Chapter Eleven: Relief through Work
Gently putting down the memorial, Yang You slowly got up, and his originally cheerful expression began to disappear, replaced by a worried look.
"No one is willing to leave their hometown, live under someone else's roof, and have the common people displaced. What they are asking for is just a meal to survive. The people of Daxing area are kind-hearted, when encountering disaster-stricken people, they also do their best to rescue them. I sympathize with the difficulties of the refugees, and am fortunate to have such good people in Daxing, and take pride in having such people."
"The prince's pity for the people is indeed a blessing for the great prosperity." Wei Wensheng congratulated.
He didn't know what was in the envelope, he just habitually took the initiative to avoid falling behind.
Yang You nodded and continued: "His Majesty wants to relieve the victims of the disaster, but he also cannot disappoint these kind-hearted people. After worrying day and night, he finally came up with a solution that satisfies both parties."
Oh! The curiosity of the officials was piqued, what could a thirteen-year-old child possibly do? Although the officials were very respectful to Yang You in their usual manner, they didn't have much reverence for him in their hearts, after all, his age was still young.
"Relief through work." Yang You said resolutely.
The term "relief through labor" is not unfamiliar to the ministers, and it originated in the Zhou Dynasty. The earliest written records can be found in the book of "Li Ji", in the chapter of "Monthly Orders", which states: "In the third month of spring, open the granaries, give to the poor, and relieve those in distress." The "Han Shu" also mentions "emptying the national treasury to relieve the poor". The "Hou Han Shu" records: "At the beginning of spring, warn against extravagance, and provide relief to those in need." From this, it can be seen that from the Eastern Han Dynasty onwards, the term "zhen" was changed to "zhēn".
In the past, poverty alleviation and disaster relief measures mainly included tax reduction, exemption, price stabilization, relief, loans, comfort, and consolation. Tax reduction and exemption refer to the reduction or exemption of taxes; price stabilization refers to the sale of grain at a fixed price in times of disaster; relief includes grain relief, monetary relief, material relief, porridge relief, and work relief.
However, these relief efforts are generally carried out in the disaster-stricken areas. Daxing District is where a large number of refugees have entered, so how can they carry out relief through work?
Looking at the ministers' bewildered eyes, Yang You couldn't help but feel triumphant and said: "Before long, it will be time for the people of Daxing to serve their labor duties. For years, the people of Daxing have been complaining about serving labor duties and are unwilling to do so. Now, with a large number of refugees entering the Daxing area, all they ask for is a full meal, in order to...
Yang You paused and looked at the ministers on the ground, many of whom had already understood that the labor service in the Sui Dynasty was very heavy, while the people in the Daxing area were mostly wealthy and did not want to serve.
"The meaning of His Highness the Prince is that this year, the corvée labor in Daxing area will be exempted, and these refugees will replace the people of Daxing to perform corvée labor." Gu Yi said with a pretended surprise.
In fact, he submitted this memorial to relieve Yang You, intentionally not directly pointing it out, also with the intention of testing Yang You. Sure enough, Yang You did not disappoint him, and bluntly took this creative work as his own to add to his prestige.
Perhaps everyone knows what's going on, but no one will say it out loud. It has been passed down to the common people that they are grateful for the kindness and righteousness of King Tai Gong.
"What the Duke of Bone said is quite right. However, it's not exempting corvée labor, but paying money in lieu of labor. After all, our Great Xing Pan Treasury has run out of money, and we still have to support so many disaster victims. Nevertheless, I, the King, guarantee that within three years, I will definitely exempt the people of Daxing from corvée labor." said Yang You.
"But the Great Yu Code stipulates that people over 60 years old can pay to avoid labor service, now everyone is allowed to pay to avoid labor service, there's no precedent for this!" A white-haired official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and said.
As soon as the words fell, he was despised by all the officials around him. He was not allowed to pay for the whole substitution, and the money to support the refugees was paid by you! The more people who pay, the more refugees will be supported. Do you still want the Ministry of Revenue to pay in the end? Go drink the northwest wind together next month! Seeing the faces of the people around him, the official from the Ministry of Rites also knew that he had made a mistake and slipped back into the team with a sullen face.
"It's settled then," Yang You said with a wave of his hand. "If the Emperor blames anyone, I'll take full responsibility."
"We swear to advance and retreat together under Your Majesty's command." Wei Wensheng led the way, and all officials echoed in unison.
"This time, the corvée labor is to build five canals and dredge the moat outside Daxing City. More than 20,000 refugees can't last long." Su Sheng furrowed his brow, as he was the county magistrate of Daxing and knew the amount of work for this year's corvée labor.
"Why don't we take the opportunity to repair the official road of Daxing properly, as it has been severely damaged over the years." Ping Honggui took the chance to request the flattening of the official road.
He has been in charge of the four-wheeled carriage recently, and the four-wheeled carriage has high requirements for road conditions. If the official roads are repaired well, the four-wheeled carriage will definitely be popular, and at that time, the Ministry of Works will surely make a fortune overnight, and the opportunity to turn things around will come.
Yongfeng Warehouse can be built faster.
There are still several bridges in Wan Nian County that need to be repaired.
The county government office is going to be renovated.
........
It wasn't until later that officials realized there were still so many things to do in Daxing District. If all these things are done, the migrants will not be able to finish them even if they rush to next year.
However, every time they mentioned one item, Yan Juncheng's face turned darker. The money for the substitute service would definitely not be enough, and it was estimated that it would be used up in a month. In the end, so many projects still had to be paid by the Ministry of Revenue.
"I humbly report to Your Highness, the relief of refugees is a matter of great importance to the country and the people. I earnestly request that you take overall charge of disaster relief matters." Wei Wensheng said with a serious expression.
"Please let His Highness King Wang take charge of disaster relief matters." All the ministers requested.
In ancient times, doing good deeds was not an easy thing. If you wanted to be a good person, usually repairing bridges, paving roads, and rescuing orphans and widows would suffice. However, if you wanted to provide disaster relief, one misstep could lead to being accused of buying people's hearts.
Yang You also knew that he could no longer avoid this time, and this burden could only be borne by him.
Gu Yi gazed at Wei Wensheng in front of him, silently cursing the old man for not dying. Although there was no direct evidence to prove that this was Wei Wensheng's plan, once the Crown Prince focused on the refugees' affairs, he would inevitably have no time to attend to court matters. This way, the entire court would be his domain again. However, Gu Yi didn't mind; the Crown Prince had already begun to awaken, and how many more years could Wei Wensheng hold power?
