Chapter 1231 The kings’ calculations
Sea trade?
Zhu Qiyu was slightly surprised and looked at the people opposite him in confusion. Then King Zhou continued to speak and explained.
"Thanks to your Majesty's grace, I have ordered my ministers to assist the court in running the imperial estate in the fiefdom. As a clan vassal king, I have the responsibility to protect the land, and I also have the holy order. I dare not neglect it. The affairs of the imperial estate are complicated and the land needs to be changed.
, building houses, distributing grain, purchasing cattle, agricultural equipment, ministers, etc., all are done in detail, lest they delay the imperial government."
"In recent years, there have been successive natural disasters in various places. Under the coordination of the local government, Huangzhuang has gathered many refugees, which can be regarded as a modest contribution to the court's disaster relief. This is not the boast of the ministers. In the past few years, all matters related to Huangzhuang have been
, wherever money is needed, as long as the local officials and mining tax eunuchs ask, the ministers will do their best to help without any slack. "
At this point, the old prince began to express his merits to the vassal princes, and talked about the contributions of these vassal princes in a lavish way, as if they really tried their best to serve the court regardless of the cost.
This is of course foreshadowing. Zhu Qiyu has seen this kind of routine many times in the court. After expressing his merits, he just talks about the difficulties and pours out the bitterness...
Sure enough, next, King Zhou sighed deeply and said.
"However, natural disasters are unforeseen. Since the construction of Huangzhuang began, disasters have occurred repeatedly in various places. The harvest of Huangzhuang has been greatly affected, and many places have even experienced no harvest. Those who have harvests must also give priority to ensuring the government's taxes.
Although it is the duty of ministers to serve the imperial court, they must also spend money in their mansions. When they came to Beijing this time, many feudal princes mentioned to me that they were cutting down the expenses in their mansions.
We will ensure that there will be no shortage of crops in the Imperial Village next spring."
"However, at the beginning of this new year, there are insect infestations in many places. This situation continues. Even if the expenses are further reduced, I may not be able to continue to invest money in the palace. There is no problem in other matters. However, if there is a delay,
If the great affairs of the imperial court are involved, how can I still have the honor to see my ancestors?"
Well, the second step is completed, and now it’s time to set conditions.
Seeing the frowning faces of the people below, Zhu Qiyu did not put up any airs and spoke gently, saying.
"I am aware of your hard work. Emperor Taizu once said that the Zhu family's success depends on the Zhu family. This is evident from what happened at Huangzhuang."
"Without the great help of all the vassal kings, the disasters that have occurred in recent years would never have been recovered so quickly. In my heart, I am very grateful to all the clan lords and vassals."
"My uncle's words made me feel even more indebted. However, when my uncle entered the palace today, he must have had some thoughts in mind. We are all family members. If you have any thoughts, just say so. I can be sure.
It must be approved, but even if it is not allowed, it doesn’t matter. We can talk in private without any sin.”
Although Zhu Qiyu already had a rough idea of the intention of King Zhou and others, he still had to go through the process.
Moreover, what King Zhou said was indeed true.
The experiment of Huangzhuang is different from the previous official fields and military fields. It can be regarded as a new model created by Zhu Qiyu himself.
Now that it has been rolled out, many details have gradually been improved. Although it is still a tripartite cooperation between the lord, the mining tax eunuch, and the local government, the rights and responsibilities are becoming more and more clear.
Speaking of which, this framework was improved by Yu Qian based on Zhu Qiyu's ideas. Within this framework, Yu Qian appropriately strengthened the role of local government.
Specifically, the construction and management of the imperial village are the responsibility of the mining tax eunuch. However, how to build it, how many houses to build, and how to plan the acres are decided by the local government. At the same time, the local government will also
Officials were sent into the Huangzhuang. These officials did not interfere with the daily management of the Huangzhuang, but they had the most important power, which was to supervise and distribute the final harvest.
To put it bluntly, the local government controls the entire operation process of the imperial village from beginning to end to prevent the mining tax eunuchs from enriching their own pockets. Because of their special status, the feudal kings are naturally inconvenient to participate in the process. Therefore, their
The function is also very simple, it is a money bag!
If the imperial village needs to build houses, purchase grain, and farm cattle, it must first be approved by the local government and the amount will be discussed with the feudal prince. The royal palace will pay for it, and then it will be handed over to the mining tax eunuch for use.
When the last acre of land is harvested, the government will send someone to supervise it and weigh it on the spot. Finally, except for the part left by the tenants themselves, all the remaining grain will first enter the local government's granary, and then the taxes that should be paid will be deducted.
, and then make up for the land rent of the feudal king.
The advantage of this is that it eliminates the possibility of the vassal princes using the imperial palace to buy people's hearts and expand their power. Of course, as the party providing money, the vassal princes have the right to send royal officials to monitor the process. At the same time, in
When local officials or mining tax eunuchs are found to have acted illegally, they can report it directly to the emperor, which can be regarded as playing a role in mutual supervision.
To be fair, Yu Qian added some of his own private goods to this framework. For example, the local government controlled the communication between the palace and the mining tax eunuchs, and also intercepted almost all the final distribution rights of the harvest.
The substantial leadership was transferred to the hands of local officials, which was basically consistent with the content of Yu Qian's original remonstrance.
However, although they were basically consistent, Yu Qian did not completely stick to his own ideas. Under the pressure of Zhu Qiyu's imperial edict, he still made concessions and retained the management rights of the mining tax eunuchs and the supervision rights of the vassal king, forming today's
A situation in which the three parties control each other.
It was true that it was mixed with private goods, but it was also true that it had improved the operation of Huangzhuang. Therefore, Zhu Qiyu did not interfere and let Huangzhuang continue to operate like this.
However, in this way, the vassal kings would inevitably suffer a bit. Just like what King Zhou said just now, the government will make the final distribution. So, first of all, the court's taxes must be preserved, and the remaining part will be considered for the vassal king's land.
rent.
However, in the past few years, there have been continuous natural disasters, and the harvests in many places have dropped sharply. Therefore, after the government left the taxes that should be paid, very little of the land rent actually went to the hands of the lord. Of course, it was not that it was not given.
Yes, I just owe...and then I owe, I owe...well...
Under such circumstances, the feudal king still had to spend money to buy grain for the second year, and to replace the consumed farm equipment and cattle. It is indeed not an exaggeration to say that he worked hard.
Therefore, what King Zhou just said was a complaint but also the truth. In fact, if it were not for the opportunity of Huangzhuang to give them room to adapt to many restrictions, I am afraid that the vassal king would have protested long ago.
Of course, this situation is only temporary. People tend to ignore what they get and only see what they pay.
In fact, at this annual banquet, some of the vassal kings had already begun to complain about this, and began to complain to Zhu Qiyu about the local government. However, because of the incident where the Supreme Emperor broke into the palace, their words only started and did not continue.
Just go down.
But now that King Zhou and others have come, it seems they want to find a way to take care of both...
Seeing Zhu Qiyu break the topic, King Zhou and others looked at each other, and then King Lu spoke.
"Your Majesty loves the clan, and I naturally know it. Since Your Majesty has said so, I will speak out boldly."
"I heard that Huangdian sent merchant ships to the sea and gained a lot. Later, the imperial court opened up sea trade and ordered the Shipping Department to select officials and merchants. All noble families in the court were allowed to contribute funds, and Huangdian unified the trade. I and others thought about it.
, can your Majesty also allow ministers and others to send merchant ships to sea, the wealth and goods obtained can make up for the waste of the imperial village, and can also be regarded as a guarantee for the continued operation of the imperial village."
It can be seen that King Lu and others are still very cautious. Not only did they lay a lot of groundwork, but in the end they also cited the previous precedent of Zhu Qiyu's participation in order to enhance their persuasion.
In fact, not only King Lu, but also several other vassal kings became a little nervous after saying these words.
On the surface, with their status as vassal kings, asking for a few official and business quotas is nothing at all, it is just a trivial matter.
Even if they didn't come to tell Zhu Qiyu about this, they would privately find some powerful businessmen and ask someone to send a message to the local officials. The officials in charge of maritime trade would not offend a group of vassal kings because of this.
.
However, they still came to the palace and gave such a lot of reasons to have a relationship with the emperor. Of course, there was a reason!
Although both coming to seek the imperial edict and doing it privately can achieve the goal, the meanings are completely different.
In fact, just like Huangzhuang, although many vassal kings value the benefits that Huangzhuang can bring, for them, compared with gold, silver, wealth, and silk, what they value more is that through Huangzhuang, they can be able to a certain extent.
A breakthrough in the shackles that the imperial court had always placed on the feudal king.
Because of this, even if the income of Huangzhuang is very small due to natural disasters, even after these few years of operation, the princes have actually noticed that the model of Huangzhuang actually makes them say what they said when they received their salary.
Their power has been reduced a lot, but with this foundation, they are willing to accept it.
In fact, except for some feudal kings who live a particularly luxurious life, although most of the feudal kings also spend money like water, they are not too lavish. Even if they do not count the financial resources accumulated over the years, they only rely on their daily industry to seal the land.
It’s enough for daily use.
Money is not their main concern, greater freedom is what they want.
Huangzhuang's policy actually conveys a trend of the emperor, that is, the current emperor is not overly defensive against the vassals in various places like the previous emperors (note: except Taizu).
This is undoubtedly good news for them. Of course, it may also be an illusion. In order to make them relax their vigilance, expose their 'ambitions', and then completely suppress them, this is why they were willing to participate in Huangzhuang in the first place.
There were only a few vassal kings, and even the vassal kings who participated had to refuse repeatedly, so they reluctantly agreed.
Freedom is of course good, but it must also be based on the premise of preserving life.
However, as the imperial village spread out step by step, many vassal kings were either forced or tempted to join in. Now that it has been running, these vassal kings are finally completely relieved.
Since the Imperial Palace has been spread all over the country, it means that this is really a major policy of the imperial court. With the current situation, even if the emperor wants to change his mind, it will not be easy. After all, he cannot attack so many vassals at the same time.
Moreover, although Yu Qian was strict, he strengthened the role and power of local officials in the imperial village, which made the princes feel relieved. If the imperial village were given to them, they would not be able to sleep well every day.
.
Therefore, all signs indicate that the emperor really intends to rely on the vassal kings and loosen the shackles on their heads. Although they don't know why, this conclusion is great news for them.
It can be said that these are just their guesses after all, so these feudal kings still need a definite answer!
Sea trade... is the best opportunity!
The imperial court's opening up of sea trade this time was in full swing. There is no doubt that the emperor was behind it. It was not difficult for the vassals to get involved in sea trade, but what they wanted was to be approved by the emperor, which was reasonable and legal.
of participating in it.
This process is very important!
You must know that Haimao is different from Huangzhuang. From beginning to end, this matter has nothing to do with the other vassals except the king. At present, the emperor has no intention of relying on the power of the vassal kings.
So under this situation, no matter how much foreshadowing they put forward, the essence was the same, that is, the vassal king was asking for power from the emperor.
No matter how big or small the power is, this move is definitely a breakthrough for the suppressed lords.
It should be said that this move is very risky, because if you are not careful, you may arouse the emperor's suspicion and end up being suspected...
However, what they know better is that if they don't want to live a life of being imprisoned in the city all day long and not being able to leave the city once a year, this is their only chance.
No matter how adventurous it is, you must give it a try!
The palace fell into silence. The vassal kings could not help but feel their palms soaked with sweat as they looked at the emperor's deep thought.
Success or failure depends on this moment...
So, under the nervous gaze of everyone, Zhu Qiyu pondered for a long time, and finally opened his mouth and uttered one word, saying.
"Can!"
Just such a simple word immediately made all the feudal kings present beam with joy and relax their minds.
However, before they could stand up to express their gratitude, they heard the emperor's voice ringing again.
"but……"
The vassal kings immediately calmed down and felt a little relieved.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu said.
"Since all the kings have this intention, there is no harm in participating in sea trade. However, the vassals are located in various places, some are close to the sea, some are close to the river, and some only have clear land routes. If there is no overall coordination, I am afraid that participating in it will be harmful rather than beneficial.
, I went in at a loss of money."
"Furthermore, since you have come to seek help from me, you must be asking for an imperial edict. If this is the case, then this is considered a clan matter. In addition to the clan's mansion, you also need to seek the opinion of the Ministry of Rites..."
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This chapter has been completed!