I studied in modern times

Chapter 457 The Queen Mother finally gave up

It took almost a quarter of an hour to briefly introduce the problems exposed during the review and practice of Han Jiang's General Service Law and Young Crops Law.

After hearing this, the two palaces looked at each other, their heads feeling a little buzzing.

Obviously, they have not fully understood what Han Jiang said.

We can't blame them.

They don't know what suffering is in this life.

As far as Empress Dowager Yi Tai is concerned, the most difficult time in her life was probably when she had just married Yingmiao and was working as the training wife of the Thirteenth Regiment in the small courtyard of Prince Pu's residence.

And what were the living conditions like when Yingmiao was a regiment training envoy?

In Zhao Xu's previous life, he was asked by the officials around him to read "The Precepts of the Three Dynasties".

I saw a story from the Three Dynasties Sermons.

When Yingmiao was in the feudal dynasty, he once went to court and lost a rhinoceros belt worth 300,000 yuan due to the carelessness of a waiter in the palace.

The waiter apologized, but Yingmiao did not blame him, but comforted and encouraged him.

The original intention of this story is to teach Zhao Xu to be a generous and loving king.

But he accidentally exposed Renmiao's living standard when he was in the feudal residence.

A rhinoceros belt is worth three hundred thousand dollars.

Then, the total number of clothes he wears is worth at least a thousand guan.

Therefore, it is a dream to expect a woman like Lianggong, who has lived in a palace all year round, to understand and feel the hardship and hardship of ordinary people's lives.

Zhao Xu has a say in this.

Because his previous life was essentially the same.

Fortunately, he studied abroad in Modern Times for ten years, which completely made up for this shortcoming.

During those ten years in modern times, although he spent most of his time in a comfortable ivory tower.

But in the end, his identity became an ordinary person.

Firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea began to surround him, forcing him to come into contact and face it.

So, while the two palaces were still confused, Zhao Xu began to take the initiative.

He sighed with emotion: "No wonder Huang Kao often taught me that the disadvantages of the Five Dynasties are deep-rooted, and the disasters of the late Tang Dynasty continue to this day!"

"I didn't understand it in the past, but now, after listening to Xianggong's words, I know that the emperor's holy precepts have been whipped into the inside!"

"Your Majesty, your Majesty." Han Jiang and Lu Gongzhu looked at each other and immediately bowed their heads deeply.

The two palaces in the curtain were even more confused.

How come the servitude method and the young crop method became the shortcomings of the late Tang and Five Dynasties?

what's the situation?

Therefore, the Empress Dowager asked: "Guan Jia, how come the war method and the young crop method are related to the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties?"

It was clearly invented by Wang Anshi and was a disaster for the country and the people.

How come there is contact with the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, which are beyond the reach of eight poles?

Empress Dowager Xiang was sitting there, thoughtfully, remembering the allusions of the country and dynasty that her father and brother had told her when they were in the boudoir.

Zhao Xu turned around, lowered his head, and replied: "I would like to inform my mother-in-law, this matter is a long story..."

"Based on what Sun Chen knows from the Sutra Banquet and what he reads in the East Pavilion on weekdays..."

"In general, the story begins with Tang Dezong's appointment of Yang Yan and the change of rent and mediocrity into the Two Taxes Law."

As he spoke, Zhao Xu used brief language to introduce the history of the Empress Dowager.

Naturally, the bloody process in this process is skipped, and the hard work of countless people is also omitted.

I just briefly introduced the experience of successive dynasties that after the Two Taxes Act, in order to make money, have continuously increased the burden on the people, breaking their bones and sucking their marrow.

So, the final result is: 10,000 taxes, 10,000 taxes, 10,000 taxes.

Including the current exemption law, it is actually a tax increase to some extent.

As a result, the burden on the people after the mid-Tang Dynasty increased several times out of thin air.

After Zhao Xu finished the introduction, he said to the two palaces: "Therefore, the emperor taught me many times in Japan. Since the founding of our country, there have been many shortcomings in the late Tang and Five Dynasties, and the whole world has suffered from this."

This is exactly the reason why the Song Dynasty gives many people a twisted feeling.

Because the Song Dynasty was not a new dynasty established by smashing the old dynasty like the Han and Tang Dynasties.

The Song Dynasty grew out of the remains of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

Looking at the founding of the country, it only lasted a hundred and thirty years, which seemed very young for a dynasty.

But in fact, many organs of the Song Dynasty are already two to three hundred years old.

They are just like the jade chariot that Zhao Xu rode on when he went to Jingling Palace to worship his ancestors. They looked bright and beautiful on the outside, but in fact they were already decayed and corroded on the inside.

If you walk a little faster, there will be a crunching sound.

Maybe one day it might fall apart on the spot.

After hearing this, the two palaces looked at each other.

Even the Queen Mother, this is the first time she has heard such an argument.

The two prime ministers in the palace had already bowed their heads and said: "The late emperor has seen thousands of miles, and your majesty has left you with wisdom. I, my ministers, congratulate the world."

In their hearts, the shock of these two prime ministers was indescribable.

Although, they have long been accustomed to and accepted the maturity and wisdom of today's young people.

I have almost accepted the setting that "the late emperor taught and exhorted the present many times in private".

Because many things cannot be explained if we do not accept these settings.

But at this moment, they were still shocked.

In the past when the late Emperor was in the palace, would he even break down such a thing and tell it to today?

Does he have so much time?

The two prime ministers looked at each other, then looked away.

Because they already know the answer - if the late emperor had been around, he would have been as mature and wise as he is now.

Then the late emperor would definitely devote most of his energy to teaching this eldest son.

Especially when the late emperor felt unwell seven years after Yuanfeng and began to make arrangements for his funeral.

He will definitely spare most of his time to train his heirs.

Think about it carefully!

Before the late emperor passed away, he had already moved into Qingning Palace and lived there for more than half a year.

Outside the Qingning Palace, the late emperor used all his confidants and minions.

In Qingning Palace, the selection is even more careful.

This shows that the late emperor attached great importance to today!

So, I'm afraid this person has long been determined to revitalize his father's career, right?

When Mr. Lu thought of this, he felt somewhat bitter in his heart.

He began to worry about the future after Han Jiang and Zhang Dun came to power.

"Sima Junshi's worries are not unreasonable." He sighed in his heart.

……

The two palaces inside the curtain are still buzzing in their heads.

It took them a lot of effort to finally digest the new knowledge points they learned today.

From the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties and then to the Song Dynasty, from the two tax laws to miscellaneous labor, force labor and sex labor.

People around them would not tell them these things, and even if the ministers did tell them, they would just brush them off.

Now that I suddenly know it, I am naturally upset, and I don't want to touch this mess anymore.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager asked tentatively: "Officials, the law has been changed over and over again, but it is always unsatisfactory. Why not restore the old system of Renmiao Jiayou?"

Zhao Xu hasn't answered yet.

Han Jiang and Lu Gongzhu had already stepped forward with their hands in hand: "Your Majesty, you can't do that!"

"Why?" The Empress Dowager was not very happy: "Restoring the old Jiayou system will only cause some losses to the first- and second-class households."

"It's not like now, the states and counties all over the world are in chaos, and the people are in dire straits!" The Renmiao Jiayou system had a very high status in her heart.

The two prime ministers paid their respects again, and Han Jiang added: "I told the Empress Dowager that Jiayou's military service was actually difficult to maintain during Jiayou's time!"

"Insighted people in the government and the public, such as the late Duke Fan Wenzheng, Duke Fu Han, Duke Han Wei, as well as the current elders such as Wen Taishi and Zhang Jiedu, have all run and shouted... thinking that this is the greatest evil in the world. .”

The Queen Mother was not happy.

She asked: "Then why do I often hear people say that the disadvantages of serving the law are not convenient for the people?"

Lu Gongzhu sighed and could only come out to pay homage: "I know that your Majesty, this is just a petty person's grievance and slanderous words about the government, which cannot be believed."

When Zhao Xu saw this, a smile overflowed from the corners of his mouth.

This is Lu Gong's work.

Don't look at his usual disdain for Wang Anshi's immunity from military service and young crops law.

But in fact, when he really wants to give up, he will go back to make up for it.

Just like in his previous life, Sima Guang insisted on giving up the new law.

Mr. Lu has been coy and unwilling to cooperate.

In the end, before Sima Guang died, he held his hand and forced Lu Gong to agree to abolish the exemption law.

reason?

Lu Gong's work is very clear about the difference between the exemption law and the labor service law.

The immunity law only requires money.

The service law only wants the lives of others, even the life of the Song Dynasty!

Seeing this scene, the Queen Mother couldn't help but look at Zhao Xu: "What do the officials think?"

Zhao Xu smiled and replied: "I told my mother-in-law that Huang Kao once taught me in Japan. Huang Kao said: Jiayou's military service method actually accrues benefits to those below and resentment to those above!"

"Huang Kao's original words are: Jiayou's service method often enables a small official to destroy a family and a large family to be wiped out. However, the court does not benefit from it, but suffers from it."

"If things go on like this, it may even lead to unspeakable things..."

Han Jiang and Lu Gongzhu immediately prostrated with their fluorenes in hand: "The late emperor was sacred, and his insight was thousands of miles away. I admire him with all my admiration!"

This is why the Jiayou Service Law must be changed and must be changed.

It should be noted that today's Song Dynasty society is in an extremely sensitive period.

The aristocratic family system of the Han and Tang dynasties has been completely destroyed and eliminated.

The local clan system in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is still in its infancy.

Today's society in the Song Dynasty still follows the tradition of dividing property among scholars since the Han and Tang Dynasties.

That is to say, when the parents are alive, they live in one family. When the parents die, the sons divide the family property and each family belongs to the same family.

Therefore, among the people now, there is no force strong enough to resist the government.

As in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the imperial power did not go to the countryside, and the clan patriarchs could use patriarchal methods to deal with and resolve most of the conflicts among the villagers behind closed doors. This had no place in the Song Dynasty.

This is because the material foundation that formed the foundation of clan society in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was clan property such as ancestral fields and sacrificial fields.

After mastering this wealth, the patriarch can decide whose family is full and whose family is hungry, and whose children can go to school and whose children can only herd cattle.

But now, the so-called ancestral fields and sacrificial fields have just sprouted.

This is still a trend started by Fan Zhongyan.

Fan Zhongyan set up Yi Zhuang, Yi Xue and Yi Tian in his hometown to support the descendants of the Fan family.

Soon someone will discover the beauty of this method.

Because Yi Zhuang, Yi Xue, and Yi Tian belong to the clan.

It can avoid the division of property among the sons and can be passed down from generation to generation.

It is equivalent to providing support for the family, allowing the descendants to live on the family property no matter how poor they are.

Smart people will soon take up the banner of Fan Zhongyan and start building bridges and roads in his hometown and donating fields to help students.

Similar operations exist in modern times.

In the name of charity, trusts are used to avoid inheritance taxes.

Far away.

Returning to the current society of the Song Dynasty, this is a society without aristocratic families or clans.

This means that ordinary people and the government have little bargaining power.

The government holds the power of life and death for ordinary people.

And under such circumstances, if an ordinary person before the Xining Reform suddenly became rich.

Guess what will happen to him?

The answer is: Yaqian Service.

The so-called Yaqian was divided into two types in the past, one was: long name, and the other was: rural household.

The former is the so-called subordinate official, a fat job that is succeeded by the son after the death of the father.

The latter is a terrifying thing that makes people tremble when hearing the news, and makes wealthy households in all states and counties tremble.

Because this thing can easily kill a wealthy local man, leaving him bankrupt and his family ruined.

why?

Because in front of rural households, they usually do errands of transporting materials or delivering taxes.

From the moment a yamen sets out on the road with his mission, he will become the target of extortion and exploitation by corrupt officials from all sides.

Before the Xining Reform, there was a government office in the two Zhejiang provinces in Bianjing.

The yamen spent a whole year and went through a lot of hardships to finally deliver what he wanted to deliver to the designated place.

Guess how much money he spent along the way?

The answer is one thousand strings.

Guess again, what’s the value of what he’s shipping?

Two bolts of silk and several strings of copper coins, the total value of which does not exceed five guan.

Under such circumstances, wealthy households in prefectures and counties throughout the Song Dynasty tried every means to lower their household status to avoid meeting the standards.

Some people lie down, some self-harm, and even more suicides.

Of course, there are also those strong men who simply refuse to do anything and rebel!

This is the reason why Ouyang Xiu lamented in his memorial to Renmiao: Today there are more thieves than one group, and one group is stronger than the other.

Therefore, the draft law had to be changed a long time ago, and it is no longer possible to change it.

The Empress Dowager in the curtain was silent for a long time, and she also figured out something.

Especially after Zhao Xu made the point of "leaving resentment to the top and benefit to the bottom", she immediately wanted to understand, what is the biggest drawback of the labor law?

All risks and responsibilities were borne by the court.

But all the benefits fell into the hands of subordinates and officials below.

It's like the imperial court gave these people a blank handout and let them fill in the numbers.

At this time, Empress Dowager Xiang took the opportunity to quietly say to her: "Mother, the bride thinks that the words of the late emperor stated by the officials are very reasonable!"

"Think of the rich households in the village. They are all local figures. They live in luxury and have great prestige in the village."

"If he is in trouble, he will resent the court..."

"The people who are afraid of the Yellow Nest are coming out of it..."

When the Empress Dowager heard this, she completely gave up on the service law.

Because this hit her right at the crux of the problem.

Who was Huang Chao back then? He's just a private salt dealer.

But he kicked Datang down with one kick.

The current Song Dynasty is much more dangerous than the Tang Dynasty back then.

During the Tang Dynasty, at least there was no threat from the barbarians.

What now?

If something goes wrong in the Song Dynasty, I am afraid that the Northern and Western bandits will raise their troops to invade.

So, she nodded and said, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)