"Brother Lin, do you know the consequences of doing this?" Du Weijian asked in a low voice.
Lin Jue smiled slightly and said: "Of course I know that compared to the consequences of that regulation, my personal fate is nothing. Besides, they may not know that I did it."
Du Weijian smiled bitterly and said: "It's just you and me, it's either you or me. But I'm willing to take the responsibility for Brother Lin. I'm not telling lies."
Lin Jue chuckled and said: "What did Brother Du say? Even if it's exposed, it's my business. How can I let Brother Du take the blame? Who do you think I am, Lin Jue? Besides, it's not just you and me who have dealt with this.
There are two of them."
Lin Jue pointed at the backs of the two adults who were standing at the entrance of the palace and talking to the generals of the Forbidden Army.
"What do you mean?" Du Weijian asked in surprise.
"Hee hee, they can't even remember whether I'm wearing a hat or not. They have to bear the blame themselves. They got the wrong draft of the regulations, so they can't blame us. They are dim-sighted, can they blame us?" Lin Jue
Laughed softly.
Du Weijian's eyes were about to fall off. Lin Jue was trying to be a rogue. He wanted to push the blame onto the two adults afterwards. He was trying to deny it, insisting that it was the two adults who shot the wood themselves.
The wrong manuscript was put in the box. For such a big matter, it is really... a bit interesting to get away with this kind of denial.
"No one saw me when I went back to get the regulations. Even if the two adults were suspicious and there were no witnesses or physical evidence, could they still forcefully accuse me? Brother Du is the only witness, but I don't think Brother Du will expose me.
." Lin Jue shook his shoulders and laughed in disgust.
Du Weijian rolled her eyes and looked at Lin Jue, sighing: "I hope I can get away with it. How could I expose you? I'm just worried that things may not be as simple as you think."
…
Half an hour later, in a warm pavilion on the second floor of Longtu Pavilion with a blue cloth curtain hung with flowers and longevity patterns, Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru sat opposite each other, silent.
This is the room where Guo Chong summoned them today. However, the golden soft couch behind the Long Shu desk opposite is empty at this moment, and Guo Chong has not arrived yet.
The weather has been getting warmer in recent days. Guo Chong got excited the day before yesterday and played polo in the garden of Yanfu Palace. He sweated but did not wear clothes in time, so he suffered some cold. After a day of conditioning, the symptoms were relieved.
, but it was still a bit difficult for him to get up early in the morning. Although he had made an appointment to see Yan Zhengsun and Fang Dunru at this time, Guo Chong lingered on the dragon bed for a while, so he dressed and washed himself under the service of the chamberlain at this moment.
. Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru had no choice but to wait here.
The room was quiet, and the two of them were actually very nervous. The content of this second new law was more in-depth and radical than the first new law, and they knew this very well. Since last fall, the contents of the second new law have been
The general outline was formed, and after the two people reported the outline to Guo Chong, there have been constant turmoil. It has not been easy to reach the point where the new law is about to accept the Holy Judgment.
Indeed, since last autumn, the matter regarding the "Recruitment Law" has indeed generated great resistance within the imperial court. First, Emperor Guo Chong raised questions.
Guo Chong had to think carefully about asking everyone for money. If it was like the "Changping New Law" and only faced ordinary people, Guo Chong could still accept it despite some opposition and some adverse consequences.
. But the "Recruitment Law" not only reached into the pockets of the common people, but also reached into the pockets of officials, gentry, temples, monks and Taoist priests. Naturally, Guo Chong felt a little hesitant.
Guo Chong quite admired the financial management methods and ideas of Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru. The "Changping New Law" provided official loans to the people, which could not only ensure the people's production, but also earn a lot of interest, and discouraged private parties.
Loan shark, this idea is really a genius. Guo Chong is always amazed when he thinks about it. What Guo Chong sighs is, how could Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru come up with such a good idea. Although, the effect is not yet there at the beginning.
However, Guo Chong believes that this will be a large fixed benefit.
The "Recruitment Law" conceived by the two men also converted labor into money and exempted people from labor by paying cash. This allowed the court to obtain a huge amount of money. And these
Even if the silver is used to hire idle laborers to perform labor services, it is more than enough. This is a genius financial management method. First, the people do not have to be trapped by labor, second, the court can get the surplus silver. Third, the vagrants can
Hire laborers to reduce the pressure on public security. This is a good strategy that kills three birds with one stone.
Not to mention, Yan Zhengshen also proposed the method of paying the remaining money for exemption from service, and the money could be rolled into the official loan silver to generate profits.
Guo Chong appreciated and admired Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru, because he could see that Yan Fang and his two men really wanted to work hard to improve the court's financial predicament, and they were also people who really did things. He chose these two as leaders.
Reform is the most correct decision for me. These two people's ideas are absolutely unimaginable to anyone in the court. This is the real good minister. I am lucky to have such a good minister, and there are two of them at once.
, why worry about the situation not being reversed?
However, the troublesome thing is that these two people have too many ideas and move too fast. Although Guo Chong also hopes that the reform will achieve quick results, the pace is so fast that Guo Chong is overwhelmed. Moreover,
Some of the methods even made Guo Chong feel a little embarrassed.
Let's just talk about this 'service money'. When Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru proposed that officials, royalty, monks, Taoists, and even widowers and poor households all have to contribute money, Guo Chong was shocked. Although the starting point was for
Looking for money for the imperial court, but this idea hits the head of the person who should least be hit. This is too much.
It's not that Guo Chong doesn't love money, but it depends on who takes it out. Guo Chong knows who is taking care of this beautiful country for him. Although he and the Guo family are the masters of the world, without these
Even if people help you, this country is not stable. To use an inappropriate analogy, if Guo eats meat, the scholar-bureaucrats must have some bones and meat residue to make soup. In this way, everyone can be safe and harmonious. Ordinary people
As long as we have a bowl of porridge, we are safe. If we eat alone, we will not be able to eat safely, and we may end up eating nothing.
Therefore, the ancestors and emperors summed up the sentence by saying: share the world with the scholar-bureaucrats. Although it is a bit high-sounding, it does express part of the summarized truth. Only by stabilizing the huge class of scholar-bureaucrats can the Guo family be stable.
Foundation. When these people are stable, they will take care of the people and the country for themselves. Because everyone has vested interests. When the Great Zhou Dynasty is here, everyone will benefit. As the saying goes, 'Everyone will be prosperous, and everyone will suffer.'
.
Because of this, the Zhou Dynasty court has always been extremely tolerant of the scholar-bureaucrats. It also tolerated some of their practices. For example, such things as land annexation and amassing wealth, they basically turned a blind eye. In the eyes of the royal family,
, this is not a problem at all. Only when these people cross certain boundaries, violate some rules, or even offend the majesty of the royal family, the royal family will punish them. This kind of punishment is actually approved by other scholar-officials, because some of them
The excessive behavior of some people may also cause them to lose this co-prosperity situation. The black sheep among them must be eliminated.
Because of the above reasons, when Yan Zhengshu and Fang Dunru expanded the scope of collection of service money in the "Recruitment Law" to the scholar-bureaucrat class, Guo Chong was dumbfounded. What he was thinking was, I know you are loyal to me.
, I really want to improve Dazhou's finances. But you can't put your hands in the pockets of these people. If I agree, these people will definitely make a noise and I won't be able to survive? This is not for me.
Is there a problem?
However, Guo Chong did not want to dampen the enthusiasm of Yan Zhengshu and Fang Dunru. Now they are carrying out reforms under his own instructions. If the enthusiasm of these two people is dampened, it will be extremely detrimental to the reform. In this case, Guo Chong
Chong chose to deal with it coldly, without commenting for the time being, dragging the matter down and revealing his intention skillfully. Guo Chong's handling was very clever. If the reaction of the officials and scholar-bureaucrats to the aid money was not too strong, then maybe it could really be done
Search them for some oil and water. If they react violently, you can also let Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru know in their hearts that their ideas cannot be realized. If they are smart, they will give up this approach.
This is the way to be a king, the most cost-effective way to achieve balance. In fact, I only need to mediate in the middle, so that both parties will not fight to the death, and both sides can find a way out, which is a perfect ending.
In fact, this method was very effective. After the news was released, the reaction was indeed fierce. Guo Bing was the first to speak out, saying that Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru were too shameful, and that the reform was passed on to officials, relatives of the emperor, and scholar-bureaucrats.
.Should the emperor, relatives and officials at all levels confiscate their property to the court to protect the reputations of Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru?
For such fierce remarks, Guo Chong would have severely reprimanded him in the past, but at this time Guo Chong did not say anything and just kept silent. Others saw this and began to agree. For a while, the remarks
Guo Chong went to find Yan Zhengshu and Fang Dunru, told them about the reactions from outside, and asked them to consider it carefully.
Of course, Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru could not ignore these remarks. The last time Fang Dunru asked Lin Jue to persuade Guo Bing not to make some angry remarks, it was because they felt the pressure in this regard. Moreover, due to the anger of the public, Yan Zhengsu
Su and Fang Dunru also had to postpone the enactment of the "Employment Law." But this did not mean that they would compromise. If anyone in the world is the most stubborn, Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru are definitely the most stubborn pair.
They were just waiting for everyone to calm down and choose the best time to convince the emperor.
The opportunity appeared in the twelfth lunar month of last year, when the official loan silver taels of the trial operation of Southeast Four Road were successfully collected, and the results were remarkable. The interest earned from the four-way loans was nearly two million taels, and the huge benefit was staggering. If according to the
Such benefits, once implemented by all the Zhou Dynasty, may reach tens of millions of benefits a year. Just the additional tax revenue of ten million taels can greatly alleviate the financial pressure on the imperial court.
As for some negative things that occurred during the collection of official loans and bank loans, they are insignificant in the overall situation. Because of the call for principal and interest, some people were forced to go bankrupt and some people died. In fact, these are all the price paid for the reform. This is
The consensus between Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru.
With such a huge report card, Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru were qualified to talk to Guo Chong about the benefits generated by the "Employment Law". Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru made a calculation for Guo Chong
Account. By collecting silver taels instead of labor, the court can obtain a huge amount of silver taels, up to tens of millions. These silver taels can not only hire idle vagrants to perform labor, but can also be used as a working capital in times of crisis to do whatever they want.
Things. On the surface, this is an exchange of silver taels for labor. In fact, in essence, it is storing the people's labor in the form of silver taels in the national treasury, turning it into something visible and tangible. It can be used for various purposes at any time.
On top of emergencies. This is where the real value lies.
To put it simply, in the past, people were forced to perform labor service because of the needs of national construction. But labor service is just labor service and can only be used for things such as building cities, digging rivers, digging mountains, building roads, transporting materials, running errands, and cooking. Some things are beyond the scope of labor labor.
For example, if you are short of food during a war, the labor of the people can help you transport food, but you cannot conjure food out of thin air. If there is no food available, there will be no food to transport. No matter how much manpower you have, it is worthless. And this
The beauty of the "Servant Law" is that manpower can be converted into physical silver taels, which can be used anywhere. This is ten thousand times more useful than labor.
"Leftover money" and "assistant money" are just another name, and their purpose is still to replenish the national treasury. Yan Zhengsheng specifically explained the reasons why officials must collect aid money, and paid in terms of acres of land.
The apportionment of silver.
First of all, it is forced by the situation. The current situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty, the annexation of land and acres is serious, the rich and the rich are bleeding out, and the rich and the poor are extremely divided. It is time to force them to spit out some of their oil and water. This can force them to spit out some of their oil and water.
To ensure the basic red line of cultivated acres and the number of farmers, this is the basis for stability.
Secondly, from a logical point of view, Yan Zhengsheng said it more straightforwardly. He said that the current class of scholar-bureaucrats is now much fatter than the imperial court. The imperial court is now stretched thin. These people enjoy the privileges given by the Zhou Dynasty, but do not share the emperor's worries.
This is not possible. The service money is a way for them to use part of their money to repay the court to express their loyalty. If the royal family and the scholar-bureaucrats share the world, the symbiotic relationship should be mutual prosperity and mutual loss. Now the court does not
Money means that the emperor has no money, but you scholar-bureaucrats are so fat and refuse to bleed. This is their fault. It is they who have violated the principle of mutual prosperity and mutual loss, not the emperor. So there is no need for the emperor to do so.
I am worried that these people will clamor that the truth is in the hands of the emperor, not them. If you are unwilling to pay such a small amount of money, you are a disloyal minister. Why should the emperor protect such people?
As the saying goes, a person's mouth has two skins. When the truth is spoken from different angles in different people's mouths, it will produce different effects. What Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru said really moved Guo Chong. Guo Chong
I thought angrily: Yes, you people are enjoying the privileges given by the court, and your pockets are bulging. Now that I have no money, what’s the point of taking a little from you? If you don’t want to give out, don’t you just want me to die? That’s it.
If you are disloyal, why should I defend you?
In the face of the achievements brought by Yan Fang and his two men, in the face of their sharp tongue, in the face of the beautiful blueprint they painted, and in front of the beautiful wish to become the eternal emperor and the world's sage, Guo Chong finally nodded and agreed to hire
The Service Law entered the process of formulation and promulgation. He only made a small request, which was to reduce the proportion of service money payment by 10% to alleviate the inevitable dissatisfaction of officials.
…
In Longtu Pavilion, Yan Zhengsheng, Fang Dunru and others were worried. The new law was just a piece of paper before it was approved by the Holy Emperor. Even if the Holy One had nodded before, it was not a formal permission. Only today's one
Once this is passed, the "Employment Law" can truly be promulgated as a new law. Therefore, this is the most important hurdle. Even the two people, such as Yan Fang and Fang, who are as steady as Yan, seem a little restless at this moment.
Fang Dunru placed the wooden box that he held tightly in his arms on his knees, and gently stroked the paper with his fingers, making a slight scratching sound.
Yan Zheng looked at Fang Dunru and said with a smile: "Brother Dunru, are you a little worried?"
Fang Dunru said with a smile: "Don't tell me, you are really a little worried. The "Recruitment Law" was hard-won, so don't make any mistakes today."
Yan Zheng smiled solemnly and said, "Are you afraid that the Emperor will regret it?"
Fang Dunru sighed softly: "It's hard to say, the pressure on the emperor is not small. I don't know how many people are whispering in the emperor's ears. I hope the emperor can withstand it."
Yan solemnly nodded and said: "Yes, the emperor is bearing the pressure for us. When we discuss the terms of resolving doubts, we must explain it in more detail so that the emperor can understand it more clearly and put the emperor at ease."
Fang Dunru nodded slightly and suddenly said: "What you said reminded me. Before the emperor comes, let's check the regulations again to avoid careless mistakes. The emperor must not make any mistakes during his visit."
Yan Zheng laughed solemnly and said: "Brother Dunru is really nervous, but there is no need for it. However, since you said it, there is no harm in us checking it again."
At that moment, the two of them checked as they pleased. They placed the two wooden boxes on the stools, took out the papers and checked the contents one by one according to the page number. The paper brushed in their hands, and the room became quiet. Suddenly
Suddenly, Fang Dunru let out a soft cry of surprise.
"What...what's going on?"
Yan Zhengzhen frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
Fang Dunru's face was full of surprise. He held a few pieces of paper in his hand and said shakingly: "Why is the content of this Fourth General Provision completely wrong? This is not what you and I personally drafted. This is... this is not what Lin Jue, Du Weijian and others drafted.
What’s the content of that edition?”
Yan Zhengsheng looked in shock and said: "How is it possible? Isn't that edition discarded? What was put in the box is the edition we compiled. How is it possible?"
As he spoke, Yan Zhengshen took the pieces of paper from Fang Dunru's hand, glanced at them a few times, and then his expression changed.
"What...what's going on? Did I get it wrong? It's impossible. I checked it myself. How could this happen?" Yan Zhengsu said in astonishment.
Fang Dunru frowned and thought, and suddenly said in a deep voice with a livid face: "It must be Lin Jue's fault. Only Lin Jue and Du Weijian have come into contact with the wooden box. It was them who did it to switch the package. Bastard, he is so audacious, he actually dares
To do such a thing is to make Li Daitao stand up and ruin our major event. If this version is presented to the emperor for inspection, once the emperor approves it, he will never be able to take it back. Damn it, these two bastards."
Yan Zhengsu's face was gloomy, he stood up and said: "We can't give this edition to the emperor for inspection. We have to go back and copy it again. We have to go back quickly before the emperor arrives."
Fang Dunru nodded and said, "It means let's go. Let's leave quickly."
Before he could finish his words, he heard the servant outside shouting: "Two adults, please be impatient. Your Majesty has ordered your servant to pass the message, and the Holy Emperor will be here in a moment. Your Majesty has suffered from cold and is feeling a little unwell. At this moment, the imperial doctor has prepared some medicine. Your Majesty
You need to take medicine before you can come. Please don't be anxious, two adults, drink a few cups of tea and wait patiently."
Yan Zhengsun and Fang Dunru stood up like springs and hurried to the door. Yan Zhengsun raised his hands to the chamberlain and said: "Please report to the emperor on your behalf. Since the emperor is ill, we will come to see you again in the afternoon."
After saying that, Yan Zhengsheng and Fang Dunru walked away quickly along the corridor. The chamberlain touched his head and frowned: "What's going on? I was so anxious for a while that the emperor was about to come, but he ran away? This
