My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 247 Although the royal family members are indeed all good-for-nothings, you can't say that out loud!
Suddenly, at that moment, Ni Yuanlu couldn't help but ask:
"Your Highness, how should we proceed on the other side?"

It must be said that Zhu Cilang's first suggestion was indeed very good, but Ni Yuanlu always felt that the second suggestion would be even better.

Zhu Cilang raised his hand to signal Ni Yuanlu to calm down, and then continued:

"Secondly, the fundamental reason why those gentry and powerful people are so determined to occupy the land is simply because the price of grain is high now and there is profit to be made."

"But if grain prices are no longer so high, they will gradually give up the extra land they own."

Upon hearing this, Cabinet Minister Fan Jingwen couldn't help but interject:

"Your Highness, what you say makes sense, but how exactly can we bring down grain prices?"

"You should know that grain prices in the Ming Dynasty have been rising for decades without ever showing any signs of decline."

Zhu Cilang's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a confident smile as he said:
"What Grand Secretary Fan said is correct, but I have my own way, which is to continue to purchase large quantities of grain from overseas."

"As you all have probably heard, the Zheng family has already transported a batch of grain back from overseas this year, and another batch of grain will be transported back to the Ming Dynasty before winter."

"Although these two batches of grain are not much and are unlikely to have a significant impact on current grain prices, the imperial court will definitely increase its procurement efforts starting next year."

"If we transport 10 million shi this year, we will transport 20 million shi or even 30 million shi next year, until the grain price in the Ming Dynasty is completely stabilized."

Zhu Cilang was well aware that even though sweet potatoes and potatoes were now available, their taste was still inferior to rice and wheat flour, and they were not suitable for cultivation in some areas. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty would still face food shortages for at least the next ten to twenty years.

Therefore, transporting large quantities of grain from overseas to the Ming Dynasty every year became a matter of utmost importance.

Moreover, the imperial treasury is now full, so it doesn't care about a little financial loss. Even if it means losing money, it doesn't matter, since everything is for the sake of preventing more people from starving to death.

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, there was another moment of silence in the room.

Everyone seemed to be pondering whether this plan was feasible.

While buying large quantities of cheap food from overseas can indeed alleviate domestic famine and curb rising food prices, having too much food is not a good thing either!

After all, low grain prices hurt farmers!

However, now seems to be the time not to consider this issue, because many people in Daimyo are not even able to get enough to eat, so how can we talk about low grain prices hurting farmers?
Let's feed the people first!

At worst, we can just wait until grain prices stabilize before canceling the grain shipments from overseas.

With this in mind, Zhu Cilang's plan naturally won the unanimous support of everyone present.

"Your Highness is wise and insightful, this old minister is in awe!"

"Your Highness is truly wise and decisive; I am ashamed of my own inferiority!"

"The Ming Dynasty is fortunate to have Your Highness. On behalf of all the people of the world, I thank Your Highness!"

Immediately, several ministers bowed to Zhu Cilang, their words filled with admiration.

Of course, there were a few people who were actually quite unhappy, because they knew that if the imperial court really transported large quantities of grain from overseas, then the price of grain in the Ming Dynasty would inevitably fall, which would harm their interests, since they were all veritable large landowners.

Zhu Cilang's method will undoubtedly lead to a significant reduction in the value of their assets.

However, this is ultimately a great thing that benefits the country and its people, so how could they, as cabinet ministers, openly oppose it?

All I could do was offer them compliments.

Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu even more confidently guaranteed:
"Your Highness, please rest assured that the Ministry of Revenue will fully support the Zheng family in transporting grain from overseas. No matter how much grain the Zheng family brings in, the Ministry of Revenue will settle the payment in full without any delays!"

Zhu Cilang nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.

Looking at Emperor Chongzhen beside him, he was already too excited to contain himself, because he knew that if Zhu Cilang's methods could be implemented smoothly, then the people of the Ming Dynasty would truly be saved.

As a result, in the following days, the Da Ming Daily was filled with articles promoting the benefits of merging the poll tax into the land tax and requiring gentry to pay taxes together.

In fact, several months earlier, the Da Ming Daily had briefly publicized the benefits of the land tax reform and the gentry paying taxes together, so the people had some impression of it.

Now that the imperial court is once again making a great public announcement, the people immediately recalled what had happened before.

Once they connected the dots, they naturally understood the many benefits involved.

In the past, in addition to land tax, people also had to pay high poll taxes, miscellaneous service taxes, and other miscellaneous taxes, which resulted in a large number of unregistered households in the Ming Dynasty, all in order to evade these miscellaneous taxes.

But now, the imperial court has integrated all these complicated taxes into the land tax, and collected it all at once, never again to collect it a second time.

For those poor people who have no land, the fact that they no longer need to pay land tax and poll tax is a great thing.

After all, not everyone owns land.

In simpler terms, those who own land pay taxes based on their land holdings, while those who do not own land are completely exempt from taxes!
Those who lived in the capital, owned no land, and made a living by doing small businesses were overjoyed upon hearing the news.

After paying poll tax and miscellaneous service tax for decades, suddenly it's said that you don't have to pay them anymore. Who wouldn't be happy in that situation?
The people who owned land were also very happy, because according to the new tax policy of the imperial court, they now had to pay much less tax than before. How could they not be happy?

For a time, praises from the people echoed throughout the capital, in every street and alley.

Moreover, the imperial court has issued an edict to persuade nobles and officials in the capital to sell the land under their names.

These lands were all acquired by the imperial court and then resold to the people.

Zhu Cilang was also busy, and privately contacted Zhang Shize.

After Zhang Shize's efforts, quite a few nobles and officials were indeed willing to sell their land to the imperial court.

After all, the Crown Prince has spoken, so if anyone doesn't show some appreciation, wouldn't that be disrespecting the Crown Prince?
After a flurry of activity, the imperial court quickly acquired 300,000 mu of land.

Most of these lands were located near the capital and were mostly fertile fields, so the prices were naturally high, averaging as much as fifteen taels of silver per mu.

By this calculation, the imperial court spent a total of 4.5 million taels of silver on these 300,000 mu of land.

However, this amount of silver is nothing to the Ministry of Revenue, which is now quite wealthy.

After all, the Ministry of Revenue had a solid 200 million taels of silver in its accounts, which was quite impressive.

Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue disbursed the funds very readily.

Of course, this is not purely an expenditure, since these lands will eventually be sold to the people, so a portion of the money will definitely be recovered at that time.

Furthermore, to prevent people from deliberately borrowing money to purchase land, the Ministry of Revenue, after careful consideration, ultimately decided to charge a small amount of interest.

In this way, it can both ensure that people have the ability to repay their debts and prevent them from borrowing blindly.

Overall, everything is proceeding smoothly.

On this day, after court, Zhu Cilang returned to the Eastern Palace. He was focused on reviewing a memorial in his study when, for some reason, he suddenly thought of the princes and members of the imperial family who had come to the capital before.

Previously, Zhu Cilang had been busy with government affairs and other matters, and the other princes and members of the imperial family had not yet all arrived in the capital, so he had not paid any attention to them.

Even so, the basic living conditions of these princes and members of the royal family were well arranged, and their daily food supply was guaranteed to ensure that they had no worries about food and clothing.

After all, they are members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family. They have finally come to the capital, so we can't let them go hungry, can we?

In addition, Zhu Cilang specially instructed Wang Jiayan, the Minister of Rites, to carefully select a group of well-read and talented scholars to teach them to read and write.

At the same time, Li Banghua, the Minister of War, was instructed to select some seasoned and skilled military generals to guide their military training.

However, he currently has no idea about the specific progress.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang suddenly became even more curious, and then asked Ma Bao to call Li Ruolian over to ask him what the current situation was with the imperial clan members.

Before long, Li Ruolian hurriedly arrived at the East Palace study.

Upon seeing Zhu Cilang, Li Ruolian immediately cupped her hands in greeting and respectfully said:

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then asked directly:
"How are those princes who came to the capital recently doing?"

Li Ruolian quickly replied:

"Your Highness, all the princes who came to the capital have been settled in their respective residences in the capital. The residences are guarded by the Imperial Guards around the clock."

"Furthermore, they were aware of their current situation, so nothing else happened, and everything remained relatively stable."

Zhu Cilang was not too surprised after hearing this, and simply nodded.

Although he did not meet with these princes, he did not restrict their freedom either, meaning they were actually free to move around in the capital.

However, because of this, they should also know about the various policies and actions of the imperial court in the past six months.

That's why they didn't dare to act recklessly in the capital. After all, this wasn't their fiefdom. If they did anything outrageous, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would definitely report it to Emperor Chongzhen immediately.

If Emperor Chongzhen found out, they would certainly be in deep trouble.

After his thoughts returned, Zhu Cilang asked again:
"What about those members of the royal family who live outside the city? What is their situation?"

Upon hearing this question, Li Ruolian's expression instantly became somewhat awkward, and her eyes revealed a hint of hesitation, as if she didn't know how to answer.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang understood that the situation was probably not optimistic, and said:
"Speak freely. I have a general idea of ​​what they are like. Don't be so hesitant."

Hearing this, Li Ruolian finally mustered up her courage and said:
"Your Highness, the situation of those members of the royal family outside the city is probably not good."

"According to a secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, those members of the imperial family do nothing all day long, loaf around, and are perfunctory in their military training, never taking it seriously."

"The generals who went to teach them how to fight were extremely indignant about this, but because of their special status, they dared not do anything to them."

"The civil officials who went to teach them to read and write were also very angry with them, but they dared not speak out because of their status as members of the imperial family."

"In addition, the court was busy with many important matters, so they dared not rashly report this matter to His Majesty and His Highness."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang was speechless for a moment.

Although he had a rough idea that those members of the imperial clan would be troublesome, he never expected it to be like this. Then, Zhu Cilang suddenly remembered something and asked:

"Where is the Emperor of Tang? Didn't he do anything about these members of the imperial clan?"

Li Ruolian said:

“His Highness the Prince of Tang naturally takes care of things. Whenever His Highness the Prince of Tang is present, those members of the imperial family will behave obediently, but once the Prince of Tang leaves, they will revert to their previous behavior.”

"The King of Tang was also helpless about this. He originally wanted to inform His Majesty and His Highness about this matter, but he was afraid that it would affect state affairs, so he has not informed His Majesty and His Highness about this matter!"

Ok!

Zhu Cilang was completely speechless.

He was indeed very busy recently and didn't have time to deal with this matter.

But things are different now.

After a moment's thought, Zhu Cilang said:
"By imperial decree, I order Minister of War Li Banghua, Minister of Rites Wang Jiayan, Cao Bianjiao, Huang Degong, and Ma Xianglin to come to see me immediately."

"I obey!"

Li Ruolian hurriedly bowed and accepted the order, then quickly left without daring to delay.

Not long after, Li Banghua, Minister of War, and Wang Jiayan, Minister of Rites, arrived at the Eastern Palace first.

The two of them lived in the capital, and their residence was close to the Eastern Palace, so they arrived quickly.

As for Cao Bianjiao, Huang Degong, Ma Xianglin, and others, they would need some time due to the long journey, but Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry and would come one by one.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

Upon seeing Zhu Cilang, the two quickly bowed and greeted him.

Zhu Cilang nodded, then instructed Ma Bao to have two stools brought over. After the two men were seated, he asked:
"My lords, what are your thoughts on those members of the imperial family who live outside the city?"

Upon hearing this, the two officials exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with surprise, seemingly never expecting Zhu Cilang to suddenly bring up this matter today.

Wang Jiayan was at a loss for words and felt anxious. He subconsciously turned to Li Banghua for help.

Because he knew in his heart that Li Banghua was deeply trusted by the Crown Prince and the Emperor, and his words carried great weight in front of them. Even if his words were slightly inappropriate, he would not be punished.

He himself was different. Although he had become the Minister of Rites, he knew that he was actually a dispensable figure and could be dismissed if he said the wrong thing.

Therefore, he cannot be the first to speak!

Li Banghua instantly understood Wang Jiayan's meaning, sighed inwardly, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak:

"Your Highness, may I ask if I may speak a few words from the bottom of my heart? If my words displease Your Highness, I beg Your Highness's forgiveness!"

Zhu Cilang was slightly taken aback, then realized that what Li Banghua was about to say might not be pleasant to hear.

Although he was somewhat speechless, he still nodded.

"Speak freely. Today is not the imperial court. You may speak your mind as you please. Whether right or wrong, I will not hold it against you."

Li Banghua then said indignantly:

"In that case, I will speak frankly!"

"Forgive my boldness, but most of those members of the imperial family are utterly useless and practically worthless."

"If Your Highness expects them to fight against Li Zicheng, I'm afraid the chances are slim."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiayan, who was standing to the side, turned deathly pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

In his view, Li Banghua's audacity in openly referring to members of the imperial clan as useless was far too bold.

Even though he knew it was true, you can't say such things out loud!
However, he then secretly glanced at Zhu Cilang's expression and, seeing that Zhu Cilang did not seem to be angry, he breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, I couldn't help but marvel inwardly:

This is perhaps a privilege reserved for trusted confidants, allowing them to speak so frankly about the imperial clan in front of the crown prince!
If it were him, he would absolutely not dare to do that!
In fact, Zhu Cilang was not angry.

Because he already knew that every single one of these royal family members was basically no different from a good-for-nothing.

Among them, truly talented individuals, such as Emperor Zhu Yujian of the Tang Dynasty, were extremely rare.

The next second, Zhu Cilang said calmly:

"I am well aware that most of these members of the imperial family are not up to the task, but we cannot generalize. There must be a few among them who are capable of great things, right?"

"They can't all be useless, can they?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wanhua instantly realized that his words might have been a bit too harsh, and quickly tried to remedy the situation:
"Your Highness is absolutely right. There are indeed a few members of the imperial family who are quite talented. What I said just now was somewhat inappropriate."

Zhu Cilang smiled wryly to himself. Li Banghua's words were somewhat intended to ease the tension, but he didn't delve into it further. Instead, he continued:

"I previously instructed the Ministry of Rites to select civil officials to teach them to read and write. I heard that not only did they not study properly, but they also arbitrarily scolded the officials who were teaching them. What exactly is going on?"

Upon hearing this matter, Wang Jiayan, the Minister of Rites, immediately looked distressed and said with a bitter expression:

"Your Highness, I did not wish to bring this up."

"Firstly, they are all members of the imperial family, so it is not appropriate for me to interfere too much in this matter."

"Secondly, the country is going through a turbulent time, and I dare not disturb Your Highness and His Majesty with such trivial matters."

"But now that Your Highness has asked, I have no choice but to tell you the truth!"

"To be honest, most of these members of the imperial family are illiterate, even less literate than ordinary children. Teaching them to read and write is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

“If they were still young, there might be a chance to teach them, but most of them are now around twenty years old, so it is extremely difficult to teach them to read.”

"Moreover, they have absolutely no desire to learn. Every time they come to give lectures, they scold the officials who come to teach them away. Those officials, out of consideration for their status as members of the imperial family, can only swallow their anger and dare not speak out."

Zhu Cilang was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

In fact, he already knew about the illiteracy of the imperial family members from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In ancient times, for ordinary people, studying was undoubtedly the best way out.

Because studying allows one to participate in the imperial examinations, and once one passes the examinations and enters officialdom, one can rise to the top and even become a high-ranking official.

However, it is obvious that the imperial examination system had absolutely nothing to do with these members of the imperial family!

These members of the imperial family were deprived of their right to take the imperial examinations from the moment they were born, according to the ancestral system established by the Ming Taizu Emperor.

Even if some of them were exceptionally talented, highly learned, and erudite, they could only gaze longingly at the gates of the imperial examinations, which were like distant, unattainable stars to them.

As a result, learning loses its most direct motivation and meaning for them.

After all, if reading and writing prevented them from taking the imperial examinations, then why should they read and write at all?
Among the imperial clan, only the princes, dukes, and some other high-ranking members were literate; the majority of the others were illiterate.

Zhu Cilang rubbed his forehead helplessly, somewhat reluctant to continue the topic, and looked at Li Banghua, saying:
"Let's put aside the matter of reading and writing for now. I previously instructed you to select military officers to teach them how to march and fight, but it seems that the progress is not ideal?"

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua smiled wryly:

"Your Highness, the situation on my side is roughly the same as that of the Ministry of Rites. Those military officers also went there with great enthusiasm to teach them the methods of marching and deploying troops."

"But those members of the imperial family were completely unruly and ignored the orders given by the military officers."

"If this were in a military camp, such disobedience to military orders would be punishable by at least thirty strokes of the cane in accordance with military law."

"But they are members of the imperial family, with extremely noble status. Even if the military generals are incredibly audacious, how could they dare to touch them in the slightest?"

"Several days have passed, and now no military officer is willing to take on this thankless task. I have no choice but to accept it!"

As Li Banghua spoke, he shook his head helplessly, his expression growing increasingly resigned.

Zhu Cilang fell silent again.

He still seriously underestimated the incompetence of the royal family members.

It was thought that after the brutal massacre of the imperial clan by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, these imperial clan members would become more restrained and obediently practice military tactics so that they could fight against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong in the future.

But to his surprise, these guys continued to do things their own way, without changing in the slightest.

Like a stubborn rock, it can never be carved into a beautiful jade.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang slowly closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm himself down.

When Zhu Cilang opened his eyes again, there was a hint of determination in his gaze.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang looked directly at the two people in front of him and said in a somewhat helpless tone:

"You guys are just too concerned about their royal status."

"In my opinion, if they disobey, they should be severely punished according to the rules."

"Those who don't study hard will be given twenty strokes of the cane; those who don't practice marching and fighting seriously will be given thirty strokes of the cane according to military regulations. I refuse to believe that this won't be enough to discipline them!"

Upon hearing this, Li Banghua and Wang Jiayan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness.

That sounds nice, but who would dare to punish those members of the imperial clan?

After all, even if they are useless, they are still descendants of the founding emperor. If we really beat these people, will they still have a good life in the future?

(End of this chapter)