eldest son of Ming dynasty

This matter of preferential treatment and exemption for the gentry in the Ming Dynasty can be seen in the "Records of Taizu": The family with food and salary is equal to the common people, and those who serve as servants are the affairs of the common people.If a wise man and a gentleman value his body and return to serve his family, there will be no distinction between a gentleman and a barbarian. This is not the way to encourage scholars to treat the wise.From now on, those who have land and land in the families of officials appointed by Baisi will be exempted from corvee service except for paying rent and taxes.

There is a sentence in this that is difficult for us future generations to understand: There is no distinction between a gentleman and a savage, which is not the way to encourage scholars and treat virtuous people.

As the person with the highest status, Zhu Houzhao actually benefited from this sentence. Its connotation is that officials and people have unequal status.

The hierarchy is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and is indispensable for the dynasty to maintain stability.All his own elegance and luxury come from the oppression of the people at the lowest level.

In this case, the gentry group should have its own preferential treatment. This is economic preferential treatment in exchange for political wooing.

No matter how important the sage classics emphasize the importance of "the people are the foundation of the country", in fact the serious logic of governance is that if you are a common people, you can safely be a common people.

So the fundamental logic here is twisted and contradictory.

They claim that the people are the most important, but in fact, all dynasties have suppressed the people everywhere.

Just like before, people were not allowed to stop sedan chairs to complain.

In this sense, Peng Ze's words "not to be taken lightly" are the words of seeking the country.

It takes considerable courage and wisdom to do this.

Of course, people often think that Yongzheng promoted the integration of the gentry and the gentry into receiving food and grain, which improved their evaluation of him.

But there are a few things that need to be made clear. First, the idea that the gentry and gentry should pay grain and serve as errands as one body was not proposed in the Yongzheng Dynasty. It was actually the result of a series of reforms in the late Shunzhi period.

Second, the Qing Dynasty was different from the Ming Dynasty, or different from previous dynasties.The rule of the Ming Dynasty was based on the gentry, while the Qing Dynasty was not based on the nobility of the Eight Banners.

Third, any historical event has a beginning and a brewing process. It did not suddenly emerge from Yongzheng's head in isolation.

After the Qing Dynasty entered the country and suffered a complete military defeat, the Jiangnan gentry group still tried to retain their political and economic rights and interests.

Especially during the Shunzhi period, the Qing Dynasty continued to restore the old system, which made these landlords feel that the "old days" were back, so they began to test each other with the Qing court starting from the Shunzhi Dynasty.

The so-called three major cases in the early Qing Dynasty were concrete manifestations of the Qing court's suppression of the Jiangnan gentry.

In the past few decades, the Qing government first executed an official named Chen Mingxia, and later executed more than a thousand officials in order to break the voice of southern officials in the court.

Prior to this, a large number of southern officials surrendered and entered the Qing court. Their values ​​were inconsistent with the Manchu officials, and they tried to influence the court in the same way as in the past. It would be better if their voices were all theirs, like in the late Ming Dynasty. .

But facts have proven that military victory is the fundamental guarantee of political victory.During the Shunzhi period, the Manchu people did not care at all about the Confucian political tradition and the privileges of scholars hidden under the words "ethics and education".

Later, the Qing government banned various 'alliance societies', which deprived this group of its political influence among the people.Then came the Literary Inquisition, which undermined their ideological influence.

These continuous measures basically completely crushed the political status of the Jiangnan gentry, so we have never felt that the literati of the Qing Dynasty were as arrogant as the Ming Dynasty.

Since then, they no longer have political privileges, so it is natural for them to lose their economic privileges later.

So this is about the courage of an emperor and the courage beyond an emperor.The situation Zhu Houzhao faced was completely different from that of Emperor Yongzheng.

He wants to care about the Confucian political tradition, he wants to be bound by ethics, and his base is the gentry.

But the reason why he raised this issue with the minister again today is that half of the financial support of his military power comes from the newly emerging business; a considerable part of his political power has already fully recognized the dynasty resurgence he created.

"I can speak in Fengyang, and I can speak in Hangzhou, so Peng Ze, please relax, I will not do this recklessly." Zhu Houzhao was quite calm and calm when he said this.

He didn't even want to sit nearby, but chatted with his three confidants outside the palace in the pavilion on the lake.

Peng Ze seemed to understand something, "Your Majesty's investigation into the affairs in Huai'an Mansion and Yingtian Mansion must be to... create momentum?"

After saying this, both Xie Qian and Jing Shaokui understood. It seemed that the emperor had made a preliminary decision.

"During the Hongwu period, Taizu's law was established, and the world's money and food were framed by the tax package system. New land for cultivation was no longer allowed. If Your Majesty wants to change this law, this alone will be a huge resistance." Jing Shaokui added .

What he said was historical fact.

Zhu Yuanzhang was of course a great emperor, but one of his shortcomings was that he looked at things from a static perspective. He felt that he had designed everything and there would be no need to change it from now on.

Just like the household registration system, if your father is a craftsman, you will be a craftsman in the future.You are a farmer, you are a soldier, and our Zhu family is the royal family.Okay, that's it, let's just live like this from now on and don't make any fuss.

Therefore, there is also the warning to descendants in the "Huang Ming Ancestor Instructions": "All my descendants, who accept my orders, must not be clever or mess with my established methods. One word cannot be changed."

"Of course I understand. But you all know that today is different from the past. For more than a hundred years, the people have been shrinking the court's tax base through hiding, donating, etc., just like the shrinking of military camps. And as Jing Shaokui said It is said that land donation is a private act and it is difficult for the court to supervise it. If it is not changed, one day [-]% of the land in the world will not pay taxes. The remaining [-]% ​​will not only have to pay taxes to the farmers, but also have them serve to support such a huge population. Upper level. At that time, it will not be about changing the law, but about changing the dynasty."

Zhu Houzhao's tone was not intense. He did not want to lecture others, but spoke with a deep concern, "I am not the kind of emperor who wants to leave a good reputation. What I care about is the people and the country. I am not the kind of emperor who wants to leave a good reputation. The purpose is not to collect more taxes, but to eliminate the huge hidden dangers for future generations. Let me boast again, among the emperors in the past three generations, I am still a strong monarch. If I don't do it, will I leave a weak legacy to my descendants? Jun?"

The pavilion was quiet for a while.

Until a certain moment, the emperor's murmur sounded again, "...the problem of refugees in the Huguang, Jingxiang, and Jingxiang areas is currently just a scabies disease. When the imperial court forces the people to have no way of living, and forces them to become refugees, will the whole world be affected by it?" Are they refugees?"

Suddenly, Jing Shaokui lifted up his official robe and knelt at the feet of the emperor who was sitting on the stone bench. "Your Majesty has both ability and political integrity, is resolute and courageous. He shoulders the important responsibilities of the country and cares about the well-being of all people. In the past ten years, he has been practicing internal affairs. Li, expand the territory, strengthen the authority of the king's division, and guard the land all over the world. Controlling floods, pacifying the people, promoting education, and all kinds of benefits are really the blessing of the clan and the blessing of all the people. I swear here today that I am willing to follow your majesty and be loyal Geng Geng, do your best to achieve His Majesty’s great plan!”

If he takes the lead, Xie Qian and Peng Ze will naturally follow suit.

However, Xie Qian was still worried, and he added at the end of his words of loyalty, "... I hope that your majesty will not act too hastily, lest the gentry of the world and the court will be alienated, causing the country to be in danger of instability."

"Tomorrow is the day for ancestor worship. I will express my feelings to my ancestors. If my ancestors don't allow it, I will apologize again when I go underground. But I know, and my ancestors must also know, that you are all loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty."

The three of them fell deeply to the ground again. It was very rare for the emperor to say these words.It seems that many years ago, when he was still the prince, he showed his sense of responsibility.

In any case, after experiencing Yingzong, Daizong, and Xianzong, if the Ming Dynasty can produce such an emperor again, as upright ministers, they can actually feel the word "happiness".