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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 552: Above the Court

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    The next day, when it was still dark, the Forbidden City was already bustling with activity.  .  .  There is a yellow table on the east side of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the sky is dim. The princes, Beile, and Beizi gather at the Taihe Gate.  The Ming Zan officer led the ministers and the Jinbiao officers into Liangye Gate and established Danqi. The officials from Korea and Mongolia entered from Xiye Gate and established the end of Xiban.  There are two people from Dongxiang under the west eaves of Jiuyi Censor, four people each from Danbi and Danqi who are from the east and west, eight people from the east and west classes, and four people who praise the eaves of the official palace. Both Bi and Qi are like this, and Danbi Nan  At the third level, there are six Luan Yi guardsmen who sound their whips.

    Following the announcement of the time by the Qintian Supervisor, the Empress Dowager Feng of the two palaces escorted the young Emperor Tongzhi out of the Imperial Harmony Hall. The deacons finished saluting and went outside to attend to the affairs. The young Emperor drove out, with the front and rear guards as usual. The bells and drums rang at the Meridian Gate, and Zhonghe  After enjoying themselves, the two palaces and the young emperor arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where they stopped enjoying themselves.

    Before and after the internal ministers were separated, the bodyguards followed and guarded them. Four living officials stood behind the golden pillar on the west side.  The censor and deputy ministers both stand under the west eaves of the censor.

    The guard officer Luan Yi opened his throat and praised loudly: "Cry the whip", and praised the officer for "arrangement". The princes and officials knelt down in obeisance to their thrones.  The two scholars displayed their tables, announced that the official announcement had been completed, and the original case was placed. Danbi played happily, and all the ministers knelt three times and kowtowed nine times.

    After a lot of red tape, Xiaoduan sat under the large and bright plaque, with the curtains of the two palaces hanging behind him. The eunuch Li Lianying told the ministers: "If you have something to do, please leave the court!"

    Ruilin, the imperial minister and the Minister of Household Affairs, came out and said: "I am reporting to the emperor that I have been ordered to investigate the situation in various places where taxes were exempted due to the Yellow River floods and are still being collected. It has been found that eleven officials from Henan and Hebei prefectures have embezzled money.  He violated the law and enriched himself, and has been handed over to the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Dali Temple for discussion."

    The little emperor Tongzhi sat on the dragon chair and looked at the little book Xingzhen drew for him, without even looking at Ruilin.  On the contrary, Xingzhen behind the curtain said slowly: "There is no need to discuss it further. As long as the evidence of guilt is clear, all of them will be executed! These people's consciences have been eaten by dogs! The book of sages has been read in vain! The palace is patching things together and struggling to support them.  It's not easy to find room for tax exemption in several provinces. These dog slaves are still exploiting the people knowingly. Do they think the gangsters who rely on the Long Hair are not enough? Do they have to force the good people to join the Long Hair Party before they can stop?  ! Kill! If found, kill one by one! After the death of Emperor Daxing, Changmao rebelled. The foreign barbarians were pressing hard, and the two palaces never spared their hands to organize the officials. There was such a big case in the Ministry of Revenue, and after strict handling, it was still  I thought these Xiaoxiaohui would be restrained. Unexpectedly, it is getting worse and worse now! They want to extirpate themselves from their ancestors and the world. I will help them!"

    The two palaces were furious, and all the ministers knelt down together, and followed Xingzhen in a loud voice: "People from the Ministry of Household Affairs will count the excessive taxes and salaries collected in various places, and return them to the people in various places. Not a penny will be withheld, otherwise how will the court get its trust?"  In the world?"

    All the ministers obeyed the orders of the leader, and the other ministers reported several trivial matters.  After the decree of the two palaces, Yixiang, the minister of the Ministry of Rites, went out to the class and said: "I am going to report to the emperor. Yesterday, the Ministry of Rites received a note from Britain and France. The words were quite disrespectful. If our country does not agree to the five-party talks again, we will we will"

    Behind the curtain, Xingzhen¡¯s eyes turned cold and she said coldly: ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Yixiang said in a trembling voice: "I will bring my troops to Beijing to negotiate a treaty."

    Before Xingzhen could answer, the Empress Dowager Ci'an beside her slapped the armrest heavily and shouted angrily: "Let them come, how can I, a great Qing Dynasty, be bullied by a little barbarian?! The Ministry of Rites follows the previously agreed upon regulations.  Handle it without further discussion! I want to see what these barbarians can do to us orphans and widowed mothers!"

    Then the ministers began to plead guilty, but Xingzhen frowned slightly and said in a low voice: "Sister, Changmao has been colluding with the foreign barbarians for more than a day. This time, he has made a fool of the five-party talks."  What happened is that we want to cut off our contact with the foreign barbarians and use the foreign barbarians to attack our northern coastal areas so that my army of hundreds of thousands in the north cannot go south to rescue the southern provinces. In my opinion, this matter is still  It's better to leave it to Prince Gong to deal with it without giving any orders."

    After Ci'an heard this, he nodded slowly and said, "Well, let's leave this matter to Prince Gong. The Ministry of Rites will send the foreign note to Prince Gong intact in Tianjin."

    Yixiang took the order in the palace, but Xingzhen glanced at Ci'an intentionally or unintentionally. Ci'an, who usually had no independent opinions in court, why did he suddenly get angry today?  Did someone say something to her?

    But Xingzhen had no time to think about it, so she took out a memorial and gave it to Li Lianying to show to the ministers and said: "The General of Heilongjiang recently issued an inconspicuous memorial. It said that since last year, hundreds more have been captured in Shandong and Henan.  Refugees who broke into Guandong for food. I also asked people to check old cases and found that since the reign of the Holy Ancestor, more than 100,000 people who fled to Guandong have been caught by the government. There are still some who have not been arrested.  Where¡¯s the one you¡¯re holding?¡±

    All the ministers areThey looked at each other in confusion. Except for Guiliang and others, no one knew what Xingzhen meant. Refugees went out to make a living outside the customs. How many times a year did the refugees go out? The local officials would arrest them if they could, and if they couldn't, they would give up. Most people were not surprised. At this moment,  Speaking of which, I don't know what the two palaces have planned.

    Lin Kui, Minister of the Ministry of War, said: "I am reporting to the emperor that these refugees flee to the outside of the customs every year. The population outside the customs is sparse, the number of armored soldiers guarding the border is small, and they cannot be captured. I think we should expand the number of Heilongjiang outside the customs."  Horse team, arrest more refugees to ensure the peace of our Longxing land?"

    Xingzhen snorted and asked, "How much will it take to expand? How many refugees can we hold?"

    Lin Kui opened his mouth and was speechless. The Manchu clan minister and auxiliary Duke Zai Ling said: "Your Majesty, if you don't want to expand the number of soldiers outside the pass, you can order the governors of the provinces in the pass to reorganize the household registration. Every ten households  With one guarantee, one family fled, and the other nine families stayed together. I think the number of refugees fleeing outside the customs can be greatly reduced."

    All the ministers took a breath when they heard this. Zai Ling's hand was extremely vicious. Several upright ministers were about to retort when Xingzhen smiled and said: "You think the people in the pass are not running fast enough, so  Once this happens, it is unknown whether the entire ten households will flee together." Xingzhen followed and asked, "Have you ever thought about why the people regard the strict orders of the imperial court as if they were nothing and risked their lives to break into Guandong?"

    Minister of Military and Aircraft Shen Zhaolin came out of the mission and replied: "As far as the emperor is concerned, most of the people running outside the pass are poor people who have lost their land. There are many unowned lands outside the pass, and the land is vast and sparsely populated, so they take risks."

    Zai Ling sneered and said: "Master Shen, what you said is wrong. The land outside the pass is the land of our Manchu people. How can it become an ownerless land?"

    Shen Zhaolin was shocked and knew that he had said the wrong thing.  He quickly said: "I made a mistake. What I said is what the refugees think, and the people are ignorant. I only know that the fertile wilderness outside the pass is an ownerless land, but I understand that the fertile fields outside the pass are the land of dragons, and every plant and tree is the land of the Eight Banners."

    Xingzhen smiled and said: "Shen Qing is telling the truth. This man is in a desperate situation. He won't pay so much attention. Besides, the people are ignorant and don't know who owns those lands." Then she said slowly: "The fertile fields outside the pass are  It was our ancestors who issued the ban and closed the customs after they entered the customs. At that time, we were afraid that we Manchus would not be long in the country and leave a piece of land for future generations. After we could no longer occupy the country, we could return to the outside of the customs. You said, when  As of today, will we go back outside the customs?"

    Zai Ling frowned when he heard this.  But Yi Xiang rushed to say: "What did the emperor say? Our country is very stable now. We Eight Banners disciples are all used to the water and soil in the pass, and no one wants to go back to the cold place outside the pass to suffer."

    Xingzhen smiled slightly and said: "Although what you said may not sound good, it is the truth. After reading this memorial, I was thinking about how much we can support outside the pass and the Rakshasa Kingdom. There is a lot of land and many mountains and rivers.  People? On the other hand, inside the pass, there are many people but little land, and most of the people are landless and impoverished. It would be a pity to leave thousands of miles of fertile wilderness outside the pass in vain."

    Hearing this, Zai Ling was shocked and said: "The emperor's implication is that he wants to lift the ban and give up the land outside the customs to the people inside the customs for cultivation?"

    As soon as these words came out, the Han ministers all looked happy, but the Manchu ministers looked dissatisfied. Yixiang also woke up and said loudly: "Queen Mother, you need to think twice about this matter. Yes, we are satisfied."  People don¡¯t have to go back outside the customs now, but these lands were left to us Manchus by our ancestors, so why should we go there at the expense of those mud-legged people? We are also descendants of Aisin Gioro, and we also have our share of the lands outside the customs, right?  The cold land in northern Xinjiang that we snatched from Lao Maozi is just a return. If you divide it, you can divide it. It was stolen anyway, but this land outside the pass is absolutely undivided."

    After Yixiang finished speaking, all the Manchu ministers gave advice and admonitions, saying that the laws established by the ancestors cannot be changed, otherwise the foundation of the country will be shaken.  Xingzhen sat in her seat, with a half-smile on her face as she listened to what the ministers below said one by one, but she didn't comment. She just took a peek at Ci'an's face and saw that her expression was as usual. This matter had not been mentioned to her before.  But seeing her not surprised at all, Xingzhen knew that someone had told Ci'an about it beforehand, and a smile appeared on Xingzhen's lips without revealing it.

    After talking for a while, the Manchu ministers gave out advice without any new ideas. They slowly calmed down and said together: "I beg the emperor to think twice and never open the ban." Following the ministers, all the Manchu ministers looked at the Han ministers beside them and said,  All the Han ministers had no choice but to follow suit and say that the ban should not be lifted.

    Xingzhen suddenly asked: "Why did Changmao make trouble?"

    As soon as this question came out, there was silence in the hall. After a while, Zai Ling echoed: "In the beginning, it was Hong Ni, a Xiyi cult. It was found that this person failed many times, so he angrily secretly organized a cult and conspired to rebel."

    Xingzhen asked again: "Since the late emperor succeeded to the throne, the Changmao began to rebel. I heard in the report that there were many old and weak women in the Changmao army."???  "

    Zai Ling replied: "These are the people who are wrapped in long hair."

    Xingzhen smiled and said: "Rebellion is a serious crime that involves beheading and killing the nine tribes. Since ancient times, rebels have never captured women together, and it has never been heard of marching with tens of millions of women accompanying them. In this battle between Guangdong and Guangxi, Jiang Zhongyuan also captured Chang Chang several times.  Those who rebelled against Mao rebelled against the army. These people mentioned in their confessions that when Changmao rebelled in the beginning, they dispersed all their wealth and joined the religion with their families. Therefore, there were women¡¯s camps and youth camps in the Changmao army. After visiting this palace, I also  I often think about it, what if the whole family is not living, and shouting in vain? There are many mountains in Guangxi with poor people, and there are many people. This confession is also included in the confession of the long-haired rebel. It is said that in the deep mountains, each man can only cultivate half an acre of land.  He often works in the mines and makes a living with a small salary. However, since the war with the barbarians, the tax burden on the court has also been heavy, and the stupid people cannot live on their own. They only believe in the evil words of Hong Ni, so they follow Ni and cause chaos. Half an acre of land? Can you cultivate it?  How much grain can be obtained? How many people can be fed? Ruilin, you should be in charge of the household department. Can you also tell me how much grain can be grown in one acre of land?"

    Ruilin replied in a daze: "The governor of Guangxi also has a lot of money and grain reports. Even if Guangxi is a fertile land, the yield per mu is only more than 400 jins. Half an acre is more than 200 jins."

    Xingzhen nodded and said: "More than two hundred kilograms, I have also asked, even if I drink diluted food every day. More than two hundred kilograms of grain is only enough for one person to eat for a year. How can I support my wife? Half an acre of land,  This man still has half an acre of his own land. The traitor's confession also mentioned that the leader of the Long-haired Army is rebelling against Xiao Chaogui at the moment, but the owner of the family has no land. He used to burn charcoal for others like Yang Xiuqing."

    Hearing this, Duke Zai Ling laughed and said, "Queen Mother. It turns out that this fake King of the West was a charcoal seller in the past."

    Xingzhen said with a serious face: "I don't think this is funny at all. Xiao Chaogui was born in a lowly position, but he was able to team up with others to attack the city and seize territory. But why? He really has great abilities? How could he have accomplished this without the help of others?  Is this a general trend? In Guangxi, each person can only have half an acre of cultivated land? What about the land of plenty in the south of the Yangtze River, such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang? I have also asked, but only two or three acres can barely make a living. You can imagine what it is like in Shandong, Zhili, Henan and other places. Qianlong  During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there was only one land outside the Pass, the Fengtian Banner. When the bannermen were gathered together, they reclaimed 40 million acres of cultivated land, most of which were distributed as land rewards to meritorious ministers. I remember that Emperor Qianlong seemed to have rewarded them.  How is your family doing now?"

    Zai Ling groaned, lowered his head and said: "Tens of thousands of acres were sold the year before last, and there were thousands of acres of land left. A few Baoyi slaves found some Banner people outside the Pass to grow some food. The rest of the slaves don't know.  "

    Xingzhen smiled and said: "You are so honest here, I asked before. Most of the land you have left is deserted, and the dogtail grass grows taller than you."

    When all the ministers heard this, they all chuckled. Zai Ling said angrily: "Why are you laughing? It's morning, above the main hall! Everyone, be quiet!"

    Xingzhen suppressed her laughter and continued: "Nowadays, the world's population is nearly 40 million, and farmers account for nearly 90%. Here there are people but no land, and over there there are land and no one. What is the truth? The Qing Dynasty is covered with heaven.  With kindness, accept the territory of the world and be kind to the people of the world. Since we Manchus will not go back to the land outside the pass, it is better to distribute the barren land outside the pass to the people of the world. Why should we hold it and die in our arms? To let the world  People who can¡¯t live anymore keep revolting?¡±

    Lin Kui stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, this is the truth. It's just that it's extremely cold outside the Pass and in northern Xinjiang, and people are being recruited to cultivate in the north. I'm afraid there will be many people who don't follow, and then there will be chaos."

    Xingzhen hummed and said, "Yes, no one would be happy for the refugees to go north to reclaim wasteland in a bitter cold land. But if the land outside the customs is reclaimed, the government can provide farm tools, grain seeds, and can help them become naturalized citizens.  The land tax is only half of the land tax in Guan, so what will happen?"

    As soon as these words came out, it was like a pot exploded in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and all the ministers were talking about it. Unexpectedly, Xingzhen suddenly dropped such an idea at this moment, which made the ministers unable to relax for a moment.

    Zai Ling frowned and said, "Your Majesty, outside the pass is where the tombs of the three late emperors are located. I'm afraid there may be disturbance from refugees."

    Xingzhen asked back: "There are several tombs of the late emperors inside the pass, have they been disturbed? What do the ministers who guard the tombs outside the pass do?"

    Then all the ministers came forward one by one and said some worrying things, but Xingzhen refuted them one by one. On the other hand, all the ministers of Han Dynasty all agreed. Then Xingzhen Qiangang made a decisive decision and issued a strict decree to settle the matter.  Let the governors of various places inform the world that any refugees or common people who are willing to go north to leave the customs on their own will be ordered to be received by the local government outside the customs and allocated land nearby. Each family can be assigned ten acres of wasteland to cultivate on their own. The cultivated land will still be owned by the Manchu nobles.  , one ten percent tax was paid to the local government, and the rest of the Manchu nobles received 20% as land rent, and the rest belonged to the farmers. After the land was reclaimed, all the refugees could be registered as slaves in the banner.

    He also ordered Guiliang and Wenxiang to lead officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of War to discuss, purchase and mobilize improved grain seeds, carriages, horses and cattle to go north, and let Guiliang take charge in the capital, while Wenxiang went to take over the post outside the customs, and ordered the local government to take over and reorganize the household registration.  , make a register and submit it, and the people will divide itLand cannot be bought or sold. If the land allocated by the Manchu nobles is not cultivated within one year, it will be taken back by the local government.

    At the end, Zai Ling muttered again: "Queen Mother, it is said that the land outside the pass is the most royal land, can we handle it in general?" Zai Ling was straightforward. In addition to the land outside the pass, the largest owner was actually the emperor.  , that is, the two palaces and the little emperor hold the most land. He asked this question because he wanted to see if the two palaces were also willing to rent the land outside the customs in their hands to the refugees for cultivation.

    Xingzhen laughed and said: "Of course it is a normal process. The royal family's land outside the customs is handled by the clan office and the internal affairs office. I am also worried that the land outside the customs has been abandoned for too long. If someone cultivates it, I can collect more rent.  ,Why not do it?"

    Having said this, Ci'an, who was beside Xingzhen, put down the teacup in his hand and said in an unhappy tone: "I'm tired, the emperor has to go to study, so I'll go back to the palace with you first!" After saying that, unexpectedly,  First, I took the little emperor and drove back to the palace (To be continued)
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