The King of Beijing in the Red Mansion

Imperial City, Qianqing Palace.

In the spacious hall, civil and military officials stood in rows. After some old-fashioned statements, they thought they had nothing to do and left the court. Suddenly, King Zhongshun mentioned the "new law", and then there were thousands of people who responded.

Shui Rong stood at the first place on the left, glanced at King Zhongshun who was coming out, and turned his eyes slightly.

It has been more than a month since Emperor Yongkang submitted the new law to the cabinet for deliberation, and there has been no final decision yet. No need to think too much, it is natural that the cabinet "vote" has not been passed.

The emergence of a new thing is bound to be accompanied by the opposition of a large number of old forces. In the final analysis, it is because it touches their interests. Now King Zhongshun is telling the court that he obviously wants to ignore the cabinet.

I didn't expect that the first court meeting after the New Year would be to discuss the New Deal. Well, there is something good to watch today.

Sure enough, an official came out and said: "Your Majesty, the national tax law cannot be changed without authorization."

Shui Rong sneered when he heard the words, and it was another set of high-sounding theories, such as how the ancestral laws cannot be tampered with. It should be known that the times are progressing, and Ding Shui no longer adapts to the trend, so it needs to be changed. With the development of society, " "Dividing a small amount into an acre" will also not adapt to the trend. This is the general trend. If you remain stubborn, it will lead to catastrophe sooner or later.

King Zhongshun was not in a hurry and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I am in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs to check the old regulations. The population will be reviewed every five years and divided into nine categories. If you go up to the top, you will be levied nine coins of silver. If you go down to the bottom, you will be levied one coin of silver." The wealth of the family is determined by the amount of money. The new ones are added and the dead are expelled. This is the law.

However, some officials may not be able to pay attention to the inspection, and they also follow the old custom. Every time they are reviewed by the editor, there is a pretext of increasing the household registration of the Secretary, regardless of the people's illness and pain, and they must seek more than they can. Therefore, those who should be deleted will not be deleted, and those who should not be added will be added. , even if the person is dead and refuses to be expelled, the son is born and is responsible for registering him, the barren in the ditch is like a young man in the register, the son of Huangkou has been called after him, at first he guarantees compensation, and then he flees, and the situation is overwhelming Inevitably, this is one of them.

The tyrants tried all their deceit to escape, and the poor people of the lower households bought dozens of acres of land, and paid for it according to the truth, but they were promoted to households. As a result, the families had no land and insufficient living expenses. Those who cried out to heaven were all listed in the book. This is the second rule for households in Zai Zhong.

With these two factors, the burden on the servants is uneven. The result is that "the people feel the unevenness of joy and sorrow, and the officials are unable to collect taxes, and the officials and the people are burdened." As a result, the tax money is scarce and the national treasury is empty, so the ministers think We should think about changes and try out the method of "spreading a small family into a small area" to benefit the people. "

Shui Rong listened to King Zhongshun's long speech and immediately understood that he was fully prepared. One of the things he was referring to was the false reports and exaggeration in the Hu Ding editor's review, which existed in many areas.

The second one refers to the fact that officials and gentry use their privileges to hide people, and cunning people use them as guests to avoid them. This will lead to a reduction in the tax amount of people, and the local government will do a lot of things during the compilation and review in order to pursue the surplus. False boasts and shortcomings will make the lower class people bear more dingyin, and suffer from the "general payment" and "guaranteed compensation".

As it is said, these are the drawbacks of Ding tax.

The affirmative has made its statement, please invite representatives from the negative.

I saw Liang Ting, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, come out and say: "Your Majesty, I think that the loyal and obedient King said is nothing more than lax supervision. This is the fault of the officials who have neglected their duties. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely put things in order and order the officials to govern." With transparency, everything can be solved easily without resorting to war.”

Transparent administration of officials can indeed solve shortcomings, but this is unrealistic. The so-called sky is high and the emperor is far away, how can it be possible to restrain people's greed? One group of people are organized, and the other group is like bamboo shoots after the rain.

Although it makes sense, it is like a castle in the air, invisible and invisible.

Next, the two sides began to argue with reason and evidence, mostly based on theoretical explanations of the benefits of taxation on the country and the people, which seemed lively for a while.

At this time, Shui Rong's peripheral vision fell on Emperor Yongkang, who was sitting on the golden chair. He saw his expression was indifferent and his eyes were quiet, watching the quarrel in the hall quietly, making it impossible to see his attitude.

However, Shui Rong probably understood that King Zhongshun's move must be due to his anger with Emperor Yongkang, but as a superior, Emperor Yongkang would not give up easily, lest it go beyond his control.

After all, it is a new law, and if we are not careful, it may easily shock the government and the public.

Chapter 379 Concubine Beijing: What did you call me?

In the spacious hall, all the officials expressed their opinions and argued endlessly. Shui Rong thought about it for a moment, then went out to play: "Your Majesty, I have my own memorial."

As Shui Rong came out, all the officials kept silent, not because they were afraid of Shui Rong's identity, but because of the rules. Even if ordinary minor officials came to perform, the court officials would keep silent. Otherwise, the court meeting would have really come true. Went to the vegetable market.

Emperor Yongkang frowned, an imperceptible arc appeared at the corner of his mouth, and said: "Accurate performance."

Shui Rong cupped his hands and said in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, the so-called "real knowledge comes from practice" is not just talking in general terms, just like talking on paper. Since both sides have their own opinions, it is better to take two similar provinces and charge one province with Ding tax law. For taxes, a province will collect taxes according to the new law, with a starting period of one year.”

Although there are disadvantages to apportioning people into acres, its implementation can ease the pressure of land annexation and reduce the tax burden on the lower class people. Shui Rong feels that he still needs to support it.

Only when there is a court can there be a prince. The more prosperous the court is, the more advantageous it will be to the water.

After the words fell, all the officials roughly understood that although it was a chosen method, in the final analysis it still had to be tried, which meant that the Prince of Beijing County was supporting the new method.

Leaving aside the civil officials, the military attachés had different expressions. Prince Nan'an looked at the back of the young man in front of him, his eyes flickering.

It should be noted that Shui Rong represented not only the Beijing Palace, but also the Wu Xun lineage. Emperor Yongkang also had to think about the matters he petitioned for, so Shui Rong rarely spoke in court.

“Practice brings true knowledge, and this statement makes sense.”

Emperor Yongkang, who had been silent all this time, still had a calm face, but there was a hint of approval in his voice. He immediately looked at Yan Zicheng, the chief minister of the cabinet with gray hair and a white beard under his chin, and said calmly: "Yan Aiqing thought Beijing What does the prince say?"

Shui Rong looked at the calm chief minister of the cabinet. He understood that if the new law was to be implemented, it would be most secure to have the final word from the chief minister of the cabinet.

After a moment of silence, Yan Zicheng came out and said: "Your Majesty, the words of the Prince of Beijing County are right. However, the tax law is the foundation of the country. A single move can affect the whole body. If you are not careful, the people of a province will be in dire straits. We still hope Please be careful."

"Caution" means holding an objection.

Emperor Yongkang remained silent, his eyes falling on Shui Rong.

Seeing this, Shui Rong also understood that this was to allow him to express himself freely, so he said: "Yan Shoufu, the original intention of the policy of dividing people into acres is to cancel the head tax and spread it into acres. Those with rich land will pay more, and those with poor land will pay more." Those who have few friends have no influence on themselves, and the small people in the fields are all related to farming with the wealthy people. In good years, the wealthy people will get more, while the poor people will get very little, and they can still survive. So-called “If it increases by one point, the people will suffer a certain burden; if it decreases by one point, the people will benefit by a certain amount. "How can it be that Yan Shoufu is making alarmist remarks by putting the people in trouble?"

Those who have land are not short of money, and they will not be unable to live because of taxes. Those without land have little income, and with taxes, life becomes even more difficult.

For example, the Beijing Prince's Mansion has numerous properties, and they only need to be managed by tenants, and they can earn tens of thousands of taels of silver every year, which is not short of the thousands of taels of tax.

To put it bluntly, those who are able pay more taxes, while those who are unable to pay less or no tax will not affect their lives, but they are in dire straits.

Yan Zicheng raised his eyes and glanced at Shui Rong, with a calm expression on his face, and said leisurely: "We are suffering from poverty but also from inequality. Can Your Majesty guarantee people's peace of mind?"

Shui Rong looked at Yan Zicheng indifferently, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

Guarantee, how to guarantee? If he really guarantees it himself, the responsibility will not be all on him. If something goes wrong, he will be the biggest scapegoat. It's really a pity that this old man dares to ask.

If he wasn't above the court, even if this old guy was the chief minister, Shui Rong would have slapped him.

However, although Shui Rong was unhappy, what Yan Zicheng said was not unreasonable. He suffered from scarcity but also from inequality. Why should he pay more taxes? As the saying goes, people die for money and birds die for food. Once the new law is tried, it will affect local officials and gentry. The interests of the people will definitely resist, making it difficult for the people to make a living, and there are hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in a province, causing turmoil and suffering for the people of that province.

Judging from Yan Zicheng's words, it seems that the chief minister does not disapprove of the new law.

Presumably he was worried that the resistance would be too great and cause unnecessary turmoil.

How should I put it? It sounds a bit mature and prudent.

After a deep groan, Shui Rong said righteously: "The stability of the people's hearts is guaranteed by the laws of the imperial court."

The expressions of the officials in the palace changed when they heard this. What are the laws of the imperial court? Anyone who does not comply will be dealt with according to the law. In short, it is suppressed by force.

Shui Rong ignored the situation and ignored it. Implementing the new law was an uneven road. How could it be implemented smoothly without a little blood? I believe it is better to lose a little money than to lose a life.

At this time, Jia Yucun, who was already serving as the right minister of the Ministry of War, looked at Shui Rong from the corner of his eye, with a flash of light in his eyes, and went out to announce: "Your Majesty, I think the words of the Prince of Beijing County are reasonable."

As Jia Yucun agreed, King Zhongshun and other supporters of the new law naturally rose to the challenge, and for a while, they gained considerable momentum.

Shui Rong glanced at Jia Yucun with a sideways glance, feeling quite satisfied. Jia Yucun did have a bad character, but at least he could handle things clearly and was serious about things. He was really a good dog.

Emperor Yongkang, who was sitting on the golden chair, lowered his eyes and glanced at Jia Yucun. He was not surprised that he agreed with him. After all, this was someone recommended by Shui Rong, so he was naturally concerned.

But that was all, he immediately looked at Yan Zicheng with a bit of amusement and said, "What do Yan Aiqing think?"

Yan Zicheng pondered for a moment and said respectfully: "Old minister, I respectfully listen to the edict."

Yes, I have no objection to this.

A slight smile appeared on Emperor Yongkang's lips, but he did not express his opinion immediately. Instead, after looking around, he said: "Marquis Baoling wrote a book before the Chinese New Year, which contains his views on the new law. I am very pleased to have a heart for the imperial court. I believe that the new law can still be tried, and we should not be deterred by difficulties. What do you think, dear friends?"

When Shui Rong heard this, he raised his eyebrows and realized something in his heart.

Wei Dao mentioned the new law in the first court meeting after the New Year. It seemed that he had planned it in advance, or he had guessed that there was water in it.

After all, although Marquis Baoling was not a martial artist, he was closely aligned with the Jia family. Without the acquiescence of the Beijing Palace, how could the Shi family have received that memorial.

Without taking a stand himself, Emperor Yongkang allowed the officials to argue, which meant that he was included in the debate.

But Shui Xiong didn't care, after all, he really wanted to implement the new law.

As the emperor, Emperor Yongkang expressed his position. Naturally, all the officials had nothing to say, and they all agreed with him. There was a constant chorus of "Your Majesty is wise".

After the new law was basically finalized, the court meeting was dismissed and the ministers filed out.

Beijing Prince's Mansion, Ning'an Hall, inside Nuan Pavilion.

The heated kang was burning in the pavilion. Concubine Beijing was leaning against a green pillow, covered with an autumn-colored brocade mattress. Three thousand green silk threads were draped over her shoulders like brocade, and a haggard look appeared on her charming jade face. She stroked her forehead with her slender hand, feeling numb.

Originally, no matter how busy the young man was, he would come to pay her respects from time to time, acting like a "mother is kind and her son is filial".

But since that day, the young man rarely came to say hello. Even if he came, it was with his daughter-in-law Yuanchun, let alone sitting next to her. moment.

This is the beginning of life.

Every time she thought of this, Princess Beijing's heart was in knots. She began to forget about food and drinks. She couldn't sleep all night long, and her mental state became much weaker.

"How can you be so cruel if you are not even unreasonable?" Princess Beijing rubbed her forehead and murmured in a low voice. Her clear and bright eyes gradually became misty, and her heart felt more and more aggrieved.

If I had known this was wrong, I couldn't let that monkey run wild. This is not chaos.

Maybe he pretended to be drunk at the time and pretended not to know anything about it afterwards. The "mother-child friendship" was still there, so why was it like this?

However, that situation at that time was my subconscious reaction, so I couldn't think so much.

It was that monkey's fault. How could he care about him? Even if he wasn't related by blood, it wouldn't be possible.

But she didn't expect that her excessive reaction would make her and the monkey become strangers.

At this time, the maid Chun Yu came in holding a jade bowl filled with medicinal soup in both hands and said respectfully: "Toffee, the medicine is ready. You can drink it while it's hot."

Concubine Beijing's mind was not in her mind. She bit her pink lips gently with her beautiful eyes filled with hope, and asked, "Chun Yu, has the prince come back?"

In fact, she was not sick, she just made up this cover. In order to ensure the authenticity, she even asked someone to make medicine for her just to attract the boy's attention.

When she was young, Concubine Beijing knew all these methods, but she didn't expect that now someone else would be the one to do it, and it was her stepson.

Chunyu replied: "Your Majesty went to court early in the morning. I don't know if I have come back now."

Concubine Beijing frowned and shouted with a hint of coldness in her voice: "I don't know what I want you to do. Why don't you go down and inquire to see if the prince is back?"

Chun Yu had a look of resentment on her face when she heard this, but she didn't know how to deal with it. After the New Year, the concubine's temper became more and more irritable, and she often scolded her, which made them, the maids, frightened.

As a maid next to the concubine, Chunyu knew the concubine's temperament, so she put the jade bowl on the table and said hurriedly: "I will go now."

Princess Beijing's beautiful eyes looked at Chun Yu's leaving figure, her thoughts were racing, and she was a little worried that the young man's alienated attitude could really cost people's lives.

In her early years, the old Beijing County Prince and the Prince's Palace were involved in intrigues. She also spent a lot of effort to secure her position as mistress. She lived a life like a person drinking water, knowing whether she is warm or not.

After the old Prince Beijing passed away from illness, he originally planned to live happily ever after, but the person he adopted was as sweet as honey, soaking into people's hearts.

These comfortable days made Concubine Beijing feel that her first half of her life had been wasted, and she became even more reluctant to let go of the water. She was really afraid that it would melt if she held it in her hand, so she held it in her hand.

There is a saying that goes well, if I had never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness, but at this time, Princess Beijing was already bathed in the light, how could she adapt to the darkness.

Biting her pink lips tightly, Princess Beijing thought to herself: "As long as that monkey is happy, just let him go, that's all."

Thinking of this, Concubine Beijing's heart began to throb in her chest, her eyes moved, a blush appeared on her charming face, and she looked like a gorgeous peony.

In fact, she was not disgusted with the boy, that is, because of the identity barrier. After the boy left that night, the person she fantasized about was not the boy, and she had a great time.

The more she thought about it, the picture in Princess Beijing's mind became clearer and clearer, her slender eyebrows gradually became hazy, and the pair of azure peony embroidered shoes under her skirt couldn't help but move closer together.

"Taifei, the prince is here."