The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Just as Wei Guangde thought, there was a steady stream of visitors from the Wei Mansion at night.

"Master Liu, Master Huang, don't talk to me about this. Why didn't I stop you from doing this? I can't stop you.

Today, everyone in the cabinet, except me, raised their hands in favor. What do you think I can do?

Besides, you are also an old man in the court, so how could you not be clear about the deficit at the Ministry of Revenue?

The people below are really ugly when they eat.

People have laid out the figures. During the Hongwu Dynasty, there were 8 million hectares of farmland, but now it is less than 4 million hectares.

The number of fields that the feudal princes' palaces had merged with before was less than two million hectares, and there were at least six million hectares of fields. However, there were only less than four million hectares in the fish scale register of the Ministry of Revenue.

Of course, I also know that this is not happening now, but has happened before.

There was a local disaster and the damage level of the fields was lowered. This should be adjusted.

Now they just want to take another look at my Ming Dynasty's fields and re-evaluate them. What can I say, just because the court has no money, stop them from clearing the land?

So what if the court has no money?

Let me see, everyone should think about how to deal with it, I can't stop it anyway. "

At this time, several officials surrounded Wei Guangde in the flower hall, wanting him to take the lead in opposing the Qingzhang field matter.

The reason is nothing more than that every re-examination of the Yellow Register and the Fish Scale Register is not an easy task. Not only does it waste people and money, it also causes a lot of confusion in the local area, which often causes public resentment.

Let Wei Guangde take the lead in opposing it, but Wei Guangde won't do it.

He commanded that he did not support or agree with it, but it was not his idea to take the lead and fight against it.

None of these landowners are big landowners with over 20,000 acres. They are afraid of investigation because they are afraid that they will have to pay an unknown amount of extra taxes.

Wei Guangde thought that no matter how large his family's land was, it was only a thousand acres, which was definitely not in the same order of magnitude as these people.

Besides, his money mainly comes from business. How much can he collect from the land rent?

Before this group of people could be sent away, two more people soon arrived. It didn't take long for the entire flower hall to be filled with people, and Wei Guangde had to say his words again.

"The imperial court's finances are very difficult. I wish you could be more considerate. You might as well check our Ming Dynasty's family wealth to see how much tax we should collect. I know it's a waste of people's energy and the people below are also working hard, but the Ministry of Household Affairs insists on checking. Several cabinet ministers Everyone agrees."

Over the course of the night, Wei Guangde was done talking. It was almost midnight before he sent everyone away, and then he dragged his exhausted body back to the backyard.

"Everyone's gone?"

As soon as he entered the door, the lady who was sitting on the bedside reading a book asked.

"If you leave, I won't be asked to arrange guest rooms for them."

Wei Guangde smiled bitterly.

"I heard that the imperial court plans to clear away the land. Is it true?"

At this time, the lady put down the book in her hand and asked.

"The national budget is insufficient, and the cabinet does have this plan."

As of today, the news has been released. I think the Ministry of Revenue and the Chief Assistant will soon use this memorial to explain the matter.

Once the palace approves it, it's a sure thing, and the Fujian side will take action.

"Can't stop it?"

Suddenly, Madam asked abruptly.

"How to stop it? The Ministry of Revenue strongly requests it, and both the chief minister and the assistant ministers support it. What can I say if I am caught in the middle?"

Wei Guangde came over and sat down on the bed, smiling bitterly.

"Has the cabinet discussed this matter before?"

Xu Jianglan continued to ask, seeming to want to know what Wei Guangde really thought.

In the past, Wei Guangde did not hide the major issues in the court from her, including major decisions such as passing the imperial examination into law. Xu Jianglan actually knew that the two cabinet members discussed it behind closed doors and then implemented it step by step.

Even for major matters such as the use of foreign troops, the cabinet will not discuss it in the court. Instead, the first and second assistants will reach an agreement and then proceed step by step. It is rare for any sudden decree to be issued.

The reason, of course, is to keep it secret.

If all major matters are discussed in court, there is still a damn secret to keep.

If the king is not secretive, his ministers will lose their integrity; if their ministers are not secretive, they will lose their virginity.

But this time it seemed a little different. In the past, Madam would just listen to him quietly and not talk much.

"Why, madam, do you have anything else to say?

If it's a matter with your uncle, tell him that you don't have to worry about the Yongye fields. That part won't be investigated. But if it's a field that was purchased later and someone changed the grade, don't expect it this time. . "

Wei Guangde said casually.

The Duke of Wei in Nanjing has a great family and a great business. As a duke for two hundred years, there must be a lot of fields in the mansion, which Wei Guangde can understand.

For such a big family, no matter how much land they have, it is not enough for their luxury, let alone two hundred years of reproduction. The Xu family doesn't know how many branches there are now.

Most of these people, except the head family who inherited the title of duke, have to find subsidies from the government.

Not to mention that many families should be separated and live alone. Separating families does not separate clans. They are still one ancestor and must be taken care of. Otherwise, in ancient China, clan forces actually ran the country.

With so many people surrounding the palace, the annual income is not enough.

The tax on one acre of land is not much, but if the tax on tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of acres of land is huge, it can at least satisfy the mouths of hundreds of tribesmen.

"I don't know about Nanjing, but do you know your own family background?"

But unexpectedly, Xu Jianglan talked about the Wei family.

"What's wrong with my family? Don't you know how my family's money comes from? We don't live off the fields."

Wei Guangde said casually.

Xu Jianglan just looked at him blankly, but she didn't know what to say.

At this time, a maid came in with water, helped him wash up, and then brought a basin to wash his feet. At this time, Wei Guangde was not aware of it.

I washed my feet in a hurry and asked the maids to go down to rest. My wife had already leaned in and made way for her.

Wei Guangde got into the quilt and asked: "What did you mean by what you said just now? Is there something else I don't know about?"

"Sir, have you never asked Zhang Ji about our family?"

Mrs. Xu Jianglan said in a very serious tone this time.

"Tell me what's going on. You know, I usually don't bother to take care of these things. I don't leave them all to you."

Wei Guangde said a little aggrieved.

With the male leading the household and the female leading the household, Wei Guangde felt that the family had few resources and could never use them up, so he ignored them as time went on.

There were accounts in the house, but he didn't bother to look at them. It was his wife who was looking after the accounts and managing the warehouse.

"Our family has a village in the suburbs of Beijing, with more than 2,000 acres of land."

Xu Jianglan spoke slowly.

"What? When did you buy Zhuangzi? Why didn't I know?"

When Wei Guangde heard this, he was shocked.

If there is Zhuangzi outside Beijing, what is the situation back home in Jiangxi?

My parents seemed to have said at that time that they would purchase land assets for him, so there wouldn't be many more.

"The Duke of Chengguo helped collect it, and the family only asked for money.

But Datou is not here. Back home in Jiangxi, you have more than 20,000 acres of land under your name."

Xu Jianglan's words stunned Wei Guangde. When did he have so many fields?

He doesn't think it's a big deal to say he has two thousand acres of land, but this is more than twenty thousand acres.

"Why is there so much?"

Wei Guangde asked hesitantly.

"My family only has more than 8,000 acres, and the remaining 10,000 acres are donated by others. I also get a lot of land rent every year."

Xu Jianglan was still whispering there, but Wei Guangde didn't think so in his heart.

The nominal 8,000 acres of farmland, who knows how many acres it really is.

I'm afraid it's not that I have tens of thousands of acres of my own farmland, it's just that the grade of the farmland has been lowered due to various reasons.

Over there, Xu Jianglan was still slowly telling him about her family's wealth. Wei Guangde could no longer listen. He waved his hands and lowered his voice and asked, "Wait a moment. Let's talk about these fields first. The ones you bought, and the shops you mentioned, I know the shops in Jiujiang, but what’s going on in Beijing, Nanchang and Jinling?”

"My dear Mr. Wei, you are really a hands-off boss. You don't know anything about the family affairs."

Xu Jianglan glanced at him dissatisfied and said: "It started with the fields over there. Then every year the chamber of commerce distributed dividends, and the family had a lot of money. My father-in-law asked the chamber of commerce to look around and buy you fields and fields. shop.

The shops in Sijiucheng were found by those from the Chamber of Commerce.

Let's buy it with money, and the people from the Chamber of Commerce will come to the house to rent it."

"Okay, okay, I get it."

Wei Guangde hurriedly interrupted, knowing that the shop was bought with money, and the previous background was somewhat shady, but times have changed, and now even if the court wants to investigate, there is no real evidence.

Yes, many of the people who were responsible for doing these things have been buried in the ground for many years.

It's funny to say that most of the wealth that Yan Shifan worked so hard to acquire fell into the pockets of others, and he was also notorious for being corrupt and perverting the law.

This matter was too involved, that is, Emperor Jiajing died within two years, and Emperor Longqing also forgot about it, and more than ten years passed in a flash.

Wei Guangde also knew the people who were responsible for the investigation at the time who profited from it.

As for the other people in the court, I believe Xu Jie also benefited a lot from it, and maybe he still took the majority.

But now that I think about it, this matter is still a hidden danger after all. If someone is interested in keeping a ledger, Wei Guangde could be killed.

After all, the Yan family confiscated a lot of money. It was said that most of it was houses and shops, and some of it was stolen from official fields. They also handed over a few boxes of soft goods and hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver to the palace. But Wei Guangde vaguely remembered that it seemed There are still hundreds of taels left unaccounted for.

Wei Guangde suddenly thought of the name of a person he had forgotten for a long time, Cheng Shoujie, the censor sent by the imperial court to go to Jiangnan to dispose of the Yan family's property.

Although his name is good, in fact, this man has no moral integrity.

All the gold, silver and jade items recorded in the records were turned over to the inner court, but there is no way to verify what happened to other items such as fields, houses, shops, etc. in the future.

However, Cheng Shoujie disappeared during the Longqing period and had been dead for several years. Now Wei Guangde is worried that this old boy still has things like account books in his hands.

For example, if you list all those things to whom, something will happen sooner or later.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde's heart couldn't help but move.

But for now, Wei Guangde still needs to settle things at home first.

So, he smiled and looked at his wife sideways and said: 'I know about this, but since the court has decided to clear Zhang's land, our family can't go against it.

I will write home tomorrow to explain this matter, and the fields in my name. If I can push them out as much as possible, I will not be able to accept them again in the future.

My family is not short of this little money. If it were revealed that I have 20,000 to 30,000 acres of land under my name, how would I behave when I meet others in the future? ’

"What are you afraid of? Xu Ge's hometown has more than 200,000 acres of farmland, but you only have more than 20,000 acres."

Xu Jianglan said indifferently.

In fact, it is not uncommon these days for a Beijing official to have tens of thousands of acres of land under his name. Regardless of the rank of the Beijing official, the local authorities will give him face.

Taxes will not be reduced, but the fields can be downgraded and less taxes will be paid. Moreover, local apportionment will not levy taxes on these fields, but will all be tax-free, which can save a lot of money.

Even if it is a donation, the family can get a lot of money and food.

“The imperial court wants to clear away the land, and then the nominal owner of the land will inevitably be exposed.

At this time, it was revealed that I, a poor boy, actually owned more than 20,000 acres of farmland in my hometown. What do you think the big shots in the court would think of me?

What will the two empresses in the palace think of me? "

Wei Guangde shook his head and said: 'It seems that I still have to write a letter to Jiangxi. The more than 10,000 acres of farmland can no longer be placed in my name. It will all be divided. At most, I can help them find a good home. ’

Wei Guangde thought for a moment and made a decision.

"As for the several thousand acres of land, we need to think carefully about this. If it doesn't work, part of it will be divided and put in someone else's name first when the land is cleared.

After the matter of clearing Zhang's land is over, he will return to the mansion. "

Wei Guangde continued, saying that he didn't want to reveal that he was also a big landowner at this time, especially since he really didn't know anything about it before.

Fortunately, Fujian Qingzhang estimates that it will take a year to complete.

After another half a year, other provinces across the country will gradually begin the work of clearing their husbands, and he still has time to make these preparations.

"Also, I will also write to my uncle in Nanjing and tell him not to go against the imperial court this time."

Wei Guangde added one final sentence.

"Is Zhang Shoufu determined to clear the land?"

Xu Jianglan asked in surprise.

She still knew this. Whether it was re-compiling the Fish Scale Book or the Yellow Book, the workload was huge and it was really no small matter.

The reasons for local opposition are actually true, because it requires too many manpower and takes a lot of time. In the end, all costs will be allocated to the people, increasing the burden on the people.

“We have been planning for more than a year, how could we give up so easily.

Previously, I promoted Brother Ren from the post of Chief Envoy of Fujian back to the capital just to vacate his position. "

Wei Guangde's words actually proved in disguise that the cabinet had premeditated it.

"Brother, let me write the letter. My family seems to have land in Fujian."

Xu Jianglan knew that the matter was irreversible, so she spoke.

"Well, you can tell him carefully and pay as much as you need. There is no need to bear the burden.

If possible, some fields could be sent out under someone else's name. "

Wei Guangde said: "Our country has been in power for two hundred years, and there is still no vassal king who has more than 10,000 hectares of land."

"No, the family only has a few thousand at most."

Xu Jianglan was speechless after saying this, and then she realized a little later, "No wonder the outside world paid so much attention to how many fields Xu Ge's hometown has. It turns out that his family actually has two thousand hectares of fields, which is comparable to some vassal princes' palaces." ." (End of this chapter)