Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Chapter 139 Reform the Ming Dynasty. This is an order, not a negotiation!

"Okay, okay, if there's nothing else, let's all go back."

"Everyone should think more every day. If you have that time, you might as well think about where to conquer a piece of land."

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said.

Then he stood up and walked away.

"These" princes looked at each other in confusion.

"Third brother, you should stop believing everything you hear. We were all scared by you." Zhu Chun shook his head with a wry smile on his face.

Zhu Gang glared at Zhu Chun and said, "Can you blame me for this? Think about it, if this happened to you, would you think too much?"

Zhu Chun stopped talking.

If it were him, he would probably be shocked to hear that Zhu Di had defected to Zhu Yunhuan.

"Alright, alright, let's go."

"From now on, we just need to behave ourselves. I understand what Yunxun means. He doesn't worry about them at all. However, he won't give us a second chance. Anyone who wants to cause trouble should think twice."

"How about we wait for two days and then go back to our fiefdom. We should go back early and prepare. Anyway, we are staying in Yingtian Prefecture now and there is nothing else to do."

"That's what I was planning. When are you guys planning to leave? Then we can go find Yunxun together."

"."

The princes talked and walked away one after another.

However, this misunderstanding also made them completely understand Zhu Yunhuan's attitude, so they no longer had to have wild guesses.

Hall of Supreme Harmony!
Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi, Fang Xiaoru, and Yao Guangxiao stood quietly. Except for Yao Guangxiao, the other five people showed a hint of doubt in their eyes from time to time.

"Your Majesty has summoned the six of us. What is the matter?"

"This is the first time the six of us have gathered together. I'm afraid His Majesty will make some big moves this time."

"What does your majesty want to do?"

"."

This was the first time that the six people were summoned together after becoming Grand Secretaries. It is easy to imagine that Zhu Yunhuan must have something very important to discuss with them.

"Swish!" Zhu Yunhuan stepped into the hall.

"See Your Majesty!"

The six people stood up and bowed.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, walked to the seat at the head, sat down, and waved his hand, saying, "Everyone, please sit down!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The six people agreed and sat down again.

"The reason I called you six here today is mainly to discuss the upcoming reforms of our Ming Dynasty. I plan to increase the salaries of officials." Zhu Yunheng said softly.

"Sure enough, His Majesty is going to take action!" Yao Guangxiao's expression was stern.

"Increase the salaries of officials?"

Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi and Fang Xiaoru were stunned when they heard this. They automatically ignored the word "reform" in front of Zhu Yunhuan and their attention was drawn to the increase in salaries for officials.

Xia Yuanji thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, raising the salaries of officials is a good thing, but the treasury is empty now, so it's better to wait and see."

Xie Jin was unwilling to be outdone and immediately said, "Your Majesty, raising the salaries of officials is certainly good, but given the current situation in the Ming Dynasty, other areas need money even more."

Hu Yi and Yang Shiqi were about to speak, but before they could, Zhu Yunhuan spoke directly: "I have made up my mind on this matter. The emperor does not send hungry soldiers. Officials work for me, so I will naturally not treat them unfairly. I am informing you of this matter and asking you to come up with a set of rules, not to discuss it with you."

"This..." Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi, and Fang Xiaoru looked at each other, a little confused.

The emperor has no shortage of hungry soldiers. Can this be understood in this way?
However, if you think about it carefully, court officials are also the emperor's soldiers. After all, they are there to help the emperor manage the world!
But the question is, where does the money come from?

Xia Yuanji hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I understand your good intentions, but we have no money in the Ming treasury."

Make bricks without straw.

Raising the salaries of officials is something that can be done, but the problem is that the Ming Dynasty’s treasury is short of money and cannot support this.

Raising your salary is not something you can do with a simple lip service; it requires real money.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't say anything, but looked at Yao Guangxiao with a smile on his face.

"Huh?" Xia Yuanji and the other four were stunned when they saw this, and they all looked at Yao Guangxiao with suspicion.

They didn't know much about Yao Guangxiao. They only knew that he was an adviser under Zhu Di and a very powerful man, but they didn't know anything about him in detail.

Yao Guangxiao smiled bitterly in his heart, took a deep breath, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a way to quickly fill the national treasury."

"This..." Xia Yuanji and the other four were shocked when they heard this, and looked suspicious.

"Tell me about it." Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand.

"Your Majesty, if you want to fill the national treasury, you have to reform. I suggest that you encourage the people to do business, and then let the merchants who earn more money pay more taxes according to the proportion of their income, and the merchants who earn less money pay less taxes." Yao Guangxiao said in a deep voice.

"Encourage business!" Xia Yuanji and the other four's complexion changed and their expressions became ugly when they heard this.

"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. If the people are encouraged to do business, who will still farm?" Yang Shiqi said.

"That's right, Your Majesty. Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the national policy of our Ming Dynasty. Lord Yao's method now seems feasible, but in fact it is shaking the foundation of our Ming Dynasty." Xie Jin said.

Xia Yuanji frowned and said, "Master Yao, I would like to ask, if everyone goes into business, who will farm? You must know that farming is the foundation of our Ming Dynasty. Giving up this foundation for money is like picking up sesame seeds and throwing away watermelons."

"Your Majesty, I also do not agree with encouraging business. This is inappropriate." Fang Xiaoru also spoke out.

Zhu Yunhuan had a faint smile on his face and didn't say anything, but just looked at Yao Guangxiao.

"My Lords, don't worry. When the economy of our Ming Dynasty develops, we will exempt the people from taxes, and even give a certain amount of money to the people who farm. In this way, I think there will still be people who farm." Yao Guangxiao calmly told him what Zhu Yunhuan had said before.

He also understood that Zhu Yunhuan put him into the cabinet because he was impressed by his ability and background and wanted him to be a lone minister.

For others, being a lone minister requires great courage, but for him, it doesn't matter at all.

What he needs is a stage where he can display what he has learned throughout his life.

Zhu Yunhuan had already prepared this stage for him. He didn't even need to build it himself. He just had to go on stage and dance.

"Tax exemption for the people?"

“I get paid for farming?”

Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi and Fang Xiaoru were all stunned.

The tax exemption was already surprising enough to them, but they even had to pay money.

This kind of thing has never been heard of in history.

"Master Yao, are you crazy? Taxes are a major source of revenue for the Ming Dynasty. And you're just saying you'll exempt them? Isn't that a bit too arbitrary?"

"Master Yao, what are your intentions? You actually gave His Majesty such a ridiculous suggestion."

"Your Majesty, Yao Guangxiao is trying to disrupt the Ming Dynasty. I implore Your Majesty to investigate this man thoroughly!"

"Lord Yao, there is one thing I hope you understand: you are now an official of the imperial court, and no longer an advisor to the King of Yan."

"."

After a period of silence, Xia Yuanji and the other four criticized Yao Guangxiao verbally and in writing. They strongly suspected that Yao Guangxiao had bad intentions.

Give tax exemption to the people.

Get paid for farming.

These two suggestions are more outrageous than the other, and are simply like a cholera crisis in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan still had a smile on his face and did not express any opinion.

"Gentlemen, please don't get excited. Why do you have to keep an eye on the little tax money in the hands of the people? If business develops well, wouldn't it be easier for us to make money from business?"

"I also know that tax revenue is a major source of income for the Ming Dynasty, but isn't that because we didn't develop commerce much before?"

"Also, I didn't say that we must exempt the people from taxes now. Giving them money for farming is a matter for the future. Now let's reform the business first. Once the court becomes wealthy, we can abolish the tax on farming and then subsidize them for farming."

Yao Guangxiao looked calm and spoke freely.

After Zhu Yunhuan told him this last time, he went back and thought about it seriously, and gained a lot of inspiration.

If a large amount of money can really be obtained from business, the taxes paid by the people can really be ignored. Moreover, with tax exemptions, subsidies, etc., there will be no shortage of people farming.

In this way, things will be a positive development.

The court received a large amount of money.

The status of merchants has been improved.

People can also live a better life.

Triple win!

"This..." Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi, and Fang Xiaoru frowned.

Their assumptions were that commerce would fail to develop, or that even if it did develop, the court would not receive a significant amount of revenue, leading to the common people all engaging in commerce and no one cultivating the land. But what if commerce developed? What if it could bring in significant financial resources for the court? With money, the court would naturally stop focusing on the meager taxes collected by the people and could even provide subsidies to encourage them to cultivate the land.

Things are two extremes.

Yao Guangxiao hopes that things will develop in a good direction and form a virtuous circle.

They think things will develop in a bad direction, forming a vicious cycle.

However, one thing has to be admitted, Yao Guangxiao is very thoughtful.

"He is worthy of being the top strategist under the command of Prince Yan!" The five people became wary of Yao Guangxiao at the same time and regarded him as a strong opponent.

There is only one position of Prime Minister.

Zhu Yunhuan's attitude was very clear, he relied on his ability to get to the top.

"Your Majesty, we can give what Lord Yao said a try, but it involves great risks. I'm afraid those wealthy and powerful people won't agree easily," said Xia Yuanji.

After realizing that Yao Guangxiao was not talking nonsense, he immediately changed his attitude.

"It doesn't matter. If they don't agree, there's no need for them to exist in the Ming Dynasty. They only want to make money in the Ming Dynasty and don't want to spend money. There is no such thing in the world." Zhu Yunheng spoke with a very calm tone.

"Swish, swish, swish!" Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi and Fang Xiaoru were stunned, and then they were shocked in their hearts.

They were not fools. It would have been fine if they didn't know it before, but now that Zhu Yunhuan said this, they all understood it instantly.

Zhu Yunhuan must have known about Yao Guangxiao's proposal in advance and agreed to it.

Otherwise, Zhu Yunhuan would not have been so determined to increase the salaries of officials.

"Yao Guangxiao!" Xia Yuanji and the other four became even more wary of Yao Guangxiao and regarded him as a formidable enemy.

"Sanbao, go and inform all the ministers to prepare for the court meeting!" Zhu Yunheng waved his hand at Ma Sanbao beside him and said softly.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ma Sanbao nodded, turned around and walked away.

"Something big is going to happen in the Ming Dynasty." Xia Yuanji and the other four looked at each other, and the same thought came to their minds.

However, they didn't care too much.

No matter how powerful a businessman is, he is still no match for the imperial court.

This is not the end of the dynasty. Not only is it not the end of the dynasty, but Zhu Yunhuan is still very capable.

The princes were all defeated one by one, and the merchants???
Outside Fengtian Palace!

The court officials gathered in groups of three or four.

"Do you know why the court meeting was called suddenly?"

"I don't know, but His Majesty just summoned Xia Yuanji and six others. I guess there's something big going on."

"What do you think it could be?"

"Who knows? If we could guess it, we could also enter the cabinet."

"."

Everyone was talking about it and was extremely curious about the sudden court meeting, wondering what Zhu Yunhuan was going to do next.

At this time, Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi, Fang Xiaoru, and Yao Guangxiao came over.
"Master Xia!"

"Lord Xie!"

"."

A group of officials who were familiar with the six people stepped forward and greeted them with a smile.

Xia Yuanji forced a smile and said, "Don't overthink it, everyone. This court meeting is a good thing for you."

"Good news? Lord Xia, are you telling the truth?"

"Now that Lord Huxia has spoken, we can rest assured."

"."

When they heard Xia Yuanji's words, they were stunned at first, and then they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Jin glanced at Xia Yuanji, thought for a moment and said, "Everyone, His Majesty has never forgotten you!"

"What does this mean, Master Jie?"

"Haha, stop overthinking. Something good should happen at today's court meeting."

"."

All the ministers had anticipation on their faces, and they couldn't wait to enter the Fengtian Hall to see what good news was going on.

After a while.

Ma Sanbao walked out of Fengtian Hall and said, "My Lords, please enter the hall!"

"Shhhhh!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers started walking towards the Fengtian Hall.

Zhu Yunhuan sat on the dragon throne with an extremely calm expression.

The ministers entered the Fengtian Hall, stood according to their respective positions, and then knelt down and kowtowed: "Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long live our emperor!"

"Everyone, please stand up!" said Zhu Yunhuan.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The ministers thanked him and stood up.

Then, he looked at Zhu Yunhuan with curiosity to see what good things were waiting for them.

"My dear ministers, I have suddenly called a court meeting today for two matters."

"First: I have examined the salaries of our Ming Dynasty officials and discovered that they are somewhat lower than those of other dynasties. The Emperor has no shortage of hungry soldiers. Since I want you to help me govern the Ming Dynasty, I naturally cannot treat you unfairly. Therefore, I have decided to increase your salaries. As for how to increase them, the cabinet will formulate a plan."

Zhu Yunhuan said softly.

"Salary increase? Is that true?"

"Okay, okay, I said it before, Taizu chose the wrong heir!"

"Your Majesty is such a good man. He really gives money when he has it!"

"It's really good news. I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you all. Before coming to the court meeting, I was so nervous. I didn't expect that His Majesty would actually give us money."

"."

The ministers were stunned at first, but then they all showed joy.

No too much nonsense, just give money directly. Who doesn’t like such a boss?

"Your Majesty, we bow our heads in thanks!" The ministers looked at each other, then knelt down in worship.

At this moment, their favorable impression of Zhu Yunhuan began to increase significantly.

"Okay, everyone get up!" Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The ministers stood up.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "I've given you the money. Let's forget about it before, but from today on, if anyone dares to embezzle it again, you can't blame me."

Everyone's faces turned stern, and some people with dirty hands were even more frightened.

Zhu Yunhuan glanced around and said, "Next, let's talk about the second thing. From now on, the business environment in Ming Dynasty will be changed. Anyone can do business, and the status of merchants will no longer be low. The business tax system will be reformed. The larger the industry, the higher the tax paid, and the smaller the industry, the lower the tax."

"What's going on? They're not suppressing business anymore?"

"No way! Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce was the national policy set by Taizu, and now Your Majesty has changed it."

"The bigger the industry, the higher the taxes. I'm afraid the wealthy won't agree to this."

"Oh, just a few merchants, how dare they refuse? Do you think Your Majesty will indulge them? I think Your Majesty is very wise. Those wealthy tycoons boast of their wealth, and now they are just asking them to give up some of it. In my opinion, Your Majesty should confiscate their property and fill the national treasury with their assets."

"Indeed, those wealthy and powerful people are all incredibly wealthy. Moreover, they are colluding with some officials. They are like snakes and rats in the same nest. The court should have taken action against them long ago."

"."

The court officials were talking about it. Although they were a little surprised, they did not have much objection to the measures issued by Zhu Yunhuan.

The main reason was that Zhu Yunhuan had just increased their salaries, and now the knife had not been cut on them, so they were happy to watch the fun.

In today's Ming Dynasty, the hands of the wealthy and powerful have not yet reached the court.

Simply put, there is no one in the court who speaks for the gentry and merchants.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, Hu Yi, Yang Shiqi, Fang Xiaoru, and Yao Guangxiao stood up and said respectfully.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Seeing this, the ministers followed suit.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled softly and thought to himself, "As expected, people never feel the same way as one another."

Previously, he abolished the preferential treatment for gentry. Although no riots broke out in the end, many court officials were ready to take action. As a result, now he took action against the gentry and wealthy businessmen, and all the civil and military officials in the court applauded.

(End of this chapter)