After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

Not long after, the ladies who were the first to go down to Xia Yang and Feng Xu counties came together. Pei Jiaoran had also ordered two clerks to send over two copies of the property from other counties for them to see.

"This is the finance and taxation of each county over the years. Although there may be fraud, you still need to have a preliminary understanding first, so that I can make arrangements later."

Even though Tongzhou is close to Chang'an, there are still people who violate the law. All Daozhou and counties in the world pay two-thirds tax, so the tax revenue of these remaining states is particularly important to the state capital and county, as well as the local people. In some places, state capitals rely on the fact that the sky is high and the emperor is far away, so they create clever names in order to line their own pockets. Use "chao, spoon, kui, pinch", "fen, centimeter, millimeter, baht" and other methods to make the mantissa round up to an integer. This way they can hide everything they can.

"If you find a problem, you can raise it in time." Pei Jiaoran asked the servant to serve tea to each of them. After getting along with each other for a few days, she had figured out the temperaments and preferences of these ladies, and was happy to spend more time with them. Therefore, I have great respect for them.

"Reporting to Minister Pei, I once looked through the two tax documents of the counties in Tongzhou 20 years ago. I found that there are several counties in Tongzhou that bear more than 10,000 acres of tax. This is an additional tax in addition to the two taxes. "A girl in an autumn-colored round-neck robe.

The girl who answered first was called Zhao Mingluan. She was a Jinshi this year, but she failed the imperial examination and was not awarded an official title by the imperial court. Now he is standing in Feng Xu's academy, temporarily taking the place of his master, teaching students.

After looking at her for a while, Pei Jiaoran raised his head and motioned for her to continue.

"I have investigated and found that this situation still exists in Tongzhou. Since the tax did not go to Zuozang, I thought that I could report the matter to the court on the grounds that there was no legal basis for the imperial edict, and waived the tax." Zhao Mingluan paused and continued. He continued: "This will not only prevent the state government from putting pressure on the people at the bottom in order to promote themselves or make money, but it can also relieve the pressure on the people and enrich Zuozang."

Suddenly Zhao Mingluan frowned, as if thinking of something, "If this is the case, we only need to exempt this year's autumn tax. Next year, the court can collect taxes in the same state as usual, and the people will not worry about their livelihood."

Wu Lingjia followed: "In the past, Quan Dehui controlled Tongzhou and had many abuses. Who would have thought that a flood would expose so many problems at once. The blame can be pinned on him, but it's just out of thin air. The extra tax money has to go somewhere."

"That's true." Pei Jiaoran smiled.

From ancient times to the present, the financial taxes paid by local governments are usually higher than the financial resources needed by the central government. It’s even worse under the two-tax-three-thirds tax situation. Everyone wants to be promoted, but upwards naturally won’t work, so they can only apply pressure at all levels. As a result, taxes have increased, but people's lives have been miserable. The people did not know the actual decrees of the imperial court. They could only give them whatever the state government said.

As for the extra taxes that came out of thin air, they should go somewhere.

"So where do you think the extra tax money went? Did Quan Dehui use it all? Where will this money be used?"

Another girl surnamed Pang looked around and said in a soft voice, "The imperial court has to pay taxes every year. And the money the state government spends on people's livelihood comes from the state government. They will inevitably have to send people down when they are stretched. Inspection. In order to take care of all parties, financial resources must be spent."

"Behind Tongzhou's water conservancy projects and building bridges and roads, there are almost always party members. Therefore, in addition to using the money to manage high-ranking officials, it must also be used to win over the gentry and powerful people in Tongzhou. Only in this way can their interests be guaranteed. Same." After all, Wu Lingjia had served in the Ministry of Household Affairs and was from a noble family. You can see through the twists and turns at a glance.

"That's a good point." So do you think that if it were you, how could you ensure the operation of the state capital while dealing with the central government asking for money? "Pei Jiaoran smiled slightly.

This time, it was Zhao Mingluan who reacted first, "First of all, you have to leave enough room for yourself, such as additional tax collection, and the tax must have a reputation. Just like in the former Sui Dynasty, they annexed the land of those who lived in seclusion. Self-improvement. However, this dynasty has been unable to annex Yinhu's fields. The only way is to manipulate the hands and feet. What is reported to the court is the court's, but the state government still collects taxes based on the original acres. In this way, additional The tax was imposed on the people, but they could never enter Zuozang. Instead, the people complained. The gentry took the opportunity to break up their own fields and taxes into pieces, and recorded the names of those poor, runaway, and even landless people. He is evading taxes and colluding with the state government to line his own pockets."

"In this case. The common people's tax amount has been set, but the state government has levied an empty amount. And those gentry occupy a vast area and have a lot of land, so they only pay two or three taxes. Mr. Pei, you suddenly came to us today, do you have any new ideas? "The girl surnamed Pang said.

"Xiyin is smart." Pei Jiaoran smiled gently, "I wrote a memorial and submitted it to Your Majesty. If Your Majesty agrees, we can start the matter of equalizing the land and equalizing the tax."

Everyone was surprised when they heard the four words "Juntian Ping Fu". They all turned to look at Pei Jiaoran.

"I sent people to the south of Tongzhou. The south is not a good place. Every time there is a strong wind, the loess will fly up. As a result, the land will be easily abandoned. Once the people flee, Tongzhou will still collect taxes according to the previous tax amount, but What was presented to the court was another kind of evidence. In addition, the counties along the river were indispensable for river encroachments every year. In this case, why not let the people know their own facts and let the township officials and chief secretaries assist, so that There is no need for the state government to send anyone down." Pei Jiaoran had a gentle smile on his face.

Several girls had the same idea as her, which not only surprised her, but also made her very happy. Although these girls have not had actual contact with how the grassroots handles government orders and central communication, they can still find the problem and put forward their own opinions. It is already quite rare. She thought that with a little guidance, they could and could become her right-hand men.

"Self-informed? If the people knew what you were thinking, they wouldn't hide anything on this matter. What we will get will be the most authentic data. With these data, the people will not need to pay more taxes. But I still don’t understand what Juntian Pingfu is all about. Please help me, Mr. Pei, to clarify my doubts.” Zhao Mingluan looked at her with curiosity on his face.

Hearing this, Pei Jiaoran smiled and said, "There's no rush. You will know what I am going to do when His Majesty gives me the approval."

If she wants drastic reforms, she must pay a corresponding price. Before the situation is completely under control, the more the plan is revealed, the more dangerous it will be. Even though she admires these people, she will not reveal her plans.

After all, any time a new law is implemented, bloodshed and sacrifice are indispensable. No one wants to get extremely high rewards at the lowest cost. So all she can do is keep the struggle within control and avoid more meaningless sacrifices.