I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 265 Scolding the Ministers
"Open your eyes and see how bad our salt law is!"

"Border towns did not benefit from the Kaizhong Salt Law, and grain prices soared; salt workers did not benefit from boiling salt, and their lives were difficult; salt prices were high, and the high salt prices made the military and civilians suffer; the court did not benefit from the salt tax, and the salt tax collected in a year was no more than one million taels of silver."

"I often hear people say that our dynasty is the one that eats bland food, and that people in our dynasty often eat relatively bland food. But is this bland food what the people want to eat and like to eat? If the price of salt were not so high and the people could not afford salt, who would like to eat bland food?" Zhu Houzhao said aggressively.

"All dynasties have benefited from the salt law. The high salt price in this dynasty is rare in history. Logically speaking, the profits from salt must be enormous. Why is it that in this dynasty, no one benefits from it? Who took the profits from the salt law?" Zhu Houzhao looked at the ministers present with burning eyes.

A poisonous sore in the Ming Dynasty was exposed nakedly, and the stench of the sore made everyone cover their noses.
The ministers present were all watching, not daring to speak. Everyone knew the answer, but no one dared to say it or touch it.
Shen Hao even buried his head in the ground, not daring to say a word.
There is no way, Zhu Houzhao's words today are all from the moral high ground, and there is no way to refute it.
Zhu Houzhao showed today that he had no imperial mind. According to the imperial mind, Zhu Houzhao should not express his meaning so clearly and let the people below guess, so that he could manage more people.
But today Zhu Houzhao also broke his vow once again.
"The Minister Ye I just mentioned saw the problem with the salt law, but he dared to correct it. Although the result after the correction was not very good, he still took this step. What about you? You are important officials of the Ming Dynasty. The country has accumulated so many problems, but you don't even think about reforming it. Instead, you are just doing the work of pasting it up."

"I am terrified."

I don't know who started it, but all the ministers present knelt down.
Looking at the ministers kneeling on the ground, Zhu Houzhao sneered a few times and then said: "In fact, I also know your thoughts. Many people also want to serve the country wholeheartedly. Everyone knows that the salt policy reform is of great importance and involves too many things. If you are not careful, it will cause a great disturbance. You always have to think about your own affairs after your death." Zhu Houzhao's tone became softer.
The ministers also relaxed a little, and many of them wiped the cold sweat from their faces with their sleeves.
"But my brother, the Prince of Jing, also knows the pros and cons! As a prince of the Ming Dynasty, he could have enjoyed a comfortable life in Jiangnan, but he resolutely came to Beijing to help me. He could have chosen not to be in charge of the salt administration and to do something simpler, but he still resolutely chose the salt administration and chose the most difficult path."

Zhu Houzhao said with great emotion, and then his voice suddenly rose a lot, "But many of you have disappointed me. It's ok that you don't have the courage to reform the salt policy, but you actually stopped the King of Jing from reforming the salt policy. Ask yourself with your conscience, is this right? This is what you should do, you should plead for the people!"

Many people buried their heads deeply in the cold ground. The cold ground made their hot faces feel much better. Some young officials sobbed softly.
"Now the price of salt in the four northern provinces has dropped to 10 cents per catty, which is the lowest in history since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors! This did not cost a penny from the national treasury, and not a single government official was mobilized. All of this was done with the hard work and dedication of Prince Jing! He does not take credit for himself, nor is he arrogant. For such a wise king, it is not an exaggeration to say, 'Since ancient times, there has never been such a wise king who is so loyal to the country.'" A tear appeared in Zhu Houzhao's eyes, but no one noticed.

"Now, some people are attacking Prince Jing, saying that he has ulterior motives and evil ambitions. How can I not be angry?" Zhu Houzhao said hatefully.

"Your Majesty, calm down."

"The country has benefited, and the people have benefited too. Look at the people in the four northern provinces. They heard your voice against King Jing in the court, and they were afraid that the price of salt would go up again. The village elders proposed to write a letter to the people, and the people followed their lead. They braved the severe winter cold, dragged their old and weak bodies, walked thousands of miles, came to the capital, and handed the letter to me."

"There are tens of millions of people's names and handprints on it! These are tens of millions of people! They have only one simple wish, which is not to raise the price of salt." Zhu Houzhao said with great emotion. Then Zhu Houzhao whispered to Zhang Yong beside him to move all the books of the people over.
Soon, eunuchs came in quickly with books for all people, and piled up piles of books for all people under the imperial platform, which soon formed a small mountain.
Zhu Houzhao hadn't decided where to put these books, so he temporarily put them in the back hall of Fengtian Hall. He didn't expect that they would come in handy today.
Zhu Houzhao walked down from the imperial platform, walked to the front of the book of all people, reached out and picked up one of the pages, looked at the names on it, sighed deeply and said:

"A while ago, a new play called "The Great Song Dynasty Judge" became very popular in Beijing. I wonder if you have seen it?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at the kneeling ministers, but no one responded to him.
"It doesn't matter if you haven't seen it. I have seen it. What impressed me most was the ending. Song Ci handed over eight boxes of interrogation records, autopsy records, and confession testimonies that he had spent two years and six months collecting to the Emperor Song. Many important officials in the court were involved in the records, but the cowardly Emperor Song burned all eight boxes of evidence."

"Now I, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, am faced with the books sent by the people, which are estimated to be more than eight boxes. What should I do? Please teach me," Zhu Houzhao said slowly.

This is simply a heart-breaking statement. If there is any dynasty that had the most profound understanding of the demise of the Song Dynasty, it would be the Ming Dynasty!

The whole Ming Dynasty had always looked down on the Song Dynasty, and now Zhu Houzhao even compared himself to the Song Emperor. The meaning of his words was very clear.
If anyone dared to persuade Zhu Houzhao to burn the Book of the People, his political career would be completely over.
"I am terrified."

“You cannot burn the books of all nations”

"Your Majesty, please continue to reform the salt policy and don't disappoint the people."

The ministers present were not stupid and they all made the right choice.
Only Shen Hao collapsed on the ground in a daze.
"Stand up! Stop kneeling!" Zhu Houzhao nodded with satisfaction.

But none of the officials dared to stand up.
"You all hold high positions in government, and you probably haven't listened to the voices of the people for a long time. Now is a good opportunity. You all should take a good look at these books for the people, and read them for at least an hour before leaving." After saying this, Zhu Houzhao flicked his sleeves and left the Fengtian Hall.

(End of this chapter)