Chapter 82: Whole Wheat Rice
For the Shaanxi civil uprising, the court is to pacify or suppress, Bi Ziyan does not care, the only thing he cares about is the plan set by the court, whether the household can raise enough money to support it.
At the beginning, Shi Feng came to send troops to suppress it, and Bi Ziyan silently calculated the amount of military salary in his heart.
Later, Han Guangyan appeased, and Bi Ziyan was calculating the amount of food needed for disaster relief.
However, the grain for disaster relief had not yet been calculated, and I suddenly heard Zhu Youzhen say that Shaanxi would be tax-free for three years.
Da Ming has a total of thirteen political envoys, and the annual tax is not much, and he has only been working for a few months, Bi Ziyan feels that his hairline has a tendency to rise.
Now, Zhu Youzhen exempted a political envoy from paying taxes for three years in a word, and in a hurry, Bi Ziyan touched his shiny head, but he forgot the etiquette of the monarch and the minister for a while, so he rushed out of class to oppose it.
"Your Majesty, this matter must not be allowed, although Shaanxi is a province, the tax is only 300,000 taels a year, which is not as small as a fraction of that of Jiangnan, Huguang and other places, but as soon as this case is opened, I am afraid that other political envoys will complain."
As soon as Bi Ziyan finished speaking, Shi Fenglai jumped out again.
"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, there is no widowhood but unevenness, the thirteenth political envoy of the Ming Dynasty is exempt from taxes in Shaanxi, and the other provinces may have complaints, and this case is opened, if the other provinces encounter natural disasters again, tax exemption call?"
After Shi Feng finished speaking, Zhang Ruitu also came out to second, and then Guo Yunhou, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, Han Jisi, the secretary of the Criminal Department, and Xue Fengxiang, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, all stepped forward and shouted.
"The ministers seconded the proposal."
Zhu Youzhen also expressed his understanding of the reasons for these ministers' objections, but he did not accept them.
Because Zhu Youzhen, who came from later generations, knew that the vigorous peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty began in Shaanxi.
If it is nipped in the bud at the smallest cost and allowed to develop and grow, then Zhu Youzhen has no bottom in his heart about the final result.
After all, the land annexation of the Ming Dynasty and the rule of grassroots officials have collapsed to the extreme, and a little spark may cause a prairie fire.
However, if a high-pressure policy is adopted to resolutely suppress it, it will not only cost food and wages, but also likely to drag the Ming Dynasty into the vast sea of peasant war.
Moreover, history has proven that this policy of armed suppression of popular revolts has been a complete failure.
Zhu Youzhen, who has a complete materialist view of history, naturally knows who is the writer of history and which side his ass should sit on.
Although there is no way to move the three mountains that are pressing on the heads of the people of the Ming Dynasty, within the scope of his ability, it is still necessary to make some living for the desperate people.
Moreover, in the current situation in Shaanxi, even if two or three hundred thousand taels of taxes can be collected every year, the cost of sending troops to suppress and maintain grassroots rule will definitely exceed this amount.
Zhu Youzhen will not do the business of losing money, rather than making people angry and resentful, and the gains outweigh the losses, it is better to be generous and generous to the world.
Zhu Youzhen, who came from later generations, knew that in history, from the Apocalypse to the early years of Kangxi, the drought in Shaanxi has not stopped, and even if there is no tax, the people in Shaanxi may not be able to live.
Therefore, while exempting taxes, Zhu Youzhen also had to find a way to live for the people in Shaanxi and even the entire north.
"I also know what the Qing said, but natural and man-made disasters, the people of Shaanxi have been poor for a long time, and I have inherited the mandate of heaven and should be sympathetic to the suffering of the people, so this matter is decided, and you don't need to say anything."
Zhu Youzhen has just returned with a great victory, and his authority is no longer comparable to when he first ascended the throne, although Bi Ziyan and others are dissatisfied, they can only obey orders.
"Han Guang listens to the order."
Zhu Youzhen glanced at the ministers, and his gaze fell on Han Guang again.
"I ordered you to be the minister of the Qin Mission, give Shang Fang the sword, and supervise the inspection of Shaanxi with the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Dali Temple, Criminal Department, Household Department, Military Department and other yamen, and the prime minister's disaster relief, official governance, counterinsurgency and other matters, all officials of the Shaanxi Political Envoy Department can be arrested and interrogated, and officials of the fifth grade and below can be dealt with on the spot."
When Han Guang heard this, he was also stunned.
According to Zhu Youzhen's meaning, this Han Guang should have received the military, civil affairs, and judicial power of a province, and Rao is governor is not as powerful as him.
What's more, what is even more deadly is that it also has the right to dispose of officials in Shaanxi, and officials below the fifth rank can also be executed on the spot.
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it has been unique for two hundred years to give such power to a minister.
The ministers were also surprised when they heard this.
"The minister is terrified."
Han Guang knelt on the ground, not daring to accept the order for a long time.
"Haha, Han Aiqing is too worried, the matter is in a hurry, Shaanxi is already rotten, when the heavy code can be used to return the people to a way of life, Aiqing has this concern, when it will not be lost, the people of Shaanxi are already in dire straits, Han Aiqing is not shirking."
Zhu Youzhen said this, and Han Guang could only take the order.
'If the ancient feudal officials are too powerful, they will arouse the suspicion of the emperor, and it is difficult to say that they will have a good death when they meet a suspicious emperor, and it is understandable that Han Guang has such concerns. ’
Zhu Youzhen thought of this, so he added another sentence.
"Aiqing's loyalty can learn from the sun and the moon, and he works hard, so he doesn't have to worry about anything else."
When Han Guang heard this, he was relieved to receive the holy order.
After dealing with the affairs of Shaanxi, it was already Shen Shi, Zhu Youzhen thought about it, and left the ministers to eat.
When the ministers heard this, they all had joy on their faces, and they had long heard that the cooking skills of the imperial dining room were superb, even compared to the Qilin Building.
Zhu Youzhen looked at the happy faces of the ministers, and felt unhappy, so he summoned Wang Chengen to the front, whispered a few words, and then left.
Under the guidance of the eunuchs, the ministers were led to the side hall on the side of the Qianqing Palace, sat around the table, and waited for the food to be served.
One by one, the ministers who had been given food by Zhu Youzhen told others about the deliciousness of the imperial meal.
But after a quarter of an hour, none of the ministers could laugh.
But seeing that the eunuchs brought small bowls to the table, the side hall that was still lively just now could be heard when a needle fell on the ground.
"Holy Word!"
Wang Chengen shook off the dust and sang loudly.
When the ministers heard this, they knelt down to receive the order.
"The saint said that wheat bran is rich in dietary fiber and vitamins, and it is recorded in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" that it has the effect of moistening the stool, curing dysentery, and removing jaundice.
"The saint also said that the people of Shaanxi don't even have to eat this, the bark has been gnawed away, and the tragedy of Yizi eating happens from time to time, Aiqing has wheat bran to eat, but don't waste it, I still want to ask you and others, if you can't even eat wheat bran, when it comes to the step of Yizi and eating, will it be a rebellion?"
"In addition, if there is a rebellion, do you hope that we will send a large army to encircle and suppress it, or do you hope that I will sympathize with the people's hardship, kill corrupt officials and corrupt officials, open warehouses and release grain, and appease the rebels?"
When the ministers heard this, cold sweat came down, and the little emperor was talking about the opposition in the hall just now.
Thinking of this joint, all the ministers bowed their heads and bowed.
"The ministers are guilty, and the ministers don't dare."
Especially Shi Fenglai, Liu Zongzhou and other people who sang the opposite tune just now, they were almost scared when they heard the words.
"Everyone, hurry up and eat, don't let down the saint's heart."
After carefully observing the reactions of the ministers, Wang Chengen changed his appearance again, helped Huang Liji, who was the leader, and persuaded with a smile.
Facing the bowl of wheat bran in front of him, Shi Fenglai just took a bite, and felt that his throat seemed to be burned, and he turned his head to look around, and the ministers all had uncomfortable expressions and wanted to cry.
But with Zhu Youzhen's words in front, none of them dared to leak the slightest complaint, and they all buried their heads in the bowl of wheat bran in front of them.