As early as April, Kunshan County, Suzhou Prefecture, also received an order for tax reform.

The Kunshan County Commander is Shi Tengyun, and on the day he received the notice, he didn't even look at it and threw it aside.

Because there was a major incident in Jiangnan in March, Shi Pengfei, a student from Kunshan, contacted the scholars in Suzhou to make trouble and opposed the cancellation of the preferential exemption, and was killed.

Shi Pengfei is his nephew in the clan, a young student in the Shi family, originally Shi Tengyun was very optimistic about Shi Pengfei and thought that he would inevitably be a jinshi next time.

Ancient families like to develop in groups, Kunshan Shi is a famous family in the local area, there are more eunuchs, Shi Pengfei was originally the most optimistic among the younger generation, and now he was suddenly killed, Shi Tengyun was of course angry.

At the beginning of the new emperor's tenure, Shi Tengyun was still very welcome, especially doubling the salaries of officials all over the world, which made Shi Tengyun feel that the new emperor was very good, but it was only good.

Because the Shi family is not short of money, the Shi family has a lot of wealth, in Kunshan locally, with 10,000 acres of land and dozens of shops, it is the leading big family in Kunshan.

The emperor's addition was better than nothing for Shi Tengyun, just to make him have a good impression of the emperor.

But what the emperor did after he ascended the throne made him very angry.

Cancel the preferential exemption for those who study and study, recollect the field tax, and let the merchants pay the tax, so that they can see the official and not worship.

One is more disgusting than the other.

Especially in the end, the official does not worship, some shops only need to pay a little tax, after taking the tax card, can actually see the official without worshipping?

How can these lowly businessmen be on an equal footing with us scholars?

We have studied hard for ten years, and how many ups and downs have we gone through to get to this point, and the businessmen can be on an equal footing with us by paying a few small dollars?

It's ridiculous and insulting.

So lately, Shi Tengyun has hated the new emperor very much.

After he got the documents of the imperial court, he didn't even look at them, and threw them in the hall first.

On the same day, there were still people complaining, trivial matters, and after arguing for a long time, Shi Tengyun hurriedly interrogated, sent the plaintiff and defendant away, and hurried back to the inner house.

Someone in the inner mansion was looking for him, Shi Tengfeng, the patriarch of the Shi clan.

Also his cousin.

Shi Tengfeng has been rich for more than 40 years, and when he saw Shi Tengyun coming in, he immediately shouted: "This new emperor is more ruthless than King Ming, according to his new tax law, we have to pay sixty percent." ”

As mentioned earlier, during the period of Zhu Di and Lao Zhu, in other parts of the Ming Dynasty, the mu tax of private land was three liters and six spoons, and the mu tax of Su, Song, Jia, Hu, Chang, and Hangzhou was close to eight buckets in Zhang Shicheng's former territory.

Taxes in the Suzhou area were twenty times higher than in the rest of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, in the Ming Dynasty, the tax grain of Suzhou can top the whole province of Zhejiang.

The yield in Suzhou is relatively high, and the production capacity per mu is usually more than 3 stones.

If it is calculated according to the 60% tax, it means that the tax per field reaches 1.8 to 2 stones.

Even if the yield per mu is calculated as two stones, the field tax will reach 1.2 stones.

Far more than the previous eight buckets.

Therefore, after Zhu Gaoxu came to power, he first canceled the high taxes during the Zhu Di period, and let the people of Suzhou pay the same taxes as other places in the Ming Dynasty, which made Shi Tengfeng very happy and excited at that time.

Their historian has more than 10,000 acres of land, which was originally calculated according to Zhu Di's tax of eight buckets per mu, and it cost more than 10,000 stones per year.

Now you can save seven or eight thousand stones, which is a lot for a big family.

But now, in the second year of Hongxi, the new emperor's tax reform, the impact of other fields is relatively small, and those below five acres do not have to pay taxes.

With more than 10,000 acres like them, and those who have officials in their families, they actually have to pay sixty percent of the tax, how can this be bearable.

Seeing this, Shi Tengyun could only say: "What else can I do, dismantle it." ”

"If you have 500 mu to 1,000 mu, as long as you pay 20% of the tax, the eldest brother will dismantle it and divide it among the brothers."

According to Zhu Gaoxu, as long as the family is separated.

Shi Tengfeng's face is dark, he is the eldest son of the Shi family, and he has the most fields in the family, like Shi Tengyun's family, there are also hundreds of acres.

Now that it is time to split it, the loss is even greater.

Shi Tengyun saw that he was reluctant, so he said: "On the surface, it was demolished, but in fact, it was still your family's, and the brothers just helped you hold it." ”

Shi Tengfeng didn't speak, because it is said that a new Daming field certificate will be built now, once it is demolished, the grain field will be certified, and in the future, it really does not belong to him.

"There aren't so many brothers in the clan to divide from." Shi Tengfeng hesitated and said, "At most, it can only be split into seven or eight parts." ”

He didn't have many cousins, seven or eight, but they still weren't enough.

"For more than 1,000 acres, the tax is 30%."

The yield per mu is calculated as two stones, and the tax is three percent and six buckets, which is lighter than the tax in Zhu Di's era.

However, the yield per mu is three stones, and the three achievements of tax are nine buckets, which is heavier than in the Zhu Di era.

"Ahh Shi Tengfeng covered his face and scolded: "I thought I drove away a wolf (Zhu Di), but I didn't expect a man-eating tiger (Zhu Gaoxu) to come again." ”

"You have to do it quickly." Shi Tengyun said: "I won't be able to cover it for long, there will be the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Jinyi Wei above to check, this emperor is not a good type, the fields of the world's clans have been confiscated by him, and they are all divided." ”

Shi Tengfeng hesitated, and suddenly said: "If you don't say anything about the county government, how do they know that our family has more than 10,000 acres of land?" ”

What he meant was to ask Shi Tengyun to help him cover it up.

Shi Tengyun's face changed slightly: "All the big families will check on the spot, and then compare the yellow books of the imperial court, and they can't hide it." ”

"Can the one who comes buy it? The difference is tens of thousands of stones every year, and it is worth spending more money. Shi Tengfeng thought, if he could spend 10,000 taels to settle it, it would be worth it.

Shi Tengyun thought for a while: "You can try, but if it doesn't work, you can dismantle it again." ”

Shi Tengfeng said again: "There are still so many shops at home, and you still have to collect taxes, what should I do?" ”

"Don't worry about this, I've already reported it for you, and I'll check five taels a month."

"Haha." Shi Tengfeng laughed: "The county government can report it?" ”

"I did it with the local Jinyiwei, and the 100 households of Jinyiwei in Suzhou Mansion have a good relationship with me."

The two brothers looked at each other and smiled, there were policies and countermeasures, and they felt that they could hide from the world now.

A few days later, someone from the capital came.

Jiangnan is a heavy place for grain in the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor also attaches great importance to it, and it is close to Beijing.

So the Jingshi Metropolitan Procuratorate and Jinyiwei came to Kunshan at the same time.

The county commander Shi Tengyun specially went to the official road to greet him, and arranged to go to the best local restaurant that night.

After he was full of wine and food, Shi Tengfeng, who was the companion, gave two thousand treasure notes and one thousand taels of silver to each of the five people who came.

There will be no silver tickets at this time, and a thousand taels of silver is quite a lot, and each one must be carried in a large box.

The people who came were Hu Weiwen, Zhou Guomin, Yuan Xiaoniu, Fei Abao, and Tan Lin.

The five of them drank good wine, took treasure money and silver, and finally were sent to the local Red Mansion Yihong Courtyard, where they stayed for one night, and the next day, they reappeared in the county office refreshed.

The county magistrate Shi Tengyun was very happy, because yesterday the five people were full of food and drink, and they also took silver and money.

Although the treasure banknote is not popular now, it can still be used, two thousand treasure money, which will probably have seventy or eighty percent of the purchasing power, and it has not depreciated too much.

The next day was business, Shi Tengyun showed them the materials prepared here, and finally said.

"According to the county's self-inspection and assessment, 43,000 stone of land tax and 3,800 taels of commercial tax can be collected next year."

"There are three red mansions in this county, and the ten-year license plate has been auctioned for 680,000 yuan."

"The tax revenue is 33,000 taels per year, and the whole county will calculate it, and next year all kinds of taxes will be more than 106,000 taels."

Hu Weiwen read the materials with a smile on his face, thinking to himself that His Majesty estimated that the average tax and silver of the county governments in the country was 50,000 taels, and Kunshan, the richest country, was only so much, isn't it a joke?

After thinking about it, he said: "Kunshan County has a total of 420,000 mu of grain fields. ”

"The yield per mu is between 2.5-3 stones."

"Even if it is calculated at 2.5 stones, the average tax per mu is 1.5 percent, and the tax grain per mu can be collected three buckets, seven liters and five."

"It should be possible to collect 157,500 stone of tax grain, why is there such a big gap?"

Shi Tengyun's face changed slightly.

Hu Weiwen said again: "During the reign of King Ming, Kunshan's tax grain was 336,000 stones, and now it has been reduced by more than half for Kunshan. ”

"Not to mention that all official fields are now included in the collection of taxes, Shi County Order, will you miscalculate?"

Shi Tengyun is right: "More than five acres are tax-free, many people in Kunshan are less than five acres of land, and less than 50 acres are tax, and 30% of the people's fields in Kunshan are within 50 acres, but Hu Yushi, you have a tax of 1.5 percent per mu, how did you get it." ”

Yuan Xiaoniu, the brocade guard on the side, said at this time: "Don't fight, take out the bottom book of the yellow book, check it out, it's really not good, let's take a look at it on the spot, the roster of big households in Kunshan, Tian Bo, and the county government have it, right?" ”

Brush, Shi Tengyun's face turned red, and he stood up with an incredible face.

"Hu Yushi, yesterday, isn't it still good?" He said shyly and anxiously.

Hu Weiwen sighed and hugged his fist in the direction of Jingshi: "Your Majesty said, when we come down, the people below will give financial gifts, and they will all receive them, and they will all eat and drink first." ”

"All the financial gifts received, after going back, hand over half to the household department and keep half for yourself."

“。。” Shi Tengyun looked incredible, how else could he do this?

Isn't this, by order to embezzle? Ordered to take bribes?

"But what should be done, we still have to do it well, if we don't do it well, our heads will fall to the ground, and the whole family will be beheaded."

"Shi County Order, if it's you, you can take half of your property, and you can be promoted and make a fortune if you do a good job, do you want to do it?"

Hu Weiwen stared, shocked and frightened, unable to say a word.

Another Yushi Zhou national also sighed: "It's not a secret, before the five of us left Beijing, we didn't know each other. ”

"Your Majesty summoned us from five provinces to Beijing, and then came to Kunshan to investigate."

"Shi County Order, we don't dare to mess around, we must come according to His Majesty's will, I hope Shi County Order will cooperate with us."

None of these five people were from Jingshi before, and they didn't know each other before they came.

Which of these five people dares to trust each other? No one dares to embezzle this wealth and not do it well.

Moreover, if they turn in half of it, they can still take half of it.

Therefore, this matter must be done well.

"Your Majesty-—— Your Majesty-" Shi Tengyun stammered, unable to speak for a long time, he wanted to scold, why is Your Majesty so yin?

Who sent the Beijing official to investigate the situation? Five people from five different provinces?

Yuan Xiaoniu laughed, the three of us, we used to rebel against the army, Your Majesty cut the soldiers and horses, retired over forty years old, we came to Jinyiwei from the provinces.

There were a lot fewer Jingshi Jinyi guards, and most of them followed Zhu Di to Tai O.

Zhu Gaoxu enriched the brocade guards from the reduced rebel army, and he used his own people.

Yuan Xiaoniu and the three of them, from the capital of the three provinces, didn't know each other before they came.

When Shi Tengyun heard this, he sat on the chair weakly, knowing that something was wrong.

But the five of them didn't say anything that day, and simply talked to Shi Tengyun and left.

Shi Tengyun felt that there was still a chance to remedy it, and wanted to find the prefect of Suzhou to see.

Unexpectedly, the next day, the 500 elites of Suzhou Wei came to Kunshan County from Suzhou and surrounded the county government first.

(End of chapter)