Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 997

And from the tone of Wei Wu's voice, Zhu Zongshan could sense that there might be some grudge between them.

However, Zhu Zongshan didn't care much about it. As the prefect of Suzhou, he knew very well the moral character of these wealthy businessmen and gentry.

The key point is that he knows something about this person named Bao Yu. Simply put, he can be described as a worthless person.

So, after Wei Wu finished speaking, Zhu Zongshan nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

"Don't worry, Lord Zhenguo. I'll send someone to tell them to come to the government office to see you immediately."

"Ok!"

Wei Wu nodded, and then continued:

"You don't have to remember who came, but remember who didn't come. Then make a list and give it to me."

Got it!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zongshan began to mourn for those gentry in his heart, and it would be better if all of these people came to the scene obediently.

The person in front of me is a high-ranking official of the current dynasty, but the key point is his current attitude, which makes it clear that he is here to cause trouble.

If no one comes, it would be like handing the knife over to the Duke and letting him chop himself with it.

While thinking in his heart, Zhu Zongshan was also responding to Wei Wu's words.

"Don't worry, Lord Zhenguo. I know what to do."

"Alright, alright, stop calling me Duke and just call me Sir."

"Yes, my lord!"

While talking to Zhu Zongshan, Wei Wu was silently observing the expression on his face.

Because when the land tax was distributed according to the land area, Wei Wu saw with his own eyes that Zhu Zongshan had a look of joy in his eyes.

You have to know that the biggest beneficiaries of this policy are ordinary people, and Zhu Zongshan’s reaction is enough to reveal something.

Only those who put the interests of the people at heart will feel happy for the people from the bottom of their hearts because of good governance.

Seeing the emotional changes on Zhu Zongshan's face, Wei Wu did not point it out directly, but prepared to test it again.

After all, Zhu Zongshan was the prefect of Suzhou. If he cooperated wholeheartedly, the implementation of the land-based tax system would be much smoother.

As for Zhu Zongshan, he also noticed that Wei Wu was observing him, but he did not take it to heart.

After turning around and assigning people to do what Wei Wu had instructed, he returned to the court again.

This time, after he came in, Wei Wu simply patted the chair next to him, motioning him to sit down and talk.

After the two of them sat side by side, Wei Wu finally asked.

"Master Zhu, do you know anything about the issue of dividing the land tax by the amount of land you have lived in?"

"Your Excellency, I have been paying close attention to the situation of the people of Shandong and do have some understanding of this."

After hearing Zhu Zongshan's answer, Wei Wu nodded and continued:

"I would like to hear what Master Zhu thinks about this policy."

"A virtuous policy! A virtuous policy that allows the people to rest and recuperate, and live a more relaxed life!"

"Oh?"

Wei Wu raised his eyebrows and continued to ask with a smile:

"You may as well elaborate. I also want to hear what Master Zhu knows about this policy."

Having said that, Zhu Zongshan understood what Wei Wu meant, but he was not worried.

Because he had indeed studied the details of the land-based tax system and had certain insights into it.

So after Wei Wu finished asking, he immediately said:

"First, there's the Ding tax. Without it, landless farmers wouldn't have to sell off their children to pay the tax."

"People without land do not have to pay taxes, so the landless will not have to become refugees because they have no money to pay taxes."

"They can work as tenant farmers or hired laborers like normal people, earning money to support their families safely."

When he said this, Zhu Zongshan didn't even notice that the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

Wei Wu did see it, but he didn't say anything. He just looked at Zhu Zongshan silently and waited for his next words.

Zhu Zongshan also spoke again:

"Once the land tax is officially implemented, those who could not pay the tax and became refugees will no longer have to hide."

"Sir, you may not know that many landlords have refugees among their tenants, and these people have a hard time making ends meet."

"The landlords took advantage of the refugees' shady status to control them, and they worked for a whole year without earning much money."

If Zhu Zongshan's expression just now was happy, then now when he said this, his expression was angry.

However, the anger did not last long, and Zhu Zongshan looked at Wei Wu, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing this, Wei Wu spoke directly:

"Just say whatever you want to say, don't worry too much."

Hearing this, Zhu Zongshan took a deep breath and finally spoke out what was in his heart.

"Sir, the implementation in Shandong has been going smoothly. The main reason is that Qufu and those aristocratic families have been harmed by the White Lotus Sect."

"Most of the land was confiscated by the imperial court, and there was no one in Shandong who could take the lead in organizing the landlords and gentry to resist."

"With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince at the helm, success is possible, but these gentry families in Jiangnan, as well as the landlords and wealthy merchants..."

By this time, Wei Wu was basically certain that Zhu Zongshan was indeed a good official.

We don’t know what his abilities are yet, but at least he has not been corrupted by these wealthy businessmen and gentry in Jiangnan.

And from what he said, we can tell that he has indeed studied the benefits of the land-based tax system.

At the same time, they are also worried about how to smoothly implement the equalization of land tax and capitation. This attitude of putting the people at heart is worthy of praise.

Therefore, after Zhu Zongshan finished speaking, Wei Wu immediately began to praise him:

"Very good. It's great that you can see this. It proves that you have really studied this carefully."

"I'll still need your cooperation for the implementation in Suzhou. As for those landlords and gentry, they're nothing but autumn grasshoppers!"

Although he didn't know why Wei Wu was so confident, Zhu Zongshan had an inexplicable feeling in his heart.

That feeling told him that Wei Wu really didn't take those people seriously, but treated them as ants that could be crushed to death at any time.

Considering Wei Wu's status and position, he did have the ability to do so, but this was, after all, to implement the court's policies.

If you go too far, not only will you fail to get things done, but it will also cause counterproductive effects, which will be troublesome.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zongshan felt that he should speak up to remind Wei Wu so as not to affect the progress of the policy promotion.

However, just as he was about to speak, a bailiff ran in quickly from outside the court.

"Your Excellency, the wealthy merchants and gentry have arrived and are waiting outside the door."