Chapter 363: New Policies

Chapter 363: New Policies

When Emperor Xingyuan said that donations were only a stopgap measure, Prince Xiu's eyes darkened.

This was the method his father proposed last year. Was he dissatisfied with it?

Seeing Emperor Xingyuan's expectant look at Xin You, Prince Xiu couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness.

After being questioned by Emperor Xingyuan, Xin You immediately became the center of attention. This didn't make her nervous; instead, it energized her.

Why should she be nervous? She had been waiting for this opportune moment for a long time.

She stepped forward, bowed to Emperor Xingyuan, and spoke, "Your Majesty, I have some ideas."

"Oh? Please share them," Emperor Xingyuan said with apparent interest.

"Donations can only address immediate crises, while raising taxes would burden the people. I propose reforming the tax system and implementing a fair tax law that increases the national treasury's revenue while reducing the burden on the people—"

"That's impossible!" Before Xin You could finish, Minister of Revenue Yu Guangfu interjected, "Raising taxes and reducing the burden on the people are contradictory. How can you both increase tax revenue and reduce the people's burden?"

Tax revenue comes from the people. If taxes rise, naturally, the people will pay more. If the people pay more, how can their burden be lessened?

The Minister of Rites, who had always disapproved of Xin You wearing official robes in court, followed up after the Minister of Revenue's rebuttal, "Lady Xin may not be knowledgeable about governance. The tax laws were carefully considered based on the experiences of previous dynasties and are not to be taken lightly."

Xin You noticed the disdain in the Minister of Rites' tone.

The courtiers had expected this young woman, favored by the Emperor, to retort, scold, or cause a scene. Instead, she listened calmly, making the Minister of Rites' words seem overly aggressive.

The Minister of Rites spoke at length without interruption until he finally ran out of things to say.

"If Minister Sun is done, perhaps you could let me finish," Xin You said calmly.

Though the Minister of Rites still despised her, he could say no more.

He had already spoken too much!

"Increasing the national treasury's revenue while reducing the people's burden may seem contradictory, but it is possible," Xin You said, looking at the courtiers. "The solution is to combine the poll tax with the land tax and abolish the head tax."

As soon as these words were spoken, those who quickly understood were visibly shaken, while those who took longer to grasp the implications were equally stunned.

Xin You observed the reactions and continued, "Many dynasties, including ours, have taxed based on the number of people. However, many impoverished families with no property are still taxed per capita, leaving them crushed under heavy tax burdens. Meanwhile, wealthy landowners and officials enjoy tax exemptions, paying far less. How can the national treasury be full under such a system?"

At the mention of "tax exemptions," most of the courtiers wanted to protest.

Was she suggesting the abolition of tax exemptions for officials and scholars? If so, wouldn't their years of hard study be in vain? Would they be no different from commoners?

Emperor Xingyuan coughed heavily, "Let Lady Xin finish!"

The courtiers, cowed by the Emperor's authority, fell silent.

Xin You knew that the new policy struck at the core interests of these officials. This was a direct conflict of interests, with no room for ambiguity.

Understanding this, any attempt at verbal obfuscation was meaningless. All she could do was lay out the policy clearly and await the decision of the man on the throne.

The young woman's steady and clear voice echoed through the hall, "By combining the poll tax with the land tax, those with more land will pay more, those with less will pay less, and those without land will pay nothing. This will significantly reduce the burden on the people, eliminate tax evasion through hidden populations, and naturally lead to a substantial increase in the national treasury's revenue."

As Xin You calmly elaborated on the specifics of the policy, the reactions in the hall shifted. Most of the courtiers grew increasingly uneasy, while a few appeared thoughtful.

"Reforming the tax system may not solve the immediate crisis of the snow disaster in the border regions, but it is a fundamental solution. Once the new policy is implemented, the national treasury will be full, the people will live in peace, and we will no longer worry about lacking funds in the face of natural disasters or unrest," Xin You concluded, turning to Emperor Xingyuan. "These ideas were shared with me by my late mother in my youth. Zhang Youming and his nephew personally admitted to sending assassins to kill me because they did not want to see this policy implemented. I cannot understand why a policy that benefits the nation and its people would provoke such hatred."

The young girl looked puzzled, her gaze shifting towards the ministers.

The ministers quickly averted their eyes.

Is this girl a devil? So adept at digging pitfalls!

She just naturally reminded the Emperor that Chief Minister Zhang and others had harmed her and Empress Xin You because of the new policies. This way, when the Emperor asks for their opinions later, if they oppose, it will surely make the Emperor doubtful!

As the ministers were pondering, they heard Emperor Xingyuan ask in a calm tone, "What do you all think of the new policies?"

The ministers all lowered their heads, silently hoping that a fellow minister would step forward to oppose.

If the girl hadn't mentioned the case of Chief Minister Zhang, loudly opposing would have been fine, but now opposing would surely make the Emperor take offense.

Implementing the new policies would inevitably harm clan interests. But strongly opposing might lead to the same fate as Chief Minister Zhang, and even the clan would be lost.

Thinking this, even those who hated the new policies the most dared not speak out rashly.

Emperor Xingyuan had prepared for the ministers' opposition, but unexpectedly, no one spoke.

He couldn't help but glance at Empress Xin You, his eyes filled with appreciation.

Prince Xiu also silently watched Empress Xin You, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

He naturally understood the benefits to the realm once the new policies were implemented.

This was the new policy that the late Empress Xin wanted to implement at the founding of the Great Xia.

Thinking of Empress Xin You, Prince Xiu's eyes became complex.

"Since none of you have any objections, then—"

The Minister of Rites had to step forward: "Your Majesty, throughout history, any changes should not be taken lightly. I believe we should gather more people to discuss, rather than rush to a decision."

Careless, those less cautious pawns are not here, no one to voice opposition for us senior ministers.

Emperor Xingyuan slowly scanned the crowd, his tone slightly heavy: "All present are pillars of the state, with outstanding abilities and insights. If you cannot offer better suggestions, what is the point of gathering so many people? Or is it that there are more capable ministers that I have not discovered?"

Emperor Xingyuan's words made many palms sweat.

This means that if they consider themselves inferior to others, they should step down.

Implementing the new policies would result in losses to everyone present. Angering the Emperor and losing official positions would lead to personal ruin.

The choice is clear.

Well, optimistically thinking, if everyone suffers losses, it equals no loss.

By now, the astute ones had realized that the Emperor was determined to implement the new policies.

"Since none of you have any objections, then first survey the lands across the realm, select a few fertile areas in the north and south as pilot sites to trial the new policies." Emperor Xingyuan stated his plans, then paused, "As for those responsible for implementing the new policies—"

Seeing the ministers' eyes wandering, fearing to be named, Emperor Xingyuan slightly curled his lips and said lightly, "Let's discuss it at tomorrow's morning court."