Chapter Twenty-Eight: Jiangnan Re-endowment

In the early afternoon, the rain finally stopped.

It's just that the sky hasn't cleared yet.

Zhu Qizhen sat and walked to Cining Palace.

As soon as I entered the Cining Palace, I found that there was a little dignified taste in the Cining Palace. Zhu Qizhen only found out when he asked, but it was the wind and rain that came too quickly last night.

The Empress Dowager caught a cold.

Zhu Qizhen was taken aback and hurriedly entered the inner room.

saw the Empress Dowager wearing a white underwear, draped in clothes, leaning on the head of the bed, and Hu Shi was holding a bowl of decoction and medicine waiting for the Empress Dowager to take medicine.

Zhu Qizhen immediately stepped forward and said, "Grandma is sick, why don't you send someone to call your grandson over." As he spoke, he took the decoction in Hu's hand and took a sip with a spoon. Suddenly, I felt an indescribable bitter taste exploding on my taste buds.

Zhu Qizhen couldn't help frowning his brows, barely opening his eyes.

Zhu Qizhen felt that the temperature was right, and said, "Grandma takes medicine." ”

The Empress Dowager seemed to see the shadow of Emperor Xuanzong from Zhu Qizhen, took the medicine bowl in Zhu Qizhen's hand, and took it away, as if she didn't feel bitter at all.

The Empress Dowager put down the medicine bowl, and Hu took it. The Empress Dowager said to Zhu Qizhen: "Don't worry, my old bones won't die for a while." ”

When Zhu Qizhen heard this, his eyes couldn't help but turn red, and he didn't know what to say?

Although Emperor Xuanzong has been gone for half a year, Zhu Qizhen is used to the days without his father, but the Empress Dowager may not be used to the days without her son.

The mother's feelings for the son, and the son's feelings for the father, are clear at a glance.

Although the Empress Dowager is now a minor illness, it is just a cold, but for elderly people, this illness will come and go.

Especially in this era when medical conditions are not very good, such things are even more ordinary.

The reason why the Empress Dowager concealed her illness was that if Zhu Qizhen hadn't come over today, Zhu Qizhen might not have known, what it was for, how could Zhu Qizhen not know.

It's just that I'm afraid that the DPRK will listen to it and make waves.

Without Emperor Xuanzong in the Ming Dynasty, if there is no Empress Dowager, the situation will only be more difficult.

The Empress Dowager was worried that Zhu Qizhen would not be able to cope with it.

People are not plants and trees, who can be ruthless.

Although Zhu Qizhen did not grow up under the knees of the Empress Dowager since he was a child, during this period of time, he has formed a deep feeling with the Empress Dowager, which is partly the love of grandchildren and grandchildren, and partly the love of master and apprentice.

Although the Empress Dowager is a woman, Zhu Qizhen feels a kind of politician's temperament from her.

The world's major events, the context is in the eyes, such as the palm of the text. Although the Queen Mother is very good to him, she is more than one step behind the Queen Mother in terms of knowledge and bearing.

This world is in the hands of the Empress Dowager, and it seems that she doesn't care about anything, but it can make the world stable and peaceful, and the ministers are in their places. But let Sun do it, I don't know what it will look like.

Zhu Qizhen choked up in his words: "It's the grandson who is not filial, and he can't let his grandmother take care of his old age, but he is busy with mundane things." ”

"The good grandson is already good, if you want to say that you are not filial, but it is your father who is not filial, and he left the Ming Dynasty at a young age." When the Empress Dowager talked about Emperor Xuanzong, her heart also ached. Forced to say, "What do you have to understand today?" ”

Zhu Qizhen said all about the arrears of grain taxes.

When the Empress Dowager heard this, she smiled lightly and said: "My grandson is good, the key to the world is on the nine sides, because there are heroes in the world on the nine sides." In addition, it is in Jiangnan, because Jiangnan has the world's money and grain. Using the money and grain of the south of the Yangtze River to raise the strong soldiers in the northwest is the national policy of this dynasty. ”

"Emperor Taizong moved the capital to Beijing in order to control the nine-sided soldiers."

"And Emperor Taizu is determined to dominate the world, but he relies on the help of money and grain from Jiangnan."

"Jiangnan is heavily endowed, which is why it started, if I didn't guess wrong, most of the world's arrears are in Jiangnan."

Zhu Qizhen hurriedly said: "The Empress Dowager is wise. ”

"It's not a wise thing, nine out of ten Jiangnan Tianshan are in office, and it's not a new thing. A province in the south of the Yangtze River can reach other provinces, especially Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan, which are poor provinces in the west, and they are not better than the prefectures and counties in the south of the Yangtze River, and Guizhou is estimated to be able to only top one county. The Empress Dowager said.

"Some people say that the reason why Jiangnan is re-endowed is because Emperor Taizu punished the people of Jiangnan for following Zhang Shicheng, which is fundamentally slandering Emperor Taizu."

"Emperor Taizu loves the people the most, but during the Hongwu period, the people of Nanjing were the earliest to follow the dragon, and they destroyed money and grain for several years in a row. Why did Emperor Taizu look at the people of Jiangnan differently. ”

"However, there is also a reason for Jiangnan's heavy endowment." When the Empress Dowager said this, she paused slightly.

Zhu Qizhen hurriedly brought a cup of hot tea and asked, "What is the reason?" ”

The Empress Dowager said lightly: "Jiangnan is rich, the people are prosperous, and the yield per mu is the most, and the output of one mu in Jiangnan is twice that of the Central Plains and three or four times that of the Northwest." ”

"In this way, if you don't take grain from Jiangnan, where can you get it? Could it be taken from the northwest? The same tax is just a little arrears in Jiangnan. ”

"But in the northwest, there is a rebellion."

"There is also the fact that the Jiangnan Heavy Endowment did not start from this dynasty, and this dynasty is just a inheritance."

The Empress Dowager asked, "Do you know Jia Nidao?" ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "I know, Jia Rudao was the prime minister of the late Song Dynasty and a big traitor, but he died in the Southern Song Dynasty." ”

When the Empress Dowager heard this, she shook her head lightly and said: "Grandson, traitorous and loyal ministers, it was said by the ministers outside, grandson only needs to be used, can't it?" ”

Zhu Qizhen said thoughtfully: "Can this Jia seem to be used, or can't it be used?" ”

The Empress Dowager said: "Jia seems to be unlucky, but it can be used, when he was young, the battle of Ezhou forced Kublai Khan back, and he was very famous." Later, it was pointed out by thousands of people and was considered to be the first disaster of the Song Dynasty. In my opinion, it was the Southern Song Dynasty that came to an end. ”

"The Southern Song Dynasty court used a corner of the land to resist the Mongol attack on three sides, and the financial resources were exhausted, which was not enough to raise the army. That is, the public ransomes and buys the land of the two Zhejiang provinces as official land. Raise the army with the production of official fields. ”

Zhu Qizhen thought about it and said: "Since the Southern Song Dynasty no longer has the financial resources to support the army, the money he came from will be used to redeem the land. ”

The Empress Dowager said: "Treasure money." ”

Zhu Qizhen said: "What is he based on? ”

The Empress Dowager said: "Redeem the land." ”

Zhu Qizhen said in surprise: "Isn't this the white wolf with empty gloves?" ”

"White wolf with empty gloves?" The Empress Dowager thought for a while and said: "It's also appropriate, but this one thing, Jia Rudao has done it, but he got money and lost people's hearts." ”

"What are the people who have land on Liangzhe Road?"

"Most of them are high-ranking officials and nobles, and there are some military generals' field properties, the two Song Dynasty have been cultivating military generals since Song Taizu, cutting their military power, and now there is no power, and the field property is gone."

"Who still serves the Zhao family."

Zhu Qizhen said: "Jia Yidao may not know this result, but there is no money, and the front-line armies are estimated to disperse first." I can only look at the present. ”

The Empress Dowager said: "My son is smart, but although Jia Rudao is dead, this public land law is left behind. And after Zhang Shicheng beat down, there was an additional levy. ”

"After Taizu conquered Jiangnan, he fought everywhere in the past few years, and he needed grain and grass, but he only reduced it a little, and he collected taxes accordingly."

Zhu Qizhen secretly said in his heart: "I see." ”

Administration comes at a cost.

The people of Jiangnan have long been accustomed to this tax system. The court can get a few more points, but the court is a fool and doesn't want it. From this point of view, it can be seen that persimmons are soft and pinched, but they are suitable everywhere.

If you don't fight for this thing, it is probably impossible to expect mercy from above.

The Empress Dowager said: "Jiangnan heavy endowment has certainly suffered the people of Jiangnan, but it has become a rule, Jiangnan wealth accounts for almost half of the world, this is a tax exemption in Jiangnan, the imperial court needs, it must be levied from other places, rashly raise taxes, is to cause civil revolt." ”

"Although this matter is not good, it can only be like this, so the ministers sent to Jiangnan should be more important, and send more virtuous ministers to appease the people of Jiangnan."

"Thou shalt not move."