule. You may also get breaks, extra meals, etc. The higher the benefits you provide, the better the treatment you will receive. Some slaves may even make some significant contributions due to their good performance. , such as what tools have been invented and what processes have been improved, so that you can directly obtain a free transfer, or even directly obtain a free body.

There are also rewards such as getting married slaves.

The Wu family's tribe has the best conditions among the powerful and powerful tribes in Chang'an. Basically, there are not many restrictions. Whether you are a long-term worker, a tenant, or a domestic servant, it is a job requirement, and there are not many additional requirements for personal control.

The imperial court is now going to grant the status of official betrothed to the female patrons of the tribe. Wu Huaiyu doesn't mind at all, because it doesn't matter if he becomes a betrothed, a customer, or even a principal customer. In the final analysis, it is a kind of cooperation, or in other words, it is a kind of cooperation. employment relationship, so nothing will change.

There is no big difference between a long-term laborer, tenant, and clerk as a subordinate, and as a husband. For the same job and the same remuneration, he is not like others and will be treated strictly differently.

Lao Qian was very frightened and always afraid of this kind of change.
Cheng Qian looked at it with doubts in his mind.

After Lao Qian and his son said goodbye with all their gratitude, he couldn't help but ask why.

“Isn’t this good governance by the imperial court?”

"Yes."

"But why are they?"

"Your Highness, in fact, throughout the dynasties, many good people have taken the initiative to abandon their country of origin and flee, either to escape into the wilderness, or to hide and join powerful families. Many people are even willing to take the initiative to become slaves of powerful families. There are even some people who are willing to take the initiative to become slaves of powerful families. Those who take their fields, houses, and property to become slaves,”

Cheng Qian became more and more puzzled after hearing this. He had vaguely seen this kind of thing in books.

"But now our Tang Dynasty Zhenguan's policies are enlightened. Emperor Shengren, are the people the same?"

"Your Highness, the sage has a saying, one who has sufficient resources knows etiquette. If the explanation is straightforward, survival is the first priority. Everything must be prioritized to solve the needs of survival. Only when survival is achieved After protection, people will start to consider other things, such as identity, etiquette, beauty, and even morality."

"Of course, what His Highness just said is correct. Nowadays, the Tang Dynasty Zhenguan is prosperous and prosperous, but for many ordinary people, many of them are barely surviving.

So they are afraid of change, because change brings unknown variables, and they are afraid that once they change, their barely achieved survival will face crisis again,"

"I believe that everyone is just afraid of the unknown and not dissatisfied with the benevolent government of the court."

Cheng Qian thought for a while and asked a question, "But Uncle Qian just said that he works in the Wu family and has no taxes or labor. But if he is a good household and establishes a household, even if he is a low-class customer, he does not need to pay rent. , Yicang grain, household tax, fire consumption, Dingliang, etc.
But the official service has to be done. The official service is 20 days. If you break the silk, it will break three feet per day. "

People are afraid of labor. The 20 days of labor may not sound like much, but sometimes, it can often lead to bankruptcy and ruin of the family, because these 20 days are counted from the time when the official service begins upon arrival at the construction site, and sometimes it may be overdue.If it is some large national project, such as digging canals and building the Great Wall, it may take several months or even half a year to travel back and forth.

For some ordinary families, a young man is a strong laborer. If a strong laborer is away from home for more than half a year or even a year, then the family may not be able to survive, including the wife, children, and children.

"The service that His Highness mentioned is indeed a big burden for many poor people, especially those tribesmen, guest girls, and farmers who have escaped from lowliness to good deeds."

"Teacher, do you have a good solution?"

"Unless the servants are changed into hired servants, the servants are reduced to mediocrity, and then they are treated as an additional tax. For example, it is the same as the small grains that are discounted from local miscellaneous items. It is divided into the household and local taxes, and the additional tax is levied on the big head. The land tax is spread among the acres. In this way, these tribes, tenants, guest girls, etc. are equivalent to being exempted from labor, or most of the burdens are relieved."

There were many kinds of servants in the Tang Dynasty, including national servants, local servants, and various types of servants collectively called color servants. Basically, they were assigned and rotated according to their status, mainly based on population.

If the people are divided into acres, it is actually converting the original head service into a tax, and even transferring it to the wealthy landowners.

Cheng Qian thought this was a good idea, but Wu Huaiyu just smiled. No matter whether he asked the tenants to take over the land, or asked them to pay for free service or pay on behalf of slaves, the most important thing was to take care of the common people and to pay attention to the property owners and the rich. Taxation, so this method is not considered a good one, and will inevitably cause people to be more dissatisfied with the new two-tax law.

There are now 300 million households in the Tang Dynasty, but the number of students is not large. There are a large number of households that do not have to teach students. The actual number of students has not yet reached 100 million. If all of them are mediocre, there will be about 40 to 300 horses. Silk, and if all the dings are counted, there should be nearly 400 million dings, and [-] million pieces of silk can be folded.

If these 400 million pieces of silk are divided into two taxes, especially if the bulk of the silk is divided into acres, the Tang Dynasty has hundreds of millions of acres of cultivated land. About [-] acres of silk can be divided into one piece of silk, and the price is roughly one penny per mu.Of course, there are good and bad lands, and there will definitely be a lot of them spread out.

But the figures are roughly like this, one acre is a penny, 80 million acre is 400 million yuan. In fact, it is only [-] yuan, and [-] million pieces of silk are folded.

However, if you want to add such a sum of money for labor to the land in addition to the current two-tax law, I am afraid it will be very difficult.

Even if you pay an extra dollar per acre, there will still be many people who are unwilling to give in.

One more money today, one more money tomorrow, and one more money the day after tomorrow. Is that still okay?

A bushel of grain is only worth three to five cents, and two or three liters of grain is only worth one cent.

Seeing that Cheng Qian seemed very excited and even eager to try, Wu Huaiyu quickly stopped him.

"Your Highness, please read more and listen more, and don't say too much."

Cheng Qian was stunned.

"The transition between the old and the new and the new has created a lot of controversy. Your Highness should not give up easily."

"Can't I tell my father in private?"

"I still say the same thing, read more, listen more, learn more, don't talk too much."

Don't look at the discount for freeing from labor, which is only about 300 yuan per acre, but its actual implementation is a national matter that affects [-] million households in the world, hundreds of millions of acres of fields, and millions of pieces of silk.

Even the newly promulgated regulations on the transformation of peasants, guest women, and peasant households into good families are extremely involved.
A gentleman does not stand on dangerous ground;

Especially the prince who is only 11 years old cannot be easily involved in danger.

"Alang, the saint has arrived at the south bank of Longqiao," Shi Shouxin came over to report.

Huaiyu stood up and said, "Your Highness, please greet Your Majesty."

It was a crisp autumn day, and the emperor led his civil, military, and imperial guards to the Sanyuan Wanshou Plain for hunting.

(End of this chapter)