After Luo Yingcai returned home from the court meeting, he was so angry that he broke his beloved tea cup in anger.
When the servants saw that their master was angry, they all retreated. No one dared to cause trouble at this time.
Luo Yingcai's first wife was killed in Chang'an during the An-Shi Rebellion. His second wife came over and asked, "Why is Mr. Lang so angry?"
Luo Yingcai: "Women don't understand what happens in the court."
Luo's wife was a little unhappy: "The elder of the Luo family has returned to Chang'an. He sent someone with a message this morning, saying that he wanted to see you. If you want to get angry, you have the ability to say it in front of him."
Luo Yingcai was stunned: "Brother is back? When did it happen?"
Luo's wife: "I heard from my servant this morning that it happened yesterday."
Luo Yingcai: "Where are they?"
Luo's wife: "The house in Anshengyuan."
Luo Yingcai said in shock: "Since eldest brother returned to Chang'an, why didn't he go to the city first and went to Ansheng Garden instead?"
Luo's wife shook her head and said she didn't know.
Luo Yingcai thought for a moment and thought that he must discuss the business tax with Luo Anyuan as soon as possible.
Therefore, Luo Yingcai asked the driver to bring the carriage and immediately left the city to find Luo Anyuan in Ansheng Garden.
It took nearly an hour for Luo Ying to arrive outside Anshengyuan's house and found dozens of large cars parked at the door, all belonging to the Luo family's stewards.
When a group of tribesmen saw Luo Yingcai, they rushed to greet him.
Luo Yingcai was a little impatient and asked, "Where is my brother?"
Someone replied: "The master of the house has been waiting for you in the central hall of the inner garden."
Luo Yingcai frowned, walked towards the inner garden, and found Luo Anyuan sitting in the hall, motionless.
Luo Yingcai walked in and asked: "Brother returned to Chang'an yesterday, why didn't he enter the city..."
Luo Anyuan looked at his second brother coldly and said in a deep voice: "The Luo family is about to suffer disaster, but you have no idea."
Luo Yingcai was stunned for a moment, then said: "Isn't the elder brother just being alarmist?"
Luo Anyuan: "When I was on business in Luoyang, Ai Qing sent someone to bring me a letter on a fast horse."
Luo Yingcai: "The Crown Princess wrote a letter to my eldest brother?"
Luo Anyuan: "Your Majesty summoned the prince and his wife to the palace. He first asked about my official duties in Luoyang, then asked about the Luo family's publications in Liangcheng, and finally asked me to return to Chang'an early to handle family affairs."
After hearing this, Luo Yingcai said doubtfully: "Your Majesty said that, it sounds ordinary, there is nothing wrong with it."
Luo Anyuan said in a deep voice: "Let me ask you, is it true that at today's court meeting, elected representatives entered the palace to protest against the increase in commercial taxes?"
Although it was unclear how the eldest brother knew the news, Luo Yingcai still nodded in agreement.
Luo Anyuan: "Your Majesty ordered the people to elect representatives and go to the court to listen to the opinions. He then moved the governor of Puzhou to serve as the Shaoyin of Chang'an Prefecture. He also summoned the prince and his wife to the palace for training. Do you think all these are irrelevant matters?!"
Luo Yingcai froze on the spot.
Luo Anyuan said angrily: "Every move of the Luo family is under the eyes of your majesty! In the past few years, the Luo family has used the name of literature and periodicals to make friends with scholars who participated in the imperial examination, and also expropriated land in Guanzhong, Hexi, Hebei and other places.
You think everything is perfect, but in fact, the palace has known about it for a long time! His Majesty summoned the prince and his wife, said what he said in a vague way, and drove the elected representatives to the court to protest. In the final analysis, the purpose is to clean up the parties and achieve balance.
Technique."
Luo Yingcai: "Brother, I...I don't understand something."
Luo Anyuan: "You are as stupid as a pig. You only focus on gold and silver treasures. Of course you don't understand this! Wang Jin, the prince's adviser, has analyzed this matter from beginning to end... During the Tianbao period, the Supreme Emperor first reused Li Linfu, and then
The heavy use of Yang Guozhong allowed the courtiers to form factions one after another to deceive the emperor and do whatever they wanted. Your Majesty has taken this as a warning, so he hates forming factions. The introduction of democratically elected representatives is false. It is the Holy Spirit to ensure that no one family dominates the court.
Real plan!"
Luo Yingcai was stunned on the spot, too shocked to say a word.
Luo Anyuan: "Since Your Majesty used the family banquet in the palace to warn the Crown Prince and his wife, then you should give the Luo family a chance to change their ways before taking action. After all, the Crown Princess has just become pregnant..."
Luo Yingcai said anxiously: "Brother, what should we do?!"
Luo Anyuan: "When I returned to Chang'an from Luoyang, I deliberately did not go into the city first. Instead, I gathered all the stewards of the Luo family here and explained a few things. First of all, the matter of interacting with the imperial examination scholars will from now on
It must not be mentioned again in the future. This is suspected of forming a faction and violates the taboo of the Holy Emperor. Secondly, the Luo family should not touch the business of using tenants to annex land. This is against the Holy Will. Finally, find a way.
Make good friends with the elected representatives so that we will not become enemies in the court in the future."
After hearing these words, Luo Yingcai hesitated for a while and replied: "Brother, first and third are nothing. It's just the second point. The Luo family spent several years working on the signed land to get what it is today.
It would be a pity to give up the scale of the project."
Luo Anyuan slapped his palm on the desk: "For the Luo family, is money or life more important?!"
Seeing that his elder brother was angry, Luo Yingcai sighed and could only agree.
More than a month later, an imperial edict came from the palace.
The elected representatives outside the palace were allowed to send fifty people as a council group to enter the DPRK to participate in the discussion and decision-making of the DPRK affairs.
In addition, Feng Jingzhao Prefecture Shaoyin Zhou Shang was responsible for interviewing deposed envoys in the Gyeonggi Pass, responsible for land inventory in the Gyeonggi Pass area, employment contracts between wealthy families and tenants, the concealment and evasion of land taxes, etc.
After Zhou Shang was granted the title of envoy, he spent three months conducting a thorough investigation of the land in Guanzhong, Gyeonggi Province, with the help of Chang'an Palace Guards, the Ministry of Household Affairs, Dali Temple and Jinyi Guards.
The area in Guanzhong, Gyeonggi Province, only accounted for about 3% of the total area of the country at that time, but there were more than 3.2 million agricultural tenants, accounting for one-ninth of the country's agricultural population.
Zhou Shang found out that about half of the more than three million agricultural population were immigrants who had moved from other places. They applied to the court to lease land, but because of the lack of production materials, they had to sign a loan agreement with the local wealthy family.
protocol.
These two million migrants from other places, shackled by loans and household introductions, with meager harvests, no food, no clothing, just barely struggle on the line of life and death.
However, those wealthy families who signed loan agreements with their tenants controlled large tracts of land through these tenants and obtained large harvests.
Of course, local officials are indispensable in this process.
Zhou Shang finally handed over a memorial of more than 300 pages, which clearly analyzed the land and field tax situation in Guanzhong, Gyeonggi Province, and recorded all the officials and families who committed the crime.
After the emperor saw this memorial, Long Yan was furious and ordered the arrest of all illegal personnel involved.
At the end of the eleventh year of the New Yuan Dynasty, what Secretary Shi called the "New Yuan Tian Tax Case" came to an end.
In the entire case, more than 1,300 people were interrogated and arrested, including 65 high-ranking court officials.
After the conclusion of this case, the phenomenon of officials colluding with the Xian clan to exploit tenants through lending and annexing land at the same time was greatly reduced.
Countless laborers who were bound by the land began to slowly move to cities and join commerce and workshops, which brought the development of industry and commerce in Datang to a new level.
