On the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, it was only one day before the Chinese New Year's Eve, and the entire capital was filled with an atmosphere of joy. Occasionally, snowflakes fall in the sky, and the north wind keeps swaying, and although it is cold on the street, there are still many pedestrians.

The Forbidden City is full of busy palace maids and eunuchs, and the New Year in the palace is naturally more grand, although the Emperor of the Apocalypse has decreed that it has been reduced a lot, but it can't be too shabby. The whole palace is more opulent and full of luxury.

"Look at the point, what's going on with you? What are you looking at? The pillar is rubbing it well. Wang Chengen stood on the steps, looking at the constant greetings of the chief eunuch, frowning slightly.

Glancing at the little eunuch beside him, Wang Chengen's face was slightly gloomy and said, "Go and call Liu Ji to our family." ”

The little eunuch replied respectfully, not daring to delay in the slightest, and ran quickly towards the steward who spoke. grabbed the steward, whispered a few words to him, and motioned for him to look at Wang Chengen.

"Princess, when did you come here? Something to command, little past! With a flattering smile, Liu Ji respectfully gave Wang Chengen luggage, not daring to be sloppy at all.

Nodding slowly, Wang Chengen glanced at the people working around him, and said in a deep voice: "Liu Ji, you are also an old man in this palace, don't you understand the rules in the palace?" Shouting here, disturbing the emperor's rest, can you afford it? ”

Wang Chengen's words were very soft, and his voice was not very loud, but it sounded like a bolt from the blue in Liu Ji's ears. Hurriedly knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said: "Father-in-law, the little one knows that he is wrong, and his father-in-law forgives his sins!" ”

Waving the ups and downs in his hand, Wang Chengen frowned and said, "Get up!" What does it look like to cry and cry, who will you see for the New Year! Do your job well and don't get carried away! ”

"Yes, father-in-law, the little one knows!" Liu Ji hurriedly got up from the ground. Nodding like pounding garlic.

Ignoring Liu Ji, Wang Chengen turned around and walked towards the warm pavilion of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, which was just a trivial matter to him, and he did such a thing on weekdays.

"Slave and humble see the queen's mother, the mother is a thousand years old!" Not far from the warm pavilion, Wang Chengen saw the Emperor of the Apocalypse coming over, and quickly knelt on the ground. Salute respectfully.

Nodding at Wang Chengen, Empress Zhang looked at Wang Chengen with a smile and said, "Princess, you don't have to make such a big gift next time, you are not outsiders." ”

Wang Chengen was immediately overjoyed, but there was no expression on his face. just said respectfully: "Nubei Xie Queen Mother!" ”

Seeing that Wang Chengen understood what he meant, Empress Zhang didn't say anything, but turned her gaze to the warm pavilion on the side, and said with some worry: "Is the emperor still dealing with state affairs?" Tomorrow is the New Year, and I don't know how to take a break. ”

"Hui Niangniang, Sun Chengzong, a scholar of the first assistant university of the cabinet, is in the warm pavilion, and the emperor and Lord Sun are talking about state affairs. The slave did not dare to disturb. The emperor asked all the people who were waiting to come out, presumably discussing something big with Lord Sun. Wang Chengen bowed, the expression on his face was a little serious, he obviously felt that the Emperor of the Apocalypse had summoned Sun Chengzong into the palace at this time, and it was definitely unusual.

Nodding slowly, Empress Zhang's face became serious, no one dared to underestimate Sun Chengzong in the Ming Dynasty. Now the emperor only has his own son, and Sun Chengzong is the teacher of the Emperor of the Apocalypse. is still the crown prince and prince canonized by the emperor, and the importance is self-evident.

After quietly looking at the warm pavilion for a while, Empress Zhang's mind kept flipping, and finally slowly regained her calm, and said to Wang Chengen on the side: "The palace left first, and the father-in-law told the emperor that the palace had come!" ”

"Don't worry, the slave understands!" Wang Chengen hurriedly responded. There was no change on his face, and he didn't seem to see Empress Zhang's changing face.

"The father-in-law is naturally relieved that the palace is doing things, so please leave everything to the father-in-law, and the palace will go back first!" Empress Zhang smiled and nodded. Turned around and walked backwards to Kunning Palace.

After Empress Zhang left, Wang Chengen's eyes looked at the gate of the Warm Pavilion, although he was very curious about what the Emperor of the Apocalypse and Sun Chengzong were talking about, but Wang Chengen also knew that there were some things that he could not know.

At this time, the Emperor of the Apocalypse and Sun Chengzong were speechless, and Sun Chengzong was holding a copy of the recital in his hand, and his expression was constantly changing. Liang Jiu sighed softly, and said with a complicated expression: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that this matter is also the best result, everyone is old, let's go home!" ”

Looking at Sun Chengzong with a smile, the Emperor of the Apocalypse said with some amusement: "I had long thought that Mr. would say this, this piece of music will wait until the fifteenth is over!" Things have come to this point, and I can be regarded as benevolent and righteous. ”

"The emperor is magnanimous, but there is one thing that the minister didn't understand, Han Kuang is a cabinet scholar, how could he collude with Jiannu's spies? That Ning Wan and I are actually in the mansion of Han Mine as a guest, is there any secret in this? Sun Chengzong frowned slightly, stroked his beard gently, and said with some hesitation.

The face of the Emperor of the Apocalypse also became serious, and he muttered for a long time and said: "Sir, you also know that the corruption case in Liaodong involved so many people, but I know in my heart that I have not found out all of them. It's not that I don't dare, but I really can't. At that time, I had just ascended the throne, and my foundation was not stable, so it was already out of the ordinary to be able to do that level. ”

Looking at the gradually maturing Emperor of the Apocalypse, Sun Chengzong's face was full of relief, this young Son of Heaven had begun to transform like the Holy Son of Heaven. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sun Chengzong said briskly: "Yes! Things have come to this point, and such an ending is naturally the least shocking. With such an ending, it doesn't matter what the reason is. ”

Putting down the fold in his hand, the look on Sun Chengzong's face was extremely complicated, he was fighting with Jiannu on the front line, and Han Kuang and these people demolished the stage for themselves in the back. In public and private, Sun Chengzong will not be happy.

However, now that Han Kuang has been resigned, the Emperor of the Apocalypse will also hand over this excerpt to himself for decision, obviously giving himself enough face. Sun Chengzong naturally understood what was the best and what was most beneficial, and his choice would naturally not disappoint the Emperor of the Apocalypse.

Nodding, the Emperor of the Apocalypse looked at the gate of the Warm Pavilion, as if he had penetrated the gate, looked into the distance, and said, "Not everything in the world has to be clear, and sometimes it's okay to be confused." ”

"The Emperor Shengming!" Sun Chengzong's face was very serious, and his eyes were full of relief when he looked at the Emperor of the Apocalypse. The Emperor of the Apocalypse is getting more and more old-fashioned, and his methods are becoming more and more clever, and Sun Chengzong's heart is finally relieved.

Retracting his ethereal gaze, the Emperor of the Apocalypse's face became serious again, his eyes flashed with a light of control, and said, "Next year, I will approve Han Kuang's performance, as for those comrades. I'm going to have a good look at it too! ”

Sun Chengzong naturally understood what the Emperor of the Apocalypse meant, but he didn't say anything. Two years have passed, and the position of the Emperor of the Apocalypse is unshakable, so it is natural to start to completely control the court. Once a son of heaven and a courtier, this is the rule of officialdom, there is nothing to say.

It seems that this matter is over. The Emperor of the Apocalypse picked up a booklet from the side, handed it to Sun Chengzong, and said, "Sir, take a look, this is something I have been thinking about for a long time." ”

Seeing that the Emperor of the Apocalypse looked so serious, Sun Chengzong naturally understood the severity, nodded vigorously, and reached out to take the booklet. Slowly flipped up.

The booklet is not thick, the binding is also very rough, and when you turn a page, the words inside are not very good-looking, and you can see that it is the words of the Emperor of the Apocalypse. When he saw the opening sentence, Sun Chengzong still felt deeply shocked, because it read: The officials and gentry pay taxes as one, and the land is divided into acres.

Although it is only a short twelve words. But Sun Chengzong felt that he was as heavy as a thousand catties, and he couldn't turn it. Staring at these twelve words, Sun Chengzong's face was constantly twitching, and his body trembled slightly.

I don't know how long it has been, Sun Chengzong slowly raised his head, looked at the Emperor of the Apocalypse, and said with a puzzled face: "Your Majesty." This! ”

"I have studied the content of Zhang Juzheng's reforms, and the most important of them is a whip method and a test method, and I think that the test method is very good, so I didn't write anything more. But I have a lot of ideas about a whip. These are some of my thoughts, sir, give them a look! "The Emperor of the Apocalypse had a very serious face, and there was no doubt on his face.

His mind was in a trance for a while, but Sun Chengzong soon came to his senses, and seeing the expression of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, Sun Chengzong knew that this was something that the Emperor of the Apocalypse had already thought about. What I have to do is not how to stop this matter, but how to help the Emperor of the Apocalypse make this matter better.

With a sigh of relief, Sun Chengzong slowly opened the booklet and read it carefully. There was a strange look on his face constantly flashing, and his eyes were constantly changing, sometimes frowning, sometimes bowing his head in contemplation.

There is not much content in the booklet, but it can be summed up in two points, one is that the officials and gentry pay taxes as a whole, and the other point is that the land is evenly divided into acres, and it is the Emperor of the Apocalypse who wrote two points at the front.

It is easy to understand that the officials and gentry pay taxes as a whole, and the most important ancestral system is directly banned, that is, the special case that gentry officials and princes and nobles do not pay taxes. This alone is enough to shake the world. This is a hard fight with the ruling class of the Ming Dynasty, and the Emperor of the Apocalypse wrote in it the necessity of implementation, and how to implement it, and wrote it in great detail.

After reading the first item, Sun Chengzong slowly raised his head, looked at the Emperor of the Apocalypse with blazing eyes, and said with a little excitement on his face: "Your Majesty, this matter is quite difficult, are you thinking about it?" ”

Sun Chengzong's psychology is also worried, if the confidence of the Emperor of the Apocalypse is not firm, and he just thinks so for a while, then it is okay not to do this matter. Throughout history, there have been many reasons for the failure of reforms, but the main one is that the rulers have reversed their course in the end. If the Emperor of the Apocalypse is not determined enough, it is okay not to mention the matter of reform.

Staring at Sun Chengzong tightly, the Emperor of the Apocalypse said with unprecedented seriousness and affection, and his voice was unswerving: "My heart has been decided, even if tens of millions of people are gone, even if I want to send troops to quell the rebellion, even if I am forced to abdicate, I will never retreat." ”

Standing up suddenly, Sun Chengzong picked up his clothes and knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, the minister is willing to be a pioneer for His Majesty, bow to the best, and die." ”

Emperor Tianqi walked over and helped Sun Chengzong up, and said with a smile: "There are many ministers like Aiqing, which is naturally my blessing, what can't I go at that time." ”

Having said that, the Emperor of the Apocalypse knew that as long as he still needed to rely on this class to rule, then his reform would inevitably fail, which was fully proven by history. Even if you succeed in reforming, I am afraid that you will be changed back after you die, and this is absolutely unacceptable. If you want to push the reform down completely, unless it is a rebellion to establish a new state, of course, the Emperor of the Apocalypse cannot do this, then there is only one way to go, and that is to change the foundation of his rule.

After two hundred years of development, the gentry of the Ming Dynasty have become the cornerstone of the Ming Dynasty's rule. To dig up these people is to dig your own grave. This is unacceptable, but it is also an inevitable trend to break the old.

After pondering for a long time, the Emperor of the Apocalypse threw off the thoughts in his mind, and if he wanted to implement this huge plan, he was afraid that it would take a lot of time. Look at Sun Chengzong. Seeing that he was reading his pamphlet, the Emperor of the Apocalypse smiled and waited quietly.

Regarding the second article of the average field into acres, Sun Chengzong's face became happier and happier, and he measured the fields of the world from the beginning. On a village-by-village basis, all the heavens and earths of the village and town are equally distributed to each common person, and land sales and mergers are strictly prohibited. Taxes are then paid on the basis of the land. Abolish the poll tax and other forced labor.

In this way, in addition to the land tax, the people do not have to pay other taxes, which can reduce the burden of the people to the greatest extent. This seems to be a very good policy, but Sun Chengzong knows that it may be more difficult to implement than the first one. However, only when the first article is successfully implemented will the second article have the conditions for its implementation.

You must know that in this era, the wind of giving is very serious. Those who enjoy the policy of not paying taxes are more than willing to give their land to their homes. After all, there is no need to pay taxes from the imperial court, and only some rent is needed to the people who donate every year, and the people get more profits in comparison.

At the end of the pamphlet, the Emperor of the Apocalypse wrote about the introduction of a commercial tax and set up a yamen to govern the merchants of the world. Only the firms registered in the yamen can do business, and every transaction needs to pay taxes.

Slowly close the booklet in your hand. Sun Chengzong can understand the good intentions of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, and he can also imagine that if he succeeds, the Ming Dynasty will definitely have earth-shaking changes. Although I don't know what will become of it in the end, Sun Chengzong knows very well that the so-called strength before the Ming Dynasty will surpass the strength of previous dynasties.

"Your Majesty, I wonder when the Emperor's reform will begin?" Sun Chengzong looked at the Emperor of the Apocalypse with some concern. Such a reform touched too much, and Sun Chengzong's heart was not bottomed.

"Sir, this thing is just for Mr. to take a look at, and it won't be used for the time being. From next year. I am going to prepare for the reforms, and I am going to spend three or five years laying the groundwork, and when the time comes, I will set off these two reforms. The Emperor of the Apocalypse had an unusually serious face, with eagerness on his face, but restraint in his eyes.

Deeply relieved, if the Emperor of the Apocalypse was going to reform like this next year, Sun Chengzong would never agree. The possibility of success is very small, and if you have just gained stability, I am afraid that it will be broken in an instant. The Emperor of the Apocalypse was able to have such an idea, and Sun Chengzong's face was full of relief.

"Is there anything you would like to say, sir? But it doesn't hurt to talk about it! Seeing Sun Chengzong staring at him, the Emperor of the Apocalypse was a little inexplicable, so he asked.

Shaking his head slowly, Sun Chengzong's eyes were filled with admiration, and he said in a deep voice: "The emperor is calm, and he has his own ideas about doing things, and the old minister is pleased." Daming Zhongxing is hopeful, and the minister feels a lot of emotion! God gave the emperor to the Ming Dynasty, which is the blessing of the Ming Dynasty and the blessing of all the people! ”

I have heard a lot of sycophants, and the Emperor of the Apocalypse has long been accustomed to it, but the effect of people with different identities is different. When Sun Chengzong said this, the Emperor of the Apocalypse felt very comfortable and did not feel disgusted at all. However, the Emperor of the Apocalypse still waved his hand and said, "Mr. is too prerenowned, I am still young, and I still need Mr. to assist!" ”

"Lao Chen is just telling the truth, after all, the emperor has become a generation of holy masters, and Lao Chen firmly believes it!" Sun Chengzong still shook his head, and his face did not change in the slightest.

Waving his hand, the Emperor of the Apocalypse looked at Sun Chengzong with a smile and said, "Sir, don't say anything like that, I still have something to ask Sir!" ”

"The emperor gives advice, and the ministers must know everything, and the words are endless!" Sun Chengzong hurriedly bowed and saluted, and said in a deep voice.

Nodding, an incomprehensible expression flashed on the face of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, and after thinking about it, he said slowly: "Sir, I don't know how to make a decision about the prince!" Please sir teach me! ”

Unexpectedly, the Emperor of the Apocalypse said about this matter, Sun Chengzong's heart suddenly rose, and it has been extremely tragic since ancient times. However, the Emperor of the Apocalypse only has one son now, and he is not very old, so this matter is really not easy to handle. However, Sun Chengzong also knew that someone had already written like the Emperor of the Apocalypse, and hoped that the Emperor of the Apocalypse would set the national script as soon as possible.

Lowering his head and thinking about it, Sun Chengzong said with a serious face: "The country is a major matter of the country, and you must not be careful." Since ancient times, the crown prince has been nothing more than a long and virtuous person, and there is no other way. The eldest son of the emperor is the eldest son of the emperor, and he is nominally justified, but he can't see it now. However, the old minister felt that this matter was not very urgent, and the emperor was now in his prime, so there was no need to be too impatient. ”

Looking at Sun Chengzong, who was secretive, the Emperor of the Apocalypse sighed softly, whether it was in the palace or in the court these days, he seemed to be paying attention to this matter. The Emperor of the Apocalypse also has no clue now, after all, the prince is too young now, and he is not yet twenty years old, and the crown prince always feels weird.