Because it was an agricultural society at that time, the focus was on the countryside. Because people-oriented development of production, Zhenguan Tian Zi not only promulgated the "imperial edict to encourage people to get married", but also said that when people got married, Zhenguan Tian Zi stipulated that men should "let their peers ask for help without restraint" when they were 20 years old and women should be 15 years old. At that time, early marriage was encouraged, and they should be encouraged to get married, start a family and have children when they were old. Widows who have passed the mourning period "must apply for matchmaking so that they can live in harmony." A woman loses her husband and a man loses his wife. After the mourning period, they should be allowed to reorganize a new family. At the same time, the emperor himself set an example. In the ninth year of Wude (626) and the second year of Zhenguan (628), the maids were released from the palace twice to "let them marry", with a total of three or five thousand people. Considering the current situation of population decline and economic depression at that time, Li Shimin's move can be said that he was the first to respond to his call. These ladies-in-waiting are obviously unable to get married and lead a normal family life in the palace. After returning the government to the people, they can organize families and have children like normal people, and the cost of the palace is reduced because so many people are laid off. Therefore, there is really no need to start with the emperor and the general maids.
Admittedly, although "frivolous taxation" has become one of the four basic principles of "governing the country", due to the lack of social accumulation at that time, the main content of Zhenguan's governance is actually not to reduce or exempt taxes, but to prevent Emperor Yang Di from abusing people's power and always opposing labor. We have said that during the Yang Di period, the Great Wall and the Canal were built, and the country waged war against Korea. Almost every year, there are relatively large engineering operations, so the people are always fidgeting, and many migrant workers are mobilized. During the Zhenguan period, this was restricted by law, and the Tang law specifically stipulated:
"Build battlements, build dikes, raise migrant workers, and achieve something. According to the Camp Repair Order, migrant workers are counted, and Shenshangshu Province begins to cooperate after listening to the newspaper. Or don't talk about it, don't wait, you will be incompetent, and you will lose one. "
This means that in the future, no matter whether you want to build a city or repair a river embankment, as long as you need to use people, you must make a list and report it to the relevant central departments before you can act. Otherwise, according to your project, the manpower you mobilized without authorization will be investigated for criminal responsibility, and the crime will be punished as corruption.
This is called a country ruled by law. Taxes may not be weakened much, but corvees are definitely reduced. In the era of Yang Di, the evil policy of serving the whole people and the whole country was destroyed.
The purpose of trying not to let the people take the corvee is to let the people live and work in peace and contentment and farm well at home. The imperial court meant to persuade farmers and mulberry workers to devote themselves to their own careers and agricultural production.
Since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains has been torn apart and wars have continued. In addition, most people who rule the north are horseback riders. People on horseback are characterized by advocating force and relying on the strong to fight hard, which makes them look down on the peasants who look hard. The ancient etiquette of the son of heaven, which has a long history, has been abandoned for hundreds of years. Now, Zhenguan Tian Zi has resumed this ancient ceremony. With respect to the emperor, the emperor plowed Lei (an ancient agricultural tool similar to a plow, with a wooden handle and an iron handle). The symbolic significance of this ceremony is far greater than the actual effect. In order to restore this ancient etiquette, Zhenguan also specially promulgated Ji to create public opinion. That day, naturally. This is what the book says:
"Taizong Zhenguan three years in the first month, offering sacrifices to farmers and ploughing, was born in a thousand acres of land. This ceremony has been abandoned for a long time, and now it is done, and the viewer is shocked. " Because this kind of etiquette has not been practiced for many years, the people feel very fresh, so when the ceremony is going on, the people are scrambling to see it. Because I haven't seen you for many years, I am very happy and surprised. Oh, that's it.
At the end of Sui Dynasty and the beginning of Tang Dynasty, due to the long-term war and turmoil, many people were no longer good at, disliked and uneasy about farming at home. As the saying goes, "There are too many people floating around without crops", people are not at ease about agricultural production, they are not doing serious things, and they are not willing to do serious things, which even became a habit at that time. This is the task assigned by local officials to their subordinates, which shows how many loafers were idle all day at that time, and can also prove how impetuous the social atmosphere was at that time.
Because the whole social atmosphere became like this at that time, the governance of this social atmosphere certainly could not be achieved overnight, and it soon achieved results. Li Shimin didn't expect that he could do this after he completed his symbolic hometown with the respect of the son of heaven. He continued to send envoys to various places to persuade agriculture and mulberry, and sent the court to persuade agriculture and mulberry as an imperial envoy. The emperor himself took the lead in planting several acres of crops in the garden of his palace. The intention still lies in.