Chapter 283: The emperor has a reward
Yingchun smiled and said: "The emperor said yes, but we have nothing to be afraid of. We have tried two villages this year, and two days ago, some servants inquired about their friends and wanted to contract our other farms. According to previous years, the income is based on a few percent of the output. Although it is beautiful, the management cost is too high. The Zhuangtou slaves who are responsible for rent collection and measurement have room for power, and the next tenants can't have much left.
According to the 'household co-production contract' system and the use of rated rent, there is no need to rely on slaves to measure the total output of the land, and the accounts are easier. Even in the next good year, the farmers will produce more, I don't want to take it. After all, the emperor has also said that we can't compete with the people for profit. Of course, this is also the fact that there are not many real estate in the Wangfu, and it is easier to manage than other people's homes. "
The emperor nodded and said: "Only a fixed contract fee will be charged, so the farmers will try their best to do a variety of things, and they will keep more food."
Yingchun said: "If they have extra money, they will go shopping, buy clothes, repair houses, study, and live and work in peace and contentment. Isn't that what the emperor wants?"
The emperor said, "It's just that the money was made by the merchants again."
Yingchun felt that the emperor really loved money, but it was a typical "fear of being poor". When he first ascended the throne, the treasury even disliked mice, so it was no wonder that he loved money so much.
Yingchun said: "What is the money in our palace? Not everyone in the world does this."
The emperor sighed: "This method of yours will benefit the farmers below, but many people can't rely on the palace to make a living."
Yingchun said: "I'm not from our family, how can we care about that? It wasn't long before the mansion was established, and there were not many servants in the house. Just like my mother's family, there were only five or six hundred servants in Rong's house. The people who are in charge of Zhuangzi and Jinling outside are not counted. Unfortunately, no one takes me seriously even if I say it, they only say that I don’t care about my dignity, and they still don’t change their bad habits. Anyway, I’m already married. At most, I’ll get a small courtyard in the future to serve my wife and parents, and help a group of younger sisters who grew up together. What does the hundreds of others in the Rong residence have to do with me?”
Seeing that Yingchun was talking casually to the emperor, her willfulness and pettiness were revealed, and she couldn't help but secretly said: Second sister is so bold, how dare she talk to the emperor like this.
No matter how smart Daiyu is, how can she know Yingchun's logic towards the emperor. The emperor does not like you to be perfect. With the advantages he can use, but the biggest disadvantage, Sima Xuan and himself have a smoother life. They have no interest in the country at all, but they are suspicious of the emperor. The emperor's tolerance level also varies from person to person, so how could the emperor punish her for not agreeing with her family?
The emperor was thinking about something, but he didn't see him angry, and the emperor didn't speak, so people couldn't guess his impression of Rongfu.
In fact, Daiyu also found that her father was very afraid of the emperor. Her father was the emperor's confidant, but the emperor seemed to be a harmonious and amiable elder and his second sister talked a lot.
The emperor suddenly said: "I heard that Li Chong also heard your suggestion when Yangzhou Prefecture first started experimenting with stalls."
Yingchun said with a smile: "I just raised the question, and didn't solve the problem completely."
The emperor said: "I think the question you raised is exactly what many ministers have not thought of. Those 'southern oranges and northern oranges, extra dispatch, fire consumption, silver and valley' are thought of by many people, so they are first in Jiangsu. Trying it out, thinking about suppressing unscrupulous businessmen during the trial implementation, and returning to the public, there is no way to do it. But the 'mechanism problem' you mentioned, the ministers did not study it carefully, and it can be said that they are unprepared."
Yingchun said: "For reform, the 'mechanism' is the most important.
Otherwise, although the emperor has the will to reform and enterprising, and create unparalleled achievements, the people below do not understand the holy will, have no motivation for reform, and also do not have the ability to do so. The emperor selects scholars through imperial examinations, and officials appoint local officials. How many people can understand the new tax collection method. Once they arrive in the local area, they still have to rely on the local masters, officials, and squires to collect them. They may not act according to the new laws.
The most likely result is that the central government can have a set of accounts for the new legal tax system, while in the local accounts, all the tax items are retained one by one and cannot be simplified. This will also make the transfer of local and central officials more complicated, and central officials have to compile a new set of accounts according to the local tax account books.
In fact, there will be another situation: although the landless tenants can be exempted from taxes, but Ding Yin is spread in the fields, and the local implementation will basically not levy the large households, I am afraid that more small households with land will be spread. body.
The power to levy taxes is concentrated in the local government, and the local officials collect more in this name, which also goes against the original intention of the emperor. The emperor can see that it is only the central account book that the central officials converted into the new tax system. "
The emperor sighed: "Listening to my brother and sister is better than reading ten years of books!"
Yingchun said: "The emperor is too famous. It's just that when I went to Jiangsu last time, I heard the prince said about it. I went out to contact people from the people, calculated too many accounts, and contacted too many local masters. I will study the former Ming Dynasty again. I only realized this and reminded the lord. I don't want the lord to fail the errand that the emperor gave him."
Yingchun knew that the emperor would openly talk to her about this, so she naturally investigated her affairs in Jiangsu very clearly.
The emperor was silent again, Yingchun knew that he was at least a good emperor in the feudal era, so he was so worried, and said: "The emperor has already defeated countless people. "
The emperor smiled slightly, and suddenly took out a thing from his arms and said, "I just heard my brother and sister talk about the exquisiteness of Western things, and I will reward you with this Western pocket watch."
Yingchun said happily: "The things in the hands of the emperor must be good! Many thanks to the emperor for the reward!"
After speaking, he stepped forward to pick it up with both hands, and the emperor handed the pocket watch to the personal **** Xia Deshun, and then the **** gave it to Yingchun.
The emperor got up and said to his daughters, "You play with your aunt, but the rules must not be messed up. Your aunt has a lot of reading and a lot of knowledge, so you can learn it."
"Yes, Father!"
"Shoukang too, not too small."
"Understood, brother."
The emperor then walked away.
Princess Zhaoren surrounded Yingchun and said with a smile, "Auntie, I'm just like you, and I'm jealous too! The emperor has something good for you, but don't give it to me!"
An Ning, Anping, and Ankang also agreed, and Princess Shoukang smiled and said, "I have one, but it's not as good as the emperor's brother."
Yingchun smiled and said, "You were born princesses, the emperor's daughter, and you are still jealous of me, aren't you joking?"
Shoukang said: "But we are also held in the palace, and we can't go anywhere. Unlike the little sister-in-law, even the emperor said that you have a lot of knowledge."
Yingchun said: "What is sister Shoukang afraid of? After you get married in two years, can't you go outside?"
Shoukang made a big red face, chasing after Yingchun, where can Yingchun be caught by her?
Several girls were playing in the garden, and Yingchun did not take Daiyu out of the palace until the sun went down.
After Daiyu returned to the mansion, she went to greet Lin Ruhai. She talked about seeing the emperor today. Lin Ruhai had a good memory because she asked the reason.
After hearing this, Lin Ruhai said, "Then you and the princess have both offended the concubine Xiande. We borrowed things to another courtyard, just because we didn't want the two families to look bad. Isn't it a waste of time now?"
Lin Ruhai originally raised Daiyu as a man, and after she became an official, she was left at home, and she would discuss matters inside and outside the house with Daiyu when she had a chance, and she could not tolerate her blindness in literature and art.
Daiyu said: "If the second sister is afraid of the concubine Xiande, it will not be like that. The second sister has more face in front of the emperor than the concubine Xiande. The emperor is still like this, not to mention the empress dowager, queen, and princesses. The emperor is delighted to have made meritorious deeds in the south."
Daiyu said that Sima Xuan and Li Shuo had a great victory in the south. When she talked about Li Shuo, her face was a little red.
Lin Ruhai was worried about Gonggao Zhenzhu again, so he didn't answer for a while, and only hoped that Li Shuo would return to Beijing as soon as possible. He had to mention something.
When Daiyu mentioned the matter of "spreading small into an acre", Lin Ruhai knew that Yingchun had raised a question.
"The emperor talked to the princess about this?"
Daiyu nodded: "Exactly. The emperor is quite kind, and said that the minister did not think of establishing any mechanism. Therefore, the emperor still appreciates the second sister."
Lin Ruhai said, "It's a good thing for a woman to understand politics, but it's taboo to do it. On that point, don't imitate your second sister."
"Second sister is not involved in politics, so she is not interested. It's just that when the lord wants to plan this matter with Lord Li Chong, the second sister is only interested in mentioning it."
Lin Ruhai said: "So, the princess has the support of the prince, which is different from us. We can't learn from her wayward behavior. It's a good thing for her to be wayward, but if we learn it, it's a bad thing."
Daiyu's heart was clear, she responded to Lin Ruhai and returned to her courtyard.
Early the next morning, after having breakfast, Daiyu had nothing to do with her. She picked up a few poetry collections to read, and was bored. Daiyu hadn't studied the rhythm well, but she only learned a little of the qin when she was a child, and let Xue Yan play it out. She remembered a few stanzas of the piece, and she played the qin strings, which was quite pleasant.
The song of Yingchun was vast, and Daiyu was not good at playing the flute. It was the limit that she could remember these verses, but she forgot all of them later, so she wrote a letter and asked her to send it to Yingchun, asking her for the sheet music. There is a difference between the piano score and the flute score, which can be adapted.
When Yingchun saw that Little Loli had this interest, she recorded the tune into a score for a piano and flute ensemble.
The girl's cardamom years are passing by, and she suddenly dreams that it will be New Year's Eve.
Sima Xuan had not returned from the south, so the Queen Mother took Yingchun into the palace to celebrate the New Year a few days earlier.
Before the Chinese New Year, Jia's house considered the color and color of the provincial court, and decorated it properly. The emperor's decree, on the fifteenth day of the first month of next year, on the day of Shangyuan, the concubine Xiande will return home to save her relatives.
Jia's house has followed this decree, and has not been idle day and night;
As soon as the New Year comes, Concubine Xiande, who will be saving relatives, is twenty-five years old, Yingchun is fourteen, Daiyu is twelve, Baoyu is thirteen, and Baochai is sixteen (Note 1).
The author has something to say: Note 1: There are many contradictions in Baochai's birthday. In the original book, she celebrated her fifteenth birthday after the relatives. The same day, in August. In terms of time, everyone has ambiguities in everything. Just like the time when Qin Keqing and Lin Ruhai died, it was a big contradiction. When I read the original book, I followed this one, and the time logic in that one was not right. Anyway, she can only be set to be sixteen years old, only when her fifteen years old is not a false age, but a full year.