Han Shizu

Chapter 2088 Taizong Chapter 35 Success is also a compromise

In the summer and June of the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, in the lobby of the Ministry of Punishment, a unique trial had reached the critical moment of its conclusion. This trial, which was limited to the lobby of the Ministry of Justice, touched the heartstrings of almost all clans, nobles, and bureaucrats in the capital and inside and outside the palace.

The persons on trial had a special identity. They were the chief minister of Wu Guogong Liu Hui's house, Shi Liu Zhou, Sima Zhu Tinghe, and chief secretary Zhang Changjian. At the same time, Wu Guogong Liu Hui was also asked to observe the trial in the second hall.

The presiding judge was Li Weiqing, the Minister of Punishment, and Wang Yucheng, who was transferred from Longxi to the capital to serve as Minister of Dali Temple. The jury members were even more noble, including King Yan, Zong Zhengqing Liu Zhao, and the Prime Minister and the Metropolitan Inspector Han Hui.

In the twelfth lunar month of the third year of Yongxi's reign, King Liu Chengyun of Xu ended his ordinary but extremely noble life. Emperor Liu Yang issued an edict to abolish the court for five days in memory of the deceased clan elder.

Let's not talk about King Xu's funeral. Liu Yang will not treat him harshly. Everything will be done according to the etiquette system, but the material treatment will be reduced compared to that of Emperor Shizu.

The vacant Zong Zhengqing gave Emperor Liu Yang a headache for a while. As the number of members of the royal family gradually increased, the princes and ministers of various sects were also spreading their branches. Zongzheng Temple, which directly managed the members of the clan, became more and more prominent.

As for the candidate to take over, Liu Yang's headache was not so much who should be chosen, but that it was difficult to get his ideas out into the open for a while. Because in terms of qualifications and seniority, King Zhao Liu Fang is the most suitable candidate. However, Liu Yang obviously does not want King Zhao to take charge of Zongzheng Temple.

Even Liu Hui, the Duke of Wu, who was ranked lower down, was excluded by Liu Yang. In fact, he didn't like Liu Hui's vanity and flamboyance.

So, when the emperor had his heart set on something, no matter what the process was, and no matter whether the result was good-looking or not, the third Zong Zhengqing of the Han Dynasty was born, and it was Liu Zhao, King of Yan.

At this time, the people involved in the case were the three main staff of Duke Wu, the Duke of Wu was the observer, and the King of Yan was the jury. The scene was so serious, and the seriousness of the matter can be imagined.

Going back to the source, it is still an issue of “tax reform”. As the imperial court strengthened the administration of officials and intensified the correction of illegal nobles, corrupt officials, and local tyrants and evil gentry in various places, the so-called ills of the tax reform around the first year of Yongxi's reign were corrected, not to say wiped out, at least the atmosphere was reversed. , the previous chaos has been greatly reduced.

In a state of bumping and bumping, in the past few years, various states, from the government to the private sector, from the powerful to the landlords, have restrained themselves a lot. After all, although the emperor was cautious about punishment and rarely killed, he loved exile and traveled thousands of miles and even traveled across oceans. How could this be tolerated?

In recent years, with the trend of maritime trade, various legends of sea trade getting rich have emerged one after another. However, these are only a few people after all. Even in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Minyue and Guangdong regions where sea trade has become extremely popular, everyone involved has participated. Just a few people.

As for the more extensive Dahan River inland states, only the upper-class nobles or powerful merchants were the ones with the real strength and willingness to try sea trade.

For most of the Han people, the focus of their business was still on the land. There was nothing more tangible than the loess under their feet and the food crops growing there. This was something that could be seen and touched.

Although when they have the opportunity, they still can't help but spend money to buy two "sea things" and get a touch of foreign style. They even occasionally dream about and fantasize about getting rich suddenly, but it is still too difficult for them to take that step. , the land mentality that has been rooted in the bones of the Chinese people for thousands of years is too difficult to reverse.

But now, just because those poor people were squeezed too hard, a large amount of money would be confiscated, and they would be forced to sell off all their land and property, and move their families to other places. Such a punishment is too severe, and it is also the case for almost all powerful landlords. An unbearable weight.

It is human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, but when the court's "harsh punishment laws" really came down, most people still chose to restrain themselves and enter a period of dormancy.

Therefore, after the transition period of the past few years, Dahan's tax system reform has been slowly implemented. At least in terms of land ownership confirmation, land sales, land grades, tax regulations, tax collection, etc., a system has been formed, and in most cases It was promoted in Daozhou and officially replaced the old two-tax system.

An extremely important sign is that at the beginning of the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, during the national plan, the imperial court officially clarified the number of registered acres of land in each prefecture across the country. This is an agreement reached between the central and local governments on tax reform and field size. Of course, this is a compromise agreement.

But for the political economy of the Han Dynasty, it was of great significance. This meant that after ten years of reform and advancement, a breakthrough development was finally achieved and decisive results were achieved. From then on, the court could Register for tax collection.

It also means that the chaos in the tax system, public security, and the negative impact on the economy and people's livelihood caused by the reform will gradually dissipate. This is an important political and economic foundation for the Han Dynasty to move towards a prosperous age of Yongxi.

It can even be said that the tax system reform of the Han Dynasty, which centered on "unifying local taxes", has achieved an initial success.

This is what many ministers stated in their memorials to Liu Yang, and used this to boast about Liu Yang's outstanding political achievements, not to fall short of the ambition of the late emperor, and to continue the prosperous age of Kaibao. It seems that starting from the fourth year of Yongxi reign, everyone can enjoy the peace and prosperity of Qing Dynasty again. Therefore, Emperor, you should not bother like Shizu anymore.

However, Liu Yang was not unaware of the thoughts behind these praises.

At least, has Dahan’s tax reform really succeeded? This point still raises a question mark in Liu Yang's heart.

Take the central government's collection of local finance and taxes as an example. At least formally, local taxes are deducted and then handed over. However, compared to the two-tax law of "living within one's means", the imperial court had a clearer basis: land, and as long as the land situation did not change, it could maintain a stable income.

In this way, it saves a lot of trouble for the Financial Secretary. After all, there are too many uncontrollable factors in making financial budgets, and it is impossible for the imperial court to manage the empire in such detail. Everything revolves around the land register, which seems to have the effect of "guaranteing harvests during droughts and floods".

However, the imperial court's annual expenditures are not fixed. As long as this uncertainty still exists, it will never be possible to sit back and relax. The Financial Secretary must make timely adjustments. There is no such thing as a once and for all solution.

Under the new tax system, the imperial court collected fixed taxes from the Dao based on the number of acres of land, and the local Dao officials collected taxes from the subordinate prefectures, counties, and cities. Such a clear hierarchy, but there is an extremely obvious problem, that is, the current land rights confirmation and registration records Number, is the data really accurate?

It goes without saying that this is essentially just a compromise reached by the central and local governments after the tax reform reached a certain level and after countless entanglements and collisions.

In other words, whether it is a Taoist government or its subordinate prefectures, counties, and townships, it seems that they only need to pay a fixed tax amount. What about the fixed tax amount based on the field registration?

Also, after the land ownership is confirmed and registered, will it remain unchanged? After the land transaction, the amount of land of each company changes, resulting in the tax gap. How to control this? Can the central government monitor it in such detail?

Paddy fields become dry fields, and dry fields become paddy fields; after the overuse of rich fields, their fertility decreases and they become middle and lower fields; when different crops are planted in the fields, should there be differences in taxation? If so, will it affect the output of basic food crops?

In short, countless questions and even contradictions can arise around the land, and these are not something that the central court can really grasp.

These problems can only be left to the local government in the end, and once they are left, it is highly likely that old problems and new contradictions will emerge together due to the deep-rooted nature of feudal bureaucracy.

Therefore, the opposition of those ministers who have always rejected tax reform and hope to restore the old system is not unreasonable, nor is it entirely based on self-interest.

After all, according to the past, taxes were distributed according to capitation, and each person and each household paid taxes according to regulations. Isn't it simpler and more convenient than complicated local taxes?

In the final analysis, the core of Dahan's tax reform is to change the basis of taxation from head to land. This is a breakthrough change.

This was a reform and innovation carried out by Emperor Shizu based on the realization of "relative fairness." However, after so many years of exploration, the new generation of monarchs and ministers, as actual executors, gradually discovered that this road was too difficult to walk.

Under the new tax system, higher requirements have been placed on the court's supervisory capabilities and officials' governance capabilities. To be honest, most officials are not equipped to deal with the complex livelihood, political, and economic issues caused by complex taxation.

Faced with such a realistic situation, Liu Yang finally chose to compromise, which was also a last resort choice. It was precisely when he touched on some more fundamental issues that Liu Yang decided to put the brakes on time. As a serious autocratic monarchy, some issues, especially the land issue, could only be improved, but not reformed, because reform would lead to death. , there will be chaos.

Because of this, as the first heir to Emperor Shizu, Liu Yang had a deeper understanding of his old man's development strategy.

Especially after experiencing the "Sichuan-Sichuan Rebellion", I had a sudden and enlightened understanding of the so-called "flood discharge station".

It is obvious that the Han Empire under the new tax system also faced new challenges and contradictions. In such an environment, the ruling class can either complete a self-evolution and further strengthen its control over the empire and the people of Guizhou, or it can only exhaust itself in the process of constantly covering up and suppressing contradictions until the end of the empire. And what is accompanied by this process can still only be improvement.

As far as the current Yongxi Dynasty is concerned, what it can do and what it is committed to doing is to reconcile class contradictions. This is also the essence of Liu Yang's ongoing "New Deal". As for tax reform, to be fair, at this point, whether it is the reach of the court's authority, the limitations of officials' abilities, or the tolerance of vested interests, the tour guide has reached an extreme balance. not good.

Therefore, in the past few months, the direction of the wind has gradually changed. This change can be clearly felt by everyone in the situation, and is passed down from top to bottom. As a result, the Han Empire, from the center to the localities, has just returned to peace and tranquility on the surface.

However, can you really calm down?

After the compromise, Liu Yang and the Han court did not take a half-step back. On the contrary, they went further and further on the "reconciliation line" and became more determined. The slogan of legality was shouted every month and every day. The number of Jinshi in Mingfa Science and Technology Department has reached an unprecedented 78, and the crackdown on illegal nobles, corrupt officials, and local tyrants and evil gentry is as resolute as ever.

This is what Liu Yang really regards as the "governing policy", and it is also a method of maintaining the system and consolidating rule under the rule of man. Throughout the dynasties, anyone who can achieve Liu Yang's level is not far away from the so-called prosperous age.

Therefore, in the fourth year after Liu Yang ascended the throne, the Han Empire as a whole began to show a state of political clarity, strong military, cultural prosperity, active economy, and alleviation of social conflicts. The empire began to move downwards under his rule. A pinnacle.

However, the problems that should exist still exist, even if the court suppresses them more severely, and there will be a "surprise" from time to time.

For example, the powerful people and landowners who are restrained, are they really honest? In fact, where the court's supervision is insufficient, everything is business as usual. Every regulation and system of the court has room for avoidance, and they are also good at taking advantage of loopholes.

In an era of rule of law, there are countless loopholes that can be exploited, not to mention an era of human rule, where too many people can openly exceed or even trample on the so-called legal system.

However, the court led by Liu Yang is now trying its best to crack down on these behaviors, so they have also made changes, from being blatant before to acting covertly.

Being caught would have a bad ending, but as long as you don't get caught, wouldn't it be fine? Having money and power can bring enough security.

This is another marathon wrestling match between the imperial court and the exploiting class. It is essentially a self-regulation within the ruling class. However, the result may not be that optimistic. The final winner will most likely not be the imperial court.

Just one question, as the emperor, how long can Liu Yang rule the Han Empire?

Moreover, some people had no intention of waiting that long, and this summer they posed a problem to Emperor Liu Yang.

Someone submitted a report letter to each of the three law departments, and the copper in front of the imperial city did not let it go. The content was that Liu Hui, the Duke of Wu, hid land, seized people's fields, enslaved the people with usury, and at the same time bullied men, bullied women, and killed people. It was a fatal act, and these contents quickly spread among the market.

Suddenly, there were constant criticisms in Luoyang from the court to the public, and everyone's eyes were turned to Chui Gong Hall.

Public opinion has accumulated to such an extent that Liu Yang, apart from issuing an edict to thoroughly investigate the matter, any other cover-up approach is inconsistent with his personality and goes against his philosophy of governance.

It is not difficult to investigate the affairs of Wu Guogong Liu Hui's house. More than 20,000 hectares of land cannot be flown away. At the same time, there are more people who have put their names on the government's name. The land is said to be Wu Gong's land. , tax-free. However, the actual amount of land owned was more than ten times more than the tax exemption amount given by the court?

In this situation, ordinary nobles and landlords would have been severely punished. As for enslaving tenants, hiring workers, and lending money at high interest rates, these are behaviors that put human lives at risk and are considered "normal operations."

After the investigation, there was no need to mention the other little fishes and shrimps. The only ones who were actually taken to the Criminal Department for interrogation were the three people who were tried in the lobby of the Criminal Department.

As for the specific culpability, it has been known for a long time and has been reported to the emperor for approval. Today is just a formality.

After the three people's crimes were read out, accompanied by a shocking sound of the hammer being struck, Li Weiqing, the Minister of Punishment, spoke in a Huai accent and solemnly read out the final verdict, which was approved by Wang Yucheng, the minister of Dali Temple, on the spot.

After the sentence was read out, of the three prisoners, only two were left standing. Zhang Changjian, the chief bookkeeper, was sentenced to exile in Nanyang. At least his head was saved. As for the two people who were lying limply on the ground, behead them!

Everything was arranged, and almost a one-stop service was provided. The two were escorted to Tianlaohouzhan. Zhang Changjian, the chief bookkeeper who was sentenced to exile, was also escorted out immediately, put in shackles, and carried the luggage prepared by his family. Under escort, we embarked on an overseas "dream chasing" journey.

As for Wu Guogong Liu Hui, who listened to the sentence from beginning to end, accompanied by King Liu Zhao of Yan, he walked out of the Ministry of Justice in despair. The summer sun fell on his handsome face that looked particularly vicissitudes of life, revealing the infinite sadness. .

In terms of appearance alone, today's Liu Hui is the kind of middle-aged handsome guy. His noble aura and brilliant literary temperament are intertwined in him, coupled with a layer of melancholy full of stories, which will definitely make countless girls fall in love.

Unfortunately, the person following behind him was a grown man. Silently looking at Liu Hui's dejected back, King Yan Liu Zhao couldn't help but have a hint of unbearability on his face. However, seeing him about to leave, he still couldn't help shouting: "Seventh brother, please stay!"

Liu Hui paused after hearing the sound, then slowly turned around, looked at Liu Zhao, and said in a sarcastic tone: "We have seen the fate of the chicken, can't I, the monkey, return home?"

"No!" Hearing this, Liu Zhao gave an affirmative answer. Facing Liu Hui's gaze, he took a deep breath and said slowly: "Please Qi brother come with me to Zongzheng Temple! His Majesty's decree, Imprisoned for one year!”

Hearing such a response, Liu Hui's face changed. The change was so wonderful. After a long time, he looked at Liu Zhao who looked embarrassed, stretched out his hands, and said indifferently: "Do you need to be shackled?"

"Seventh brother is serious!" Liu Zhao said quickly.

Liu Hui was forty years old at the time, but between entering and leaving, he seemed to have aged ten years. Liu Zhao couldn't bear it anymore and said, "One year goes by very quickly. I've already explained it to you. I won't neglect Brother Seven!"

Liu Hui did not answer. Seeing this, Liu Zhao said again: "Seventh Brother, Your Majesty has no choice. People's words are terrible, so you must not complain."

Liu Hui still didn't speak until he boarded Liu Zhao's royal carriage and the two brothers rode together on the way to Zongzheng Temple. Liu Hui, with his head resting on the carriage, said softly:

"Didn't His Majesty give me a fief on Bo Ni Island? My elder husband is also twenty years old. Please pass a message on my behalf, begging Your Majesty to give him a grace and let him go to sea to join the country."

In the imperial city, in the Chui Gong Hall, Emperor Liu Yang was looking murderously at the imperial envoy Wang Yue who was standing in front of him, and said coldly: "Find out for me!"

Obviously, this incident made Liu Yang extremely angry, not because of the final treatment of Liu Hui or the concern for brotherhood, but because of this behavior of fueling the flames and making trouble in the dark!

His heart can be killed! What he did was sinful! At this time, Liu Yang was like a real dragon whose scales had been touched. Instead of clouds and rain, he only rained down thunder.

(End of this chapter)