Chapter 57 Jinling Cangyue (Part 3) "Suzhou, the method of reforming abuses."...
"What are you going to do?" Yan Chaoqi asked.
Lan Huaien lowered his head and remained silent.
“Now is not the time for you to be willful,” Yan Chao frowned, thinking he wanted to go to Suzhou for sightseeing, but still patiently explained, “We can’t be too careful with Li Shihuai. I’m not in Nanjing, and you are the only one who can stand up to him. With you here, he will have some concerns. Besides, you have just recovered from your illness, and it is not advisable for you to travel again.”
Lan Huaien whispered "Yes," and secretly glanced at her, his eyes meeting hers. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked away, only to hear her softly ask, "Is there anything else?"
"No, no." He stood up and bowed to her. "Your Highness, please take care on your journey."
Yan Chao nodded and said, "I have Duan Shou by my side to protect me, so I'll be fine. You should also be careful."
After he finished speaking, seeing that he didn't seem to be taking his leave, he added, "If you're not in a hurry, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea before you go?"
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When news of the Crown Prince's trip to Suzhou spread, officials in Nanjing couldn't help but gossip and feel unsettled.
Since the Crown Prince gave the order, the enthusiasm of all departments had been mobilized, and all work had been proceeding at a rapid pace in recent days. Now that the Crown Prince has suddenly left, everyone feels leaderless. Some of them, who had been working hard and had always been eager to flatter the Crown Prince, are now feeling resentful because they cannot claim credit for their efforts.
Seeing this scene, Li Shihuai felt a strange mix of emotions.
The Crown Prince has handed him an opportunity for nothing. Whether it's power or people's hearts, as long as he handles it properly, everything will be easy for him.
To his surprise, no sooner had the Crown Prince left than Lan Huaien, who had remained out of the public eye for some time, entered the Nanjing Garrison Office and brazenly meddle in politics.
Even Sheng Ji'an, the garrison commander of Nanjing, dared not act rashly, and the rest of the people were even more on tenterhooks. The infamous reputation of the Eastern Depot's director spread throughout the land, making him even more feared than the crown prince.
Li Shihai also found the situation extremely troublesome. If Lan Huaien were watching him, he would have to think carefully about whatever he did, since the eunuch's words could influence the emperor's decisions.
Fortunately, he managed to stay composed. After all, he was a high-ranking official in the cabinet, while Lan Huaien was nothing more than a dog.
The imperial decree from the capital took several days to reach Nanjing. The punishment for Chu Wei and the other key criminals was: immediate execution.
It's not necessary to wait until autumn.
Lan Huaien was not surprised at all, and even suggested that he should supervise the execution.
Li Shihai hesitated slightly, "His Highness the Crown Prince attaches great importance to this matter. He previously ordered the Ministry of Justice to conduct a thorough interrogation of Chu Wei. Now that the criminal is about to be executed, we must send someone to inform the Crown Prince immediately..."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lan Huaien interrupted him without hesitation: "Grand Secretary Li, the imperial edict is for immediate execution. Even His Highness the Crown Prince cannot disobey the decree. Why go through all this trouble?"
Everyone was surprised by the arrogance of this eunuch in the imperial court, and their expressions changed instantly as they all turned to look at him.
Even Li Shih-huai felt extremely embarrassed. In the capital, with the emperor above him to keep him in check, Lan Huai-en had never embarrassed a court official like this before. Now that the crown prince had left, he no longer cared about anyone.
Upon returning to his post, Li Shih-huai immediately wrote a secret memorial and ordered it to be sent to Suzhou by fast horse.
The junior official beside him asked in confusion, "Sir, it's possible that the imperial edict wasn't received in Suzhou."
“I know,” Li Shihuai stroked his short beard and said calmly, “It is not my duty to deliver imperial edicts, but I still have to report on the situation in the city to avoid giving the Crown Prince any leverage. Besides, this is official business, and Lan Huaien has no reason to stop me no matter how far he tries to interfere.”
The clerk immediately understood: "Sir, do you have other things to send out of the city?"
Li Shihai's gaze was deep and meaningful as he said, "I'm just sending someone to deliver a message. Lin Zhan, the agricultural magistrate of Changshu County in Suzhou Prefecture, is responsible for supervising agriculture and water conservancy. This civil unrest originated in this county, and no matter what, Lin Zhan cannot escape responsibility. He has been imprisoned for a while, but the reason he hasn't been sentenced is because Zhu Yongxing is using the pretext of a thorough investigation to suppress it. Now that Nanjing is about to execute criminals, and the Crown Prince is going to Suzhou, Lin Zhan can't be delayed any longer. What's more, his wife comes from the Cui family of Jinling, is the younger sister of Empress Wenhui, and the Crown Prince's aunt. I've secretly arranged for someone to find a way out for the Lin family; it's just a matter of whether the Cui family is willing to do it."
The official praised the suggestion, poured Li Shih-huai a cup of tea, and then asked, "What if the Crown Prince has no intention of showing favoritism?"
"Then take Cui's life first, and then spread the news that the Crown Prince forced his aunt to death out of loyalty. If His Majesty hears of this, he will surely become dissatisfied with the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince may not know about that palace secret from ten years ago, but he learned it all from Consort Li. The Emperor had disliked Empress Wenhui before, and he would only dislike the Crown Prince more in the future.
As the two were talking, a servant suddenly came in to report that the eunuch Sheng Ji'an, the garrison commander of Nanjing, was requesting an audience.
Li Shih-huai tossed the scroll of official documents in his hand to the clerk beside him and said, "Please ask him to wait in the front hall first. I will be there shortly."
"Yes." The servant obeyed and withdrew.
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Suzhou.
When Yan Chao and the others arrived, the rain had just stopped and the sky had cleared. Looking around, they saw the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan: willows, painted bridges, and emerald curtains in the wind—a scene of prosperity and elegance. However, she had no time to appreciate it. After a moment of amazement, she calmed her thoughts and began to consider her business.
This was not a minor inspection tour; the procession was quite large, and dealing with the various officials' audiences took considerable effort. Once things were mostly settled, it was finally possible to formally summon the relevant officials to discuss government affairs.
While in Nanjing, Yan Chao also received several memorials from Suzhou, but the contents on paper were ultimately limited. Only after reviewing them again did he learn the details.
According to the prefect of Suzhou, the civil unrest last month was not solely related to the autumn tax. The bandit leader who instigated the uprising confessed that the people involved included not only farmers, but also remnants and descendants of a group of rebels from the north decades ago.
"Jiangnan suffers from grain shortages, while Hebei suffers from horse shortages. The riots caused by the horse administration took the late emperor a year to quell. I never imagined that decades later, the civil unrest over the autumn tax in Suzhou would still be inextricably linked to this." Yan Chao raised his eyes and swept them over the crowd, asking, "Since you are all local officials of this prefecture, please share your views first."
After the Suzhou civil unrest was quelled, a thorough investigation was conducted, resulting in the downfall of officials at all levels. Some of the officials present today are newly promoted. As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and given this crucial juncture, they naturally dare not slack off.
The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment before someone finally broke the silence.
"Your Majesty, I, Luo Yingke, the Assistant Prefect of Suzhou, report that the root cause of this civil unrest lies in the flaws in the tax system of Suzhou Prefecture. The nation's revenue largely depends on the southeast, and Suzhou Prefecture is the most heavily reliant on the southeast. The proportion of government-owned land is excessive, resulting in heavy taxes. Even with previous tax reduction policies, Suzhou Prefecture's taxes remain several times higher than other prefectures. Furthermore, in addition to taxes, our dynasty's grain transport system relies on the people collecting and delivering the grain. Besides the regular grain, the people are required to pay an additional 'waste grain,' a practice known as 'tax-for-service.' Since Emperor Taizong moved the capital, the increased consumption during grain transport has further burdened the people. Suzhou has been in arrears on taxes for years, and the people are unable to bear the burden, leading to this year's boiling resentment and the uprising. I believe that to appease the people, some of Suzhou Prefecture's arrears should be exempted. For a long-term solution, the acreage needs to be reassessed, and the taxes levied on government-owned land should be reduced."
Before the words were even finished, someone immediately spoke up: "Your Highness, I believe this civil unrest is not inevitable, but rather accidental. The Suzhou Prefecture's taxes and corvée labor have always been handled this way; in years of famine, they are exempted by imperial decree. Although there were occasional conflicts, officials and the people have always lived in peace. The reason for this year's unrest is ultimately because the remnants of the rebel army have not been eliminated, and the people have been misled by them into rebellion. If we simply reduce taxes, it might embolden the rebels to take advantage of us..."
Another voice abruptly interrupted him: "I, Zhao, cannot agree with what Magistrate Zhou has said. While the rebels are indeed despicable, if the people were living in peace and contentment, why would they be forced to rebel and risk death by associating with the thieves? Furthermore, the rebellion has now been quelled, the people have been temporarily appeased, and all officials in the prefectural government who neglected their duties have been punished and demoted. For Magistrate Zhou to now say that the blame lies solely with the rebel army is to accuse the court of making a mistake in its decision-making. Or can you guarantee that there are no starving people in Suzhou Prefecture and that the farmers in the fields can all be self-sufficient?"
His words were sharp, and Magistrate Zhou's expression immediately changed, but he still tried to argue, "Magistrate Zhao, you are misinterpreting me..."
Judge Zhao glared at him: "His Highness the Crown Prince is still sitting in the hall. How dare you speak nonsense and deceive the emperor?"
"I didn't!" Zhou Tongpan was taken aback by the sudden accusation and panicked. He quickly turned and knelt before the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, please understand, I had no such intention. Zhao Tongpan is slandering me!"
Prefect Zhao remained in a tense stance, oblivious to the subtle signals given to him by the Prefect beside him. Just as he was about to speak, the Crown Prince at the head of the table spoke up: "Enough. I'm here to discuss countermeasures with you all, not to listen to you two arguing."
The two fell silent, about to apologize, when the Crown Prince said again, "I have heard what you two have said. Let's discuss the important matters first. As for Prefect Zhou, we can explain to you later."
Judge Zhou's face turned pale. Realizing what was happening, he swallowed the words "Your Highness" that had just left his mouth, composed himself, and bowed his head to apologize.
The atmosphere in the hall was even heavier than before. Zhu Yongxing, who was sitting closest to the Crown Prince, glanced at her secretly, and his heart stirred slightly.
Prefect Zhao also composed himself, bowed and apologized: "Your humble servant, Zhao Zhizhang, Prefect of Suzhou, was impolite in his words and actions. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness."
Yan Chao neither agreed nor disagreed, but nodded and said, "Let's go back to our seats first."
The discussion was interrupted as soon as it began, and when it resumed, the atmosphere among the group had subtly changed.
Yan Chao continued the previous topic, asking, "I have a question. Just now, Magistrate Luo emphasized that Suzhou Prefecture has a large amount of official land and heavy taxes. However, as far as I know, Suzhou reduced taxes by a considerable amount last year. Although it did not completely alleviate the burden on the people, it did give them time to recuperate. Moreover, Suzhou did not experience any floods or droughts this summer, so it is unlikely that the common people would be forced to riot. Apart from the instigation of bandits, is there any other reason?"
Luo Yingke pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Highness, Suzhou Prefecture is located between the river and the sea. Every summer, when there are frequent torrential rains, it is extremely prone to disasters such as hurricanes and tidal surges, which can cause farmland to be washed away and people and livestock to drown. In mid-July this year, the rising tide almost overflowed into Changshu County. Although it did not cause any disaster, it caused panic among the people. Some coastal residents fled in panic to the inland areas, and for a time, the number of refugees in Suzhou City increased, which did indeed pose a certain threat to public security."
Yan Chao nodded, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught Zhao Zhizhang's hesitant expression, so he gestured to him.
Having received the Crown Prince's approval, Zhao Zhizhang eagerly spoke up: "Your Highness, although the court exempted summer taxes last time due to the snow disaster, the tenants who rented government land did not have their burdens lightened!"
Yan Chao's expression hardened, slightly puzzled: "Why is that?"
"As Your Highness said, the tax reduction by the court is indeed substantial, but this decree only benefits wealthy households that own the vast majority of land. Poor farmers who rent land from wealthy people have to pay high rents to their landlords every year. The court's decree to reduce taxes does ease the burden on wealthy households, but the tenants below still have to pay rent as usual. In the event of disasters or famines, after paying the rent, there is hardly anything left. Even worse, there are those who pay the rent today and have to beg for loans tomorrow!"
As Zhao Zhizhang spoke passionately, his expression grew increasingly solemn towards the end.
After he finished speaking, everyone in the hall felt a chill run down their spines, and their gazes toward Zhao Zhizhang became somewhat somber.
Perhaps prompted by Zhao Zhizhang's words, other officials soon followed up: "The rent for official land in Jiangnan is mostly expensive, reaching as high as 1.3 shi in some prefectures and counties, and as low as □□ dou. In this civil unrest, 80% of the people are tenant farmers. They took advantage of the chaos to break into the homes of wealthy families, causing considerable casualties."
"Even among the wealthy, there are many cunning and treacherous individuals who falsely report their land holdings under various pretexts such as river collapses or accidents. They use trickery and misappropriation to transfer their land to others in order to share the burden of taxes and evade corvée labor. As a result, the suffering of the common people increases day by day."
Some of what everyone said was mentioned in previous reports, which Yan Chao had already learned about during his journey south; the rest was what was being mentioned at the moment. She listened to them one by one, and then turned her gaze to Zhu Yongxing.
"I remember that Governor Zhu mentioned methods to eliminate abuses in his memorial last month, including equal distribution of grain and land limits."
Zhu Yongxing said "yes," but the cabinet in the capital had yet to give a definitive reply, so he knew it was not going to be implemented. Now that the Crown Prince had asked, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.
"Your Highness, I propose that land should be levied uniformly, regardless of whether it is owned by officials or commoners, with taxes starting at three dou (a unit of dry measure). This is called 'equal grain tax.' Furthermore, the land owned by the wealthy should be limited to no more than one thousand mu (a unit of land measurement), and any surplus beyond what is needed for their own consumption should be distributed equally among the poor. This is called 'land limit.' This is to ensure a peaceful coexistence between the rich and the poor, and to ensure that both the public and the private sectors are satisfied."
Yan Chao remained silent, only asking the crowd, "What do you all think?"
She consulted Chen Xiu and Li Shih-huai at the time. Chen Xiu thought it was too arbitrary and general and needed to be improved before it could be implemented; Li Shih-huai, however, firmly opposed it, believing that too much change would easily cause turmoil.
"I believe this is feasible. The tax rate for private land is much lower than that for government land, so wealthy households buy land from poor people and pay taxes to the court according to the private land tax rate. However, the rent and tax for government land are still borne by the poor, making it impossible for the people to pay their taxes. If the land tax is unified, the burden on government and private land can be balanced. As for limiting the land owned by wealthy households, this is also a policy that benefits the poor."
"Although the policy of limiting land use is beneficial to ordinary people and has its merits, local customs and traditions vary, so it is not appropriate to apply it uniformly, nor is it a long-term solution."
"I second that opinion. There are countless gentry and powerful families in Jiangnan, but not all of them are wicked and predatory. Among them are families with a long history of official service, with a prestigious reputation and solid foundation, which should not be easily shaken. Moreover, wealthy families are the source of food and clothing for the poor, and they often provide assistance when the region is in trouble or attacked by bandits. If their land is seized without cause, it will make people uneasy."
"I believe that limiting land use is feasible, but it is necessary to subdivide wealthy households according to their official ranks and titles, and to clearly stipulate that those who privately acquire land, make false reports, or evade taxes should be punished..."
"Our dynasty has long had laws and decrees on this matter, but local powerful families do not abide by them, and they collude and protect each other, making the situation too deep-rooted to be changed. If those who violate the decrees can be found in time, these problems will naturally not occur. In my opinion, they should be severely punished and their crimes should be clearly defined and punished. Furthermore, we should encourage the public to report such cases, so that wealthy households will have something to think about."
"But since these are long-standing problems, how can they be easily eliminated? In the past, those wealthy households acted with impunity without anyone reporting them. Did the common people not see them? Did the neighbors and gentry not see them? As for a thorough investigation, if we really had to investigate every household, there probably wouldn't be many clean families left in Jiangnan. At that time, the wealthy families would be in turmoil, and the poor might not be able to stay at ease either."
"In my opinion, it would be better to investigate a few wealthy and unscrupulous individuals first. This would serve as a warning to others and deter others in the area, while also temporarily appeasing public anger and calming the people's hearts."
"This is only a temporary measure, not a cure. Now that the civil unrest has been quelled and the people's hearts are at ease, we need to come up with a comprehensive plan to prevent unrest from happening again in the future."
“It is indeed necessary to limit land ownership, but the inequality between the rich and the poor is caused by the fact that land is not owned by the government but by the people. I believe that we can follow the ancient system and restore the well-field system.”
"That's even more absurd!" The person who was about to speak shook his head repeatedly and retorted categorically, "The well-field system has been abolished for over a thousand years. If it was a good system, why hasn't it been adopted by later generations? As Shang Yang once said, there is no single way to govern the world, and there is no single way to make a country successful. We are here to discuss the path of reform, so how can we blindly follow the past and repeat the same mistakes!"
"The well-field system was feasible in ancient times, but it is not suitable for the present. It has many drawbacks and the people may suffer as a result."
...
"The biggest problem nowadays is that the rich amass wealth while the common people suffer. During famines, the government often lacks the grain to provide relief, while the wealthy take the opportunity to sell their surplus grain at high prices for huge profits. I believe that in years of famine, we can issue contracts to the poor, allowing them to borrow grain from the rich and distribute it to the poor, while exempting the rich from their corvée labor as interest, to be repaid in years of good harvest."
Zhao Zhizhang's words brought the focus of everyone's conversation back to the main topic. The room fell silent for a moment, and then someone spoke up in agreement.
Then another round of heated discussion ensued, with everyone expressing their own opinions. Yan Chao would occasionally ask a question. She had some experience with taxation in the capital region, and although she knew there were differences compared to Jiangnan, the general principles were the same. By keeping up with the discussion, she found it quite rewarding.
Everyone has clearly analyzed the cause of the problem, but there is still no consensus on a solution. The contradictions are too difficult to resolve, and the interests involved are too complex.
.
After the officials dispersed, Yan Chao sat in the empty hall for a while, and only after he had recovered his composure did he get up to leave. Unexpectedly, he had only taken a few steps out the door when a palace attendant reported that Zhou Jing, the Vice Prefect of Suzhou, was requesting an audience.
Yan Chao naturally knew why he had come. She rubbed her temples and said wearily, "I won't see him. Let him reflect on his actions."
The eunuch acknowledged and withdrew.
Liang Lu led her to the backyard. After passing through the corridor, what came into view was a miniature paradise.
Suzhou gardens are exquisite, elegant, and serene. Many officials' residences in Beijing are modeled after the Jiangnan style. Perhaps it is because I am here now that I feel that they are more natural and simple than the gardens in the north.
She paused in the corridor, looking up to see ancient, gnarled pines shielding the sun from the blazing light, dappling the verdant banana trees and the clear, sparkling pond. Even from just one side, one could see that the landscape was already a harmonious blend of artificial hills and water features, planted trees and stacked rocks, pavilions and towers, and rare flowers and herbs, all interspersed in a graceful and integrated manner.
Her gaze lingered briefly on a few lotus flowers on the pond, but the sunlight was so bright that she couldn't open her eyes, so she had to silently look away.
Seeing that she had come to her senses, Liang Lu couldn't help but sigh, "Your Highness has been working very hard these past few days, and today was especially hectic. You should take a good rest."
"Today is nothing; there's still a lot to do in the future." Yan Chao straightened his sleeves and turned to ask him, "Is there any news from the capital?"
"News from the capital this morning says that His Majesty, unable to withstand the remonstrances of his ministers, has moved back to the Forbidden City from the Southern Terrace. Then, taking advantage of the severe drought in Yanzhou and Pingyang, His Majesty unleashed a furious tirade, reprimanding many officials, including dismissing a Vice Minister of Revenue… In the inner palace, His Majesty has lifted Consort Li's confinement; although she hasn't regained her rank, her treatment is almost the same as before. Consort Ming remains favored; she carries considerable weight in the Emperor's court, and it's said she was the one who pleaded for Consort Li. Also, in Yongning Palace, Consort Lin gave birth to a princess, but because she was born prematurely, the little princess is rather weak…"
Yan Chao roughly sorted things out, then frowned in thought: Could it be that Princess Yongjia has joined forces with Prince Xin's faction? This is truly unexpected.
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As dusk approached, the sky began to darken, and the gong for the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) had already sounded softly. Lanterns were hung everywhere in the garden, and a cool breeze began to spread the darkness of night through the bright lights.
Yan Chao had just returned from outside and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when a servant came to report: a woman outside the garden was requesting an audience, claiming to be surnamed Cui and related to the Crown Prince.
Yan Chao and Liang Lu exchanged a glance, then paused slightly in surprise.
Liang Lu hesitated and said, "Although they are relatives of Empress Wenhui, they did not send a formal invitation beforehand, and their visit was late at night. This servant is worried..."
Yan Chao nodded slightly and said to the eunuch, "Tell her that I have gone to rest and ask her to come again tomorrow."
Author's Note: This chapter's section on taxation references Zhang Tingyu's "History of Ming" and "History of Ming: Treatise on Food and Commodities", Yu Jideng's "Records of Historical Anecdotes", Qiu Jun's "Supplement to the Extended Meaning of the Great Learning", Gu Yanwu's "Daily Records of Knowledge" and "Book on the Advantages and Disadvantages of the Counties and States of the World", as well as related papers (too many to list at the moment, but will be listed later when specific ones are mentioned).
This story is fictional, with a background based on the Ming Dynasty but not a fixed period, so there will be a mix of early, middle and late periods. The current tax law in the story is the Two-Tax System.
To avoid misleading readers, the correct statements are listed below: Xu Junmin, a censor, proposed limiting land and distributing grain equally; Zhao Ying, the prefect of Jiaozhou, proposed that "land should not be divided between officials and commoners, and taxes should not be differentiated by rank"; Nian Fu, a censor in history, proposed "establishing contracts for the poor"; Hai Rui proposed that "if the world is to be at peace, the well-field system must be implemented, and land should be limited as a last resort"; and Qiu Jun proposed that "after the well-field system was abolished, land no longer belonged to officials but to the common people, which is why there is inequality between the rich and the poor."
Experts can just take a look.
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