Chapter 290 The People's Support

Next, there was another imperial edict concerning the case of the former Yangzhou tea master suing Xia Yuanheng, the prefect of Yangzhou.

After a thorough investigation by the people sent by the Ministry of Justice, it was finally confirmed that Lang Qiuzhu's brother, Lang Xiabai, did indeed die under Xia Yuanheng's scheme.

While on the boat, Lang Xiabo was already unsteady on his feet because he had been given alcohol by Xia Yuanheng's men. In addition, the bow of the boat had been secretly sprinkled with sesame oil, making it extremely slippery. That's why Lang Xiabo slipped and fell off the boat...

Xia Yuanheng did this in order to seize the Lang family's tea plantation.

Behind this was also the secret help of his uncle, the former educational commissioner of Jiangnan.

In the end, Xia Yuanheng was imprisoned to await sentencing, the former Jiangnan Provincial Education Commissioner was stripped of his academic titles, and the Yangzhou Prefect in charge of the case was dismissed and investigated...

"The matter of land tax is of great importance, and this decree was issued for the sake of the nation and its people."

When something happens suddenly, there will inevitably be those who disagree.

Anyone who refuses to comply with this decree will be stripped of their official titles and honors.

Those who stubbornly resist will be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane; those who collude and conspire for personal gain will be sentenced to five years of hard labor and exiled one thousand li away.

If anything worse happens... beheading!

Song Zhimian read aloud the relevant punishments in the decree that Ye Yunshu and Prime Minister Lin had studied for three days before issuing.

The officials dared not voice any objections.

They knew that if they dared to raise any objections after the imperial edict was read, the empress would deal with them on the spot…

With so many reserve officials, if they are removed from their posts, someone will quickly take their place.

"Your Majesty, I obey!" The officials could only bow in obeisance.

...

The decree concerning land tax was quickly issued to all parts of Dayu.

Ye Yunshu arranged for people to keep an eye on this matter. Even in the smallest county, government orders were delivered, and a special person had to be assigned to explain them to everyone next to the posted orders.

After all, many farmers are illiterate...

When everyone learned that the imperial court had reduced taxes by 50% on all the land in Dayu, the farmers who made a living by farming immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly towards the direction of the capital.

This was fantastic news for them; their burden was halved, which meant they would have more food stored at home.

Aside from ordinary farmers, the happiest families are those whose children have joined the army.

Within ten days of everyone learning of the decree, the village heads of prefectural and county towns, as well as the villages, went door-to-door registering the garrison list issued by the Ministry of War.

Those families have already reduced their land tax by half. If a family has a soldier in the army, they will immediately be exempt from paying land tax on five acres of land. If their child is a minor officer in the army, they can be exempted from even more taxes.

If a family has a child who died fighting for the Great Yu, then their entire family will be exempt from land taxes for three generations...

This made families with members serving as military personnel at the three major military bases extremely happy.

So it really is true that good things can fall from the sky! His Majesty is truly thinking of them!

For a time, many families secretly set up longevity tablets for the Empress in their homes, praying day and night that she would remain the emperor of Dayu forever.

When some people are happy, others are naturally unhappy.

Those who have achieved official rank will be the first to suffer from this policy.

What are they studying for? Really for the sake of the world? Certainly not!

They study to bring honor to their ancestors, to benefit their family, and to be superior to others...

The issuance of this decree has now brought them back to reality.

The land tax that should have been exempted for eighty mu has been reduced to ten mu... Isn't this just giving alms to beggars?

These people must be unwilling to accept that they have studied hard for ten years and ended up in such a state.

They lacked the strength and ability to oppose the imperial court, but they had the pen; many of them immediately wrote satirical poems to ridicule the court's policies.

They even described Ye Yunshu as the most promiscuous woman in the world...

But before Ye Yunshu's men could even make a move, the people objected.

In the teahouse where spring never ends, several scholars are spouting nonsense, saying that a hen crowing at dawn is a sign of national ruin...

"Pah! All you know how to do is talk and write a few pretentious poems, and now you're thinking that Da Yu is failing so you can go and be someone else's dogs?"

People like you wouldn't even be wanted as dogs!

"Yes, you wouldn't even be wanted as dogs. You've long been used to using what you've learned to benefit yourselves."

Are you willingly handing over your tax-exempt farmland to other people?

If you're so kind, why don't you let poor families register their land?

You all gave up your land to curry favor with the nobles and wanted to be their lackeys, right?

You people think you're so high and mighty? Haha, to be honest, you really have no backbone at all.

If those barbarian invaders ever come again, you people will be the first to run away!

Why are they running away? They're not going to run!

They would write poems praising others and then continue to serve as lackeys for foreigners.

Bah! They eat human food but do nothing human; they're useless except for spewing filth from their mouths.

They wouldn't even light a fire if you used them to fill the bottom of a pot! A bunch of useless trash!

The scholars immediately became agitated, pointing at the common people and shouting, "What do you know! The Great Yu is so powerful because of us scholars..."

"Shut your stinking mouth!" An older woman who had just finished buying groceries picked up a cabbage from her basket and threw it at him.

"Good riddance! You scholars? The strength of the Great Yu was earned through the bloodshed of the three garrison armies on the battlefield."

Everyone knows that the Great Yu Kingdom was founded on war. Whether it was the North, the Southwest, or Lingnan, it was all conquered by the three major garrisons.

What business is it of yours?

Why shouldn't the soldiers of Dayu who fought bravely for the people of Dayu deserve land exempt from land taxes?

In my opinion, you pedantic scholars shouldn't be exempted from land taxes. You're of no use whatsoever except for causing trouble.

"What, do you mean the soldiers of Dayu are unworthy?"

The scholars immediately retaliated.

"Since ancient times, scholars have been considered superior to farmers, artisans, and merchants; all other professions are considered lowly, only studying is noble..."

"You're so tall! People like you should be stuffed back into your mother's womb."

"You eat human food but don't speak human language, and you even dare to say that the soldiers of Dayu are unworthy? I'm going to teach you a lesson today..."

Soon, the other people drinking tea in the teahouse joined in the brawl, and the scholars were pelted with teacups and rotten vegetable leaves...

Finally, with bruises and swelling around his eyes, he was taken away by the officials.

In the end, the government decided that those scholars had started the trouble by insulting the soldiers of Dayu, which was an unforgivable crime. In addition to being stripped of their academic titles, they also had to compensate Chun Buwan for the damage to the items.

Of course, such things happen all over Chongqing.

However, the people all sided with the imperial court.

Everyone believed that this decree was good for the people, good for the farmers, and even better for the soldiers guarding the border...