Guo Chong on the other side also looked at Zhu Biao in shock, and then began to try hard to recall whether he had said anything wrong that day and whether it would have left a good impression on His Highness.
The other scholars also looked at the prince with burning eyes. After all, according to the rules of the officialdom, most of them must go to the local government first. It would be good to be able to serve in the capital in ten or twenty years. Then they might be given
Now that His Highness has pledged his allegiance, if he can stand out in this department and be remembered by His Highness the Crown Prince...
Zhu Biao naturally knew what the scholars were thinking. Logically speaking, the prince and crown prince should not have contact with the candidates for the new subject, but who calls him special?
Zhu Biao's mentality has calmed down now. These people are still the best talents in the Ming Dynasty. If they are well cultivated, they will be the backbone of the future court. They are still very useful to Zhu Biao.
After the scene calmed down, Li Shanchang and Song Lian stepped back a little. Zhu Biao took a step forward and said: "You are the heroes of our Ming Dynasty. You are all students who have studied hard in a poor family. Today, the imperial court is showing great kindness."
The purpose of selecting scholars is to select suitable people from among you to assist in the prosperous Ming Dynasty. I would like to wish you to be named on the gold medal list and live up to the ten years of hard study."
The numerous scholars all bowed and saluted: "Students, please wait and thank Your Highness."
After the ceremony, every ten people were taken away by a guard and went to their dormitories according to the pre-distributed number plates to start the exam. No one dared to cause trouble here, everything was in order.
Half an hour later, the formal distribution of test papers began. The dormitory was compact, and it could be seen that many scholars had some changes in their mentality. After all, it was a very stressful exam, but the environment was still very stressful.
Zhu Biao and Li Shanchang began to patrol the corridors of the dormitory at will. Along the way, there were many guards staring at the candidates in charge of them.
Li Shanchang said from the side: "The so-called heaven is going to entrust a great task to this people, and they must first work hard on their minds and muscles. If they can survive this test, they will be like a carp leaping over the dragon's gate."
Zhu Biao nodded. Exemption from taxes and corvees is a very practical benefit. However, there is actually not much problem with this policy. Zhu Biao originally thought that if he was admitted to the Jinshi Examination, he would not have to pay grain for his land, so there would be so many people in the future.
Donate your fields.
Only after Zhu Biao visited the Ministry of Household Affairs did he realize how the imperial court could leave such a big gap. Strictly speaking, in the Ming Dynasty, officials also paid grain and gentry also paid grain. However, officials had exemptions and exemptions. The court stipulated that
After passing the examination, you will begin to enjoy preferential and exemptive treatment from the state.
This exemption includes exemption from land tax, not all of it, but a certain number of acres. So if this famous student or official has not been exempted from the land tax, he still has to pay taxes and royal grain.
.
And according to Zhu Yuanzhang's character, how could it be possible to provide large-scale land tax exemption? If this policy could be effectively implemented, then the benefits to the officials and gentry would not be much, but it would be enough to feel the sincerity of the court.
Therefore, the policies issued by the central government are rarely wrong. They are only restricted by the imperial power not to go to the countryside, and local officials collude with each other to infinitely magnify the preferential policies of these countries. For example, the number of acres of land that are exempted is increased indefinitely, and even relatives are
The farmland was also changed into his own name to achieve the purpose of exemption. This method is called "contribution".
If a local aristocratic family wants to get more tax exemptions, they should give some land to the officials in charge, and then ask the officials to report to the court that there is a disaster in the area, or the acres of land have been reduced, and if the current year's tax cannot be paid, they will pay part of it first and promise to make up for it in the coming year.
together.
In the second year, tax reductions were still obtained in a similar way. What was owed before was still owed, and what was owed now was also owed. If you owe this for several years, if there is a natural or man-made disaster nearby, the imperial court orders tax exemption or encounters
In happy events such as the new emperor's accession to the throne, when the emperor orders universal celebrations and a general amnesty, all previous debts will be forgiven. In this way, whether it is an official or a gentry, over time, it becomes a habit.
Therefore, in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang only stipulated that officials should be exempted from corvee. Those who had achieved imperial examinations were exempted from taxation. It was originally a temporary policy to encourage reading. However, through the efforts of generations of scholars, this policy has changed from temporary to permanent, and the tax exemption limit has been continuously expanded.
Later on, it was changed beyond recognition.
However, this matter is not too urgent yet. Although it is crucial, in the hands of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao, these gentry cannot afford to make trouble, and they do not have the courage to engage in large-scale land annexation. After all, this is a problem that will only occur in the later period of the dynasty.
The problem of the Ming Dynasty now is not land annexation, but too much land that is uncultivated.
Zhu Biao actually planned to implement the method of apportioning dings to acres, and evenly spread the ding tax into the land tax, and levy it on a per-acre basis. The more land you have, the more you pay, and the less land you pay, so as to balance the tax burden. After all, compared with that little tax, it will stimulate a large population.
Growth is what Zhu Biao needs most. Without the restriction of capitation tax, people will naturally let go of their children. One more child means one more labor force, so why not do it.
Zhu Biao and Li Shanchang took a tour. Although there were thousands of people taking exams, they were well supervised in the dormitory. Zhu Biao happened to see Wu Bozong writing furiously, and Zhu Biao stopped and looked at it for a while.
Li Shanchang stroked his beard and said: "He has a dignified appearance and extraordinary bearing. It seems that he is a son of a noble family. It is difficult for a poor family to produce a noble son."
The two of them walked to the resting room and sat down to rest respectively. Liu Jin poured tea for them. Li Shanchang took it politely and took a sip. He looked at the thoughtful Zhu Biao and asked, "Your Highness, do you have any doubts? Maybe
The veteran can be of some help."
Hearing this, Zhu Biao said: "I am considering whether to abolish the population tax to encourage the people to multiply and cultivate."
Li Shanchang was silent for a while and said: "Your Highness, you know that the land tax and the capitation tax are real taxes, and they are also the largest source of tax revenue for our country. If the capita tax is abolished, our country may not even be able to pay officials' salaries."
Zhu Biao was not surprised. After all, the imperial court relied on a small amount of tax revenue at this time. Although the Ming Dynasty did not fight major wars, it continued to fight small wars, consuming taxes all the time.
Commerce has not yet developed, and Zhu Biao is not ready to raise commercial taxes now. After all, it is necessary to encourage commerce. It is unrealistic to maintain a huge empire with agricultural taxes.
Zhu Biao slowly explained the specific method of dividing a small family into an entire family. After listening to this, Li Shanchang began to think deeply. The benefits of this method were obvious at a glance, but as the prime minister, he must also consider the pros and cons of this matter.
This kind of big policy is not something that Zhu Biao just wants to do. He is telling Li Shanchang now just to let him discuss it in court. If there are no accidents, the matter should be settled, but the specific implementation will definitely take time.
Agricultural taxation is the foundation of the country. No one can joke about it, nor can it be implemented directly without careful consideration. Zhu Biao believes that these national elites will make the best choice.