The New Deal became the top priority of the empire this year.

In order to smoothly implement the new policy, Chongzhen showed the iron fist and foresight of a monarch.

The first thing he did was to reassemble the cabinet.

On February 15 of the fourth year of Chongzhen, Sun Chengzong was appointed by Chongzhen to the important task of the first assistant of the cabinet, and at the same time promoted Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiang to be members of the cabinet (the original post was temporarily retained), so that the cabinet actually formed a four-core era dominated by Sun Chengzong, Qin Shuhuai, Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangsheng.

Chongzhen at this time is no longer the same as Chongzhen when he ascended the throne four years ago. At that time, he wanted to form a cabinet, but he could only circle people in the list provided by the Donglin Party, and even because he could not balance the interests of all parties, he had to form a cabinet in the form of "drawing lots".

At present, no one inside and outside the government and the opposition dares to make irresponsible remarks about the cabinet he has organized, and no matter who he is, as long as he has real talent and practical work, he can use it if he wants.

The four-member cabinet has just been formed, and on February 20 of the fourth year of Chongzhen, Chongzhen issued an imperial decree to open Jingcha.

This year's Jingcha is presided over by Qin Shuhuai, a scholar of Wuyingdian University, Zhou Yingqiu, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials, and Wang Bingzhang, the left governor of the Inspectorate, as the deputy host, and assisted by the servants of the Ministry of Officials, the Wenxuan Division, and the Gonggong Division.

In the Ming Dynasty, especially in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, every Jingcha was a major reshuffle of power. Whether it is the Eunuch Party, the Donglin Party, the Qi Party, the Zhejiang Party, or any faction, every time Jingcha is bound to do everything possible to eliminate dissent.

Therefore, there is a cloud in the "History of the Ming Dynasty": the disaster of the portal originated in Jingcha.

In previous years, Jingcha was a life-and-death battle, a time to settle accounts after the autumn, and any official who offended the faction that controlled this Jingcha would be subjected to brutal political reprisals. The result of retaliation is to be dismissed from the office, or to be imprisoned, sent to prison, or even beheaded by the whole family.

And this time, the power of life and death of officials in the world has been in the hands of Qin Shuhuai.

Of course, it is also in Chongzhen's hands, because the goals of the two of them are the same.

That is to use the cruel Jingcha to open the way for the implementation of the new policy.

On March 15 of the fourth year of Chongzhen, with the strong support of Chongzhen, under the careful planning of Sun Chengzong, and Qin Shuhuai, together with Hong Chengchou, Li Dingguo, Lu Xiangsheng and other great talents, after more than a month of repeated discussions, revisions, and sorting, a total of 18 articles and 179 articles of the "Imperial Decree to Rectify the New Policies of Officials, Fu, and Tian Sanzhi" was finally completed and approved by the cabinet.

The next day, Chongzhen, who couldn't wait, officially issued an order in the Taihe Palace to implement a new policy across the country!

And the minister who was fully responsible for presiding over the new policy was also Qin Shuhuai.

Let Qin Shuhuai combine the power of Beijing and the power of the new policy, this intention could not be more obvious.

The new policy soon spread throughout the country, and the government and the opposition were shocked.

A national sensation!

Its shocking momentum is no less than a landslide, tsunami, ground cracking and thunder.

In the rural fields, countless farmers were stunned and couldn't believe it when they heard the news.

Even after a notice was posted at the gate of the county ya, and the township was being notified door-to-door, there were still a large number of people who didn't believe it!

The agricultural tax was exempted for three years, and even the liao salary and the extortion salary were all exempted, and the emperor also ordered that no official should levy any taxes on the peasants for any reason?

That's impossible!

Without agricultural endowments, what do the officials of the imperial court eat?

What do the army eat?

What does the emperor eat?

It can't be!

Also, what does it mean to register a landless person and then wait for the purchase of land in installments?

According to Li Zheng, it seems that the rich family wants to take out their land and sell it to us barefoot croppers, and the money from the sale of the land can be paid in 20 years?

Is there really such a good thing?

As long as you pay more than three dollars a year, you can pay enough for 20 years and one acre of land will belong to us?

Obediently, we used to farm for the owner, and the rent paid every year was more than this amount, but now the rent has been reduced by more than half, and he has to give us the land when he returns?

How is this—how is this possible?

Something must have gone wrong!

There is nothing so good in the world!

Besides, how can we not pay the endowment for farming? The emperor lightly endows us with the emperor's mercy, but the emperor is exempt from endowment, and it is still three years for one exemption, which is not right!

If I don't pay the tax, what money do I have to raise the army? If I don't have the money to support the army, won't the man-eating tartars and murderers be everywhere again?

Also, let's farm for the owner, if the owner can collect less rent, it is the owner's kindness, let's all think about it. But how can you say that you have planted other people's fields, and you will still occupy other people's ancestral industries when you turn around?

Compare your heart to your heart, and we don't want to be the owner!

Besides, they are all villagers, how will they greet the owner in the future?

That's not it!

So this must be fake, it's the old man Li Zheng talking nonsense!

In addition to the peasants, the landlords everywhere were also shocked.

For more than 500 acres of land, you have to pay an "additional tax" of one or two silver per mu?

Isn't it obvious that the imperial court wants to rob us of our land?

Officials around the world were also shocked.

The emperor's grace is magnificent, the emperor's grace is magnificent! Now I finally don't have to worry about money, and I can finally be a decent official.

Wait, what is the separation of powers?

What is this saying? The county master doesn't care about the case, so it's still called the county master?

Merchants across the country were also shocked.

What is a tax deed, isn't that a thing only available when buying and selling a house? How can you sell a salt or even a bun?

As expected, the whole country is in chaos!

There are too many things in the New Deal that the people and even the officials do not understand.

Qin Shuhuai urgently trained hundreds of New Deal propagandists, and after half a month of fully enclosed and high-intensity training, they were sent to all parts of the country to preach.

It took more than two months until early May for most of the people north of the Yangtze River to figure out what was going on with the new policy.

It was easy to get things out, but trouble came again.

A number of tenant farmers, red peasants, and free peasant households, found the squire Li is writing a "love letter" to send to the yamen, the "love letter" first praised Chongzhen fiercely, saying that he is the first great benevolent monarch and holy lord in the ages, the people are grateful to the emperor's "benevolent government", but in the end they euphemistically said that the emperor is welcome to reduce the endowment, but as the people of the Ming Dynasty, they can not fail to pay, otherwise the court has no money and no food, how can the Ming Dynasty be safe?

I wrote a lot of them, which was called a righteous speech, impassioned, and then there was a dense pile of handprints underneath

After several twists and turns, the "Chen Love Letter" was handed over to Qin Shuhuai, and Qin Shuhuai was so angry that he couldn't cry or laugh.

What do you mean? You're not happy not to collect your taxes?

However, that's the loveliness of this era.

In this era, be a man with a conscience!

Later generations often said that people's hearts are not ancient, so what was the people's hearts like in "ancient"?

Qin Shuhuai thinks that this is probably the case, everything is based on conscience!

In order to protect the country and the people over the years, the imperial court has done its best, and a large number of "good officials" such as An Guogong have spilled the blood of countless soldiers on the battlefield, and they have seen it.

At present, the world has been decided, and the imperial court has continuously reduced the levy in order to restart the prosperous era and let the big guys live a good life, and they have seen it.

Therefore, they also want to make the court feel better!

They felt that the way to make the court better was to pay taxes - as long as they were not as heavy as before, and they recognized the appropriate taxes!

But this is too sincere!

If even the peasants have "objections" to this new policy, then how can Qin Shuhuai do it?

Seriously, Qin Shuhuai wanted to hit someone when he heard it.

Sure enough, this momentum came together, and a large number of bureaucrats took the opportunity to write a book and bluntly talk about the various shortcomings of the New Deal.

Naturally, the spearhead will not be directed at giving them a salary increase, but at the decentralization of power and the collection of "additional taxes" from large landowners.

Chongzhen and Qin Shuhuai will not be soft at this critical time.

In the first month, Chongzhen received a joint letter from 123 officials, large and small, discussing the disadvantages of the new policy.

He immediately transferred all the recitals to Qin Shuhuai and asked Qin Shuhuai to handle it as appropriate.

Qin Shuhuai didn't say a word, and immediately wrote the word "impetuous" on the Beijing inspection assessment of these officials.

During the Jingcha period of the Ming Dynasty, the evaluation and evaluation of officials were very particular. Generally speaking, those who are found to have made a mistake but are not at fault will be rated as "not careful". If you get these two words, I'm sorry, you can resign and go home.

But, this is still light.

The most serious is the word "impetuous".

If you get these two words, you don't even have a chance to resign, but immediately take off your black gauze hat on the spot, and be escorted by the brocade guard to the third division of the capital for interrogation.

The ending is obvious - not only lose your position, but also have to take off a layer of skin!

According to the procedure, the comments will be sent to the Cabinet for consideration immediately after they are decided. Sun Chengzong, the first assistant of the cabinet, naturally had no objection to this, and immediately passed it.

After that, it's about Jinyiwei.

The efficiency of Jinyiwei was very high, and without saying a word, he took these officials from all over the country and escorted them to the capital.

Qin Shuhuai made it clear for Chongzhen that the new policy is imperative and will never compromise!