The cold winter has ended, the spring breeze blows gently across the ground, and all the doors in the palace are open, which is very refreshing.
Yuan An calmly picked up the tea cup in front of him and took a sip.
"I heard from the learned doctors in the country that Your Majesty is preparing to reform the official system of the temple, and the three Dukes are the first to bear the brunt. Among the Three Dukes, Prime Minister Zhang is a disciple of Xunzi, with high moral character and high respect. He is undoubtedly His Majesty's successor. Today's Emperor
Dr. Shi is our real brother, and this is the only one who has rebelled several times before and has a bad reputation. He may not easily delegate power. This is very detrimental to His Majesty's reforms. I pondered for a long time and wrote a letter asking for the appointment of the Taiwei.
After I become a Taiwei, I can cooperate with the King of Wu internally and externally, and work together on the reform!"
It has been three days since King Zhao returned to Handan.
On the first day, he summoned his ministers and expressed that he would be a wise leader of the clan in the future and would fully support His Majesty.
The next day, he submitted a letter asking for the title of Taiwei.
After hearing what King Zhao said, Yuan An's hand holding the tea cup trembled slightly.
Yuan Ang took another sip of tea and nodded with a smile, "Your Majesty is right."
When King Zhao heard that Yuan Ang did not oppose him, he was extremely happy. He said again: "This is all an act after careful consideration. As your majesty's eldest brother, I must do something. As a Taiwei, I am the most important person."
It's appropriate. Whatever reforms your Majesty wants to promote, I can do my best to make them happen. If the ministers don't agree to the innovations, then that's fine. As a Taiwei, I will summon the army from across the country to attack those who are disobedient!"
Yuan Ang smiled and nodded again, "What the king said makes sense."
"No, no tax will be added, just the land tax will be exempted."
In the study, Liu Chang shook his head again.
Liu Heng squinted his eyes and looked at Liu Chang seriously, "The words of the common people cannot be transmitted into the Hall of Houde. Most of the complaints you can hear come from those powerful people."
The ministers are gathering in the Houde Hall to discuss King Zhao's petition. This is a positive evaluation of King Zhao by the ministers. The ministers unanimously believe that this audacious prince who is trying to extend his hand to the military power of the Han must be dealt with.
.
Liu Chang muttered. When he looked up, he saw Liu An sitting aside with a serious look and respect. He couldn't help but cursed: "You are such a jerk! You didn't pour a cup of tea when you saw Mr. Nai coming?"
"Even if you exempt a few counties or states from taxes, I won't say anything. You will exempt the entire country from taxes. Well, what will I eat in the future? What will the officials eat?"
Not only Shen Tujia, but also all the ministers were extremely surprised at this moment.
“What will happen to the officials’ salaries?”
"Where is my fourth brother?"
Yuan Ang also completely looked away. He would die with King Zhao sooner or later anyway, so don't think about how to survive. He might as well do more things while he is still alive, which can be regarded as realizing his political ambitions. Even Chao Cuo did that.
Everyone has realized their ambitions, so they can't be idle either.
Liu Ruyi then talked about his grand cause, and he said excitedly: "When the temple learns about this, they will definitely understand my painstaking efforts!"
Most of these were suggestions, and none of the ministers had much objection. Seeing that Liu Heng was about to talk about his fourth proposal, the ministers also became serious, and they were all looking forward to what the wise king would say.
, including the Taiwei were also very considerate.
Liu Chang pushed aside several officials and rushed into the innermost study.
"Human nature is complicated, there are good and evil, but there are always more good people than evil people. If you implement benevolent government, even if there are evil people who don't appreciate it, they are only a minority. How can we delay the benevolent government that can benefit tens of millions of good people for the sake of a few evil people?
"
"Study hard with King Wu. If you don't learn well, be careful to break your legs!"
"ah???"
The only one who was qualified to speak, the lieutenant sitting on top, looked nonchalant at the moment.
Yuan Ang nodded, greeted King Zhao with a smile, and then walked out of the palace.
The third proposal requires the noble disciples to actively seek military and political achievements.
In front of his sister, Liu Ci didn't want to show weakness, so he could only pretend to be strong and rub her head.
Liu Heng's second suggestion was to reduce the number of corvees and not to implement more than one large-scale corvee in the same year.
The Taiwei was also surprised when he heard this, "This is the first time I have heard of this. Is this Huang Lao's way of governing the country?"
Liu Xun and Liu Qi were also sitting on the carriage at this moment. They were about to return to their feudal kingdoms, and Liu Ci and the others were about to go back with them.
He quickly summoned many domestic ministers and began to discuss the restructuring of Zhao State. After the restructuring of the vassal states, he, the prime minister, became the de facto governor of the vassal states. Of course, the power in his hands had to be divided.
, he doesn't care about this, he doesn't desire any great power.
None of the ministers were in a hurry to speak. This matter was of great importance and it was difficult for everyone to come up with a conclusion.
Liu Heng listened to everyone's words, his expression was as calm as ever, he shook his head, "Emperor Xiaoren's mourning period has not ended yet, and it is really inappropriate to arrest the princes and kings at this time. Well, let me come forward and write a letter
Reprimand the King of Zhao, reduce his territory, take back several of his county towns, and take back the temple. Zhao Prime Minister Yuan Ang is a capable minister, so let him keep an eye on the King of Zhao."
Let’s cure Zhao Guo first and then get some exercise in order to avoid dying on the way to the prison car.
Only Luan Bu and Jia Yi deeply believed it and expressed their approval.
Why is the wise king suddenly confused?
Liu Heng looked at Prime Minister Zhang who was sitting opposite and asked, "What does Prime Minister Zhang think?"
"This morning, a doctor from the Chinese Wen Party came to find me. He took off his shirt in a fierce manner and cursed me. He said that I had lost my head and that I didn't know how to live or die. His saliva almost sprayed on my face. I was really helpless.
Li! He was arrested by me and imprisoned in Tingwei. Today, even Prime Minister Yuan agrees with my idea. It can be seen that this person is a villain who is seeking fame. I am planning to expel him from Zhao State and no longer use him.
Him! Only the doctors in the country know what I think!"
"In the study!"
Shen Tujia couldn't sit still anymore. He who was in charge of the young mansion could not help but remind him: "Your Majesty, the annual consumption of the temple is huge. Whether it is a medical officer or an enlightenment, a lot of money is needed to avoid losing the land."
Taxes, what does a big man rely on? It’s a tax that can’t be afforded. This is not okay, my king, I know that you love the people, but this is tax-free. This.”
When the petition reached the emperor, Liu Chang, who was furious because his fine clothes and carriages had been confiscated, simply ordered that those who are extravagant should be punished! You can't enjoy it yourself, so you still want to enjoy it? Naigong wanted to see it
Let’s see who dares to live better than Naigong!
Liu Heng immediately objected, thinking that it could be advocated but could not be forcibly ordered. However, the emperor rejected him and insisted on his own opinion.
Lu Jia, who was about to speak in agreement, was just about to shout, but was suddenly stunned.
The Taiwei didn't want to argue with him about any school of thought, but just looked at Liu Heng, "I can tell you, this is not a trivial matter. Once it is not handled well, there will be big problems. If you can't even afford the salary by then,
The army has no food and causes chaos. Even if you are a prince, you must bear the responsibility!"
The three Zhuzi were all sitting in Liu Xun's car at the moment, listening to Liu Xun brag to them about his previous corvee experience.
"Your Majesty, now thirty taxes per one is an unprecedented feat. The people are extremely grateful to the Holy Family. It is absolutely impossible to exempt the land tax. If the land tax is not collected, do we need to increase the tax? It is unnecessary?"
Liu Heng looked at everyone seriously and told the contents of his petition.
The mothers seemed very determined at the moment, wanting him to go to Longxi and not wanting him to stay here. This made Liu Ci even more sad and angry. I'm still a child!
Only the younger sister seemed a little reluctant to leave, holding Liu Ci's hand tightly.
Theoretically, this is feasible, but Zhang Cang is still very confused.
"Your Majesty is right."
Jia Yi, who was sitting below, also looked a little more serious. His teacher was really eaten up by King Wu. Who could stand up to the founder's words if he just said something wrong?
“Nothing can be done??”
Liu Heng said seriously: "Gongs and farmers are the foundation of the world, and there is no great service. Now that you work hard and have the taxation, it is the same as the bottom. It is not prepared for the way to encourage farmers, and it will be eliminated."
Land taxation. What do you think?"
Dong Zhongshu stood aside with a confused look on his face. Cao Shu and others obviously did not regard him as an outsider and started to give instructions together. Cao Shu even pulled him to her side and said seriously: "Be optimistic about Liu Ci and don't
Let him run away halfway. If he pulls you to run away, tell the escorting soldiers, do you understand?"
He had already gone to say goodbye to his eldest mother. Empress Lu gave her many instructions, but she had no intention of staying.
"The ministers have exploded. They say everything. They say Fourth Brother, you can win over people's hearts and so on. Forget it, just exempt it. However, let's exempt it for a year and see the situation. If the situation is not right, you still have to adjust it.
Come back!"
"If the people are prosperous, they will be poor; if the people are poor, the fields will be barren and dirty; if the fields are barren and dirty, then the truth will be revealed."
Only then did Yuan An give orders to his left and right: "Release the scholar-officials, reward them with a hundred golds, and send all the academic doctors in the country to the Xia Kingdom."
After the court meeting ended, Liu Heng quickly returned to the Censor's Mansion, summoned many officials, and began to take care of the affairs of the Censor's Mansion. While he was busy, he saw a carriage rushing over in a hurry, and almost hit the Censor's Mansion.
door.
When the officials of the Yushi Mansion saw this, they were very angry.
Just when they were about to enter Longxi County, a mighty group of people appeared in the distance, with various ceremonial guards and flying flags. There were hundreds of people in front and behind them, all of whom were barbarians, led by officials and knights on the side.
.
If it is feasible, then during the tax-free period, the temple will not be able to do much, and you will be able to have some free time. The matter of tax-free will have to go through strict calculations. When the time comes, the matter of balancing the income and expenditure will definitely fall on you.
head
Seeing that Zhang Cang didn't answer in a hurry, the officials were shocked. Could this really be done?
The ministers all looked at Zhang Cang. If Liu Heng had just said this, they might have been surprised. But since Zhang Cang said it could be done, they did not dare to object easily. They believed that their ability to govern the country had not reached Zhang Cang's.
situation.
Zhang Cang didn't know why he was sitting here. Liu Heng was obviously on vacation, and the ministers didn't understand. However, Zhang Cang knew very well that Liu Heng wanted to solve the poverty situation among the people and allow the people to accumulate money quickly.
To save food and money to the people, during this period, the temple was destined to be unable to carry out major local operations. It had to support ordinary expenditures through commercial taxes and other taxes, so as to give the people an opportunity to get rich quickly and increase the people's income.
Income. Dahan now spends money in many ways, but Dahan has a very important source of income, body poison.
Zhang Cang trembled, pursed his lips, and said seriously: "Of course it can be done like this."
Okay, let’s forget about driving in front of Yushi’s Mansion and want to hit him? Which one is this?
When Liu Chang jumped out of the carriage, the official hurriedly put on a smile and came forward to pay homage, "When I saw it from a distance, I felt that this carriage has an aura of nobility. It turns out to be your Majesty's carriage."
!”
Finally, Liu Ci and Dong Zhongshu said goodbye and were led out of the palace by the soldiers. Yong'e's eyes suddenly turned red, and Fan Qing pulled her to comfort her.
"only."
Liu Heng glanced at Liu Chang and said, "Are you afraid that you won't be able to go out to fight anymore?"
Dong Zhongshu nodded.
The ministers wanted to say something else, but after all, King Zhao was the emperor's brother, so they couldn't say much. Liu Heng opened his mouth and they accepted it.
Liu Ci wiped away his tears and said goodbye to his mother, brother, sister and others seriously.
None of the ministers objected. Even if everyone disagreed with the big man who advocated morality, he did not dare to openly oppose such a proposal.
Zhang Cang nodded, "It can still run, but I'm afraid it won't work if we go out to fight, expand our enlightenment, or go to the medical center."
"Free from land tax nationwide."
"audacious in the extreme!!"
"Continue to do things, don't complain. You can't go back until these things are done."
"Actually, at your age, we won't let you do heavy work. You just have to eat and live together and experience it. This is still very beneficial. Don't complain."
Although Liu Chang appeared to be very illiterate, he was still very clear about state affairs. Liu Heng did not believe that he did not understand where the income came from. He just felt that such a big man would not be able to send troops or do important things, so he complained.
Zhang Cang was a little unhappy, "It's from Confucianism!"
After Liu Chang went to Shendu, the people of Shendu have expressed their surrender and are willing to pay tribute every year, and this tribute is not a small amount. In addition, with the development of business now, commercial taxes plus tribute, plus those various miscellaneous taxes,
For example, house tax, vehicle and vessel tax, employee tax, alcohol tax, etc. can barely sustain the expenditure, but it is unreliable to do anything.
In his eyes, King Zhao's behavior was probably just a child's mischief and was not worthy of his anger.
"What did the king say?"
"Is this a rebellion?!"
He was about to shake his head when he heard Liu Heng say softly: "I have heard that the way to enrich a country is to use it prudently to enrich the people, and to be good at the rest.
Then the people will be rich, and if the people are rich, the fields will be fertilized with ease, and with the fertilization of the fields, the yield will be a hundredfold.”
Liu Heng was very confident, "Thank you for the reminder, Taiwei, but with Prime Minister Zhang here, this situation will definitely not happen. Prime Minister Zhang has a reputation for planning and is good at counting, and he will definitely not cause too serious losses to the treasury."
The balance of payments can still be achieved. Moreover, if land taxes are eliminated and people have money, commerce will be more developed, commercial taxes will play a big role, and miscellaneous taxes can also be raised."
Han Xin asked suspiciously: "If we don't collect taxes, what will the army eat? How will they feed themselves?"
During these days, Liu Heng made a total of three proposals.
"I have been exempted from taxes before, but do you know what happened? The national treasury almost collapsed, and the powerful became stronger. The most terrible thing is that the common people didn't care about my good deeds at all. After I restored normal agricultural taxes, they all
Express dissatisfaction and say bad things about me!"
Zhang Cang felt that it was a bit troublesome, and he could handle it this way, but if he was asked to calculate the income and expenditure and balance it, he would not be able to idle for a whole day.
Everyone stopped talking about King Zhao and started to move on to the next topic.
"Don't worry, I will be back soon. When I come back, I will take you to play outside!"
He believed that extravagance was the greatest harm to the people, so he hoped that the powerful officials from the emperor on down would be diligent and thrifty, not waste food, cloth, or hoard large amounts of property, and not build luxurious mansions to reduce their own costs.
desire for pleasure.
The first proposal is to promote frugality across the country.
Seeing his father leaving, Liu An sighed, "How miserable it is to be the eldest son."
Liu Chang was a little bitter. He still thought that after the fourth brother came to deal with it, he would take his people to have a try with the King of Anxi. As a result, the fourth brother was exempted from tax as soon as he came. What's the point of fighting? However, what the fourth brother said was true.
Logically speaking, if tax exemption can make more people have enough to eat and not go hungry, then it can be considered a truly prosperous age.
Liu Chang scratched his head, "That's true, but if it's a powerful person."
Zhang Cang looked at Liu Heng blankly, and Liu Heng's voice gradually overlapped with the voice of an old man deep in his memory.
"Then it's time for the Yushifu to come forward, so Your Majesty doesn't have to worry."
After giving these orders, Yuan Ang returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion with peace of mind.
"Today's Han Dynasty is indeed very powerful and wealthy, but you should know better than me the situation of the people at the bottom. After working hard all year long and paying taxes, the food left can only last until next year's harvest. Eat frugally,
I don't dare to take another bite. If there is a disaster, even if a mouse enters the house, it can kill ordinary people. A prosperous age is not only about strong soldiers and horses, but also about ensuring that the people have enough to eat. Aren't you always talking about that prosperous age?
Don’t the people in your prosperous age still have a big meal without counting the millet?”
“Can the temple still function normally?”
"Heinous crime!!"
"Fourth brother, you are confused!"
Liu Chang threatened a few words and left here in a hurry.
Seeing King Hu sitting in the treasure car, Xiahou Ci happily pulled out the short blade from his sleeve.
"Could this be God giving me military merit?!"
Liu Qi's face twitched.
ps: Dear brothers, can you ask for monthly tickets?