King of Han Dynasty of Ming Dynasty

There was silence.

That's it.

After a long while, the Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji sighed deeply. Facing the questioning of Han Wang Zhu Gaoxu and the gazes of all the officials in the field directed at him, he was stunned for a while and had to bite the bullet and speak:
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness the King of Han."

"In this matter, there are indeed some scholars, or people with honors and privileges, who, relying on the preferential treatment and privileges granted by the court and the fact that the countryside is not aware of the lack of power, have engaged in such unhealthy practices and have engaged in the annexation of good farmland."

"After all, the forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds."

"For such things, as long as our Ministry of Revenue discovers and knows about it, we must immediately inform the Jinyiwei or the Three Departments and let them deal with the relevant people according to the laws and regulations of the Ming Dynasty in order to achieve a balance here."

"Of course, in this matter, the role we played was limited to prevention and subsequent inspection. As for whether we know 100% certainty and 100% certain data, we really can't give a 100% answer on this issue."

"You know, moles have existed in every dynasty."

"Of course, under the leadership of our ministers, I certainly cannot guarantee it 100%. I hope that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the King of Han will understand."

That's what I said.

It can be said that he has quite high standards and abilities.

With just these three or two short sentences, Xia Yuanji almost completely dealt with any possible guilt or responsibility on his part, leaving absolutely no room for criticism. When people heard or saw it, they could not help but be amazed and could not find any words to say.

Seeing the current situation, Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand, narrowed his eyes slightly, looked coldly at the ministers in the field, sneered and said:

"You don't need to waste your time with excuses like that."

"Let's talk about this."

“It’s a very simple sentence.”

"You, the Minister of Revenue, who is in charge of the purse strings of the entire Ming Dynasty, have admitted that the Ming Dynasty court and government all know and admit that no matter where in the Ming Dynasty, there are indeed cases of land annexation and tax evasion?"

"On this issue, I think there should be no problem with my understanding, and there should be no mistakes at all!"

"Don't you think so?"

"Lord Xia"

Upon hearing this, facing the question from Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu, the Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji was stunned on the spot, and he didn't know how to answer the question.

Why?

Because he knows it better than anyone else.

The question asked by Zhu Gaoxu is a problem that has never changed in the entire Ming Dynasty, or in other words, throughout the dynasties, ever since the preferential treatment and special policies for scholars in the entire Ming Dynasty began. It has never changed at all from the beginning to the end.

At the same time, we also understand that this problem is something that everyone knows.

For this, Xia Yuanji opened his mouth, but in the end, all he could do was remain indifferent. He could only honestly choose to agree and nod in acknowledgement. Other than that, he couldn't find anything else to say.

How to say, how to answer this question?

With such a big pot, could he, as the Minister of Revenue, the person in charge of the world's purse, dare to say that he is not clear about these things? Could he dare to say that he really knows nothing about these things?

is it possible?
When Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu asked this question, he said that he did not dare to object at all, which means he did not dare to deny or acknowledge it at all.

the reason is simple.

I would rather die than let my friends die!

Obviously, when Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu asked this question, he must have a definite answer to this question, and he had an understanding of some details of this matter beyond ordinary people.

If he, as the Minister of Revenue, dared to say that he really knew nothing about this matter for the sake of the people at the time, once all these things were told to him mercilessly by the King of Han Zhu Gaoxu.

And in response to this issue, he presented the so-called facts and evidence. If he was more ruthless, he could directly produce irrefutable evidence that would make it impossible for people to overturn the verdict. Then, compared to him, the Minister of Revenue who was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.

Wouldn't that push him directly into the abyss of embarrassment and death?
how to answer?

I'm afraid these are all wrong answers.

It is very likely that, based on the character of King Han Zhu Gaoxu, on the current issue, he would be accused of bringing harm to the country and the people, ignoring state affairs and being ignorant of the world. Based on the previous events, he, the Minister of Revenue, would really be in a state of helplessness and ineffectiveness.

The final result and the final way of handling it, even though it was impossible for him to bear such a heavy blame alone, and even though there were people who shared the pressure with him, the result of the handling of this matter for him was bound to be not much better.

to this end.

As for the current situation, for Xia Yuanji, there is absolutely no need for it. It will only make himself uncomfortable and suffer. Why, why bother?

There is absolutely no need for that.

For this reason, regarding this matter, seeing that Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu had already spoken to the current level, all he could do was to honestly say what he knew and understood, either through his answer or through his mouth, in the simplest and most realistic way possible. This was the best way.

It was precisely because of the many reasons at the moment that, facing the questions asked by Han King Zhu Gaoxu, even though Xia Yuanji had many reluctances in his heart about the current issues, after careful consideration, he could only answer his current questions honestly.

of course
In response to Xia Yuanji's answer, how could Zhu Gaoxu not be clear? How could he not know that this old guy Xia Yuanji was deliberately playing the so-called evasive game in front of him, not wanting to offend the current court officials and not wanting to become a public enemy in the court?

Zhu Gaoxu was quite sensible about this matter and did not directly point it out, which gave both sides a relatively acceptable way out, so that everyone could get by with it or look good. For this reason, he did not keep biting the old guy Xia Yuanji, but simply sorted out his thoughts. Of course, the most important point here was that Xia Yuanji was quite sensible about this matter, and gave Zhu Gaoxu a way to expand and continue the issue without offending everyone.

Just like that, after a brief moment of contemplation, Zhu Gaoxu turned his head to look at the ministers kneeling below the stage and sneered:
"Your Majesty."

"Everyone, do you have any objections to what Lord Xia, or the Minister of Revenue, said?"

"As for those of us present here, if you really have nothing to say, or if you do not agree with what the Minister of Revenue, Lord Xia, said, then do you need me to send someone to visit your hometown?"

"Check the number of fields owned by your families or relatives, and see how much land your families have annexed under your banners, the relatives of those nobles who claim to be the right-hand men of the court and always talk about benevolence and morality."

"Under such circumstances, many people have no land to cultivate, becoming the lowest class of untouchables and mediocre people, and many people have secretly embezzled taxes and revenues that should have belonged exclusively to the Ming Dynasty court."

"Let's see what crime your relatives should be charged with according to the laws and regulations of our Ming Dynasty."

That’s all I have to say.

The faces of all the ministers in the field froze involuntarily, and suddenly turned pale. Some of them didn't know how to answer this question.

Among those who are able to attend the grand court assembly, how many are not from scholarly families, how many are not from gentry and noble families? How could they not know what the circumstances of their own families and their own families are?

Let’s not talk about themselves first, or about their service as officials in the court.

After passing the imperial examinations, these individuals, their noble families or clans, enjoyed such glory. What did they do with such glory? These individuals did so many things that violated the ordinances and laws of the Ming Dynasty. How could they not be aware of this?
Obviously it's impossible!

How could their family do such things without informing him or telling him?
Even if they did these dirty things without informing him or telling him, with the abilities of these ministers, could they really not notice anything?
Or is it true that these individuals have never enjoyed or received support from their group?
Where did all this money and silver for offerings come from? How could these people not notice the sudden increase in money and silver?
Regardless of whether they personally believed it or not, Zhu Gaoxu certainly did not believe that such a thing would happen.

Why?

Because any normal person would not be able to fail to notice it, let alone those who can hold high positions in the court and remain standing. Which of these individuals is not the most shrewd of the shrewd?

Such a group of people
What kind of person could deceive them?

If we can really fool them and deceive them in these little things,

Then it is absolutely impossible for them as individuals to achieve such a level.

For this reason, when facing Zhu Gaoxu's questioning, the people in the court, no matter how eloquent they were, could not find anything to say, could not find the corresponding words to answer, and were completely speechless.

Seeing that no one in the court was talking and that everyone had fallen into silence, the coldness on Zhu Gaoxu's face became increasingly intense, and he once again looked coldly around at everyone in the room.

At this moment, no one in the field dared to look him in the eye, and they all lowered their heads unconsciously.

Perhaps some of them were truly honest and upright when they were serving as officials in the court, but when it came to the four words "chickens and dogs rise to heaven", or when it came to the question of whether they could really be as honest and upright as they were, these people had no confidence at all.

Because they can do it, but it does not mean that their groups and nobles can do it 100%.

After they came to high positions, they gave back to the masses and the gentry. This has been a practice that has never been avoided for so many years, or in fact, throughout all dynasties.

After all, we are human beings!

They are all mortals, and they all have seven emotions and six desires. Under such a mindset, it is very easy for them to rely on their personal reputation and do something beyond the limit.

Of course, the more important point is that the small peasant mentality that has been formed over the years has made it natural for people, whether they are gentry or ordinary people, to be obsessed with land and fields.

Just like that, after a brief pause, Zhu Gaoxu suddenly opened his half-closed eyes and continued to speak:
"Hehehe"

"Why are you all silent?"

"Weren't you all eloquent before?"

"Why is it that until now, everyone has chosen to remain silent?"

"What?"

"Is it because I have touched your sore spot again in the current situation, or is it because I have directly grasped your weak spot?"

As he spoke, Zhu Gaoxu chuckled, but the coldness between his brows became more and more intense, and he continued coldly, saying:
“No one speaks.”

"right!"

"It seems that what the king said before was correct."

"Fame and favor from the court are truly great things for you."

"With these privileges and benefits granted by the court, you can easily enjoy the benefits granted by the court."

"Anyway, you guys enjoy all the benefits, but you scholars are not at all tarred with the label of exploiting the people. Whether the people can survive or not is none of your business. It is the court's business anyway, and it is not something you should worry about."

"Because none of these insults and charges can be blamed on you."

"Even if the people have thousands of complaints and resentments in their hearts, they will all blame those in power, or to put it bluntly, they will all blame the emperor."

"That's why you guys can rest assured about these things, right?" (End of this chapter)