Female-to-male: I live on farming

The taxation of the Great Yan Dynasty was mainly divided into commercial taxes and levies. Commercial taxes were taxes levied by the imperial court on merchants, which were mainly divided into customs duties and market taxes.

In the early period, the equal-field system was implemented, and basically everyone had land to cultivate. The social economy was prosperous, and the only burdens on farmers were land rent, calculated tax, head tax (i.e., head tax, calculated tax was a head tax levied on adults, and head tax was a head tax levied on minors), corvee labor, and military service.

However, the land rent was light, while the head tax was heavy. If there was a drought or flood, the farmers could not afford these taxes at all, so many of them became refugees, and a large number of farmers who lost their land became tenants of landlords. On the contrary, as the landlords' assets became richer, they would also recruit people who passed the imperial examinations to reduce taxes. This vicious cycle made the poor poorer and the rich richer. There were fewer and fewer farmers under the control of the court, and the source of taxes was exhausted, which was also the main reason why taxes in Liangzhou were difficult to collect.

So the princess discussed with her staff for a long time and decided to shift the tax standard in Liangzhou from population to land assets. Those with more assets would be taxed more heavily, and those with less assets would be taxed less heavily. Those unowned lands or reclaimed lands would belong to the court, but civilian households would be exempted from taxes in the first year.

The main body of taxation was shifted from population to land. The more land you owned, the more tax you had to pay.

When Qin Ke was listening to their discussion, he put forward a suggestion: a standard could be set, and the part exceeding the standard could be taxed more heavily, and a tiered tax system could be implemented for those with large assets.

This kind of tiered charging system is not unfamiliar to modern people, but it was the first time that the princess and others heard of it. When you buy electricity or natural gas, it is basically charged according to the tiered charging standards. A reasonable average value is taken as the first tier, and a price is maintained below the first tier standard. The second and third tiers are gradually increased according to the increase in consumption, showing a step-by-step increase in a ladder-like manner.

The tax rate for salaries is also stepped, with the goal of reducing the gap between the rich and the poor. Although the gap between the rich and the poor and the class stratification are inevitable, it is better than nothing.

After Qin Ke explained clearly what the ladder system was, everyone exclaimed in surprise, and their eyes changed when they looked at Qin Ke.

Qin Ke looked at them strangely, their expressions were extremely complicated. He rubbed his fingers under his sleeves, not quite understanding whether there was anything wrong with what he said. Besides, he was just making a suggestion, and whether to adopt it or not depended on the eldest princess's opinion.

The eldest princess looked at Qin Ke with a complicated look in her eyes. An intriguing smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She swept her eyes around the people present, taking in everyone's expression.

The meeting room fell into an eerie silence.

Just when Qin Ke thought he had said something wrong and wanted to apologize, the eldest princess finally spoke up to break the deadlock.

"It's getting late. You may as well think carefully about whether what Qin Sima said is feasible and discuss it tomorrow."

Everyone bowed and said goodbye.

Judging from the eldest princess' tone, Qin Ke guessed that she didn't seem to be unhappy. Ah, how annoying. Just say that he is not good at politics. It would be better if the lady was here.

Qin Ke was a little discouraged, but when he returned home and saw Han Qi and others busy germinating sweet potato seeds and cultivating seedlings, he suddenly became enlightened.

Those political considerations were naturally decided by the princess and others. He only needed to do his own things well, such as planting crops and making inventions. These were what he was best at.

Thinking of this, he became cheerful again and devoted himself to the spring ploughing work again. Of course, he did not forget to write about this in a letter to complain to his wife.

On the other side, Jinyang walked out of the conference room with an expressionless face and went straight to the study to find Gu Lanxi. Gu Lanxi was also very busy every day. Reports on the Gu family's industry were received every day, and she was also needed to keep an eye on the search for a suitable location to build a coal plant next to Black Stone Mountain.

The Gu family did a good business last year, earning a fortune, but the expenditure gap was also huge. It can be said that all of Jinyang's current expenditures in Liangzhou are supported by the Gu family's industry. Otherwise, with just Jinyang's private treasury over the years, I'm afraid it wouldn't even be able to support many troops.

When she stepped into the study, Gu Lanxi was looking at the account books reported by various shops. Gu Lanxi raised her eyebrows. It was rare to see her take the initiative to come to the study to find her.

After all, Jinyang is the one who is usually very busy.

"Do you know what idea Qin Ke just came up with?" Jin Yang sat directly opposite Gu Lanxi, picked up the teacup above, and placed his bony index finger on the rim of the white jade cup.

Seeing that her face was calm, but her tone was full of admiration, Gu Lanxi also became interested. He leaned slightly against the back of the rosewood chair and whispered, "Oh? Aren't you discussing tax reform today?"

Jinyang repeated to Gu Lanxi the idea that Qin Ke had just mentioned.

Gu Lanxi frowned slightly, with a slight surprise flashing in her eyes, and said: "In this case, I'm afraid the first ones to oppose it will be the noble class."

In fact, the families with the most land resources are the powerful and wealthy. Once this policy is introduced, the interests of the aristocratic families will be damaged, and Jinyang will probably stand in opposition to all the aristocratic families.

"That's right. His suggestion is both feasible and infeasible." Jin Yang knew this. She picked up the white jade teacup and took a sip. She said, "But there are some things we can learn from it. Tax reform is imperative now, but we can't rush into it. We need to proceed step by step."

"What do other officials think?"

Jin Yang sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, and said, "How else can I react? I will naturally keep silent about something that harms my own interests. I estimate that the memorials I submit tomorrow will all be words of admonition."

"However," Jin Yang changed the subject and chuckled, "Qin Ke is becoming more and more interesting."

His words were full of admiration and love for him.

He can grow crops and produce food, design tools that benefit the country and the people, and has a business mind. Now he can even give some unexpected suggestions on government affairs, but he lacks political sensitivity and can't even figure out the official positions in the court.

Now, he has offended some people unknowingly. Such people can be assisting, but they will never become king.

This is what Jinyang likes most about him. To her, he is a rare talent.

"I'll be jealous if you praise other people in front of me." Gu Lanxi suddenly leaned forward and moved closer to her. Her delicate face was getting closer and closer to her, and they could even feel each other's breathing. She deliberately kept a tense face and stared closely at her face that was as soft as smoke and as bright as the bright moon.

Jin Yang came to his senses, and listening to her slightly jealous accusation, he smiled brightly and softened his tone: "You know I don't mean that."