Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 190 Those who play politics are all corrupt.
Zhu Youjian tried to get his ministers to compromise by lifting the roof and opening the windows, but after using this method so many times, the officials had become accustomed to its effects. Although the emperor now had complete control of the court, and no matter how much they tried to cause trouble, they were still no match for him, they were simply unhappy if they didn't cause some trouble.

Moreover, the democratic atmosphere in the imperial court under the monarchical system was very strong. When ministers refuted the emperor, they often did not feel that they were going against the emperor. On the contrary, they believed that they were doing a good deed by advising the monarch.

In the accounts of civil officials, emperors are always portrayed as incompetent, while ministers earnestly instruct and painstakingly advise them, yet the emperor often fails to appreciate their efforts, leaving listeners heartbroken and in tears. Those ministers who flatter the emperor are depicted as treacherous villains, rotten to the core.

Land ownership is crucial. Although Zhu Youjian's proposal seemed reasonable, those who play politics are often corrupt; they've lost the ability to think simply. How could they possibly believe the emperor was so benevolent as to provide land for displaced people and generate additional land rent revenue for the court on top of regular taxes?
The ministers couldn't fathom what the emperor was thinking, so they decided to refute him first.

The newly appointed Left Censor-in-Chief Gao Hongtu dusted off his sleeves, stood up with a smug air, and said: "Your Majesty wishes to nationalize the land in Beizhili and prohibit its sale. This is truly not the way to govern the world. In the system of the Three Dynasties, although there were public fields, there were also private fields. Only when people have stable property can they have a stable mind."

Following the chaos at the end of the Qin Dynasty, Xiao He collected the land registers, allowing the people to reclaim their former fields and homes, thus winning the hearts of the people. Now, if land is confiscated by the state and leased to the people, they will have no permanent livelihood, and how can we encourage farming? Now, Your Majesty has both prohibited buying and selling and does not allow inheritance; farmers who rent land are like temporary lodgers, constantly worrying that the landlords will reclaim their land after spring planting and autumn harvest. Who will be willing to cultivate the land diligently and frequently?

Zhu Youjian glared at him, warning him with his eyes: "You want to be dismissed from office too, don't you?!"

Gao Hongtu shrank back, but the words were already out; could he really take them back? So he looked away, pretending not to see the emperor. This old fellow was from Jiaozhou, Shandong. He was unaffiliated with any party or faction, had a terrible temper, and showed no respect to anyone except the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, because he often fawned over the clerks there, asking for scallions to dip in sauce.

For more than a month since the war began, almost all the high-ranking officials of the imperial court have been living in the Forbidden City, eating in the main hall every day. With so much food being cooked, the cooks of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices have become quite merciful and their culinary skills have improved considerably. Of course, this is also partly due to the fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guards have been watching over their cooking every day with swords in hand.

Although it was a low-probability event, if someone were to actually poison the entire court and wipe out all the officials, the Ming Dynasty would truly become an empire that perished in the most ridiculous way. Therefore, defense was necessary. Of course, methods for detecting poison included using silver needles and having dogs and eunuchs taste the poison first.

Zhu Youjian was somewhat helpless with people like Gao Hongtu. There were only so many famous ministers, and so many positions in the court; someone always had to fill them. An official like the Left Censor-in-Chief didn't need much ability; just a strong backbone was enough. Although he was tough on everyone and didn't give much face to the emperor, Zhu Youjian needed such people to exist.

It's not good if everyone in the court is a dissenter, nor is it good if no one dares to speak the truth. No matter how insightful someone is, they will be influenced by information within their own information cocoon. As the saying goes, "My wife praises me because she loves me." It's not easy for the emperor to hear the truth.

Zhu Youjian often doubted how much of the reports of victory and the various memorials from different places were true and false. It's no wonder that the emperor was so suspicious. After all, in a place where lying is common, even if someone tells the truth, it will sound like a lie.

Of course, if one were to be so discerning and know everything perfectly clearly, life would be unbearable. Zhu Youjian could only influence those below him by setting an example and leading by example.

In his court, reporting disasters went unpunished, and reporting good news was not necessarily rewarded; he didn't engage in any power struggles. As a clear-headed yet foolish young emperor, he always spoke his mind.

Seeing the emperor winking at him again, Bi Ziyan felt helpless and could only step forward and say, "Your Majesty's taking over unclaimed land is not a matter of seizing private property, but rather returning land to those who have lost their land. The Northern Wei's equal-field system initially prohibited the buying and selling of land, which was able to suppress powerful families and settle displaced people. However, as the permanent land was gradually allowed to be traded, land annexation eventually re-emerged."

The prohibition of buying and selling land is precisely to prevent this abuse. As Guanzi said, "Land is the foundation of governance." The court holds the reins of land ownership; leasing it to the poor at a reasonable rate not only relieves the suffering of displaced people but also increases the national treasury's revenue. Why not do it?

In fact, as the Grand Secretary, the nominal head of the civil service, he should not easily express his opinion during court debates.

Han Kuang, a Qingliu official, chimed in, saying, “Your Majesty’s intention to manage the fields to enrich the national treasury is commendable, but the method is difficult to implement. The Great Learning says, ‘With land comes wealth, and with wealth comes usefulness.’ However, wealth comes from the people, and the people depend on the fields.”

"The grain revenue of Beizhili accounts for three-tenths of the nation's total, all relying on taxes from the people's farmland. If it were changed to state-owned leasing, a high rent rate would be unbearable for farmers; a low rent rate would drastically reduce national treasury revenue. How then could we support the border troops and prepare for famine?"

In the original timeline, after Wei Zhongxian's downfall, the Donglin Party came to power. When the Jisi Incident occurred, Han Kuang was the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty. However, now, Wei Zhongxian is still alive and well and has not been executed. Han Kuang is just the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He is not a high-ranking official, but he does not have much power. He can say a few words in the court.

"Your Majesty's plan is a sound strategy to save the country. I cannot agree with your clever slander. Land brings wealth, but there are tens of thousands of acres of barren land in Beizhili, and refugees are crying for food. The 'three-tenths of the annual income' has become an empty promise. If we let it lie fallow, then we will truly have no wealth to use."

"The rent rate can be modeled after the Tang Dynasty's rent, labor, and tax system: 30% in good years and reduced to 10% in lean years. This will relieve farmers of their heavy burden and ensure a steady flow of revenue to the national treasury. Border troops' provisions and disaster relief reserves depend on this new income. To stick to the old system and wait for the people to return is tantamount to sitting idly by and waiting for death." Huang Daozhou, also a Qingliu official, said indignantly.

Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction. After all this time, he finally had running water. This Huang Daozhou was not one of his men, but a rotten scholar as stubborn as a rock in a latrine!

"According to the History of the Song Dynasty, the Xining Reform implemented the 'Equalization of Land Taxation,' which took ten years just to verify the land area, and it was still not perfect. Now Your Majesty wants to use several thousand soldiers to clarify the land area of ​​116 counties in ten days. If officials show any favoritism, it will lead to wrongful imprisonment."

Moreover, the leasing system requires the establishment of officials to manage it. When clerks go to the countryside, they will inevitably extort money, adding to the farmers' burdens on top of the rent. It is called benefiting the people, but in reality, it harms them. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to reconsider and not follow the same mistakes as the Green Sprouts Law. Put the well-being of the people first and rely on ancestral systems. Then the world will be fortunate indeed.” Han Kuang continued to jump around.

"The Xining Reform took ten years due to obstruction by the gentry. Now, the unclaimed wasteland has been cleared and the land register is clear. It can be completed in three months. Officials who are biased will be dealt with by military law. What wrongful imprisonment will there be? The extortion by clerks can be recorded as an 'ironclad case of rent registration'. The county government will collect all the money. Clerks are not allowed to touch it. Those who violate this rule will be severely punished according to the law."

The Green Sprouts Law failed because of forced land requisition. Now, the people are allowed to voluntarily rent land to cultivate it. How can this be considered "harming the people"? In the early years of our dynasty, there was also a system of "immigrant land reclamation." This was not a violation of our ancestors, but a wise response to changing circumstances. Your Majesty's move is to secure the people's livelihood and strengthen the foundation. I hope you will overcome all objections!" Huang Daozhou argued forcefully based on reason.

"Alright, my mind is made up. The policy of leasing public land is imperative. The regular tax on public land will remain unchanged. This year, due to the war, the people are suffering. I have decided to exempt those who rent public land from the land rent for one year. Starting next year, the land rent will be levied at 30%, with a limit of 20 mu per person. The limit is less but not more. The people can choose to rent freely, without being forced."

As for the argument about "permanent property and constant hearts," I merely ordered the court to reclaim unclaimed land, not to seize people's private property. You should refrain from digressions. With affairs so numerous and complex, court deliberations should be concise and efficient, not filled with lengthy debates in the courtroom. Any objections should be clarified through memorials. "Zhu Youjian said calmly.

It was rare that no courtiers jumped out to threaten him after he made his statement. Zhu Youjian's control over the court was no exaggeration, after all, all the important positions had been changed. However, there was still one fish that slipped through the net, namely Xue Fengxiang, the Minister of Works! Zhu Youjian wanted to get rid of this guy in the first few days after he ascended the throne, but he managed to tolerate him for two years! The Ministry of Works is a highly specialized department, similar to the military commissioner, and there are not many candidates who can replace Xue Fengxiang. Xu Guangqi is an excellent candidate, but the old man is busy growing sweet potatoes.

As Zhu Youjian used him more and more, he didn't even dislike Xue Fengxiang as much anymore. Although the guy was greedy and exceeded the budget, he still managed to get things done. Whether it was digging up graves or making guns and cannons, the Ministry of Works' performance was passable.

Zhu Youjian thought this guy was just a low-level, plywood-like general. He wanted to praise him, but he was also disgusted by him. He wanted to execute him, but he seemed reluctant. In addition, the Ministry of Works was mainly busy with war in the first and second years of Chongzhen's reign, so its presence was not strong. Thus, Xue Fengxiang survived in a daze.

However, since he had already remembered, he decided to give him a good talking-to. Zhu Youjian decided to allocate 500,000 taels from the limited budget to Yuan Keli to build city walls. To show that he valued the project, he ordered Xue Fengxiang, the Minister of Works, to personally supervise the work.

Xue Fengxiang was unwilling to leave. He tried to stay by citing reasons such as the need to repair military equipment and organize captured weapons after the great battle. However, when Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country, he thoroughly decentralized the various departments of the court. The ministers of the six ministries were indeed officials, but they were not in a superior-subordinate relationship with the vice ministers.

The Vice Minister can give face to the Minister, or he can go against the Minister, because the three of them have relatively independent and non-overlapping powers. So even if the Minister of Works is sent away, the Ministry of Works can still operate normally. It doesn't matter if he's there or not.

There's a saying that goes, "A leader can do anything, even with a dog on a leash, but subordinates have to consider a lot more."

"The officials below are overstaffed and incompetent. The construction of Haizhou City is a matter of life and death for Liaonan. This matter is of utmost importance. Therefore, I hope that Minister Xue will not hesitate to make the trip and will not refuse again," Zhu Youjian said politely.

Xue Fengxiang was about to continue his rambling when Wei Zhongxian's men patted him on the shoulder and handed him a small note. The note read:

Outside the south gate of Kaifeng Prefecture, there are 150 mu of paddy fields and 130 mu of dry land, along with 12 brick and tile houses, 3 granaries, and 4 tenant courtyards;
The inner city of Guide Prefecture, Qipan Street, covers an area of ​​three acres. It is a three-courtyard siheyuan with five main rooms and side rooms, eight side rooms, and two shops facing the street.
The Shuntian Prefecture Tongzhou estate covers 180 mu, with two brick warehouses and five residential rooms. It is a fertile estate in the vicinity of the capital region...

"This?!" Xue Fengxiang's fingers went numb, and he could barely hold the paper. "Who...who put so much paper in my house?!"

"Lord Xue, His Majesty has instructed you not to leave immediately after court. His Majesty sees that you still have some use and is reluctant to kill you. This is a favor from His Majesty. Think it over carefully now, and after you have confessed what needs to be confessed, you may still retain a high-ranking official position and generous salary. Do not forget this!"

Xue Fengxiang looked at the emperor, who was still smiling on the dragon throne, with a look of panic on his face. He felt a chill down his spine. It turned out that the emperor knew everything!

Zhu Youjian knew nothing. If Xue Fengxiang hadn't been so loose-lipped, openly admitting his embezzlement at the Ministry of Works and being reported by his own people, how could he have uncovered Xue Fengxiang's real estate without alerting him? Don't think the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot are so great; all they're good at is using the Great Memory Restoration Technique.

But this requires arresting the perpetrators first, then investigating the case. The money from the confiscated property can't just slip into the emperor's pocket so easily. The Ministry of Justice will also try to seize it. Whether they try or not isn't the main issue; the crucial point is that he doesn't want this matter to escalate. He still wants to use Xue Fengxiang for his work. Confiscating property is fun in the short term, and arresting one or two people occasionally is fine. But if it becomes addictive, and they go after a hundred or so, then these ministers will have no choice but to unite and resist—a warning before they fall into the water!

Zhu Youjian had a shallow grasp on the court, but the local areas were not so obedient. Even the two great emperors, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, were tormented by local forces and were busy suppressing rebellions every few days. Zhu Youjian did not want a civil war, because in a civil war, only his own people would die. Even if he won, he would not be happy. He would feel sorry for every one of his soldiers who died, feeling that they had died in vain.

Land ownership is very important. These officials were right about one thing: the emperor was indeed planning something big! The reasons for the downfall of dynasties are always the same few, with two common problems at the end of dynasties: financial collapse and land annexation. These two are actually mutually reinforcing. Zhu Youjian's so-called public land leasing system was essentially a change to the tax system.

The official tax was one-thirtieth, a meager rate that brought tears to one's eyes. Unfortunately, in the end, it only benefited the landlords and gentry while causing suffering to the common people. The land tax was barely enough to cover the burdens of the landowners, though it did not even scratch their skin. The imperial levies and corvée labor were still levied on the people, leaving them struggling to breathe under the weight of taxes.

Bi Ziyan proposed increasing the regular tax, but it was not approved. At that time, Zhu Youjian was not in a position to force it. The conflict between the reformists and conservatives was already deep enough. Zhu Youjian did not want to add fuel to the fire. At that time, not only would he not be able to protect Bi Ziyan and his supporters, but he would also be afraid of getting burned.

Zhu Youjian was a coward who dared not reform. He only agreed half-heartedly because Bi Ziyan was there to stand up for him. He hoped that Bi Ziyan would draw the fire while he, the emperor, remained hidden. As a result, he drew the fire too well, and Bi Ziyan almost got burned down along with his little house. This was already a political struggle with no bottom line.

In political infighting, if you use any despicable means to frame and bring down your political enemies in court, it can still be considered that the other party is less skilled. But if you resort to assassination, then you kill me and I kill you, the entire court will be in chaos, and all the civil and military officials will live in fear!
Since Bi Ziyan survived, and considering the serious consequences it would cause, and the fact that the real culprit, the incompetent Imperial Guard, couldn't be found, the fire at Bi's residence was simply defined as an accident. Zhu Youjian had no choice but to accept it, feeling incredibly frustrated. Why didn't the Ming Dynasty have any security cameras?! But even if they did, wouldn't they just happen to be broken?!
If the imperial court had more land rent revenue, it could reduce the need for levies. If the taxes levied on farmers throughout the land were simplified to just two parts—land rent and regular taxes—it would truly usher in an era of lasting peace. Of course, such a good thing is best left as a dream; for now, it's good enough that the people can survive and the imperial court can make money.

In the Ming Dynasty, many self-cultivating farmers struggled to survive. Although the imperial court nominally levied taxes according to a fixed percentage, the practice still retained the lingering effects of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty's tax farming system, only the tax-farming targets had changed from Han Chinese powerful families to local government officials.

The so-called apportionment means that the tax is distributed from top to bottom, layer by layer. The imperial court requires each provincial administration to pay a certain amount of Liaodong tax. The provincial administration then divides the imperial task into several portions and distributes them to each county. Regardless of the number of people or whether they are rich or poor, the people in that county share that amount of tax.

If in a county all the farmland has been taken away by large landlords and the people with connections have all fled, the remaining people, who are few in number and have little land, will be overwhelmed by huge taxes levied on them.

Therefore, public land was extremely attractive to these people. Even if they had to pay land rent, as long as they could avoid the terrible levies, it was worth it for the common people. The common people also contributed their land to the gentry based on the same logic. The living conditions of self-cultivating farmers had been destroyed, so they had no choice but to choose other ways of life.

If the taxes paid on public land are less than those paid through land donation, why wouldn't the people donate their land to the state instead of to powerful families? This would allow for a smooth land redistribution. In the midst of dynastic changes and widespread slaughter, land could be redistributed. Theoretically, no one would have land left, but in reality, everyone would have land to cultivate, food to eat, and clothes to wear!
Yes, this is also a dream. Reformers should have the awareness of reformers. What a revolution can accomplish in three years may take thirty or three hundred years for reform, and may not even succeed. But whether it succeeds or not, we have to try to know.

"Your Majesty, there is a severe shortage of oxen in the capital region. Due to the war and the lack of oxen, the people have missed the farming season. With the scorched earth policy, many people's fields and houses have been damaged and many property has been lost. Although Your Majesty has ordered that land be rented to the people and that the rent be waived for a year, this is not enough to solve the immediate problem. The court's relief efforts cannot be stopped, and oxen need to be transferred from elsewhere!" Xu Guangqi said, holding his memorial.

Zhu Youjian ordered a eunuch to bring up the memorial. It was rare to see someone like Xu Guangqi who took the initiative to do things. Zhu Youjian glanced through it and found that apart from opening a porridge shop and the court paying for oxen to rent to the people, Xu Guangqi was still up to his old tricks and wanted to link his plan to promote sweet potato planting with the public rental land.

(End of this chapter)