I studied in modern times

Chapter 812: Scholars are born with the ability to love

"What do you think of the matter of industry and commerce, Bachelor?"

"What do you think of Prime Minister Zhang's abolition of commercial taxes in prefectures and counties in Guangxi?"

The young master's childish voice lingered in my ears.

Pu Zongmeng took a deep breath, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard Guan Zhong say that scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans are the pillars of the country!"

"Your Majesty now employs wise officials, removes corrupt officials, promotes industry and commerce, and selects talented people... The country is gradually reviving..."

"This is the holy government witnessed by all the people of the world and by the government and the people!"

"I am terrified. I foolishly think that the court can encourage and reward businessmen and even give them official titles, and reward those who benefit the country..."

"Just like Shang Yang's reforms in Qin!"

Zhao Xu listened and immediately smiled, clapping his hands in praise, thinking: "As expected of Pu Zongmeng!"

Why did Zhao Xu recall Pu Zongmeng back to Bian Jing and even want to appoint him as prime minister?

Here is the reason!
This Pu Zongmeng is very brave!
Often able to say things that others dare not say!

Back then, when Lu Huiqing promoted the practical law, people from all walks of life, including those within the New Party, were terrified.

Only Pu Zongmeng was not afraid. Instead, he said to Zhao Xu's father, the emperor: "The people should hand over their property and the government should record it. This will correct the unclear territory that has been useless for a hundred years and make the labor service equal. This is a good law for the world... I hope the officials will not relax the law because of good or bad harvests!"

He not only said it, he did it.

It was with the support of Pu Zongmeng that the Shou Shi Fa was once implemented.

You should know that the hand-written method can be written as [手实] and pronounced as [告缗].

Something that few people dare to touch even in modern times.

Pu Zongmeng even dared to push aside the hand-to-hand method. What else would he not dare to do?

You see, now he jumped up and started to find a theoretical basis for encouraging industry and commerce for Zhao Xu from an official perspective, didn’t he?
Although perhaps due to limited time, he hasn't thought it through yet.

But, at least he reacted immediately and pulled out the tube to recite it!

This is much better than others.

Not to mention, he also proposed that the court should not only encourage the development of industry and commerce, but also open up a system to grant official positions and titles to those engaged in industry and commerce.

At present...

This is indeed a bit radical.

But this touched Zhao Xu's heart!
"Good!" He nodded and praised: "The scholar's view is similar to mine!"

“I dare not…” Pu Zongmeng immediately bowed and said, “My humble opinion is just the afterglow of your majesty’s wisdom…”

"Oh..." Zhao Xu narrowed his eyes.

"I would like to inform your majesty that although I am in Bozhou, I have been reporting from my palace since your majesty ascended the throne and reading your instructions..."

Zhao Xu smiled and looked at him.

"Is it a tabloid?" Zhao Xu asked leisurely.

Pu Zongmeng bowed his head and said, "Death penalty! Death penalty!"

This means that he admitted that he had always sent people to Bian Jing to collect the "Bian Jing Xin Bao" and "Bian Jing Yi Bao".

In the Song Dynasty, ministers serving in foreign countries secretly collected tabloids.

If we take it a step too far, we can accuse him of having ulterior motives, harboring evil intentions, and coveting the central government.

Therefore, most people dare not admit it.

And Pu Zongmeng dared to admit this in front of the king, which was more or less a gamble.

"No problem!" Zhao Xu chuckled, "You are a minister of the court. It is normal for you to care about the country and the society!"

"As the saying goes, 'One should be concerned about everything, family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs'. Only in this way can one be a scholar-official!"

He really hoped that other ministers would follow his example and quickly send people to Bian Jing to collect Bian Jing's new newspapers and Bian Jing's righteous newspapers, and always pay attention to the important laws and regulations of the court.

We must study carefully, learn deeply, and understand and implement it.

As for...

What treacherous ministers... What conspiracy...

Zhao Xu was not worried at all!
In the current Song Dynasty, only civil officials with their brains filled with water would be stupid enough to do such things.

Even if there is such a fool, the Song Dynasty army, which has already stepped half a foot into the era of firearms, can crush him effortlessly!
Times are about to change.

In the future, the fate of the country and the nation will be determined by roaring cannons and firearms spewing lead bullets.

Swords, spears, bows, crossbows and arrows will gradually fade out of the stage of history.

In the age of firearms, a country that masters industrial manufacturing will inevitably fall under the guns of an uprising launched by the oppressed people.

It is impossible for it to be destroyed by the conspiracy of a few local ambitious people.

Hearing Zhao Xu's encouragement, Pu Zongmeng's heart leaped with joy.

He knew that he won the bet.

Qian Xie, who was standing by, was a little dumbfounded.

It was not just because the content of the conversation between the emperor and Pu Zongmeng was too shocking for him - since Shang Yang, all dynasties had emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce.

The concept that agriculture is fundamental has remained unchanged for more than a thousand years.

Even the chaotic Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Five Dynasties did not change this.

The current emperor intends to change this system that has been maintained for more than a thousand years.

We should even raise industrial and commercial affairs to the level of national policy!
This... really was beyond Qian Xie's imagination!
The emperor, on the other hand, didn't care at all that Pu Zongmeng was collecting intelligence about Bianliang in Bozhou, and even said, "Only those who care about the affairs of family, state and the world are worthy of being called scholar-officials."

This made Qian Xie couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

"As expected..." Qian Xie thought to himself, "The current emperor has a more radical attitude towards [Reform] than the previous emperor!"

In fact, he had guessed this in the past.

However, the various smoke screens made it impossible for him to see clearly, and he could only guess in his mind.

And now, the mystery is solved.

Your Majesty, you are truly worthy of being taught by the late emperor himself.

It turns out that he is still thinking about [reform]!
Thinking of this, Qian Xie felt a chill on his back.

Because, in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, he almost defected to the old party.

Fortunately, Han Jiang came to the court as prime minister at that time, which put him on the brakes.

Otherwise, it would be embarrassing!
If the Qian family of Wu Yue had not followed the government's baton.

Then the Qian family will definitely be suspected!
Thinking about this, Qian Xie lowered his head and listened to the emperor's voice and asked, "What do you think of Prime Minister Zhang's lifting of the commercial tax in Guangxi..."

Pu Zongmeng replied: "Your Majesty, Zhang Xianggongzihou has lifted the ban on commercial taxes in Guangxi and abolished taxes in prefectures and counties..."

"I humbly believe that this is a good policy that benefits the country and the people and brings benefits to the world!"

"I once risked my life to communicate with Prime Minister Zhang's son Hou, and learned that although Prime Minister Zhang reduced commercial taxes and abolished the tax stations in prefectures and counties, Guangxi's commercial taxes have dropped by more than 90%!"

"However, due to the lack of commercial taxes, Guangxi has been revived, the market is prosperous, merchants are flocking in, and the population is increasing..."

"So the income from exemption from military service and travel increased greatly, twice as much as the commercial tax!"

When Qian Xie heard this, he couldn't help but look up. He really wanted to ask Pu Zongmeng if this was true.
But he didn't have the courage and immediately lowered his head.

Then he heard Pu Zongmeng's voice continue: "In this way, the country's income will increase instead of decrease, and merchants and common people will benefit. Only the local officials will suffer..."

"Therefore, I believe that such good policies should be established as national laws and implemented throughout the country!"

Qian Xie's heart couldn't help but beat faster.

The way he looked at Pu Zongmeng was as if he was looking at a dead person!
Qian Xie didn't know whether what Pu Zongmeng said was true or not.

But Qian Xie started out as a local county magistrate and worked his way up to where he is today step by step.

So he knew that there were tax checkpoints everywhere in the prefectures and counties of the Song Dynasty, and the tax collectors were at war with each other, extorting passing merchants and using every possible means.

Therefore, commercial taxes are the real livelihood of millions of canal workers!
If Pu Zongmeng were to do this, wouldn't all the officials in the world fight him to the death? !

By then, I am afraid that there will be incidents such as a rainbow piercing the sun, a comet hitting the moon, and a hawk flying into the palace - think about the past, when Wang Anshi's reforms only affected the interests of the nobles and relatives of the emperor who occupied the streets.

There were imperial guards who dared to pull him off his horse at the Xuande Gate!

If Pu Zongmeng dared to touch the commercial tax, he would probably be assassinated by the contemporary Nie Zheng or Yao Li under Xuande.

Less than two hundred years ago, there were examples of prime ministers being assassinated (Wu Yuanheng and Li Shi).

Then he heard the emperor laughing and saying, "I agree with what the scholar said...but this matter is of great importance, so we should take it step by step..."

"We can implement it in Kaifeng Prefecture first... or we can just abolish the tax first..."

Qian Xie then breathed a sigh of relief.

The commercial taxes in the Song Dynasty were divided into two categories.

One is called transit tax and the other is called residence tax.

Transit tax is a tax you have to pay once you cross the border, usually 5%.

Housing tax is paid when the property is sold locally and is also 5%.

Of course……

These are all legal provisions. In reality, the tax rates for both are far higher than the statutory amounts.

After all, who are you to decide the price of your merchandise?

Do you know the price of goods better than I do?

This was also the pretext for tax collectors to extort money.

If you don't bribe them with money, they can, with their eyes open, say that a piece of silk cloth worth only two strings of coins is worth hundreds of strings of coins!
However, the emperor only implemented it in Kaifeng Prefecture and only abolished taxes.

The clerks could still recognize it even if they pinched their noses.

Moreover, because Kaifeng Prefecture itself has a very strong business atmosphere, and after the civil servant examinations in the past two years and the replacement of clerks in Kaifeng Prefecture, the control of grassroots officials has returned to the hands of the court.

Nor was he afraid that the clerks below would rebel - in the current Kaifeng Prefecture, it was the clerks who had to live in fear, fearing that they would do something wrong and be fired by their superiors with an excuse.

Many civil officials in the counties and towns of Kaifeng Prefecture now like to control the clerks under them.

PUA these guys as much as possible.

Because doing so can not only establish authority and make the clerks obey, but also, every time a "clerk" is driven away, it means adding a job for scholars.

And the scholars and officials are born with the ability to love!
Helping each other among scholars can become a good story.

On this point, there is no distinction between the new party and the old party.

So everyone is doing similar things tacitly.

In the scholarly community, some people have even elevated this behavior to the level of "promoting education."

It was believed that it could help the poor and was a good thing to provide convenience for the "younger generation" to take the imperial examinations.

(End of this chapter)