Cui Duo couldn't help but feel excited when he heard Chang Qing's words.
He was born in the Choi family of Boling, and he stuck to the land of his ancestors. He always focused on adhering to Confucianism and passing down poems and books to the family. His expectations for himself were to assist the king and correct his mistakes when in court, and to repair the family business and care for his neighbors when in the country.<
/p>
Cui Duo is very strict with himself, and he will never completely forget about self-cultivation just because he comes from a famous family. Only people who are rich and noble but have a shallow family education can do that kind of behavior that only involves amassing money and indulging their temper.
Therefore, in Cui Duo's eyes, the minions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are nothing more than a group of treacherous people who suddenly control huge power. When villains get their way, they will go to jail and cause trouble, and they will do anything to protect their power.
Extremely.
When Cui Duo learned that the Ministry of Internal Affairs was visiting his house, he actually had some plans to die generously. If they really wanted to arrest him, they could still be charged with being a traitor to the party.
If the Ministry of Internal Affairs wants to take this opportunity to blackmail themselves, there is really no need to do something like this. Cui Duo doesn't believe that these people will really care about the people suffering from disasters and being hungry.
"Did you know that in addition to the annual rent, household tax, and special property tax, the local villagers also have to pay rice and millet after the autumn harvest to replenish the prefectural and county charity warehouses?"
Cui Duo thought for a long time, looked around the people present with a solemn expression, and finally focused on Changqing: "Yicang land tax is an old system of the previous dynasty. This dynasty has followed it for nearly a hundred years. Cangsu and millet are levied every year. It is said that once there is a flood or drought in the local area,
In the event of a severe disaster, the prefecture and county where it is located should open charity warehouses to provide relief to the people. Why do we need to second them?"
Changqing was silent for a moment, and Cui Duo looked at Magistrate Zhang: "I remember that since Prime Minister Lu took power, the taxation of warehouses was changed from based on household size to based on the number of acres of land. At that time, the income collected by prefectures and counties increased greatly, and everyone was called warehouse
There was so much food that the price of food in the Eastern Capital was as low as seven or eight cents per dou, and hundreds of officials praised this as a prosperous age unprecedented in ancient and modern times. But why, within a few years, the county's warehouses were empty and it was difficult to provide relief?"
Faced with this question, Magistrate Zhang broke out in a cold sweat. Although the warehouses in the prefectures and counties were not under his control, he had a rough idea of where the grain was going.
.And in order to facilitate dispatch, almost all of them are sent to warehouses near the canal for storage.
A low-level official at the level of County Magistrate Zhang is not qualified to get involved in that kind of business. He is just covering up the news about the transportation of grain in the county, thereby making some meager profits. He can't even afford a horse when traveling on errands! Cui Duo continued: "I don't mean to complain. When it comes to storing food, I, the Cui family of Boling, have been familiar with farming for a long time. I am by no means a flashy person who knows nothing about business. I call on my neighbors to come up with enough food to survive the disaster years.
.But no matter how rich my family fortune is, I cannot withstand such years of exploitation."
"Then I wonder how Cui Shilang is willing to lend food?" Changqing asked.
"Since it is a loan, it must be borrowed and repaid." Cui Duo said clearly: "It is the government's responsibility to provide relief to the victims. I don't ask why the warehouse is empty, but this loan is considered as an advance payment of taxes by us. According to the payment
How much should be the tax exemption in the future?"
As soon as these words came out, Magistrate Zhang's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly said: "Servant Cui, I can't be the master of this matter! If I can't pay my taxes on time and in the amount, I won't be able to keep my position!"
"You can't make the decision, but someone can." Cui Duo said coldly. Although he didn't give a clear indication, everyone couldn't help but look at Afu.
"Don't look at me, I can't make the decision." Afu showed an innocent expression, like a completely weak woman: "Inspecting the disaster situation and taking measures to provide relief are the duties of the Xuanfu envoy. Whether taxes can be reduced or exempted is also
After the Xuanfu envoy has made his calculations clear, he will report them to the court. These matters are not under the control of our ministers."
"Then you can go find someone who can make the decision." Cui Duo said.
Magistrate Zhang remained silent. He didn't know where the Xuanfu ambassador was now, and he might not even come to Anping County. And judging from past cases, in addition to relieving the victims, the Xuanfu ambassador would also inspect prefectures and counties to conduct investigations.
Is the local governor effective in providing disaster relief?
The few ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are already difficult to serve. If there is another Xuanfu envoy, Magistrate Zhang may be accused of failing to provide disaster relief. If the Cui clan members who are officials in the court make another insinuation, Zhang County magistrate will be punished.
The county magistrate was probably dismissed from office, punished, exiled, and then died on the way to the misty and harsh land of Lingnan, becoming an unknown corpse beside the official road, used to feed the bellies of wolves and wild beasts.
Thinking of these situations, Magistrate Zhang shuddered secretly. He didn't want to get into trouble, and whoever wanted to come forward would be the one to go!
"This matter... I will personally explain it to Chen Xuanfu and include Anping County as one of the prefectures and counties offering rent reduction and exemption." Changqing gritted his teeth and said proactively.
Cui Duo raised his eyes and looked at Changqing, slightly puzzled: "How could the Xuanfu envoy sent by the imperial court follow the arrangements of a Taoist?"
"Chen Xuanfu is... my father's disciple." Changqing felt ashamed in her heart and did not dare to look directly at Cui Duo. She cupped her hands and said, "My junior's surname is Lu. I didn't say it clearly just now. Please forgive Cui Shilang."
The thing Chang Qing hates the most is revealing that he is the son of Prime Minister Lu. Unexpectedly, he still cannot get rid of this identity even if he wants to get things done.
No matter how good Cui Duo's self-cultivation was, he still couldn't hide the look of shock on his face this time, but he calmed down as usual: "I never thought that the son of Prime Minister Lu would take such a responsibility. I am just stuck in the past."
Changqing bowed deeply, and Cui Duo sighed softly: "Since you took the initiative to make a promise, I will help you this time. Liansheng, you go to Shiyin Township and invite those village elders." p>
Cui Yi, the eldest son who was standing by, raised his hands and said yes, then left the front hall.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Cui!" Changqing thanked him immediately when he saw this. Magistrate Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this. He thought that if he wanted to persuade these wealthy families, he would have to be a scholar like Mr. Changqing.
"I have become an official, there is no need to call me minister anymore." Cui Duo said the same thing to Chang Qing much more gently.
Cui Duo didn't like Lu Yan. He felt that this man was born in a lowly position and didn't know how to read. He only knew how to plunder money and silk, so that he could use the art of approving Han Dynasty, which was a great loss of the way of the previous kings. In order to please the saint, this kind of person would definitely try his best to recruit people.
Show the wealth of the country.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
I just didn't expect that Lu Yan's son had a completely different personality and was willing to take the initiative to plead for the people affected by the disaster.
"County Magistrate Zhang." Chang Qing turned around and said: "The matter of borrowing grain cannot be ignored. The amount borrowed from Cui's township and the amount of relief provided to each household of the disaster victims should be recorded in a register to determine the amount, which will be used as the basis for tax relief after the disaster.
”
"I have brought several civil servants to make sure the records are complete." Magistrate Zhang did not dare to be negligent. Just don't let yourself take the blame when something goes wrong.
……
"This newly recognized son of Prime Minister Lu is actually kind-hearted."
Kong was sitting under the shade of a tree in the countryside, looking at Changqing chatting with Cui Duo on the field ridge in the distance. On the other side, Cui's villagers were moving grain out of the warehouse and preparing to transport it to the county.
Mu Yuan stayed aside and did not respond for a long time. Kong Fangfang secretly paid attention to it and rubbed it gently with his fingertips. No one could guess what his intentions were.
After another while, Mu Yuan finally made a voice: "Is there anything important?"
"Are you busy?" Kong Fangfang said: "There is nothing urgent. I just feel that Cheng Sanwu seems to have a close relationship with the son of Prime Minister Lu."
"When they were in the Western Regions, they experienced life and death side by side." Mu Yuan seemed absent-minded: "Given Cheng Sanwu's temperament, is this not surprising?"
"I heard before that Cheng Sanwu is not as reckless as he appears." Kong Yifang asked: "Is it possible that he had ulterior motives in joining the Ministry of Internal Affairs and getting close to Lu Changqing?"
"Wuxuezi also said something similar." Muyuan sighed: "You can go talk to Master Wen about these matters, I'm too lazy to take care of them."
Kong Fangfang secretly clasped his fingers, and a subtle and unpredictable energy was like a thread blowing in the wind, slowly approaching the wooden kite, trying to get into the wooden kite.
"If I have to say..." Mu Yuan suddenly spoke, the person behind him seemed to be busy with other things, and said casually: "Cheng Sanwu is probably afraid that we will trouble him again one day, so he plans to use the power of the imperial court to protect him.
Myself."
"It does make some sense." Kong Fangfang nodded repeatedly, and at the same time slowly activated his fine energy, paying attention to the changes in Mu Yuan: "But I think that letting Cheng Sanwu go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs may not be a good thing. Especially looking at the situation now.
, I vaguely feel that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has gradually joined forces with the mainland in the implementation of the New Deal."
"Huh? What are you talking about..." Intermittent sounds came from Mu Yuan.
Kong Fangfang lowered his head and glanced, then withdrew his anger and asked, "What's wrong? I didn't hear clearly."
"I guess this wooden kite is a bit old and needs to be replaced." The wooden kite shook its wings: "Then I will let the wooden kite go away for a while. Can you monitor Cheng Sanwu alone?" p>
"If he doesn't wander around, I guess I can keep an eye on him for a while." Kong Fangfang smiled and said: "You also know that my martial arts skills are mediocre. If something really happens, I still have to ask Master Wen and the others to solve it." p>
"After all, you are one of the nine commanders, how can you be mediocre in martial arts?" Mu Yuan flapped his wings and took off: "Well, wait for me for a few days and get a new Mu Yuan. Anyway, Cheng Sanwu and the others were arrested in this area.
The Pure Light Goddess will not go to the horizon."
After saying this, the wooden kite flew away quickly, looking like an ordinary bird from a distance.
After confirming that there was no one around him, Kong Fang stood up, raised his hand to brush his face, and changed into a sharp-edged face. His clothes also changed into the costumes of a martial artist. He took the horse and galloped away to the northwest. ……
"I didn't expect Cui Weng to be so familiar with farming. The younger generation has learned a lesson!"
On the ridges of the fields, Chang Qing walked while listening to Cui Duo explaining how farming was arranged according to the seasonal climate throughout the year, from grains and grains to various fruits and vegetables, livestock, as well as mulberry, linen, cloth, Dongyu equipment, woodcutters, and candles.
, all things rural.
Cui Duo even understood the steps from the beginning of cultivation to grain harvesting, harvesting, storage, beating, and winnowing. This was an eye-opener for Chang Qing, who had never worried about food and clothing. A half-day talk was better than ten years of study. "Have you ever read the "Four People's Monthly Order"?" Cui Duo twisted a dead wheat ear in his hand and stroked it helplessly.
"Is it the Yue Order Book?" Changqing felt a little guilty. He really hadn't read it.
Cui Duo smiled faintly: "The Moon Orders are used by Confucianism to stipulate etiquette, government orders and various personnel matters for each month of the year, while the "Four People's Monthly Orders" specifically talks about agricultural production and family business management. The author is me, Boling.
The ancestor of the Cui family, Cui Shi."
Changqing was slightly startled, cupped his hands and said: "This junior has little knowledge, I will definitely read it later."
"The country is based on the people, and the people are based on the grain. If the life is exhausted, the roots will be uprooted, and the roots will be uprooted. This is the most poisonous worry for the country." Cui Duo sighed: "The world always thinks that I, Boling Cui, rely on poetry.
Books, etiquette, and music stand in Shilin with clothes, hats and hairpins, but I don’t know that the foundation is at your feet.
"Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, most of the officials did not know the difficulty of farming and the preciousness of grains. They either depended on their salary to eat or made servants work. They have never raised a soil or cultivated a seedling, nor do they know what month it is and what month it will be.
Receive.
How can you be aware of the rest of the worldly affairs if you don't know your true duties? If things go on like this, you won't be able to run the government, and you won't be able to run the household, all because of your leisure!"
This may sound too wordy to others, but Changqing himself is deeply shocked.
In the minds of many people, the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes have long been literary men who have no involvement in public affairs. They rely on relatives, friends, old friends, and family connections to gain popularity and reputation in the government and the public. Many officials in the world despise them.<
/p>
But this in-depth conversation made Chang Qing change his mind greatly. Cui Duo is not the kind of mediocre person who still misses his position and position after returning to his hometown. Even in the countryside, he still pays attention to farming and regards it as the basis of people's livelihood.
Do your best to fulfill your ancestral precepts and family studies.
Perhaps it was because Cui Duo was such a person that Chang Qing was able to persuade him to lend him food. If he was the kind of powerful man who wanted to annex and annex, he might have had to rely on Cheng Sanwu and the others to resort to force.
"I heard that the new policy of the imperial court will be implemented in all provinces?" Cui Duo suddenly asked.
"Yes." Changqing felt vaguely uneasy.
Cui Duo raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Chang'an: "Hebei Province is a vast land with a dense population. It is also a tax-rich area of this dynasty. It must be a key boundary for the implementation of the New Deal. I wonder if I can find out something?"
Faced with the old man's inquiry, Changqing did not dare to conceal: "The New Deal generally has the following three items - first, the establishment of Changpingcang Department to stabilize the economy and provide relief to the people; second, dredge the canals to reduce the loss of tax transfer.
, to facilitate the dispatch of food and money in various places; the third is to check the households that have escaped and those who have occupied land outside the registration, re-register the households and resettle the refugees."
After listening to this narration, Cui Duo was silent for a long time and sighed: "In terms of increasing revenue, dredging, and reducing expenditure, Lu... Your Majesty is indeed talented."
In terms of age and seniority, Cui Duo is more than qualified to be Chang Qing's grandfather. It is not surprising that he regards Lu Yan as a junior and makes comments about him.
"But it is not easy to implement the New Deal properly." Cui Duo said: "If it is entrusted to non-people, not only will it be unable to change the current situation, but it will also cause violent turmoil and increase the suffering of the people. There have been few people who have reformed the law throughout the ages, and this is not all
Because we are afraid of things being difficult and difficult, we are afraid that the implementation will be biased and it will become a means for traitors to abuse the common people."
"But if we don't change, it will be too late to regret when the state affairs are over." Chang Qing insisted.
Cui Duo looked at Changqing and said for a long time: "The next words should be regarded as my lies - the day the New Deal succeeds will be the day when your father will be demoted."