Ming: I am fake, walking on thin ice

Chapter 76 Queen Mother: The fake emperor is playing dirty tricks again!

Kunning Palace.

The queen mother, wearing a phoenix robe, was leaning on the cushion. The scarlet long skirt outlined her beautiful figure and her face was beautiful and dignified. However, her cold eyes were filled with chill.

The one kneeling in the hall was Marquis Huichang, who had come to apologize for his previous gaffe. The Queen Mother was angry with her brother because Marquis Huichang had indeed come true.

Having been a widow for more than ten years in this deep palace, she felt an indescribable emptiness in her heart. However, she was not at the point where she needed a man to serve her, as she was the queen mother and the mother of the emperor.

"Forget it, big brother, get up." The Queen Mother raised her hand, "Don't mention it anymore! Our Sun family has always been watched by people. The ministers are worried that I will become the Queen Mother Dou, and that you will become a powerful relative. Haha, so we must be more cautious in our daily actions."

"I understand." Marquis Huichang stood up.

The Queen Mother signaled the maid to bring him a chair. She rubbed her brows and said, "What's the situation with Wang Wen? Can he be saved? The position of the Minister of Personnel is very important."

"Wang Wen is probably ruined." Huichang Hou said, "The Wang family in Suzhou is like a vassal king, and they have done a lot of bad things."

The Queen Mother's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Then we need to find someone to replace him. The Minister of Personnel must be in my hands."

"We do have a candidate!" Marquis Huichang frowned, "Your Majesty won't let go so easily, right?"

"Humph, what can he use to exchange for the palace this time?" The Queen Mother said coldly, "Now I am still in charge of government, and my golden seal is more effective. When my golden seal is no longer in use, then his imperial edict will be effective."

Marquis Huichang nodded and said, "Then I will arrange for someone to report this matter to the court tomorrow morning."

The Queen Mother waved her hand calmly, and Marquis Huichang withdrew.

……

The next day, morning.

After the court session, when the ministers were about to report on their affairs, Zhu Qizhen stood up from the dragon chair and smiled, "Don't report on your affairs today. I want to summon a group of people. My dear ministers, please come and see."

The ministers were puzzled, who did Your Majesty want to summon to the Fengtian Hall?
Zhu Qizhen looked up at Yu Qian and asked, "Have all the people I want to summon arrived?"

Yu Qian stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, the Suzhou gentry and common people you want to summon have all arrived and are waiting outside the palace."

The ministers and the Queen Mother behind the curtain were all shocked. What were His Majesty and Yu Qian going to do? Why summon someone from Suzhou? They immediately thought of Wang Wen, because Wang Wen was from the Wang family in Suzhou. The Wang family was a wealthy family in Suzhou.

"How many households have come?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

Yu Qian pondered for a moment and reported: "There are 650 households in Suzhou that pay 100 to 400 dan of grain each year, and 100 of them have come; there are 120 households that pay 500 to 1,000 dan of grain, and 20 of them have come; there are 57 households that pay 1,000 to 2,000 dan of grain, and 10 of them have come; there are 10 households that pay more than 2,000 dan of grain, and one of them has come."

"Have the people who have no land to farm come?" Zhu Qizhen asked.

"According to your majesty's wishes, ten households have arrived," Yu Qian bowed.

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand: "Then please invite them all up."

Soon, a group of people came up to the Fengtian Hall. Most of them were wearing silk and satin, and a dozen of them were wearing coarse linen clothes with patches. However, they all looked nervous, and when they arrived at the hall, they kowtowed respectfully: "Long live the emperor."

Zhu Qizhen raised his hand and asked them to stand up. He glanced at them and asked, "Who in Suzhou pays more than 4,000 dan of grain every year?"

A middle-aged fat man in silk clothes stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am Wang Zhao." Zhu Qizhen walked to the front of the Danbi and smiled slightly, "Wang Zhao? How are you doing?"

Wang Zhao bowed quickly and said, "Thanks to your Majesty's great blessing, the country is peaceful and the people are well fed and well clothed."

"Humph, what a well-fed and well-clothed life!" Zhu Qizhen pointed at the dozen people in patched hemp clothes and said, "Look over here, there are a dozen of them, living on the same land as you. Do you think they look well-fed and well-clothed?"

“Your Majesty, I am talking about the majority of families,” Wang Zhao said.

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were slightly cold: "That's even more wrong. Under the Dan Majesty, they are a minority. But in Suzhou, poor people like them are the majority. There are 123,000 households in Suzhou, but only 1,000 of them can pay more than 100 dan of grain and be considered rich."

The ministers listened, not knowing what the emperor was up to.

……

Zhu Qizhen's eyes fell on an old farmer who was at the head of the group and he waved his hand: "Old man, come here, stand forward."

The old farmer stepped forward a few steps. Zhu Qizhen looked at the old farmer with white hair and asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Your Majesty, sixty-six." The old farmer bowed.

"Everything is going well. Have you celebrated your birthday this year?" Zhu Qizhen asked with a smile.

"To be honest with you, Your Majesty, we have to eat bran and vegetables for half a year, so how can we have spare money to celebrate our birthday?" The old farmer said seriously, "As long as I am alive, I am content."

Zhu Qizhen frowned, raised his hand and counted on his fingers, "River donation, land donation, and young men's donation, all of which you pay for the rich families, right? You provide the people and the work, and the rich families pay the money, right?"

"We provide both manpower and money. In name, we are working hard and not paying any money. But why would the government ask for money from the rich?" said the old farmer.

"I knew this was the case!" Zhu Qizhen's voice suddenly turned cold. "Wang Zhao, how much of the 4,000 dan of grain you paid has been transferred to the common people and tenants?"

Wang Zhao was numb, and beads of sweat were dripping down his forehead. Just as he was about to speak, Zhu Qizhen waved his hand:
"You don't have to tell me. I know what's going on. It must have all fallen on the tenants. You don't have to be afraid. I hope there will be as many rich people as possible in this world. Only when the people are rich can the country be strong."

"But I hope that the rich people in the Ming Dynasty can be content with their wealth, and the poor people can have enough food to eat and wear good clothes."

"You wealthy gentry, remember four things: do not bully tenants, do not take advantage of famine years to annex the people's land at low prices, do not bully others by taking advantage of your power, and do not collude with the government to enrich yourself."

At this point, he paused and said in a deep voice: "Whoever violates these four rules, even if they are relatives of the emperor, I will never forgive them easily!"

……

The empress dowager behind the curtain had a frosty face.

Your Majesty's summons must be directed at Wang Wen, because Wang Zhao is a member of the Wang family. Your Majesty's words will definitely be approved by knowledgeable ministers.

This method of winning people's hearts is subtle and silent.

"I plan to implement the new policy in Suzhou, and I will need your support at that time." Zhu Qizhen's voice came, "You wealthy families may suffer some losses, are you willing?"

"Yes, of course." The wealthy families nodded quickly. Who would dare to say no?
The Queen Mother listened with a sharp look in her eyes?
New Deal? What New Deal?
She had always thought that the emperor's target was Wang Wen, but she had never expected that there would be a new policy. The emperor had never mentioned it to her.

It’s the first day of the month, I’m asking for a monthly ticket!! I’ll confirm today when the book will be available, it should be in the next two days, and I’ll finally be able to update it!
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(End of this chapter)