[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-366":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558532,2024,"Chapter 366: The Report","shao-song-chapter-366",366,"\u003Cp>\"If I suspected Lord Li, why would I need to send someone to investigate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhao Jiu instinctively blurted out this retort, not only did Li Gang fall silent, but the other close ministers also grew quiet... For no other reason than that times had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only the two parties involved and the many close ministers who had personally experienced that period, but even the old Tangut Ren Baozhong knew that when His Majesty had first ascended the throne, Li Gang was the court's pillar, the nation's banner. If they wanted to resist the Jin, unite people's hearts, and re-establish a court, only Lord Li could do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that time, Lord Li looked down on His Majesty, and His Majesty could only remain 'silent' beneath the Buddha statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then later, when His Majesty used a belt to secure Han Shizhong on the Huai River, bought Zhang Jun with half a duck, executed Liu Guangshi in passing, seized military power, and used fishing tactics to create the illusion of holding back the Jin army's advance, he had gained some power... But immediately after the war, he used a trick, leaving Lord Li in Yangzhou while he himself turned south toward Nanyang... Although this move was said to be for the sake of resisting the Jin, his intention to shake off Lord Li's control and personally seize the initiative at court was all too obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, he still had to change Lord Li's title to Lord Grand Councilor, and entrust the Empress Dowager, the Imperial Consort, and the Imperial Heir to him as an unspoken understanding. Then, he had to entrust all authority over southeastern government affairs to him to stabilize the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This situation continued until the great victory at Yanyang, when His Majesty recovered the old capital, gained the recognition of Zong Ze, the Deputy Regent of the Eastern Capital, along with his political and military legacy, and acquired unprecedented political prestige. Only then did the roles of lord and minister completely reverse, turning the situation between them upside down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, in the eyes of some political animals, the military rebellion in the southeast and the matter of the Imperial Heir were not necessarily bad things. Otherwise, given the personalities of this pair of lord and minister, they might have ended up staging some traditional feudal political drama between ruler and subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would have been far from ideal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time went on to the present, Li Gang's wings inside and outside the court had been completely clipped. Even his own younger brother was unwilling to act as an intermediary for him. Meanwhile, His Majesty enjoyed his own authority after the Yaoshan campaign. So Li Gang, an outdated old minister—and an old power broker at that—naturally seemed even more out of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, according to everyone's understanding and the tacit political rules, anyone could bring up old matters—whether it was being looked down upon, the southeastern military rebellion and the Imperial Heir issue, or his previous opposition to major court policies. If His Majesty wished, he could openly and justifiably end Li Gang's political life entirely—so-called 'appointment to the Mingdao Temple, resettlement in Nanjing' would suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all he had been through, Li Gang himself clearly thought so too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, these people had all misjudged. Regarding Li Gang, the time-traveler Zhao Jiu had his own unique perspective. Even that remark just now was merely a retort blurted out for the sake of verbal satisfaction after being choked upon their first meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, if there was one person in the world who knew that Li Gang could never be dealt with in such a manner by His Majesty, it was Zhao Jiu himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After crossing the river, I came first to Taiping Prefecture. First, because I haven't seen Lord Li in many years and missed him... I ought to come and see him...\" Zhao Jiu thought for a moment, then finally chose to be frank. \"Second, I wanted to borrow Lord Li's territory to first avoid the limelight, to preliminarily assess the situation in the south before taking action...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What action does Your Majesty intend to take? Against whom?\" Li Gang's vigilance remained unchanged after his silence. \"Forgive me for speaking bluntly, but since Lu Yihao established the Monthly Tribute and the Administrative Fee, the people's strength in the Jiangnan region has been exhausted...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who exactly are 'the people' here?\" Having barely suppressed some of his emotions, Zhao Jiu grew irritated again. \"Are they the poor commoners who farm and weave with their own hands, or the wealthy merchants and landlords who casually throw out thousands of strings of cash? Or the temples and monasteries that collect seven or eight hundred piculs of rent every year?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Gang was silent for another moment before asking stubbornly in return: \"Why does Your Majesty think I am speaking for those people? When and where have I ever advocated for them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time it was Zhao Jiu's turn to be stumped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lord and minister—one in his late twenties, sharp and full of vigor, at the height of his authority; the other around fifty, knowing his position was weak yet undiminished in spirit—fell into a long, silent stare-down on the banks of the Yangtze River, south of Caishiji and north of Dangtu, the seat of Taiping Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The accompanying close ministers and the local officials of Taiping Prefecture all buried their heads as low as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Majesty's authority needed no elaboration, and no one dared to provoke Li Gang, a man who had once been Grand Councilor, without explicit instructions from His Majesty... The atmosphere grew increasingly awkward and tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, it was His Majesty who chose to yield. He sighed softly, his tone easing as he spoke earnestly on the southern bank of the Yangtze: \"Minister Li, I came south this time to get things done, not to quarrel with you. Even if you have grievances, you should maintain the bearing of a grand minister and let me enter the city first before we talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Gang, perhaps feeling somewhat despondent as well, bowed and stepped aside, then shook his head in response: \"I guard this territory for Your Majesty; how could I block the Son of Heaven from entering the prefectural city?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu had nothing more to say. He immediately clasped his hands behind his back, picked up the ledger, mounted his horse, and rode into the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the city, since they had already clashed again, the atmosphere was naturally not as harmonious as it had been in Yangzhou. Both sides went through the motions for a while before quickly dispersing—Li Gang returned to his own residence, while His Majesty, having arrived hastily, had to temporarily stay in the prefectural office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lord and minister reunited but had nothing to say to each other. Recalling their parting on the Huai River back then, when they compared themselves to Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, it now seemed utterly absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've long heard that Lord Li has a straightforward temper, but I didn't expect him to be so aggressive. And His Majesty could actually tolerate that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since His Majesty had returned to the prefectural office and it was still early, he naturally wanted to look over those investigation reports. The others were fine, but the few close ministers who had crossed the river ahead of time and written the reports could not simply leave. They remained in the side courtyard of the prefectural office, chatting idly while waiting to be summoned for questioning... The one speaking now was none other than the newly appointed Secretary, Zong Ying, on his first imperial escort duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Secretary, you're overthinking it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren Baozhong, knowing that this newly added close minister was another one born with a silver spoon, yet of ordinary talent, and with his father having passed away, felt inclined to draw him in. So he immediately responded. \"This has nothing to do with temper; it's about position. When all is said and done, Lord Li was ousted from the position of Grand Councilor. It's only natural for him to have plenty of resentment. And His Majesty understands this reasoning, so why would he keep arguing with him? You can take my word for it—if His Majesty were to immediately restore Lord Li to the position of Grand Councilor, the two of them would instantly... be as close as fish and water.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Ying let out an \"oh,\" suddenly enlightened, though it was unclear whether he truly understood or was just pretending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, according to reason and character, although there were only a few people in the side courtyard, only the old Tangut dog Ren Baozhong could have spoken such words of interest... In fact, once Ren Baozhong said this, the others aside, Mei Li and Yu Yunwen, two fellow examination graduates, exchanged a glance. They both understood inwardly while suppressing a certain thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For no other reason than that Ren Baozhong had once been a powerful minister in Western Xia. After a single defeat, he was sidelined for decades. The moment His Majesty attacked Hengshan, he surrendered directly. He was probably speaking from his own experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, such words could not be said to his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, while Mei Li and Yu Yunwen, both young men, found it hard to speak, someone else didn't care and immediately spoke up without any regard for tact. It was none other than Hanlin Academician Lu Benzhong:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Secretary Ren, don't judge others by yourself! For a figure like Lord Li, even if he has some concerns about losing his position as Grand Councilor, it wouldn't come to this extent...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please enlighten me, Academician.\" Ren Baozhong cupped his hands in response, showing no anger at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others knew that although Lu Benzhong was merely an Academician by inheritance—good at poetry, decent at running a small newsletter, but a complete mess in politics—everyone also knew he had a good father... So when he spoke, not only Ren Baozhong but also the others pricked up their ears with a bit more seriousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You only know one side of the story, not the other. For a figure like Lord Li, the gain or loss of the Grand Councilor position is superficial; the real root is the evaluation of his policies.\" Lu Benzhong indeed looked around and spoke with ease. \"In fact, just now, when His Majesty and Lord Li were arguing like that, although their words were few, they directly touched on the key point—financial strategy. Financial strategy is the real reason why Lord Lu (Lu Yihao) of Hangzhou replaced Lord Li. It's also the real reason His Majesty had us conduct this investigation. And it's related to Lord Li's posthumous reputation... No wonder he's furious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How so?\" Ren Baozhong urged him on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How so?\" Lu Benzhong clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head, as if sighing with emotion. \"Back when His Majesty ascended the throne and Lord Li was in power, he built the court and restored order—his merits were immense. But at that time, the state was collapsing, with no finances or military to speak of. Everything required fiscal solutions, and Lord Li's financial strategy was... hard to describe. Whether he was in Nanjing back then or later came to the southeast, he had roughly only two financial methods. One was called austerity—making the court save money—which left nothing to criticize. The other was to have the wealthy and powerful in each prefecture and county voluntarily donate to fill the gaps...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was momentarily stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren Baozhong was taken aback, almost unable to believe it: \"Since ancient times, to get people to part with money, you either set laws to forcibly levy it through official authority, or you entice them with other things like His Majesty did in Yangzhou. Lord Li had risen to the position of Grand Councilor—how could he think that relying on donations from wealthy households would see the state through its difficulties?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is the real reason Lord Li lost his position as Grand Councilor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong shook his head even more emphatically. \"At the moment of the empire's collapse, he had integrity, so he could stand out from the crowd. But when it came to practical matters, his shortcomings became apparent... Back in the Taiyuan campaign, Military Governor Li Yanxian impeached him for not understanding military affairs—that's already settled and need not be elaborated on. And at that time, the court, from top to bottom, including His Majesty, was disappointed in him. First, because he pursued this absurd financial strategy in Nanjing, which was obviously unworkable. Second, because after arriving in the southeast, he still had no solutions. It was then that Lord Lu (Lu Yihao) rose to clean up the salt and liquor monopolies in the southeast, proposed the Administrative Fee, and established the Monthly Tribute... And Li and Lu were irreconcilable in the southeast at the time, so the court naturally had to make a choice!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No wonder Lord Li just now criticized Lord Lu's establishment of the Administrative Fee and Monthly Tribute, and no wonder he claimed he had never shielded the wealthy—it all had a reason?\" Zong Ying said thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Administrative Fee and Monthly Tribute are certainly not good things.\" Fan Zongyin, the Third Illumination Academician, also couldn't help but join the discussion. \"But if Lord Lu hadn't hastily collected six million strings of Administrative Fee revenue in the southeast and sent it to the Eastern Capital, how could the army have been kept in order after the Heying recruitment? And if the Monthly Tribute hadn't later been established as a standing practice, adding three million strings in taxes from the southeast and three million piculs in levies from Jingxiang, how could the Western Army have been gathered and the victory at Yaoshan achieved?! So looking back, no matter what, Lord Lu was superior to Lord Li... The Lu-Li rivalry was decided on this matter of finance. Lord Li will never overturn this verdict in his lifetime.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ren Baozhong was filled with admiration, and Zong Ying felt that these two Academicians, Fan and Lu, were unfathomably profound, truly worthy of being Imperial Drafters. Even the others who had remained silent, such as Yang Yizhong, Yu Yunwen, and Mei Li, were momentarily filled with respect, feeling that they had to view them in a new light... These Third Illumination Academicians had been conducting secret investigations in Jiangnan for nearly a month and had indeed undergone a transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as for Academician Lu, it was unclear whether this was again words entrusted to him by Lord Lu before leaving the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as the side courtyard was enjoying its moment of glory, a man suddenly strode out from the adjacent courtyard. Entering the side courtyard, he waved the documents in his hand and directly demanded in a loud voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fan Zongyin! Is this the investigation you conducted?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Third Illumination Academician was greatly alarmed, and the other close ministers were also startled. They saw His Majesty, now in civilian clothes, step further in front of Academician Fan, pointing at the documents in his hand with unabated anger, as Liu Yan and several young Imperial Guards hurriedly followed behind him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I gave you a month to investigate a single county, even specially drew up a table and set options for you. And this is how you wrote it? 'Approximately,' 'rumor has it,' 'it is commonly heard'... A city with an annual commercial tax of no more than three thousand strings, and you don't even know which family is the wealthiest there?! How exactly did you conduct your inquiries this past month?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he knew that His Majesty's anger was eighty percent stirred up by Li Gang, Fan Zongyin was still flustered by His Majesty's thunderous rage. He quickly bowed and replied: \"Let Your Majesty know, I went to Ningguo County and asked around...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course you asked around. Who did you ask? How did you end up with such results?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Naturally, the local scholars...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu, exasperated to the point of laughing, opened the documents with a smile, flipped to a certain page, pulled out a sheet of paper, and then asked again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Setting aside the fact that you couldn't find out about the family assets, let me ask you this: Why is there an attached note at the back of this document, saying something about someone in Xuancheng being lawless and harassing the gentry and commoners... Did I send you to Xuancheng?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am ashamed, Your Majesty. This was from Xuancheng scholars who heard I was in Ningguo and came to tell me...\" Fan Zongyin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, I sent you to investigate in secret, and you couldn't help but reveal your status as a high-ranking drafter?\" Zhao Jiu laughed even more, clearly furious to the extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Zongyin was completely speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu turned his head to look around, his face now devoid of smile or anger, expressionless as he asked coldly: \"Who else revealed their identity?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others exchanged glances, then Lu Benzhong, who had just stolen the show, cautiously stepped forward and bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu was not at all surprised, merely turning back to Liu Yan, who had followed him out: \"Bring Lu Benzhong's report on Gucheng Town...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Yan dared not delay, hurried back inside, then quickly came out again, presenting Lu Benzhong's report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu opened it to read. The front pages on landlords and fields were fairly clear, but when he flipped to the other pages and glimpsed one item, a surge of anger rushed to his head... It took him a long time to suppress it, then he ground his teeth:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lu Benzhong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your servant is here.\" Lu Benzhong was terrified, and the others also shivered in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them, Zong Ying, experiencing this for the first time, nearly lost his composure and knelt to confess, but Ren Baozhong was quick-eyed and grabbed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I ask you, how many bridges and how many ferries are there under Gucheng Town by Gucheng Lake?\" Zhao Jiu, of course, didn't notice the minor scuffle, only earnestly questioning Lu Benzhong before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Four ferries, four bridges.\" Lu Benzhong blurted out. \"Your servant counted them himself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why didn't you write it clearly, four ferries and four bridges?\" Zhao Jiu felt a breath stuck in his chest, nearly suffocating him. \"Instead writing something like 'a small bridge and a slanting ferry, seven or eight places'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong dared not speak at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And also.\" Zhao Jiu laughed in fury again. \"Why did you write below, 'Your servant went out under the autumn wind in the moonlight, walked to the small bridge by Gucheng Lake, climbed the bridge to look, the light and shadow in the lake shifting, though not as fine as the twenty-four bridges on a moonlit night in Yangzhou, it had its own charm'... You went to count bridges, yet you think of Yangzhou's twenty-four bridges on a moonlit night—who do you want to play the flute for you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Lu Benzhong, the entire side courtyard was silent, only the sound of the autumn wind shaking the trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough!\" Zhao Jiu, at the peak of his anger, instead grew too lazy to bother. \"I had anticipated this situation before, but if the rest of you are as frivolous as these two drafters, then I've wasted a whole month's time for nothing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said this, the Emperor turned to go back and continue reading, but as he reached the side courtyard gate, he frowned and looked back: \"Lu Benzhong, since you revealed your identity and spend all day 'going out under the autumn wind in the moonlight,' how did you get such precise details on who the biggest landlords are, how much land they have, what taxes they pay, and even how many shops and what business they run... Who did you ask?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your servant asked the monks.\" Lu Benzhong quickly explained. \"There's a Mingquan Temple by Gucheng Lake... Your servant only revealed his identity to the temple monks and had them help investigate and inquire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu's expression eased slightly... This was actually a method, even an excellent one. Monks had great advantages in conducting local investigations, so it was no wonder that aside from those frivolous digressions, much of what Lu Benzhong investigated was quite good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as the Emperor was about to nod and turn back, he recalled something and asked seriously: \"And what about Mingquan Temple itself? How much land does it have? Does it engage in local commerce? How many monks? How many monk's quarters?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong opened his mouth to speak but had no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cramped Jiangnan courtyard, the Emperor saw this, looked up and sighed deeply, then finally turned and went back, leaving the entire courtyard uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, their unease was also unnecessary. Just as the Emperor wouldn't truly let Li Gang come to a bad end, he wouldn't punish these close ministers over such a matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zhao Jiu knew very well that in this era, expecting these people to produce an \"Xunwu Investigation\" was nonsense. As for those in the side courtyard, including Yang Yizhong and Ren Baozhong, none of them would personally go talk to peasants. Their ability to seek out scholars, monks, and Daoists to ask questions and achieve this much was already good enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu himself had been mentally prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Zhao Jiu had no right to punish them for this. Not to mention anything else, he had spent the entire month in Yangzhou indulging in frivolity, eating, drinking, and having fun—when had he ever gone to investigate himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was nothing more than throwing his imperial weight around, delegating the work, making a form, and forcing them to fill it in... Throughout history, bad superiors only ever used these methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it even more bluntly, as an emperor, Zhao Jiu had no way to go incognito and investigate the truth himself. If he couldn't trust these people, there was no one left to trust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the sudden burst of anger he had just felt, it was essentially still from being angry with Li Gang. And these reports weren't actually that absurd... Many things and many problems could be seen between the lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, as an ordinary college student who had gone through nine years of compulsory education, Zhao Jiu had roughly known the root of the problem from the start. So rather than using the reports to find problems, it was more like searching for corresponding evidence within them:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Zongyin mentioned the evil custom of infanticide, widespread not only in Fujian but throughout the entire Southeast;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Benzhong mentioned the rampant excessive worship by rivers and lakes, and the resurgence of the Vegetarian Demon Sect in local areas;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Li mentioned the universal integration of wealthy merchants with landlords, and temples with landlords;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Yunwen mentioned the widespread practice of cremation and water burial in the countryside;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yizhong mentioned the widespread strong dissatisfaction among both scholar-officials and commoners toward the relevant councilors Lü Yihao, Zhao Ding, and Zhang Jun;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Ying mentioned that some rural folk had abandoned their land and moved to cities;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And of course, there was the issue everyone mentioned: the universal existence of super-large landlords collecting over five hundred dan of rent in Southeast towns and countryside, and the fact that the common people of the Southeast indeed bore an extremely heavy burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For three consecutive days, Zhao Jiu stayed in the prefectural courtyard, neither attending any banquets nor reconciling with Li Gang. He only continuously studied the reports, summoning, questioning, and discussing with his close ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three days, Zhao Jiu finally stripped away the superficial matters and fundamentally incorporated the problems around the core issue of Southeast taxation... This was natural. Not only had Zhao Jiu long seen the answer in history books, but all social problems ultimately and concretely boil down to this basic issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly everything—infanticide, rampant excessive worship, the Vegetarian Demon Sect taking advantage, the universal existence of landlords, the popularity of water burial and cremation—in the end, it all came down to the problem of land, population, and taxation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, after three days, having finished reading the reports, the Emperor cast them aside completely and listed several terms in his summary notes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the Land-Tax-and-Corvée System;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, the Two-Tax Law;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, Non-Restriction on Land Annexation;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth, Land Surface Rights and Subsoil Rights;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth, the Poll Tax;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixth, Corvée Labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among these, the meaning of the Land-Tax-and-Corvée System was simple: \"land tax\" was the tax on fields, while \"corvée\" meant that when commoners needed to perform labor service, they could fulfill their corvée obligation by paying silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a basic Chinese tax system widely implemented since the Tang Dynasty, targeting the lower classes. It certainly had many problems, but its progressive significance was undeniable... Especially the \"corvée\" part—by paying silk to avoid basic labor service, commoners could focus on production without worrying about missing the busy farming season, greatly increasing their productive enthusiasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, no matter how many problems the Land-Tax-and-Corvée System had, they couldn't offset its positive aspects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next was the Two-Tax Law, also a reform achievement of the Tang Dynasty and a good policy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To discuss the Two-Tax Law, one first needed to understand a concept: in feudal times, the common people of any country had no resistance against the government. Every time yamen runners and officials came down to interact with the people, it caused great harm... Even if they came to implement good policies, each contact brought disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When superiors came to collect taxes and grain, wouldn't they extort? Wouldn't they kill a chicken for a meal? Wouldn't they covet your pretty daughter? Wouldn't local ruffians with connections to the government seize the chance to annex your few acres of good vegetable garden?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Two-Tax Law, put simply, unified all taxes into a single calculation, with collection only twice a year, in summer and autumn. This greatly reduced the frequency of commoners being harassed by officials and allowed them to allocate production resources annually, without constant tension month after month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, it was certainly a good policy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Zhao Jiu's own use of temples and merchants to replace the government in implementing the Green Sprout Loan, it was essentially a similar idea... No matter how good a method, if executed by officials and the government holding power, it would quickly degenerate into bad governance—this was unsurprising in feudal times. Monks and wealthy merchants could also ruin things, but they were still much better than the feudal government.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even according to what Ping Qingsheng from the Red Heart Squad said, in Japan, hundreds of years ago, there was a similar system—lending to commoners during the lean season... And the result? The result was that nobles and officials forced commoners to take loans, then used the interest to plunder and annex land on a large scale. This led to the destruction of Japan's distinctive land-grant system, the complete rise of manor economies, and the subsequent birth of the samurai class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, if the Land-Tax-and-Corvée System and the Two-Tax Law were time-tested basic good policies that must be upheld, the remaining four items were the real problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third item needed no further comment... The Great Song Dynasty allowed land annexation; it was legal and compliant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth item, concerning the issue of topsoil and subsoil rights, was a malicious boycott measure adopted by large landowners last year after the court announced an additional tax on land property, in order to evade this tax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, the landlords had in fact annexed the surrounding commoners' land and collected rent, but to pay less tax, they used contracts to nominally leave the land property under the commoners' names, thereby shifting the court taxes they themselves should have borne onto the tenant farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fifth item need not be elaborated on either: the head tax, or poll tax—regardless of how much land your family had, if you had an adult male, you had to pay this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sixth was another disguised form of poll tax… Under the rent-and-corvée system, one could of course be exempt from most labor service, but the labor service itself was converted into a tax in the form of silk cloth. In other words, corvée still existed; it had merely been changed into paying taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what was corvée based on? Still the adult male population.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, besides traditional corvée, there were always other categories of labor service that had to be done by people… such as the infamous Song dynasty systems of yamen service and village head service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yamen service required you to watch over public property, but in reality, what public property wasn't embezzled by officials and clerks? Thus, yamen service degenerated into a robbery that effectively forced commoners to make up for lost official goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Village head service was similar… It was set up for convenience in tax collection, designating one household as the village head to act as a kind of tax farmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when a wealthy household acted as tax farmer, they could use the opportunity to plunder; but when an ordinary commoner took on this job, they dared not collect taxes from truly powerful families, and there were also poor commoners who genuinely couldn't pay their taxes. The result was that the commoner household serving as village head had to dig into their own family assets to make up the tax shortfall… which was essentially equivalent to open robbery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, after going full circle, it was inevitable that the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, but as the rich got richer, their power grew, and they became less subject to exploitation, while the poor got poorer, and their burden was in no way lightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take infanticide, for example. The logic was simple: a family had only so much land and property, but as soon as a child grew up, they had to bear the corresponding poll tax and corvée tax (silk cloth)… The result was that the poor couldn't afford to raise children, dared not raise them, and if they had too many, they drowned them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was especially true in Fujian Circuit, where land was plentiful but people were numerous. Infanticide had become a basic custom there—Hu Yin had nearly been drowned this way. And in the wealthy Liangzhe Circuit and Jiangnan East Circuit, though somewhat less common, similar things were not absent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter came together here: infanticide was not some vile custom, and the people of Fujian were not born to bear a bad name; it was a problem of the contradiction between people and land, and of taxation. Cremation and water burial were the same—done to save land for farming. Illicit sacrifices and the vegetarian demon cult were also like this—the result of the grassroots losing faith in the government, and of the government's failure in grassroots governance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since ancient times, China has had this problem… the bottom-level peasants bore everything, yet no one gave them a second glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the prosperous age that the Great Song dynasty had sustained for over a hundred years, and it was also a problem Zhao Jiu had considered for a long time before his journey southeast… He had already been mentally prepared when he came here; it was just that having his close ministers conduct investigations and then analyzing it himself made it even more profound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, after another two days, the Zhao Emperor, who had not set foot outside Taiping Prefecture at all, erased those six terms as well and rewrote them into two simple terms:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was called \"annexation\";\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second was called \"head burden.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This then connected with the textbooks he had studied in those years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after writing these two terms, Zhao Jiu hesitated only a moment before tearing them up as well, then wrote down in his little notebook two terms that had been circling in his mind before he came:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One: \"In a prosperous age, increase the population, never increase the tax\";\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two: \"Spread the head tax onto the land.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two terms, two sheets of paper. The Zhao Emperor once again fell into a dilemma of choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, just as this emperor was hesitating, Li Gang finally requested an audience—after crossing the river, the emperor had stood up the southeastern scholar-officials and stayed silently in another prefecture for six or seven days. Meanwhile, more and more scholar-officials, including those from Lianghuai, Jiangdong, and Fujian, had long since gradually gathered in Liangzhe. He could not withstand the pressure from all sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he wanted to ask the Zhao Emperor to travel east to Liangzhe to fulfill his promise of a related \"political symposium.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To this, Zhao Jiu, who had never made up his mind, also knew he could delay no longer. After a sigh, he put away both sheets of paper and then set out eastward, but also issued an edict for Li Gang to accompany him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the second day of the tenth month, the imperial carriage arrived at Jinling, where troops under Liu Qi's command assembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the eighth day of the tenth month, the imperial carriage arrived at Suzhou. Suzhou turned out in full force to welcome him. The Zhao Emperor then formally issued an edict here, announcing that at the end of the month he would convene a policy discussion with southeastern scholar-officials near Hangzhou. Moreover, aside from current and retired officials with rank and treatment, and student-scholars, regardless of monk or layman, merchant or commoner, and regardless of whether they belonged to Lianghuai, Liangzhe, Liangjiang, or Fujian, anyone with words to present, whether in writing or orally, could come before the emperor to speak… Once the clear edict was issued, the southeast boiled over once more. People from all over rushed to tell each other and gathered in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area. By the time the Zhao Emperor's procession left Suzhou, there were already no fewer than several hundred southeastern scholars following on donkeys or in carriages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fifteenth day of the tenth month, due to unexpected rain, the imperial carriage arrived slightly late in Hangzhou. The Zhao Emperor then met with Lu Yihao, Lord Lu, for a private discussion. Over the next few days, the gathered scholars, already numbering over a thousand, filled the city of Hangzhou inside and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the nineteenth day of the tenth month, the final edict was formally issued. The Zhao Emperor, Lord Lu, and the two Inner Drafting Scholars, Fan and Lü, would begin a five-day symposium by West Lake on the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month. The Son of Heaven, the chief councilors, and the inner drafting scholars would conduct on-site business. If any proposal was agreed upon, an edict would be issued on the spot to form a government decree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, the southeast boiled over for the third time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the twenty-second day of the tenth month, with the arrival of Xu Jingheng, Lord Xu, the Zhao Emperor finally remembered one matter. He took the three lords, Lü, Li, and Xu, to visit the Retired Emperor Yuansheng at Dongxiao Palace… The two brothers met, and it was said that the elder was kind and the younger respectful, the scene was extremely warm, and the two emperors and three lords even shared a meal of Dongpo pork at Dongxiao Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, for the next three days, the price of Dongpo pork in Hangzhou city doubled outright.\u003C\u002Fp>",5936,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","1492176887a401843967ad543bac1dae209acc917815aacc094e2de89c55e2a2","shao-song-chapter-367","shao-song-chapter-365",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]