readsfreenovel Chapter 326: Domineering Shock
Chapter 326: Domineering Shock
The ministers were angry and complained in their hearts, but they did not dare to oppose it anymore. Under the authoritarian and tyrannical power of Regent Zhao Defang, this matter was "smoothly" passed.
Gu Pingzhou, the Minister of Rites who came from an aristocratic family, stepped out of the train and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Regent, I have something I don't understand, and I am risking my life to ask you!"
Regent Zhao Defang said calmly, "If there is anything you don't understand, you don't have to risk your life to ask, just tell me."
Gu Pingzhou asked in a deep voice: "May I ask Your Highness the Regent, will the new policies and reforms you have implemented in Western Shu be implemented throughout the entire Song Dynasty?"
Zhao Defang did not evade the question at all. "Yes! The Western Shu area and the newly recovered Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are two pilot areas. Once a relatively complete set of principles are summarized during the implementation of the new policy reform experiment, they will be gradually implemented in various places within the Song Dynasty."
At this point, the court was even more lively than the fight for the more than 30 official positions. The indignant and noisy voices of opposition were almost overwhelming.
Regent Zhao Defang remained unmoved and glanced coldly at the court officials who were the most excited.
Gu Pingzhou raised his hands and waved them to try to suppress the voices of his colleagues. He continued to speak only after the hall had quieted down.
At this moment, Gu Pingzhou, who was full of confidence, had a look of anger and dissatisfaction on his face.
"Your Highness, the new policy reform you implemented in Western Shu has taken the ownership of the land of the aristocratic families and wealthy landlords back to the court, and rented it out to the untouchables for cultivation. Does this still allow the people of the aristocratic families and wealthy landlords to survive?"
The New Deal increased commercial taxes by 20%, and prohibited monopoly and malicious competition. Which of the businesses in your Regent Palace and the Princess' hands is not a monopoly in a highly profitable industry? Is the New Deal reform only aimed at us, the aristocratic families and the wealthy and powerful? Is it our lives that are being changed?
The New Deal reform opened schools in every large village and advanced schools in every county town. The imperial court paid subsidies, so the children of farmers could go to school without paying.
If this continues, the descendants of those poor and lowly people will be able to read and write like us, the children of the aristocratic families, and seize the path to imperial examinations and become officials. After becoming officials, will they ride on the heads of us, the children of the aristocratic families, and act tyrannically?
Your Highness the Regent, I have something disrespectful but heartfelt to say to you.
If you insist on implementing this new policy throughout the country, the people will be filled with resentment and the world will be in chaos!"
Lu Qian, a secretary from an aristocratic family, also stood up and said, "I second the motion! Your Highness, the Regent, in every dynasty, there have always been a few powerful ministers who hold heavy fists, are self-important, and are stubborn and want to implement some new policies and reforms, but none of the new policies they proposed were as ruthless and radical as this one!
If this continues, how can we, the aristocratic families and the wealthy and powerful families, survive? Privileged class, what kind of privileged class is it without privileges? Free land trading and light commercial taxes are the national policies after the founding of the Song Dynasty. They were formulated by the two predecessors Taizu and Taizong. Does Your Highness the Regent want to be a sinner in history? "
Cui Zhengqing, the Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall, also stood out angrily and said, "I second the motion!
This new policy reform is specifically aimed at us, the wealthy families, the powerful and the landlords. Only the lower-class people benefit from it.
If Your Highness the Regent insists on doing it, the noble families and the wealthy and powerful people in the world will never agree. If the foundation of the Song Dynasty is shaken by this, Your Highness the Regent will be a sinner for all eternity!"
"I second the motion!" "I second the motion!" "I second the motion!"... A large number of civil and military officials stood up to express their strong opposition.
In this era, few officials came from poor families. Children from poor families had no money to go to school and were illiterate. How could they take the imperial examination and become an official?
Those who could stand in the court and become high officials were not born in the poor. Even if one passed the imperial examination and became an official, without the support of family wealth and a complex network of relationships, it would be extremely difficult to be promoted to the fifth rank.
Therefore, except for a few dozen officials who did not have much property and were considered to be from humble backgrounds, most of the officials in the court were from aristocratic families or wealthy and powerful families. They would strongly oppose the deprivation of their family's fundamental interests, even at the cost of their lives.
Those who stood and did not oppose were either officials from humble families who did not have much land, or people who were loyal to the regent and would obey his orders in everything.
Kou Zhun was about to stand up and speak out against those who opposed him, but was stopped by Regent Zhao Defang.
A rare look of coldness appeared on Regent Zhao Defang's face, and his eyes were so sharp that people dared not look directly at him.
"All the important officials in the court are well-read people. They should know that the change of dynasties, and the overthrow of each declining dynasty, is basically due to the serious annexation of land. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few people by the policies formulated by the privileged class. The treasury is empty, the military pay is insufficient, and the poor people have no clothes to cover the cold and no food to eat.
While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone!
Then, the starving people in various places rose up in resistance. At this time, the children of prominent families and aristocratic families stood up, raised their arms and called for millions of responses, and a dynasty was changed and then another one took place.
There were more than 80 million poor people in the Song Dynasty. The land was annexed and the wealth was concentrated in the hands of hundreds of thousands of people. When the poor people were on the verge of starving to death, it was time for another change of dynasty, right?
The new policy reforms formulated by me are only to make you eat less meat and not get sick from overeating, leaving some food for tens of millions of poor people. How did it cause such public resentment and make me a sinner for all eternity?
You have clearly inquired about the implementation details of the new policy reform in Western Shu. Can you tell me honestly: are the more than four million poor people in Shu full of resentment?
Why can't you, the aristocratic families and the rich and powerful, survive? The New Deal reform stipulates that each family is not allowed to own more than 1,000 acres of land. Can you still starve to death if you are left with 1,000 acres of land?
In the business of this prince and the princess, except for the products that you don't have the technology to produce, which industry has been monopolized? You dare to monopolize even salt, iron, wine and tea. Is it allowed by the laws of the Song Dynasty?
Children from poor families cannot read and write, cannot develop their intelligence, and can only work like a slave for you for the rest of their lives? The people can carry you, but they can also overturn you. This people refers not only to you few people, but to tens of millions of people in the Song Dynasty!
The Song Dynasty's taxes were mainly levied on the poor people who were struggling to make ends meet, while the wealthy merchants were lightly taxed. Is this fair? Can the national treasury be prosperous? !
If a prince breaks the law, he will be punished the same as a commoner. The privileged class must have privileges? Which law in every dynasty defines the privileged class?
Gu Pingzhou was so angry that veins popped out on his forehead. "Your Highness, you... you are just making up excuses! We don't accept it!"
: "We don't accept it!...～" "We don't accept it, it's nonsense!
Regent Zhao Defang stood up with a bang. The emperor's aura reached its peak, and his pressure made the court officials who were shouting their dissatisfaction take several steps back.
"Whether you accept it or not, I am determined to implement the new policy reforms in all provinces and cities across the country. With the power in my hands, I will force it through. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
There was silence in the hall, and you could hear a pin drop.
The young emperor Zhao Wuji also stood up and lent a helping hand. His face was cold, and his childish voice was crisp but domineering and ruthless. "If you are not convinced, just come forward. I will use tens of thousands... no, hundreds of thousands of heads to clear a bloody path for the implementation of the emperor's uncle's new policy reforms!"