"The tax that the emperor wants to collect is posted everywhere in the capital. It's obviously only three cents more silver per acre of land. Why do you have to charge two cents more?"
"The emperor said that taxes are only levied on those who own land. Why does the land obviously belong to Mr. Liu's family, but his family does not collect taxes? Instead, he collects taxes from the tenant farmers?"
"There is only one scholar in Mr. Liu's family, so he can only exempt one person from the corvee service. Why should he be exempted from all taxes?"
The measurement of silver in the Great Yan Dynasty was that 1 tael was equal to 10 qian, which was equal to 100 cents, which was equal to 1000 cents.
Somewhere in the Central Plains, a young man spoke righteously to a tax collector.
What greeted him was a whip!
"Let you misinterpret the holy will, what we say is the king's law!" the tax collector said harshly.
The young man was beaten until he was rolling all over the floor.
If there weren't a lot of people around, many people would look at the tax collector fiercely, and it would be normal for him to be beaten to death.
"Let me tell you, the emperor stipulates a regular tax on royal grain, and what we charge is extra money. We build roads and embankments every year, so why don't we pay money? How can you eat and drink if you don't charge extra money?"
"Why won't Liu's family accept it? That's because Liu's family donated money to the county. Did you donate?"
The tax collector has his mouth full of birds, but country people are short-sighted anyway, so he can say whatever he wants and fool him.
The young man was helped up and gritted his teeth to keep from crying.
He cannot cry. Teacher Shengu has taught him that men should not shed tears when they bleed. Tears should only be shed at home.
Although he only studied for a few months, he gained far more in those months than in a lifetime.
He learned arithmetic, acquired a lot of common sense, gained a lot of knowledge, and could understand how tax collectors acted.
Liu Yuanwai bribed the officials and transferred his land to the poor peasants. The fish scale book recorded that the land belonged to the poor peasants, but he had a clear title deed in his hand, so he would definitely not win the lawsuit.
Besides, how could people go to the county town to file a lawsuit?
Just like this, when taxes are paid, the land becomes the property of poor peasants; when rent is collected, the land becomes Liu Yuanwai's.
He heard from Teacher Shenquan that this is called "Schrödinger's Land". Who belongs to it can only be determined when the box is opened.
"I'll give you one more day, and you must pay this year's accumulated debts! Otherwise, we will drag you all to stand in the cage!" The fierce tax collector said to everyone.
…………
At night, in the village ancestral hall.
The boy was sitting with a group of adults.
"I have been dreaming these days and have seen the northwest. The officials there dare not yell at the common people like this because they really dare to rebel!" A strong man said bitterly.
"But they still rebelled because there has been drought there for years. Even if they don't pay the royal rations, they can't survive. Not to mention the common people, even the officials can't survive." Another person said.
"We still have some food to eat here, but they know that we don't dare to rebel, so they bully us hard!"
"Damn it, let's do the same!" everyone said.
At this moment, a voice sounded: "You don't want to be squeezed by the officials, and I don't want to be deceived by the officials. Are you willing to work for me?"
This is the emperor's voice.
He thought for a long time, and finally thought that only the common people, and only by relying on the common people, could the officials dare not deceive him.
His city is still deep enough, which can be seen from the fact that he has strengthened his factories since he took office.
He has never really trusted his courtiers.
He understands the balance of power, so there has never been a powerful minister.
It was only as rebellions increased that military generals began to appear.
"Are you the emperor?" Everyone immediately knelt down.
Including teenagers.
The plays and storytellers that everyone has watched since childhood all show that the emperor was wise but was deceived by his ministers.
Otherwise, why is there such a thing as "Qingjun side"?
Everyone believes that if you are seriously wronged, you only need to file a complaint
"It's me, you're right. I pity my people, so how could I charge such high taxes? The government's decrees are good, but it's these corrupt officials who have their hands in them, which makes you suffer..."
…………
With the help of Xiawang, the emperor spent a month establishing a new tax system in the Zhili area surrounding the imperial city.
The original tax collection officials were eliminated, and the county magistrate was no longer responsible for tax collection. Instead, ordinary people paid taxes directly in their dreams, and then paid taxes in designated warehouses in reality.
He should be thankful that he has firm control over the factory guards and has a few powerful troops who listen to his words.
Without these, his measures would not be implemented at all, and he would probably fall ill and die in the palace.
He wanted to thank the factory guards left behind by his ancestors for helping him fight against the ministers. After the founding of Dayan, there had been no powerful ministers.
No matter how powerful a powerful official is, he can be defeated with just one edict.
It's because the factory guards only listen to the emperor.
Two months later, the first tax payment came.
Compared with the same period in previous years, there was an increase of one million taels of silver!
You must know that at this time in previous years, only two hundred thousand taels of silver were paid.
It was increased five times!
At the same time, the burden on the people has been greatly reduced, and the small and medium-sized landowners are also very happy.
Because they are also the main targets of allocation.
Only big landowners and big country gentry are eligible for tax exemption and transfer of burdens.
Where did the extra money come from?
It came from the mouths of officials.
The emperor thought of another important place, the salt tax!
The salt tax is only 2 million taels per year. If it is increased five times, it will be 10 million taels!
This will cancel the three rates!
The emperor decided to take action against the salt tax.
But the salt tax is not easy to deal with.
Because there are many major martial arts sects that rely on salt tax to make a living, such as the Caoshui sect, the famous sword sect...
They are all sects that make a living by selling salt. They have extremely high martial arts skills. Even those with low martial arts skills dare not eat this bowl of rice, and they will be robbed on the road.
Coupled with the salt merchants and high-ranking officials in the middle, it was a mess.
In the past, it was impossible to sort it out clearly. Just thinking about it would make people give up on the salt tax.
But it's different now. With Xiawang, the emperor can clearly see the stakes, how many people there are, and who takes the lead.
Which faction can be won over and which faction can be attacked can be seen from Xiawang.
For example, you can win over famous people. Their appetites are not too big, and they also have to take care of their face. They still respect the court and the emperor.
Although it was only superficial awe, it was enough.
Let’s attack the salt merchants first. Although they have some masters and servants, after all, they don’t have deep knowledge and are fat.
Then there are the government officials.
The main force is the kitchen households and small businessmen selling salt. They have suffered too much and are the most capable of fighting.
In the past, the emperor would not dare to use them.
But with Xiawang, the emperor understood that they were the ones who supported the emperor the most.
Because the emperor is far away from them, distance creates beauty.
The people they hate most are the salt merchants and officials around them.
