Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 339 Hometown Feelings
In the hall, Wu Zhigao walked out of the court, bowed slightly, and spoke directly

"Your Highness, I think that Lord Su's proposal is absurd."

"When the Qing invaders attacked Guangdong two years ago, there were a few bad gentry in Chaozhou and Huizhou who surrendered to the enemy, but they were only a minority after all. Now Lord Su is punishing all the gentry in the prefecture for the crimes of these few people. How unfair is this treatment?"

Zhu Lang looked at Wu Zhigao who was filled with righteous indignation below, his face was calm, and he spoke directly

"What Wu said makes sense. The court punished the two governments in order to make the law clear and make the gentry in the court and the public know how to be loyal and righteous. However, it should not discourage the loyal gentry in the two governments. Lord Su hates evil and wants to punish the two governments, which is indeed inappropriate."

"In this way, all the gentry families in the two prefectures who have ever taken up arms to resist the invaders and beheaded a Qing invader can be exempted from this punishment."

"Not only that, the court will also offer a generous reward. Any gentry in the two prefectures who are proven to have killed the enemy can recommend three people from their family to study at the Imperial Academy."

Wu Zhigao originally thought that His Royal Highness the Regent would immediately refute it, but when he heard His Royal Highness the Regent directly agree with it, he was a little caught off guard.
But then Wu Zhigao reacted immediately and his face darkened.

There were some gentry in the two prefectures who refused to shave their heads and join the bandits, but almost none of them took up arms to fight the enemy. At least Wu Zhigao had never heard of any gentry in the two prefectures taking up arms.

The Qing invaders attacked Guangdong province for only a month before they were defeated in Guangzhou and completely wiped out by the imperial court.
In such a short time, even if the gentry of the two prefectures wanted to raise an army to resist the invaders, they would have no time to prepare. If we follow your standards, it would be no different from punishing the two prefectures.

Zhu Lang's approval disrupted Wu Zhigao's plan, leaving him at a loss for what to do.
Wu Zhigao couldn't even refute it at this time. In Wu Zhigao's opinion, all the gentry who didn't shave their heads should be considered as having integrity and should not be punished.
But now it is clear that the standard of guilt and innocence is not decided by him, but by His Highness, and he has no right to argue at this time.
Li Tingzhu saw Wu Zhigao stopped where he was and immediately stepped out and said

"I, Li Tingzhu, the Minister of Public Administration, report to Your Highness that I also think that Lord Su's proposal is inappropriate."

"In the past few years, the Eastern Tartars have been invading very fiercely, and there has been unrest in various places. There are people in the court who are suspected of collaborating with the enemy, not only in Chaozhou and Huizhou, but also in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces where a large number of gentry have been forced to succumb to the enemy."

"If Lord Su wanted to investigate the crime of accomplices of the thieves, they should be punished together. Now Lord Su wants to punish the two governments alone, which is really unfair."

When the court officials heard this, their expressions changed. Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others looked at Li Tingzhu below, and their faces suddenly turned cold.

The gentry from Chaozhou and Huizhou were really bold. They even wanted to drag others into the water.

Li Tingzhu saw the cold look on Lu Daqi and others' faces, and his expression changed slightly, but Li Tingzhu quickly calmed down.

Previously, they had repeatedly gone to the residences of several cabinet ministers to appeal, but all of them avoided them. He Wuzuo and other cabinet ministers were irresponsible and were indifferent when they saw that Gui Jianguo was going to implement this evil policy.

He Wuzuo and his people want to use the gentry of their two prefectures to please the emperor. How can such a good thing happen in this world? If they don't have a good life, no one in the court will have an easy life either!
The officials of Fujian Province, such as Lu Daqi and Zeng Ying, were about to refute the statement, but before they could say anything, His Royal Highness the Regent spoke up.

"Councilor Li's words are absurd. How can Chaozhou and Huizhou be compared with Fujian and Zhejiang?"

"When I led the army into Fujian Province, military officials such as Duke Dingguo Zheng Hongkui and Duke Guguo Shifu, as well as Governor General Zhang Kentang and Zhejiang Provincial Governor Liu Zhongzao, all rose up in rebellion. The great victory of Changtai was won by the bloody battle of the gentry and generals of Fujian Province."

"The two prefectures of Chaozhou and Huizhou surrendered at the sight of the enemy. How can they be compared with the gentry of Fujian and Zhejiang? The thieves who surrendered to the enemy in Fujian and Zhejiang have long been eliminated by the court. Now only the two prefectures of Chaozhou and Huizhou are left."

Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others looked at each other and felt relieved. His Highness was still sober after all and was not deceived by Li Tingzhu.

Lu Daqi and the others turned their heads away with blank expressions. The courtiers below looked at Li Tingzhu and the other man in the hall, and their faces turned cold. Li Tingzhu felt the hostility in everyone's eyes, and a trace of panic flashed through his heart.

Li Xun looked at Wu Zhigao and the other person in the hall, gritted his teeth, and stepped out of the line. Everyone's eyes fell on Li Xun.

"I think your Highness's words are too harsh. When the Qing invaders raided Guangdong, there was not a single soldier guarding the eastern border of Guangdong."

"If there were a large army stationed in the court at that time, how could the gentry of the two prefectures surrender to the bandits? The Qing invaders were armed with sharp swords and bows, but the gentry of the two prefectures were unarmed."

"The Qing invaders have always been brutal and violent, and they would kill people and massacre the whole city at any time. We, the gentry, had no choice but to temporarily pretend to surrender to the invaders in order to plan for the future."

"Your Highness now wants to severely punish the gentry of our two prefectures for this. How can anyone be convinced?"

The more Li Xun spoke, the more sad and angry his face became. Zhu Lang looked at the angry Li Xun below and sneered.

"So, Lord Li means that I, the regent, am incompetent in defending the country, and that's why you, the gentry of Chaohui, have to shave your heads and surrender to the enemy?"

"Then do you want me and the court to come and apologize to you two gentry? The court failed to protect you two gentry in time, and caused you two gentry to be frightened and surrender to the enemy. This is really the fault of me and the court."

When Li Xun heard this, he panicked and was about to explain himself, but before he could open his mouth, the Minister of Works, Gu Yuanjing, stepped out.
"Guanglu Shaoqing Li Xun has spoken treasonous words, insulting the emperor and his father and slandering the court. I request that this bastard be arrested and punished immediately."

Li Xun looked at the indifferent officials in the room, and his face became flustered. He immediately said

"That is not my intention, and I dare not criticize the court."

"But the people of the two prefectures all rely on the land for their livelihood. If the court confiscates the land of the two prefectures at this time, it will cause widespread panic among the people. If we are not careful, there is a high possibility of chaos in the two prefectures."

"The people of our two prefectures have experienced war and chaos, and now it has just been settled. If chaos breaks out in the prefecture at this time, the people will probably suffer again."

"Your Highness, please have mercy on the people of our two prefectures and take back this order, so that the people of our two prefectures can enjoy the grace of heaven and recuperate."

After Li Xun finished speaking, he bowed down and did not get up for a long time.
There was silence in the field. After a while, a light laugh suddenly came from above the imperial steps.

"What a mess"

"You mean, if I want to deal with the two prefectures, you and the gentry of the two prefectures will cause chaos in the two prefectures?"

When the ministers in the hall heard this, their expressions changed. When they looked at Li Yu and the other two bowing in the hall, their faces also turned cold.
When Li Xun heard this, a layer of cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead. Li Xun stood up and was about to explain, but before he could say anything, another cold voice came from above.
"When the Qing invaders came, you gentry of the two prefectures betrayed your ancestors, shaved your heads and became invaders, and offered thousands of miles of fertile land of the two prefectures of the Ming Dynasty to the Tartars. At that time, you gentry of the two prefectures did not know how to rebel. Now that the Ming Dynasty court wants to confiscate your land, you gentry of the two prefectures dare to rebel instead."

"I will sit here in Guangzhou City and wait and see how you and the other gentry in the two prefectures are going to cause trouble. If you dare to cause trouble, I will kill you!"

In the hall, Zeng Ying and other ministers looked at the grim Regent above them, and a chill rose in their hearts. Li Xun stood in the hall below with a pale face, his body trembling slightly, and his forehead covered with cold sweat.
Wu Zhigao looked at Li Xun who was already distracted beside him, gritted his teeth, and spoke directly

"Your Highness, why do you have to misinterpret Li Shaoqing's intention? The land and property of the people in the two prefectures were all accumulated by their ancestors with great effort. Now the court is suddenly confiscating them. How can the people of the two prefectures be convinced?" "Our advice this time is for the stability of the court and for Your Highness's reputation. Honest words are unpleasant to the ear. If Your Highness thinks that we are speaking out of turn, then we resign."

Zhu Lang looked at Wu Zhigao who was furious below him, and sneered at this time, and said

“Huizhou, Chaozhou, Chaozhou, what a close hometown relationship”

Wu Zhigao's expression changed when he heard this, and he was about to explain himself, but at this time, His Royal Highness the Regent above continued to speak.

"You don't have to say that honest advice is unpleasant to the ear anymore. You officials from the two governments don't have to resign in person in the court today. Just hand in your resignations. I will approve them all today."

"I want to see if I can really rule the world without you two officials!"

The hall was completely silent, and a cold voice echoed in the room. In the silence, six officials from Chaohui came out one after another.

Wu Zhigao looked at the six officials who came out, but there was no joy on his face. There were as many as seventeen officials from the two governments that they had contacted in the past few days, but now only six of them came out, and the remaining half retreated together!
Zhu Lang looked at the six court officials who were leaving the court with a cold expression on his face. Before they could speak, Zhu Lang spoke directly.

"Since these officials have resigned, they are no longer officials of the Ming Dynasty, and should not be allowed to be in this hall. Come, take off their official hats and clear them out of this hall."

The ministers looked at the cold-looking Regent and trembled in their hearts. Upon hearing this, Li Chengzhi immediately led the Jinyiwei forward and did not give these people a chance to resign.

A group of Jinyiwei came to the hall and took off the official hats on Li Yu and others' heads.
Wu Zhigao was originally staring at the officials from the two prefectures who had not yet appeared in the court procession, but at this moment he suddenly felt a sense of relief on his head. Wu Zhigao looked at the official hat in the hands of the Jinyiwei, but suddenly he felt empty and panicked for no reason.

But before he could react, all the Chaohui officials in the hall were escorted out by the Jinyiwei soldiers.

The nine Chaohui officials were stripped of their official hats under the gaze of all the officials. They were not even given the chance to speak again and were immediately expelled from the court. The Regent spoke again.

"But there are still those who want to resign. I will grant your wishes today."

The sound spread throughout the hall, and all the officials in the hall were silent. After a while, the sound continued to be heard from above.

"Since there is no one, let's continue the discussion."

"The gentry of the two prefectures surrendered to the enemy and did not think about serving the court. This is a serious crime. The court wants to confiscate the land of the gentry of the two prefectures. Do you have any objections?"

After Zhu Lang finished speaking, there was silence in the court again, and then everyone looked up at the ministers such as Qu Shisi and He Wuzuo.

His Highness the Regent directly dismissed nine court officials in court, which shows his determination. At this time, if the cabinet ministers do not take the lead, who would dare to have any opinions except the officials from the two governments?

Seeing that the officials in the hall were silent for a long time, Zhu Lang was about to ask the cabinet ministers to express their opinions and force the matter through.
But at this moment, He Wuzuo suddenly stepped out, and everyone in the court immediately focused their attention on him.
"I saw a proposal from the Ministry of Revenue a few days ago, saying that the court was planning to compile the levies of lijia, junluo and other miscellaneous items into seven dou of grain in Chaozhou and Huizhou. I would like to ask Your Highness whether this is true."

After He Wuzuo finished speaking, all the ministers in the court looked up at His Royal Highness the Regent. Zhu Lang's eyes flickered slightly, and he spoke.

"There is such a proposal. After the court confiscates the land of Chaozhou and Huizhou, the land of Chaozhou and Huizhou will be distributed to each army. However, the soldiers who are given the land are either injured or still need to fight in the army."

"After the troops were given the land, it was inconvenient for them to serve. In order to reward the troops, the court decided to convert all the taxes and labor service that the two governments had to bear into food, so as to relieve the soldiers from the worries."

He Wuzuo heard this, his expression remained unchanged, and he continued to speak.

"Taizu started his career as a commoner and was well aware of the sufferings of the people. That is why the taxes in the Ming Dynasty were much lighter than those in previous dynasties."

"In our dynasty, the tax on the farmland of the common people is only a few liters per mu. In places like Suzhou and Huzhou where the tax is heavy, the tax on the farmland is only one or two dou per mu. Your Highness wants to reward the troops, but why do you suddenly want to impose such heavy taxes? I think this proposal is inappropriate."

Zhu Lang looked at the silent ministers below, and his heart sank. He knew that this matter was far from over.

Zhu Lang was silent for a moment, then spoke directly

"Does Lord He really not know, or does he think that I am ignorant of worldly affairs? The two or three dou of grain tax on the people's land is just a simple land tax, while the seven dou of grain tax on the two prefectures is included in all taxes and labor services. After the people pay seven dou of grain, they no longer need to bear any regular labor or various additional levies."

"Land renting is a common practice in Jiangnan, Fujian and Guangdong. The yield of fields in the south can reach two or three shi per mu. If the landowner collects half of it as rent, the tenants will think that the landlord is kind."

"In some cases, the rent is as high as 70% to 80%. After working hard for a year, the tenants can only get a few buckets of grain per mu."

"If you look everywhere in Jiangnan, you may not find many landowners who only collect seven dou of grain. Compared with this, how can the seven dou of grain tax from the imperial court be considered a heavy tax?"

When Lu Daqi and Chen Zizhuang heard this, their hearts sank. He Wuzuo's question just now was actually just a test of the ministers in the cabinet.

In the past few days, there have been rumors of the reorganization of the two governments, but there has been no response from the palace.

Lü Daqi, He Wuzuo and others were also confused as to whether the seven-dou grain system was set by the Ministry of Revenue or by His Royal Highness the Regent.

After hearing His Majesty the Regent's reply, He Wuzuo and the others no longer had any hope. This matter must have been pushed by His Majesty the Regent behind the scenes.

He Wuzuo was silent for a moment, but he did not dwell on whether the seven dou of grain was a heavy tax. He spoke again.

"Our dynasty has always treated the gentry with favor. Officials and gentry at all levels in the court can be exempted from labor service and taxes according to their family background and official rank. If the two prefectures implement the seven-bu grain system, can the gentry in Chaozhou and Huizhou still be exempted from labor service?"

Zhu Lang's face darkened, but he did not hesitate at all and spoke directly

"The gentry of the two prefectures surrendered to the enemy and have committed a serious crime. They should not be exempted from labor service and taxation."

Zhu Lang set a grain system of seven dou, with the regular tax set at an extremely low level of only five liters per mu. The regular tax on the village and the village was reduced to one dou and five liters, the average tax was reduced to two dou, the miscellaneous tax was reduced to two dou, and the grain consumption was reduced to one dou, for a total of seven dou.
At the beginning of the founding of the country, the Ming Dynasty's preferential treatment for gentry was quite appropriate, but as the emperors of the Ming Dynasty wooed and gave in to the gentry, the preferential treatment that the gentry could enjoy had become extremely terrifying, and they could often be exempted from the labor service of thousands or even tens of thousands of acres of land.
If the gentry were allowed to continue to be exempted from the military service, the only taxes the court could collect from them would be the land tax, the village tax, and the three dou of grain. The taxes the court could collect would be reduced by half in an instant. If this were the case, the reform would be meaningless.

He Wuzuo looked at the cold and hard-faced Regent, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. However, he no longer hesitated.
(End of this chapter)