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"If your elder brother continues to be so ruthless, I'm afraid I'll have to change my name to Qin Shi Huang!"
The reform proposal from the Secretariat had not yet been drafted, but at the morning court session on June 26, Emperor Xingwu issued three edicts in succession.
The first decree was that Emperor Xingwu ordered the Secretariat to post the details and verdict of the Shen Furen case in all prefectures, counties, towns and villages of the Great Qi Dynasty and announce it to the world.
The second decree, issued by Emperor Xingwu, ordered the Secretariat to announce to all officials and civilians that, to prevent similar public unrest, any citizens who, fearing the previous emperor's harsh policies, had donated or registered their land to imperial relatives, nobles, officials, or gentry to evade taxes, were to return it to their own names by March 1st of the 12th year of the Xingwu reign. Those who failed to do so, as well as those imperial relatives, nobles, officials, and gentry who refused to unconditionally return their land to the people, would be punished for defying the decree. This decree was posted throughout the country at the same time and place as the Shen Furen case.
The third decree ordered the Ministry of Revenue's Thirteen Prefectures Cleansing Office to dispatch three officials as imperial envoys to each of their respective prefectures to oversee the elimination of the practice of hanging land among local officials and citizens and to redraw the fish-scale registers for each prefecture. Each prefecture's imperial envoy was to have a thousand soldiers at their disposal. If necessary, the imperial envoy could execute an individual first and report later. The accompanying thousand soldiers, armed with imperial decrees and a gold medal bestowed by the emperor, could temporarily mobilize local garrisons at all levels to assist the imperial envoy in the land inventory. The Ministry of Revenue was directly responsible for the areas under the jurisdiction of the capital.
The hall was empty, and the decree read out by the emperor himself echoed several times, awakening the ears.
If there were still officials who hoped that the emperor would change his mind and give up implementing the new policies, these officials completely gave up hope after these three edicts were issued.
After the three imperial edicts, the court meeting continued. Finally, before the court was dismissed, Emperor Xingwu issued another oral decree, ordering the prince to serve as an attendant to the Censorate from that day on.
Qin Hong's face turned pale, and it was only when Yan Xizheng coughed softly behind him that Qin Hong came back to his senses and respectfully accepted the order.
Emperor Xingwu glanced at his son casually, then left the throne.
Emperor Xingwu then discovered that his daughter, who used to chat with him about matters discussed in court meetings, was unusually silent this morning.
Emperor Xingwu smiled and asked, "Are you thinking about the three imperial edicts from father, or are you thinking about your elder brother?"
Qingyang glanced at his father and said, "Your Majesty's decree and the arrangements made by the civil and military envoys are all very wise. But why did Your Majesty transfer my eldest brother to the Censorate?"
If my eldest brother had been working in the Censorate from the beginning, it would not be a big deal, but my father deliberately transferred my eldest brother from the Secretariat to the Censorate. This is telling everyone that he is punishing my eldest brother. How can my eldest brother, who is so shameless, bear it with dignity?
Qingyang could understand her father's dissatisfaction with her eldest brother, but as a younger sister, she also felt sorry for him. If it were her shameless second and third brothers, the punishment would be a small matter, so she didn't bother to care.
Emperor Xingwu snorted, "I want to take back the land taxes that belong to the court from the officials, and he actually speaks for them, claiming to be concerned about the stability of the court. In fact, he is just a coward! Fine, he always wants to please those officials. I will send him to the Censorate to see what kind of people the officials are. I founded the country with military force, and yet these officials dare to fool me. If you let your elder brother continue to be so benevolent, I am afraid I will have to change my name to Qin Shi Huang!"
The little princess whose father's real surname is Qin, but with a different name: "..."
Emperor Xingwu tapped his daughter on the top of her head with the other end of his chopsticks. "Eat your meal well and don't mention him. As the eldest brother, you're the one who makes your younger sister worry about you. What a failure."
Qingyang was convinced by his father's reasoning. If a loss of face could help his elder brother understand the relationship between a ruler and his subjects, it would be worth it.
.
In the Secretariat, Qin Hong needs to hand over the official duties in his hands before he can move to the Censorate.
Anyone with a discerning eye could guess the Crown Prince's mood from his pale face. Everyone was busy with their own things, not daring to engage in conversation. Only Yan Xizheng accompanied him for a while. When no one was around, Yan Xizheng said to the Crown Prince, "The Emperor's new policies may be a little radical, but they are good policies that benefit the country and the people. Furthermore, the Emperor personally won a great victory against the Western Barbarians last year, and his prestige spread throughout the world. With such a wise and founding ruler, no official would dare to disobey the Emperor for a mere decree. The Crown Prince really shouldn't listen to those alarmist rhetoric."
After hearing this, Qin Hong felt even more ashamed. How could he have been so possessed as to question his father?
Yan Xizheng looked at the Crown Prince, who was clearly half a head taller than him but had less aura than a ten-year-old princess. He sighed inwardly and said encouragingly, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry too much. As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the more severe the reprimand. Your Majesty sent you to the Censorate for a minor disciplinary action. It's actually for your own good. Your Majesty wants you to see and hear more about the corrupt officials in the Censorate. Only by witnessing the various methods of corruption can you understand the hardships faced by the people and why Your Majesty would rather take risks to eradicate the various malpractices in the government."
Qin Hong: "Rest assured, Zuo Xiang, I will not let my father down."
Yan Xizheng smiled and extended his hand to the prince.
The figures staggered and Qin Hong breathed a sigh of relief. His father's imposing aura was like a mountain and it made it difficult for him to breathe every time they met. These heroes who had followed his father to conquer the world also made it difficult for him to stay calm.
Qin Hong felt quite relaxed walking on the palace road, but after arriving at the Censorate, he felt nervous again when he thought of Nie Ao, who was even stricter and more upright than the Left Prime Minister. At least he had some feelings for the Left Prime Minister, Deng Chong and other meritorious officials since he was young. Nie Ao was a wise minister who was invited back after his father ascended the throne. Qin Hong had contact with Nie Ao only after he started attending court last year, but everyone was busy with their own things and they were by no means familiar with each other.
Seeing Nie Ao walking towards him, Qin Hong subconsciously wanted to greet him first, but he kept his upright posture in mind, keeping in mind his father's royal teachings.
"Your servants pay their respects to the Crown Prince." Nie Ao and the officials of the Censorate bowed.
Qin Hong: "Please excuse the formalities, my father has ordered me to work at the Censorate. From now on, we will be colleagues. There is no need to be so restrained in the future."
Nie Ao also thought so. The Censorate was already busy, and if they wasted time paying respects to the prince all the time, it would be better to petition the emperor to transfer the prince to another place.
The Censorate was divided into three branches: the Taiyuan, which supervised all officials in the capital; the Dianyuan, which oversaw court etiquette; and the Chayuan, which supervised local officials. Nie Ao understood the emperor's intentions and, after consulting with the crown prince, arranged for him to join the Chayuan. He then assigned the Chayuan's supervisors to familiarize the crown prince with official duties while he went about his business.
Compared with Yan Xizheng's meticulous care and guidance of the prince, Nie Ao's attitude was extremely cold.
When Qin Hong was looking through the documents of the Censorate alone, he couldn't help but wonder, since Nie Ao firmly supported his father's new policies, would he look down on his previous opposition and vacillation?
Qin Hong was on pins and needles all day. When he returned to Chongyuan Palace in the evening, he saw his wife coming out to greet him gently, who was still unaware of his situation. Qin Hong couldn't control himself for a moment and his eyes turned red.
Lu Wenrong was shocked and distressed. She took the prince's arm and led him to the inner room. Before she could say anything, the prince suddenly hugged her, buried his head in her chest and sobbed.
Lu Wenrong gently stroked the prince's back, and when his shoulders stopped shaking, he tried to ask, "What happened?"
Qin Hong said embarrassedly: "My father transferred me to the Imperial Censorate."
After hearing the whole story, Lü Wenrong wet a towel and helped wipe the prince's face. While caring for him, he comforted him, "Your Majesty knows that you are kind-hearted, so he wants you to go there and practice your heart of stone. Now that things have come to this, you should just work peacefully in the Censorate. As long as you don't make any more mistakes, Your Majesty's anger will gradually subside. Besides, Your Majesty is broad-minded and won't be angry for long."
Perhaps it was because the emperor treated her very kindly, or because the little princess often said some approachable words to the emperor, Lu Wenrong did not quite understand the prince's awe of the emperor. The second prince, the third prince and the two princesses did not do the same.
Qin Hong understood the reason, he just felt uncomfortable and had to hide it outside, but he couldn't help it when he saw his wife.
For the next three days, Qin Hong went to the Censorate early and came back late. It was not until the court meeting on the 29th that his father praised him a little, and praised him with a smile. The dark cloud that had shrouded Qin Hong's heart finally dissipated.
At the end of the month, Qin Hong took his wife to Qianyuan Palace to have breakfast with his father, the second concubine, and his third brother and sister. After breakfast, he returned to Chongyuan Palace and did not plan to go out. He had nowhere else to go. If he went to the Imperial Garden, he might meet his father and the second concubine. Going out of the palace to play like his third brother and sister would not be in line with his status as the crown prince. His father would certainly not dare to let him out of the palace casually.
Just as Qin Hong and his wife were enjoying the painting, a palace maid from the front yard came to report that his eldest sister had arrived.
Qin Hong suddenly felt as if two heavy burdens were pressing down on his shoulders.
Lu Wenrong: "Shall I go with you?"
Qin Hong shook his head. His elder sister must have heard about his visit to the Censorate, and she wanted to see him for this matter. Even if Wen Rong showed up to entertain him, his elder sister would at most be perfunctory.
Qin Hong went to the hall alone.
After the siblings met, Yongkang dismissed his attendants and began to complain to his brother in a low voice, "Father is such a jerk! It's fine for officials and gentry to pay land taxes, but why do even royal relatives and nobles have to pay the same as the common people? What about my 100 hectares of land? Even if Father gave me half tax-free, I'd still have to pay thousands of taels of silver a year for nothing."
When she got married, her father gave her one hundred hectares, or ten thousand acres, of fertile land. When the people came to donate land, Yongkang also accepted it. Gradually, he acquired more than five thousand acres.
Qin Hong thought his sister would blame him for being too stupid and being punished by his father: "..."
The thought had barely left his mind when his sister began to rebuke him: "You're foolish! Those civil servants didn't want to pay taxes, so you asked them to advise the emperor instead of yourself. Now, the emperor is mad at you. It's fine if you don't know how to please the emperor, but why did you go and offend him?"
Qin Hong just lowered his head.
Yongkang: "By the way, tell the Minister of Revenue Peng Kai to check the farmland in the capital and then keep my 5,000 mu of farmland a secret. The people will be happy about that, and I won't be like those corrupt officials who might confiscate their property and seize their land at any time..."
Qin Hong still lowered his head, but refused to agree. "No, my father is furious. You have so much land and so many people. If the news gets out and reaches the Censorate, Nie Ao will definitely report you to my father. My father has already announced that anyone who refuses to return the land will be punished for defying his order. I cannot harm you, nor can I harm the officials at the Ministry of Revenue."
Yongkang had been married for so many years and had her own connections. She had also heard about Nie Ao's uprightness. Her brother's words really frightened her. After hesitating for a while, she finally agreed: "Alright, I will give the land back. Then you talk to Yan Xizheng and ask him to set a tax exemption for at least 80% of the land for the royal family. The world belongs to my father, and my land was a reward from my father. Why should I pay so much tax to my own father?"
Qin Hong: "...Impossible. My father personally decreed that only 10% of the land of the royal family and nobles is tax-free."
Yongkang clenched her handkerchief tightly in hatred, but no matter how much she felt bad about the money she had to hand over, she didn't dare to bargain with her father, the emperor, whose words were law.
【Author’s words】
Phew, the field thing can finally come to an end. Tomorrow I will continue to write about the little princess [three-color cat head]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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