The atmosphere in the huge central army hall was subtle and tense. Due to the large number of people and the many braziers, many people's foreheads were already covered with sweat. People like Master Fahe, who seemed to be a little bit wealthy, had sweat all over their faces.
At this moment, Emperor Zhao just kept looking down at his notes, which made the atmosphere even more tense.
"As a military officer, I shouldn't interfere in state affairs, but since the emperor has said that anyone can speak out on politics today, I'll take the liberty of speaking about finances from a military perspective."
After arguing for a while, even Li Qiong, the Right Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army, could not help but interrupt. "Since we need to spend money, it is not advisable to pretend that the common people can be bullied, because since ancient times, those who have the ability to rebel are precisely the common people who can be bullied! There have been two major turmoil caused by taxation in this dynasty. One was caused by Fang La, who relied on the poor people in the southeast market; the other was caused by Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao, whose roots were the fishermen and farmers in Jingxiang. This is a lesson from the past! On the contrary, it was the temples and merchants... To put it bluntly, have there ever been monks and merchants who rebelled since ancient times? When the country is in danger, they should be killed to enrich themselves! Even the powerful landlords are really blind. This time, Yue Jiedu will not be needed to suppress them. I will suppress them on my own behalf! Let's see who has the sharpest knife?"
Li Qiong was born in a state school, and he was a man of brains and vision. However, no matter what, he was now just a leader of the exiled northerners. He was most concerned about the Northern Expedition, but he did not have the overall view and compassion of Yue Fei. Being young and energetic, he was inevitably extreme in related matters. When the court negotiated peace that day, everyone was worried that he would cause trouble, and there was a reason for that.
However, when such fierce words were spoken at this time, no one rebuked or refuted them, and it even caused a momentary silence on the scene, which increased the solemnity of the atmosphere... After all, everyone knew that although the official seemed so calm at the moment, with his temper, he might explode at any time and it would really come to the issue of the knife.
Even Li Qiong only played the unscrupulous character of an exiled military leader from Hebei after trying to figure out the emperor's intentions... In any case, the Eight Character Army and the Imperial Camp Front Army were both trump cards in Emperor Zhao's hand.
However, at this moment, after looking down at his notes for a long time and thinking for a long time, Emperor Zhao finally raised his head and said, "I want to express my opinion first... We can discuss things, but don't always shout for war and killing. When Wanqi Jinglüe was the censor, he advised me that the situation before and after Yaoshan was completely different. Before, the country was in danger and no matter what extraordinary measures were taken, it was helpless. But the extraordinary measures were taken at that time so that we would not take extraordinary measures today."
Li Qiong quickly took the opportunity to apologize and then returned to the sequence.
Zhao Jiu paused for a moment, and then continued, "Just now, from the prime ministers to the ministers, and Chen Jijiu, they all said very well. Even Deputy Governor Li's words were a bit absurd, but his logic was still somewhat realistic... The country is short of money, but it must not exploit the people anymore. It can only take from the wealthy people above the people. And these wealthy people, whether monks, merchants, landlords, or even nobles, are definitely rich, and can even be said to be the richest at the moment. They sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor in peacetime, and when the country is in trouble, they will be rich. It is difficult, of course we can only ask them to help. However, how should we help? We can't just rob them, right? Even if we can do that, it won't be enough to convince people. Moreover, once we rob them, we can stop at the top, but how do we divide the boundaries below? Landlords and wealthy merchants easily seize their property, so do the rich families have to hand it over? After the rich families, do the middle-class families have to be robbed as well? There will be no boundaries, and there will be a big mess. Therefore, we have to think of a way to take the money from these wealthy families in an orderly, legal, and limited way."
To be honest, the monks, Taoists and those tycoons who came to the scene today were in a state of ups and downs, but it was a place like this where they had no right to speak and could only stand there in agony... Just as the government spoke, they sank to the bottom of the mud pit and then floated to the surface again.
"Your Majesty." Upon hearing Zhao Jiu's words, the Minister of Revenue Lin Qi could not wait to speak. "What I just said about Jiaozi and national debt is exactly what I meant... Now that the country is stable, why not follow the example of Sichuan Jiaozi and re-establish or newly establish Jiaozi offices in Tokyo, Chang'an, Nanyang, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou? Issue them properly to ensure the reliable circulation of Jiaozi. As for national debt, I think national debt should also change with the times. Given the popularity of national debt, it should not be repurchased at a higher interest rate, but should be sold at a higher interest rate. There is no need to set a six-month or one-year term, but to change it to a long-term holding. The gold, silver, and copper coins obtained from the sale of national debt can be used as a reserve for Jiaozi. I boldly calculated that if it can be done, there will always be an income of tens of millions of strings, and there will be a small income of millions of strings every year in the future."
After Lin Qi finished speaking, the monks, Taoist priests, nobles and wealthy merchants in the distance were all moved. If they only bought government bonds and the amount was not too extreme, why not? However, according to the words of the Minister of Revenue, they might have to match some Jiaozi, which was a bit painful.
Unexpectedly, after Lin Qi said such appropriate words, Emperor Zhao did not even say a word of praise. Not only that, several ministers also looked at each other in bewilderment.
After a long pause, the person who spoke back to Lin Qi was actually his political ally, the Imperial Censor Li Guang: "Minister Lin... what you said makes a lot of sense. Jiaozi bonds are a very good thing, and the court will definitely do it. But I want to ask you, if the bonds are no longer negative interest, but issued at positive interest, how many can be sold? If we only focus on earning this little interest, does it conflict with the fundamental purpose of the bonds to help with emergencies?"
Lin Qi frowned slightly and was about to answer.
But Li Guang did not give the other party a chance to think, and directly revealed the answer: "If the court wants to make money with interest, where is the Qingmiao Law?"
Lin Qi was speechless and did not know what to say for a moment, while the entire court, both civil and military officials, monks and laymen, noble and humble, were all a little confused, and then they all burst into laughter.
There is no other reason. The term Qingmiao Law touches upon the core political and economic contradictions of the Song Dynasty.
Anyone with a little common sense knows that one of the core laws of Wang Anshi's reform was the Qingmiao Law, which replaced the wealthy loan sharks with the government and lent money directly to the poor... This was an excellent theoretical framework, and was very effective when experimented with in small-scale regions, but in the end, although it was successful in making money, it was an economic law that failed miserably in terms of people's livelihood, economy, and political ethics.
Even the failure of Wang Anshi's entire reform could not escape the Qingmiao Law.
At the same time, everyone finally understood why the government gathered together such a messy group of people as monks, Taoists, nobles, and wealthy merchants, and then let these people enter the government cabinet as the first batch.
It should be noted that according to the theory that the economic base determines everything, by the Song Dynasty, Buddhism and Taoism were no longer pure religious groups. Although they still maintained basic religious instincts and occasionally engaged in some upper-level lines, as the expansion of religion in the local area reached its extreme, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism merged, religious theories were completely localized, and the economy of temples and monasteries gradually became more powerful and landlord-like, so they put more attention on land management and expansion.
From this perspective, monks and Taoists are basically more like big landlords...the so-called class attributes gradually replaced the religious attributes.
However, unlike ordinary landlords, their religious characteristics make them naturally more capable of gathering money... Come to think of it, who would really exchange all the money they collected for gold to make a golden statue?
It is very conscientious to fill it with copper inside and add a layer of gold powder outside.
There are also the printing of Buddhist scriptures and local commercial company activities, all of which openly collect money from believers. There is no need to mention the 30-70 split of the profits. The key point is when were the accounts made public?
As a result, the cellar was gradually filled with the believers' gold, silver, copper coins, silk and grain. With spare money in hand, greed took over, and they could not help thinking that money could make more money, so they naturally began to lend money at high interest rates.
Monks and Taoists were the most active lenders among the landlord class, and even most temples had professional lending functions, which meant they occupied a considerable proportion of the landlord class's lending business... It can only be said that throughout the ages, from north to south, from China to abroad, whether foreign monks or local Taoists, they were all of the same kind.
Look at the Knights Templar next door, aren’t they also doing well?
This is determined by religious characteristics.
At the same time, as the top landlords, the nobles amassed the most wealth and had the most money, so they would definitely lend money, even in both cities and rural areas.
Needless to say, the merchants are professional, but they often cannot compete with temples, monasteries and landlords in the countryside, so their influence is generally in the market.
In other words, these people who came here inexplicably today finally found a common label among themselves...the usurers of the feudal era!
To put it bluntly, the Qingmiao Law is the imperial court lending money at high interest rates to seize the usury market, except that the interest rate is nominally lower, which seems to be beneficial to people's livelihood!
"Officials!"
Amid the chaos, someone gritted his teeth and broke the silence. It was Chen Gongfu, the Minister of Personnel who had previously supported the killing of these people and had a fierce attitude. "The Qingmiao Law must not be implemented again!"
"Why not?" Chen Kangbo, the Imperial Academy's chief academic officer who had just been on the same side, immediately stepped out to protest. "The Guanzi says that if profits come from one source, the country will prosper. This is exactly the truth! The rich lend money to the poor and reap the profits easily. The government should reap these profits to plan for great things!"
Chen Gongfu shook his head repeatedly: "I agree with the view that the benefits come from one hole, but no matter how good the argument is, it will not prevent the new law from failing because of it."
"The failure of the Qingmiao Law is because while it benefits the people, it harms countless wealthy people like those in the hall today. The wealthy people entangled with the old party and deceived the Emperor." Chen Kangbo continued to argue without hesitation. "In addition, Wang Shu hastily appointed many shameless people to build up the momentum of the new party, and corrupted the new law during implementation, which led to the failure of the Qingmiao Law! Where is the old party now? And with the power of the government, will it be deceived by these villains in the hall? As long as we use the right people, we can succeed!"
"This matter is not that simple." Chen Gongfu still shook his head. "I am a few years older than you. I have personally witnessed the government forcibly allocating taxes and forcing people to borrow money... Doesn't Chen Jijiu believe in the practice of original learning?"
"you……"
"Fahe presides." Just when the argument was about to escalate, Zhao Jiu suddenly spoke up and pointed to someone. "You are the Luohan I appointed, why don't you speak?"
Fahe's face was greasy and sweaty. He stepped out of the line and clasped his hands together before bowing: "Your Majesty, I dare not speak on state affairs without authorization."
"I won't ask you about state affairs, just ask about common things." Zhao Jiu smiled. "Does Shaolin Temple lend money, Qingmiao loan?"
Not to mention that the government was clearly prepared, even if it was just a casual question, there was no way to hide it, so after hesitating for a while, Fahe gritted his teeth and answered honestly: "To let the government know that during the lean period, when seeds and farm tools were needed before spring plowing, Shaolin Temple did lend money to tenants and the people of Dengfeng, both money and grain."
Zhao Jiu nodded: "How much interest?"
"The loan for young crops is not based on months or years, but only on seasons." Fahe could only answer the question in private, but under the light, his bald head was wrinkled and soft. "40% interest."
"Has the interest rate always been like this?" Zhao Jiu looked calm and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Of course not." The grease on Fahe's face was shining more and more conspicuous, but he didn't dare to hide anything. "It is said that a long time ago, the interest rate was 50%, but after Wang Xianggong established the Qingmiao Law, monks, Taoists, merchants and laymen in Henan Province all changed the rules and became 30%..."
"Because the Green Seedling Law stipulates that the upper limit of the green seedling loan interest rate is 30%?"
“Yes… yes!”
"And then?" Zhao Jiu did not pursue the malicious intent of the reactionary forces in opposing the government. He just pretended to be casual and continued to ask.
"Then... after the Green Seedling Law was abolished, it gradually returned to 40%." Fahe said carefully. "In the chaos a few years ago, before Prime Minister Xu took charge of the military farming in Henan, it once increased to 50% in some places because seeds were scarce and expensive. Later, after Prime Minister Xu took control, it gradually returned to 40%."
"You're still talking about the market economy." Zhao Jiu laughed out loud, but then sighed. "But lending is really the best business in the world that makes money the fastest. 40% of the price is fair, and 30% is the good government of the court... No wonder you all became rich, and no wonder Wang Shuwang's new law failed so quickly, but it still raised so much money for the court to use for military operations."
Fahe tried to answer, "Sir, this is unavoidable...it is indeed what the people need."
"I know." Zhao Jiu shook his head and replied. "Even if this dynasty is destroyed and the emperor is gone, this usury business is inevitable. But Fahe, do you think Guanzi's profit comes from one hole, right?"
"Your Majesty." Fa Heqing knew that the most critical moment had come, but he mustered up the courage to confront him. "I dare not speak of the ancient saints, but I dare to guarantee that the people of Dengfeng have always been happy with the Qingmiao loan of our Shaolin Temple... When the people are poor and have no way out, the rich contribute money to help them and collect interest in return. Isn't this helping the poor and the rich? Isn't it a good thing?"
It was rare for Fahe to come to the fore, but once his idea of ​​"helping the rich and the poor" came out, it immediately gained the support of many people. For a while, there was a lot of discussion in the hall, and many nobles, monks and Taoists took the opportunity to speak.
Now, due to the extra performance of several unplanned ministers, the plot development of this "Legend of White Snake" has already exceeded expectations. However, neither Zhao Jiu nor the several ministers who have been silent for a long time have made any remarks or expressions that are too extraordinary. Instead, they have some sighs on their faces... The reason is very simple. They have discussed many things repeatedly in the past half month.
Today's remarks, whether fierce, prudent, righteous or shameless, did not surpass the detailed discussions before between the emperor and the ministers!
What's ridiculous is that they know very well that whether it's 'profit from one source', 'practice is the standard', or Fahe's shameless theory that usury is 'helping the rich and the poor', they all appeared in their discussion... In other words, even at the highest level, there are differences, and every theory seems to be correct, at least within a certain range!
It’s really true.
The logic of the emperor and his ministers in discussing this matter was as follows:
The first priority of the country, after all the discussions, is to replenish the finances;
And abundant finances will open up new sources of income;
If you open up new ways to make money, you can only profit from the property owners;
If you want to profit from the property owners, you should not take it by force, let alone break the law. That would be a real destruction of the foundation. Instead, you should use legal and reasonable means to seize the biggest, quickest, but also the most shameless means of economic income from the property owners, and adopt the basic concept of profit from one hole as a national policy, so that the state can make this money;
This business, or the means of accumulating wealth, can only be usury. If we want to expand our finances quickly and massively, we should let the state replace these wealthy people in occupying the usury market.
When it came to this point, Zhao Jiu and several ministers immediately realized...that these were the same routines that had been used since ancient times, and Wang Anshi had thought of them decades earlier than them.
As a result, the discussion immediately turned into a discussion on the Qingmiao Law.
However, as I said before, the Qingmiao Law, as the core of Wang Anshi's reform, is not that simple... Some people, namely Emperor Zhao at the beginning, and Zhang Jun, like Chen Kangbo in front of him, insisted that the failure of the Qingmiao Law touched the core interests of the property owners and led to an alliance between the property owners and the old party, so the failure was a purely political failure.
It may not be impossible to implement it now.
At the same time, almost every experienced and pragmatic official was firmly opposed to this... Lu Haowen, Zhao Ding, Liu Ji, Li Guang, and even Chen Gui, whose current responsibilities are more in military affairs but who has rich experience in local governance, all expressed their attitude firmly and clearly, that is, the failure of the "Qingmiao Law" was directly related to the law itself.
The Qingmiao Law itself is not acceptable.
What's the problem?
The truth became clearer and clearer. After arguing many times and taking many notes, Zhao Jiu had already figured out the key point and gradually changed his attitude. He then reached a general consensus with several ministers, or rather, they convinced each other - the problem actually lay in the bureaucratic system.
The relationship between the bureaucratic system and the failure of the Qingmiao Law can be analyzed from two perspectives.
First of all, the imperial power did not extend to the countryside. As an extension of imperial power, if the bureaucratic system that enforced the law really abided by the law, it would not be able to confront the bourgeoisie in the countryside. The common people also trusted and obeyed these temples and landlords more. Even in the market, it was difficult for grassroots officials to compete with wealthy merchants who had been operating for many years.
From this perspective, the reactionary forces are indeed too powerful.
However, at the same time, one thing that must be admitted is that compared with temples, landlords, and wealthy merchants, the lower-level bureaucrats, or grassroots officials, are probably the most reactionary group of people in this era!
Not to mention that they must accept cash, can lend up to a 30% upper limit, etc., the most terrifying thing is that when they implement the Qingmiao loan, they often directly change it to malicious levy. There are also some evil officials who think that this policy is no different from other policies in their hands. They are just a means for them to annex land and extort money... In fact, Qingmiao loan is more convenient to use and has more room for operation.
Therefore, for the common people, monks, Taoists, wealthy merchants, and landlords may still be treated with favors, and can be subject to certain constraints by clans and neighbors. They are kind-hearted people who can use millet and fresh fish as interest. However, the government is a jinx that can easily destroy people's families. They are not short of money, but force you to take out loans. What they lend out are moldy seeds, and when they take them back, they require cash. If you dare to say no, you will be immediately sent to do labor... Even if there are some bullies, evil monks, evil merchants, and evil Taoists, I am afraid they have colluded with the government first before they became evil.
Therefore, once we consider the setting that the imperial power, the government, and the grassroots officials are the real villains, even the "helping the rich and the poor" that Fahe used to defend usury will seem to make sense.
After all, the common people are extremely poor, and when it comes to the time of shortage of food and spring planting, they really need to borrow money to make ends meet.
In the eyes of ordinary people, a 30% Qingmiao loan that could easily ruin a family is far less appropriate than a 40% loan from a nearby temple. What's more, a large temple like Shaolin Temple, which has been prosperous for hundreds of years, has its own prestige, military security, and religious appeal.
Of course, the problem arises. Emperor Zhao now wants to emulate Emperor Shenzong and make a living from this. How can he do so peacefully?
"I know what you mean." Zhao Jiu spoke slowly. "I also understand your wit, but there are some things that you can't say too much about... Fahe presides over the discussion of benefiting from one source and helping the rich and the poor. I can only benefit from one source!"
Fahe was originally preparing to defend himself, but he remained silent - because the government had said that they could not say any more.
"Why don't you speak?" Zhao Jiu asked coldly.
Abbot Fahe was completely helpless and could only respond, "I understand."
"You know shit!" Zhao Jiu was furious.
Not to mention that this is inside a military camp, nor how frightening it is to have so many braziers around, and so many soldiers beside the braziers... Even if there were no such things, the official's sudden change of expression was enough to frighten these already nervous people.
"I am terrified." Fahe felt sad, but he could only kneel down helplessly. "The country is in trouble. If the government has any request, Shaolin Temple is willing to give it all. I only ask the government to preserve the temple and not let me become the one who lost the temple..."
"It is a huge problem to concentrate all profits on one source, but the key is to help the rich and the poor. In my opinion, these four words are the most shameless and terrifying in the world, and the things that I, as an official, cannot tolerate the most!" Zhao Jiu ignored Fahe's behavior. He didn't really want to show off his power over a mere abbot of Shaolin Temple. It was too beneath him.
In fact, after saying this, the emperor closed his notebook and looked around proudly: "I ask you people, who gave you the face to say that the 40% interest rate is for the benefit of the rich and the poor? Do you really think that I don't understand people's livelihood? Do you don't understand arithmetic? The poor people have a few acres of thin land, and the harvest is only a few dou of rice and a few buckets a year, but they still can't make ends meet, so they ask you to borrow money to prepare for farming. This time, I borrowed three buckets before the spring plowing, and I have to pay back more than four buckets. When the harvest is poor, won't I be short of four buckets? If I borrow another four and a half buckets, won't I have to pay back six buckets? It's not easy to have a good harvest this year. A few acres of land have an extra three or five dou. Are you going to lower the price together and force the people to sell at a low price, and easily wipe out the three or five dou? So within a year, three dou becomes four dou, four dou becomes six dou; within two years, six dou becomes eight dou, and eight dou becomes one shi... Even if there is no famine, in three to five years, won't they be forced to sell their children and wives, and in ten years, won't they have to sell their land to rent? Who will they sell their wives and children to? Who will they sell their land to? Are you the moneylenders? ! As for the poor people in the market, I am too lazy to repeat the same reason again, so as to avoid being disliked and nagging."
At this point, Zhao Jiu took a long breath, and swept his cold eyes across the room full of people of different appearances, but sneered: "Are you trying to say, even if it is so, it has been like this since ancient times, so what? What can we do? Li Qiong!"
Li Qiong never thought that she would be called out at this time, and stepped out in panic: "Your Majesty."
"What did you say before?" Zhao Jiu said with a half-smile.
Li Qiong suddenly realized and quickly responded: "There were two major rebellions in this dynasty. One was caused by Fang La, and the root cause was the poor people in the southeast market; the other was caused by Zhong Xiang and Yang Yao, and the root cause was the fishermen and farmers in Jingxiang..."
"Did you hear that?" Zhao Jiu suddenly stood up and slammed the table, his voice shaking the whole room. "This is why I am so angry today, because you guys are digging up my roots! I never care about your accumulation of wealth! What I care about is that the poor are forced by you to have no place to stand! Without a place to stand, they will rebel! If they rebel, my throne will be unstable! When I killed Liu Guangshi, some people said that I was chopping off the legs of my own throne. When I killed Du Chong, I was actually chopping off the legs of my own chair. When I imprisoned the two saints and dismissed seventy or eighty court officials, they even said that I was throwing feces on my own throne! Now tell me, by doing this, aren't you just digging my grave?!"
The sudden attack caused many people, including Li Qiong, to tremble.
"Today I will teach you what imperial knowledge is!" Zhao Jiu's face turned pale. He stood up and walked forward with his hands behind his back, passing the somewhat flustered prime ministers and important officials. Then he looked around coldly, and everyone he saw, no matter what their position, avoided him. "That is, what is valuing culture over military, what is preferential treatment for scholars, what is the mixing of different opinions, what is keeping the interior empty, what is sharing the world with scholars, all of which are things above! The poor people are the most basic foundation! Whether it is the emperor, the scholars, the nobles, or even the Buddhists, Taoists, and wealthy merchants, don't they all have to stand above the common people? Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. This is a principle that has been passed down for hundreds of years. Do you really think that Emperor Taizong of Tang was just pretending and speaking nice words? Did he become the greatest emperor of all time by speaking nice words? I ascended the throne as an idle prince, just as ignorant as the Emperor Taishang Daojun, just as frivolous and misleading the country, and just as fooled by you? There are some things that even if you don't understand, I understand them too! I just believe that your "helping the rich and the poor" is digging my foundation, and I just believe that this is the most intolerable thing in the world!"
"The court reports praise me as the Emperor Guangwu's revival every day..." Zhao Jiu suddenly turned around and looked at Lin Qi. "Minister Lin, you are well-educated. You said that Emperor Guangwu measured the land and forced dozens of counties to revolt. But why did you continue to measure the land even though you would rather use knives?"
Lin Qi was asked this question and could only bite the bullet and respond, "That's exactly what the government says."
"Yes." Zhao Jiu said thoughtfully. "The Western Han Dynasty had been like this for more than two hundred years, with the rich and the poor helping each other. As a result, many poor people had no place to live, so the Green Forest and the Red Eyebrows swarmed up. Guangwu started from the fields of Nanyang. Of course, he knew what was going on, so he would rather let the powerful people who followed him to rebel, and would rather use knives to suppress them than to sort out the land... And I am in Huaishang and Nanyang, and I measure and grant land in the Central Plains and Guanxi. The same is true. However, my situation is more difficult than Guangwu's, because this dynasty has only been around for more than a hundred years, and it has not yet reached the situation where the whole world is in rebellion. It seems that it can still be maintained. So I can't move in the south. When I shouted at Bai Ma that I wanted to inherit the Song Dynasty, everyone thought I just wanted to get rid of the two saints and dissenters. But they didn't know that I really wanted to get rid of those people who thought they could go back to a comfortable life. I really wanted to cleanse the country again and turn it into a new Song Dynasty! What the hell can be defended or peace, isn't it just for stability? But they don't know that the current situation is internal and external troubles, and if we don't move forward, we will die...Write a letter to Li Gang about what happened today, tell him word for word, and let him comment again! Just say that I am waiting for his reply!"
Lin Qi was restless and his heart was beating wildly, but he could only bow his head.
Zhao Jiu ignored him and walked directly to the side of the only person kneeling on the ground, speaking coldly: "Fahe Luohan, I have acquired several thousand acres of land in Shaolin Temple before, and you seem to have quite a lot of fields... Where did you get these nearly ten thousand acres of fertile land? Are they all donated by good men and women for free? Or did you follow this method, year after year, to help the rich and the poor? Do you think that your temples span dynasties, from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, and the troubles caused by them are for us officials to bear? So you can rest assured to help the rich and the poor? Digging up my roots? Are my eight ancestral tombs around Luoyang considered to have been dug up by your Shaolin Temple?"
Fahe prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to answer.
Zhao Jiu ignored him and turned to a purple-robed official who was standing in front of him: "Duke Yansheng, your family is the direct descendant of a saint, and it is said that your family has always been reasonable... But even if you are so reasonable, why do you ask for land from the front army of the imperial camp as soon as you return? Do you want to set up a returning team? Or do you think that your family can transcend dynasties and generations better than monks, so you feel more at ease to help the rich and the poor?"
Duke Yansheng's lips were already trembling, and he had no way of responding. An older man in a red robe beside him was about to speak up, but Zhao Jiu turned to another monk and said, "Master Xumu of Lingjiu Temple, you have indeed made great contributions in the past few years, but I want to ask you, why did your Lingjiu Temple gain an extra 1,000 or 2,000 acres of land every time the Jin people came and went, and the Pseudo-Qi Dynasty was established and abolished?"
"Your Majesty, those are ownerless lands left after the war, and they were not obtained due to oppression from loan sharks." Host Xu Mu clasped his hands together in panic and pleaded.
"But it's essentially a truth. Land is the foundation for settling the people. I can't give it to you easily." Zhao Jiu explained earnestly. "But I am not an unreasonable person... Just like Zhang Boying, the Grand Commandant, everyone knows that he loves money. He was once panicked before, thinking that I wanted to punish him and gave me the big silver ball, but I didn't want it. Not only that, I rewarded him with royal property. When he moved to your Jingdong, I didn't touch his house and shops in Xuzhou, but I specially asked people to take away his land in Xuzhou, and gave him special permission to invest in maritime trade and do business in Japan and Goryeo in my name... You say, even he is like this, what about you? Your Lingjiu Temple has more merits than him? I have said so much, you have to understand me. In the future, when we fight to Yanjing, we will take over the temples in Hebei and distribute them to you meritorious monks. Or if you go to Japan to do business, I can also allow your Lingjiu Temple a royal quota for a ship, but the land will be given to Wanqi Jinglüe to settle refugees and reward soldiers. How about it?"
"I understand, I understand!" Abbot Xumu quickly responded. "I am willing to give it to you, I am willing to give it to you!"
"And you... Han Xiaozhou!" Zhao Jiu didn't wait for the monk to continue his statement, and went straight to another person, who turned out to be Han Xiaozhou, the head of the Meihua Han family, the most aristocratic family in the dynasty. "Han Qing..."
"I am here." Han Xiaozhou was an honest man, so he quickly bowed. "I am here..."
"Let me ask you, is your family 'helping the rich and the poor'?" Zhao Jiu continued to inquire earnestly.
"I don't care about the family affairs." Han Xiaozhou said with sweat on his forehead. "Besides, my hometown is in Hebei, which has been occupied by the Jin people..."
"What about before?" Zhao Jiu couldn't stop asking. "Did the rich and the poor help each other in the past?"
Han Xiaozhou was so anxious that tears came to his eyes, really tears came to his eyes, but he didn't know how to respond.
"Let me tell you." Zhao Jiu patted the other person's shoulder and looked at him earnestly. "Your family really likes to help the rich and the poor. I have asked Yue Pengju. When he was in Xiangzhou, his father's generation was still a self-cultivating farmer with dozens of acres of land. But there was no way. When there was a disaster, he went to borrow money. Naturally, your family helped the poor and the rich, and all the dozens of acres of land were used up. When it came to him, he could only be a tenant farmer of your family... And the reason why he was able to join the army was that one day he went to your family to borrow money and encountered bandits besieging your wild villa in your hometown. He shot the bandit leader to death with one arrow, and was recommended by your family to be an archer... The funny thing is that your brother likes to tell people every day that Yue Jiedu was a tenant farmer of your family. What is he doing? Are you rushing to confess?"
Han Xiaozhou was almost on the verge of collapse.
"Do you know why I'm looking for you now?" Zhao Jiu shook his head and sighed at this person. "Because you, the Meihua Han family, are different from those monks and Taoists. Shaolin Temple, Lingjiu Temple, and even the Duke of Yansheng can cross dynasties and continue for generations. What about you? You, the Meihua Han family, and the Song Dynasty really share the same fate. Even the governor of Xiangzhou is exclusive to your family, which is almost like a feudal fief. But what did you get in return for this grace? If the Emperor Taishang Daojun's land collection was deceived by the six thieves, who deceived you for generations? Now you have fallen into a state of being a lost dog, and your ancestral tombs have been lost. Isn't this the result of your helping the rich and the poor in Xiangzhou? The country is what it is today, and you, the nobles who only know how to help the rich and the poor, and even some scholars who only care about accumulating wealth, are also the culprits! As for the Han family's current state of leaving their hometown, it is also their own fault!"
As he spoke, Han Xiaozhou began to breathe rapidly less than a foot in front of Emperor Zhao, then fell to the ground, seemingly unconscious. It was unclear whether he was suffocated or frightened... It just so happened that the emperor had been having an attack for half a day and was stunned for a moment, and the people around him did not dare to go to him to help him.
"Take him out for some fresh air." Zhao Jiu took a while to react, but he was a little bored, and then waved his hand. "After decades of ups and downs in the political world, you can't stand such words. No monk can stand it."
Not far behind him, the host Fahe, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead for a long time, moved his ears slightly, causing a line of sweat to flow down his neck. At Yang Yizhong's signal, two armored soldiers stepped forward and dragged Han Xiaozhou, who was dressed in a purple robe, out of the hall like dragging a prisoner.
After the people were taken away, Zhao Jiu returned to the desk, but he was too lazy to look through the notes... At this point, there was no point in looking through them, so he just gestured to Zhao Ding.
Zhao Yuanzhen, who was also sweating profusely, was slightly startled, then he understood and turned to face the whole room with a serious face: "The country has made a conclusion. Private lending breeds mergers and acquisitions, and we must prevent it. The Criminal Code will be issued soon, and it is about to limit the interest of lending to a maximum of 10% per month, 20% per quarter, and 50% per year... If there is any violation, not only will the fine be several times the amount, but also severe punishment will be imposed. The lighter punishment is to be shackled for three months, and the heavier punishment is to be confiscated and exiled... Today, all the members of the Secret Council and the Public Council are here, and we can discuss it in front of the emperor."
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room was silent, and no one even wiped the sweat off their face.
"I have said enough today. I have said everything I should and shouldn't have said. But I am just a man. I am young and hot-tempered. I will speak out if I am upset. If I don't say ruthless words and do ruthless things, I am not me!"
Zhao Jiu leaned sideways and spoke to the other people present. He did not feel tired or stuffy at all. On the contrary, many people, including several ministers, began to sweat profusely. "So I still have to say it. I know that some laws may not be effective immediately... just like the abolition of slavery and prohibition of pawning wives mentioned before, but with thousands of years of tradition, I am afraid that people will still do it secretly. And this law directly cuts the interest rate of private loans in half, which is bound to have a rebound. Those places far away from the emperor will not even pay attention to it. There is no way around it. Top-down reform is so difficult. But no matter how difficult it is, will I not do it? Will I not make laws? I can't control the people in the mountains. , I can’t control the small temples, small landlords, and small merchants who set high interest rates privately, so how can I control you? Those who came here today have at least taken over all the big loan sharks in the Central Plains. If anyone dares to say something like "helping the rich and the poor" to me, I will destroy your family and clan, and destroy your temples and temples, no matter if you are a star, a reincarnation of an arhat, or a direct descendant of a saint, or a royal relative! I don’t believe that you can’t change the customs even a little bit! You can’t let the people get a break!"
There was still complete silence, and after a moment, Minister Lü Haowen let out a long sigh, walked forward, and asked again, "Gongge Secret Chamber, does anyone object?"
Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun understood each other and stepped forward together, asking questions one by one.
After the three ministers finished their questioning, no one responded, but they asked the Minister of Justice Wang Shu to go out and take over the new criminal law, prepare to formulate it, and then publish it in the official gazette.
"It's not over yet." Amid the flickering firelight, Zhao Jiu, who was somewhat thirsty, sat there and continued to face each other. "Fahe Luohan..."
"I'm here." Fahe whispered on the ground, his breath was barely there, but his reaction was extremely quick.
"We have only stopped 'helping the rich and the poor', and haven't talked about 'profit from one source' yet..." Zhao Jiu said sternly. "I am very clear about the pros and cons of the Qingmiao Law. Using officials in the government to do this kind of thing will inevitably cause trouble. I must learn from my mistakes... Now I ask you, is Shaolin Temple willing to do Qingmiao loans for me in Henan Prefecture?"
Fahe looked up in surprise, stunned.
"It's just to follow the national laws and set an interest ceiling. If you need money, come to me and I'll cover it for you. It's done in a serious and open manner." Zhao Jiu spread out his notes, found the relevant matters, and read them out perfunctorily. "Then I'll send someone to check your accounts. You get the interest, and we'll add 50% to it. We won't go through the local government, but will send it to Tokyo in quarterly installments, and deposit it in the Jiaozi Office under the Ministry of Revenue. How do you do that?"
Fahe was about to speak.
"Don't think too much." Zhao Jiu suddenly closed his notebook and added with a sneer. "I dare not let you take care of taxes, levies and loans. You just think that I want to use the royal family's name to invest and force you to take over half of your Shaolin Temple's loan business. I also want to supervise you not to use this business to annex land... Moreover, I don't know if this method will work. Who knows, I may have to rectify and collect it in the future, or simply abandon it... But no matter what, we have to try to do it, right? Let's do it and see how it works!"
"How dare I disobey the emperor's decree?" Fahe scanned the faces of several ministers and realized that although this matter might be controversial, it had already been decided at the highest level. He immediately sat up cross-legged, clasped his hands together, and showed great joy. "Besides, the emperor is so powerful that there are seven Bodhisattvas guarding him. He is the most benevolent king among benevolent kings... and the decree of the benevolent king is also the decree of the law. I think even if our temple's founder Bodhidharma knew about it, he would obey it wholeheartedly."
"King of Benevolence?" Zhao Jiu sneered, looking at those nobles, merchants, monks and Taoists, but he was still sighing for no reason and speaking nonsense. "If you hadn't become a tyrannical king and an unfilial son in Shaoxing, how could you have the courage to be the King of Benevolence today? But what if you really did it? You are all just paper tigers!"
Fahe clasped his hands together, smiled, and pretended not to understand.