Huayang entered the palace in late winter, just in time for the busy period when officials from various departments of the court were summing up their achievements for the year.
The harem cannot interfere in government affairs, which means Huayang cannot take the initiative to ask her brother about state affairs, let alone intervene. But if Emperor Yuanyou himself wants to talk to his sister about this, Huayang can certainly listen.
That evening, after the mother and her two daughters had finished their meal, Emperor Yuanyou took his elder sister to the imperial study and took out a memorial and handed it to her.
Huayang sat comfortably on the warm couch by the window, holding an exquisite copper hand warmer inlaid with various gemstones in his hands. He glanced at the memorial in front of him, then looked at his brother with little interest: "What memorial do you want to show me? Aren't you afraid of being blamed by the Queen Mother? I don't want to hear it."
Emperor Yuanyou smiled and said, "It's something that makes people happy. Besides, Cao Li is guarding outside. As long as my sister doesn't say anything, how can mother know?"
Huayang snorted: "You begged me to watch this, don't blame me in the future."
Emperor Yuanyou: "I know, I know. Sister, please take a look!"
Huayang then changed to holding the hand warmer in one hand and opening the letter with the other.
She browsed casually, and then her face lit up with joy: "Nine million hectares of farmland? I remember that my great-grandfather only had more than eight million hectares at that time, right?"
All under heaven belongs to the king. Huayang is the eldest princess of the royal family and has a lot of land of her own, so of course she must be happy.
Emperor Yuanyou was all smiles, his eyes sparkling, "Yes, this land reclamation was very successful. We sent out the Imperial Guards, deposed the Prince of Jin, and raided more than a dozen wealthy families that led the riots. The clansmen from all over the country cooperated honestly, and the officials and gentry no longer dared to hide anything. There may still be some fish that slipped through the net, but I don't think there are many."
Huayang looked at the memorial with great delight and suddenly asked, "How many fields were registered last year?"
Emperor Yuanyou immediately gnashed his teeth and said, "It's only 4.7 million hectares."
Huayang gritted his teeth and said, "They hid nearly half of the land. They are really greedy."
Emperor Yuanyou showed a bit of ruthlessness: "You won't be greedy for long. Tomorrow the cabinet will present a new tax proposal."
Huayang: "Has the cabinet reached a consensus? I heard from my husband that Lord Chen and Lord He often quarreled during court meetings."
Speaking of this, Emperor Yuanyou pinched his forehead and said, "I guess we will have another argument tomorrow. Among the five cabinet members, Lü, Lu, and Shen all listen to Chen. He claimed that he has prepared a new policy. Tomorrow, I will ask the Queen Mother and I to judge carefully to see whether his new policy is feasible or Chen's is feasible."
Hua Yang said with regret, "It's a pity that I can't witness such a grand occasion. Speaking of which, I have known Chen Ge Lao since I was six or seven years old. In the past ten years, apart from seeing him and his wife getting angry, I don't think I have seen him arguing with others until his face turned red."
Emperor Yuanyou: "This is easy. Sister will attend court with us tomorrow."
Huayang raised his chin toward the window and asked, "Will the Queen Mother agree?"
Emperor Yuanyou: "It doesn't matter. Anyway, as long as they start arguing, none of us can get a word in."
The next day was the twenty-ninth day of the winter month. Emperor Yuanyou had to attend a court meeting, so Huayang stayed with his mother.
When Emperor Yuanyou wanted to hear the cabinet's report, Empress Dowager Qi would also go.
Huayang hugged his mother's arm coquettishly and said, "Mother, I heard from my brother that Elder Chen and Elder He are going to quarrel again today. I also want to go and see the fun."
Empress Dowager Qi said sternly, "How can we treat such important matters of the imperial court as a joke?"
Huayang: "Just this once. From now on, even if you and your brother ask me to sit in on the class, I won't come."
Empress Dowager Qi: "No."
Hua Yang blinked and lowered his head again: "If my father were here, he would definitely obey me."
Empress Dowager Qi: …
It’s all thanks to the good start made by the late emperor!
"Forget it, I'm leaving. I will never come to the palace to cause you trouble again." Huayang let go of his mother's hand, bowed politely, turned around and left.
Empress Dowager Qi pursed her lips.
As she watched her daughter walking further and further away and about to step out of the door, the image of Princess Nankang's smiling face, trying to please her, emerged in Empress Dowager Qi's mind.
One was born to the late emperor and another woman, and the other was her own daughter. Of course, Empress Dowager Qi loved her own daughter more.
If Nankang didn't come, she knew her daughter was living well outside the palace and she wouldn't miss her too much. But every time Nankang came, Empress Dowager Qi couldn't help but think of Huayang. If she really had the free time, she would rather chat with her daughter about family matters.
"Okay, this is just the first time, and it won't happen again."
Huayang had just put one foot out of the door when she heard her mother speak. She immediately ran back, hugged her mother and acted coquettishly for a long time.
But Huayang was grown up after all, and it was impossible for him to sit in the emperor's arms or hide under the desk like he did when he was a child. Empress Dowager Qi pointed to the side room of the hearing hall.
Huayang hid behind the gap in the curtain and watched the five cabinet elders walk in one after the other. His father-in-law and Elder He stood in the front, and the other three stood in the back row with their eyes lowered.
After the ceremony, Chen Tingjian presented the memorial in his hand to Emperor Yuanyou.
Emperor Yuanyou did not answer and said, "Sir, please read it once. I and my mother will listen together."
Chen Tingjian nodded, held the memorial in both hands, lowered his eyes slightly, and began to read it in a rhythmic manner.
The fifty-five-year-old Prime Minister was thin and tall, wearing a scarlet official robe. He had a handsome and elegant face and a clear voice. When he stood there, he outshone the other four ministers, at least in terms of appearance and demeanor.
Huayang looked at her father-in-law and was reminded of the young elder she had met when she was a child accompanying her younger brother to class.
Among the five children in the Chen family, the three brothers Dalang respect their father-in-law, and Wanyi has always liked him very much.
Huayang could especially understand Wanyi because girls like them had only experienced the gentle side of their father-in-law.
As for the new policy that my father-in-law was talking about, it was the Single Whip Law that was implemented in the third year of Yuanyou in his previous life, which combined all the land taxes and corvée imposed on the people into one levy. The unified taxes and corvée were directly handled by the local government, which could not only prevent officials at all levels from making up excuses to exploit the people, but also put an end to the malpractice of the head of the village and the grain chief embezzling the divided funds.
This new policy was advocated by my father-in-law, but unfortunately he passed away in August of that year and did not see the effectiveness of the new law - the surplus of the national treasury in the third year of Yuanyou was as high as 4 million taels of silver!
Despite this, because my father-in-law was convicted, all the new policies implemented by him were abolished.
Huayang looked at his brother resentfully.
Emperor Yuanyou was listening attentively, nodding from time to time.
However, as soon as Chen Tingjian finished speaking, He Qingxian, who was standing beside him with his head held high, suddenly let out an undisguised laugh.
Chen Tingjian raised his eyebrows.
The three ministers behind looked at each other and continued to pretend to be dumb.
Emperor Yuanyou looked at He Qingxian and asked, "Mr. He, do you think there is anything wrong with Mr. He's tax reform?"
He Qingxian: "It's not that there's anything wrong with it, it's totally wrong!"
Emperor Yuanyou had long been accustomed to it, and said with a smile: "Please enlighten me, old man."
He Qingxian turned to Chen Tingjian and asked him, "This year's land survey revealed more than 4 million hectares of unreported farmland, but the bulk of this land is still in the hands of princes, relatives of the royal family, and officials and gentry. The land of relatives of the royal family is exempt from taxes, and officials and gentry also have a large amount of exemptions. Only the unreported land of the landlords and tyrants can be taxed by the court, but it is tantamount to a drop in the bucket."
"In other words, your reform is still only targeting the land in the hands of the people, which are destined to be annexed by clansmen, officials and gentry. The land is getting less and less, and you are just whipping away the part that officials have embezzled and deducted. The taxes collected by the court are still the hard-earned money of the people, and it cannot change the fact that the people are getting poorer and poorer. The people are suffering, and the silver that the court has extorted every year can only be stable for ten or twenty years. Once the people can't survive, there will still be a big chaos!"
Chen Tingjian: "It is true that the amount of land owned by the people remains the same, but the tax reform has reduced their taxes, so they will only live better than they do now. How can they not survive?"
He Qingxian: "Where has it decreased? In the past, they could pay taxes by farming, but now you ask them to convert it all into silver. It's hard for the common people to earn even a copper coin. Where does the silver come from? The rich exchange silver for copper coins. One tael of silver can be exchanged for 1,200 or 1,300 copper coins. On the other hand, the common people have to exchange 1,200 or 1,300 copper coins for one tael of silver! The court is happy to receive the silver, but who will get the extra 200 or 300 copper coins that the common people pay?"
Chen Tingjian: "People can directly exchange grain for silver."
He Qingxian laughed sarcastically: "There is no businessman without fraud. I can tell you today that once your new law is implemented, when the people sell grain in the autumn harvest, the purchase price of grain merchants will definitely be at least 20% to 30% lower than usual! Elder Chen, Elder Chen, you have indeed put a lot of thought into filling the treasury, but you are too lazy and too cunning. You dare not offend those who have land and money, so you only dare to suck the blood and sweat of the people!"
Chen Tingjian's face turned pale.
Huayang was so nervous that he could hardly breathe. How dare He Qingxian slander his father-in-law like that without showing any mercy!
Emperor Yuanyou also couldn't find the words to say.
Empress Dowager Qi reminded him, "Lord He, please do not be rude. If you have different political opinions, you can discuss them. How can you hurt others with your words?"
He Qingxian looked at Empress Dowager Qi, then at Emperor Yuanyou, and stood up straight: "I didn't mean to hurt him, I just can't stand the fact that he has other ways that are more beneficial to the court and the people, but he doesn't dare to use them because he is afraid of offending the officials and gentry!"
Empress Dowager Qi: "What do you think, Lord He?"
He Qingxian took out a memorial, and Cao Li bent over and presented it to Emperor Yuanyou.
Before Emperor Yuanyou opened the book, He Qingxian suddenly pointed to the sky and said, "Half of the land in the world is in the hands of the princes and relatives. The remaining 50%, 20% of the land is occupied by officials and gentry, and only 30% is occupied by tens of millions of people! There are more and more relatives, and they will snatch more land from the people. The officials and gentry are getting more and more greedy. They bully the weak and fear the strong, and they will also rack their brains to exploit the people. If the court does not find a way to solve these two huge tumors, when the people can't survive, it will be the day when the water surges and the boat overturns!"
These words exploded like thunder, silencing the entire hall, even the sound of breathing.
Huayang had to lean against the doorpost, his whole body trembling slightly.
Finally, Chen Tingjian asked calmly, "What good plan does Lord He have to protect the country?"
He Qingxian: "First, the princes and their relatives, except for the land granted by the court and the wasteland they reclaimed, all the land they plundered from the people must be returned to the people, and they must not purchase land from the people in any way to eliminate the source of annexation. Second, the whole country should thoroughly investigate corrupt officials and bullies, and punish them severely according to the law. As long as no official dares to be corrupt, the people will be safe and the country will be peaceful."
Chen Tingjian: "The clan members are also human beings. As human beings, they can trade with real money. Why does the court prohibit them from buying land? Your method will not convince the public at all."
He Qingxian: "Then investigate thoroughly. Taizu did not confer titles on vassal kings to allow them to oppress the people. The vassal kings in various places have committed evil deeds, but the court always takes them lightly, and the people are the ones who suffer."
Chen Tingjian: "Investigate, investigate, investigate! Who should be sent to investigate? How many upright officials like you can be found in the imperial court?"
Emperor Yuanyou pursed his lips.
He also knew that He Qingxian's idea was good, but how could the princes and relatives be easily moved? If they were forced into a corner and all of them jumped up to rebel, what if one of the more than 20 princes really succeeded
Including officials and gentry all over the world, if the common people can't survive, they will rebel, and the officials and gentry will also be forced into a corner.
The court needed money, but it could not adopt overly radical measures so as not to endanger the stability of the court.
He was about to speak, but He Qingxian seemed to have expected that his words would not be recognized by the emperor and the empress dowager. He smiled and slightly withdrew his momentum: "Since we can't investigate, then we should set a new tax-free quota for the clan members and officials. Those who exceed the quota should pay taxes together with the people! So many fields are in their hands. The court is so poor that it can't even make ends meet. Why are they so rich?"
"Your Majesty, please think carefully. Instead of trying to extort money from the people and causing resentment, wouldn't it be better to just add millions of hectares of taxable land?"
(End of this chapter)