eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 708 Intense

After so many years, the emperor got to know his ministers, and the ministers got to know the emperor.

From Shandong to Huai'an and then to Nanjing, so many powerful people were arrested and the momentum was so great that it was difficult for Yang Yiqing not to know.Now that we know it, the purpose behind it is actually not difficult to guess.

Because he knows very well that Zhengde never does meaningless things, and there must be something hidden behind it.

After reading this memorial today, everything is clear. It is Zhang Cong, and he is exempted.

The first meeting ended on bad terms.

After going down, Yang Tinghe would never be able to escape.

Wang Bing is now bedridden, so Yang Tinghe is the one who accompanied the emperor on his southern tour and knows everything.

"Has the Emperor indeed made up his mind?" Wang Hao also asked with a slightly worried tone.

Yang Tinghe had nothing to say, "I will lose my virginity if I don't keep it secret. This matter is of great importance. I can't stir up trouble even if I am appointed without an order. I ask the two cabinet ministers to understand."

"Wang Bing won't mention it." Yang Yiqing looked at Yang Tinghe with burning eyes, "Have you, Yang Jiefu, never thought of persuading His Majesty? Not to mention that His Majesty has already made up his mind, Zhou Shangwen is so favored, Wang Dehui hasn't persuaded His Majesty. ?!”

Yang Tinghe pursed his lips, but he said instead: "Mr. Yang Ge, Mr. Wang Ge, don't object for now. Although what Zhang Cong said in the memorial is alarmist, the gentry exemption itself has its own shortcomings. If it weren't for Your Majesty, is it difficult to imagine what the situation will be like in the past few decades?"

Wang Haoxin said that I did not firmly object. He turned to Yang Yiqing and said, "Mr. Ge, look..."

"Ji Zhi, you should know how extensive this matter is? In the fourth year of Zhengde, the imperial court cleaned up the military settlements. At that time, there was the Northwest Rebellion, the Jizhou Rebellion, and the Shanxi Rebellion. It can be said that everything in the nine borders was shaken. Now we want to take away the gentry's right to immunity. , this is not only the Nine Borders, but also chaos involving two capitals and 13 provinces! Moreover, the Ming Dynasty’s preferential treatment of scholars is the ancestral system of this dynasty. If this is changed, the world’s scholars will feel cold towards the court. What will be the consequences? cough."

The more Yang Yiqing talked, the more excited he became. He couldn't breathe well and coughed until his face turned red.

"Mr. Ge, you don't have to be so angry. The matter hasn't reached that stage yet. Mr. Jie, you also need to understand Mr. Ge's intentions. I was really shocked when I first heard about this matter."

Yang Tinghe made a bow and said, "Mr. Yang Ge, Mr. Wang Ge. It's not that I have to say too much, but your Majesty will also say this."

Yang Yiqing said politely, "You tell me!"

"The system of privileges and exemptions for the gentry will make the annual income of the court less and less and the burden on the people heavier. In a few decades, by then, will there be chaos in the two capitals and 13 provinces? Will there be chaos tomorrow?!"

Yang Yiqing and Wang Hao were a little shocked. They knew in their hearts that the emperor should have spoken to them carefully.

"Did the emperor say this?"

Yang Tinghe was very smart, "Mr. Ge, your Majesty has always been an open-minded person. He mentioned it in Jiangnan when the incident happened, and now he is discussing the matter with the two elders when he returns to Luan. Although there is a sequence, there is a reason for the incident, and it is not just for you. Talk to the lower officials, not to the elders."

"presumptuous!"

Yang Tinghe speculated on their speculations on the emperor's intentions.Although it was a bit confusing, Yang Yiqing did have a reason to be angry.

"Elder Pavilion calm down."

This matter is difficult to understand in the minds of modern people. It’s just that everyone pays some taxes, so what’s the point.

In fact, in the minds of the ancients, this was an earth-shaking change.

The so-called all things are inferior, only reading is high.

I have read the books of sages and gained fame, but I am different from you scoundrels. I can meet the magistrate without kneeling, and I don’t have to pay taxes. I am superior to others.

This is called preferential treatment.

And the hierarchical system of superiority and inferiority is the basis of everything. Unfairness is normal and what the court wants.

Just like the imperial court also stipulates who can wear silk and who cannot wear it. This is blatantly unfair, and it is accepted by everyone. Fairness is not accepted by others.

Everything is done to maintain the ruling order.

If this preferential treatment for scholars were taken away now, they would become nothing more than a bitch.They will think that this court is treating them like a dog-legger!
This is what most people think!
At that level, the hearts of all the scholars in the world are chilling. Who would still think about being loyal to the emperor and serving the country? !There will still be people shouting out the phrase, "Today is the 50th anniversary of the country's support of scholars and the Day of Volunteer Death"!

Yang Yiqing did not doubt that the emperor could do it.

After ten years of governing the country to this day, the emperor has great power. Is there anything that cannot be accomplished?To put it bluntly, this idea has been pondering in the emperor's mind for I don't know how many years. When he brought it up today, it was the same as before. All preparations must have been made, and he even ordered people to kill people and paved the way with blood. He could see this. In the past, They've all been there too.

But he really didn't think it was a good thing for the court to massacre the gentry in this way.Someday, someone will remember it.

The emperor is obviously a sage and benevolent king, so why bother to turn himself into a violent lord? !

Yang Yiqing really didn't quite understand.

……

……

The memorial is now in Zhu Houzhao's hand.

Of course, all the cabinet proposals were rejected, and Zhang Cong was even dismissed from office and brought to justice.

All this depends on whether the emperor agrees or not.

"Mr. Wang is in the cabinet, right? Go and summon him."

"Yes."

Zhu Houzhao gave them some time to discuss. After Wang Hao arrived, he asked directly: "Does the cabinet have an accurate statement?"

Wang Hao looked at the emperor on the steps, slightly absent-minded.

"Mr. Wang?"

"Old minister, I am discourteous. Please punish me, Your Majesty." Wang Hao woke up immediately.

"what happened?"

"The veteran is a little surprised. His majesty's divine power is God-given, and his light shines on people, which is beyond the reach of this veteran."

"You feel bad?"

"I feel it is very sudden."

"Did Yang Yingning complain?"

At this point Wang Hao was about to kneel down, and he said: "Returning to the emperor, Mr. Yang Ge is also worried about the emperor and the country."

"I'm worried about the country...the country has to support these people well, and I can't afford to offend them. But I...have made up my mind, sir, there can't be anyone in the world who doesn't pay taxes, even the vassal king has to pay, otherwise no matter who it is, , this group of people who do not pay taxes will occupy more and more fields. Therefore, it is wrong to say that I only target the educated gentry. I want all the fields to be taxed. The simpler the tax system must be, the more efficient it will be. Moreover, The imperial court’s tax rate will not be very high.”

"Your Majesty naturally has your reasons for doing this. But now the imperial court's annual income from food alone has exceeded 4000 million taels, which is far more than the Hongwu period. This does not include the annual revenue of nearly [-] million taels from sea trade. The Ming Dynasty Today's national strength can open a frontier in the northwest, drive out the Mongols in the desert, and conquer Japan on the sea. I am afraid that the people in the world will not understand why your Majesty wants to increase taxes, and I do not understand either. Your Majesty has said that the court cannot be treated as a miser. , The purpose of the monarch and his ministers in governing is to make the people of the world rich!"

Zhu Houzhao stood up suddenly and said sternly: "But the people in the world are not rich! The rich are the gentry and bad people who bully the people and bring disaster to the countryside and don't even have to pay taxes!"

Wang Hao was shocked. This sentence showed where his butt was sitting.

The emperor and the scholar-bureaucrats share the world. This has been the truth since ancient times.

"If this is the case, Your Majesty can do less tax, or even exempt some taxes, and rest with the people. In this way, the world will be more prosperous. Isn't this better than killing heads?"

"Sir, you are right. If you want to be a good emperor, you can indeed do this. The problem here has to do with tax money, and it has nothing to do with tax money. I will still not be a miser in the future, and I can even continue to reduce taxes. This is fine. , but what I want to change is this rule."

The people below are easy to abuse, but God is hard to bully.The emperor cannot say this and at the same time help the wealthy gentry oppress the people in the system.

Or you can change the tax package system. Just be realistic and charge as much as you can. Don't force a certain amount to be collected.But that would be running the country in a bad way.

In fact, everyone knows that the national revenue is very important, and they all know that there are more and more hidden fields, but they have a tacit agreement not to mention that issue. In the final analysis, it is the same sentence: the people are suffering.

Zhu Houzhao didn't have the temperament of a Buddha. After such a fight, he couldn't hide his emotions, and his determination became stronger and stronger.

Why don't those people pay taxes? They must pay taxes. They can pay taxes to the Qing Dynasty but they can't pay taxes to the Ming Dynasty? !He didn't become the emperor just to be nice to the ministers around him!

In fact, a better method is to convert all taxes into silver and pay them. After all, it is easier to collect taxes when unified, which is better than truck after truck of grain and cloth.

Unfortunately, the Ming Dynasty banned open traffic for only ten years, and it did not reach the level where silver was widely used, so we had to wait.But it will take a long time to wait for the monetization of silver, and we can no longer delay the payment of grain.

(End of this chapter)