"A summons, but in reality a request?"
The Empress and her officials pondered these six words, their understanding deepening with each thought.
So that was it!
Since ancient times, those who did not cultivate land were exempt from paying rent and taxes.
Taxes were, in fact, divided into two parts: 'tax' and 'corvée'.
'Tax' referred to a proportion of labor's earnings collected for the imperial court; 'corvée' meant that citizens were obligated to serve for at least one month each year.
Regarding rent and tax, there was little to say. The corvée was generally levied during the non-farming seasons, meaning that local governments would not conscript laborers during spring plowing or autumn harvest.
Only after spring plowing and autumn harvest, during the farming lull, would local governments conscript laborers. For a month, these laborers had to serve, bringing their own provisions, and receiving no monetary income, working purely for free for the local governments.
This labor could be used for water conservancy projects, opening mines, reclaiming wasteland, or repairing roads and city walls, among other tasks.
According to the laws of various countries, the corvée period could be three months or one month. If the corvée period was exceeded, the government was supposed to provide food and a small amount of money.
Of course, this was merely what the laws stated. In actual practice, apart from providing food, local governments would not even dream of offering money. Even the food provided would not be of high quality, merely enough to stave off hunger.
Some unscrupulous governments would even prevent them from eating their fill.
Shuangyue City had a total of 210,000 non-combatant soldiers, including 100,000 regular imperial troops, 80,000 from the Five City Patrols (akin to city guards and garrison forces), 30,000 Imperial Guards, and 10,000 Imperial City Guards.
With such a massive army, how long could they rely on the one month of free labor from the corvée to transport grain? What would happen after that month?
This troublesome problem was immediately solved with Chu Chen's words.
The officials turned their gaze to the Empress. Currently, only the Empress's personal treasury had the funds for this undertaking; the officials did not expect the Ministry of Revenue to be able to present such a sum.
The Empress's expression changed slightly, and she said with displeasure, "Are all of you looking at me, thinking of drawing from my personal treasury again?"
"Your Majesty, currently only your personal treasury has surplus funds. Although I do not know the exact amount, I believe it is more than sufficient. Once we get through this year and the domesticated livestock are re-established and proven to be without issue next year, your personal treasury will no longer need to be tapped."
Qian Jieren's old face flushed as he shamelessly flattered her.
The Empress's face darkened, and she scolded, "The money in the Ministry of Revenue is money, but is the money in my personal treasury not money? Last year, I finally had substantial income, and you in the Ministry of Revenue are so intent on depleting my personal treasury?"
"Uh, this, Your Majesty, I had no choice."
Qian Jieren simply threw his hands up in a show of helplessness. After all, he had no money to offer, only his life.
The Empress, somewhat angered, gripped the table.
At this moment, Chu Chen spoke again, "Your Majesty, this expenditure is not entirely without benefit; rather, it is beneficial to the nation. While it may lead to excessive expenditure from the personal treasury in the short term, it can be recouped in the long run."
"??"
Recouped? This wasn't a business venture, how could it be recouped? Chu Chen must have been driven mad by his work in the past few days! His mind wasn't clear!
The Empress, like her officials, was concerned and said, "Prime Minister Chu, have you been overworked from handling state affairs for several consecutive days?"
Chu Chen was taken aback and replied with a wry smile, "Uh~ Your Majesty, I am in good health. I sleep and eat well every day. Although I am busy, I am not overworked. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
"Then, what did Prime Minister Chu mean by that?" the Empress asked, puzzled.
Chu Chen cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, Shuangyue City, as the capital, is so vast. It is divided into inner and outer imperial palaces and three layers of city walls. Do all the 800,000 citizens in the city have fields around Shuangyue City?"
Although she was reluctant to admit it, it seemed most of them indeed did not have fields. So the question arose: what did they live on?
The Empress, who had never considered this question, was dumbfounded.
The citizens of Shuangyue City had no fields; how did they survive? Through commerce? Labor? Were there enough jobs in the city?
The Empress knew nothing about this aspect.
Fortunately, there were those who understood. Qian Jieren frowned and said, "Many citizens in the city do have fields, but their land is generally thin and scattered. They can grow vegetables for their own consumption and sell a small amount, but the grain yield is likely not enough for their own food."
"Therefore, most of them rely on the houses passed down from their ancestors, renting them out as shops, or operating them themselves, or setting up stalls to sell small food items, or working for various noble households, or working in workshops, or doing manual labor..."
"Wait! Prime Minister Chu, I understand what you mean!"
Qian Jieren understood when he heard the word "manual labor," and his eyes lit up with realization. However, the others, including the Empress, were still somewhat confused, not understanding how this related to manual labor.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Chu means that men in the city who have no land and no skills should volunteer as laborers, and their wages should be paid in money to transport grain for the army, just like a wealthy landowner hiring laborers to transport goods."
"The difference is that one is uncertain, while the other is relatively long and stable."
Qian Jieren said excitedly.
The Empress nodded, but still did not understand, "I understand this, but how can it be recouped?"
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Chu means that by paying them money to serve as laborers, when they are not working, they will have to buy things, won't they? When they buy things, merchants will make money. When merchants make money, they will naturally increase their inventory. Workshops will then have to increase production to meet demand, and so will raw materials."
"In this way, everyone increases production. Although there is no actual monetary return, the overall productivity of the Yunyue Kingdom's populace is strengthened. At the same time, with the large-scale transportation of goods, customs duties at checkpoints also increase slightly. Furthermore, it provides a livelihood for those without land or skills in various regions, indirectly stabilizing the foundation of the Yunyue Kingdom."
Qian Jieren poured out everything he had understood.
In fact, he vaguely guessed what Prime Minister Chu intended to do, but he dared not say it. That was too reckless; he couldn't handle it and dared not speak.
Commercial tax! Prime Minister Chu intended to levy commercial tax! Was this not recklessness? Who was involved in commerce? Which major merchants nowadays did not have powerful backing?
Most merchants were backed by the powerful families who were doing business on their behalf. Even His Majesty, through Princess Xin Yue, had established a royal trading company to engage in business, had he not?
Could this commercial tax still be collected? Did they dare to collect it? Collecting taxes from His Majesty's own interests, was this not recklessness, a desire to die?
Although the Empress did not grasp the deeper meaning, the first layer of benefits alone brought a smile to her face.
The strengthening of the Yunyue Kingdom's productivity was a good thing!
Therefore, the Empress nodded and smiled, "Since this is the case, then my personal treasury will disburse this money."
"The Ministry of War shall calculate the number of laborers required and then submit a memorial to Prime Minister Chu for review."
"Yes!"
Several ministers cupped their hands in response.
Wei Zi breathed a sigh of relief. The pressing issue of food shortage was resolved, and there would be no chaos in the army, so there was no problem.
Qian Jieren was also happy. This meant the Ministry of Revenue could get a little more tax revenue.
Xie An was also happy. He would finally stop being nagged by Wei Zi incessantly.
Chu Chen was also happy and smiled inexplicably.