The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Divide the fief of the Kong Mansion?

Kong Wenshao's face remained the same. He heard that Liangxiang was implementing the policy of equalizing the land tax per mu, which was to return the land to the people and then distribute the taxes per mu.

But the fief of the Kong Mansion was granted by the emperor in successive dynasties. How could it be abolished just because the emperor said so? Ask the scholars in the world if they agree.

"The fief of the Duke of Yansheng is large, but there are also many clan members and children. The prince can own a fief of the whole mansion. If the Duke of Yansheng is evenly distributed, it will be far less than the prince. Your Majesty, please understand!"

Li Dongyang's mouth curled up slightly.

The hidden meaning was that if the Duke of Yansheng was to be rectified, the princes should be rectified first.

Everyone knew that the princes were a chronic disease of the court and could not be easily rectified, otherwise, the Jingnan Campaign would rise again.

Yan Chengjin looked at the gold bricks one foot away in front of him and fell into deep thought.

He prepared three layers for the Kong Mansion.

The first layer was to divide the fief of the Kong Mansion and equalize the land tax per mu.

The second level is to exile Kong Wenshao and most of the Kong clan members overseas.

The third level is to change the old system of passing the title of Shenggong to the eldest son to be inherited by the wise men in the Kong clan.

Li Dongyang only knew the first level, and Wang Shouren knew the second level.

He was the only one standing on the third level.

In addition, there are two more preparations.

Wang Shouren bowed: "The most urgent task of the court is to nurture the people first. The good land occupied by Yanshenggong has surpassed the imperial farm. I think what Lord Yan said is reasonable."

All officials took a deep breath.

One million acres! If it hadn't been measured today, they would not have known that the land of the Kong Mansion was so huge.

After reading the four memorials, Emperor Hongzhi became even more angry. The imperial farm of the court had more than 10,000 hectares, which could be used for the royal family's expenses and still have a surplus.

The fields of Yanshenggong Mansion were not much different from them, and they also asked the court for a large amount of money for sacrifices.

"I didn't know that the people of Shandong have declined to such an extent.

The descendants of Confucius should live up to the teachings of their ancestors, live up to the grace of the country, and live up to what they have learned.

What the Duke of Yansheng did has disappointed me greatly."

Kong Wenshao's heart was chilled. The people of the Kong family at least had some face in front of the emperor, but His Majesty said such words in front of all the officials.

Although the ancestor was a saint, whether he could live on the loess depended entirely on the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I...I know my crime!"

Xiao Jing passed Yan Chengjin's impeachment letter down and presented it to Liu Jian.

In the fourth year of Hongzhi, the Yellow Book census showed that there were 5 million people in Shandong, but now there are only more than 3 million people in the Yellow Book.

Liu Jian looked at Yan Chengjin: "Is the source of these Yellow Books true?"

"Xie Yu calculated it from the taxes, and it should be not far off."

The land in Shandong is levied with a population tax. No matter how much land there is, it is taxed per head.

On the other hand, the population can be estimated, but it is not accurate, after all, there are landless people, illegal households, and people who do not pay taxes.

But the number can be roughly calculated.

Yan Chengjin guessed that the total number of people who escaped and the sharply reduced population should be one million.

Xiong Xi of the Ministry of Justice hesitated for a moment: "Your Majesty, there are many descendants of the Kong family, and it is difficult to control them. Kong Wenshao has just inherited the title of Yanshenggong, so it is understandable."

"I second the motion!" Several chief clerks of the Ministry of Justice stood up.

Li Dongyang nodded, tracing the source, this is the bad policy left by the successive Yanshenggong.

Kong Wenshao knew that if he did not refute it, he would have no chance: "When I return to Shandong this time, I will strictly control my clansmen."

Emperor Hongzhi frowned, with the descendants of the Kong family on one side and the people of Shandong on the other.

If I let Yanshenggong go back, Shandong will become a purgatory on earth, and the refugees in the capital will continue to flow, and the symptoms will not be cured.

"Mr. Yan, is it too harsh to implement the land tax system in Shandong?"

"When Emperor Renzong of Song Dynasty conferred the title of Duke of Yansheng on the eldest son of the Kong family, only the eldest son was favored by the court. The rest of the people were no different from common people. Why should they be rewarded by the court?

Besides, the land occupied is as much as one million acres. If there is a rebellious intention..."

Prince Pan is not allowed to occupy too much land or leave the vassal state.

For fear of rebellion, the land occupied by Duke of Yansheng is now a hundred times more than that of the vassal kings.

The fiefdom of the vassal kings only occupies a prefecture or even a state, while the fiefdom of Duke of Yansheng occupies the entire province of Shandong.

Kong Wenshao was terrified and pointed at Yan Chengjin: "What rebellion... Don't talk nonsense!"

Emperor Hongzhi was like being poured with ice water from head to head, and his face changed drastically.

All officials became extremely stern.

The vassal kings would rebel, why not Duke of Yansheng? It is hard to guarantee that the children of a saint will not have rebellious intentions.

The population of the Kong Mansion alone is enough to form an army of 10,000 people, not to mention the countless gold and silver treasures of the Kong Mansion.

Yan Chengjin took out the second hand from his sleeve: "This is the betrothal gift that Kong Wenshao gave to the Li Mansion, pearls, brocade, antique calligraphy and paintings, which is worth 300,000 taels.

I remember that the betrothal gift given to the Zeng Mansion by the prince for his wedding was less than 100,000 taels."

Kong Wenshao knelt on the ground, frightened and at a loss. He occupied a million acres of fertile land and gave a betrothal gift of 300,000 taels.

Originally, there was nothing wrong, but Yan Chengjin linked it all to rebellion.

Emperor Hongzhi's pupils shrank slightly, and he looked at Li Dongyang unhappily: "Is this true?"

"Yes, I have returned all the betrothal gifts." Li Dongyang bowed, and he didn't expect Yan Chengjin to bring this matter to the court. He really holds a grudge...

"Your Majesty... These precious calligraphy and paintings are all collected by ancestors of past generations. I just want to temporarily put them in the Li Mansion and find a way to get them back in the future..." Kong Wenshao was so shocked that he was incoherent.

He was less than 30 years old and often studied at home. How could he have dealt with the scene of rebellion?

Li Dongyang sneered at the words. He didn't expect Kong Wenshao's idea to be so dirty.

The faces of all the officials were different. Perhaps they would do the same if they were in his place.

Twenty thousand taels of silver can buy a spacious mansion in the capital, how much is three hundred thousand taels?

Yan Chengjin could not imagine that Kong Wenshao's financial management is the same as that of King Ning.

King Ning's generous distribution of wealth means that he temporarily stores the wealth in the hands of officials and forces them to take it back after ascending the throne.

Therefore, he is very straightforward in bribing officials, giving them whatever they want.

Xiong Xi looked at Kong Wenshao helplessly. If he had not come to the capital, perhaps it would not have come to this.

Yan Chengjin has sufficient means. Since he found out that there are millions of acres of land, he has been in a proactive position.

Kong Wenshao crawled on the ground, trembling: "I am willing to give up half of the land and return it to the people."

Half is 600,000 acres. People like Liu Jian only have about 10,000 acres of good land.

Yan Chengjin reached into his arms again: "Your Majesty, this is the list of the remnants of the White Lotus found by the arrest department in Shandong."

Emperor Hongzhi was stunned. The court had been tracking down the remnants of the White Lotus, but they were hiding in Shandong?

Liu Jian and the other two looked serious as never before.

Xiong Xiu got goose bumps all over his body. Yan Chengjin could actually find the traces of the White Lotus?

Xiao Jing knew that the matter was of great importance, so he hurried down and took the note from Yan Chengjin.

"I don't know if the White Sect is related to the Kong Mansion, but since Yongle, these people of the White Sect have been stationed in Shandong and have been imprisoned in the prison of the Censorate."

"Slander...slander!"

Yan Chengjin took advantage of the victory and continued: "I beg Your Majesty to return the millions of acres of land to the people, remove the title of Kong Wenshao, exile him overseas, abolish the old system of passing the title of Yanshenggong to the eldest son, and change it to the wise and virtuous children of the Kong family."

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