King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

Chapter 160 A great victory, Lao Zhu is ecstatic
Zhu Tan did not make things too difficult for Kong Xixue.

Instead, he generously invited him into the main room to drink tea and chat.

After all, now that the goal has been achieved, since Kong Xixue is willing to obey orders honestly, Zhu Tan doesn't mind giving him a chance.

Zhu Tan smiled and said, "I wonder what Duke Yan Sheng has to say here?"

Kong Xixue gave a wry smile, cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please don't treat me like this! Your Majesty is here to admit your mistakes! I have offended many people in the past, and I hope that Your Highness will forgive me!"

Zhu Tan smiled.

"How can I offend you? Your Majesty has given you the title of Duke Yansheng. He has the imperial mandate, and he has the respect and support of Confucians all over the world! How could I, my king, be so virtuous and capable that I dare to measure the land of your Confucius family?"
This king has figured this out!

That’s why I took those lands into custody. In this case, it’s right for me to clear away my own land, right? "

Kong Xixue’s face was full of bitterness!
Isn’t this murderous and heart-breaking!

You squeezed my land away, and you slap me in the face!

but.

The Kong family may not be strong in other abilities, but they are willing to humiliate and survive humiliation! The ability to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens is still very strong.

Now that we see that the situation is not right, we can immediately turn the tide!

Just like at the beginning, Kong Kejian first rejected Lao Zhu, and then faced the threat, he immediately surrendered to Lao Zhu, coaxing Lao Zhu to feel comfortable, flattering him like he was destined to return, and he should be like this.
In the end, Lao Zhu followed the rules and granted titles and land to the Kong family. He treated them much better than the previous dynasty.

Kong Xixue was quite like his father. At this time, he was also honest and respectful to Zhu Tan. He no longer had the arrogance of Yan Shenggong.

I guess Zhu Tan could just call him Xiaokong.

Kong Xixue will also happily accept it.

at this time.

Even though Zhu Tan continued to prick Kong Xixue's heart, Kong Xixue did not dare to complain at all.

Instead, he immediately smiled and said: "Your Highness! The matter of clearing Zhang's land was Xiaguan's fault! This time, Xiaguan really realized his mistake!
I plead guilty to His Highness!
Over the years, the Kong family has accepted 570,000 acres of land from the people. These fields were originally exempted from corvee and land tax!

I have ordered people to tell these people that from now on, they will be them, and the Kong family will be the Kong family! By clearing the land this time, they would be able to pay taxes and perform corvee service to the court honestly from now on!

Also, the Kong family has bought about 50,000 acres of land over the years! These fields
Ugh!
It’s not too much to say that you take advantage of others’ danger! These were years of famine, and the people could no longer afford to live. So we borrowed money and food from the Kong family, so we borrowed it!

But after the people didn’t pay, we took over their fields! Now that I think about it, I really shouldn’t have! After all, our ancestors were benevolent and righteous, but we act like this, which is really wrong! More importantly, His Majesty has never encouraged wealthy families to annex their fields! When we do this, we are really betraying the grace of God!

This time, based on this lesson, the lower official has ordered the steward to return all the fields to their original owners. Some of the original owners have fled or disappeared, so they will even out their fields and distribute them to the people of Tian Shao and Tian Wei! Your Highness, look at it, is this official still doing well after he has reformed like this? "

Zhu Tan looked at Kong Xixue with a bit of surprise.

As the saying goes, you have to stand at attention when you are beaten. This Kong Xixue did more than just stand at attention.

Instead, he did a complete set of taking a rest, standing at attention, and kicking forward.

Zhu Tan touched his chin.

He is worthy of being the great master of the world.
This ability to stand upright when being beaten is much better than that of the old Zhu family like myself.

If Emperor Chongzhen had been half as shameless as you back then, he would have negotiated peace with Huang Taiji even if he was criticized verbally and verbally by his ministers. Maybe the Ming Dynasty would have been able to take a breather and survive the most difficult period.

Kong Xixue looked at Zhu Tan with anxiety.

a long time.

suddenly.

Zhu Tan smiled and said: "If this is the case, then I will no longer clear these fields!"

talking.

Zhu Tan told Yin Shao, the left chief of the royal palace, who was standing aside: "Chang Shi, take the land deed of the Kong family and give it to Duke Yan Sheng, and take it back!"

When Kong Xixue heard this, his face was filled with excitement!
I couldn't help but fell to my knees.

"Your Highness is very kind and kind, and I am deeply grateful!"

In fact.

Yanshenggong had a high status, and Zhu Yuanzhang was very good at Kong Xixue.

From the beginning, the title of Duke Yan Shenggong was promoted from the third grade to the second grade.

In the seventeenth year of Hongwu's reign, Kong Xixue was given the rank of Guanglu doctor.

Zhu Yuanzhang also gave Yan Shenggong six hall officials, one hundred armed households, and three clan students as tribute students.

Since the prime minister system was abolished in the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Yanshenggong has become the head of the civil service. If he were in the court, he would be able to stand in front of the six ministers.

Of course, the power is not comparable to that of the six ministers, but the status and respect are real.

Although judging from the title, Duke Yansheng is indeed behind the princes, dukes and other nobles.

If Duke Yan Sheng kowtowed to a prince, it would be shocking enough. Of course, Zhu Tan could also bear his salute.

No matter in terms of status, Zhu Tan was magnanimous and returned those fields to the Kong family. He kowtowed once and got back more than 20 acres of fields!
Beside Zhu Tan.

Yin Shao's expression was extremely complicated.

Duke Yansheng's kneeling seemed to have destroyed his scholar's self-esteem!

After all, this is Yan Shenggong, the person most respected by Confucianists in the world and the head of the civil service!
He knelt down in front of His Highness King Lu so easily.
Yin Shao knows.

Next, there will probably be no obstacles to the land clearing in Qingzhou and Yanzhou!

soon.

The news about the Confucius family in Qufu spread all over the country!

First, the Confucius family's land was fully accepted by the imperial court. The fields belonging to the Confucius family were not concealed at all, and the fields that did not belong to the Confucius family were all cleared away.

Second, the contemporary Yanshenggong Kong Xixue wrote to Emperor Hongwu that although the Confucius family was exempted from corvee service as a reward from His Majesty, the Confucius family felt that since they had received such great benefits, they should contribute more to the Ming Dynasty and not evade state taxes! It was decided that the Kong family would also perform corvee service in the future, but would pay silver instead. As for the tenant farmers, servants, etc. belonging to the Kong family. It is also necessary to perform corvee, and those who do not perform corvee can use tax money instead.

Third, the Kong family no longer serves as the county magistrate of Qufu, and the administrative power of Qufu is under the control of the imperial court. Several descendants of the Kong family who have committed human life cases and other heinous crimes have also been cleared out and punished!
This time, Zhu Tan achieved a complete victory.

The subsequent land clearing work also became extremely smooth.

After all, the largest aristocratic family in Shandong has surrendered, not to mention other aristocratic families. It is better to cooperate honestly and clear the land than to have the family destroyed.

Duke Yansheng was in such a miserable state, why would other families dare to fight against the imperial court?

紫禁城

Fengtian Temple.

early morning.

Zhu Yuanzhang was sitting on the dragon chair with a happy face.

He smiled and held a memorial.

He handed it to Old Eunuch Chen.

"Go, give this memorial to Ru Shangshu to read!"

Ru Taisu was beaten with a imperial cane. He had just improved at this time, so he did not dare to neglect and immediately came to court.

I have offended Lao Zhu. If he dares to take advantage of his injuries and not go to work again, I am afraid that he will be beheaded the next day.

not to mention.

Ru Taisu is a strong and upright person, and he is not a slacker.

After the Guo Huan case, the Ministry of Revenue was already in dire straits, but now it has just started to improve. If he, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, leaves for too long, I am afraid that the Ministry of Revenue will return to its old ways.

At this time, when Ru Taisu heard Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he couldn't help but raise his head curiously. Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ru Taisu with a smile and said: "Ru wrote, we just received a memorial from King Lu today. We are a bit old now, so it is really difficult to read the memorial!"

Why don't you ask Ru Shangshu to read it to us? What did King Lu write for us? "

Everyone looked at each other in shock when they heard this.

Among the nobles.

Lan Yu curled her lips and said to Tang He next to her: "Isn't your majesty just pretending? Can he still have bad eyesight? It's just that King Lu did a good job in clearing Zhang Tian's land and wrote a memorial to show his merit!
Your Majesty just wants to disgrace Mrs. Ru! "

Soup and a few dry coughs.

When this blue jade spoke, it always made him feel like he was seeing Zhu Tan.

Because the same is true for Zhutan.

He always speaks in a casual manner, without any concern for the impact.

Of course, Zhu Tan is His Majesty's biological son and has meritorious service.

What's the reason for the indigo jade?
When Lan Yu saw Tang He ignoring her, she shook her head boredly.

the other side.

Ru Taisu had a bad feeling in his heart.

As the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he is in charge of the Shandong Qing Officials Department.

I was very concerned about the situation in King Lu's domain.

Although we don’t know the final result of the land clearing, the process reported by the Shandong Cleaning Bureau is quite smooth!

After all, with the miserable kimono of the Kong family ahead, almost no one anywhere dared to resist.

Could it be
This time it was Qingzhang who got the result. His Majesty deliberately slapped himself in the face?

Ru Taisu sighed.

He took the memorial bravely and glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Nian! What are we doing?"

Ru Taisu took the memorial and began to read it honestly without bothering to read it first.

"I have received a great favor from Zhu Tan, and I have given it to you in front of the emperor. Now, through the careful clearing of the two prefectures of Yan and Qing, the land area has been increased by 8 million acres compared with the 14th year of Hongwu, and the population has also increased by 60,000. Therefore, taxes and levies An additional 200,000 taels have been added in advance, and local officials and gentry have removed their power of exemption from service and are willing to replace it with silver taels. Taxes will also be increased by 200,000 taels.

In the past, the details of the fields were not complete, but now, according to the holy edict, everything is clear. This clearing of land is not only for the benefit of the land, but also the aspirations of the people. Officials and gentry disburse their money and show it to the people, which not only shows their benevolence but also helps the country. Although I have worked hard, I am very relieved to see this result.

I hope that the emperor will look down upon you and appreciate the hard work of your subjects. This is a grand event with far-reaching effects. The emperor is holy, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, how happy the ministers are. My dearest son, Zhu Tan, I pay my respects! "

The words fell.

The whole hall was silent.

Qingzhou, Yanzhou!
Just two states have concealed 800 million acres of farmland!

More than 6 people were concealed!

Now the tax has been increased by 20 taels in one fell swoop!

If all the 153 state capitals in the world were to clear their fields again, how many would have to be found?
Even more powerful is the one at the back!
The gentry in King Lu's vassal territory actually requested to pay corvee!

Many people say that in the Ming Dynasty, officials and gentry did not need to pay taxes and corvees, but in fact, throughout the Ming Dynasty, there was never any official document announcing that officials and gentry did not need to pay taxes.

Even during this period, from Xuande to Wanli, it was repeatedly emphasized that officials and gentry also needed to pay taxes.

What the Hongwu Dynasty exempted were officials, gentry and scholars from corvee service.

After all, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, these scholars are all nobles and cannot carry bricks and carry sandbags like ordinary people.
Therefore, they were only exempted from corvee service.

Moreover, only these persons and families themselves are included, and no others are included.

But after Zhang Juzheng's reforms, a whipping method was implemented.

The people did not need to actually perform corvee service, they only needed to pay silver.

at this time.

In fact, officials, gentry and scholars should pay corvee silver.

After all, now everyone no longer has to actually perform corvée, but pay instead.

But these officials and scholars were naturally unwilling to give up this privilege, and still insisted on not paying the corvee money under the banner of their ancestral family law.

What's even more outrageous is that these people later gave up their dignity and even found ways to default on their tax payments!
They keep saying that the country treats scholars and gentry preferentially, so everyone is exempt from taxes!

Local officials also own land, so they are naturally happy to pretend to be ignorant.

The final result is that all the vested interests have turned an unnecessary matter into something "since ancient times" and a matter of course!

And now.

As soon as Zhu Tan took action, he closed the first loophole that Lao Zhu left for the Ming Dynasty!

From now on, no gentry in the land of King Lu will be exempted from corvee service!

Everyone must pay!
Even Yan Shenggong wants to pay, why don't others?
Everybody knows.

No matter what kind of reform, forcing everyone to pay money is the most difficult thing.

But Zhu Tan did it!
And it did not cause turmoil in Yanzhou and Qingzhou!

Just this one.

This shows the ability of His Royal Highness King Lu.
Zhu Yuanzhang listened to Ru Taisu finish reading the memorial.

Hehehe laughed.

"Ru Shangshu! Tell me! What did you say at the beginning?"

Ru Taisu looked embarrassed and replied bravely: "Your Majesty! I said at the beginning that if His Royal Highness King Lu can successfully complete the land clearing in King Lu's vassal territory, I will no longer be the Minister of Household Affairs and abdicate. Give way!
Your Majesty, now that I have lost, I request that you resign from the post of Minister of Household Affairs and ask your Majesty to find another virtuous minister to use him! "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said with a smile: "I am willing to admit defeat, this is my duty!

If that's the case, then step back! We order you to be the left minister of the household department, and you will still be in charge of the household affairs department! "

When Ru Taisu heard this, he felt much better!
He even felt a little proud!

It seems that His Majesty still can't live without him and recognizes his talent. He must take charge of this department!
The ministers looked at Ru Taisu with surprise on their faces.

Unexpectedly, Ru Taisu, who lost a bet, would be treated like this!

It can be seen that this Ru Taisu is indeed unique and can be treated so leniently by His Majesty!

However, it didn't take long for Ru Taisu to be happy.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued: "Shilang Ru, since the results of the nationwide land clearing in the 14th year of Hongwu are so different from today, we plan to clear the land again across the country! We have to leave this matter to Minister Ru!"

The words fell.

Ru Taisu was shocked!
Clear the land again!

This is a huge project.

Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly: "This time the Qingzhang land cannot be as rough as last time! It must be according to the standards of King Lu's vassal land! Resolutely put an end to concealment and false reporting! King Lu has done so well for a layman, Ru Shilang, You have been proficient in household affairs for more than ten years, so you can't handle it badly, right?"

When Ru Taisu heard this, his face suddenly became extremely embarrassed!
He is in the household department, so he doesn't know how difficult it is to clear land!

Behind this are not only the interests of local powerful people, but also the interests of gentry officials, and even the interests of vassal kings everywhere!
If he is not careful, he will be shattered to pieces. His Majesty allows him to still be in charge of the household department. This is not a good intention. He is clearly trying to roast himself on the fire!

(End of this chapter)