Sima Yan didn't know what Shi Chong and Shi Hui were thinking. He only knew that since he led the Taishi Revolution and successfully established a new dynasty, it was a certain fact that the population had doubled in just twenty years. He was excited.

Authentic: "I heard that when the Han Dynasty was at its peak, the population was more than 50 million..."

"Your Majesty, when the Han Dynasty was at its peak, there were 12,233,612 households with a total population of 5,000, 509, 54,978."

Shu Yan still answered without thinking.

Seeing Shu Yan's fluent answer, Shi Hui didn't quite believe it. He scolded: "Don't talk nonsense here. As a minister, it is your duty to understand the affairs of this dynasty clearly, but the former

How could you just open your mouth to reveal the data of the imperial court? It’s obvious that you are talking nonsense. Do you know what the crime of deceiving the emperor is?"

"Of course I know what it is to deceive the emperor. Although I come from a humble background, I never tell lies to others, let alone to the current majesty. If General Shi doesn't believe it, he can take a look at the books of the previous dynasty and find out.

.”

Sima Yan smiled and said: "You don't have to argue, I will immediately order someone to go to the Secretary's Pavilion to get the books to verify. If what Shu Yan said is accurate, that's the best; if what he said is wrong, it doesn't matter. This is not his responsibility.

It’s not like deceiving the emperor at all.”

After a moment, I saw a person holding a book in front of the Taiji Hall. He took off his shoes, walked to the imperial steps, and knelt on the ground. He said, "Secretary Lang Shide presents the book. Please take a look at it."

Sima Yan asked him to stand up and took a look at the books. Sure enough, it was exactly what Shu Yan said. He handed the books to Shi Hui and others to read. This time, Shi Hui asked for trouble and stood there in shame.

On one side, he remained silent.

Sima Yan said happily: "At the peak of history, the population was only 60 million. According to our current increase method, it will double in twenty years. In less than forty years, our Jin Dynasty will surpass the Han Dynasty and create the peak population in history."

ah!

All the ministers all claimed that it was.

By observing the words of the emperor and his ministers, Shi Biyu had almost guessed the whole story. At this time, when he saw that everyone was praising the emperor, but his father was standing aside uninterested, he wanted to find a topic to cover up for his father.

He said: "The Han Dynasty became famous all over the world only because of the two prosperous ages of 'Wenjing rule' and 'Guangwu Zhongxing'. In my opinion, these two prosperous ages cannot be compared with our 'Taikang prosperous age'

compared to."

"What? Taikang prosperous age?" Sima Yan was so surprised when he heard this. You know, being able to create a prosperous age is the greatest praise and great honor for an emperor. This is not something that every emperor can do.

Achievable.

"Yes, Your Majesty. In the six or seven years since Ping Wu was changed to Yuan Taikang, the people of the Jin Dynasty have been in a great and prosperous age. Your Majesty is far more powerful than Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty who created the Wenjing Dynasty, Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Guangwu Zhongxing.

Emperor Guangwu of Han was much greater."

After hearing Shi Biyu's remarks, Sima Yan could hardly sit still on the throne, but he still said reservedly: "Why do you see it?"

Shu Yan was just about to take advantage of the emperor's happiness and suggest something to the emperor to reduce the burden on the people, but he didn't want to show up with Shi Biyu halfway. He had no choice but to listen to what Biyu had to say first.

Seeing the emperor's joy, Biyu said even more cheerfully: "First of all, although the Wenjing rule was more grand than ours now, Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty inherited the throne of their ancestors, rather than being the emperors who founded the foundation. But your Majesty, as the founder,

The founding emperor who established the country's foundation, and the ruling emperor who created a prosperous age. From this point of view, they cannot compete with your majesty.

Secondly, let’s talk about Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty. Although he created the foundation of the Later Han Dynasty, he did not achieve surrender from all over the world. The Yue people in Lingnan and the Hu people in the northwest rebelled one after another and even attacked the Central Plains. Let’s look at our Jin Dynasty again.

, surrendered from all over the world, paid tribute from all directions, and barbarians came to join him one after another, comparing the two, isn’t that Liu Xiu far worse than your majesty?”

After hearing this, Sima Yan stroked his beard and nodded, and the courtiers all agreed. After hearing his son's words, Shi Hui immediately relieved the embarrassment and immediately regained his face.

In fact, the ministers knew in their hearts that although what Biyu said seemed reasonable, it was actually not the case. Although the current emperor Sima Yan was nominally the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty, this Jin Dynasty was actually his grandfather Sima Yi.

His uncle Sima Shi and his father Sima Zhao laid the foundation, but he just sat back and enjoyed the results. If we put it this way, from the founding of the Han Dynasty to the

Emperor Jing only experienced Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. Both of them were three generations and four emperors. But in terms of background, Liu Bang was born as a real commoner, while the Sima Yi family was a wealthy family for generations.

Later, it was much more difficult to start a business in the Han Dynasty than in the Jin Dynasty. Although everyone thought so in their hearts, they still blindly agreed with Shi Biyu's point of view.

Shu Yan was silently listening to everyone's praise for the "prosperous age". The topic disrupted his train of thought. He felt a little anxious. Everyone was singing praises for the prosperous age. How could he change the topic without understanding the current situation? He thought silently.

While reading "The Prosperous Age", I suddenly had an idea, and from the second chapter of "The Prosperous Age"

He thought of a turning point in the words, just in time to continue the topic he just talked about, and said: "We are indeed in a prosperous age that has not happened in a hundred years, and not only has our population doubled, but our taxes have also doubled.

With the increase, the national treasury is becoming increasingly full.”

Sima Yan heard such festive words as "the population is increasing and the national treasury is filling", he was so beautiful that he said: "Tell me about it."

Shu Yan said: "Your Majesty thinks that since your Majesty established the land occupation system and the household system, the number of households in the world has increased by about one million compared with the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the additional fields have been countless. If each household pays four grains of millet,

Calculating dendrobium, three pieces of silk, and three pounds of cotton, the court will receive more every year

Four million husks of dendrobium, three million bolts of silk, and three million catties of cotton were imported. Even if we take a step back, among the one million new households, excluding households without land tax and some households with virgins and households with half-teens,

, at least there are two to three million husks of dendrobium, two million bolts of silk, and two million catties of cotton, don’t you think so, Your Majesty?”

Sima Yan nodded. Shu Yan continued: "This is only an increase in one year, what about ten years, what about twenty years? Moreover, with the gradual increase in the number of households and fields, the court's taxes will also increase exponentially.

The total amount of taxes continues to increase, but at the same time, some people are bearing a huge burden. So I beg your Majesty, if you can reduce the taxes for these people!"

"Reducing taxes?" Sima Yan was in high spirits, but Shu Yan suddenly made such an unexpected argument.

"Yes, reduce taxes! As Secretary Lang said, we are in a prosperous age, so we should reduce taxes." Facing the puzzled and doubtful looks of the emperor and ministers, Shu Yan made an impassioned speech, "All prosperous times are

The result of resting with the people, therefore, all prosperous times without exception must reduce the burden on the people, just like the rule of Wen and Jing,

He once reduced the tax in the early Han Dynasty from "fifteen taxes one" to "thirty taxes one". Not to mention the prosperous times of the ancients, even Cao Cao during the war period only set a tax of four liters per mu.

The land tax and the oral tax of two bolts of silk and two pounds of cotton per household. If our Jin Dynasty can be called a prosperous age, we should also implement tax reduction measures."

Sima Yan immediately stopped smiling, "Which people should be reduced in tax? How?"

All the officials were silent after hearing Shu Yan's sudden discordant remarks. Biyu sneered and said, "Now the treasury has just been filled, but you are clamoring to reduce taxes! What's the point of this?"

Shu Yan ignored Biyu and continued to say to Sima Yan: "The tax reduction that I mentioned does not require a general tax reduction, but I want to reduce the tax for all the orphans in the world who have lost their parents."

"Reducing taxes for orphans?" Sima Yan asked.

"Yes." Shu Yan said, "According to the current laws and regulations of our Jin Dynasty: men and women between the ages of 16 and 60 are considered to be principal men and women, and they need to pay taxes in full;

At the age of fifteen, he is considered the second eldest son and must pay half of the tax.

Tax; those under twelve years old and those over sixty-six years old are not taxed. In other words, orphans who have lost their parents will have to pay half of the tax when they are thirteen years old, and when they are sixteen years old, they will be taxed like

All adults are responsible for paying the full amount of taxes."

Biyu said: "This is normal. Is there anything wrong?"

"There is a problem, quite a problem. I think the court should amend the law to raise the lower limit of the adult age from sixteen to twenty years old, and the upper limit from sixty to fifty-eight years old; and the lower limit of the minor age from ten

The age of three is raised to sixteen, and the upper limit is lowered from sixty-five to sixty-three.”

"What you mean is that the orphans will not pay taxes at the regular Ding standard until they are twenty years old, and they will only pay the Ding standard at the age of sixteen. The elderly will pay the Ding standard at the age of fifty-eight, and those over sixty-three years old will pay the Ding standard.

Just for free..." Sima Yan stroked his beard, lowered his eyes and smiled faintly at Shu Yan, "It's easy for you to say this casually, but do you know how much wealth the imperial court will lose every year if you do this?

Income?”

"Taxes will definitely be reduced, but as I just said, the number of households and fields in the world are increasing year by year. I have already made a rough calculation. The increase of millions of millet, silk and cotton is completely sufficient.

Offset tax cuts for orphans!”

The officials were in an uproar. They could not imagine that this little minister would dare to risk the disdain of the emperor, ministers and officials by saying such a thing.

Sima Yan was puzzled when he saw that Shu Yan spoke upright and sincerely for the sake of the people of the world, so he asked: "I want to know, why do you think of reducing the tax for those orphans?"

Seeing the emperor's question, Shu Yan looked at the ignorant but arrogant Shi Biyu next to him, and said: "Your Majesty, Secretary Lang comes from a wealthy family, how can he know the suffering of ordinary people. Although I and Secretary Lang were in Ruyin back then,

, and we are the same age, but we had completely different childhoods. The two of us are typical representatives of a rich family and an orphan from a poor family. His family has a lot of land,

I, a slave, belong to the family of Zhong Ming Ding Shi. Although he is rich and talented, he does not have to pay any taxes due to his family status. As for me, a humble servant, I lost my parents at the age of thirteen and had to bear the family income independently and tasted all kinds of things.

According to regulations, I had to bear various taxes from that year on. Fortunately, I was taken care of by the local pavilion chief and was exempted from the corvee for a few years. The reason was that my father

My mother died because of flood control embankments. Although I was taken care of, there are more than tens of thousands of people like me who have become orphans in the world. Their parents passed away due to various reasons, and their lives were already difficult, but they still survived at a young age.

They have to bear a huge tax burden, and most of them cannot get any relief. If you encounter floods, droughts, or man-made disasters, you may face

Bankruptcy, selling off the land, insolvent people may even turn their families into slaves of others. I come from a poor family, so I feel this deeply. This is not groundless. I have witnessed it with my own eyes in my hometown and Hongnong County.
Chapter completed!