"oh?"
Ying Zheng smiled wryly and said softly, "Don't worry, our bond will last until death."
"If you die first, bury you in a side chamber of the mausoleum. You were loyal in life, and even in death you will still guard and accompany me."
"If I go first, I will surely mold your body into a statue and keep it with me in my sleep."
Ying Zheng spoke these words with great seriousness, which made Li Balang, who was standing to the side, extremely envious. What more could one ask for in life than to have such a relationship between ruler and subject?
"You'd better give up already!"
But the wicked husband didn't appreciate it at all, waving his hand and saying, "You really schemed against me too much. Not only did I have to serve you when I was alive, but I still have to stand guard for you when I'm dead?"
"Do you really think I'm the production team's donkey?"
"Production team?" Ying Zheng had never heard of this term before and asked curiously, "What is that?"
Well....
The wicked man paused for a moment, then fell into deep thought.
Since Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin state has developed a powerful and formidable army, but its success in emphasizing agriculture and sericulture has been less remarkable.
In this era, everything else is just empty talk. Whoever has the grain is the boss. Relying on the Grand Canal is only one thing; other aspects also need to be supplemented.
"What's wrong with you, kid? What kind of trick are you up to now?" Ying Zheng looked a little worried. Whenever this kid got lost in thought, it was never anything good.
If he dares to even think about building his own mausoleum, what else wouldn't he dare to do?
The wicked man shook his head, glanced at Li Balang and Ying Zheng, and said, "I just suddenly feel that things are not going well with agriculture and sericulture now."
"......"
Ying Zheng and Li Ba looked at each other without saying a word.
Dude, please make sure you know your place!
You're supposed to be a great general, how come you have to meddle in farming and sericulture too?
Ying Zheng looked speechless and casually asked, "You know about agriculture and sericulture? What's wrong with it?"
"Integrate the poll tax into the land tax, combine the poll tax and the land tax into one, and abolish the population tax." The wicked man paused, looked into the distance with a deep gaze, and continued, "In this way, the people will no longer bear heavy taxes because of the large number of people in their families, and can cultivate the land with more peace of mind. The land can also be fully utilized, and agriculture and sericulture can naturally be revitalized."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng frowned slightly. Although he was a great ruler, he had no idea what to do about this unprecedented tax reform.
He turned and glanced at Li Balang. The man was unremarkable in appearance, but his intelligence was indeed as the wicked man had described. Li Balang, too, looked bewildered; clearly, such profound fiscal and tax policies were beyond his comprehension.
"Leaving aside the question of how effective this method will be, its implementation will be fraught with difficulties," Ying Zheng pondered. "Firstly, it requires changing long-standing tax practices; will the court and the public accept that?"
"Secondly, how will the national treasury's revenue be guaranteed if the abolition of the population tax is used? If this shakes the foundation of the country, it will be an unbearable burden."
The wicked man smiled slightly, seemingly having anticipated Ying Zheng's concerns. He calmly explained, "Your Majesty's worries are quite valid, but this is a long-term plan. As the old saying goes, 'In times of chaos, grain is essential; in times of prosperity, gold is paramount.'"
"The integration of land tax and poll tax can stimulate the people's motivation to work and will also greatly increase the population of our Qin state. With more people, there will be more labor force, and with more labor force, the efficiency of land cultivation and the amount of land to be reclaimed will also increase greatly."
"Furthermore, with a large enough force, even if our Qin generals are all worthless, we can still overwhelm the six states with sheer numbers!"
His tone was extremely confident, conveying an unquestionable air.
I dare not speak for other wicked men, but looking at the whole world, who is as hardworking as the Chinese?
Who else is as devoted to carrying on the family line as the Chinese?
You know, family genealogies originated in China and spread to several neighboring small countries!
If the population tax is changed, and given the lack of entertainment, all that's left besides farming is procreation.
At most, it will take a dozen or so years for the Qin state to experience a population explosion and undergo a complete transformation.
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng nodded inwardly, quite moved and agreeing with his wicked husband's words and insights.
He knew that a country's strength depended not only on military power, but also on economic prosperity and the support of its people.
Ultimately, isn't all of this based on population and food?
At this moment, his eyes were filled with excitement and surprise. This seemingly rough and rugged general was actually meticulous and farsighted, and he was bringing him more and more surprises.
"Alright! As you say, let's first try this tax reform in the counties around Xianyang. Who do you think is suitable to handle this matter?" Ying Zheng nodded decisively, demonstrating his decisiveness as an emperor and seeking stability amidst danger.
After pondering for a moment, the wicked man shook his head and said, "The magistrate of Taicang, Meng Can, is smooth-talking and has some ability, but he is not up to the task... For such an important matter, we must find an upright and honest person."
The hall fell silent.
Li Balang seemed rather bored. He was new to the court and didn't know anyone there, so he couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"Feng Jie!!"
Suddenly, Ying Zheng's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise.
"Feng Jie?" the wicked man murmured, recalling a few brief records about this person in his mind.
Feng Jie, the Imperial Censor, was an upright man. He once discussed the imperial title with Chancellor Wang Wan, Minister of Justice Li Si, and others, and honored the First Emperor as "Taihuang". The emperor's orders were called "zhi", the emperor's decrees were called "zhao", and the emperor referred to himself as "zhen".
This is all the record about this person in the official history. It is likely that if it weren't for his discussion of the First Emperor's title and ceremony, there would be no record at all.
"Well, Your Majesty, you can make the decision. I'm not familiar with this person either." The wicked man scratched his head in distress. If he had known about this time travel, he would have listened attentively in class.
Ying Zheng nodded. "This man is upright and honest. He is not good at social interaction as an official, but he acts justly. He was promoted to Grand Secretary by the late king. He never engages in favoritism or corruption. He is a trustworthy person."
"Then let's go with him. I'll go find him later!" The wicked husband nodded.
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng shook his head repeatedly, and then said to the eunuch standing beside him, "Quickly go and summon the Grand Censor Feng Jie."
After the eunuch bowed and left quickly, Ying Zheng explained with a wry smile, "This person...this person, you probably can't command him. I'll talk to him myself."
This piqued the interest of the wicked man. Everyone in the Qin state knew that he represented Ying Zheng. Would he dare to act recklessly without the king's approval?
Is that all?
Does it really require Ying Zheng to personally intervene?
Just how inflexible and old-fashioned must this person be?
Thinking of this, and seeing Ying Zheng's malicious grin, he suddenly felt a pang of regret.
Could it be... that they found that kind of person?
As he thought about it, the wicked husband couldn't help but shudder, and many images flashed through his mind.
In every dynasty, there are always a few stubborn fools who love to go against the emperor and always have to spout nonsense.
Some of these people are famous throughout history, while others have graves overgrown with weeds hundreds of meters high.
Moreover, these all share a common problem.
I'm not afraid of death, I just open my mouth and do it. I won't listen to what you say, but you have to listen to what I say!
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