A hornet's nest
"Hehe, hehe."
"Naughty again!"
"Oh, I've never slept with my mother~" Wu Yunzhu rolled around on the bed with her hair loose.
“…”
Mother and daughter were in Kunning Palace, night falling, the lights flickering, the floor heating warming them. Both were in their pajamas. Shujia sat at her dressing table, slowly combing her hair, and couldn't help but smile at her daughter's delight.
They had already returned from Chengde, and winter had already arrived. By this time, the fourth princess had been betrothed. This was considered quite old for the dynasty, but within the imperial family, with the precedent of princesses marrying during the Kangxi era, it wasn't considered particularly late. Her husband was Yida Muzap, the Doroduleng Prince of the Gulusqipu clan of Khorchin, and needless to say, he was also a Mongolian ambassador.
After the Fourth Princess's marriage, Wu Yunzhu was the only remaining princess in the palace. Yinreng, even with the daughters he had snatched away, only had five daughters in total, which wasn't enough. He was considering adopting a few more of his brothers' younger daughters. However, he hadn't yet decided how many to adopt, or from which families. Wu Yunzhu was still the youngest princess in the palace, and her only biological child.
No one dares to mess with Wu Yunzhu in the palace.
The imperial family spent a delightful summer at the Mountain Resort. The northwestern war had been quelled, a major victory that had severely damaged the Dzungar Khanate, and the imperial court no longer had to worry about "foreign invasion" for several years. While there was still some work to be done, everyone was generally relaxed.
The tension in the air began when we returned to the capital.
Shujia had a deep understanding of this. Since returning to Beijing, Yinreng had been living in the Qianqing Palace. According to reports, he often read memorials until late at night before going to bed, which was completely different from the way he used to have time to talk in the Kunning Palace after working overtime.
All Shujia could do was pay more attention to his daily life and diet. She knew what Yinreng was doing now—now that the external threat was over, it was time to address the internal troubles. The land tax system had begun to be gradually implemented nationwide. Due to the varying conditions in various places, not only the fertility of the land, but also the influence of local conservative forces, there were many things to worry about. In addition, there was the recent repayment of the silver owed to the national treasury and the implementation of the fire consumption and the maintenance of integrity silver, as well as the corresponding issues of official administration.
Yinreng was incredibly busy. The New Deal was something he had brought upon himself outside of normal state affairs, meaning he also had to deal with the daily work of state, which made him doubly busy.
But when it comes to state affairs, she is helpless.
Coincidentally, Wu Yunzhu was also playing alone. Her teacher, Hesheli Wu Yunzhu, had only had her since the fourth princess got married. The teacher was already old and not in good spirits. She would leave after each class, leaving Wu Yunzhu to figure things out on her own. Wu Yunzhu also had other homework, such as needlework.
Like her brothers, Wu Yunzhu had other students at the Imperial Girls' School, but these students were generally slightly older than her. Many of her sisters' age were already married. She herself had several cousins of the same age, but they had married earlier outside the palace and had successively requested permission to return home to marry or wait for marriage.
The two idle mothers and daughters had more time to spend together. Shujia, fearing her daughter would be too lonely living alone, asked her to come and keep her company. Her daughter was fourteen years old this year. Although a daughter of the royal family married late, she didn't have many more years left at home, and Shujia was reluctant to let her go.
For those like the first wife, who had given birth to four daughters in a row, it was natural for them to long for a son. For those like Shujia, who had many sons but only one daughter, a daughter seemed even more precious than a son. What particularly worried her was the fate of her daughters. Her adopted daughters had all been sent to Mongolia, so how could she keep her one biological daughter?
It would be best to choose a Mongolian noble who works in Beijing, but he was afraid of ruining his daughter's life because he was not familiar with the situation outside the palace.
Wu Yunzhu was innocent and didn't know what to worry about. Her sisters all got married late, so she didn't need to worry about personal problems now. She jumped out of bed, slipped on her shoes, ran to the dressing table, hugged Shujia's neck, and the mother and daughter looked in the mirror together: "Mother, let's talk~"
Shujia tilted her head: "What are you talking about?"
"Well--"
Shujia smiled: "Don't wear too much, don't run around, just stay in bed."
"Oh." He shrank back into the quilt reluctantly.
"What's the matter?"
"Mother, when will Sixth Sister-in-law give birth?"
Shujia was stunned: "Next April."
"Hehe, I wonder who my nephew looks like?"
"We'll know after the baby is born. Why do you only think about the sixth sister-in-law and not the fifth sister-in-law?" It was really strange. For someone like the Crown Princess who wanted to give birth as early as possible, it took her half a day to get the news. However, those who were not in a hurry, such as Hongtong and Honggui, were getting pregnant one after another.
Wu Yunzhu chuckled: "I'm still thinking about the third and fourth sisters-in-law."
"oh?"
"But Sixth Sister-in-law and I are the most compatible. Well, Third Sister-in-law is also very kind."
"Really?"
"Yeah, the sisters-in-law are all good."
Shujia sighed. The other wives were pretty good, but her requirements for the Crown Princess had to be higher and higher.
"Mother? Mother sighed. Why? Tell me~ I promise not to tell anyone else."
"Go to sleep. You have to get up early for school tomorrow."
Wu Yunzhu refused to comply and kept pestering. She was young and had a more comfortable life, but she wasn't stupid. She could see that her mother cared for her third sister-in-law, but there seemed to be a lack of intimacy. She was determined to dig out some inside information.
Hesheli was really kind to her sister-in-law. Wu Yunzhu had no worries about food and clothing in the palace, and no one dared to bully her. She didn't need Hesheli to take care of her life. Hesheli started with small things, such as little toys that girls like, novel designs, and some interesting little games. Over time, Wu Yunzhu also developed a good impression of her.
Shujia thought that she would die one day, and when her daughter dealt with her in-laws in the future, she would actually be getting along with her brother and sister-in-law. It was time to remind her some things to do when getting along with them.
"Isn't it because of you that I worry about you?" Shujia made up her mind and poked Wu Yunzhu's forehead. "You are such a grown-up girl, but you still eat and play naively. Do you get along well with your sisters-in-law?"
"Uh-huh."
"Do your sisters-in-law think so too?"
"Isn't it?" Wu Yunzhu frowned her beautiful eyebrows.
Shujia smoothed her daughter's hair and said slowly, "There will always be a day when your parents pass away. When that time comes, what will you do?"
"Mother!"
"My Master, Princess, what's wrong?" Zichang, who was on duty outside, was startled.
"It's okay." Shujia said loudly.
The sound outside died away, and Wu Yunzhu stared at her mother with wide eyes.
Patting his daughter's head, he said, "Think about it carefully, think about it carefully."
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Wu Yunzhu had originally intended to trick her mother into giving her a piece of her mind, but ended up getting herself into trouble. Shujia had thought she would have insomnia, but it turned out that this teenage girl, even with all her worries, fell asleep within moments of her head touching the pillow.
It’s great to be young!
Shujia knew that Hesheli was trying to be nice to Wuyunzhu. She knew how to build a good relationship with her sister-in-law, which showed that Hesheli had some brains. Looking at her daughter's peaceful sleeping face, Shujia reached out and pulled a stray hair out of her face.
Hesheli's kindness to Wuyunzhu, like Shujia's, is largely due to social status and moral obligations, but how much of it comes from the heart? Even if she were dead, Hesheli wouldn't be able to do anything to Wuyunzhu. However, being polite is one thing, treating someone sincerely is another. Being polite means treating you well within the rules. In moments of ambiguity, affection is crucial. If I had to make an analogy, it's probably the difference between Shujia's treatment of Hongxi and her treatment of her own son.
On the surface, Shujia cared deeply for Hongxi, but she knew her own affairs, and there was a difference. It was just that until the moment of choice came, no one could see it.
The relationship between the two of them should be a little better. Shujia doesn't mind giving them a push. If it can make Hesheli more mature, it would be even more perfect.
In fact, people are always making progress. Although Hesheli suffers from "palace maladjustment syndrome", she is also trying to adjust herself - it is true that the pace is a little slow, but it is better to be late than never!
"My sister-in-law is so nice to me." Needlework is one of the more important subjects for Wu Yunzhu now. Hesheli often finds some fresh and simple patterns for her.
Hesheli glared at her and said, "You are such a sweet talker."
"That's right, I'm so annoying."
"Yes, I wish I were like you," she lowered her voice, "Hesheli is not dead, of course she also feels that there is a gap between her and her mother-in-law. As a younger generation, as a younger generation educated in feudal traditional ethics, she is also trying hard to repair the relationship with her mother-in-law. After all, her mother-in-law still cares about her, but they are not too close. In such matters, only the younger generation can take the initiative.
"How could that be? Mother mentioned you the other day. I mentioned Sixth Sister-in-law, and Mother blamed me for forgetting you."
"Really?"
twitter.
"You mean, you want me to be more lively?" Hesheli was a little embarrassed. Wu Yunzhu gave her many examples, such as Aunt Fifteen and Sister-in-law Six.
There are some things that you can’t do just by knowing them. For example, if you knew how Feng Jie became famous, could you do it?
A hint of hesitation flashed in Hesheli's eyes. She wasn't sure whether her mother-in-law had told Wu Yunzhu to pass on these words, or whether Wu Yunzhu had understood them herself. If it was the former, it was unbelievable. If it was the latter, she doubted whether her sister-in-law had misunderstood them.
What is a Crown Princess? She is someone who sets an example, who must behave in a proper manner and not make any mistakes.
"It's not that she's lively," Wu Yunzhu couldn't express herself clearly. She clearly felt the difference between her third sister-in-law and her mother, but it was difficult to describe. She had to use the example of the Fifteenth Concubine. "You... well, just get closer to mother. You said pay your respects, who wouldn't pay their respects? You said be obedient, who wouldn't be obedient?"
Hesheli's heart skipped a beat: special.
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When the women in the harem performed a family ethics drama, Yinreng ran into trouble.
Whether it is to never increase taxes, to distribute the land tax according to the amount of land, or to return the fire consumption to the public, it is definitely a good thing that benefits the country and the people. Of course, this requires strong execution. At the same time, the new policy also harms the interests of many people. These people are vested interests. Of course, they will not tolerate the damage to their interests.
There's a legitimate reason to recover debts, and if someone has financial problems and must step down to pay their debts, that creates a gap and creates an opportunity for others. Creating internal competition and shifting conflicts is a good way to operate.
But the situation was different when the huo hao (fire consumption) was publicly funded. With the money to maintain integrity, many officials who relied on huo hao to support their families without any greater ambitions remained loyal to their posts. However, officials who used huo hao to enrich themselves or to curry favor with their superiors were unhappy. However, since they were on the wrong side of the law, they had no choice but to endure it temporarily, but they were actually dissatisfied.
The "tax system" affected a large number of people, so the new tax law, by comparison, levied less tax and should have benefited the people. However, the calculation was not that way.
For example, a landlord has ten people who need to pay silver, and he owns 90 mu of land. Assuming that each of the ten people needs to pay one tael of silver, the 90 mu of land needs to pay 90 taels of silver, which is 100 taels.
A farmer's family also has ten people who need to pay the Ding silver tax, but he only has ten acres of land, so he needs to pay twenty taels.
Once the capitation tax was added to the land, the total amount remained unchanged at 120 taels of silver. However, the amount of silver required per acre changed. For a 100-acre plot, the tax was 1.2 taels per acre. The landlord paid 108 taels and the peasants paid 12 taels. The landlord helped the peasants share the capitation tax.
It sounds incredible, but if it really follows the policy, this is how it should be.
Is there anything so cheap in the world?
Landlords had many ways to evade taxes. Even if they concealed their income, it would only let the central government know how much tax revenue had been lost, and they could do nothing about it. Helping their children achieve academic success was the most benign method, while colluding with officials to cheat was also a common tactic. The wealthier the family, the more likely they were to use government connections.
In addition, officials’ property was not taxed according to a certain quota. Many landlords did not have any official titles themselves, but that did not mean they would not marry people with official titles or positions.
All kinds of unheard-of tax evasion methods were presented to Yinreng's desk one by one, which really opened his eyes.
This is a war against the privileged class that has been formed over the past two thousand years, and... the party that provokes the war is not very clean - the bannermen do not pay taxes, and most of the land that the bannermen own is enclosed, or to put it bluntly, it was robbed.
Yinreng has had time these days to focus on this aspect. Even more nervous than him are the two Fourth Masters. The three of them are so angry that they are mad as hell.
Even Hong Dan, who was relatively knowledgeable, started cursing: "What a bunch of bastards! They eat the emperor's salary and worry about the emperor, but now they are digging into their own corners! Shameful!" This country will be his in the future! He also knew that now was the time for change and he had to persevere.
Of course, you can reverse course, but the price is the gradual weakening of national strength, the gradual destitution of the people, the oppression of the people by officials... until your own rule is over. Historically, after the Yongzheng era implemented such reforms, national strength gradually recovered. However, during the Qianlong era, due to the increasing corruption in the officialdom and the deteriorating atmosphere at all levels, these good policies were not actually implemented and promoted. Instead, they stagnated, leading to the decline of national strength and a false prosperity.
Yinreng was furious: "What are the censors for? What are the officials in the Ministry of Personnel for? The Ministry of Revenue..." The problems found by the Ministry of Revenue were temporarily skipped. "Investigate! Anyone who shields gentry from tax evasion will be punished according to the law."
Wang Xuling advised: "Things will be resolved if you take it slow. The gentry are all reasonable. I hope Your Majesty will take things slow." Just muddle through.
Yinreng sneered, "I won't leave everything to my children and grandchildren! If I leave everything to them, what use will I have to them?"
Prince Yong was even more ruthless. After much deliberation, he came up with a "bad idea" - officials and gentry should serve as one and pay taxes as one. "Aren't you trying to use your status as an excuse? No matter your status, you have to pay taxes. I'll see how you evade them!"
Yinreng praised this highly: "Great, great! That's the way to go! These useless people have read so much of the sages' books that they've lost everything! Are they more valuable than others? I rule the world with the people as the foundation! These poor bastards, if you give them a little color, they'll open a dyeing house, without even giving me face!"
The emperor's memory was sometimes very bad. He completely forgot how much effort he had put into winning over scholars in the early Qing Dynasty in order to downplay the resistance when he first entered the pass.
There are many scholars who are frivolous and have poor memories. They have completely forgotten how the Qing army slaughtered people and massacred cities when they entered the pass - the current court has a tradition of brutal demolition.
Winning you over is a political necessity, and preferential treatment for you is a gift of face, but it doesn't mean you are really worth the price! The Qing court divided the Chinese people into two main types: civilians and bannermen. It's clear enough!
Especially under the feudal centralized rule, the emperor is the leader of the ministers, and I will beat you without any negotiation! I really don’t need to explain to you, really.
The hornet's nest was thus opened.
The author has something to say: It’s lively and exciting, hehe.
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