“Marquis Yun, in this mortal world it’s not only wealth that moves people’s hearts, and your heart is not set on wealth either. Why do you insist on filling the realm with the stench of copper coins? Why tear apart the moral system established by the ancient sages? This old man has studied twelve types of contracts from your Yun Family, all supposedly written by your hand. There’s not the slightest trace of human sentiment in them—only cold numbers and terms, each clause listed clearly and plainly. Once a dispute arises, the officials don’t even need to think much—they simply rule according to the contract. Marquis Yun, the people of the Great Tang are simple and kind-hearted—they cannot withstand your calculations. Marquis Yun, you know how to sympathize with the common people and consider them at every turn. Do you expect everyone to have your cultivation and learning?”
“This old man can swear to Heaven that I have never harbored any thoughts about your Yun Family’s wealth. It’s only out of concern that I spoke up in court. I worry that once your contract texts spread widely, all trust in this world will cease to exist. Right now we believe in others keeping their word, believe that most people in this world are good, believe every word the court says. Your teacher began the Three Character Classic with ‘At birth, human nature is fundamentally good,’ so why do you hold the belief that ‘At birth, human nature is fundamentally evil’? Do you not even revere Heaven and Earth?”
“This old man witnessed the former Sui Dynasty collapse with a thunderous crash, witnessed Prince Xi Li Jiancheng’s death. With no other thoughts remaining in my heart, I only wish to use what remains of my life to protect these kind-hearted common people from suffering too much harm. Your actions are intensely deceptive—temporary prosperity brings with it the thunderous collapse of moral principles. This old man believes it’s not worth it, which is why this matter occurred.”
“Marquis Yun is decisive in action, abandoning vast wealth at a word without a moment’s hesitation. Overnight the situation took a sharp turn, and the civil official group suddenly became everyone’s target. Your Yun Family obtained an absolutely excellent opportunity amidst the chaos to break free from the entanglements of other great families. What calculations! What schemes! This old man truly doesn’t know what kind of demonic soul resides beneath your young exterior.”
“Everyone says you acted out of momentary pique, or that you’re timidly retreating. This old man knows you are neither. Beneath this retreat, who knows what towering waves will come sweeping in. This old man is too dull to guess, but I know your counterattack will leave the civil officials stripped of their dignity, with no more voice in the court. Marquis Yun, do you think having the entire court filled with military nobles is a good thing?”
“This old man humbly begs Marquis Yun—can you just peacefully farm like this? Put away your fury and ambitions. A wolf should not appear among a flock of sheep. Just now this old man stood in the rain watching you tend the crops with your sisters, and from the bottom of my heart hoped this beautiful scene could be preserved for a long time.”
Wei Zheng’s hair had already grayed somewhat. This was a respectable person. At least his heart was pure—Yun Ye could sense it. These words all came from genuine feelings deep in his heart, not the ornamental language of a lobbyist.
Who could understand better than himself what it looked like after a moral system collapsed? When after saving someone you’re falsely accused of being the perpetrator, when you see a fallen elderly person but dare not help them up, when you see beggars but cannot give alms, when you die saving someone and your corpse is even used by others to make money—how can you bear it?
Was what Wei Zheng said unreasonable? It was reasonable! At least Yun Ye didn’t want to see the people of the Great Tang also become like those of later generations under the impact of economic waves. The Great Tang had no nuclear weapons for deterrence. If even this upright courage was lost, what would they rely on to pass the nation down generation after generation?
Just yesterday he was laughing at Dan Ying’s dilemma. Now it seemed Wei Zheng’s words were completely correct. He himself was a hungry wolf lurking among a flock of sheep. Even evil bandits executed in the marketplace didn’t pose as great a danger to the Great Tang as he did.
Originally he thought that as long as the common people had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, that would be fine. He alone forgot that people, this thing, would change. Learning good takes three years; learning bad takes only three hours. I came to contribute to the Great Tang, not to leave behind eternal calamities.
Was money ultimately a good thing or not? Guan Zhong brought prosperity to the state of Qi, yet after Duke Huan, Qi made no further progress. Even tiny Yan almost destroyed their nation. The prosperous Venetian Republic was the same—in the end, they all vanished in the long river of history.
Trouble begins when one learns to read. When one’s status rises, one’s worries multiply. Yun Ye was now one of the so-called rule-makers of later generations, no longer a bachelor who could eat his fill and not worry about the whole family going hungry. Every action had people imitating it, every method had people praising it. Moreover, merchants were the demographic most skilled at learning. Refusing to repent until death would absolutely never appear among merchants. Even if you earned one more copper coin than me with a new method, my household would have your new method the next day. Along with commercial routes, the Yun Family’s bookkeeping methods had long since spread. Last time he heard that even people from the Japanese islands were using the Yun Family’s methods, which angered Yun Ye considerably.
Wanting prosperity while also wanting pure hearts—was there such a good thing in this world? He finally understood why the high-level leadership of later generations had the propaganda slogan “Grasp economic construction and moral civilization with both hands, both hands must be firm.” This damn thing made sense—it wasn’t putting on a show. When morals deteriorated, no matter how much money there was, the world would only regress, not advance. The only final result would be self-destruction.
He stood up, plucked a grass root, and chewed on it. Not having cigarettes was truly killing him. He paced around in the shelter. A wooden basin blocked his path. He kicked it aside with one foot. Damn basin! His toe hurt piercingly, and his face showed pain.
Seeing Yun Ye troubled, Wei Zheng seemed to relax instead. He grabbed a handful of pine nuts from the table and slowly cracked them, watching Yun Ye circle around like an old donkey pulling a millstone, full of self-satisfaction.
Now his troubles had become Yun Ye’s troubles. Things he himself had no way to solve—let’s see if Yun Ye had a way to solve them. It turned out troubles could also be transferred.
Pei Yu led the girls back home after finishing their work. They all seemed very happy, bouncing along in the light rain as they walked toward the Yun residence. Today Yun Ye had instructed the cook to make them a good meal.
“This is an almost unsolvable problem, Lord Wei. Other than strengthening education, we have no other path to take. Poverty is not a phenomenon that should exist in a prosperous age. Our dynasty is just showing the first signs of a prosperous age—it cannot be casually extinguished by a few words from you people. We can only make ourselves stronger. Otherwise, we still cannot escape the suffering of regime changes and the people’s displacement.”
“Don’t talk to me about that nonsense of the Five Virtues rotation. Every regime change has its reasons. Zou Yan deceived the world for a thousand years. If we followed what he said, our Great Tang also cannot escape the fate of destruction. I’ve never believed in Heaven—I only believe in myself. Heaven holds not a shred of the miraculous for me. I’ve been up there before—aside from white clouds, there was nothing.”
“I originally wanted to change the farmers’ circumstances through new wealth accumulation. The Yun Family estate is a living example. Through half-farming, half-industry, they would quickly become prosperous. Looking at it now, they haven’t yet been blinded by wealth. Simplicity and kindness are still mainstream. From their acceptance of disaster victims, you can see that people’s hearts are still made of gold.”
“I can give up revenge against the civil officials—or rather, I never cared about them to begin with. Last year, commercial taxes accounted for thirty percent of the nation’s total tax revenue. This is enormous progress. You need not worry. Since every dynasty inevitably experiences a scene of moral decay, then what about us making a new attempt?”
“Think about it—if commercial taxes continue to increase, accounting for forty percent, fifty percent, and after His Majesty opens up the Western Regions, I dare predict commercial taxes will account for eighty percent. What if such a scenario appears?”
“Farmers depend on Heaven for their livelihood. The land’s output is meager, and they must also endure the exploitation of natural and man-made disasters. For thousands of years, they have always been the taxpaying body of our society. The poor pay taxes while the wealthy don’t—the result can only be that the poor become poorer and the rich become richer. It would be strange if they didn’t rebel. You and I would also rebel when we reach the day of having no food to eat. This is perfectly justified.”
“A rebellion without farmers participating only deserves to be called an insurrection. I’ve never heard of an insurrection that couldn’t be suppressed. But once farmers rebel, that marks the end of that dynasty. Which is more important? Does Lord Wei understand?”
Wei Zheng spat out the pine nut in his mouth, poured a cup of water from the teapot on the table, drank it down, and said to Yun Ye: “Marquis Yun, what you say makes great sense. This old man has never ascended to Heaven, but I have climbed to mountain peaks—there are also clouds and mist atop mountains. When this old man studied the Dao, I also enjoyed traveling through clouds and mist. What you say may have merit, but you say commercial taxes will account for eighty percent of state tax revenue—is this possible?”
Yun Ye also grabbed a handful of pine nuts, tossed one in his mouth, and said indistinctly: “Next month, I plan to hold an auction. Lord Wei, prepare your money. The auction will definitely have good things that will move your heart. At that time, let me show you how I can earn half the national treasury in just over ten days. Then you’ll understand—the Great Tang actually has many wealthy people, and those barbarians are also very wealthy.”
“Marquis Yun, aren’t those big words? Last year our Great Tang’s tax revenue was three million six hundred thousand strings of cash. Though you have the reputation of being a god of wealth, this old man still doesn’t believe you can earn two million strings in such a short time. The Great Tang doesn’t have that much money.”
“Lord Wei, I won’t make a bet with you—you’re a famously poor wretch. I only want to tell you that the ultimate purpose of me earning this much money is to achieve an important goal, which is no taxes for farmers. When farming households no longer even have taxes, I don’t believe they’ll still rebel.”
The pine nuts in Wei Zheng’s hand scattered all over the ground, and pine nut shells still hung from the corners of his mouth that he hadn’t spit out. Yun Ye had long anticipated this would happen. He poured a cup of tea and rinsed his mouth—he’d just eaten a bad pine nut. Too bitter.
This was the only excuse Yun Ye could use to persuade Zhangsun. Even a fool would know what kind of goal “no taxes for farmers” was.
Grand unity under Heaven, peaceful seas and clear rivers, Yao and Shun reborn—the ideal world of ancient times was just like this. If Li Er achieved no taxes for farmers, he would be the greatest monarch in all of Chinese history. No one in this world would ever again think of overthrowing a family that let farmers pay no taxes. A thousand-year dynasty would no longer be just a beautiful dream.
This was also the source of Yun Ye’s confidence in daring to commit such a great transgression by disregarding the officials in court. Now, as long as there were sufficient commercial taxes, farming households’ tax burden would lighten. With the full arrival of commercial society, no taxes for farmers truly wasn’t an unreachable beautiful dream.