It can be seen that the effect of preferential exemption of the gentry and preferential exemption of the common people is not the same.

Therefore, it is not that the imperial court cannot be exempted from preferential treatment, and it cannot be lightly paid.

It's just that this preferential and light punishment can be used in the right place.

When used in the right places, it can promote the development of productive forces and increase the total wealth of society.

The imperial court undoubtedly needs to play the role of a water pump to counter the law that wealth is often concentrated in the hands of a small number of people, and collect a large amount of money and grain, put it where it should be, and let it flow, so as to make the society more prosperous.

Zhu Yijun knew that his Ming court also had to play this role, so he did not hesitate to grant Hai Rui's invitation.

"Your Majesty is like the benevolence of the sky, and the ministers thank Your Majesty on behalf of the small people of the world!"

Zhang Juzheng and the others also knelt down and made a big salute.

Zhu Yijun smiled slightly.

Whether these ministers in front of the hall who bowed down to him were sincerely happy for Xiaomin, or pretended to be happy for Xiaomin, he also felt very embarrassed at this moment.

You must know that in order to abolish the preferential exemption and to be able to increase the state treasury, it is not easy for the small people to be exempted from the more than 650,000 taels of silver from forced labor.

It almost didn't work out.

In the end, it was he, the emperor, who did not hesitate to drop the crown to get it.

It can only be said that reform is not easy.

But it's actually easier said than done, and if those in power are determined, they can succeed.

As long as the rulers made up their minds, the so-called landlords and gentry could not resist the centralized Ming court in the end.

And Zhu Yijun dared to fall for the crown, Zhang Juzheng did not choose to retreat when his ancestral grave was dug up, and Hai Rui was almost assassinated, but he still set off a large-scale democracy movement in Nanzhi without hesitation, all of which are the embodiment of the ruler's determination.

"It's the New Year!"

"It's the New Year!"

A village in Nanzhi Huizhou Prefecture.

The sound of crackling firecrackers resounded between the white walls and tiles and the clear water, and the golden fireworks also kept rushing into the sky at this time, reflecting the entire village here as bright as day.

In the pond surrounded by the horse-head wall, it seems that a large number of golden flowers bloom at once, and it seems that the Spring Festival is full of joy.

The policy of rent reduction and interest reduction was implemented, and the imperial court exempted a large number of poor yeoman farmers from Ding Yin in Nanzhili because of the increase in the tax on grain and errands paid by the officials and gentry, and the small people in this village of Huizhou Mansion had a lot of extra money in the New Year of the tenth year of Wanli, and they also bought lanterns, firecrackers and fireworks in the nearby market, so it was a more lively year.

Only four acres of new land have been reclaimed, and the old man Chen, a widower in the village who has just turned from a landless person into an ordinary homesteader, also bought some peach charms and bought some meat, which is being stewed in a pot by his daughter Xiaozhi.

At that time, Old Man Chen was standing on a stool, pasting a vermilion peach charm on his bamboo door, and smearing Mihu on the back of the peach charm little by little, and comparing the bamboo door, he shouted with a smile: "Xiaozhi, come and see, it's crooked!" ”

"Hey!"

The little branch, who was cooking meat in the house, agreed, jumped out of the threshold in a pair of new embroidered shoes, stood in the fence yard, tilted his head with a new head rope, and looked at it by the afterglow of the fireworks: "It's not crooked!" ”

Only then did Old Man Chen put the peach talisman on with satisfaction.

"Daddy! Younger sister! ”

And just then, a shout appeared outside the door.

Chen Xiaozhi and his father couldn't help but look back, and saw a young man wrapped in a soap-colored cloth standing pale in the pavilion, panting for breath, but with a smile on his face.

"Big brother!"

Chen Xiaozhi shouted with a smile.

Peng!

Old man Chen's bowl with Mihu in his hand also fell to the ground, and he couldn't help asking, "Dacai, why did you come back?" ”

"It was the old parents (county order) who let me come back, saying that the emperor had sent Hong En and exempted the small people from forced labor this year, and the first to be exempted was the only son of a poor household who served in forced labor, so they let me come back, and also converted the forced labor I have served this year into silver, about three dollars and five cents."

This Chen family's son, Chen Dacai, hurriedly knelt on the ground and replied.

Old man Chen hurriedly ran to help Chen Dacai up, and suddenly tears burst out of his eyes: "It's good to come back, it's good to come back!" ”

Chen Xiaozhi on the side couldn't help crying with joy.

And Chen Dacai gave the silver to Old Man Chen.

Old man Chen took the silver: "With these silvers, plus the two taels of silver in the house, it is enough for you to go to the provincial capital, you go to the provincial capital to take the examination for a patrol inspection division soldier, now it is spread everywhere, to recruit the inspection division soldiers, read and write better, you can't read in vain in those years, but also try it, I think it should be easier than the entrance examination, I heard that there are a few dollars of silver for a month, there are not so many fields at home, you can't eat rice at home, strive to be admitted, and become a family yourself." ”

"Hey!"

Chen Dacai agreed.

"When I met the emperor, I can finally let you come back alive."

Old man Chen then said with a smile, and couldn't help wiping his tears for a while, and then because he saw Chen Dacai's clothes in tatters like a beggar, he said to Chen Xiaozhi:

"Xiaozhi, remember to go to the market tomorrow to pull some cloth back, make a new cotton coat for your brother, and make one for yourself, everything will be new in the New Year."

"Okay!"

Chen Xiaozhi agreed with a smile.

……

"The prosperous world is rich and the people are rich, and the price of cotton cloth is going to rise!"

Shangyuan County.

On the day of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, after reading the holy decree of the "Di Bao" on the dismissal of poor household Ding Yin, Liu Zhixian said a word to Laidi, who had a big belly.

Laidi touched her stomach and asked, "Why is this?" ”

"As the income of the small people increases, the demand for food and clothing will definitely increase."

Liu Quxian said with a smile and said: "I have to take out the Yuan Dynasty water-powered spinning wheel that people imitate and use it!" ”

"Uncle Shi is here."

"I thought Uncle Shi wouldn't come to our door."

At this time, Wang Changgeng suddenly appeared and came to Liu Quxian, and came to greet Di with a smile.

Wang Changgeng said with a smile: "How could you not come, how could the friendship between classmates for so many years be broken up because of him Jiangling." ”

Liu Quxian pulled Wang Changgeng over: "You came just in time, and now there is an opportunity to increase profits." ”

"What chance?"

"It just so happens that I also need money now, because the Jiangling Gong you worship has canceled the preferential exemption, and asked Haigangfeng to organize tenants to reduce rent and interest, and now the government has cut expenses, my monthly money is directly less than half of the previous one, and the family management is stricter than before, so I only now found an opportunity to go out and ask my classmates for articles."

Wang Changgeng complained after asking.

Liu Quxian said: "At present, Su Xiaomin in the imperial court is in difficulty, and a large number of small people's Ding Yin in Nanzhi have been withdrawn, plus rent and interest reduction, so the surplus money in the hands of Xiaomin will definitely increase a lot, but now it will be cold for a long time, and if it is colder and colder every year, it will only be cold for a longer time, so this cotton cloth business is very promising." ”

】

"But instead of hoarding cotton and robbing the business of military cotton jackets, it is better to buy a large amount of inferior cotton at a low price, spin it into cotton yarn with a large spinning wheel, use the manpower saved to weave a large number of inferior cotton cloth, and use it to hire more sellers and merchants, and sell these cotton cloths to these small people at a very low price, and then those small people will be willing to buy a few feet of cloth back even if they are reluctant to pay."

After hearing this, Wang Changgeng nodded and said, "This is a good idea to increase profits." It's just that you have such a big spinning wheel and save the cost of spinning? ”

"You usually only know how to read erotic love books, and you don't know how to pay attention to mechanical manufacturing, so naturally you don't know!"

"Didn't I mention a big spinning wheel when I was working in the Imperial Prison in the past? That kind of large spinning wheel can work more than 20 spindles at the same time, which can definitely be saved. ”

"You must know that my Han people have never lacked a skill that can replace hundreds of workers, but what is lacking is the condition that everyone has the extra money to buy things for themselves!"

"Now you have that."

"Big families must care about whether the cotton cloth is made in Songjiang, but for ordinary people, as long as they can keep warm, no matter whether the cotton cloth they buy is from Songjiang, the cotton cloth made of inferior cotton is also acceptable."

Liu Quxian said.

Wang Changgeng nodded after hearing this: "I remember, you said it." ”

Then, Wang Changgeng said: "Then what are you going to do?" Even if you really keep the cost very low, if you want to let those small people who have always been accustomed to saving money and saving money buy your cotton cloth, then you can't raise the price too high, or can only make small profits but quick turnover, but sell one horse at a time, when can you make a lot of money? ”

"I didn't plan to sell them one by one, but I only planned to sell them in bulk to those women and merchants, so that they could sell them one by one."

"After all, once the big spinning wheel is used, it is a job of dozens of workers, and the cost saved is a lot, and it is possible to let the seller and the merchant sell dozens or even hundreds of horses in batches at a low price."

"And as the people gradually have money to spare, they must be willing to be sellers and merchants, and there will be more and more people who rely on renting stores to do business, instead of just knowing that they have worked hard at home for many years to weave some homespun cloth, and the result is not much money."

Liu Quxian said.