Daming: I, Yang Xian, really govern Yang!

Chapter 153

Yangzhou.

Regarding the glass business, Yang Xian handed it over to Shen Wansan in Jiangnan.With Shen Wansan's business connections and methods, I believe it won't take long to deliver a satisfactory answer.

On the other side of the Western Regions, the imperial court directly intervened and lasted for thousands of years. The situation of selling colored glaze from the Western Regions to the mainland of the Central Plains was finally reversed in the Ming Dynasty.

Now that offense and defense have changed, the Western Region will gradually become the Ming Dynasty's glazed dumping ground.

Yang Xian's move was tantamount to sending money directly to the court.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his son were naturally grateful to Yang Xian, especially when the imperial treasury was in such a difficult situation.

This is simply a timely help.

Zhu Biao went directly to Yangzhou to commend Yang Xian on behalf of the court.

Of course, he came to Yangzhou not just because of this.

These days, Zhu Biao continues to receive discounts from all over the world.

The contents of the excerpts vary, but they all want to talk about one thing.

That’s when Ming Dynasty’s tax reform entered the deep water zone.

Yang Xian had already expected this.

After listening to Zhu Biao talking about the troubles encountered in various places for a long time, Yang Xian suddenly said: "I wonder if Your Highness still remembers what you said when the tax reform was first implemented."

Zhu Biao recalled the scene at that time, and the sound was still in his ears.

"Your Highness, the tax reform will face much greater resistance than the imperial examination reform. After the reform, the common people and the country will naturally benefit greatly, but it will only harm the interests of the powerful landlords. These people are no better than scholars, who have the most scholars. Just talk, these people are in a hurry, but they are going to use the knife."

"Are they the only ones with knives and I don't have a knife in my hand? If they dare to take action, I will let them know whose knife is faster and sharper."

Yang Xian looked at the change in Zhu Biao's expression and knew that it was almost time, so he said: "Your Highness, reform is not about treating guests to dinner, reform is about bloodshed."

As he spoke, Yang Xian took out a letter from his body and handed it to Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao opened it and glanced at it, his expression changed drastically.

"How dare they?!"

The letter was written by Li Jin.

Things have changed in Fengyang Mansion.

Yang Xian's idea of ​​dividing labor into acres was not only a solution to the problem of corvée in the Ming Dynasty.

Land annexation was also curbed.

The more land there is, the more corvee money will be paid, and the more taxes will be paid.

In addition, officials and gentry pay taxes as one.

It would be strange if this kind of tax reform does not encounter resistance.

Fengyang Mansion, Dingyuan County.

County government.

"Magistrate Lu, you are receiving a salary from the imperial court, and you are an official of the imperial court, not the Lan family!" Li Jin pointed at the face of Lu Tao, the magistrate of Dingyuan County, and cursed angrily.

If he wasn't really so angry that he couldn't bear it, Li Jin would never do this.

"Master Li, why did you suddenly lose your temper? Who offended you?" Lu Tao put down the official document in his hand, stood up, and said with an apologetic smile.

"Also, I really don't understand what you are saying. I am naturally an official of the imperial court."

These days, the land clearing work in Dingyuan County is not going smoothly.

The original purpose of clearing the land was to dig out the hidden fields of wealthy gentry households.

But now it is being used by those who are interested, and it has become a tool for them to exploit the people. They can increase the number of acres of people's fields as they want, and reduce them as they want.

Li Jin was alone. It was impossible for him to complete the work of clearing his father's land by himself. He would inevitably have to rely on the support of the Dingyuan County government.That is to use the power of the subordinate officials in the county government.

But what Dingyuan County is doing now is stigmatizing tax reform.

Letting the common people work is just an excuse for the court to take the opportunity to exploit them.

The number of acres is not ultimately decided by the subordinate officials responsible for surveying.

There are many ways to go here.

Not to mention that some acres are irregular and difficult to measure, so what if it is a square patch of land?
The measuring tape is in their hands.

Now the entire Dingyuan County is in a state of chaos because of the land clearing issue.

There was even a murder case as a result.

These days, a large number of people have gathered in the county government office to protest the new policy and oppose the re-clearance of land.

And that's what some people have been trying to achieve.

Li Jin and Lu Tao, who were present, knew this well.

Li Jin looked at Lu Tao, who was pretending to be dumbfounded, and said sadly: "County Magistrate Lu, won't your conscience hurt if you do this?"

Seeing that Lu Tao was still indifferent, Li Jin said: "Okay, I will take people to Lan Ping's house now. I don't believe it. This Dingyuan County is not under the Ming Dynasty!"

"Even if I'm alone, I still have to measure all the Lan family's acres!"

Seeing Li Jin insisting on his own way.

Lu Tao sighed and said, "Master Li, why are you doing this?"

"Qingzhang Tianmu, what you want is nothing more than a result. We will also give you a result. What the court wants to see is an increase in the number of acres, so we will increase the number of acres. Everyone will be happy. As for the process, is it important?"

"Do you know what you just said? Are you worthy of the official uniform you are wearing?!" Li Jin's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that these words would come from a parent official.

Lu Tao glanced at Li Jin, smiled self-deprecatingly, and said, "Before I took office, I was full of ambitions."

"I feel that I am the head of a county and the prince of a hundred miles. I can use my fists and kicks to my heart's content to help the world."

"But when you actually sit on this chair."

Lu Tao raised his hand and patted the chair behind him hard, and then said: "You know that even if you run this county well, you have to work hard. Just take the small officials around me as an example."

"People's positions are passed down from generation to generation, and I am just a temporary official."

"I have to rely on things, but I also have to be careful."

"If I am not sure, my reputation will be ruined."

"Xunzi said that water can carry a boat but also capsize it. I am just a small boat in Dingyuan County."

"If you go with the flow, everyone will be blessed."

Lu Tao paused after saying this, raised his head, looked at Li Jin, and said word by word: "If you go against the current, you will drown."

"Master Li."

Li Jin didn't expect that things were far more complicated than he imagined. No wonder Lu Tao just lifted them up high and put them down gently in the end.

But the difficulties are the difficulties, and the difficulties are the difficulties.

In Li Jin's view, this is no reason for you, Lu Tao, to turn a blind eye to these evil forces, or even to be complicit in them.

A real man is between heaven and earth, and he does things and things he doesn't do.

Even if he is the only one left, Li Jin still has to complete the remaining work of clearing the land.

The first thing to do is to measure the Lan family's acres.

(End of this chapter)