Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 612 Golden Jade Clothes
The Lantern Festival was approaching, and in a large mansion in Kaifeng City, the landlords who owned the most land in the various states under the jurisdiction of Xuanwu Town sent representatives to hold a meeting here.

You have to come. This concerns your life and property. Who dares not to come?

Everyone gathered together for the so-called "big event" and to attend the coronation ceremony of Prince Yong Li Lin a few days later.

Of course, Prince Yong and the like don’t matter at all. Whoever ascends the throne cannot do without the support of these big landowners.

These wealthy families came here with only one purpose, which was to hope that the government would confiscate less land.

The establishment of the "New Dynasty" naturally requires official land. Those who understand this principle know that resistance is not allowed. Anyone who resists will have his entire family killed.

Actually, the government fields were previously occupied by these wealthy families for various reasons, and now it’s just tit-for-tat.

It's not something unimaginable.

Sooner or later, you will have to pay for what you have done. However, the land that the government wants to confiscate this time has been leaked, and it actually accounts for half of the cultivated land in the local area.

This knife was really cruel.

Because the government's tax collection ratio is half of the total, which is the average.

The more land a family occupies, the higher the proportion of land that will be confiscated. It is estimated that these big households will have to hand over more than half of their land.

As the Law of Heaven says: Make up for what is lacking and reduce what is in excess.

The government now wants to enforce "Heaven's will" on these big landlords.

Of course, the government would not say that it would confiscate the land of the wealthy families. There is a term called "redeem". They would give the wealthy families a symbolic amount of money, or salt permits, and then convert some of the private land into government land.

It doesn’t look that ugly when eating.

This contradiction is unsolvable and cannot be glossed over.

The local bigwigs either rebel or obey. No one else will stand on their side, and there is not much room for maneuver.

The reason is very simple. The death of these wealthy families and the confiscation of their lands means that more than half, or even all, of the "quotas" required by the government have been met.

Does this mean that other landlords with less land do not need to pay too much, or even nothing at all?
You don’t need to read a book to understand the game of “If my friend dies, I’ll live.” It’s like many people being chased by a bear in the forest. You don’t need to run faster than the bear, you just need to run faster than your companions.

In this round of land expropriation by the government, the problem can be solved well by simply killing a group of large landlords.

So the key to everyone coming here is: Who will the government send on the road?
No one wanted to be sent off by others, so they all sent people.

There was no such thing as united resistance. Most people just hoped that the land would not be expropriated on their heads. As for whether other families would survive or not, that was not their concern.

However, Liu Yan, the chief officer who presided over the "meeting" here, looked quite kind, and there were no ambushes like "five hundred swordsmen and axemen" around, so everything seemed to be normal.

There are two words pasted on the main wall of the main hall.

On the left it says: From frugality to luxury is easy;

On the right it says: It is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Everyone didn't know why this happened, but if they thought about it carefully, it should have nothing to do with the confiscation of land.

"Today's matter has nothing to do with the land, so please don't worry.

The government's plan to redeem the land will be discussed again by the court after His Royal Highness Prince Yong ascends the throne."

Liu Yan, who was sitting on the main seat, smiled and said to everyone.

It's okay, why didn't you tell me earlier? You're so shocked!

Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, as if they understood what the government meant.

First, I'll use a ruthless trick, spread the rumor, scare you, and make everyone extremely panic-stricken, fearing that the whole family will be wiped out in the next second.

When the policy is implemented, people will find that the government has only confiscated a little land, so they will be overjoyed. Once the policy is implemented, there will be no more obstacles.

If we don't do this, even if only 10% of the land is confiscated, some people will be dissatisfied and will contact others to rise up in rebellion.

Such is human nature.

"His Royal Highness Prince Yong said that the world is in decline and it's time to rectify it."

Liu Yan stood up, pointed at the two lines of words behind him and said, "You have all seen these two words. Be quiet to cultivate yourself, be frugal to cultivate virtue. You should take them as a warning."

He said seriously.

However, everyone present had a life of luxury and would not listen to such nonsense. If accumulating wealth is not for enjoyment, then what is the point of working hard?

Although these people all nodded in agreement with a smile on their faces, there was a hint of disdain in their expressions.

It’s just that Liu Yan holds great power now, so it’s not convenient for them to show it.

Probably guessing what these people were thinking, Liu Yan clapped his hands and said, "Someone, bring the things up!"

He shouted, attracting everyone's attention.

Soon, a young man wearing strange armor walked into the hall. Everyone made way for him to walk in front of Liu Yan.

Behind this man there were two soldiers from the Silver Spear Loyalty Army, who were actually carrying a coffin for keeping the body for three days!
Everyone present gasped! They didn't know what Liu Yan was trying to do.

It's hard to say that the coffin is auspicious. After the body is buried for three days, it must be burned immediately. I have never heard of anyone taking it out in public during a meeting.

The painting style in front of me is so weird that it is confusing.

The young man in strange armor was Da Congming. He followed Fang Zhongyong's orders and came here to help Liu Yan and act as a "model".

The armor he was wearing was not an ordinary item. It was a "jade suit" made of pieces of "jade" strung together with thin ropes. If it were matched with gold thread, it would probably be similar to the "gold thread jade suit" commonly seen in funerary objects.

These "jades" are not real jade, but colored glaze that is simple to make but cannot be made transparent.

Colored glass is not a rare item, and ordinary colored glass is extremely cheap and is not worth much at all.

If you look at these colored glazes that make up the "armor" individually, they are very rough, opaque, monotonous in color, and very brittle in texture, unable to withstand sudden heat and cold and ordinary collisions.

But on the whole, it is colorful and looks very grand.

In addition, Da Congming is very handsome. Even when wearing this kind of jade clothes, he does not look scary at all. Instead, he has a unique charm.

He bowed to Liu Yan, then lay down on the coffin and put on a bronze mask, looking almost like a dead person lying on the coffin.

“Your Highness Prince Yong has seen the burial of members of the royal family and dignitaries.

There are many burial objects in these people's tombs, especially gold-thread jade clothes like this one, which are very valuable. One set can often provide an ordinary family with food and clothing for decades.

At that time, His Royal Highness Prince Yong felt that the world was becoming more corrupt and people's hearts were no longer the same as before. The prevailing trend of lavish burials was corrupting the country's morals. It not only attracted the wealthy and powerful to compete with each other, but also attracted a large number of tomb robbers to commit crimes.

Although His Highness has not ascended the throne today, he is eager to stop the extravagance.

Therefore, from today onwards, anyone who burys another person in a lavish manner will be convicted.

In addition to the appropriate punishment, the government will also confiscate property worth ten times the value of the burial objects.

You must take this as a warning, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Liu Yan said with a serious expression.

Everyone looked at his serious face, then looked at Da Congming who was lying on the deathbed pretending to be dead, and they really had a thousand words to say in their hearts.

But in the end it all turned into one sentence: Damn it!

Seeing that no one spoke, Liu Yan continued:
"Look at this colored glaze garment. It is very cheap, less than one tenth of the price of jade. It can be used as a burial object to wrap the body, which is both beautiful and economical. Treat the dead as if they were alive. Objects made of this material can be used as funeral objects and can replace jade.

You can donate the saved money to the poor or leave it for your children to study, which is better than having your ancestors buried with you.

This is to practice frugality without damaging one's own reputation. What do you think?"

After that, the attendants on the side presented the fired colored glaze bowls, colored glaze bottles, colored glaze bracelets, colored glaze inkstones and other items one by one, and placed them next to the coffin for everyone to see. These colored glazes were extremely gorgeous and looked really classy.

The key is that it’s cheap!

With the price of one piece of jade, you can buy ten pieces of glass.

The history of colored glaze in the Tang Dynasty is not short. It was introduced from Persia and was once a luxury item, but it has never been popularized since then. This is related to a major defect of colored glaze.

This thing is not heat-resistant and cannot withstand falling!

It cannot be used as an everyday item and has no practical value at all!
Except for a very small number of handicrafts, no one wants ordinary colored glass!

Only the extremely exquisitely crafted, colorful and glittering colored glass can enter the homes of the rich and powerful.

These things are usually very large, so to put it bluntly, they are just for show. You can put one at home, but you have to be careful not to break it.

Ordinary colored glass is manufactured in large quantities for use in the funeral industry as funerary objects.

How to describe this idea?

It's really a bit weird, and it doesn't seem like something a normal person could come up with.

Everyone present was whispering and talking to each other. For a moment, they seemed to think that using colored glaze as funerary objects was not a bad idea.

You know, jade is not cheap these days. If someone dies in the family, a lavish funeral will take away most of the family's wealth. Why would we do that?

If money is not spent well, only those who use it will know the consequences!
"Good! Very good! When I pass away, I will use this glass as a funeral object."

At some point, Fang Zhongyong, dressed in cloth, came into the lobby and laughed loudly. His voice was so loud that it attracted everyone's attention.

"Yeah, yeah, it's pretty good."

"It can save a lot of money."

"This colored glaze is cheap, so we can use more for burial and less jade."

"It's for others to use anyway! What does it matter?"

"I won't buy it after seeing it, I won't use it after buying it, and I won't know how to use it after using it. It doesn't matter."

Everyone in the hall started to discuss heatedly. After learning that the government officials came here today not to "cede land" to them, these people's thoughts began to become active.

It’s just a simple funeral. Just wait until someone dies in the family. Why are you in such a hurry?
Since the government likes to talk about it, just listen to it.

Many people present thought so.

"So where can I buy it?"

Fang Zhongyong, who was dressed in plain clothes, asked a question abruptly.

"It's coming soon. Soon, every state will have specialized stores selling it. The prices are fair and honest."

Liu Yan squinted his eyes and smiled.

Most people here didn't know Fang Zhongyong, but a few people had seen him and recognized who he was.

They were so frightened that they dared not utter a word, vaguely understanding what Liu Yan was up to today.

"Judge Liu, the government has done a good thing.

It is better to leave wealth for the living to use and benefit others.

Even if it cannot benefit one region, it is good to benefit one family.

The wealth is buried with the deceased, and they can neither touch nor feel it.

These expensive funerary objects will probably become cheap objects for tomb robbers in the future. Why bother?
Using colored glaze instead of jade as funerary objects is great, this is really good!"

Fang Zhongyong shouted in an exaggerated tone, confusing many people present.

It's just glass, there's no need to praise it so much, right?
However, Liu Yan didn't seem to care what these people were thinking. He shouted to the people sent by the big families in the hall:

"The decree prohibiting extravagant burials will be issued soon. If anyone violates this decree, the court will definitely punish them severely. You must keep this in mind. Replacing jade with colored glaze is only one way to have a simple burial. If there are other methods, the government will issue a specific decree to inform you.

It's all gone.

The matter of redeeming the land will be discussed in detail after His Royal Highness Prince Yong ascends the throne, and we will not make it difficult for you."

Liu Yan said meaningfully, and then everyone dispersed. When they left, they all looked thoughtful, as if they felt that the amount of information today was too much, far exceeding their original expectations.

After everyone left, Fang Zhongyong came forward, kicked Da Congming, who was wearing the "Golden Jade Clothes", and said, "That's enough. Now that everyone has left, there's no need to perform anymore."

Da Congming then climbed up from the spirit bed, took off his bronze mask, and looked as if he was still not satisfied.

"Marshal Jie, if we put on a play like this, will anyone not understand it?"

Liu Yan asked while crossing his arms and saluting to Fang Zhongyong.

He looked worried, thinking that Fang Zhongyong was too reserved in his words and deeds. If these landlords and wealthy people didn't understand what he meant, it would be bad.

Some things are not convenient to say too clearly.

But you can't make others unable to understand. The scale is very intriguing.

“Telling these wealthy families not to bury their dead in lavish ceremonies is to remind them that money and land are only external possessions.

It is enough for yourself and your family.

Do you want so much land, are you looking for an opportunity to rebel?"

Fang Zhongyong snorted coldly, extremely dissatisfied with these people from wealthy families.

During the Zhenguan period, there were many government fields, and when the equal-field system was implemented, the government could often grant land.

Up to now, government farmland has been almost cleared out, while the land annexation by wealthy and powerful families has reached an insane level.

After they annexed the land, it would be fine if they cultivated it normally. At least they were producing food and developing production. There was a reason for their existence.

However, the wealthy and powerful families liked to leave a large amount of land fallow and hire a small number of tenants, which led to a large number of refugees.

Fang Chongyong now hopes that those people will give up some of their land as the living water and foundation for supporting the troops.

Otherwise, these soldiers would eventually become like the Konghe Army after the mutiny. Once the soldiers were separated from the land, they could betray the Jiedushi every day, abuse the locals at will, and act lawless.

I don't even care about living in a different place.

As long as someone is willing to pay, these soldiers will work hard for that person. To put it simply, they are bandits wearing military uniforms and living in a place without a fixed address.

Only by linking soldiers to the harvest of the land and letting them know what the war is for, will these people regard themselves as the masters of the country.

This is the only way to maintain the stability of the territory.

You may not be able to rest easy if you do it, but if you don't do it, you will definitely suffer losses.

If the landlords are the masters of the land, then they should carry spears to defend against the enemies. Otherwise, they should not own so much land. It is that simple.

"General, the decree will be issued sooner or later, and by then I'm afraid it will be..."

Liu Yan shook his head slightly, full of worry.

"We have now announced a 50% collection rate, and we will ensure that 30% is collected by then, which is already very kind.

Those who are stubborn and unyielding will only be served by the sword and the axe."

A flash of murderous intent flashed across Fang Chongyong's eyes.

(End of this chapter)