In the Imperial Palace, Xiao Ruxun quickly received the confession, which was filled with the list of names he wanted.
After reading it, Xiao Ruxun shook his head.
"This confession is not enough. Now there is only one handprint. One handprint is not enough. I need a few more handprints. More handprints are on it to make this list more lethal. This time, I want to do it to the extreme. I want to do it cleanly. I want to leave no one behind. Do you understand?"
Zhou Yao took back the confession and nodded.
"I will make Zhu Yinghuai admit this as soon as possible."
"Okay."
Xiao Ruxun nodded. "If you need anything, just tell me. I'll provide it all to you. You don't have to worry. Don't hold back. You're mine. I'll guarantee you a lifetime of riches and honor. Only I can say this in the whole world."
Zhou Yao immediately knelt down.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Ruxun stood up and personally helped Zhou Yao up.
"If you do these things too often, you will inevitably feel uncomfortable. If you have nothing to do, read more books and go sightseeing to relieve your boredom. You can't always be underground. You can do things that cannot see the light, but you can't do things that cannot see the light. This is why I gave you the title of Minister of Justice."
Zhou Yao expressed that he understood.
Then, he quickly went back to do what he was supposed to do.
Xiao Ruxun walked out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity and strolled at the gate of the palace. Looking at the sunlight shining in front of the main hall, he became even more determined.
At the same time, Ye Xianggao, who was quickly promoted to Minister of Revenue after Zhao Shiqing's death, was in the Cabinet discussing with the Cabinet Elders about the horse policy.
While the Emperor investigated Zhao Shiqing's case, he made people panic. At the same time, he demanded that the government should not stop operating. No matter who was taken away, someone must immediately replace him. Things could not stop. They should do what they should do. If something went wrong, they would not be merciful.
Under such circumstances, the Imperial Court still operated at a high speed. No one knew who would be taken away next, but no one dared to slack off.
Therefore, Ye Xianggao immediately took over from Zhao Shiqing to deal with Ma Zheng's matter.
In the past two months, Zhao Shiqing had racked his brains to make arrangements and improvements to the Horse Policy. Under the premise of drawing on the experience of the previous generation, he had also made some improvements. When Ye Xianggao took over, it was already a draft.
"Then, those who are willing to raise horses for the imperial court can be exempted from military service. There should be no dispute about this. What do you think, Cabinet Elders?"
Ye Xianggao looked at Wang Xijue and then at Li Tingji.
Both of them nodded.
"This is an important matter, and it was personally suggested by His Majesty. The previous dynasty had also put it into practice, and the results were very good. Therefore, there is no problem with this condition."
Wang Xijue had no objections.
"Although I don't have any objections, can we stipulate the specific amount? For example, one horse can exempt one able-bodied man from labor. If the family has surplus, they can raise a few more horses. In this way, if the family has more able-bodied men, more people can be exempted from labor."
Li Tingji wanted to make some improvements.
Ye Xianggao thought for a moment and said, "In this case, the imperial court needs to issue a proof of property. Raising a horse costs a lot, and not every family can afford it. If they really have money to afford it, of course, it doesn't matter.
But if they forcibly raise horses to avoid labor, not only will it harm the horses, but it will also harm the people. Horses that are not fat enough can't be used on the battlefield. Therefore, before setting up a horse household, the property of all households should be investigated. Only households that meet the conditions can become horse households. "
Wang Xijue expressed his agreement.
"Ye Butang is right. Only households that have surplus money to raise good horses can adopt war horses and become horse households. Ordinary families can't afford it, so don't force them. We have to pay attention to this matter. Send the order to the local officials and let them keep an eye on it. Don't make a big fuss for the sake of political achievements and exempting people from labor."
Wang Xijue looked a little cautious.
Come to think of it, as the head of the officials, and the head of the officials of the previous dynasty, Wang Xijue's situation was more awkward than anyone else's. Especially at this juncture, when the Emperor was furious and wanted to thoroughly investigate Zhao Shiqing's case, if Wang Xijue did something wrong, it would affect the whole situation.
Wang Xijue was cautious.
Li Tingji was the same. He, who had shown off his abilities, was now like a perfect and obedient official. He never raised any objections and seriously carried out the Emperor's orders. Whatever the Emperor said, he would do.
Of course, Ye Xianggao was the same. They didn't seem to mention the Emperor's great purge at all, as if it had nothing to do with them at all.
"Then, the next step is the amount of tax exemption. Raising a horse requires a lot of resources. If you don't have a certain amount of wealth, you can't raise a horse. Horse farmers should also set the amount of tax exemption based on their income. We can't just cut everything. These are His Majesty's words."
Ye Xianggao repeated Xiao Ruxun's words.
"In this case, according to His Majesty's request, should we also set a rule for the ranks of horse households?"
Li Tingji looked at Wang Xijue.
Wang Xijue expressed his affirmation.
"That's natural. Since it's His Majesty's request, of course we have to do it. Moreover, this itself is right. As politicians, we can't cut everything. The more detailed the rules are, the less likely it is that the people below will tamper with it. I have to say, His Majesty is wise!"
Wang Xijue had a look of admiration on his face, as if he had met a wise emperor.
The next moment, a cabinet official hurriedly walked into the cabinet duty room. Seeing Wang Xijue, Li Tingji, and Ye Xianggao, he hurriedly said, "First Minister, Second Minister, Ye Butang, just now there was news that the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Gu Dali, seems to have recruited a large number of people, saying that they are the accomplices of Duke Cheng, Zhu Yinghuai, and are plotting against the law."
The entire cabinet duty room fell silent.
Ye Xianggao didn't move, and even his expression didn't change. Only his pupils shrank, and then returned to normal.
Wang Xijue and Li Tingji were stunned for a moment, and then both revealed a smile.
"These rebels, instead of living a good life, they insist on doing such rebellious things. Isn't it a good thing that the new dynasty has stabilized the world, and the people can also live and work in peace and contentment? But they just want the world to be in chaos. If these rebels are not eliminated, there will never be a day of peace in the world! "
Wang Xijue immediately expressed his absolute support for Xiao Ruxun. "His Majesty is wise, he will definitely get to the bottom of this matter, and catch all the traitors in one fell swoop. We only need to do our own things, and don't worry about anything else."
Li Tingji also said, "Listen to the First Minister, the First Minister is right. We just need to do what we should do, and don't worry about anything else."
With the two ministers saying so, the cabinet clerks had to start working again, but they also looked uneasy, and their footsteps also became a lot more hurried.
"Where were we just now?"
Wang Xijue looked at Ye Xianggao.
Ye Xianggao also looked at Wang Xijue.
After a while.
"About how to classify the horse households according to their wealth, and how to set the amount of tax exemption, so as to not give the lower people the opportunity to tamper with the higher order, and to enrich the horses of the Daqin for the future northern expedition."
Ye Xianggao pulled the topic back to the original topic.
The three of them continued to discuss.
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