My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 160 Changes Brought About by Yongzheng's New Policies

Nian Gengyao was stunned upon hearing this.

Bang!
After a while, he suddenly clenched his fists and slammed them heavily on the edge of the desk.

His large, thick fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

Snapped!
Then, a bead of sweat fell onto the desk, onto the memorial addressed to Emperor Yongzheng, which the author had struggled to write down for a long time, and it smudged.

It was as if only at this moment that he realized what a terrifying and cunning emperor he was facing!

"Killing people and destroying their hearts?"

Nian Gengyao couldn't help but chuckle.

How much does he hate me?

Nian Gengyao then asked another question.

Then, Nian Gengyao shook his head: "I never expected him to hate me so much!"

talking.

Nian Gengyao gave a bitter laugh.

He could almost see the smug smile on Yongzheng's face as the officials forced the emperor to kill him.

"Nian Gengyao, receive the imperial decree!"

Just then, another imperial envoy arrived.

Nian Gengyao had no choice but to go outside, set up a table, and kneel to listen.

"I have told you in person that it is difficult to be a ruler and difficult to be a subject, but you have not taken it to heart at all. You do not know how to care for the people with love. You are afraid that even one person will not be able to live up to your expectations. You have failed to live up to the trust placed in you, and have indulged your cruel nature, disregarded human life, and poisoned the innocent. As a result, many people have been tortured and killed by you!"

"The Minister of the Imperial Household, Rashid, is hereby ordered to arrest Er and bring him back to the capital for a thorough investigation and interrogation!"

After Rashid finished reading the decree, Nian Gengyao said nothing and simply accepted it obediently.

Because what Yongzheng said in his decree was true. If you really blame him for harming the people, he should indeed die. And since Yongzheng wanted to appear to love the people very much, he naturally couldn't say that Yongzheng wasn't qualified to love the people.

Then, when Nian Gengyao arrived in Suzhou, the Jiangsu governor Li Wei met with him and said, "Nian Gengyao, I am here on imperial orders to tell you that if you have anything to say, you can do so through me. The Emperor will not see you again."

"nothing to say."

After answering, Nian Gengyao turned and left. He really didn't want to say anything more. Whether it was begging for mercy, claiming credit, or expressing resentment, it was meaningless to him.

After autumn.

The rain suddenly became more frequent, and a chill seeped through the red leaves and yellow flowers.

As the weather turned cooler, Hongli, who was already fifteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), received an assignment in July to leave the capital to inspect the river repair project.

Hongli understood that Yongzheng's sudden assignment of this task was twofold: firstly, to let him see how the large number of tenant farmers who had fled due to the new land tax reform were faring in the work-for-relief program disguised as river repair; and secondly, because Yongzheng was preparing to execute Nian Gengyao, so he, as the fourth prince, was not suitable to stay in the capital.

In short, as long as the Fourth Prince leaves the capital, powerful and influential figures in the court will inevitably be executed.

Hongli came from the Yongding River section on the outskirts of Beijing.

The Yongding River is a volatile river that frequently changes its course, earning it the nickname "Little Yellow River," and therefore requires regular maintenance.

Emperor Yongzheng wanted to use work relief to eliminate the side effects of the new policy of converting poll tax into land tax, so the first project to be carried out in this way would naturally be the Yongding River.

Because he lives too close to the capital!
Moreover, many imperial estates, royal estates, and flag fields are located here.

The several royal estates that Hongli himself was awarded were all located in this area.

Copper coins are a good thing.

It is rarer and easier to work than iron, but not as valuable as gold and silver.

When Emperor Yongzheng allocated a large amount of copper coins as wages for river management and construction projects, it became much more difficult for officials to embezzle them. Even if they carried a large bag of copper coins back, it would not be worth more than a few taels of silver, and they would be more easily discovered.

Even worse, it's easier to deduct from grain supplies, because grain can be claimed as moldy, insect-infested, or damaged, and deducted from the amount.

Many local officials embezzled grain from the Ever-Normal Granary by using this method: claiming the grain was moldy, they sold it at a low price to merchants they had colluded with, and profited from the price difference.

of course!

Officials during the Yongzheng era dared not be too greedy. After all, if the Fourth Prince found out about embezzlement, he would really confiscate their property and behead them. His main characteristic was that he was "harsh and ungrateful." If anyone dared to embezzle on a large scale during the Yongzheng era, it would be like a centenarian eating poison—wanting to die.

Therefore, Hongli was able to see that along the river for six or seven miles from Wanping City to Changxindian on the west bank of the Yongding River, there were many more shops and stalls.

Some river workers who dredged the river and reinforced the dikes would take the copper coins from the government and then turn around and go into the underground kilns and gambling dens along the river. Others who were a little more frugal would go to the teahouse, order some fennel beans, drink a large bowl of tea, and listen to the storyteller's tales as a rest.

"Meanwhile, Cao Cao grew anxious and ordered Cao Hong and Xu Huang to lead 10,000 troops to Tong Pass..."

Hongli could also see that many merchants here must have made a lot of copper coins.

Local vendors with shops along the street were eating pickled vegetables and tofu, listening to the storytelling coming from a teahouse not far away, and leisurely swaying their heads.

He lived a life that even the emperor couldn't match.

With so many people gathered here, what's the price of grain?

Emperor Hongli was thus worried about whether there was enough food in the area, and asked Cai Ting, the Governor-General of Zhili, who had come to see him.

Since Li Weijun, the former Governor-General of Zhili, was arrested and brought to Beijing because he was an accomplice of Nian Gengyao, Cai Ting, the former Governor of Sichuan, became the new Governor-General of Zhili.

Cai Ting replied, "I requested permission to intercept the grain shipments under the pretext of flood control and river repairs, in order to suppress grain merchants who were raising prices. As a result, the price of rice is currently maintained at around twelve coins per jin, which is two coins higher than in a bumper year."

Cai Ting was a member of the Plain White Banner of the Han Army, so he referred to himself as a servant in front of Hongli to show that his relationship with the imperial family was closer than that of ordinary Han people.

Hongli nodded, thinking to himself that Cai Ting was a capable official who knew how to intercept grain shipments and stabilize grain prices; he was not inflexible in his work.

As far as he knew, there were many capable people in the Han Banner Army, such as Nian Gengyao, who is now imprisoned. This was related to the establishment of the Eight Banners official schools during the Shunzhi reign.

It can be said that from the moment the Manchus entered the Central Plains, they never intended to implement a tax system like the Mongol Yuan dynasty and decentralize grassroots governance. Instead, they focused on cultivating their own talent to enhance their rule.

"After the river repair project is completed, what are your plans to do with all these tenant farmers who have fled?"

Hongli then inquired about Cai Ting.

Cai Ting cupped his hands and said, “The foundation of nurturing the people lies in encouraging agriculture, and among the tasks of promoting agriculture and sericulture, land reclamation is the most important. Therefore, I have learned from the example of the Huaihe River region in the south and arranged for them to continue to dig ditches for drainage and replace the soil to improve alkalinity. The saline-alkali fields along the Yongding River have been reclaimed and distributed to them. Furthermore, I have already requested that they be exempt from taxation for five years.”

What if there isn't enough reclaimed land to distribute?

Hongli pressed Cai Ting for answers.

Cai Ting calmly said, "There are also mountains on both sides of the Yongding River that can be divided. We can introduce sweet potatoes from the south and plant them there, and then have fruit trees planted among them. We can also exempt people from the five-year tax. In this way, the people can survive, and the fruit trees can also help to conserve water and soil and alleviate the siltation of the river."

Hongli clapped his hands and praised, "Very good, you are capable of handling things."

"You flatter me, Fourth Master. This is all thanks to His Majesty's virtue. If His Majesty had not loved the people and allocated a large amount of copper coins, even if I were a clever woman, I would have been unable to cook without rice."

"The daily income of twenty or thirty copper coins for ordinary people is not much, but it allows them to exchange their labor for grain and cloth, as well as fertile land and taxes from the imperial court, and reduces the number of thieves, prostitutes, and slaves."

Cai Ting's words made Hongli feel very comfortable, and at the same time, Hongli smiled with his hands behind his back and said, "Then give the people more opportunities to make money, and at the same time give them more places to spend money. Ideally, they should be able to spend as much money as they earn in the capital, and never leave the capital for the rest of their lives, and instead go back to their hometowns to be slaves to wealthy families!"

Cai Ting glanced at Hongli in astonishment.

"Yes, sir!" Cai Ting responded, his expression shifting from astonishment to admiration.

Hongli then looked at the tax records of Changxindian South Gate and made a rough estimate. Indeed, the revenue had increased significantly compared to three years ago.

In order to earn more copper coins, the fleeing tenants often chose to be paid according to the amount of work done rather than the daily payment based on working hours. They truly took pride in their diligence and hard work, and their income increased dramatically as a result, even more than when they were tenants.

Although income has increased dramatically, the cost of medicine for treating lumbar muscle strain and summer colds has also increased dramatically, as have the demands for face and other things that have increased in tandem with income.

Therefore, the more money they earned, the more they spent, which attracted many merchants and actually increased the tax revenue of Nanguan.

At the same time, with more vendors, the demand for loans has also increased, and Huimin Bank's income has also increased significantly.

The thirteenth prince in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the sixteenth prince in charge of the Imperial Household Department were overjoyed and reported the good news to Emperor Yongzheng every day.

Emperor Yongzheng dared not distrust his thirteenth and sixteenth brothers, who were his staunch confidants.

However, the two reports really surprised him. He did not expect that his new policy of merging land tax and poll tax would not only increase land tax, but also commercial tax, and his own private treasury would also increase significantly.

He was fond of empty fame, loved keeping dogs, and loved spending a lot of money to replicate expensive Hanfu from the Song and Ming dynasties. The kesi (silk tapestry) technique and gold thread borders were the basic requirements he made for the Imperial Household Department to weave Hanfu.

However, it has always been difficult to reconcile benefiting the people with benefiting oneself.

But now, his new policies seem to offer the best of both worlds, which naturally makes him extremely happy, and he can hardly believe it.

"Without a doubt!"

"This is the benefit of distributing a large amount of copper coins!"

The thirteenth prince astutely pointed out the reason to Emperor Yongzheng.

Emperor Yongzheng nodded: "This is all thanks to Hongli. He reminded me how serious the problem of copper coin shortage among the people was, and how beneficial it would be for the country and the people to have a sufficient supply of copper coins."

"The arrival of the brilliant and intelligent Emperor Hongli is a great blessing to our Qing Dynasty!"

"However, Fourth Brother, it seems we should purchase more copper from overseas, as our Great Qing Dynasty is short of copper!"

The sixteenth brother then spoke up.

The thirteenth prince chimed in, "The sixteenth brother is right. The population of our Great Qing is increasing dramatically, and the amount of copper mined domestically is simply not enough to meet the needs of the people."

"The Imperial Household Department is most in need of copper. There's no other way; the people like to borrow copper and repay it in silver."

The sixteenth brother added a comment.

Emperor Yongzheng nodded and said to the thirteenth and sixteenth princes, "You two calculate how much copper we need to purchase from abroad and then report it to me."

"Whoo!"

China is not a major copper-producing country, but there are many places overseas rich in copper mines.

Hongli was aware of this as well; he even knew that Luzon to the south had abundant copper reserves.

Westerners are colonizing and mining there.

He really wanted to go into direct mining as well as purchasing.

However, Emperor Yongzheng was not an emperor who was keen on expanding the borders, but rather an emperor who was more keen on diligently managing domestic affairs.

Therefore, Hongli could only keep this idea to himself for the time being.

But he has now at least influenced Emperor Yongzheng and others to recognize the importance of increasing the supply of copper mines.

This is a good beginning.

After returning to the capital from his river tour, Hongli met Hongzhou.

"Greetings, Fourth Brother!"

Hongzhou looked delighted and first bowed to Hongli.

Hongli raised his hand and said, "We are brothers, there's no need to be so polite. Get up."

Then, Hongli asked him, "What makes you so happy?"

"The shock-absorbing carriage that I had the Imperial Workshop modify is finished. Fourth Brother, if you have time, would you like to go and take a look?"

Hongzhou said.

Hongli was also quite surprised, then smiled and said, "I'm free right now."

So, Hongli and Hongzhou went to the Imperial Household Department's workshop together.

Not long after, Hongli saw the carriage that Hongzhou had commissioned skilled craftsmen to build at the Imperial Workshop. After carefully examining it, he discovered that it had been fitted with plate springs and bearings.

"How was it made?"

After experiencing it for a while, Hongli noticed that the speed and shock absorption had improved significantly, and then asked Hongzhou about it with a smile.

"Spring steel was developed through continuous experimentation based on the new methods provided in the book 'Tiangong Kaiwu' that you recommended to my younger brother."

"The bearing balls are hand-polished by experienced watchmakers over several months; they are just a little larger than the beads inside a watch."

Hong Zhou replied.

Hongli nodded: "It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"I've given all the savings I've accumulated from my salary to the master craftsmen."

Hongzhou replied with an awkward smile.

Although this was just a craft item, improved upon by skilled craftsmen and methods provided by late Ming scientific classics, and could not yet be mass-produced, Hongli felt it was a good start.

Especially for Hongzhou himself, who historically chose to hold a funeral for himself to escape power struggles, it would undoubtedly be better for him to spend his wealth on tinkering with new handicrafts, because who knows, a certain handicraft might become an industrial product in the future.

"When you get back, I'll give you five thousand taels of silver. Have the Imperial Workshop build one for me too."

Hongli said something.

The Imperial Household Department's workshops, also known as the Wuying Hall workshops, were the institutions responsible for manufacturing and repairing various items for members of the royal family.

Besides the emperor, princes and nobles could also have the Imperial Workshops make and repair certain items if they needed them.

Hongzhou was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you very much, Fourth Brother! I will definitely make sure they make it even more exquisite."

Hongli smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then returned to the prince's quarters with Hongzhou.

After Hongli and Hongzhou returned, they met Hongshi.

"Greetings to Third Brother."

Hongshi then used this as an excuse to say that he had something to talk to Hongli about, and took Hongli to his home alone: ​​"Fourth brother, have you heard about Sixteenth Uncle's matter?"

"What's the matter, Uncle Sixteen?"

"They all say that since the Sixteenth Uncle took over the Imperial Household Department, he has been competing with the people for profit too much!"

(End of this chapter)