Chapter 91 You are the real Prince Taiping

At this point, the integration of taxes, the abolition of unreasonable tax systems, and the implementation of the land-based tax system and the unified tax payment by officials and gentry were jointly supervised by the Secretariat and the Ministry of Revenue.

But who among those who can enter the Fengtian Hall is not an expert?

How can I not see the complicated and unpredictable situation?

All the credit goes to Zhu Yuanzhang, while all the blame goes to Hu Weiyong.

Because of this, he completely offended the three forces in the court and could only rely on the imperial power as a lone minister.

The Prime Minister has become a sword in the hands of imperial power.

As for the equalization of land tax and the joint payment of taxes by officials and gentry, think about it, it was only proposed by Hu Weiyong that Zhu Yuanzhang used the power of prime minister to protect the imperial power.

Who came up with this national policy?
As soon as the morning court ended, all the ministers glanced towards Prince of Jin Zhu Gang.

It began when Zhu Gang stayed in Beijing to assist the country and re-discussed the Hongwu strategies.

The imperial power ensures that all orders are carried out and no one dares to refute it!

Even the power of the prime minister has become a laughing stock.

Who wouldn't understand that?

Given Hu Weiyong's temperament, he would certainly not be able to come up with such a national policy, so it could only have come from Zhu Gang's hand.

The next day, at Prince Jin’s Mansion.

"Jin Yu greets His Highness."

"Mingqian greets His Highness."

The white-robed scholar Gu Xiuqi and the blue-robed scholar Zhong Boxian looked at the Prince of Jin, Zhu Gang, in front of them and bowed slightly.

More than two months have passed since that morning court session.

Under the joint supervision of Hu Weiyong from the Secretariat, Qie Si from the Ministry of Revenue, and Zhu Chong from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the falsely reported land areas in Jiangnan have been re-registered.

In addition to those who confessed their crimes and were executed in the Fengtian Hall that day, the Jiangnan gentry who were hoping for a lucky break were also all brought down, the main culprit’s relatives were executed, and nearly 10,000 people were exiled!

At this point, the Jiangnan gentry had been severely damaged and was in name only.

In addition, the imperial court implemented a new tax system and abolished many inappropriate tax systems. The Ming Dynasty won the hearts of the people all over the world, and all the people were loyal to the Ming Dynasty.

Naturally, they resisted and condemned the illegal acts of the Jiangnan gentry, so this catastrophe was directed at the Jiangnan gentry.

Although it caused great turmoil, everyone applauded when they heard about it.

As for Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian, they also arrived in Yingtian Prefecture today.

"sit down."

Zhu Gang waved his hand gently, and Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian sat down.

“As soon as I arrived in the capital, I heard about the court’s lavish spending, and all of this should have come from your Highness’s hand.”

After sitting down, Gu Xiuqi turned to look at Zhu Gang, who was sitting in the first seat, and smiled softly.

"After all, the tax is distributed according to the amount of land, and officials and gentry pay taxes together. Who else in the world can think of this except Your Highness?"

Zhong Boxian also turned around and smiled.

"You can't figure it out either?"

"In the past, I mentioned the tax burden on each acre of land, and officials and gentry all paid taxes together."

"You should help me improve it. Otherwise, how can we implement this system of allocating taxes to each acre of land and requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together quickly in Taiyuan?"

Zhu Gang waved his hand gently.

"Your Highness is too kind. If it weren't for your suggestion and overall planning, how could Jinyu and Mingqian have perfected it?"

Gu Xiuqi shook his head first, then raised his hands and said.

The tax system of dividing the land tax into individual households and requiring officials and gentry to pay taxes together was implemented in the south of the Yangtze River.

But it was not the first time it appeared in Ming Dynasty.

What do you mean?
Taiyuan.

Taiyuan, led by the Prince of Jin, had already been fully expanded to Taiyuan when Zhu Gang carried out drastic reforms in the administration of officials.

The driving force behind this are Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian.

This is how Zhu Gang controlled the general direction, and Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan promoted his policies and helped Zhu Gang solve many minor problems.

After all, to safeguard the economy and people's livelihood, only by paying attention to every detail can we create the prosperity of Taiyuan today.

"Stop flattering each other and talk about business. The reform trend in Jiangnan is in full swing, and all government orders are being implemented in an orderly manner."

"But the Ming Dynasty's empire does not only include the south, so it is imperative to implement the tax-sharing system in the north, with officials and gentry paying taxes together."

"Jin Yu, send a message to Taiyuan. From today on, the emperor has issued an edict stating that government orders will be smooth in Taiyuan. Assisting the country is a major plan. The people should be the most important thing, and the world should be the first priority."

"Taiyuan was ordered to assist the imperial court in governing, and the government was extended northwards to implement the tax distribution system based on the amount of land, with officials and gentry paying taxes together."

Zhu Gang still waved his hands.

"As ordered."

Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian stood up one after another and bowed.

"I almost forgot. The drawbacks of the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes are also about to be reformed, but the country lacks talents, especially talents in classics."

"So I want you to serve as the fourth-rank dean of the Academy of Classical Studies and the fourth-rank deputy dean, and teach the classics to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Gang tapped his forehead again, then looked at Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan and smiled.

"Your Highness, I am willing to do so."

There was a gleam of light in the eyes of Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan, and they bowed again.

The Academy of Confucian Classics and the talents in Confucian classics are equivalent to controlling the future national finances and taxation.

After all, if the only purpose was to reform the Ming treasure notes, why would there be a need to set up a new institute of classics?

It is nothing more than preparing for the future, paving the way for the Ming Dynasty's economy, cultivating the foundation, and gathering talents.

Then Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan became the first president and vice president of the academy.

Those who will be in charge of the finances and taxation of the Ming Dynasty in the future will definitely be their disciples, and will also be used by the King of Jin.

With this plan, he was able to compete with Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

Even, to counter the imperial power!

"Then I feel relieved."

Seeing this, Zhu Gang also smiled and nodded.

The most outstanding Confucian scholar in the Ming Dynasty is the Prince of Jin Zhu Gang in front of us, followed by Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan.

Because they were all trained by Zhu Gang, and when Zhu Gang went on many expeditions to the northern frontier, it was Gu Xiuqi who dispatched military supplies and stayed in the rear for Zhu Gang.

Therefore, it is most appropriate to let Gu Xiuqi be the main one and Zhong Boxian be the auxiliary one.

But little did they know that what really attracted Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian was how much help the Academy of Confucian Classics could bring to Zhu Gang.

"Your Highness, will the land that the court has reclaimed from the Jiangnan nobles be used as official land, or will it be distributed among the people, following the example of Taiyuan?"

Afterwards, Gu Xiuqi looked at Zhu Gang and asked.

The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River own so much land!

Even if the investigation of the prefectures near Yingtian Prefecture had just been completed, it was enough to move the court!
For this, Zhu Yuanzhang was furious again, saying that he was too merciful and even let these bastards go in the Fengtian Hall.

But Zhu Yuanzhang’s words were golden, and once the imperial edict was issued, how could he go back on his word?

But Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it and issued another imperial decree, stating that anyone who concealed the amount of land he owned would have his land confiscated and used as official land in addition to paying the land tax.

Coupled with the confiscation of land from the Jiangnan gentry, the amount of official land held by the Ming Dynasty reached a terrifying number, especially the amount that was concealed and not reported, which accounted for half of it.

This is not surprising. Whether it is the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, the people in eastern Zhejiang, or the people in Huaixi, they are all willing to take risks. The reason is that the benefits are so huge that they are simply unable to resist.

Another thing is that most people in the world go with the flow, and if one family dares to move, thousands of families will follow suit. After all, the law does not hold everyone responsible.

However, the governance of the world cannot escape the word "benevolence".

It’s just a pity that they met the Zhu family.

"In the past, when I first arrived in Taiyuan, my foundation was shallow, and the difficulty of reform was as difficult as climbing to the sky."

“So only by inspiring the people can we achieve today’s situation.”

"In order to stabilize the people's hearts and encourage the reclamation of wasteland and cultivation, I vigorously promoted the tax system and distributed land to the people."

"But it's mostly because the north is so poor and the people have little to rely on."

"But Jiangnan is different from eastern Zhejiang. It is an important financial and tax center of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the land collected is official land and naturally does not need to be distributed to the people."

"Instead, we should implement the Ming Dynasty's benevolent policies and continue to encourage the people to cultivate land to strengthen the country." "As for the confiscated official land, I want to set up a land division under the Ministry of Revenue to take charge of the official land."

Zhu Gang pondered for a while before speaking softly.

"Tan Chou Si?"

Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan looked at each other, and then looked at Zhu Gang together.

"Yes."

"The Tianchou Division manages all government farmland and serves the people of the world."

A gleam of light flashed in Zhu Gang's eyes.

"tenant."

Gu Xiuqi frowned slightly.

"Compared to the harshness of the nobles, the imperial court established the Tianchou Division to serve the people of the world."

"There is also the implementation of the land tax. The people understand from the bottom of their hearts that the court is doing this so that they can have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear."

A thought flashed across Zhong Boxuan's eyes, and he also said.

As two of Zhu Gang's two counselors, Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan understood Zhu Gang's meaning in an instant.

The poll tax was distributed according to the amount of land, so as to reduce taxes for all the people in the world.

But even if the court re-measured the land, for the people, apart from paying less taxes, they still could not eat enough.

After all, most of the land in the world is controlled by the gentry.

Therefore, this has only brought a small improvement to people's lives, but it is not enough to ensure that people have enough food and clothing.

What should we do then?
1. Under the system of allocating taxes on each acre of land, the imperial court supported and encouraged the people to open up land for cultivation.

Just like the governance of Taiyuan, helping the people with all efforts has made them rich and can also boost Taiyuan's economy in the long run.

Second: Leasing, allowing the people to become tenants of the Ming Dynasty, but this kind of tenant is not that kind of tenant.

what for?

The most a tenant farmer who farmed for aristocratic families could earn each year was enough to feed his family.

What is food and clothing? What does food and clothing mean?
To put it bluntly, you will not be full if you don’t have enough to eat, but at most you will not starve to death.

But they had to work hard for the gentry, otherwise they would have difficulty even having enough food and clothing.

We can't just watch the people starve to death, can we?
Haha! The nobles and gentry were so cold-blooded that they regarded the common people as worthless. In years of great disaster, so many tenants starved to death!

After all, there are tens of thousands of cattle and horses in this world. If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of people who are willing to do it.

Starved to death? Just let the lowly people die. The nobles and gentry waved their hands and the common people would run around for their lives and be willing to be slaves.

Would becoming a tenant of the Ming Dynasty allow the nobles and wealthy to stop exploiting the people?
you can!

According to Zhu Gang's idea, the imperial court would make official land available to the people. Taking a grain of sand from the vast ocean would not only enrich the country, but also strengthen the people!

This will break the monopoly of the gentry on land and their exploitation of the people!

Let the people understand that this dynasty is different from previous dynasties.

Because the emperor of this dynasty rose from humble beginnings and did not understand the great principles.

But feeding the people was the beginning of his life's suffering and an unattainable dream in his youth.

At this point, the aristocratic families and wealthy people either had to treat their tenants in the same way as the court did, or bring about their own destruction.

This plan is what Li Wenxi said before his death, it is an open conspiracy!

It is also a strategy to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf!

The only winner is Ming Dynasty.

"From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the present day, wars have been raging all over the world, and every dynasty has been in constant turmoil."

"But the only ones who suffer are the people of the world."

"But what does the rise and fall of the world have to do with the people?"

"So what I want is not a prosperous era that will last for a day or a lifetime."

"But strict laws, even if the ages change, the people can still have food to eat in the morning and evening."

"So, this reform is imperative, and no one can stop me!"

As he spoke, Zhu Gang slowly stood up.

"Your Highness, Mingqian has something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

In response, Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxuan were both shocked. Zhong Boxuan immediately stood up and took another step forward.

"speak."

Zhu Gang glanced at Zhong Boxian and nodded slightly.

"You are the real Prince Taiping!"

Zhong Boxuan was young and unruly, and he pointed his fingers without any scruples.

For a moment, a breeze brushed across my face.

Zhong Boxuan and Gu Xiuqi kowtowed deeply!

The guards at the door also knelt on one knee!
"Out of this world."

"I am the Son of Heaven."

"The Emperor of Peace."

Zhu Gang also slowly stood up and came to Zhong Boxian, and then he said softly: "But in this world, the Ming Dynasty, the crown prince is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and it can only be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

After saying that, Zhu Gang walked out of the main hall, leaving Zhong Boxuan and Gu Xiuqi alone, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Ugh"

After a long while, Zhong Boxian sighed, then sat back in his chair and said, "To this day, His Highness is still unwilling to fight, so what should we do?"

"That's it."

"The general trend is irreversible. There is no turning back."

Compared to Zhong Boxian's long sigh, Gu Xiuqi still spoke calmly.

You are the real Emperor of Taiping.

When this sentence was uttered, it was a test of that position and also a test of Zhu Gang's attitude.

Zhu Gang also had the ambition to rule the world, but not in this world, but outside.

But for Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian, who were born and raised in the Central Plains and even stayed in the Central Plains, expanding outwards meant traveling all over the world.

It is nothing more than a foreign race and a small country. How can it be compared with our great Celestial Empire and the great China?

That's why Zhong Boxuan and Gu Xiuqi were determined to use all their life's knowledge to help Zhu Gang ascend to that position.

If Zhu Gang insists on not wanting to do so, then as Gu Xiuqi said, the trend of the times is irreversible and there is no turning back. Zhu Gang will be forced to take that position.

But aren’t they afraid of Zhu Gang’s wrath?
Faced with such a crime of usurpation?

How could Gu Xiuqi and Zhong Boxian have any chance of survival?

Haha, now that I have set foot in Yingtian Prefecture, I have already put life and death aside. All I want is Zhu Gang.

"Third Brother!"

As soon as Zhu Gang stepped out of Prince Jin's Mansion, he saw a young man standing in front of him. He waved at him with excitement on his face.

"Fourth?"

Zhu Gang took a closer look and a smile appeared on his face. He quickly stepped forward and hugged the young man in front of him, saying, "Stinky boy, when did you return to Beijing?"

"As soon as I returned to the capital, I rode my horse straight to see my third brother, without even going back to the palace."

Then he let go. The young man, Zhu Di, scratched his head again, looked at Zhu Gang and smiled.

King Zhu Di of Yan!

Ming Tai cough, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty!

Emperor Yongle.

The General who conquered the north under Emperor Renzong of Ming Dynasty!

"Let's go see big brother."

In response to this, Zhu Gang took Zhu Di's hand without saying a word, got on the carriage, and headed towards the Prince's Eastern Palace.

(End of this chapter)