Chapter 1857: Reform Deepens

The dispute in the Metropolitan Circuit finally came to an end after Chancellor Zhao Kuangyi personally arrived in Yingchang and mediated between the two commissioners. In the main hall of the Metropolitan Circuit office, Zhao Kuangyi delivered an impassioned address on behalf of the court, personally conveying the court's will to the metropolitan officials, explaining the significance of the tax reform, and expressing the court's firm resolve.

After Zhao Kuangyi's speech, the series of overt and covert struggles surrounding the tax reform in the metropolitan officialdom was forcibly brought to a halt. From then on, the focus of all work shifted to the implementation of the new tax system—Zhao Kuangyi had made this unmistakably clear.

As for Pan and Li, the two who had stirred up the political strife, Zhao Kuangyi gave each a share of the blame, reprimanding them both on behalf of the court. But when the speech concluded, Administration Commissioner Pan You had an obvious smile at the corners of his mouth, which made him all the more odious in some people's eyes. Pan You, of course, could not care less—in this dispute, he was clearly the victor.

As for the partiality in Zhao Kuangyi's words and the veiled warnings therein, Pan You cared even less. They were not of the same political faction to begin with, and could not possibly see eye to eye.

Though Zhao Kuangyi was skilled in political maneuvering, he had strong literati habits and favored the refined and virtuous type of minister. Pan You, though a civil official, had none of the literati's moral fiber. His withdrawn temperament, coupled with that ugly face of his, were all things Zhao Kuangyi disliked.

However, Zhao Kuangyi's likes and dislikes were utterly irrelevant to Pan You. You may be a descendant of meritorious nobles, honored as a chancellor, seated high in the Hall of State Affairs, but you have little power to restrain this Pan.

The greatest effect of Zhao Kuangyi's trip to Yingchang was achieving a temporary unity of reformist thinking among the upper echelons of the Metropolitan Circuit. Whatever their private thoughts, they put on a full show of propriety. Moreover, he drew a red line for them: struggles that impeded the reform process would no longer be tolerated by the court—whoever crossed the line would be dealt with.

Of course, what appears on the surface is hard to distinguish between true and false. In private, Zhao Kuangyi summoned Li Shouyuan and gave him a stern warning. The relationship between the Zhao and Li families being what it was, Zhao Kuangyi showed no politeness toward Li Shouyuan, speaking plainly and directly.

The little tricks you've been pulling in the Metropolitan Circuit, the petty cleverness you've been showing—the esteemed lords of the court see it all clearly. It is only because your actions have not overstepped too far that heavy punishment has not yet been meted out.

But if you do not learn to restrain yourself and persist in going your own way, the court will show no leniency. On the matter of tax reform, the court judges by deeds, not intentions. As long as you create substantive obstruction to the reform, that is a crime.

Therefore, continuing to oppose Pan You in the Metropolitan Circuit would lead nowhere good and would not be worth it. Zhao Kuangyi's severe reprimand was like a basin of cold water poured over Li Shouyuan's head, thoroughly shattering the faint hope he had harbored in his heart. Amid his disappointment, he had no choice but to sincerely admit his errors and express that he had been taught a lesson.

At bottom, the most fundamental contradiction between Pan You and Li Shouyuan was still a struggle for power. After all, Li Shouyuan had at one time regarded himself as the next head of the Metropolitan Circuit. Choosing to use tax reform as a weapon in political strife, making a big issue of it, even bordering on aggravating the conflict—this naturally was hard for the higher-ups to tolerate.

As for the impact of tax reform on the existing rentier class, there naturally was some, but for noble families like the Zhao and Li clans, it was not as great as imagined. After all, the nobles of the Great Han today draw their interests from many sources. Income from land is certainly important, but there are many other industries to supplement it.

The court's tax reform merely raises taxes a bit; it does not deprive them of land ownership. Since it does not touch fundamentals, there is room for compromise. Moreover, most nobles have a certain amount of their own "tax-exempt" quota, which is a favor granted by the court and has not been revoked. Even if there are losses, they concern only excess land, which is itself extra benefit.

Therefore, in the Great Han's tax reform, those who reacted most fiercely were by no means the upper-class magnates, but rather the middle and lower landowner classes. They were the court's primary targets, and the redistributive balancing effect of the new tax system was aimed precisely at these people.

Of course, even among the upper-class magnates, not everyone had a clear head or an accurate understanding of the tax reform. Harming their interests is like cutting flesh from their bodies, so it would not be surprising if they did something foolish and muddle-headed. But at least noble houses of marquis and duke rank, like the Zhao and Li families, would obviously not be as desperately fixated on those land interests as ordinary people.

After a thorough discussion, Zhao Kuangyi gave Li Shouyuan two choices. The first was to set aside all petty schemes, remain in the Metropolitan Circuit, actively cooperate with Pan You's administration, and complete the tax reform task assigned by the court. The second was simple: be transferred out of the Metropolitan Circuit to serve elsewhere. Of course, there was also a third path—continue with current practices—but the consequences would be more than Li Shouyuan could bear.

Li Shouyuan did not hesitate much and, following his heart, chose the first path. After all, the losses from the second and third options were simply too great. As for the first, he only needed to overcome a psychological hurdle, for it was tantamount to laying down his arms and admitting defeat to that fellow Pan You, which would deal a certain blow to Li Shouyuan's personal prestige.

However, a true man knows when to advance and when to retreat, and can bend and stretch as circumstances require. For an elite noble like Li Shouyuan, making such a choice was not particularly difficult. Besides, he could not afford to offend Zhao Kuangyi as well—he was, after all, the core figure of their political group.

Zhao Kuangyi was fairly satisfied with his decision. Had the man been obstinately unyielding, he would not have had any truly effective means to deal with him for the time being. Moreover, the Metropolitan Circuit was a key region, and it needed its own people.

Finally, Zhao Kuangyi revealed some inside information to Li Shouyuan, telling him to take the long view and look ahead. He even said plainly that Pan You, this Administration Commissioner, was a blade used to cut through obstacles to reform. Before the tax reform was completed, anyone who crossed blades with him would only end up with a bloody head.

And once the tax reform was finished, whether it succeeded or failed, Pan You would certainly not remain long in his post. When that time came, opportunity would naturally arise. There was truly no need to tangle with him at such a sensitive moment when all eyes were upon them.

With Zhao Kuangyi's instruction, Li Shouyuan finally set his mind at ease. He even capitulated thoroughly, personally going to see Pan You to offer an insincere apology. Moreover, after Zhao Kuangyi's speech, he publicly declared that he would firmly uphold his conviction and unwaveringly implement the new system, not failing the court's trust—anyone who dared to be less than diligent in the reform, or even pay lip service while opposing it in practice, would be making an enemy of him, Vice Commissioner Li... The flexibility of this shift in position was truly astonishing.

After Zhao Kuangyi's trip to Yingchang, the tax reform work in the Metropolitan Circuit made breakthrough progress, with the pace greatly accelerated, since the representative of the largest force in the circuit's upper echelons had chosen the compromising path of temporarily avoiding the blade's edge.

Against this backdrop, in the autumn and winter of the twenty-fourth year of Kaibao, government offices at all levels throughout the Metropolitan Circuit, under Pan You's grand order, carried out a total mobilization. Everyone threw themselves into study and education on the new system, as well as the core work of land surveying.

After this year's autumn harvest concluded, while ensuring the smooth collection of the old taxes, the circuit office drew a large number of personnel to throw into the surveying of land under its jurisdiction. From north to south, one "report of victory" after another arrived in Yingchang.

The results of this land survey were far more complete than the unified effort before the Mid-Autumn Festival, for there had been more ample time and also greater pressure.

These results also made Pan You realize once again the ability of his subordinates to fool their superiors. The newly reported land registers, when aggregated, showed a total that was double that of the survey before the Mid-Autumn Festival...

By the end of winter in the twenty-fourth year of Kaibao, the surveying of farmland in the prefectures under the Metropolitan Circuit was largely complete. But the tail left behind was still a hard bone for Pan You to gnaw.

That was the land situation of the magnates under his jurisdiction. In previous work, it had never been the focus. With the tacit approval of the circuit office, officials at all levels had deliberately avoided it, adopting the strategy of tackling the easy first and the difficult later.

But now that the landholdings of the small and medium landowners had been fully registered, Pan You had no choice but to turn his gaze toward the magnate households. This difficult hurdle had to be crossed.

When Pan You formally issued the order to survey the magnates' land, it also meant that the tax reform of the Metropolitan Circuit had entered a deeper level.