Chastity Layman

  Chapter 645 Reform

  In the political affairs hall, the eleven prime ministers had a round of intense discussions under the observation of Wang Kai, the young supervisor in the hall. Although Wen Yanbo and Yang Shidao were demoted, they are still resolutely safeguarding the interests of their own class at this time, and resolutely oppose this land privatization reform.

  While Wei Zheng, the new servant who was opposed at first, changed his attitude drastically after hearing Qin Lang's discussion, and directly became supportive.

   Dai Zhou fully supported it and put forward many supplementary suggestions.

Prime Minister Fang Xuanling has never made a statement, just listened quietly. Qin Lang understands this fellow's thoughts very well. No matter how this plan damages the vital interests of the prime ministers, as long as the emperor intends to reform like this, then Fang Xuanling Absolutely will fully support.

As the chief minister of the current dynasty who was born in a small noble family, Fang Xuanling did not have the support of the noble family status of the prime ministers such as Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda, Wen Yanbo, Wang Gui, and Yang Shidao. He knew very well that he could become the emperor's prime minister. Still, the Fang family is not big, which means that Fang Xuanling, the prime minister, is inseparable from the emperor's support, despite his current appearance.

  Xiao Yu and others could still touch the emperor frequently, but he didn't dare at all. Xiao Yu and others have the support of the famous family that has been around for hundreds of years behind them. No matter who becomes the emperor, their status actually has little influence. The big deal is that if the prime minister fails to become an official, they will go home and have the same status and respect.

  But Fang Xuanling's status and power come entirely from the emperor. Once he loses the emperor's support, Fang Xuanling and the Fang family will be nothing.

   Just as the emperor used Qin Qiong to suppress Li Jing all the time, Li Jing is the core family of the Guanlong Group, which has survived for several dynasties, but Qin Qiong is completely a military upstart, and his power depends on the emperor. When Qin Qiong's prestige reached a certain level, Li Shimin immediately used Hou Junji, who had a lower background, because Hou Junji was born as an old friend of the emperor's hidden residence. The power given by the emperor is more conducive to the emperor's control.

For Fang Xuanling, if the method of subject and object is implemented, the Fang family's loss is not small, but it is only a financial loss, but as long as Fang Xuanling can keep the position of prime minister, then the Fang family can strive towards the top gentry , This is the first major event that affects future generations.

   As for whether the new law can be implemented, Fang Xuanling knows it well, Qin Lang knows it, Wei Zheng knows it, and even Wen Yanbo and others know it very well.

  Although the emperor was not the founding emperor, he was a king who was able to win the throne through a mutiny and achieved such martial arts and martial arts in just a few years, far surpassing the founding emperor Li Yuan.

  Li Shimin's long-term vision, his insight and judgment are beyond the reach of ordinary people, and his determination is even more extraordinary.

  As long as the emperor decides what to do, few people can stop him.

  When the reform of the two tax laws was implemented and the elimination of Buddhism and suppression of Taoism was implemented, the resistance encountered was much greater than now, but in the end the emperor was able to carry it out unswervingly. In order to implement the new law, the emperor even changed almost all the prime ministers.

  After a few years, the emperor's authority is unprecedentedly high. At this time, the emperor intends to implement the new law, and no one has much resistance.

   This was the case with the original two-tax law, and it was also the case with the later secular system.

  ······

   "Sure enough, as I expected, the instigator of all this is Qin Sanlang."

  Night.

  In the courtyard of Ganlu Palace, Li Shimin was watching the snow at night. Under the gazebo, screens were surrounded on all sides. A copper hot pot was placed on the middle table, and a charcoal basin was set under it. Li Shimin was actually quite interested in cooking mutton slices.

   Accompanied by Empress Changsun, Yu Kai, the young supervisor in the palace, truthfully narrated the situation in the Bairi Zhengshitang.

"Let me just say, although Chengqian is smart and early, but after all, he has been in the deep palace for a long time, and he has not had much contact with the people. How can he get such a memorial that is relevant to the current situation. No one has this ability. I knew earlier that these must have been taught by Qin Lang."

  Empress Changsun seldom interfered with government affairs, but she couldn't help asking, "Does the sage really intend to reform the land system? This is too involved and the impact is too broad."

  Li Shimin just smiled slightly. He picked up a piece of hairy belly and put it in the pot.

   "Saint slow down, beware of burning."

"It's delicious to eat like this. Qin Sanlang taught me this way." Li Shimin picked out a piece of green vegetables grown in the palace greenhouse for the queen, "Actually, you should eat more meat. You are so skinny after giving birth to a child." A lot."

  Snowflakes are fluttering, and the world is covered with silver. Li Shimin is eating hot pot and staying with his wife, but he is in a good mood.

  As the emperor, how could he fail to see the quality of the memorial presented by the crown prince? He even saw at a glance that it was Qin Lang who really came up with the idea.

  Of course he knew that although the law of land equalization had gone through several dynasties, it was no longer suitable for the current Tang Dynasty.

  Since the successful implementation of the two tax laws, Li Shimin has actually always wanted to reform the land equalization system, but he couldn't find a more suitable land system for a while, so he barely made it to this day.

  As soon as the prince's memorial was played, Li Shimin's eyes lit up, as if he saw a light in the dark night, illuminating him all of a sudden.

  It is not the focus of the new law. The whole point of the new law is to compete with the landlords and tycoons for control over the tenants.

  People are the foundation of a country, and Li Shimin, the emperor who came out of the war, deeply understands it. Just as war cannot be separated from people, it is necessary to recruit strong people from the common people to serve as soldiers. A war cannot be separated from civilian husbands to transport food, grass and supplies, and even build city defenses.

   During war, population is the potential for war, and whoever has a larger population has greater potential.

  Similarly, although there is no such serious threat of war nowadays, population is becoming more and more important for governing the country. Population means everything, taxes, soldiers, forced labor and so on.

"Qin Sanlang is still very capable of tossing around. His mind has always been different. I already knew that after the two tax laws, he must have a mature Xintian system in his mind, but this kid just kept silent. If it wasn't for Cheng Qian I intend to ask for credit from me, and I want to make atonement for my crimes, so I probably don’t even know about it.”

   "I'm afraid that the new law will be too much resistance. Qin Lang has already made many enemies in the court. If he presides over the new law, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult."

Li Shimin just smiled and continued to boil the mutton, "Since this new law was presented by Cheng Qian, the credit should naturally fall to Cheng Qian, but Cheng Qian is still young and can't do such a big thing. Qin Lang doesn't want to take credit, I will also fulfill him. For this new law, I will let the Zhengshitang take the lead, and Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Dai Zhou and the auxiliary machine will be responsible together."

  The queen was worried about resistance, but Li Shimin was not worried.

  At the beginning of the reform of the tax law, there was even greater resistance. Li Shimin was under a lot of pressure to remove the tax-free account privileges of those aristocratic officials and let them pay the government and gentry together.

   But at that time, he had no choice but to deal with external and internal troubles. If he did not change, he would not be able to sit on the throne.

   At the beginning, he survived, but now the situation is much better than before.

  He is no longer the new emperor who just desperately fought back to win the throne and won the throne. Now he has no foreign troubles and internal troubles.

   "It's time to train the crown prince. Let the Zhengshitang move first. After Fang Xuanling and the others get the job done, I will let Chengqian lead the East Palace officials to take over."

  Arguing in the Zhengshitang for a day, there was no result.

  After the morning court the next day, the emperor specially left three ministers, Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, and Changsun Wuji, to talk and give the highest instructions.

  So at the political meeting that day, the two servants Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian finally spoke.

  The direction of the political affairs hall has changed.

  After the three emperor's confidant prime ministers spoke, Wei Ting actually changed his attitude.

  Wei Zheng and Wang Gui also agreed.

  For a while, among the eleven prime ministers, only Wen Yanbo, Chen Shuda, and Yang Shidao remained in opposition.

  On the right day and night, Chen Shuda's mother passed away. The prime minister expressed his condolence to the emperor for Ding You's mourning. Li Shimin immediately approved, bestowed Yu Bao with advocacy, posthumously awarded the title of imperial order, and withdrew money from the internal treasury, and the Ministry of Rites sent people to attend the funeral.

  Chen Shuda Ding worried about leaving the prime minister, and there were only ten prime ministers left in the political affairs hall.

  The only clear opponents are Wen Yanbo and Yang Shidao. These two people may have their own interests in mind, or because they were demoted by the emperor, so this time they stand firm and always oppose the new law.

  On New Year's Eve, at the court banquet held by the emperor, the emperor specially called the two to talk in front of the imperial court, but the two refused to let go.

   And Li Shimin's treatment of such diehards is also simple and rude.

  Before the palace banquet was over that day, an order was issued directly to remove Wen Yanbo and Yang Shidao from participating in the imperial government. Wen Yanbo was changed to be Minister of Rites, and Yang Shidao was changed to Minister of Industry.

   The vacant post of Royal Doctor was unexpectedly awarded to Ma Zhou, a Hanlin scholar. Although Ma Zhou had served as a censor before, he was only a low-level censor. Now the emperor chose him to succeed Wen Yanbo, which was really unexpected.

   This man went from commoner to purple robe in three years.

   Then to Baima Xuanxiang, Qingyun straight up.

  After Ma Zhou was conferred the title of royal censor, he was given the title of participating in political affairs as an example, and worshiped the prime minister.

On New Year's Eve, at the emperor's palace banquet, two ministers, Wen Yanbo and Yang Shidao, were paid homage, together with Ding You's Chen Shuda, an additional Ma Zhou was added. There are nine.

  At the banquet, Ma Zhou faced the emperor’s opinions on the new law, publicly expressed his full support for the implementation, and put forward many practical supplementary suggestions, which made the emperor very happy, and rewarded Ma Zhou with a hundred taels of gold and ten pieces of cotton cloth.

  For a while, Ma Zhou was incomparably beautiful, but he overshadowed the instigator, Qin Lang.

  But just as the palace banquet was about to end, Wang Kai, the young supervisor in the palace, stepped forward and read out another decree.

  Restored Qin Lang's Prince Taishi, Prince Zhan Shi, and Prince Zuowei led the post, and only removed the title of Director Donggong Bingma and the title of Bachelor of Chongxian Hall.

And Yu Zhining, Du Zhenglun, Zhang Xuansu and other officials who were dismissed from their part-time positions in the East Palace last time were also restored to part-time positions by imperial decree. The emperor also gave each of them ten taels of gold and ten pieces of cotton cloth as compensation for the previous fines. up.

  Qin Lang stepped forward to receive the order to thank him, but curled his lips in secret, neither surprised nor pleased.

  (end of this chapter)