113 Reform the tax system
"It was I who was too impatient."
The north wind howled, and snow fell heavily, covering everything in a silver-white world.
Compared to her first trip north many years ago, Shen Suqin's trip this time was extremely comfortable.
The official road was smooth and wide, and the carriage barely felt any bumps as it traveled along it. A charcoal fire was burning inside the carriage, making the entire compartment warm and cozy.
She leaned against the carriage, half asleep, the sound of the cold wind howling outside filling her ears.
She traveled at a leisurely pace and arrived in Ningyuan just before the Lunar New Year.
Su Yubai and Yan Lin were waiting for her at home, having lit the fireplace in advance, making the house warm and cozy.
Shen Suqin took off her cloak and asked them with a smile, "Don't you guys have anything to do on weekdays? You've spent the whole day waiting for me here."
Yan Lin took her cloak, hung it up, and asked, "Didn't you write a letter a long time ago saying you were leaving? Why did it take you so long to arrive?"
"The wind and snow were heavy on the road, so we were a bit slow. How are things at the weapons workshop?"
Yan Lin replied, "Don't worry, we're just making firearms every day now, and the Black Flag Army should be able to use them all by next year or the year after."
“I think so too. Once we take over Shatuo, we’ll start seriously smelting iron and selling ore, and make some real money,” she said.
“When that time comes, I’d like to go to the area outside the Great Wall and open up the trade routes I mentioned to you before.”
"I know, you can go if you want, I won't stop you."
“Alright,” Su Yubai interrupted them, “we’ll talk about it later. It’s not like the Shatuo are made of paper and can be taken down just like that.”
“With General Zhenbei here, what is impossible?” Shen Suqin said.
Su Yubai pouted: "Is he coming back for the New Year this year?"
"They said they're not going back."
“That’s true. I heard that martial law has been declared in the capital of Shatuo. He must be under a lot of pressure.” Su Yubai said, “Speaking of which, cotton planting has been expanded this year. I’ve given priority to supplying the Black Flag Army. I’ve stuffed their winter clothes with thick cotton. They might be sweating from the heat right now.”
“I know, he wrote to me about it, and he thanked you too.”
"A thank you can't put food on the table, you stingy person."
Shen Suqin laughed: "The richest man in Su has hundreds of millions of assets, so why is he always eyeing other people's money bags?"
With his current wealth, Su Yubai is firmly established as the richest man in Daliang. He has also brought his family back one after another and settled them in his newly built courtyard in Ningyuan City.
Su Yubai bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "How can I compare to Steward Shen? I am the richest man, so what is Steward Shen?"
Shen Suqin's family wealth was truly unfathomable.
"The Buddha said it cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken." Shen Suqin smiled faintly. "Speaking of which, life is much better now, are you two still planning to stay single? Is there some hidden illness?" She glanced at the two of them. "Or... are you two having an affair?"
Yan Lin remained unmoved by the eight winds, not even lifting an eyelid.
Su Yubai rolled her eyes. "Me, interested in him? Don't be so sarcastic. I'm not looking for someone because I haven't met anyone I like yet. As for him, I don't know. Maybe he has some kind of hidden illness."
With a bang, Yan Lin put down his teacup. "If you want to try, I can grant your wish."
"Hehe, forget it, I'm not interested. You can keep it for your future wife..."
"You two can argue any longer, I'm leaving now." Shen Suqin quickly retreated before the fire reached her.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, Ningyuan City is becoming increasingly lively, with street vendors hawking their wares everywhere and their calls echoing throughout the city.
Ningyuan City is now renovated to a magnificent state. The city gates are towering and majestic, the city walls are thick and solid, the streets inside the city are wide and straight, and the houses on both sides of the streets are neat and tidy. Anyone who comes here will see that the city is prosperous.
The ancient ancestral hall outside the city is another place that is even more prosperous than Ningyuan City.
A town naturally formed within the neighborhood, offering exquisite food, clothing, and lodging, and receiving merchants from all directions every day, with a constant flow of people.
The ancient ancestral hall has long since expanded from the original western suburbs to the eastern and southern suburbs. If it weren't for the fact that people are prohibited from approaching the old cat ridge to the north, the northern suburbs would definitely have been included as well.
It now occupies more than three times the area of Ningyuan City, firmly enclosing the city in the middle, almost forming the appearance of an outer city.
The largest soap workshop, flour workshop, and cotton clothing workshop in Guzongfang operated day and night, continuously supplying goods to Chenji Zhenhuofang in various places.
As the apparent head of the Guzongfang, Su Yubai had openly and proactively offered gold to the Three Departments when Shen Suqin entered the court as the Minister of the Three Departments. This is precisely why the aristocratic families only made trouble once afterward and then remained silent.
The reason is that we can't compete.
Now, Gu Zongfang openly stands behind Emperor Xingwu, and Emperor Xingwu still firmly holds the Three Departments in his hands. The Pei family also implicitly stands behind Emperor Xingwu, so that this young emperor's voice in the court is growing stronger and stronger.
On New Year's Eve of the third year of Xingwu.
The Great Liang finally showed signs of a revival. Every household in the capital hung red lanterns and lit explosive fireworks, with deafening explosions soaring into the sky.
Thousands of kilometers away in Ningyuan, Su Yubai accompanied Shen Suqin to set off fireworks in the courtyard, while Yan Lin sat on a recliner under the eaves, holding a cup of hot tea.
In the quiet of the Shule River, Xiao Pingchuan sat upright in his military tent. In the flickering candlelight, he unfolded a secret report: the gunpowder master had been assassinated.
Xiao Pingchuan got up and walked outside the tent, looking up at the sky. The dark sky was inverted on the earth, with stars scattered about, distant and profound.
After the Spring Festival, Ningyuan City will soon be bustling with activity again.
This year, the planting area for wheat and cotton will be further expanded. Su Yubai had told her this, and Luo Su had also come to see her.
Luo Su meant that, in addition to the entire Liangzhou region, other prefectures and counties also wanted to join in cotton cultivation. Shen Suqin thought about it and asked him to postpone it for the time being and not agree, as she had other plans.
Apart from Jinzhou, land grabbing was still prevalent in other parts of Daliang, and head tax was unavoidable.
The problem of heavy taxes persists.
In the past two years, displaced farmers have found ways to make a living other than farming, such as working in workshops. After they have income, this contradiction has been slightly alleviated, but the crux of the problem has not been solved.
Actually, there is a solution: reform the tax system.
If the tax is changed from being levied per capita to being levied per acre of land, then landless people will not have to pay taxes, while wealthy gentry who have seized thousands or tens of thousands of acres of land will have to pay double the taxes.
In this way, the wealthy and powerful would have no choice but to find a way to give up their land so that the common people could get it back.
Given the current economic situation, it would be easier to manage large tracts of land if they were concentrated in the hands of one or more people, especially for cotton cultivation.
Its processes are complicated, labor-intensive, and demanding, requiring unified management.
Most importantly, if they can earn an income by hiring people to work, is it still necessary to return the land to them?
Shen Suqin hesitated and considered this matter for a long time.
Finally, unable to make up her mind, she had no choice but to consult with Liu Zimu.
Liu Zimou is now the governor of Jinzhou, but since the late emperor once enfeoffed Jinzhou to Xiao Pingchuan, it should be managed by Xiao Pingchuan himself, so there should be no governor.
Unfortunately, Xiao Pingchuan was unwilling to manage the affairs himself, so Shi Ye left Liu Zimu to him, also in order to safeguard Shi Ye's achievements in governance.
"Is the landlord worried that once the farmers get the land, management will become more difficult and cotton production will be affected?" Liu Zimou asked.
Shen Suqin nodded: "That is indeed a consideration. If the quality of cotton is inconsistent, it will be difficult to run a cotton clothing workshop."
"Has the landlord ever considered that if people owned their own land, they might work more diligently for themselves than for others? Moreover, once farmers own their own land, it's like they have roots, their hearts are at ease, and society will be much more stable."
Shen Suqin thought to himself: Yes, the land is like a rope, binding people firmly, which is the only way to prevent them from wandering around and causing trouble.
“Actually, His Majesty has been studying how to solve the land enclosure problem for the past two years. As you know, in earlier years he tried to force aristocratic families to return their land, which was almost entirely ineffective. Later, he wanted landless people to cultivate the wasteland themselves, but the results were not ideal. Now, starting with the tax system is a good solution,” Liu Zimou said.
Shen Suqin remained hesitant: "Reforming the tax system is not as gentle as allowing poor scholars to enter the court; the aristocratic families will likely have a stronger backlash. Moreover, it seems that the Great Liang has reached a certain balance; is it really a good idea to break it rashly?"
Liu Zimou was just as radical as Emperor Xingwu: "Your Majesty is not what he used to be. Since he came to power, more and more forces in the court have been siding with him, especially the lower-level officials. On the contrary, the aristocratic families have become increasingly weak in recent years and are no longer as powerful as they used to be. I think it is worth a try."
Shen Suqin pondered for a long time before saying, "I haven't been involved in court affairs for a long time, so perhaps I'm a bit slow on the uptake. Anyway, I'll give you the solution, and you can discuss it yourselves. However, my man is still waiting for news; he wants to know whether we should continue to loosen the restrictions on cotton planting this year."
If taxes are used to control land use, cotton cultivation will inevitably be affected.
"Let's have as many varieties as possible. It's spring planting season right now, and even if we're going to change the tax system, we can't do it at this critical juncture. I will personally go to the capital to discuss it with His Majesty. It's very likely that the regulations will be finalized this autumn, and it might even be implemented next year."
Shen Suqin listened and nodded, "It was I who was too impatient."
Liu Zimou's gaze softened: "Teacher has the people's well-being at heart."
"Don't flatter me," Shen Suqin stretched, "Oh dear, I've been talking for so long and you haven't even offered me a sip of water. Your hospitality needs improvement."
Liu Zimu smiled and said, "It was my oversight. Wait a moment." With that, he got up and quickly walked out.
Shen Suqin got tired of sitting, so she stood up and walked around.
This is not the government office, but Liu Zimou's own residence, a small courtyard with flowers and plants right inside the entrance, followed by the bedroom, study, and reception hall.
She was in her study at the moment, with bookshelves reaching the ceiling on three sides, filled with all kinds of books, including water conservancy, business, the Four Books and Five Classics, travelogues, and more.
She casually flipped through the pages and suddenly saw the first book she had taught him years ago. She reached out to pull it out.
Unexpectedly, Liu Zimu returned just then and interrupted her, saying, "This is a sweet soup I learned to make. Try it. It contains milk and red bean paste."
Shen Suqin's eyes lit up, and she quickly took it, asking, "Is it the red bean paste sweet soup from Fuliang Mountain?"
"Yes, I don't know if it's authentic or not."
"Authentic, authentic, this is exactly the taste I've had in years. I didn't know you had this skill, it's really good."
“I’m glad you like it,” Liu Zimou said. “You can call me anytime if you want some, and I’ll deliver the sweet soup to your door. Consider it my way of thanking my teacher.”
Shen Suqin laughed happily: "If I had known, I would have saved more people back then, and each of them would have given me something as a gift. I would have never had to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life."
"It's a pity that I was the only one who survived back then," Liu Zimou said calmly.
Shen Suqin's smile faded; she didn't like thinking about what happened back then.
She put down her bowl and sighed, "Fortunately, I raised you well. You are now more outstanding than I expected."
After their back-and-forth conversation, Shen Suqin realized that he was steady and meticulous in his work, had lofty aspirations, and was definitely not someone to be underestimated.
Of course, she had already noticed this a few years ago, but recently the feeling has become more and more obvious.
Liu Zimu took two steps closer and reached out to take her bowl.
He was tall and of northern descent. Perhaps due to his childhood experiences, he always carried a touch of melancholy in his bones, and when he fell silent with a somber expression, he even exuded a hint of hostility. Yet, he was also well-read and possessed the rationality and restraint of a scholar, making his overall demeanor both complex and unique.
Yan Lin had once badmouthed her, saying that this kid had ulterior motives.
Shen Suqin, however, felt that it was perfectly normal to have ambitions if one wanted to pursue an official career.
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