blogombal Chapter 166
Chapter 166
Chapter 166
This is similar to the idea in later generations of people buying houses to rent out.
Land prices are relatively stable; unless there is widespread chaos, prices will only rise, not fall.
By acquiring land, the grain produced can not only feed the family but also be exchanged for money to cover daily expenses.
It can be passed down to future generations, and even if the descendants are not successful, having these fields will ensure they will not have to worry about making a living.
It is precisely because of this mentality that it is inevitable that farmland will be concentrated in the hands of a few people.
Even without forceful seizure, the rapid pace of land annexation was entirely inevitable.
The only difference is that it's a little slower.
Because people are so dependent on the land, the income of ordinary people depends entirely on the fields.
However, most people's annual income is not even enough to solve their basic needs for food and clothing.
If it were just a matter of basic needs, people would rather save money than sell their land.
However, other difficulties often arise, such as when someone in the family falls ill and the medical expenses are high, people have no choice but to sell their land to pay for medical treatment.
But after selling some land, life will only get harder, and they will have even less ability to withstand unexpected situations. When they encounter difficulties, they will have to sell land again.
Over time, the land naturally ended up in the hands of the wealthy.
The only way to completely resolve the issue of land annexation is to do what Wang Mangqian did: nationalize the land, so that the people only have the right to cultivate it, not the right to own it.
In this way, even if the people were in dire straits, they could not sell their land, and naturally there would be no land annexation.
However, such a method is obviously unrealistic, after all, land privatization has been going on for more than a thousand years.
Although land annexation was severe in the Song Dynasty, some people still owned land.
If the imperial court really does this, not only will the landlords and gentry not agree, but even the common people who own land will not agree.
This has little to do with whether the people are ignorant or not; it's a matter of perception.
From the perspective of ordinary people, the land is not their own, so they ultimately feel insecure.
Even if the land in their hands could be forcibly seized and taken over by the imperial court, and they would not have to worry about it being robbed, and would have enough land to support their families to cultivate, the people would still not agree to it.
After all, this would make them just like the tenant farmers.
The difference was that ordinary tenant farmers cultivated land for landlords, while they cultivated land for the imperial court.
Why did landlords and powerful families have such strong control over tenant farmers? It was because if they didn't let those tenant farmers cultivate the land, the tenant farmers would starve to death.
"Originally, I was free, but the imperial court took my land and I became a tenant farmer. Who would agree to that?"
Of course, there is still a way to effectively resolve land consolidation.
This is what Wang You mentioned before: establishing a tiered tax system based on the amount of land owned.
The current two-tax law results in wealthy and property-owning individuals paying more taxes.
It is much more advanced than the previous tax system.
However, many problems still exist, but there are ways to avoid them.
The simplest explanation is that the wool comes from the sheep's back.
High taxes are simply passed on to tenant farmers.
The two-tax law can only guarantee that tax revenue will be raised, but it is actually hard to say who pays the tax.
While Wang You's proposed solution also seems to face this problem, it would be sufficient to set the standards high enough that they cannot pass them on to ordinary people.
The common people were reduced to tenant farmers and exploited by landlords, all just to survive.
But the landlords exploited people so much that they couldn't even make a living. Who would want to endure such exploitation?
For landlords, when the land's output cannot bring them profit, or even results in losses, they have no choice but to find a way to dispose of the land.
"This method is excellent!"
Zhao Sheng's eyes lit up as he listened, and he said excitedly, "We can even strictly prohibit them from transferring their land to relatives, so that they can only sell it at a low price, and some people will be able to afford it."
"No!"
Wang You quickly said, "Not only should we not stop them, but we should also guide those landlords and gentry to do so."
Why is that?
Zhao Sheng frowned and said, "Those clans in the area have large populations. If we really do as you say, they can easily distribute the land to other members of the clan to evade the court's regulations."
"Does Your Highness know why those clans are so united?" Wang You asked in return.
"Clans have their own rules and regulations, so naturally we must obey them," Zhao Sheng said.
"This is the result, not the process."
Wang You shook his head and said, "The king of beasts is solitary because it has almost no natural enemies, eats a lot, and does not need its own kind to hunt together, so it does not need a herd."
But people are different. There's a saying that goes, "A person is cheap when they leave their hometown." If someone moves to another place and has no relatives or friends to help them, they will only be bullied.
Clan unity must be based on needs and interests. Genealogy and ancestral graves are all ways to constantly instill this idea and make them obey the clan's rules.
The people living along the coast and borders are the most united because they often face plunder.
There were pirates along the coast and bandits from other countries on the border.
The only way to survive is to unite.
The same applies to clans. Clan etiquette is secondary; the most important thing is that the main line of the clan controls a large amount of land, which can not only ensure that they are not bullied, but also provide them with benefits.
Essentially, apart from the main branch, everyone else in a clan is no different from the tenant farmers in the eyes of the main branch.
They used etiquette and rules to unite these people, which enabled them to have a relatively high level of influence in the local area.
However, if the clan distributes the land to other members of the clan, they may remain united at first, but over time, various conflicts will arise, and they will naturally lose their unity.
This is the only way to dismantle the local clan power.
In ancient times, the imperial court governed the country by adhering to the principle that imperial power should not extend to the countryside.
It wasn't that the imperial court didn't want to extend its power, but rather that the influence of local clans was too great.
Clan etiquette and laws superseded the laws of the imperial court.
Take the practice of drowning pigs in a cage, for example. There was no such law in any dynasty; it was a customary practice of clans.
Logically, even if someone breaks the law, the government should conduct a trial and sentence them according to the law.
Local clans could simply arrest people and drown them in pig cages, and the local government wouldn't care.
As long as it doesn't involve major issues, local officials also tacitly accept that clan etiquette is superior to imperial law, and that clans have the right to directly execute other members of the same clan.
These clans can not only directly influence the implementation of government orders, but also, when united, wreak havoc on the local community.
They also committed acts of extortion and annexation of land.
Conversely, while urban families and officials also acquired land, they rarely directly acquired land from ordinary people.
At most, during years of famine, they would exchange a small amount of grain for land from the people.
After all, how much land do ordinary people own?
This family owns a few acres, that family owns more than ten acres, when will we ever be able to merge them all?
Too many mergers at once will only attract public attention and won't benefit them.
The real annexation of land from ordinary people was done by local clans and officials, who then used various methods to acquire land from these clans.
Only by dismantling these clans can the imperial court implement its new laws.
Only then will the people be less exploited.
"Ziqian, why are you so sure?" Zhao Sheng asked, somewhat skeptical.
"Your Highness, it's human nature. No one wants to be bossed around or forced to grovel before others."
Wang You said, "When the Western Han Dynasty began to enfeoff members of the imperial clan, at first those members were all obedient, but as time went on, some members of the imperial clan became too powerful and were unwilling to listen to the court."
This is true for the royal family, and also for other clans.
Seeing that Zhao Sheng was still skeptical, Zhao Rui said, "Your Highness, aren't you very optimistic about Wang Anshi's proposal to pilot new laws in local areas?"
Your Highness might as well persuade His Majesty to give him a chance, and wait until he encounters setbacks in piloting the new laws, then see whether it is the local families and officials who are hindering him, or the clans that are hindering him.”
The clan unity in the countryside far surpasses that of other families.
There are too many different types of gingival erosion in the family, and the branches are not strongly attached to the main branch.
When they divided the family property, they had already received a portion of the inheritance.
Most main meridians only offer slight assistance when the branch meridians are truly unable to continue.
However, local clans have a very strong control over their branches.
Moreover, those families consider various pros and cons and take a long-term view of the issue.
Take those officials, for example. They blocked the court's reforms because the reforms affected their interests.
However, if the court could compensate them in other ways, or even more than they had been affected, they would certainly support the court's reforms.
But local clans are different; they value their own small territory and are used to acting as local tyrants.
The benefits offered by the imperial court could not sway them.
If the imperial court offered them an official position in exchange for giving up their land, most clans would not agree.
Because they have no connections in officialdom, once they enter officialdom, they can only act as subordinates to others.
But if those officials were to promote them and get them to support the reforms, many people would be happy to do so.
In their view, promotion and wealth are equivalent.
Giving up some wealth will bring even more rewards with a higher official position.
"I'll try turning back."
Seeing that they had arrived at the palace gate, Zhao Sheng said, "I'll leave the rest to you."
"It is my honor that Your Majesty trusts me," Wang You quickly replied.
"Don't worry, Father Emperor promised you, and he won't go back on his word," Zhao Sheng said.
Wang You was indeed much relieved upon hearing this; now that the Emperor had ascended the throne, there was no need for him to be deceived.
"Oh, right."
Wang You glanced around and whispered, "Your Highness would be best to remind His Majesty to replace the palace maids and eunuchs in the outer court, and also to keep an eye on the Empress Dowager's side."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng's face darkened, and he said, "Ziqian, do you know what you're saying?"
Wang You didn't seem to care about Zhao Sheng's tone and said, "What Your Majesty has done will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among some court officials. They will be unable to stop it and will likely plead with the Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager and the late Emperor had a very close relationship. What she wanted to see was for the Emperor to follow the old system and maintain the situation and governing philosophy of the late Emperor.
If the Empress Dowager really intervenes, what should the Emperor do?
The late emperor was kind and benevolent, and the palace maids and eunuchs were all grateful for his kindness. Once the Empress Dowager intervened, nothing in the outer court could be kept secret from her.
This was proven in the original drama. Empress Dowager Cao later launched a palace coup because she felt that Zhao Zongquan was not acting in accordance with the late emperor's principles.
In Empress Dowager Cao's eyes, following the rules of Xiao He was both an endorsement of the late emperor's governing philosophy and a continuation of his legacy.
Despite Zhao Zongquan being adopted, in Empress Dowager Cao's eyes, this adopted son was not even as important as ensuring that the late emperor's governing philosophy was continued.
After all, whoever inherits the throne must be adopted by the previous emperor to ensure that there are no flaws in the rules of etiquette.
Although Empress Dowager Cao is no longer in charge of the country, conflicts between emperors and empresses have been numerous throughout history, and the emperor has been in a weaker position most of the time.
Filial piety is a given.
Although there was a rule that the imperial harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, no one was willing to bear the stigma of being unfilial.
If the Emperor were born to Empress Dowager Cao, it would be fine, but the problem is that he is not.
In such a situation, even if the officials are in the right, they will be in a very passive position once a conflict occurs.
"I understand, you may go!" Zhao Sheng waved his hand and said.
"Your Majesty, I take my leave!"
After bowing, Wang You parted ways with Zhao Sheng and then headed to the Imperial City Guard.
After conveying the Emperor's message, instructing Yu Xingzhi to arrest the wealthy merchants who had given gifts to Prince Chong, he left the Imperial City Guard and returned home.
Upon arriving home, he learned from the gatekeeper that Hai Wenqing had recently sent someone to ask him to visit the Hai family as soon as possible.
Wang Youmen didn't even go inside before getting into the car and heading to Haijia.
Upon arriving at the Hai family's residence, a servant led him directly to the study.
"Teacher," Wang You bowed.
"Do as you please, wait until I finish writing this calligraphy."
Hai Wenqing picked up his pen to write, without even looking up.
Upon hearing this, Wang You came to Hai Wenqing's side and watched quietly.
After waiting for a while, Hai Wenqing stopped writing, shook his head and said, "I haven't practiced calligraphy for a while, and my hand is a bit rusty."
"The teacher must be having something on their mind, right?"
Wang You smiled and said, "Even if you haven't practiced calligraphy for a while, you've practiced for many years and your calligraphy skills are already superb. It's not that different from before."
Moreover, the teacher's calligraphy lacks spirit; if the teacher were not preoccupied, they wouldn't have written it like this.
Hai Wenqing smiled and said, "Then tell me what's on my mind?"
"It must be about the investigation of the rebel party?" Wang You asked, but his tone was very certain.
"Can you tell me?"
"able!"
"Sit down and let's talk!"
Hai Wenqing invited Wang You to sit on a soft couch and waited for him to continue.
"Although His Majesty's student is in charge of this matter, it is actually the Imperial City Guard that is doing it."
Wang You said, "Currently, the Imperial City Guard has searched the Prince of Yan's residence and found some account books and letters."
The ledger records the money that some people gave to the rebel king.
Most of them are merchants, and His Majesty has already ordered the Imperial City Guard to arrest them.
"You said most of them are merchants, does that mean there are also officials among them?" Hai Wenqing asked.
"have."
Wang You nodded affirmatively and said, "But I haven't seen the account books and don't know who is involved."
Upon hearing this, Hai Wenqing felt immediately troubled. Since they were sending money to the rebel king, it was hard to say that it wasn't related to treason.
After all, whether it's buying women or bribing military officers, it requires a lot of money for the Prince.
This money likely came from those officials.
Moreover, this kind of thing is impossible to explain. Even if those officials gave it to him beforehand, so what?
When it comes to treason, there's not much logic to it.
"What is His Majesty's attitude?" Hai Wenqing asked.