Wanli asked thoughtfully: "So Taizu was peaceful in the world at that time, there was no rebellion, and everyone worked hard, so the country became rich soon?" ”

"The emperor is really smart, just a little bit through."

"Alright, stop slapping, keep talking!"

Chu Fan smiled embarrassedly, nodded and continued: "Then if the ten families start together from the period of Emperor Taizu, when everyone was poor, then a generation is twenty or thirty years, once one or two of these ten families has become an official or has become rich, his subsequent descendants will continue to be rich." ”

"What do you do when you have money? Buying other people's land and buying other people's labor, over time formed a class of elites, who mastered a large number of labor tools, causing the poor to become even poorer, and in the end the peasants could not eat, and they had to rebel. ”

Wanli nodded and asked, "And then?" ”

"Then there is, the court collects taxes, the poor have no money but can't hide from the taxes, and the rich have money but can't pay much."

Wanli spread his hands: "Yes, so Mr. Zhang made a whip method and collected taxes according to the land, isn't this just to solve this problem." ”

"Your Majesty, it's not enough, think about it, the poor just work harder, that is, they eat a little more, and no matter how heavy the taxes of the rich are, they are just as good as they are."

Wanli's head is like a chicken eating rice, and he agreed: "Yes, if you don't have land, the landlord accounts for more than half of the output in the field, the court draws a small half, and the farmers account for a small half, that is, how to plant?"

I can't get rich! ”

"So, Your Majesty, this has formed a class solidification, in my words, that is, the poor are lying flat, and there is no point in working hard, so they will not work hard. Originally, one acre of land could grow 100 catties of grain, but now it is 60 catties, enough to eat, and the landlord earns more when he grows, but his heart is unbalanced. ”

"What does Aiqing think?"

Chu Fan suddenly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that a whip method should be improved!" ”

"Get up, don't kowtow at every turn."

"The minister believes that although a whip law has increased the tax revenue of the imperial court, it has not reduced the burden on the poor people, nor has it increased the enthusiasm of the peasants.

"Tell me, how to change it?"

"The minister suggested that on the basis of a whip law, the tax should be graded according to the total amount of land in each household, for example, if your family only has one acre of land, then the tax should be reduced or exempted. If your family has two acres of land, then you will collect half of the tax, if you have five acres of land, you will receive one percent tax, if you have ten acres of land, you will collect two percent of the tax, and if you have fifty acres of land, you will receive three percent of the tax. ”

Wanli stood up from his chair: "That big landlord, isn't he going to pay for his death?" ”

"If you don't want to lose money, you can sell land!"

Wanli paced back and forth in the study: "Then what if he doesn't sell it?" What about passing taxes on to tenants? ”

"The court came forward to treat the land kept by the court as low-rent land, and the landlord's rent was too high, so the tenant would go to the court to rent low-rent land, and the landlord's land was no longer planted, and he had to pay heavy taxes, so he naturally had to sell the land."

Wanli stroked his beard: "The landlord's land has been sold, how can they make a living?" ”

"The land has been sold, it has become money, and it has been bought into the stocks of the imperial court!"

Wanli waved his hand: "You wait, I'll take a look!" ”

Suddenly, so much information confused Wanli, and he couldn't figure out the account even if he crossed his fingers.

"Your Majesty, the ministers will help you figure it out."

Wanli nodded.

Chu Fan also took out his fingers and broke them: "If the landlord sells the land, he will have money in his hands, if he wants to make money, he must invest, the best investment is to buy the stocks of the imperial court, and if he buys the shares of the imperial court, he can pay regular dividends, and the landlord will be stable." ”

"And then?"

"When the peasants have their own land, they will seriously cultivate the land, not only will the output increase, but the peasants will also be rich in their hands, so that they can consume, the peasants will have the ability to consume, the court will be able to make money, the court will be able to make money, the court will have dividends when the stocks make money, the stocks will have dividends, the landlords will also have money, the landlords and the peasants will have money, the country's output value will increase, and the tax revenue of the court will increase.

Wanli was still a little puzzled, and asked: "The land has not increased, and the labor force has not increased, why has the output value increased?" ”

"It's been revitalized, now the land and money are in the hands of a few people, if they don't take it out to invest, the money will not produce benefits, and the court will not be able to collect taxes, forcing them to take out their assets for investment, and they can use the money to do more things and increase the output value!"

"Why do I sound like robbing the rich and giving to the poor?"

"Your Majesty, help the poor without robbing the rich!"

Wanli stopped, looked at Chu Fan, and said, "Yes, but this game of chess is very big, how to play?" ”

"The emperor needs to give his ministers three things."

"Well, but it doesn't hurt to say it!"

Chu Fan stood up and snapped his fingers again: "First, the emperor wants to give me a cover, after all, this matter involves the interests of many people, once it is done, there will inevitably be people who oppose it, if the minister does not abide by the ancestral system and exceeds his authority, someone will inevitably be impeached, does the emperor need to save my life?" 3

"Accurate!"

"Second, the emperor wants to give me talents, the ministers don't want to be scholars or anything, the ministers want businessmen, and the emperor doesn't need to give me money, just give knights and officials."

"Accurate!"

"Third, the emperor wants to give me the right to decide, and the minister calls this a new whip law, and when the new law is promoted, the minister should make his own decision, and the emperor and the cabinet cannot interfere."

"Accurate!"

Wanli has three "quasi" in a row. It's easy to say, but it's extremely stressful to do, it's not a last resort, it's not absolute trust, even if Wanli is an emperor through the ages, it will never be able to make these three promises.

First, it's hard to guarantee that you won't kill him. After all, the imperial court has such a big system, there are factions and networks among officials, you are my student, I am his in-laws, he is my nephew, whose nephew am I, once the core interests of any interest group are touched, it is a matter that affects the whole body, the queen mother, the princess, the cabinet, the six major ministries, the Hanlin Academy, and the Supervision Yuan, which one is not a gathering of bigwigs, and which one is a fuel-efficient lamp? If the group rises up and attacks it, I want to protect you Chu Fan alone, I will offend a group of people, not ordinary people, they are all pillars of the imperial court, these people are forced to be anxious, really united, at least they will resign collectively, at worst they will force the palace to ask for their lives, and then they will overthrow me, the emperor, it is not impossible, and the world is not my surname Zhu.

Second, it is difficult to make businessmen officials. Since ancient times, businessmen are speculative, synonymous with buying high and selling low, low social status, you now let businessmen enter the Shi, is a challenge to traditional culture for thousands of years, people have studied the four books and five classics for a lifetime, and have taken a lifetime of exams, and finally it is better to have a few who can only dial the abacus? This offends the world's scholars. Social public opinion has always been the foundation of governance, why is Liu Bei orthodox in the same three-point world? Just because his surname is Liu, he must be made a positive character, who said these words? It's not just a reader. The legitimacy of your rule and the rationality of your rule are all spread by scholars to the people, and if you offend them, your foundation will be unstable, why did Qin Shi Huang burn books and pit Confucianism? Why did Qianlong raise a literary prison? is to seize the commanding heights of culture, you let me set a precedent for you Chu Fan today, and tomorrow I may have to roll up and get out.

Third, it's hard to give you exclusive power. The so-called dictatorship means that no matter how you play, I can't care about you, you sell the court, you sell my Wanli, you arrest my wife, I can't take care of it, how can I trust you? Even if I Wanli trusts you, can the cabinet trust you? Can the bureaucrats of the world trust you? Can my wife trust you? In case you don't play well, and the more than 200 years of Daming are lost in my hands, I can't enter the ancestral grave when I die, and I won't have the face to see the ancestors and ancestors. If you let Chu Fan dictatorship, it is equivalent to me giving up the imperial power, if your wings are stiff and you will get me off the horse another day, where will I cry?

However, Wanli unswervingly said three "quasi." It is enough to see his determination, later generations commented on Emperor Wanli, who did not go to court for decades and ignored the government, which led to the decline of the Ming Dynasty, in fact, the real Wan

Calendar, diligent and hardworking, and dare to change. The great powers that can rule the world have one characteristic - reason.

Just like back then, King Qin Hui killed Shang Ying, but continued to promote the reform, and Wanli, although he almost dug Zhang Juzheng out of the soil and beat him, he has been insisting on Zhang Juzheng's reforms. This is Mingjun, no matter how much hatred, no matter how big the hatred, you must adhere to the truth. And some people don't have reason, such as Cixi, although she also knows that the country is in danger, and she also knows that it can't be changed anymore, so the little emperor began to carry out reforms, and she supported it, but once it changed to her own interests, she immediately turned her face, which is why women are not suitable for leaders, and the emotional impact is too great, and it is difficult to make the right decision.

There are many forms of meetings, but often the fewer people of the meeting, the more important the decision-making, today's meeting of only Wanli and Chu Fan, the national taxation, investment, economy and trade and even the system, have made a new round of planning, it can be said that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the largest national strategic adjustment, in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, in the moment of national decline, in this moment of internal and external difficulties.

After the conversation, Chu Fan said goodbye to the emperor, but both of them fell into the perception of each other's world.

For Chu Fan, if you are a scholar and make you a lot of money, you can be a big official comfortably, marry her thirty or fifty daughters-in-law, and live a peaceful and stable life, why should you risk the world's disapproval and carry out any reforms? What is the new whip law? At the cost of your life? Is it worth it?

For Wanli, it is not your responsibility for the country to come to this point, you have made outstanding contributions, at least from the brink of collapse to pull back such a large empire, even if it is difficult at home and abroad, you can barely cope with it now, let the future people solve it, children and grandchildren have their own children and grandchildren, haven't you heard of this sentence? Learn from Li Houzhu, write poems, do paintings, spend some money on diplomacy, isn't it also a lifetime? Why did you accompany Chu Fan to play so big? Aren't you afraid of being overturned and leaving? Aren't you afraid that you will lose Daming in your own hands and leave a reputation for eternity?

Chu Fan and Wanli couldn't understand each other's state of mind.

Chu Fan knows the price of a nation's self-improvement, and he also knows what kind of pain the country and the West have brought to this land, the great man of chivalry, for the country and the people, although he is not yet in that realm, but he is bloody, as the only person in this world who has the ability to make changes, the only person who can save this ancient country, he must do something.

Wanli took over this burden from his father when he was young, and he was conscientious and conscientious, and he did not dare to slack off, and pulled the imperial carriage back from the edge of the cliff. As the first person responsible, he has the obligation and responsibility to put this cart on the right track, and give an explanation to future generations and ancestors and ancestors.

Chu Fan has one of the biggest advantages, he just does what he says, pulls up the car and leaves, and picks up the axe and cuts it.

The first step is manpower.

The first is the leadership team.

Chu Fan Ren Shangshu, and two squires, one he gave to his father-in-law Zhang Sixiu.

This point is basically not too controversial, Zhang Sixiu is the fifth year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng's second son, the current editor of the Hanlin Academy, a typical representative of the Ming Dynasty scholars. The Hanlin Academy is the cradle of cultivating talents for ministries and commissions at all levels, and after a few years of editing and revision, the Hanlin Academy is basically a leader in major ministries and commissions, so now it is logical to mention him to the household department. And he is not only the eye, but also the son of the former first assistant Zhang Juzheng, who has great appeal and influence among the readers, let him be a waiter, and has a good defensive effect for dealing with the attacks of the readers in the future. But the only thing that makes people a little criticized is that they are sons-in-law, and they are somewhat nepotistic, but it doesn't matter, since they have to offend many people and leave a lot of truth, it's not bad.

And the other is He Feng, who was originally a waiter in the household department, He Feng is an old comrade, Jiajing's forty-year jinshi, and Zhang Juzheng basically belong to the same generation, although he is not the top three, but he is also a high-achieving student who has learned and is rich and rich, and he has been a deputy under Kui Xinghe for many years, and he has not been less angry, but he is honest and does not like to fight for power and profit, so he just made do with Kui Xinghe's team for so many years.

Comrade He Lao has been in the DPRK for so many years, and he has not made any merits, so he has done a great thing.

After Jiajing's death, Longqing ascended the throne, at that time, it was difficult for everyone to talk about the old emperor's death from Taoist alchemy, after all, it was not a glorious thing, but Emperor Longqing actually wanted to clean up those Taoist priests very much, but he revealed his father's shortcomings, somewhat unkind, and some unfilial, at this time, Mr. He Feng, who was an editor in the Hanlin Academy, insisted on his dissatisfaction with this matter, and a letter tore the fig leaf of the imperial court, so that the old emperor took drugs and knocked to death This matter was made public. also gave Longqing a good reason to clean up the Taoist priest, so he was promoted to an official and became a household servant.

It may be that this wood thinks that he tears the fig leaf well, and the level of tearing is very high, or it may be that this old brother is addicted to exposing the emperor's private life, but when Emperor Longqing drove the crane west at the age of thirty-six, he stood up again and pointed out that the emperor died under the pomegranate skirt.

This time it stabbed a hornet's nest, you said that Jiajing died and the Taoist priest could be liquidated, and Longqing died, who did you liquidate? Arrest all the mothers? This thing is done, except for disgrace to the royal family, there is really no other meaning, is it because of such an embarrassing thing for the royal family, let you write it in black and white, and still don't bring you to justice? But it was not the royal people who were in power at that time, but Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Juzheng felt that although this wood was stupid, he worked very seriously and responsibly, and he was also a loyal supporter of his own whip law, and he resisted the pressure of the Empress Dowager Li and kept him.

Chu Fan considered that such an old gentleman didn't want to seek fame and fortune, although he was a bit stereotyped, but there were some jobs that needed to be serious and responsible, as well as work that had nothing to do with reform, he still needed to do it, so he left him and continued to be a waiter.

In this way, the leadership team of the household department was formally established.

Chu Fan knew very well how perfect the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty was, so he didn't try to provoke the anger of the scholars, and first set up a few official positions that you have not heard of.

Next, it is the staff of the household department, in order not to affect the work, Chu Fan decided to keep the existing officials of the household department, but cancel their past division of labor, everyone is no longer responsible for the special field, what you are in charge of the household registration, I am in charge of the economy and trade, he is in charge of taxes, all of them are scattered, and the two waiters are in charge, and the following people are randomly arranged to implement.

With the countersignature of the Cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Officials, and the approval of the Emperor, ten new fixed posts were established, namely, tax supervision and tax management of the household department, financial supervision and financial management of the household department, land supervision and land management of the household department, debt supervision and debt management of the household department, investment supervision and investment management of the household department.

The unification of supervision is seven products, and the unity of management is from seven products.

The official rank given is very low, mainly to block the mouth of Youyou, and the official position of a businessman is not completely unprecedented, but it is generally a small official who donates money from the local government, and it cannot be on the table, nor does it affect the overall situation, the Ming Dynasty was corrupt, many officials sold their officials, and everyone was used to it. But you can't make all these businessmen four or five big names at once, that really makes the mouths of the world's scholars crooked

Finish. It can't be compared with those Jinshi who have participated in the palace examination, but they have also read books for half a lifetime, been a grandson for half a lifetime, and can only be mixed with a five-grade and six-grade official when they are old.

Anyway, when I entered the household department, except for the three leaders, who care about your officials, big and small, they are all working, I want to use this to manage from the seven grades of taxation, and you can't help it without you, who is the fifth grade. It is one thing for an official to be big and small, and it is another thing for a big official to have a small power.

Who knew that the country's affairs were not originally carried out by the clerks of the ministries?

The tax supervisor of the household department is served by Xu Zhengfu, a large landowner in the capital, and the tax management is served by Liu Quan, who is promoted by the household department. Mainly responsible for tax reform.