Ancient Imperial Examination Daily

Chapter 854 Everyone Pays Taxes

Chapter 854 Everyone Pays Taxes
In order to let the courtiers know Du Jinning's ability, Zhao Hue told the ministers the two solutions in the early morning of the second day, and specifically explained that it was the idea of ​​Princess Ning Guochang.

When Zhao Huo and Qi Bokun discussed giving Du Jinning the status of the eldest princess, they considered the precedent of a princess participating in politics in the Tang Dynasty.As a princess, enjoying the offerings of the country, she has the obligation to contribute to the rise and fall of the country.When the country is in crisis, the capable princess supports the government and leads the army to go to war, and the incompetent makes peace with foreign lands, so as to save the whole country.

Therefore, after Du Jinning was given the status of the eldest princess, the court ministers did not regard her as an ordinary woman attached to a man, but naturally regarded her as a political individual.

Now that Du Jinning has solved the problems that troubled them, not only are they not disgusted by her meddling in political affairs, but they have a new understanding of her abilities.

When Wu Zheng heard that these problems were solved by Du Jinning, he couldn't sit still, and went directly to Du's residence to see Du Jinning after the court.

Du Jinning planned to move into the Princess Mansion with Qi Muyuan on the day they got married, so even though it was repaired there, she still lived in Du Mansion.When she heard Wu Zheng asking for an interview, she was surprised and went to the front hall to receive him.

"Master Wu, why are you looking for me so urgently?" Du Jinning asked straight to the point.

It's still time to go to the Yamen, if there is no urgent matter, Wu Zheng definitely won't come to her at this time.

When Wu Zheng came, he was very anxious, but now he felt unable to speak.

"This, this...hehe, it's okay."

Du Jinning gave him a look of "Do you believe it?": "Master Wu, you have something to say."

During this period of time, she has always been wearing a toga with large sleeves, she is both male and female, her behavior is free and easy, her words and actions are still as graceful as before, and she does not make people feel that she is a little girl.Wu Zheng felt that the Du Jinning in front of him was the same Du Jinning who drank with them in Runzhou back then. He was upright, sincere and trustworthy.

He put his heart to one side and said: "Princess Du..., I heard Mrs. Qi said that you have determined to be a great farmer since you were young; I also heard that you said in front of the emperor and all the adults yesterday that you will sell your son in the future." All the money for the seeds will be used to reward those who have made contributions to agriculture, or to build water conservancy?"

Du Jinning knew that he still had more to say, nodded and said, "Yes."

"It can be seen that the princess is a person who puts agriculture first. Then why should the princess speak to the emperor to revitalize commerce? You must know that agriculture is the foundation of the country; business is just a small way, and businessmen value profits over righteousness. Huge profits. From ancient times to the present, agriculture has always been emphasized and business is suppressed, why does the princess want to revive business to the emperor?" Wu Zheng blushed and was very excited.

Du Jinning frowned, stared fixedly at Wu Zheng, and didn't speak for a while.But the disappointment in his eyes was very obvious.

Wu Zheng felt a little guilty when he said that these remarks were contrary to Zhao Hu's policy.At this moment, seeing her like this made me feel uncomfortable.

"Princess, why do you look at me like this?" He asked forcefully.

"I used to think that Mr. Wu is a good official who is selfless and dedicated to the people. But I didn't expect that I was wrong." Du Jinning sighed.

Wu Zheng suddenly changed color.

He said sternly: "Princess Wu does not agree with what the princess said. What Wu said just now was not for himself, but for the whole Song Dynasty."

Du Jinning nodded: "I believe Mr. Wu."

What Wu Zheng said is easy to be misunderstood. After Zhao Hu changed the national policy, he, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was no longer as good as before.We must know that the country is based on agriculture, emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business, and the status of the minister of the Ministry of Industry is very important; but if the country develops commerce and the status of agriculture declines, the importance of the minister of the Ministry of Industry will be greatly reduced.

Du Jinning is very clear about Wu Zheng's character, he definitely doesn't mean that.

He is simply worried about the direction of the country's policies.

She said: "The annexation of land in the Song Dynasty was serious. Master Wu is aware of this, right? As the annexation of land became more and more serious, the national tax revenue dropped sharply, and the treasury was empty. Because there was no money, it was not easy for the court to do anything. This point, Master Wu knows, right?"

Wu Zheng nodded: "But this is not a reason to revive business."

"It's true!" Du Jinning's expression became sharper, "When developing commerce, taxes are required when goods are circulated, and the people also benefit from doing business. The country and the people benefit from commerce, thus weakening the value and importance of land. What is wrong with reducing the impact of land mergers on the country? Why must we emphasize agriculture and suppress business? Mr. Wu has read a lot of poetry and books, so he probably didn't know what specific conditions Shang Yang put forward when he put forward this slogan? The country The situation is different, and the national policy should be changed accordingly. What's wrong with that?"

Wu Zheng was speechless by what she said.

The corner of Du Jinning's mouth ticked: "This is just the beginning, not the end."

She looked directly at Wu Zheng: "Since Mr. Wu is the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, I think he has been in the fields all year round and has contacted many tenant farmers at the bottom? Are their lives easy? They work hard all year round, and after paying heavy taxes, can they still have money? How much food do you have for yourself?"

Wu Zheng's expression changed.

Except for local low-level officials like county magistrates and magistrates, he can be said to be the official in Beijing who has the most contacts with the low-level people. He naturally knows how difficult these people are living.

"You mean, let them not farm the land, but go into business?" Wu Zheng asked.

"No." Du Jinning shook his head, "What I mean is, when the country's business prosperity reaches a certain level and the value of the land drops to a certain level, I will suggest that the emperor cancel the preferential tax treatment for official families."

Wu Zheng's pupils shrank and his mouth opened wide.

"A certain scholar was admitted as a scholar and a scholar, so his relatives and friends immediately joined him, put all their fields under his name, and enjoyed the tax exemption policy of the state. There are countless examples like this? This is land. The rudiment and microcosm of mergers."

Du Jinning continued to question: "How many scholars, scholars, and Jinshis were there in the Song Dynasty? How many officials were there in the court? How many noble clansmen were there? How many fields in the entire country were annexed under their names?"

She looked directly at Wu Zheng: "In addition to this, there are also lands under the name of temples and Taoist temples, which are also tax-free. They don't have to pay taxes. Therefore, if the state wants to use money, it can only collect from the remaining land. The tax burden of the entire country falls on the ordinary people who occupy a small amount of land. They pay a large amount of taxes and are overwhelmed, and the people at the bottom are miserable. As a result, the class is polarized, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Conflicts intensify , the country is in danger."

"And what I want to do is to lower the value of the land, reduce the loss of interests of the official clan, and reduce conflicts, so as to smoothly implement the policy of equality for all and taxation for each household. This is the ultimate goal of my business development by advising the emperor."

(End of this chapter)

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