Chongzhen Chat Group

Next, Emperor Chongzhen was not in a hurry to go to his destination, but visited the Suzhou area. After seeing the luxury here again, he began to retreat.

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He wrote down the ideas in his mind with a pen, and after thinking about it for half a day, he entered the chat group, started a temporary group, and added Wen Tiren, the chief minister of the cabinet, and Cao Huachun, the eunuch of the chief minister of etiquette and seal.

"I have verified with my own eyes that the trend of luxury and luxury here in Jiangnan is due to the lack of correct guidance by the court after material prosperity. I believe that the court is responsible for this."

Seeing the emperor's words, Wen Tiren and Cao Huachun couldn't help but apologize. As the internal and external ministers of the Ming Dynasty, they have to take responsibility regardless of whether it is their responsibility or not.

However, Emperor Chongzhen naturally had no intention of raising an army to accuse his two right-hand men. He just wanted to solve the problem. Therefore, he added: "Almost no one abides by the etiquette system prescribed during the Taizu period. In this regard, I believe that we still need to emphasize implementation, but with some changes, to guide the change of customs."

"Your Majesty, please tell me!" Wen Tiren responded immediately after hearing this.

At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhu Yuanzhang had strict regulations on etiquette, including scholars, farmers, industry, and commerce, etc. At each stage, there were requirements for whether there was a title, what rank, what color clothes to wear, how many followers to go out, and what the house was like. It's just that as time goes by, people who gradually become rich gradually stop complying, and this is how it is subtly.

In terms of law, the court did not let go of this. It was just that the people did it and the government didn't care. Emperor Chongzhen proposed it again at this time, so naturally there was no problem.

If this matter were brought up again, it would not be difficult to implement it. After all, this provision itself is the privilege of the privileged class. The higher the position, the more privileges one enjoys. Therefore, Wen Tiren and Cao Huachun did not raise any objections. They just listened to what changes Emperor Chongzhen would make next.

"What I think is that on the basis of emphasizing the founding ceremony of the country, for those who are not qualified, have money and want to enjoy benefits that they cannot enjoy, some conditions that they can achieve can be given. For example, they If you want your house to be of a higher standard, you must do a number of good deeds recognized by the government, such as paving roads and building bridges, providing relief to victims, investing in water conservancy projects, donating to schools, etc. You can also contribute money to support projects designated by the court. Things, such as developing some things that are useful to the people, etc.; including the color and style of wearing when going out, are all based on the ideas I just mentioned."

After talking about this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately added: "There is another thing to note here, that is, the requirements of different levels are different. For example, if you are just an ordinary citizen, but you want to build a house that is more magnificent and better than all of you, then The price you pay will be greater. In other words, the further you advance to a level, the higher the price you will pay..."

His idea is actually a bit similar to collecting personal income tax. But at this time in the seventeenth century, there was no way to collect personal income tax. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen thought for a long time and came up with such a strategy according to local conditions. Those who got rich first had their enjoyment of food, clothing, housing and transportation restricted. Of course, it also opened the door. You can enjoy it if you have money, but you have to pay a price, which is equivalent to collecting their personal income tax in disguise.

This world cannot exist without businessmen. But if a businessman has too much money, it is not a good thing and must be restricted. This new idea is an attempt in this regard.

In this case, those businessmen who have become wealthy, regardless of their background, will definitely enjoy the money they earn. If they want to enjoy themselves, they must follow the regulations of the court, which will guide them to invest their money in the places the court wants them to invest, such as doing good deeds, such as researching and developing things related to the national economy and people's livelihood, etc.

This policy actually has another layer of implications. Even for people like Carpenter Xu, his research and development of flying cars will not be regarded as not doing his job properly. There will also be some rich people who invest money and let him toss around, while the rich people can get super-standard treatment. Once Carpenter Xu achieves something, the government will reward him, and his food, clothing, housing, and transportation will be better than those of his neighbors. Naturally, he will be envied by others and will no longer be despised.

After Emperor Chongzhen explained his thoughts in detail, Cao Huachun immediately responded without saying a word: "Your Majesty's plan is really wonderful! In this way, the burden on the court can be reduced a lot, and it will not burden those who have the ability. People who don’t know how to spend their money will spend it meaningfully!”

Speaking of which, in this era, it is not a good thing for ordinary people to have too much money. All kinds of people will be eyeing it, ranging from small county officials to the emperor in the Forbidden City. But if what Emperor Chongzhen said is really clear, ordinary people will have an extra layer of support, which is much better than the current routine of showing off wealth and fighting for wealth.

Wen Tiren was silent for a while, obviously thinking carefully, and then replied: "Your Majesty, I think this strategy is good, but in actual operation, I am afraid it will be quite difficult. For example, how much land is there? If it is ancestral If it is implemented now, will the extra fields be confiscated or who will acquire them? There may be turmoil in the middle!"

In the past, when you had money, you usually didn't hide it in the cellar, but bought property. Only land is the real asset, just like real estate in future generations. At this time in the late Ming Dynasty, land annexation was particularly serious. Even for civil servants, military generals, royal relatives, nobles, etc., at least in terms of land, it was beyond the standards.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while and said: "The land matter is of great importance, so we can put it aside for the time being. For other aspects, the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies have each come up with a charter. I will take a look at it first."

Saying this, there is nothing we can do about it. The impact of land annexation is too great. Just the matter of clearing land has happened in the past dynasties, but it has not been very successful every time. It was better during the heyday of the dynasty, but at the end of the dynasty, it was impossible to implement it at all.

Emperor Chongzhen was actually already doing this land annexation. For example, when vassal kings moved overseas, their land could be taken back. This was the product of another major national policy. Emperor Chongzhen didn't want to have any impact on this, so he had to put it aside first.

Without the land item, Wen Tiren immediately breathed a sigh of relief, followed closely behind Cao Huachun, and replied, "I obey the order."

Thanks to Qinshui Bingxin and warrior Tao Yuanming for the reward! I paid 3 updates today, so there are still 2 more due. We will continue tomorrow.