Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

"I know that the national policy of supporting the clan will bring a heavy burden to the imperial court every year."

The Empress sighed again.

"However, giving preferential treatment to the royal family is the ancestral oath that Emperor Taizu made with heaven and earth back then. If the national policy is acted rashly, it will be disrespectful to the ancestors, causing Taizu to lose faith in heaven and earth, and may even cause Taizu's immortal way to be broken. Such a big unfilial thing, How can future generations do it?"

"Besides, three hundred years ago, when the Great Xia was once again in danger of being overthrown, if not for the fact that Emperor Guangwu, our ancestor, had a lot of wealth and decisively dispersed his wealth to gather volunteer soldiers, the remaining clans from all over the world would unite as one and gather under Emperor Guangwu to restore Taizu together. To bring the world back to the hands of the Jiang family, the Great Xia has long since ceased to exist, and this was also the original intention of Emperor Taizu to establish this national policy."

Having said this, the empress' voice became a lot lower for no reason.

It has been several months since Lu Chen came to this world, so he naturally knows the history of Great Xia.

In fact, although it has been nearly a thousand years since the founding of the Great Xia, it has actually experienced two overthrows.

To put it simply, it is a bit similar to the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties of the Han Dynasty. After the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, the hero who had the blood of the previous royal family restored the foundation of the ancestors, allowing the completely decayed dynasty to be reborn after being completely destroyed.

It's just that during the change of imperial power in Daxia, no new dynasty was established.

If Great Xia were to perish, later generations would definitely not use the "Book of Xia" to compile the history of Xia, but would divide it into "Book of Xia", "Book of Zhongxia" and "Book of Later Xia" to distinguish this period of history.

Now the world is still surnamed Jiang, so naturally no one dares to divide the history of Daxia into three parts so rebelliously.

The empress said slowly: "Therefore, I can't change the national policy of preferential treatment of the royal family. I can only find ways to make up for the deficit in the treasury and control the number of royal families in various ways. It is like King Yu, who has reduced or even ceased to reproduce because of scruples about Dao luck."

For this method, Lu Chen only has one comment.

"Treat the symptoms, not the root cause."

He shook his head.

"The Great Xia has lasted for thousands of years, and each generation of clans who enjoy the support of the imperial court have been well-clothed and well-fed since childhood, and have no worries about food and clothing. , most clans cannot enter Taoism, coupled with patriarchal clan restrictions, they cannot engage in the work of the four peoples, have nothing to do, and have little pursuit, so that there are countless people who rely on the blood of the royal family to act recklessly and spend money. The number of parasites is constantly increasing, and the amount of money, food, and spirit stones that the court needs to spend on supporting the royal family every year will only increase rapidly and never end."

"Let's not talk about whether the current imperial court's annual revenue accounts are full of tricks. The current tax revenue on the books alone can no longer support the huge expenditure of supporting the royal family. The national treasury is already showing signs of deficit. Get a bottomless pit where the clan expands infinitely."

"Things have an extreme but desires are infinite. It is impossible to control the infinite with the limit. When the imperial court's finances completely collapse, the world will fall into the chaos and chaos of three hundred years ago. At that time, do we still expect heroes like Emperor Guangwu to stand up and rebuild?" Is it the whole mountain and river?"

After talking so much in one breath, Lu Chen felt his mouth a little dry, so he picked up the teacup that had been left on the side for some time, and drank half of the tea left in it.

Hmm. Very normal bittersweet.

It's just that Gan seems to have gone too far this time.

But hearing what he said, the Empress' face was slightly shocked.

Lu Chen put down his teacup and continued: "It is impossible that every time the country collapses, a clan will rise up and rebuild the Great Xia, but if the Great Xia perishes, the Emperor Taizu will completely cut off the national destiny, and the immortal way will collapse. At that time, it will not only be the ancestral system that will not be destroyed. It's a matter of the ancestral system."

As he said that, his expression became more and more solemn.

"So, in such a serious situation, if you don't try to change in order to continue the national destiny and keep the Great Xia, you will be truly unfilial!"

After the words fell, the Empress suddenly frowned and became thoughtful.

For a while, she didn't speak again, obviously weighing something.

Although he was extremely intelligent at a young age, and the city was quite deep, after all, he had struggled under the eyes of the Queen Mother for many years, and every day just dealing with that extremely suspicious and cautious woman was exhausting, so naturally it was difficult to spare any energy for the country. big things.

Now that she has just taken power, she doesn't know much about many aspects of governing the country, and she doesn't have a deep understanding of the hundreds of years of abuses in Daxia.

She needs to digest Lu Chen's words carefully.

Lu Chen didn't make a sound to disturb, but gently picked up the brush and kept writing on the white paper.

After a while, he slowly let go.

"Please look, Your Majesty."

Hearing this, the empress immediately put away her thoughts, and leaned over to look, a certain overdeveloped place was lightly resting on Lu Chen's shoulder.

A gust of fragrant wind blew past, and a strand of black hair brushed past Lu Chen's cheek, making him feel numb.

Very comfortable.

But Lu Chen wrote on the white paper——

The prince's annual salary is 12,000 shi, the county king 3,000 shi, the general of Zhenguo 2,000 shi, the general of Fuguo 1,200 shi, the general of Fengguo 800 shi, the lieutenant of Zhenguo 600 shi, the lieutenant of Fuguo 400 shi, and the lieutenant of Fengguo 200 shi.

In the previous year, the central tax revenue was converted into a total of 42.28 million guan, and the total expenditure for supporting the clan was converted into a total of 11.52 million guan.

Suizhou's annual income converted into silver money totaled 90,000 guan, and the annual expenditure for supporting the Sui king and his clan was 35,000 guan.

Looking at the pieces of data above, the empress' heart gradually sank.

"More than 30% of the local annual revenue is used to support the clan, and then part of it should be kept in the treasury for contingencies, and part of it should be handed over to the central government. In this way, there is still money and food for bridges and roads, flood control, and benefiting the people?"

"The people are poorly clothed, hungry, and the people's livelihood is poor. The court's taxation will become more and more difficult."

"The imperial court's annual revenue is gradually decreasing, while the expenditure for supporting the clan is increasing year by year. In this way, how can the national treasury not be in a deficit?"

Lu Chen put down his pen, suddenly thought of something, and his voice gradually turned cold.

"During my tenure as the governor of the two states, besides assisting Xiao Shangshu in water control, I sorted out the government affairs in various places and consulted various files. I also got a general understanding of some local conditions and the so-called official rules. I knew that when there was a problem with the treasury, those representatives This is how the court’s so-called parent officials dealt with it.”

"You can know the autumn by looking at the fallen leaves. Your Majesty, if the national treasury is short-lived, what will those people do in order to keep or obtain a higher position?"

Looking at Lu Chen's cold eyes, the Empress couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.

"how?"

Lu Chen didn't make a fool of himself, and said bluntly: "The treasury has always been short-lived. Either the people's ideas or the businessmen's ideas are taken, just like when the demon queen took power. If the change is imminent, it will be plundered by the merchants."

click

The little hand under the queen's dragon robe tightened suddenly.

In his mind, the people's livelihood situation that he investigated while sending Xuanjiwei to the three provinces to collect evidence gradually emerged.

The picture in the picture talisman that Xuanjiwei sent back to the capital seemed to flash before his eyes, and gradually merged with the tragic scene revealed in Lu Chen's short sentence.

Now the Great Xia Clan has more than a hundred thousand.

multiply on this basis

Just thinking about it makes one's scalp tingle.

Although it is not all the cause of the clan's disaster that the people's life is so miserable, it must be one of the main reasons.

"Although the land of the two states cannot represent the entire Great Xia, I believe that there will never be only one King Yu and King Sui in Great Xia."

Lu Chen stared at the white paper in front of him, and his voice became heavier.

"Yuzhou and his party made this minister aware of an extremely cruel fact."

"The royal family does not pay taxes, and the officials and gentry do not pay taxes. All the burdens of the court are on the people. They bear the hardest labor and pay the heaviest taxes, but they are still robbed by corrupt officials, oppressed by their clansmen, The people they give everything to support are treated like pigs and dogs.”

"What's the reason? Is there a more cruel reason in the world?"

When he said this, the distracting thoughts in Lu Chen's heart almost completely dissipated, and his mind was instantly filled with the tragedies in the world he saw with his own eyes during his trip to Yuzhou.

"The people are the foundation of the Great Xia, and they are the only ones who entrust everything to the imperial court. As long as the common people live and work in peace and contentment, they will naturally turn to the imperial court. Under the prosperity of the Great Xia, why is there any danger of overthrow? Become the backhand when the country is overturned?"

"On the contrary, if this extremely unreasonable status quo does not change, Daxia will die!"

The loud voice fell, and the entire Zichen Palace kept echoing.

Like bursts of incomparably thick bells, it constantly shook the empress' heart.

"Lu Qing. It makes sense."

After a long time, the empress took a deep breath, and the moment her eyes met Lu Chen's, a serious expression quickly appeared on her face.

"If we don't solve this millennium-old evil, no matter how hard I try to fix it and create a prosperous world, it will be nothing but a flower in a mirror, a moon in the water, meaningless."

Hearing this, Lu Chen's eyes relaxed slightly.

"Your Majesty, Great Xia is now at a juncture. Either get rid of the old evils, take a new look at the court, and move towards an unprecedented heyday, or sink completely in the old ways, and then count on a new round of chaos and change."

"I see."

The empress straightened up slowly, and said to Lu Chen seriously:

"Lu Qing, please help me to restore Daxia, which is already showing a declining trend."

Lu Chen got up at the same time, bowed slightly to the empress, and said solemnly: "This is the righteousness that a humble minister should have. It is said that the king's salary bears the king's worries. I have received the grace of the country and the trust of your majesty, so I should be loyal to you." For the sake of Da Xia and His Majesty!"

The empress nodded slightly, and her faith in Lu Chen became stronger.

Needless to say, Lu Chen's loyalty and character.

Now showing such talent again.

This is the real combination of ability and political integrity!

How could she not love such a peerless and virtuous minister who is so loyal, brave, and talented? As the Great Xia Emperor?

"Lu Qing, what do you think about the national policy of supporting the clan and the various disadvantages you just mentioned?"

Speaking of this, Lu Chen immediately regained his spirits.

He thought for a while, sorted out his thoughts, organized his language, and then said: "Returning to Your Majesty, when I was in Yuzhou, I realized that the system of clan support and the system of clansmen and gentry not paying taxes has a great impact on Daxia. After being harmed, I have been thinking hard about how to fundamentally eliminate these disadvantages, after many days of thinking, I have thought of some solutions."

Hearing this, the empress did not ask immediately, but frowned slightly, and said softly:

"Lu Qing, this matter must involve the fundamental interests of the clan, gentry and other behemoths, and it is very likely to arouse their resentment. Therefore, we should be cautious in everything, and we should first protect ourselves and then take it slowly. We must not act too hastily."

Regarding the empress' kind reminder, Lu Chen shook his head.

"What Your Majesty said, I don't agree with it. It's just that you don't regret your life if you do great things. If you shrink back, you will be unable to do anything in the end. This matter is related to the fate of the Great Xia. If you don't have the consciousness of death, you will die How to get rid of the thousand-year-old dark clouds that have accumulated over Great Xia, and return the people to a prosperous and panic-stricken world?"

Hearing this and feeling the determination in the words, the Empress was immediately moved, and looked at Lu Chen with a strange look.

The little hands under the dragon robe were tightly clenched, and the nails were sunk into the flesh without realizing it.

At this moment, she only had one thought in her mind——

Such a loyal unparalleled national soldier, even if I risk everything, I will keep him!

After a while, her little hand slowly loosened, determination flashed across her eyes, and her complexion was no longer entangled.

"Well, such a big event requires great wisdom and courage. I really shouldn't hesitate."

She walked slowly towards the dragon chair not far away.

"Lu Qing, tell me your thoughts. I want to know where you plan to start."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Lu Chen solemnly responded, and then sat down slowly.

"The harm of the clan has accumulated to this day, and its root lies in the ancestral system established by Emperor Taizu Hongwu when he founded the country. All future generations of emperors must strictly follow the clan treatment formulated by his old man, and pay a fixed salary according to his title."

"Of course, I don't intend to let His Majesty cancel this national policy and completely abolish the ancestral system, but want to work hard on the amount."

Hearing this, the empress narrowed her eyes immediately.

"Lu Qing plans to write a letter to reduce the treatment of the clan?"

"No."

Lu Chen shook his head.

"Simply cutting the salary is too straightforward. It will not only attract dissatisfaction from all the clans in the world, but even fierce resistance, which will damage His Majesty's name. How can a humble official do something that will make His Majesty fall into injustice?"

Simply offending the clan is definitely not enough.

These people have no real power, and although they are united and powerful, they may not be able to win him who was saved by the empress.

Another wave of sent people has to be dragged into the water.

The Empress couldn't help being even more curious.

"Then what are you going to do, Qing Lu?"

"We can't let them lose all hope at once, we have to give them hope."

"How to do it?"

Lu Chen took a deep breath, and then said slowly:

"Wei Chen intends to change the original fixed salary distribution system to link the treatment of the clan with the tax revenue of the local government and the people's livelihood."

Evolve the second beast tomorrow