It's a mess indeed.
Zhao Shenqiao's drive to crack down on exam cheating stemmed from a certain inspiration. He was the chief examiner himself, and there were always a few people who didn't know Mr. Zhao well enough to try to get in through the back door. After these people's friendly reminders, Mr. Zhao suddenly realized: How could there be people like you? Suggest!
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Zhao never investigated anyone without a clear purpose; he always conducted thorough investigations. Since the exam was conducted nationwide, even with the resources of the Censorate, it would still take time for Mr. Zhao to thoroughly investigate. So, while Mr. Zhao is investigating, let's return our focus.
The Li family's accounts were being audited, and it was Cao Yin and Yunyu who were most upset. Yinreng simply waited to collect his money, and for the sake of appearances, everyone had to praise him for his kindness. Even Concubine Mi, who had hindered Li Xu's cultivation, was speechless. Of course, this was also due to Yunyu's efforts to suppress the news.
In August, one of the most important things on Yinreng's schedule was to see off the Mongol tribes that had come to the court. It was foreseeable that the emperor would not tour the frontier for the next two years, and even if he did, it would be at least until the end of his mourning period. If the emperor did not leave the capital, then the Mongol tribes would come to the capital, all for the purpose of maintaining good relations.
After attending the anniversary celebration, those who had longer journeys left early, while those who were closer stayed in Beijing for a while longer—their travel expenses would be reimbursed anyway. There were a few exceptions, such as Princess Rongxian, who stayed in Beijing for a few more days, regardless of whether their journeys were long or short.
Yunsi was assigned to the Lifanyuan, and he was part of the report: "Princess Kejing will depart for her banner territory tomorrow. Her rewards are as follows: twenty rolls of palace satin, twenty rolls of river silk... ten kilograms of tribute tea... five sets of saddles and horses for her husband... pieces of satin... one thousand taels of silver."
This was all done according to established precedent, and there was nothing to criticize. It was just that Princess Kejing was technically already a "grand princess," a slight increase from her previous rank. Yinreng acquiesced to this treatment, but he wanted to ask another question: "How much silver did the Mongols spend on their visit to the court?"
The Lifanyuan didn't have much money, and its expenses were covered by the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department. Prince Yong twitched his lips, feeling a little pained: "All the Mongolian princes and nobles have come here in full force, and all the expenses of their entourage in Beijing are managed by the Ministry of Revenue. The minimum is a few hundred taels, and the maximum is tens of thousands of taels of silver." Let them go! In the past, when the emperor traveled, the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department would share the travel expenses. The Mongolians would bring their own dry food and at most receive rewards. Now his family had to pay for it, and it was more than in previous years. He felt very distressed.
The fifth and twelfth brothers who were in charge of the Imperial Household Department felt very sorry for the fourth brother, and were also thankful: the emperor would not be traveling this year, which saved us so much money and trouble!
Yinreng glanced at his brothers, especially the twelfth brother, and felt even more worried. The twelfth brother represented a group of people, starting from the ninth brother, who lived in the Forbidden City. They already had titles, mansions, lands and salaries. Because Yinreng kept them to observe the mourning period, he covered all the living expenses of the family, including the salary of the kitchen lady.
The anniversary has passed. Should he let them go? No, he needs to support these brothers for another two years. If he lets them go, he thinks of the Thirteenth Brother, who was sent to guard the mausoleum. Also, the Fifteenth Brother is married, and if it weren't for the funeral, the Sixteenth Brother would have married by now. The Seventeenth Brother is also old. These three are about to reach the age of individual residences... It's all about the salary and money!
The second and fourth brothers were in the same boat. Yinreng said hastily, "I understand," indicating that this troublesome topic should not be discussed any further. He looked at his brothers and said, "Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is making careful preparations."
Yunqi and Yunlu responded to the order at the same time.
"What are the ninth and tenth brothers doing?"
The Ninth Prince has not yet been assigned an assignment, and the Tenth Prince has been thrown into the Ministry of Works. There has not been any major project to do recently, and he is bored - the country is short of money, and there are almost no projects that can be developed.
Yunlu was busy making money, of course, for his own pocket, but he couldn't say it directly: "When I have nothing to do, I read books (account books) and go out for a walk (inspecting shops). It's quiet (no one dares to talk back)."
Yun'e bowed and said, "With the Governor of the Rivers here, the Ministry of Works isn't too busy. I've only just taken on this job, so I'm taking advantage of the time off to learn the ropes. That way, when things get busy, I won't be so overwhelmed."
Ami Doufu, this is very good, very good! Yinreng said: "That's good. Princess Kejing is going back to the banner, you go and see her off." Now that you have behaved well, I feel relieved. It's just right, I can deal with the tax reform.
“Yeah.”
After the meeting, Yinreng kept his fourth brother and summoned Grand Secretary Ma Qi, Li Guangdi, and Minister of Revenue Shi Shilun to discuss one thing: tax reform.
There were four relatively large tax reforms in ancient Chinese history. The first was the abolition of the well-field system during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. That reform lasted for a long time and was carried out in different vassal states, with a time unit of hundreds of years. I will not discuss it in detail here.
The other three occurred during what is conventionally referred to as the feudal era. One was the "Two Tax Law" in the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, promoted by Prime Minister Yang Yan. Its primary purpose was to "focus solely on assets, not individuals," primarily collecting a property tax. But as everyone knows, even good sutras can be distorted by the perverse interpretation of others. Initially, reforms were generally sound and effective, but over time, all sorts of harsh taxes and levies were reintroduced.
The second reform was the Ming Dynasty reform by Zhang Juzheng, also known as the "One Whip Law," which was also quite complex. Basically, regardless of whether you were a soldier or a courier, you had to pay for everything except strategic materials like rice and wheat.
The other is the "dividing the land tax into tertiary income" that they are discussing now. This is actually another reform based on the "single whip system".
Frankly speaking, change is necessary. While it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that war is raging everywhere, the reality is that rebellions occur year after year, and this cannot be explained away by natural disasters or poor harvests. There are problems with the administration, and there are problems with the system. If you refuse to acknowledge this, you can only deceive yourself by singing "Close your eyes and it's dark."
Other disturbances are more far-flung, either due to dissenting opinions among ethnic minority brothers or to people roaming around in places like Fujian. Just now, a new wave of rioters has emerged, originally from Taiyuan, Shanxi. A look at a map will show how close this place is to the capital. Not only have they emerged, but they've also been roaming around, sweeping across Shaanxi, Huguang, Yunnan, and Guizhou. It's clear that the world is somewhat corrupt, no matter how bad it gets.
Yinreng went straight to the point and said, "In order to have a clean government, I employ Zhao Shenqiao. However, the world is in turmoil, and it cannot be solved by a clean government alone. Since the founding of our dynasty, annexation has become increasingly serious and the population has grown. In years of disaster, if we are not careful, we will become refugees and bandits." The annexation was serious, and the common people had no land to farm. If they could no longer survive, they had to become bandits.
Shi Shilun, the Minister of Revenue, had been investigating the deficit for a long time, but his superiors refused to make it public, nor did they intend to take any action. He was so angry that he almost wrote a memorial to expose the matter. Now, hearing Yinreng's words, which seemed to indicate that he was trying to ease the burden on the people, Shi Shilun sighed and replied, "Your Majesty is wise, but the livelihood of ordinary people is becoming increasingly difficult..."
Emperor Kangxi gave a fair evaluation of Shi Shilun: "He is honest in conduct, but biased in dealing with matters. When common people have a lawsuit with students, he will definitely protect the common people. When students have a lawsuit with gentry, he will definitely protect the students... People like Shi Shilun are suitable to be entrusted with financial and grain matters." In short, he is partial and helps whoever is poor.
Good, good, good.
Shi Shilun's suggestion was: "First, forgive the rent and taxes they owe. Otherwise, they can't pay—"How can the people pay the land tax if they've lost their land?" They've lost their jobs, so why would they rob you of your money? Forgive them, and you'll be a good emperor. And by the way, you need to deal with those who annexed the land and make them return the land they've annexed...
The first one was easy to handle; Yinreng knew it, so he readily agreed. The second half was a different matter. Who wants to spit out what they've swallowed? Some landlords seized their land through trickery, while others purchased it with real money. And just taking it away like that? The emperor's rule was almost over. Just look at the tragedy of Wang Mang. Even without privileges, annexation is an objective law of economic development, and those who violate it will always be beheaded.
But it was impossible not to make changes. King Yong said: "We can't always rely on exempting rent and taxes to quell the incident. If we continue to exempt them, the treasury will be empty." We still have to find a way to collect taxes.
Ma Qi looked left and right, agreeing with Prince Yong.
Yinreng couldn't make a decision right away. China was a vast country, and conditions varied widely from region to region. While this was generally true, the policy might not be applicable to specific regions.
Reform isn't like playing a dungeon in an online game, where even if your team gets wiped out, you can simply learn from the experience and regroup to defeat the boss. If reform goes awry, it could mean the government's downfall. While Wang Mang's example may be a distant one, it's still remembered. More recently, there's Wang Anshi, another reform failure, so we must be cautious.
The first order given by Yinreng was: "Conquer the hidden."
This is a historical term. Due to feudal privileges and other factors, families with achievements and titles could enjoy varying degrees of privilege, depending on their social status. These privileges included exempting certain fields and family members from paying taxes. Some people exploited this loophole by registering their land under the name of an official to avoid paying taxes. Alternatively, they could exploit this privilege by falsely declaring ten acres instead of a hundred, thus avoiding taxes on the remaining ninety acres. This was called "hiding." The same was true for the number of people; well, a head tax was still levied in those days.
When the government's finances reach a point where they can no longer bear the burden, there are two options, even if reform is not an option: one, increase taxes, two, reduce taxes. At this point, if taxes are raised further, the government will force the people to revolt (there are already signs of this), so reductions and reforms must proceed simultaneously.
Why else would you say the leadership is so high? Almost a hundred years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, I wouldn't believe it if I said there weren't any people concealing their wealth. What's the basis for setting tax rates? It's an understanding of the national economic situation. If you double the tax rate and people reduce their declared wealth to one-tenth, you still won't collect any money.
Li Guangdi, an observer, offered another suggestion: "Don't call it a census, just call it a household registration." Because there are refugees, the government needs to tighten control and protect everyone's life and property. Report it, and the state will protect you. If you don't report it truthfully and get robbed, we won't help.
Ami Tofu, this old guy is so bad!
It was clear the emperor was serious about taking action (it had no choice), and the Ministry of Revenue was overjoyed. Prince Yong then hatched another cunning plan: A region's arable land had been largely developed by now, and everyone knew its land area. If there was any excess left after subtracting the reported area from the total, hehe...
[I won't tell you this idea. If anyone tries to fool me, I'll beat you to death!]
The reform has come to an end, and the next step is to discuss the specific tax exemption details.
Before the meeting ended, Yinreng repeatedly reminded everyone present: "I am only telling this to a few of you, don't spread it out." It should be noted that all the participants were from the privileged class, and no matter how much property each of them had, they all had one thing in common: at their status, they no longer needed to hide their property, and the new policy was actually harmless to them.
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Everyone left, leaving Yinreng alone to worry. This year, he had been forced to exempt a lot of taxes (because he couldn't collect them), and the total amount of taxes was about 10 million taels. If reforms were not implemented, this much tax would have to be exempted every year in the future. Yinreng felt that he must have white hair.
White hair is bound to grow, if not for this reason, then for that reason.
Mr. Zhao Shenqiao, who was investigating the imperial examination scandal, also took time out of his busy schedule to criticize Hanlin Academy editor Dai Mingshi, accusing him of being arrogant and outrageous due to his talent. The literary inquisition was causing public outrage, and Yinreng ordered the case to be brought to the court for further discussion.
Before one crisis subsided, another crisis arose. In October, another major event occurred. It happened after the Empress Dowager's birthday. Yinreng received a memorial from Zuo Shifan, the deputy chief censor and chief examiner of the Jiangnan provincial examination. When Yinreng opened the memorial, his eyes went dark and he almost fainted from anger.
Hongdan was beside him and stepped forward to support him: "Father!" You have to know that Yinreng is not yet forty years old, so this is definitely a big deal.
Yinreng calmed himself, pushed his son aside, and asked Li Guangdi, "What do you think?" His voice was full of gritted teeth, which made Hongdan also feel uneasy: What on earth had happened?
Yinreng knocked hard on the table, and Hongdan had no choice but to say, "Khan Ama, calm down."
Yinreng remembered that Hongdan hadn't read the memorial yet and didn't know the details, so he tossed it to him, "Read it yourself." He had just ascended the throne, and he wanted to show off his reputation and make a good start. He had included Dai Heng in the examination not just because he admired his level of education or his father's, but because he knew Dai Heng was a man of real talent. Dai Heng brought him honor, but a scandal had arisen in Jiangnan, a region rich in cultural heritage!
Hongdan quickly scanned Zuo Shifan's memorial, which essentially said, "I work diligently and am a student who relies on test papers, but strangely, after the results were posted, the students weren't impressed." "Wu Mi, recommended by Wang Yueyu, the magistrate of Jurong County, and Cheng Guangkui, recommended by Fang Ming, the magistrate of Shanyang County, are both unskilled in literature and science." I was terrified. There must be something fishy going on here. Either they passed the writing on someone else's behalf, or they had connections with officials in the government. I'm responsible, I admit it, but now you should bring these two pieces of work to the capital for further quality inspection. If they pass, I'll have an explanation. If not, please punish them accordingly.
Zuo Shifan's attitude was serious, and he reported it immediately, and his attitude of admitting his mistake was good.
What's the point of all this?! It's already happened, I've been slapped in the face, and there's no point in rubbing it.
Seeing Hongdan finish scanning the memorials, Li Guangdi said slowly: "Zuo Shifan may not be aware of this, and the other examiners may not be. In any case, we must give the scholars an explanation first, otherwise public opinion will boil over, and the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River who have been appeased by the court for decades..." will be difficult to deal with.
Yinreng said, "Let's take their papers first." Examinations at that time were even more brutal than in later times, with people specifically copying the papers to prevent candidates and examiners from colluding and tampering with the papers. Yinreng wanted to take the original papers.
It should be said that this approach is relatively sensible, but the development of the situation is too horrific.
Zhang Boxing, the governor of Jiangsu, wrote a letter saying that a big mess had occurred after the announcement of the Jiangnan literary examination results this year. The matter was so serious that it could no longer be concealed. The situation was even worse than Zuo Shifan's confession.
After the Jiangnan list was announced, the scholars were shocked. Simply put, anyone who could achieve the Olympic five-ring flag (eating five duck eggs in a row) on the math test would be admitted to Tsinghua University's mathematics department. Who would believe that there was no trickery?
"That Wu Mi is from my hometown. I've read his essays, and they're utterly rubbish. And he's even on the list?! His family's rich, so he must have bribed the examiners." With this revelation, the crowd erupted in outrage. We'd all worked so hard for years to study, and just because your family is rich, you're going to wipe out all that hard work?
It's unjust! On September 24th, hundreds of students carried statues of the God of Wealth and marched straight to the Imperial Palace, shouting about the shady admissions practices. The implication was that they were taking bribes and engaging in corrupt practices. The current education system is even more deceptive than it was three hundred years ago. Three hundred years ago, if you failed the exams and graduated unemployed, you could start your own business. Now, the only path is to study and become an official. For a failed scholar, consider the miserable life of Fan Jin.
Now the matter has become a big deal.
There was no need for Zhao Shenqiao to impeach him. Mr. Zhao only needed to report his own experience to the emperor truthfully. He would report how his subordinates were filial and how he had not accepted them, and then say that he was investigating but had no solid evidence. Yinreng ordered: "Investigate!"
As I said, if you make the emperor lose face, the emperor will make you lose your head!
The relevant departments were about to argue, but the emperor, furious, was unable to resist. His good memory was still there, so he brought up the Shunzhi Emperor's imperial examination fraud case for comparison. The cheating candidates, Wu Mi and Cheng Guangkui, were hanged, the deputy examiners Wang Jin and Wang Yueyu Fangming were beheaded, and the chief examiner was dismissed. Those who helped pass the note were all caned and displayed to the public.
Mixed in with this was the Fujian imperial examination corruption case, which was smaller than the Jiangnan corruption case. Unfortunately, it encountered an emperor who was slapped in the face and severely punished them all.
At this point, Yinreng let out a sigh of relief, but he still felt a sense of unease - you killed the murderer, but the people he killed will never come back.
Yinreng was hurt and depressed for several days. He only smiled when the Sichuan Governor Nian Gengyao reported that "the people of Chengdu and other prefectures in Sichuan Province have surrendered more than 15,380 hectares of land"[1].
"This Nian Gengyao is quite capable." Yinreng said to Hongdan.
Hongdan bowed to show that he remembered it and to congratulate his father.
"Let's not talk about these annoying things anymore. Let's go to your mother's place and see how the portrait is going. Call Hongxi and the others to go with us."
Yinreng himself had been incredibly busy lately, so he naturally didn't have the patience to sit there and let the artist paint. While portraits aren't always painted from the real person, they do at least observe the subject. Once they have a rough sketch, they'll slowly paint, perhaps making minor revisions from the real person. How could Yinreng have the time to spend with them? So, he painted the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress first.
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The past few months in the Qianqing Palace had been incredibly busy, but life in the Kunning Palace had been quite pleasant. Speaking of days without the emperor, the harem was simply wonderful. There was no need to compete for favor; even with the emperor, there wouldn't be much competition.
Everyone lived their lives honestly, attending to the daily chores they had become comfortable with, teaching their daughters to read and sew. When they had free time, they would chat with the Grand Empress Dowager, returning home to enrich themselves with a book. When bored, they would find their daughters, daughters-in-law, and sister-in-law to keep them company, listening to their gossip and jokes. The days slipped by slowly.
There's only one thing that's not good.
When she heard that Yinreng wanted to see the portrait, Shujia became a little angry: "The painting is based on the model, isn't it right there? Go and see it."
The emperor and his son were bewildered. Why was she so angry now, having just been talking peacefully? Wu Yunzhu whispered, "Mother said the painter gave her a flat face..."
You little white-eyed wolf! Hearing her husband's laughter and her son's muffled laughter, Shujia was furious and poked her bald forehead: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll show you how to deal with you."
Yinreng looked at it from a professional perspective and said, "It's not bad."
"Is that me?" Shujia said unhappily, "My face has gotten bigger, my eyes have gotten smaller..." In short, she was very dissatisfied.
To draw a standard portrait, one must prepare a dignified posture, which means her face should be made more plump (you can refer to the portraits of our friendly neighbor, the Golden Sun couple), her almond-shaped eyes should be elongated, and her figure should be more sturdy... Well, it is indeed quite infuriating.
Honggui was at a mischievous age, and he was very relaxed in front of his mother. He laughed out loud without giving her any face: "Even when my mother is swollen, she still looks beautiful."
It's bad! Hongdan coughed and Hongtong glared at him.
Don't offend anyone, especially the woman who feeds you. Once the queen got angry, none of her sons would eat. Still, under Yinreng's "persuasion," they begged for dinner: "Please have pity on us and give us a bite to eat. In the spring, I'll have them find a Western painter who will paint you beautifully, okay?" Then she winked at her son and daughter.
Honggui drooled and said, "Good mother, dear mother, I am telling the truth. Tomorrow, if you find someone to draw a bun, just say it's me."
Thanks to the commotion, everyone's appetites had improved considerably, and they enjoyed a hearty meal. Dinner was a clay pot. Winter had already arrived, and a little hot soup or hot water was truly soothing and relaxing. Dinner in the palace was early, and by the time they finished, the winter sun hadn't completely set. The boys and girls excused themselves, and Wu Yunzhu was taken to bed by her nurse.
Yinreng stood up and extended a hand to Shujia. Shujia smiled and put her hand in his. The two of them walked out slowly hand in hand, taking a walk to digest their food.
"In the blink of an eye, these little ones have grown so big," Shujia began. "Yesterday, Princess Jian's wife came over and said that her children have grown up too. It seems that she wants to give us a big attention next time."
"It's still early, why is she in such a hurry?"
"Isn't it too early? Which family doesn't look around before marrying a daughter-in-law? There are so many people nowadays. If you don't tell me sooner, you won't be able to find a good one, right?"
Yinreng slapped his forehead and said, "I've been so busy these days that I almost forgot about this. Hongdan's wife, please take good care of her. Well, I'll give you a list tomorrow."
Needless to say, they are all the names of Xiu Nu's father.
Shujia breathed a sigh of relief as she had achieved half of her goal. Although the timeframe of a little over a year was a bit short, it wasn't that difficult as she could choose first without having to worry about others. "This is one thing. But you forgot, our eldest princess is almost twenty by the beginning of spring."
"I know about this," Yinreng said happily, "I have thought about it a long time ago."
Damn it! I knew you had bad intentions in stealing someone else's daughter.
"After all, since we are pacifying Mongolia, I will give her some dowry as a token of my affection," Shujia sighed. "We have just grown closer, and now she is getting married off."
Yinreng was thinking, "You should be frugal. With so many sons and daughters, you only have so much for your own pocket. How are you going to use all the gifts you give out? How much have you put into it over the years?" He knew full well that much of the former East Palace had been given away by his wife as gifts to build relationships, and her dowry had also gone into it. He had even recently given a good income to the ninth son, so he had been working hard to earn money.
"I'm not afraid," Shujia said, her thoughts catching up. "I gave my share of the Western trade to Laojiu, and he gave me some silver in return. Isn't it almost New Year's Eve? They haven't even calculated the dividends yet, and Laojiu has already given me a lot of good things."
Shujia's cheerful tone was genuine, but Yinreng still said in a deep voice, "You've worked hard over the years."
Shujia was stunned for a moment and replied, "You have worked hard over the years."
I continued walking slowly. The weather was quite cold, and I hadn't walked far. I soon circled back and asked, "What else did Lao Jiu do?"
Shujia thought for a moment. "From what his wife said, this is his only hobby. He's quite daring, actually. He collects tea and raw silk, takes them to Guangzhou, and sells them to people in Batavia. He then buys Western toys from there, and sometimes even some treasures from the sea. Further south, there are gems in Ceylon, and coral, tortoise shells, and pearls in the sea..."
Yinreng chuckled, "He's quite impressive." Fine, even if he's interested in the business world, and his aura doesn't quite match that of a scholar, it doesn't disgrace the royal family. Yinreng meant: Even if you're a badass, you have to be a big guy.
The two chatted slowly as they entered Kunning Palace. The maids and eunuchs came up to remove half of the tent for them. Yinreng, with arms outstretched, listened as Shujia said, "He hired two hundred men at once, just to escort tea and raw silk to Guangzhou..."
"More than two hundred people?" Yinreng grasped the key point.
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Yunlu felt that the chair under his buttocks was a bit biting, and his second brother's smile was too malicious.
Yinreng chatted with him very kindly: "I heard from your sister-in-law that you have been acting more and more like a rich man recently?" The three words "rich man" are actually a good word for the royal family. It means that you only seek money and not power, and you are not a threat to the throne. People will not regard you as a roadblock or a stumbling block and want to get rid of you.
Yunlu felt a little relieved and said quickly: "I was just making a small fuss. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you." Well, it was right to send the gift to Kunning Palace.
What surprised Yunlu was that Yinreng then asked him a lot of questions about his business. When he heard that he was collecting tea and raw silk in the south, he asked, "Are there any difficulties?"
Yunluo said carefully, "It's all good. This is produced in the south, so it's not difficult to collect."
Yinreng did not mention how much profit would be made, but asked: "Do you have enough manpower? How much is the salary?"
Yunluo was becoming increasingly bewildered. "How could this be accomplished with just the few men I have? We have hired people from the south, both permanent and temporary. The wages are not fixed."
This is exactly what Yinreng wanted to ask: "Is it convenient to hire people?"
"Well, there are quite a lot of people in the south. There are many people and little land there, so many families come out to earn some money to supplement their family expenses during the slack season." Would Master Jiu casually say something like lowering wages?
"In the Fujian and Guangdong areas, there is also little farmland and many people?" Yinreng himself had some idea of this. Fujian and Guangdong are mountainous and there are not many farmlands. He wanted to confirm this with Yunlu again. The same confirmation edict had already been sent to the governors of the two provinces.
Yunlu was increasingly confused. What was he trying to do? "I don't know much about this, and I haven't been there, but I've heard that some people there make a living in Southeast Asia." Speaking of this Ninth Master, he seemed a bit disdainful. The Chinese nation has a tradition of settling in their native lands and migrating, and the Manchus learned this quickly after entering the Pass.
"Going to Nanyang? What for?"
"Some people farm, and some people do business." But Jiu Ye looked down on them.
Yinreng had an idea in mind, and then he sent Yunlu away in a friendly manner, thinking hard about a possibility: to find something to do for the extra people.
This idea became even stronger after receiving the report that the Fujian pirate Zheng Wuxian was causing chaos.
Yinreng's previous "Kuaiyin" was to deal with the problem of insufficient finances. Another social security risk that has not yet been addressed is the extra population.
The nation's current contradiction is one of growing population and limited land. This contradiction is unsolvable under the current system. The coexistence of population growth and land annexation has caused many farmers to lose their land, or their holdings have been drastically reduced, leaving them vulnerable to natural disasters. Once a natural disaster strikes, it creates victims who, if unwary, can turn into bandits.
Landless people couldn't pay taxes. After all, the areas with nascent capitalism were few and far between, and there weren't many jobs to offer. Unable to pay, they fled, leaving the burden of taxes on the remaining people, and officials also had to meet their tax collection targets. Farmers who had previously been able to make ends meet were now burdened with new levies, leaving them unable to make ends meet, and they were forced into bankruptcy and exile.
The problem is growing like a snowball.
The immediate decision now is to stop collecting more taxes on the population, as long as we can ensure that the current taxes can be collected. This is what we are already thinking about: "In prosperous times, the population will increase, and taxes will never be increased."
Even without raising taxes, the population is still growing. Where will we put the extra people? We can't just cook and eat them all, right?
Yunlu's actions made Yinreng think of this possibility: the extra population can be registered and taxed. As long as they have jobs and can make money!
His thoughts gradually became clearer. He called in the Grand Secretary, the Minister of Revenue, and others to discuss the matter. Should we take advantage of the current situation? Have you heard of anything similar? Is this kind of hiring of workers a common practice nationwide? At least, it's quite common in the more developed southeastern regions.
Grand Secretary Wang Fan was the first to object: "Business is lucrative. If the people are all attracted by the high profits and abandon farming to engage in business, who will farm? Moreover, refugees will easily cause chaos."
This question can be answered using the laws of economics. If there are fewer people farming, food will become more expensive, and more people will come to farm.
The first priority in an agricultural society is stability, which means population control. Yinreng naturally understood this. However, he disagreed with Wang Fan's view: "With so little land and so many people, won't there be refugees?" They will exist anyway, so it's better to control them in one's own hands.
As the leader of a minority ruling the Central Plains, Yinreng had a slightly sinister thought: "I heard a lot of people went to Southeast Asia? That's fine, if you go to Southeast Asia, the pressure at home will be relieved. The proportion of this ethnic group's population is... right?"
Apart from those who farm, the rest are reserve refugees. Instead of letting them wander around on their own, it is better to take action first and lead them in a direction that is beneficial to oneself.
However, Wang Yan was right. He was indeed impulsive to make such a sudden turn and say it out loud. Of course, Yinreng would not admit his mistake and only said, "I will think about it."
Wang Xian was very dissatisfied and tried to persuade the emperor: "The idea you just had is very dangerous. It will destroy our ancestors' foundation..."
Yinreng had originally intended to get everyone to work together and come up with a plan to control the landless peasants for his own benefit, but Wang Fan didn't understand and even gave him a political lecture. Resisting the urge to yawn, Yinreng twitched his lips and said, "You're right."
How about establishing a new household registration system? A guest household registration system? Yinreng, his mind wandering, continued to ponder things. He still held the same view: there were too many people, and they had to find a way to feed them.
After finally sending Wang Yan away, Yinreng wiped his sweat, only to be criticized by his younger brother again: "For now, it's better to play it safe." Yinreng looked at his fourth brother depressedly. "I think you have the most impatient temper, okay? Why are you the one lecturing me now?"
"Why are you talking about this again?" Yinreng waved his hand. "Tell me, how are we going to resettle these displaced people?" He could foresee how the population would surge after the abolition of the Ding tax.
Prince Yong was also very depressed: "You can't just push it away like this." "You have to make an effort, right? Refugees have always been resettled in times of great peace. What's the point of letting them go?" "It's better to let the governors of various places pacify the refugees."
I can’t support you, dear! [2]
"It's better to think about it first than to think about it when the time comes." Yinreng was right, and Prince Yong reluctantly agreed: "In that case, I'd better check the land area and population numbers in various places first." How about maintaining stability first and then reforming?
Yinreng said, "You go and do it."
Wang Fan remained on guard for several days, but seeing Yinreng hadn't responded, he assumed the emperor was young and had gotten carried away, but now he'd calmed down. After chanting "Amitabha," Wang Fan returned with a list of virtuous women and filial sons, handing it to Yinreng and requesting funding for the memorial archway. Yinreng dutifully approved the request, and Wang Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Xian is an old man who upholds tradition and values his reputation, and he is unwilling to act rashly.
In contrast, Zhao Shenqiao was a lively old man. With nothing to do all day, he'd always think about impeaching others to rectify the situation. The aforementioned Dai Mingshi case—well, the Dai Mingshi case was quite famous during the Qing Dynasty. Mr. Zhao impeached this and that, from corruption to cheating to using censored language, but ultimately, it remained within the confines of the imperial court. Who would have thought that before the Lunar New Year, he'd actually venture into religious circles?
"Temple after temple in Zhili Province often harbors individuals of unknown origin and engages in illegal activities. From now on, no new temples will be allowed, except for those already in existence. The origins of the monks and Taoists currently residing in these temples will be investigated and reported quarterly. No suspicious outsiders will be allowed to remain. If such incidents occur, the officials in charge will be punished according to the established regulations."
From this, it can be seen that the guiding ideology of the two is the same: maintaining stability.
Yinreng kept his distance from Wang Fan, but he did approve Zhao Shenqiao's memorial. Building new temples required land, and some temples also had farmland. Many believers donated their wealth to temples instead of giving it to the state, so of course they had to be banned.
Amidst all this turmoil, the year quickly passed. Overall, it was a relatively harmonious one. While the emperor harbored numerous ill intentions, many of these were secretly planned and never brought to light. From the outside, the emperor appeared to be a good man, carrying on the fine traditions of his predecessors. He adhered to the old ways and was considerate and caring towards everyone; he was truly a good man.
In this regard, we can only say that you have made a mistake and you will cry next year.
The author has something to say:
The so-called Kangxi and Qianlong eras of prosperity would have been impossible without the reforms of Emperor Yongzheng. The imperial examination fraud cases described in this chapter, including the use of the God of Wealth to smash the Imperial Examination Hall, are real events. The various bandits and pirates described in these chapters are also true stories. All other cases of corruption, embezzlement, and various disasters are all recorded in real life.
What a mess, what a mess.
[1] Original text of the Annals of Emperor Kangxi.
[2] Sweet potatoes and corn were introduced to China in the Ming Dynasty and planted in some areas. It was not until the Qianlong period that they were widely planted throughout the country.
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