When the data came out, the emperor was greatly shocked. This was only data from 50 years ago.
I dare not imagine how much has changed if we start counting from the founding of the nation.
No wonder that despite repeated tax cuts over the years, ordinary people seem to be living increasingly difficult lives.
The Emperor finally realized the seriousness of the problem.
Previously, the emperor only felt that the princes occupied too much land, but he didn't really care about the tax-exempt land of those with official titles.
But looking at this data, there are just too many.
As the saying goes, little by little, great things come to those who help themselves.
Now that we've found the root cause of the problem, how do we solve it?
The Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Minister of Revenue, and Zhao Minggeng conspired together.
Then Zhao Minggeng still had to take on the role of the protruding rafter.
He sent letters to the various vassal kings, saying that the emperor's birthday was approaching and he wanted to take this opportunity to reconnect with the royal family.
Note: If the emperor brings his eldest son or grandson to the capital, the Imperial Academy will set up special classes specifically for imperial relatives.
And the foremost Confucian scholar, Hong Fuhou, gave special instruction to them.
Incidentally, this is an attempt to promote members of the royal bloodline to higher ranks and titles, but due to ancestral rules, they couldn't find an excuse.
Then, Zhao Minggeng visited the various officials directly.
The issue of reclaiming tax-exempt farmland was discussed.
Zhao Minggeng used a polite approach first, then a more forceful one. When he visited each household, he would bring a box of pastries.
Produced by Huicuige, 200 coins per box, the kind that only costs 6 yuan.
The expensive part of this snack is its packaging.
Upon arriving, they exchanged pleasantries, then mentioned the tight national treasury and requested donations from the ministers.
Zhao Minggeng kept lowering the donation amount, but the other party refused to agree no matter what.
Zhao Minggeng continued to intimidate people, uttering ambiguous and dubious statements.
If you can scare someone, then do it; if you can't, then they'll really resort to violence.
For example, pretending to break off someone's chair armrest, or directly crushing a teacup.
Whether it's verbal intimidation or the sheer force of his physical strength,
After scaring the officials so much that they trembled with fear, Zhao Minggeng then gave them another idea: to voluntarily pay taxes and no longer enjoy the privilege of tax-exempt land.
For someone in a high position
The taxes payable on those tax-free fields are negligible, barely enough to cause any real damage.
The country receives tax revenue, individuals set a good example, and they can even gain favor with the emperor.
Of course, you can't go out and show off these things. If you do, others will follow suit, and then you won't have any advantage in showing off.
As the one who came up with the idea, he naturally had to report it directly to the imperial court, so there was no need for anyone to worry.
For some newly appointed officials, tax-free land may be their biggest source of income.
Without this extra income, they might not even be able to afford a small house in the capital.
What's the big deal? It's no big deal at all.
Zhao Minggeng waved his hand and said that he could request the Emperor to find a piece of land near the government office to build a residential area for officials.
Any official serving in the capital could rent a house there, paying only a small management fee each month.
There are people throughout the community who clean up the garbage and are responsible for cleaning the streets, etc.
Zhao Minggeng heard all of this from Zhao Qingyan. In other words, it's somewhat similar to an employee dormitory.
Anyway, as long as you work here, we provide dormitory accommodation; it's the same principle.
You can live there for free for five years. Once you feel comfortable living there, you can buy it at a price that is definitely lower than other housing prices.
If you hesitate, you will be looked down upon. Do you think that a high-ranking official in the capital can't save enough money for a house in five years?
Which man doesn't care about his pride? Naturally, he said no problem, and that's how he fell into the trap.
That's how Zhao Minggeng got the officials in the capital under his control.
However, the problem of building a house still had to be solved by the emperor.
After all, Zhao Minggeng wouldn't use his own money to build houses for these individuals.
The emperor was very angry; wasn't this promise going too far?
"Your Majesty, I have done the math. If Your Majesty starts building this house, not only will you not lose money, but you may even make a profit in the future."
Those who need housing are actually from poor families.
Their need for a house is certainly incomparable to that of those from aristocratic families.
Having a place to stay is what they need most for the time being.
It's very difficult for ordinary people to quickly save up enough money to build a house just by relying on the small amount of money they have from registering their land as tax-exempt.
We need to show them the immediate benefits.
The houses built don't need to have three or four courtyards.
We can't look for dimensions in terms of land area; we can look for area in terms of space.
The emperor became interested in Zhao Minggeng's last words.
"Stop with the nonsense. I need to know what it means for me to have made a profit, and what this 'finding space' means?"
Zhao Minggeng was completely unaffected by the emperor's cold attitude.
"Your Majesty, I propose that all properties be built as multi-story buildings, two stories high. Three-story buildings can be added as greenhouses."
This not only solves the housing shortage problem, but also reduces the amount of land used.
The old three-courtyard house can now be converted into a residence for thirty families. What do you think?
As he spoke, Zhao Minggeng took out the soil from the residential area that he had asked the brothers Zhao Qingyang and Zhao Qingyi to design together.
The first picture is an aerial view of a residential area, with the area of each house marked and the functions clearly defined.
The second picture is a panoramic view, taken from a different angle, clearly showing the houses in the community.
The third image shows the exterior of the detached house, along with interior design drawings.
The Emperor liked it more and more as he looked at it; he even considered moving into that beautiful house.
No matter how big the house is, at night you still only have one bed to sleep in, so there's really no need to have such a big house.
After discussing the size of the house and other issues, we must now clarify why we didn't lose money.
"The reason for doing this now is primarily to resolve the issue of tax-free land and avoid conflict."
Each official receives an additional tax payment each year, which adds up to a considerable amount over five years.
Besides, our house is so beautifully built and so convenient, who would be willing to move out after five years?
It would be very difficult for them to buy a large house with their monthly salary alone, unless they commit crimes or have a capable female relative in the family.
This house will likely be sold in about 80% of the time.
Even if we can't sell them, we can sell them to others. At this price, we won't lose money.
Actually, the most expensive part of building a house is the land, not the things on the ground...
Finally, the Emperor agreed to Zhao Minggeng's suggestion, and the construction of the house was assigned to Zhao Qingyan's construction team.
As for the chief designer Zhao Qingyang and the draftsman Zhao Qingyi, they once again came into the emperor's view.
Upon learning that the overall planning drawings were completed by the two young men, the Emperor felt quite regretful that they had not been selected for the imperial examinations.
Zhao Minggeng said that this was no big deal.
They're both very busy these days, doing all sorts of inventions and designs.
This made the emperor even more eager to see what the two young boys were like.
At such a young age, he was exceptionally talented and secretly cursed the examiner from back then.
Whoever the emperor wants to see, there's no way he can't.
Sure enough, the next day, after the morning court session, the emperor met the two young masters of Zhao Minggeng's family in the imperial study.
When the Emperor saw Zhao Qingyang and Zhao Qingyi, he was momentarily stunned, remembering that these two seemed to be only teenagers back then.
Zhao Qingyang is now a 20-year-old young man, and Qingbi is a 16-year-old boy.
He has a refined appearance and an elegant demeanor, and looks like someone who has read a lot of books.
At the same time, his tall stature and years of martial arts training make him appear even more imposing.
When the emperor saw the two brothers, his first thought was whether they were engaged.
His old heart, which loved matchmaking, was starting to stir again.
This is my nephew's brother-in-law, who is also a junior relative of mine. I can't just arrange a wife for him casually; that would be too much of a loss.
He asked what the two brothers did in their daily lives and whether they planned to continue taking the imperial examinations.
To be honest, ever since the boys in the family started going to school,
Especially since his own family members were all assigned to remote places, it would take a year to see them, so he really lost interest in the imperial examinations.
However, upon hearing the news from the Emperor, the two carefully chose their words.
"Your Majesty, we are not preparing for the imperial examinations for the time being. We have just arrived in the capital and need some time to familiarize ourselves with the city."
Moreover, my brother and I have different preferences.
I enjoy all kinds of mechanisms and design and measurement, while my younger brother prefers painting.
I feel very satisfied that I can design and improve various blueprints in my own workshop and then hand them over to the workers to make them.
As for my younger brother, he prefers to immerse himself in nature and paint all the beautiful scenery.
As for whether I can pass the imperial examination, I really can't guarantee it.
Although I haven't stopped reading books over the years, my focus has shifted.
Zhao Qingyang made the uncertainty very clear.
They weren't sure if, in the future, if they were appointed as officials and sent to those godforsaken places, they could govern the area as well as their father.
Upon hearing about the brothers' hobby, Huang became interested.
There's no way around it, today is the brothers' day to showcase their talents.
Zhao Qingyang's achievements are obvious; for example, the large clock in the palace study was designed by him.
There are also improved plowshares and threshing machines, all made by Zhao Qingyang.
Zhao Qingbei then took out a drawing she had made when she went to visit her two uncles with her grandparents.
There are beautiful mountains and rivers, fertile fields, bustling markets and alleyways, the hardships of ordinary people, and broken tiles and crumbling walls...
Many of Zhao Qingbei's paintings were recorded on Xuan paper.
As Zhao Qingbi showed the Emperor the scrolls, she explained the time and circumstances under which each painting was created.
It's not about the painting itself, but about the memories within the painting.
Especially when talking about those ruins and ragged beggars, Zhao Qingbei would explain the background of the time.
Ultimately, the emperor was drawn to the sight of a group of children.
When asked where this was, Zhao Qingbei smiled.
"These are all children from the Salesian Orphanage. When we left, the children were very reluctant to leave."
So I drew them into the painting.
When I miss them, I take out the painting and look at it, and I can remember what they look like.
It must be admitted that Zhao Qingbei's painting skills were excellent; his paintings were not only lifelike but also realistic.
Seeing the people in the painting is like seeing them come to life.
The emperor was greatly shocked.
Those pure faces and radiant smiles make it impossible to tell that the children in the painting were once orphans.
After reading this, the Emperor lost interest in matchmaking and had no desire to inquire further, so he sent the two away.
The Zhao brothers, on the other hand, felt as if they had escaped a terrible fate.
When the emperor first met them, he asked about their ages and whether they were married, which terrified them.
They finally managed to steer the conversation away from the topic, but in the end, the emperor lost interest, which made the two of them feel like they had escaped a disaster.
The pressure to get married is just so annoying.
Meanwhile, Zhao Minggeng was continuing to figure out how to arrange for people to conduct actual surveys in various places.
At the same time, I was thinking about how to write the notice appropriately.
Of course, this notice could not be issued casually; it had to be released only after the vassal kings had entered the capital.
Otherwise, if everyone already knows what you're planning, why would they still go to great lengths to deliver themselves to their doom?
Sigh, this is the thousandth time Zhao Minggeng wants to retire and return to his hometown.
While Zhao Minggeng was busy devising wicked schemes, Zhao Qingyan's construction team had already begun work on the land designated by the Emperor.
The blueprints were designed by Zhao Qingyang, and the landscaping ideas were provided by Zhao Qingyi.
In short, the two brothers worked together seamlessly.
In those days, if a house was built too high, heating it in winter would be a major problem.
It was built to resemble the villas of later generations.
Each house occupies about 100 square meters. The basement is used as a storage room, the ground floor is used as a bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc., and the second floor is used as a bedroom.
The roof was made flat, and a half-floor was built on the top floor to squeeze in a bedroom.
Anyone with a bit of ambition can easily build a few wooden troughs on the roof and grow some flowers, plants, and vegetables.
Those who like to cool off on the rooftop can build a small wooden gazebo on it; they can decorate it however they like.
To ensure the house's sturdiness and safety, a large number of pillars were used.
None of the bedrooms were very large.
Each bedroom is approximately 8-10 square meters in size.
Whether you want one or two people to live there depends on the size of the bed. Excluding the study, you can squeeze out five or six rooms on the second floor.
Although the floors of each household are not paved with marble or similar materials, the floors on the first floor and in the basement are all cement, smooth and clean, while the floors on the second floor are all wood flooring.
The walls were spotless, without a speck of dust.
Each house is about ten meters apart, with small fences separating them.
There was one well for every ten households, and to make it convenient for each household to use water, craftsmen were specially commissioned to make a flat, wheeled handcart for each household.
The wheels are small, so the cart is not tall.
When fetching water, you can fill several buckets at once and then push them home in a small cart, which is very convenient.
In the courtyard of each household, a very large vat was also prepared.
This place needs to be kept full of water at all times for fire prevention.
Of course, if you're a diligent person, you can change the water every day.
After all, in the summer, you can fill a tub with water, let it sit in the sun all day, and then take a refreshing shower in the evening.
The streets in the neighborhood are all paved with cement, so no matter how heavy the rain, you won't get muddy feet when you walk around.
Each household has a sewage pipe outlet at its door with a mesh cover, into which dirty water can be poured directly.
There is other garbage and filth, which is collected by someone at a fixed time every day.
The main selling point is cleanliness and hygiene.
This configuration is already quite good.
After the first batch of model houses were built, the emperor was invited to visit them, and he was quite amazed by the novelty.
I walked around upstairs and downstairs a few times, and I felt that every place was full of ingenuity.
For example, the kitchen has a separate door.
The firewood burned was enough to heat the kang (heated brick bed) and heated walls in the house, and the smoke wouldn't drift into the main room.
The first-floor washrooms are conveniently separated for men and women, making them easy for family members to use.
At the same time, you no longer need to go to an outside toilet to relieve yourself; you can simply wash yourself with water and you'll be clean.
The excrement and urine would be flushed into a huge septic tank.
Regular cleaning is all that's needed.
It won't make the entire residential complex stink of excrement and urine.
At the same time, the sewage pipes can remove more than just the sewage from individual households.
The key point is that during the rainy season, it can drain a large amount of water, which is much better than the sewage discharge system in Beijing.
And so, the emperor began to have his own little schemes.
Zhao Minggeng led the emperor on a tour, explaining the function of each component and the subsequent handling methods, but never mentioning the plan to renovate the imperial city.
After all, the roads in the imperial city have already been repaired very well. If the sewers were to be repaired as well, the project would be too big, requiring a lot of digging and wasting resources.
It's useful, but it's a huge undertaking.
As someone who can only look at pictures, he wouldn't actively seek out anything too profound.
The emperor returned to the palace very satisfied, and at the same time, he did not forget to tell Zhao Minggeng that he should reserve a house in the best location for him.
Well, since the Emperor made the request, Zhao Minggeng naturally complied and specially went home to have his son design a house for him.
The facilities inside are much better than those in other houses; there's even a well dug in the yard.
That's really something; they've thought of everything imaginable.
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