Chapter 22: Touching Zhu Yuanzhang’s Most Sensitive Nerve
Empress Ma was utterly shocked. This was beyond her comprehension. Throughout the Ming Dynasty, and indeed in all dynasties, taxes were always collected in the best grain. How could Li Fan accept any kind of grain? What if the court requisitioned this grain and sent it to disaster areas or the front lines? Who would be responsible if problems arose? Didn’t he fear the court’s wrath? Moreover, collecting a four-tenths land tax—what about the tenant farmers? Wouldn’t they have to pay even more?
Worried, she asked, “What about the tenant farmers in Fengyang? Don’t they have to pay more?”
Seeing Empress Ma’s puzzled expression, Li Fan smiled and explained, “In the entire Fengyang Prefecture, there are only a little over a hundred tenant households left; the rest own their own land. These remaining households are born servants of landlords and don’t need to pay rent!”
Huh?
Empress Ma looked at Li Fan in astonishment. How could there be no tenant farmers in Fengyang? Even in Jinling, there were many tenant farmers. Disbelieving, she asked, “Is there no land consolidation in Fengyang?”
Li Fan confidently nodded. For the past three years, his efforts had focused on reducing land returns, encouraging capable people to invest their energy elsewhere rather than just in land. Historically, why did land consolidation occur? Because landlords, merchants, and officials, once wealthy, had no other investment options.
Depositing money in banks incurred maintenance fees, and storing it at home risked it rusting away. So, they bought land! With land came money, and with money came more land—a vicious cycle that led to ever-increasing land consolidation.
Over centuries, an entire county’s land could end up in the hands of a few. The common people, deprived of land, couldn’t sustain their lives. Driven by those with ulterior motives, the entire nation would have to be reshuffled repeatedly. But now, Fengyang had changed.
He continued, “Previously, landlords with money had no other options but to buy land, worsening land consolidation. Now, Fengyang offers ways to make money from money. Additionally, the high land tax in Fengyang means profits from land aren’t as high as those from bank deposits. Thus, landlords hold less land. With lower land prices, a few months of labor can buy a mu of land. After years of development, Fengyang no longer has tenant farmers; they’re all self-sustaining farmers!”
Empress Ma was stunned. Land consolidation was a major cause of dynastic cycles. Every dynasty had tried to solve this issue but failed. All efforts had been futile, and dynasties couldn’t escape their 300-year cycles, as if cursed. But now, Li Fan had seemingly solved this problem. If the emperor learned of this, he would certainly reward Li Fan greatly.
Empress Ma hurriedly said, “This method of yours is excellent. If it could be promoted throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, wouldn’t that mean there would be no tenant farmers in all of Ming?”
Xu Miaoyun rolled her eyes, completely disagreeing with Empress Ma’s view. Li Fan’s method might work in Ming, but it wouldn’t be effective anywhere else. Furthermore, informing the emperor about this might not go over well, as the emperor despised merchants. Li Fan’s approach aimed to make merchants the mainstream in Ming, which was a direct challenge to the emperor’s most sensitive point—an impossible feat.
She then said, “The reason Fengyang succeeded is due to the thriving commercial activities. Most money flows into commerce, and some into banks, which is an advantage not present in other parts of Ming.”
Empress Ma sighed, realizing she might indeed be dreaming. The emperor hadn’t yet accepted the changes in Fengyang, let alone those for the entire Ming Dynasty. Since changing the emperor’s mind was unlikely, perhaps changing the Crown Prince’s mind was the way forward. Once the Crown Prince’s thinking shifted, the gradual transformation of Ming could follow when he ascended the throne.
After pondering for a while, she said, “Miaoyun is right. The emperor dislikes commerce and won’t significantly develop it. Changing the fate of tenant farmers seems impossible.”
Li Fan looked at the tenant farmers outside and solemnly said, “Actually, there is a way to delay the issue of land consolidation.”
Hearing about a method to delay land consolidation, even if only a delay, was better than doing nothing. It could at least extend the Ming Dynasty’s prosperity. Empress Ma eagerly asked, “What method?”
“Integrating labor into land taxes and having officials and gentry pay grain taxes together.”
Empress Ma was puzzled, not quite understanding. She wanted to know more, “What is this method? Could you explain it in detail?”
Li Fan, curious, asked, “Why is an aunt, merely a merchant, so interested in government affairs?”
Empress Ma was taken aback, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and quickly thought of a plausible excuse, “My sister is Empress Ma, so I’m very concerned about governmental matters.”
Li Fan was momentarily stunned, not expecting the lady in front of him to be Empress Ma’s sister. Realizing he had gambled correctly, he thought that if she was indeed Empress Ma’s sister, she could definitely open up the Jinling market. Perhaps his offer of twenty thousand catties of sugar was too little.
“I didn’t expect Aunt to be a relative of the imperial family. My apologies for any disrespect!”
“Now, could you explain the integration of labor into land taxes and the joint payment of grain taxes by officials and gentry?”
Li Fan then calmly explained it to Empress Ma. After listening, she was left in a daze and bid farewell to Li Fan in a trance. She arrived at the prearranged meeting place with Zhu Yuanzhang, still in a stupor. When Zhu Yuanzhang returned and saw Empress Ma in a daze, he curiously asked, “Honey, what’s wrong? Didn’t it go well?”
Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang, Empress Ma hurriedly said, “Chongba, I know the solution to the dynastic cycle!”
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