Just as the three armies left Xianyang, the envoy sent by Meng Can followed closely behind and left the city.
Meng Can is extremely enthusiastic about this matter and has worked through the night to perfect the plan.
Seeing Meng Can working so hard, Feng Jie, who was also carrying a heavy responsibility, was unwilling to fall behind and began to compete with her.
Sure enough, this morning at court, he directly brought up the matter of merging the poll tax into the land tax in front of all the civil and military officials.
"Your Majesty, our Qin Kingdom is now thriving. Our fierce army is dominating the other six kingdoms, and we have many capable ministers and generals. The opportunity to expand eastward has arrived."
"However, to conquer the world from the east, we will need funds and provisions. The current agricultural and sericultural tax policy is no longer suitable. I propose to reform the agricultural and sericultural tax system by adopting the policy of 'integrating the poll tax into the land tax,' thus laying the foundation for the eternal prosperity of our Great Qin!"
Feng Jie's deep voice echoed in the hall, instantly freezing the previously relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
The matter of merging the poll tax into the land tax had been discussed for almost three months, but he kept it hidden until today. This caught Ying Zheng and his wicked husband completely off guard, leaving them only able to look at each other with bitter smiles.
"May I ask Imperial Censor Feng, what is the meaning of this 'integration of land tax and poll tax'?"
The officials present all wore expressions of doubt and surprise. Although they did not know exactly what it was, they somehow had a feeling that it would be something that would shake the heavens and earth.
Feng Jie's mini-lecture hall instantly began, and he recited the same excuse his wicked husband had given him.
In an instant, a raging storm arose, causing a constant buzzing sound within the hall.
The officials were abuzz with discussion, looking at Feng Jie as if he were a madman, secretly cursing him for being so arrogant and unpleasant to others.
This time, they actually dared to pick up a big knife?
Has this gone too far?
In an instant, Feng Jie was overwhelmed by the angry accusations of the officials. Although he tried to reason with them, he was no match for their sharp tongues and was so verbally attacked that he was practically spitting on his face.
Ying Zheng, standing on the high platform, was filled with schadenfreude. Usually, this old guy would criticize this person or that person, but now he would let him experience what it felt like to be criticized.
Feng Jie was breathless from the spittle, his chest heaving violently, and he looked like he was about to faint when Ying Zheng finally spoke.
"quiet!"
"How dare you be so disrespectful in the imperial court?"
The cold, emotionless voice rang out, sending the assembled officials into a chilling abyss. Looking at Ying Zheng's calm face, the clamor in the hall vanished instantly.
Taking advantage of this moment, Ying Zheng secretly gave his wicked husband a look, signaling that he would hand over the rest of the show to him.
"You guys, how dare you!?"
A furious roar, filled with boundless rage, erupted from the wicked man's mouth like a thunderclap from a clear sky, its booming sound echoing throughout the hall.
The sudden roar startled the officials present, causing their hearts to pound and cold sweat to pour down their faces.
The wicked man glanced at Feng Jie and said in a deep voice, "Imperial Censor Feng only submitted a policy proposal, why are you all so anxious? You always clamor to serve the country and the emperor, but you turn red-faced and angry the moment your interests are threatened?"
At this point, he walked to the center of the hall and stood still, his straight, sword-like body exuding a captivating majesty and aura.
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Imperial Censor Feng's strategy is excellent. It is a policy that benefits the country and its people, and the loss of the interests of a small number of people is negligible."
These words turned many people's faces ashen, and they thought to themselves that the wicked husband was just too full to bother with the little land he was given, so naturally he didn't care.
But what about them?
The land in the hands of many of them is the family fortune accumulated by their ancestors over generations. This "land tax reform" is like a big cleaver, cutting them in half. How can this be allowed?
"Your Majesty!"
The remonstrating official Zheng Ke stepped forward and said loudly, "Agriculture and sericulture taxes are the foundation of the country. How can they be changed arbitrarily? Feng Jie is just a censor-in-chief who only knows how to impeach and find fault. How would he know the intricacies of the matter?"
His words showed absolutely no respect for Feng Jie, practically implying that Feng Jie was just a troll who dared to spout nonsense and even dared to try to change national policy.
Before Ying Zheng could speak, Zheng Ke's gaze fell on Feng Jie. "Imperial Censor, don't blame me for being blunt, but you don't even own an acre of land. It's easy for you to talk when you're not in the same boat."
"With your measly frame, can you possibly withstand the turmoil of the entire nation? If anything goes wrong, wouldn't the King be bearing the blame for you?"
Ying Zheng's eyes narrowed suddenly, and a murderous intent rose in his heart. This old guy seemed to be criticizing Feng Jie, but in reality, he was indirectly insulting him and trying to sow discord among himself.
To put it another way, it's tantamount to an open and blatant threat.
"Let's see who dares to do that?!"
With a roar, the wicked man took a step forward, unleashing an aura as powerful as a landslide.
"Under the vast heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king!"
The wicked man's eyes were like a small knife as he stared directly at Zheng Ke. "Can you represent the people of the world, or can you represent the entire court of civil and military officials?"
"You heavenly officials sit high in your temples, living a life of comfort and ease, how could you know the suffering of the common people?"
"The world can survive without you, but it is doomed without the people."
As he spoke, he had unknowingly come to stand in front of Zheng Ke, looking down at him and saying, "As long as the people of the world are happy, what difference does it make whoever is in charge of the officials?"
"Does it... really have to be you?"
The threat in his words was blatant and made no attempt to conceal it.
Zheng Ke was both afraid and angry. He was angry because his wicked husband was so audacious, and he was afraid that this man could actually do such a thing.
Didn't you see that Ying Zheng on the high platform didn't utter a single word, and even slightly closed his eyes as if he were dozing off?
hiss....
Could it be...?
The crowd's gazes lingered on Feng Jie, E Fu, and Ying Zheng, and a thought suddenly popped into their minds.
Yes.
It seems that Feng Jie is nothing more than a pawn in the open, and behind him are probably Ying Zheng and his wicked husband, those two bullying youths. If it weren't for those two, they would never believe that Feng Jie would have such courage.
this....
Now, the officials who had figured out the key points immediately became hesitant. Looking at their murderous husband and then at Ying Zheng, who was pretending to be deaf and dumb, they felt a sense of utter despair.
The wicked man took in the thoughtful expressions of the officials and bluntly laid his cards on the table: "The 'equalization of land tax and poll tax' is not something I'm discussing with you; it's an announcement."
"Now, who agrees and who disagrees?"
As he spoke, this fellow actually summoned the imperial guards at the palace gate, reached out and drew the sword from their waists. The cold blade made the officials subconsciously swallow hard.
"What's wrong with this kid? How should we explain it to him?"
Although the military officers didn't react as strongly as the civil officials, they still seemed somewhat impatient. Feeling the gazes directed at them from behind, Meng Ao quickly asked Wang Jian, who was standing beside him, for his opinion in a low voice.
To his surprise, Wang Jian completely ignored him and shouted, "Imperial Censor Feng's plan is beneficial to the people of Great Qin and will not harm them. I second that plan!"
"I am willing to hand over all the land in my family to Your Majesty for distribution and decision!"
Okay, okay.
Meng Ao was so angry that his teeth itched, but he beat him to it and immediately stood up and loudly echoed him.
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