In early October, Lin Daiyu returned to the capital with her father, uncle, and son. It had been fifteen years since she had fled earlier because she did not want to be the crown princess. She fled from the tunnel in a hurry that night, and now she has brought back a neat musketry team and entered.
The city had a sense of magnificence and power. When I returned to Lin Mansion, I saw that the interior was really neat and tidy, even the flowers and trees had been pruned. As Jia Huan said, you could move in with your bags, so he smiled and praised him a few times.
Jia She returned to Rongguo Mansion, and the main room had been prepared for him. Jia She stood in the Hall of Rongxi and looked up at the plaque, holding his beard with one hand and holding his hand behind his back in a daze. After a long time, he let out a sigh: "This house, until the old age
I just moved in." Two lines of tears oozed from the corners of his eyes. He ordered Li Xiangyuan to be taken out for Jia Cong.
Jia Cong laughed and said, "Is Huayuanzi also organized?"
Jia She glared at him: "You want me to take care of these little things?"
"Yes, yes, it's my son, no!"
The next day, the regent Jia Cong led the young prince to the Lin Mansion to present the Prime Minister's seal. It was very lively along the way, and the people along the way came out and stretched their necks to watch. I thought there would be stubborn Confucian scholars blocking the car and causing trouble, but unexpectedly the road was smooth. Lin Hai
He sighed: "Those pedantic people left more than ten years ago."
Lin Daiyu saw that the young prince was still an ignorant child, and felt a little pity for him, so she let him play with her son. Lin Qu was about the same age as the young prince, and he brought many novel toys with him. The child was generous, and there were no children on the way back to Beijing.
To play with him, he took out all the toys and played with the little prince.
The people around Lin Qu took out a very thick carpet and spread it in the lobby of Lin Qu. Lin Hai, Jia Cong, Daiyu and others sat and talked, while two children played on the carpet. The youngest prince was only three years old.
He is also a playful age. There are no rules in Qu'er's family. He immediately threw away the tears that his mother's wet nurse had made when he got up early in the morning, and rolled up all over the floor with Lin Qu. The wet nurse beside him was extremely anxious.
They didn't dare to come forward to disturb. Suddenly the two children started fighting for some reason. Lin Daiyu ran over with a smile: "Stop making trouble, let's eat snacks!" They immediately dropped the fight and gathered around the snack plate. When the snacks were finished,
The two children had long forgotten the previous fight, and then rolled all over the floor.
Since the imperial court no longer had a prime minister since the Hongwu Year of the Ming Dynasty, and there was no prime minister's office in this dynasty, Jia Cong set up the Zhengshitang according to the Tang system. The government office of the Zhengshitang was going to be the original clan government. Lin Hai was shocked when he heard this:
"How can you princes agree?"
Jia Cong smiled bitterly: "Uncle, we overestimated their cooperation back then."
Since the kings left the capital, the Zongren Mansion has been in vain. King Yan was too lazy to raise even the little saints and the empress dowager in the palace, let alone the Zongren Mansion? Those descendants of the declining Situ family have long been unable to receive the silver rice provided by the court. Jia
When Cong went to inspect the terrain, the gate of the clan's mansion was locked, and only a corner door was opened. Four eunuchs were left inside to clean the courtyard.
The Six Ministries are not much better. The Ministry of War has been completely closed down, the Ministry of Rites has been largely abandoned, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Personnel belong to the Yan State, and the role of the Ministry of Household Affairs is that people from other countries often come to check files. Only the Ministry of Punishment is still very active.
, all wanted notices sent by various countries to other countries have to be sent out from the Ministry of Justice; in addition, only cases involving the Yan State are tried. Although the rest of the Zhanshi Mansion, the Procuratorate, and others are still there, they are only concerned with the affairs of the Yan State.
When Jia Cong saw this, he sent a few soldiers to take down the sign of the Zongren Mansion and send it to the warehouse behind to be locked. He also ordered people to count the items, repair the house, and make another plaque for the political hall. This matter went on for a long time, but no one was there.
You know - the road in front of the clan's mansion is completely unused.
Lin Hai was disappointed for a long time after hearing this, and asked: "Is there any other place where the political hall can be placed?"
Jia Cong spread his hands and said: "To the north is the Forbidden City, to the south is the Ministry of Personnel, to the west is the Ministry of War, and to the east is Tianjie. Tell me where to install it. Or bring the Jinyiwei Yamen as an envoy?"
Lin Hai nodded and said: "Okay."
Jia Cong was stunned: "Ah?" He really didn't expect the old man to agree.
Lin Haidao: "While no one knows, hang up the Zongren Mansion sign first. Now is not the time for you to fall out with the princes."
Lin Daiyu also said: "Jinyiwei's Yamen is very good."
Lin Hai said: "The clan's residence is not big. Now I just think that you have repaired the house. Then I will clean up the plaque and hang it back." Jia Cong saw that both of them said this, so he had to agree. Lin Hai frowned again and said,
"It's just that you are confused, and Yi Zhi doesn't dissuade you? Does that old man Zhan Feng also agree?"
Jia Cong pursed his lips and whispered: "I thought it was too small, and they were too busy, so I didn't tell them." Both Lin Hai and Lin Daiyu were startled and looked at each other. Jia Cong thought he was going to get hurt.
To scold him, the father and daughter each just sighed softly and looked at Jia Cong as if they were looking at a confused version of Jia Baoyu in the early years. Jia Cong made them feel uncomfortable, so they might as well have been scolded.
Regardless of the bumpy road and tiredness, Lin Daiyu first went to the Jinyiwei Yamen to have a look and was quite satisfied. Then she sent people to repair and clean it up. After resting for two days, she went to the Yanwang Mansion to work.
The first thing Lin Cheng did after holding the seal was to reduce the land tax and eliminate corvee. The agricultural tax was reduced to 30% of the original value and 70% was eliminated; corvée was completely abolished. As soon as this order came out, the whole country was in an uproar. The farmers suddenly burst into joy and everyone was excited.
They said that Prime Minister Lin was the lower realm of Guanyin Bodhisattva; while the court officials all shook their heads and said that their youngest daughter did not understand government affairs. Unexpectedly, Lin Daiyu issued a second decree a few days later: starting from next spring, those who do not cultivate barren land will be punished
Twenty times the field tax. In other words, those who have land but do not farm have to pay six times the previous field tax. As soon as this came out, many merchants complained. They mostly bought land in the suburbs of Beijing and rented it to tenants. Since the Yan State had Japan,
In the Yan genus, there is North America, and many tenant farmers have immigrated, so there is still a lot of wasteland that no one cultivates.
As the saying goes, there are three fires when a new official takes office. Two fires have been set off, and the third fire will naturally be more intense. At the end of October, Lin Daiyu, the Prime Minister of the Yan State, issued the third decree at the Prince of Yan's Mansion: All land tax exemptions will be removed.
There is no tax exemption, the court officials are not exempt from tax, the Dukes and Marquises are not exempt from tax, and the princes of various families are naturally not exempt from tax. Whether it is the Yan Palace, Lin Palace, Rongguo Palace or other families, they must pay land tax according to the law. Yan State is in the capital
In the near future, I don’t know how much land has been occupied by the powerful. Due to the enfeoffment of the kings, the princes and their cronies have emigrated to various countries, but Zhuangzi is still in the Yan State. In the past, most of it was rented to tenants or cultivated by his own servants. In recent years,
The gold rush in North America resulted in many slaves running away and many fields being left uncultivated.
This was a big deal. Early the next morning, the special envoys sent by the kings of various countries and the princes and marquises all crowded the lobby of Prince Yan's Mansion, all looking for an explanation from Prime Minister Lin. They waited for half a day.
No one came out, and everyone started shouting and yelling. Then they heard someone banging the gong three times. Everyone took a closer look and saw a pretty woman in red turning around from behind the screen. The woman said loudly:
"Don't be anxious, everyone. The people from Duke Zhiguo and Marquis Xiangyang haven't arrived yet."
Before he finished speaking, someone outside shouted: "The Governor is here~~"
The woman said, "We just have to wait in Xiangyang." Then she smiled and turned back inside. Everyone felt a little guilty when they saw her being so generous: Could it be that this woman named Lin has some countermeasures?
Not long after, the Marquis of Xiangyang also arrived. A voice came from behind the screen: "Prime Minister Lin is here~~" All the nobles in the hall looked towards the screen. They saw a woman wearing a crimson official robe walking out. Everyone
Secretly surprised: This woman is so majestic! But there is only one woman with her, the one who just came out to talk; the others are all men. There are four Confucian scholars and eight personal guards; the personal guards are all wearing dark green military uniforms
, carrying a musket on his back.
Lin Daiyu came out and took a look, walked to the main seat and sat down, smiling and said: "I am very busy, so I don't want you to go around in circles. Are you here because of my plan to exempt land tax?"
Below, there was Baolinghou Shi Nai, who claimed to be her elder and said first: "That's right. This has never been heard of since ancient times."
Lin Daiyu took out a small musket from her arms and put it on the desk: "Has Mr. Shi Hou heard of such a small musket before?" Shi Nai suddenly felt murderous intent coming towards him and couldn't help but take two steps back. Lin Daiyu glanced down.
, said sternly, "How many fields of Yan State are in the hands of the princes, princes, and princes? I won't tell you the truth. You all know it in your mind. It doesn't matter if you are dissatisfied with the truth. In the whole country, only Yan State is exempt from taxes.
The rest of the countries are exempt from this. All you have to do is sell the fields in the capital and buy them in other countries." Without waiting for anyone else to reply, she slapped her desk and said, "Especial envoys, please report back to the princes of each family and don't stand still.
You can talk without hurting your back. Let all these people come to your country to occupy land without paying taxes?" After saying this, she actually stood up and left.
The next person became anxious and shouted: "How many acres of land does an ordinary student have in his home?"
Lin Daiyu said leisurely: "Isn't it? The average family member only has a few acres of land? It's a drop in the ocean. Even Prince Yan's palace pays taxes according to the law."
The special envoy of the King of Shu shouted: "Is this Aunt Lin's idea or King Yan's?"
Lin Daiyu said: "Of course it was the original idea."
"Did Prince Yan agree?"
Lin Daiyu said with a smile: "Why doesn't the prince agree? If you were King Yan, would you agree?"
The woman in red said from the side: "My Lord proposed this proposal nine years ago. The prince wanted to agree to it, but the civil and military affairs were making a fuss, so the prince had no choice but to give it up for the time being. He mentioned it twice later, but it failed."
Nai Si smiled and said, "Men are more preoccupied than women."
A Confucian scholar next to Lin Daiyu said: "It concerns everyone's family property, how can we not care about it?"
Another said: "The prince is soft-hearted after all and can't bear to refute so many people's faces."
The woman in red said: "I'm just afraid of making people angry."
Shi Nai said loudly: "Isn't Prime Minister Lin afraid of provoking public anger?"
Lin Daiyu smiled slightly: "Don't be afraid. At worst, all the officials of Yan State will resign. Yan State only has such big ideas, so it doesn't need too many officials. There are already too many officials. Whoever wants to resign can just hand over the evidence.
." Then he looked at the special envoy of the King of Shu and said, "Would you like to issue an announcement? Welcome the princes and princes to go to Shu to purchase a large amount of land. The land tax in Shu will be exempted." The special envoy of the King of Shu was dumbfounded. Of course, Shu was not willing to give it.
So many people are tax-free! How much less tax money will they have... Lin Daiyu looked at the special envoys from other countries, "How? Which prince is willing to publish the list?" The special envoys looked at each other and made no sound. Lin Daiyu looked down the hall twice with her hands behind her hands.
Unconsciously, he smiled and walked away.
There was silence in the hall for a long time, and the special envoy of King Qin suddenly said: "Could it be that...this matter is simply King Yan's own idea..."
The Marquis of Dingcheng said flatly: "No. If the prince had such intention, could he wait until today?" Nai hummed, "It won't be long before the scholar-bureaucrats leave Yan State and go elsewhere, and there will be no one available in Yan State. I think she can
How long will it last?"
Unexpectedly, the woman in red came back again. She looked at him and smiled sweetly: "Don't worry, Mr. Marquis. Our Prime Minister has already prepared it. The salary of the court officials will be doubled." She looked at everyone again.
Special envoy, "Of course, other countries can also increase their officials' salaries. We only care whether we care more about land tax exemptions or salary increases."
There was an uproar in the hall, and there were many discussions. It was the big households that suffered from the exemption from land tax, and the ordinary officials who benefited from the increase in salary. In this world, there are few big households, many officials, and more ordinary people. Lin Daiyu's three axes cut down the princes.
The benefits obtained from the mansion were distributed to the scholars and the common people in small portions, while the treasury of the State of Yan took the lion's share.
The woman in red was listening quietly. This woman was Jia Jinjiang, the director of the archives department of the Jiala government. Jia Cong transferred her to the capital. Before she officially took up the post, she first worked as an assistant to Lin Daiyu. Xu Ying, a native of the Qing Dynasty, once said
, Qingwen, the shadow of Daiyu. The two of them must have some tacit understanding when working together.
After hearing everyone disperse, Jin Jiangfang returned to the study and told Lin Daiyu and others about the discussion. Jia Cong laughed first: "These guys didn't even think of the idea."
Lin Daiyu glanced at him: "You are not allowed to remind me."
Jia Cong spread his hands: "Am I crazy? What should I do to remind them?"
Jin Jiang hurriedly asked: "What's the idea?"
Jia Cong said: "Since ancient times, there have been two benefits to obtaining fame: tax exemption and becoming an official. Now our Prime Minister Lin has eliminated the tax exemption; becoming an official does not necessarily require the imperial examination as the threshold. Instead, you can make a living by earning a high salary. The two benefits of the imperial examination
All these benefits will be lost in Yan State."
Jin Jiang suddenly realized: "The Prime Minister is... using the tax collected from princes' mansions as a cover to rectify the Confucian monopoly on officialdom."
Jia Cong stretched out his thumbs and said, "We've hit the nail on the head!"
Lin Daiyu nodded: "Confucian children are indeed suitable to be officials, and most of our future officials will be Confucian scholars. But the monopoly cannot be maintained anymore. Otherwise, the reputation of the great Confucians will still overshadow the imperial court, just like a weak leader but a strong branch."
Zhan Kun touched his palms beside him and said with admiration: "I didn't even expect this to happen. No wonder Jia Cong didn't give me the prime minister's seal."
Jia Cong rolled his eyes: "Isn't Pingzhang the deputy prime minister?"
"That's also a vice."
"You asked for it yourself, Grand Master. Besides, Mr. Lin has a plug-in called Lin Hai, Lao Shangshu. Do you have it?" Jia Cong crossed his arms and said, "Your old man can only give you a plug-in for the intelligence system, and he didn't take it for granted."
Become a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Being an official is a technical job, okay?"
"Okay." Lin Daiyu glanced at everyone, "Who has a hard job?"
Several people asked in unison: "What?"
"Land census." Lin Daiyu said, "Find out thoroughly how much cultivated land there is in Yan State, so that I can calculate how much tax money can be collected every year." She sighed, "When will Jia Tanchun return to Beijing? Send a telegram to ask her to hurry up.
Point, this Minister of Household Affairs in Jingli is suffocating me to death."