Wanli Ming Emperor

Chapter 238: Same Rewards and Different Punishments, Customized by the Times

The next morning, in Yongshou Palace.

"What time is it?"

After being an emperor for many years, his habit of reaching under his pillow for his cell phone when he woke up early had long since turned into manual timekeeping.

"Your Majesty, why did you wake up so early today?" Empress Liu was dressing up and turned around when she heard the noise. "It's almost the morning hour."

Of course, it is not considered early when it is almost Mao time, as the court meeting begins at Mao time.

However, the emperor had not held a court meeting for a month and was accustomed to going to bed late and getting up late, often opening his eyes around noon.

Zhu Yijun rubbed his eyes and lay down.

Yawning: "I have to attend the morning court today, and I have been half asleep and half awake for a long time."

The emperor has his own decisions, and the prime minister has his own decisions. Zhang Juzheng, who was frightened by Wuzong, still gave up the task and refused to be a stepping stone for the emperor's plan to ascend to the universe.

The emperor had no choice but to go to the Wenhua Palace and put on an act.

"Your Majesty, why didn't you say anything last night?"

Empress Liu complained that if she had known there would be an early court session, she would have let the Emperor rest earlier.

Perhaps she recalled something, Empress Liu blushed a little, turned her head away, and rang the bell next to the dressing table.

Hearing the noise, the eunuchs and palace maids filed in.

Zhu Yijun rubbed his face, lifted the quilt, and put his feet on the ground: "I thought about it last night. The Queen's birthday on the ninth day of the first lunar month should be a small celebration. People in the deep palace don't remember age. If the birthday is skipped, it will really waste the Queen's youth."

While talking, he took the hot towels handed to him by his left and right hands.

Empress Liu said without even turning her head: "It's still half a year away, why are you talking about such a long time ago?"

It was not enough for the emperor to arrange everything for this year, he also started to arrange things for next year.

This statement did not elicit a response from the emperor.

Maybe I'm too lazy to answer.

Or maybe it was because the emperor was so meticulous when brushing his teeth from beginning to end that he wouldn't just grunt for a while and then take the time to say a few words.

"Besides, Your Majesty is planning to save money on his own birthday in August, so why shouldn't he follow his husband's lead?"

Empress Liu was honest and had a simple and honest view of things.

After Zhu Yijun finished washing up, he stood up and walked to the dressing table, advising: "It's not good to have banquets every now and then in the palace. The silver I saved can be used for the Queen's birthday."

After a pause, he put his chin on the queen's shoulder and said softly, "Noble Lady Wu gave birth to a son this year and was given a higher title. If I skip the queen's birthday banquet at this time, it will easily lead to gossip behind her back."

After saying this, Zhu Yijun stood up as if nothing had happened and rubbed the queen's shoulders twice.

Gossip is naturally multifaceted.

Perhaps it was a criticism of the emperor's obsession with beauty and his preference for Wu, or perhaps it was the emperor's inability to manage his household, which led to competition for favor among the concubines in the harem. Of course, considering Zhu Yijun's current power, he was more worried about the gossips about the empress both inside and outside the palace.

The queen then realized the emperor's considerations, and her heart couldn't help but warm.

There were always ladies who recounted how the emperor was spun around the streets about how cruel and moody he was, with such a serious look on his face that it seemed as if the tenderness she, his lover, had seen was just a dream.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but stop and reached out to cover the emperor's hand on her shoulder.

Zhu Yijun smiled and held the Queen's hand with his backhand: "I will give Wang Shizhen an oral instruction later and ask him to prepare the Queen's birthday speech in advance."

Don’t ask why we are in such a hurry, because by then Alliance Leader Wang might not be in the capital anymore.

When Empress Liu heard about Wang Shizhen, her gentle expression immediately faded by three points: "Your Majesty, please find someone else to write the birthday poem. I don't like Wang Shizhen."

Zhu Yijun was stunned and looked around the queen in surprise.

He held the queen's cheek and said in an exaggerated tone: "Oh my, how could Alliance Leader Wang be so evil that he could offend our kind and virtuous Sister Liu."

Not to mention the outer court, even Concubine Li was not mentioned by Empress Liu in any bad way.

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but be surprised.

The queen rolled her eyes at the emperor and sneered, "Last time I saw this fellow's copy of The Golden Lotus on your majesty's desk, one of the pages was even folded at one corner."

"What about Ximen Qing having sex with his wives and concubines? When he gets excited, he starts calling them whores and whores. His wives and concubines don't get angry when they are scolded, they just think it's a joke..."

She stretched out her hand and pinched the emperor's thigh, saying angrily: "This fellow only knows how to write these things, and he also ruins the innocence of your majesty. Don't say that I just hate him, he deserves to be thrown into the pig cage!"

Zhu Yijun felt pain and sweat broke out on his forehead.

He quickly withdrew and laughed, "It's getting late. I'll go to the main hall to fill my stomach first. I have to attend the court later."

After saying that, he only had time to give Zhang Hong a look before leaving the warm room in embarrassment.

Zhang Hong held the emperor's uniform and hurried to the main hall.

The queen turned her head and saw that the emperor seemed to be fleeing in panic. She couldn't help but cover her face and laugh.

……

After breakfast, dress carefully.

Zhu Yijun, who looked like a decent man, walked out of Yongshou Palace with great grace and elegance, and headed towards the loyal Wenhua Palace surrounded by a large crowd of people.

"Your Majesty, Zhang Fuzhi silenced 27 people yesterday."

Li Jin followed the emperor and took out a piece of paper full of names from his sleeve.

Zhu Yijun turned his head and took it.

Kong Chenghou, Meng Yanpu, Yan Sishen... They are worthy of being from a thousand-year-old family and they are never behind in anything.

Zhu Yijun complained in his heart and continued reading.

Zou Yuanbiao, Zhao Nanxing, Luo Yuren... He knew that those who wanted to die would return to the Heavenly Prison in other ways even if Nanjiao released them.

Zhu Yijun shook his head and was about to look down, but he saw an unexpected name.

Yin Gao?

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but frown.

What a great guy, Yin Shidan, he really makes things difficult for people.

While the emperor was reviewing the document, Li Jin spoke again: "Zhang Fuzhi requests Your Majesty to pardon several of his uncles and some of his close relatives."

Zhu Yijun turned his head away in confusion after hearing this: "Sacrificing one's life is sacrificing one's life, did I ever say that he would make the decision?"

Twenty-seven people are not enough to fill the gaps between our teeth, Zhang Fuzhi! Let me see your limits!
Li Jin was stunned and almost didn't react.

Zhu Yijun put away Zhang Fuzhi's list and waved his hand casually: "Don't put it back in the Hanlin Academy, throw it to Xu Jie to look at it, give him time to think about it slowly, and then take it with him."

The Hanlin Academy is crowded with people, so it is naturally not as quiet as Xu Jie's residence. By the way, it can also prevent him from being under too much pressure and going crazy and injuring his roommates in the Hanlin Academy.

Li Jin responded: "Your Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler who treats scholars with kindness."

Of course, this is what they say on the surface, but it is not certain whether they really think so in their heart.

From Li Jin's perspective as he was in charge of the East Factory for many years, the emperor did not kill many people. About the same number of people were beaten to death by Emperor Shizong in one day. On the contrary, the most shocking thing about the current emperor is that he does so many different things!

He either chose one of his sons to kill or chose one of his own clansmen to live. He pretended to spare someone's life and only realized halfway through exile that he could not be spared. When he was beaten to death, he still shouted "Long live the king". Who wouldn't tremble when seeing this?
Zhu Yijun felt good about himself and broached the subject without noticing: "Should we go to Renshou Palace tonight?"

There were no separate palaces for imperial concubines and noble ladies. They were usually summoned to the Wanshou Palace to sleep with the emperor.

Only the empress who lived in Yongshou Palace and Concubine Li who lived in Renshou Palace could be visited by the emperor in person.

Zhang Hong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty has a good memory. It's time for the Imperial Concubine."

The emperor now has only six concubines with titles, and Concubine Wu has to be excluded from the list of concubines who serve him in bed.

In this way, there is naturally no need to draw lots. Except during menstruation, everyone else will take turns.

Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment, shook his head and corrected himself, "I have been summoning Concubine Han Yi to sleep with me these past few days."

Zhang Hong was a little confused.

Among the concubines with titles, the Empress and the Noble Consort were the most favored, and the two Noble Ladies Wu and Wang slept with the emperor most frequently. On the contrary, Concubine Han Yi and Concubine Zhang Shun were neither rank below them nor ranked highly, and had the least presence.

Why did His Majesty suddenly fall in love with Concubine Han?
Although it was a bit abrupt to break the rules of rotation, Zhang Hong never said anything too much about such things: "I will inform Madam Han later."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "No need to prepare casings."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hong turned around and looked at Li Jin, and both of them showed joy on their faces!

Your Majesty has finally figured it out!
Zhang Hong nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes."

It turned out that he couldn't even speak clearly.

Zhu Yijun didn't bother to pay attention to what these eunuchs were thinking. Pregnancy had to follow the Basic Law, and the high-quality result of one baby a year was just enough to shut up those outside the court who were advising against the selection of concubines.

By the way, it also cures the illness that the outer court was frightened by Emperor Wuzong.

……

Wenhua Hall.

Today, the court officials came in exceptionally large numbers, young and old, wise and foolish alike, and the two groups of ministers in scarlet robes stretched all the way to the entrance of Wenhua Palace.

The Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang and the Minister of Works Zhu Heng, who had escaped from the Three Realms, returned to the world today.

Wang Chonggu, who spent all day in the Five Military Commandery, seemed to have finally remembered that he was a civil official.

Wang Sanxi, the Minister of the Dali Temple, and Xu Yizhong, the Chief Censor-in-Chief, who confessed their incompetence and requested to be dismissed, were invited to the Wenhua Palace.

Even the Duke of Chengguo Zhu Xixiao, who had been silent for a long time after inheriting the title, made a comeback and put on the clothes of a ceremonial officer.

The long-lost three whip sounds rang out in the Wenhua Hall.

Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing led the left and right groups respectively and were the first to bow. The men in red robes in the hall followed the order of greeting.

"I wish your Majesty well."

As the ministers sang, the emperor slowly walked out of the side hall and sat down on the throne leisurely: "I am in good health."

Zhu Yijun had not sat in the Wenhua Hall for a long time, and after moving for a long time, he could not find a suitable sitting position.

Zhu Yijun felt the fit and looked at Zhu Xixiao, and asked softly, "Has Duke Chengguo recovered completely?"

When Zhu Xizhong killed the prince, although he did a good job, it was somewhat taboo.

In the name of punishment, Zhu Yijun transferred the title of Duke Chengguo to Zhu Xixiao's family.

Even so, Zhu Yijun was still somewhat worried that this family would be hated by others, so he took away Zhu Xixiao's job as a Jinyiwei and let him recuperate at home.

Now that things have changed, it's time to go out and do something.

Zhu Xixiao bowed quickly and said, "Your Majesty, I was only slightly ill, but I recovered completely in the summer of this year."

If the emperor doesn't call on people to do things, then the country will be in a serious condition that is difficult to cure; if the emperor calls on people to do things, then the country will be full of energy.

Zhu Yijun smiled lightly.

He turned his gaze to Fan Yingqi, the governor-general's assistant minister of the warehouses, and said, "Mr. Fan, is everything going well at home?"

Fan Yingqi pursed his lips and bowed, "I am not good at managing my family, how dare I trouble your Majesty to care about me. I only lost some dirty things at home, nothing serious. I received a letter a few days ago saying that I am being confronted by the Censorate, the newspaper, and the rogue writers."

Zhu Yijun nodded with satisfaction.

It was also a case of hitting the wrong target, which nipped a civil unrest in the bud.

Of course, the emperor could not take care of every minister, so after chatting casually, he naturally had to start discussing business.

Zhu Yijun turned to look at Zhang Juzheng and said, "Prime Minister, what was the result of the Lotus Case that was heard in court a few days ago?"

Countless eyes fell on Wang Sanxi, the Minister of Dali Temple, and Xu Yizhong, the Chief Censor.

The two men lowered their heads and said nothing.

Things are different now than in the past. The emperor makes the final decision and there is no room for debate.

Zhang Juzheng took a step forward, holding a tablet in his hand. He said, "Your Majesty, after reviewing the judicial files, I found that this case was an unjust case fabricated by Weng Dali, then the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Zhang Guowei, the commander of the Wucheng Military Department."

"The then-official Wang Sanxi and Xu Yizhong welcomed their superiors without distinguishing right from wrong. Only the criminal officer Pan Zhiyi understood the facts of the case and refused to sign the seal."

Zhu Yijun listened quietly.

He naturally knew the result long ago, and now it was just a formality.

After Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, Zhu Yijun said, "I was wondering why Wang Tingwei wanted to make this case an ironclad case. So that's why."

Wang Sanxi, the Minister of Dali Temple, lowered his head and did not respond at all to the emperor's questioning.

The Chief Censor Xu Yizhong had already knelt down and begged for mercy: "I am guilty! I beg to be dismissed!"

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sigh: "Xu Qing welcomed Weng Dali in order to get promoted, and now he is begging me to dismiss him. Why is he doing this?"

He was just expressing his feelings, but he didn't really want to ask why.

Seeing Xu Yizhong kowtowed repeatedly and tears streaming down his face, Zhu Yijun could only wave his hand and said, "Forget it, go on your own."

The boots landed on the ground, and Xu Yizhong, who had been in agony for several days, almost collapsed in the Wenhua Hall.

Jiang Keqian, who was standing by, was quite perceptive and signaled the Jinwu Guards to take him out of the palace.

After dealing with Xu Yizhong, Zhu Yijun simply said: "Nanjing Criminal Minister Weng Dali and Wucheng Bingmasi Captain Zhang Guowei fabricated a wrongful case and sentenced them to death."

"Wang Sanxi, the Minister of the Dali Temple, assisted the tyrant in his tyranny and resisted the censorship, deceiving the emperor and deceiving his superiors. His crime is one level higher, and he is demoted to a commoner, and his official titles are taken away from him, and he will never be employed again."

The voice just fell.

Wang Sanxi, who was a prominent court official just now, was held up by two Jinwu guards in the blink of an eye. In no time, his beastly clothes were stripped off.

Wang Sanxi said nothing from beginning to end, gritting his teeth as he was carried out of the Wenhua Hall.

"Tsk, you really didn't lose face."

Zhu Yijun saw it and couldn't help but make a teasing remark - he thought Wang Sanxi would panic and shout, "I'm here for a meeting in Wenhua Hall, what are you doing?" But he never expected that he was actually quite magnanimous.

Of course, it's just a joke. We can't continue to punish him just because he refuses to plead guilty.

The ministers were mentally prepared for the handling of the case, and almost all of them did not bat an eye at the result.

Perhaps because of the emperor's majesty, the Wenhua Hall was exceptionally quiet.

But the matter is obviously not over here. The case is just the beginning, and the real thing is to cut off the top of the mountain.

"Mr. Pan, Mr. Xu, what do you have to say about this case?"

The pressure came to the Ministry of Justice. Pan Sheng and Xu Guo looked at each other, and the latter couldn't wait to stand out from the crowd.

Xu Guo knelt down and pleaded guilty: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice regarded the unjust case as a family shame, resisted overturning the verdict, and repeatedly covered it up. This is a grave crime!"

Zhu Yijun did not comment.

Hiding in a small building is a common practice in the ministry. Of course, it is not considered a crime. It depends on how to change it. Xu Guo said in a firm voice: "In the future, all the files of the Ministry of Justice will be copied to the National History Museum. The right and wrong will be tested by scholars and history. But if there are any mistakes, they will be corrected immediately!"

Everyone was excited and looked at the two people from the Ministry of Justice in disbelief, showing the files to the scholars! ?
How dare you give others such an advantage!

If there really is an injustice, false case or wrongful conviction, students will not care so much about you. Once they have determined right from wrong, they will unite against the enemy and it is not impossible for them to kneel down and appeal for justice.

Zhu Yijun was also somewhat surprised and asked in astonishment, "All copied from the National History Museum? Isn't that too cumbersome?"

He really had no idea about the work of the Ministry of Justice.

Xu Guo answered fluently: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice only examines major cases, and only publishes two or three volumes of books a year. In total, the whole dynasty..."

Suddenly he realized that he was getting a little carried away, and quickly stopped talking: "It's nothing more than two more clerks."

While Minister Xu was making his response, he glanced at the silent Pan Sheng, feeling deeply moved.

There is no historical test. The first thing to do is to get some political achievements. At this rate, if I continue to climb the ladder in a few years, I will probably be able to leave the Ministry of Justice. The worst that can happen is that I will just have to keep a close eye on it myself for the next few years.

What about the future? Whoever gets an unjust case while in office will be unlucky, and it might just be a good opportunity to compare him to Xu Guo.

Zhu Yijun was completely unaware of Xu Guo's thoughts. He just felt that this guy was a pillar of society who dared to take on responsibilities!
He nodded slowly, and while letting the Ministry of Justice pass, he also encouraged Xu Guo in a gentle voice.

Xu Guo's bold action made Zhu Yijun, who had gotten up early, feel a little happier.

Even the dragon throne he sat on felt a lot more comfortable.

Zhu Yijun moved his position and his eyes fell on the Minister of Rites, Wang Zongyi.

When he saw Old Wang's face, he suddenly remembered that he still owed the Ministry of Rites a matter.

He coughed lightly and said solemnly, "Mr. Wang, has the Ministry of Rites made a final decision on Mr. Ma's posthumous title?"

Although it is hard to say what contribution Lao Ma has made at the moment, he is the right person at the right time after all, and one cannot afford to skimp on the appearance of a horse even if one spends a fortune on it.

Wang Zongyi took a small step forward and stepped out to make a reply: "The Ministry of Rites has proposed two posthumous titles for the late Grand Tutor Ma Ziqiang: Wensu and Wenyi. I beg Your Majesty to decide."

After saying this, the old scholar really didn't say anything more, not even a word of explanation.

Wensu...Wenyi...Zhu Yijun pondered over these two posthumous titles and weighed them in his mind.

As a contemporary Confucian scholar, Zhu Yijun was certainly knowledgeable.

The civil officials of this dynasty are all literary, there is nothing much to say about them.

The second word is the more particular, and it is arranged in the order of zheng, zhen, cheng, zhong, duan, ding, jian, yi, su, yi, xian, zhuang, jing, yu, and jie.

Cabinet ministers are generally ranked below Zhong and above Zhuang, and the second-rank yamen officials are slightly inferior.

If he doesn't even have the status of a second-rank official, he can only look for one later. For example, for the imperial tutor Tao Dalin, Zhu Yijun could only find a posthumous title of Wenbi for him.

In history, Zhang Juzheng was given the highest posthumous title, Wen Zhong.

Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue were one step behind, namely Wen Ding and Wen Su respectively.

Ma Ziqiang, who served as the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion for only seven months, was a "Wenzhuang" who was further behind and could be said to be the last one in the group.

Now Zhu Yijun wants to use Ma Ziqiang as a raft for Weixin Pavilion. Naturally, he cannot be too bad, but also cannot be too good, so that good students cannot feel the level difference.

The two posthumous titles proposed by the Ministry of Rites were almost promoted three levels in a row, which was a bit too much for Wen Yi.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun nodded slightly and said, "I would like to give him the posthumous title of Wensu. What do you think?"

how is it?

Of course I bowed my head!
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Zhu Yijun laughed and said, "Let's do the funeral as described above. I will personally send Ma Wensu to offer sacrifices to the Weixin Pavilion tomorrow."

personally!?
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall became inexplicably tense.

Wang Xijue glanced at Zhang Juzheng's back with a hint of envy. Could it be that he could really reach the level of Fan Wencheng?

Shen Shixing was thinking in his mind whether he could win Wen Zhong for his teacher Lu Diaoyang by then.

Xu Guo raised his head, thinking constantly in his mind. He couldn't stay in the Ministry of Justice for long, and Wen Chun had taken over the achievements in the southwest. Where else could he dig?
Zhu Yijun felt the burning gazes of his ministers and felt satisfied.

Being the emperor himself is already very satisfying, but these court officials may not have the same positive feedback as him - they are not allowed to seize power, nor can they be corrupt, and they have to work hard but still live in fear all day long.

There must always be a carrot tied in front of the donkey.

Fortunately, what Zhu Yijun gave was not an ordinary carrot, but a heroic epic of a good man!

The land is filled with wailing and the city is filled with blood. They just want to save the people. They are unrepentant and will achieve a revival in one day. Who can hold back their blood from boiling after hearing this?

"Your Majesty, I have something to report..."

The meeting started in a good atmosphere, and the differences in the agenda were reduced a bit. Several items were passed in the blink of an eye.

Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Wang Guoguang reported that the three pilot areas for land survey were Northern Zhili, Southern Zhili, and Fujian Provincial Administration. The survey of one capital and one province had been completed, but the survey of Southern Zhili had lasted for eight years and was not completed. He proposed to cancel the imperial edict and issued an admonition, and the report was approved.

He was recorded for his two merits in Liaodong Hongtu City and Yongdian. Li Chengliang was hereditary earl, and Liang Menglong had a son who entered the Imperial College.

The Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner requested to forgive the arrears of military pay of more than 185,600 taels before the sixth year of the Longqing reign, but the request was rejected by the council and the whole story was explained in detail before further discussion.

We reached consensus on every detail almost in the blink of an eye.

Time passed slowly, and the faint morning light poured into the Wenhua Hall, extinguishing the lanterns.

"…Your Majesty, mint coins."

Wan Xiangchun, the Imperial Secretary of Engineering, stepped out and bowed, asking the emperor to make the decision on coinage.

Zhu Yijun looked Wan Xiangchun up and down, and confirmed that he was not really scolding him, then he continued the topic of coin minting: "If we start the furnace to mint coins, how many coins can be minted now?"

Naturally, Wan Xiangchun couldn't know about this.

The Minister of Works Zhu Heng stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, according to the cost calculated by Wan Jieshi Zhong, the cost of the work in the treasury can only produce 125 million coins."

Zhu Yijun couldn't help but frowned when he heard this.

One hundred and twenty-five million wen may sound like a lot, but in reality it is worth only about two million taels of silver.

Zhu Yijun didn't know how big the market was in the Ming Dynasty, but the amount of silver was at least tens of millions of taels.

If you only add this little bit of water, I'm afraid that it will be collected into the cellar by the big private minters in the blink of an eye.

Thinking of this, he looked at Wang Guoguang: "Mr. Wang, what does the Ministry of Revenue say?"

You should ask professionals about professional matters.

Wang Guoguang did not shirk his responsibility. He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think this matter should not be rushed."

He paused and continued, "Why not resume the mining of Yunnan copper mines first, save up the capital, and mint Wanli Tongbao coins when the national treasury is fully funded."

"The official copper coins, miscellaneous copper, and private copper on the market from all dynasties should be repurchased and those that should be confiscated should be confiscated."

"The Ministry of Industry will remelt the copper coins of past dynasties, and use them as the capital for the national treasury. They will unify the shapes and cast them in large quantities..."

Court deliberations have their advantages.

The Ministry of Revenue could not tolerate Wan Xiangchun, a secretary, who openly interfered in the minting of copper coins. Yin Zhengmao knew that minting coins could make money, so how could the Ministry of Revenue not know it?
It was necessary to dismiss Huang Jinse and other officials of the Ministry of Revenue, and to use the deterrent effect of Zhang Juzheng's flattening of the mountains after his return to the court.

The issue of coinage can finally be discussed within the framework of seeking truth from facts.

Wang Guoguang spoke in an orderly manner, and all the ministers pondered deeply along with his suggestions.

Wan Xiangchun, who initiated this matter, Wan Gong, the Vice Minister of Works, and Yin Zhengmao, the Minister of War, all rushed to ask questions.

Wang Guoguang answered them one by one: "…Therefore, I think the Copper Law should be prepared for one or two years, and then implemented together with the Silver Law, the Banknote Law, and the Whip Law!"

Zhu Yijun did not express his opinion, but looked at Wan Xiangchun, Wan Gong and others.

Everyone hesitated for a moment before they all bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, please proceed slowly. If there is anything that doesn't go well, we can make adjustments."

Seeing that they had reached a consensus, Zhu Yijun naturally followed suit: "Let's implement this proposal!"

Copper mining in Yunnan...I don't know if it will stimulate the neighboring Toungoo Dynasty.

Speaking of this, the several major wars in this dynasty, against Burma and Tatar, do not quite match the historical dates.

I don’t know what factors have affected it, and I don’t know when it will arrive as expected.

"Your Majesty, yesterday, after the Ministry discussed the issue of the land tax, I also submitted a proposal."

Zhu Yijun was daydreaming on the throne when he looked down and found that Wang Guoguang had not returned.

It took a moment to react, then I came to my senses.

He looked at Zhang Juzheng in confusion. Didn't we reach an agreement yesterday? What else did he propose?
Zhang Juzheng had a blank expression on his face and did not respond to the emperor's gaze.

Wang Guoguang spoke again: "Your Majesty, I think the general idea is appropriate, but the details still need to be studied."

It is definitely OK, but it needs some fine-tuning.

If not, how can Shangshu Wang be called professional?

Zhu Yijun moved his seat to make himself more comfortable: "Wang Qing, please continue."

He didn't take it too seriously. After all, this was the wisdom of our ancestors and it was difficult to change it.

Wang Guoguang bowed again: "Your Majesty, why do you say that the tax burden should be distributed according to the land area?"

Zhu Yijun subconsciously said: "I intend to include the Ding tax in the land tax, so I use this as the name."

When Wang Guoguang heard this, he frowned and looked as if he disagreed.

Zhu Yijun was confused by what he saw.

Wang Guoguang was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Majesty, why don't you just say 'cancel the head tax' and tell the people!"

Zhu Yijun was stunned.

He was about to explain when he suddenly fell silent.

Yes, why is it called "Dian Ding Ru Mu"? Because I have seen the result of the Wanli Emperor's policy of transferring the land to the land, which is "Dian Ding Ru Mu".

The reason? Preconceived notions.

To be honest, how would the people know whether the Ding tax was directly abolished or included in the land tax?
As to whether "equalizing the land tax and the capitation tax" is easier for people to accept, or "abolishing the head tax" is more appealing to all families, this is a question that does not require any thought.

Seeing that the emperor did not express his opinion, Wang Guoguang continued, "It is a good opportunity to take advantage of the fact that the land survey has been completed and the land area has changed. We should re-combine the miscellaneous taxes and formulate the main tax for land tax."

"Wouldn't it be a good idea to use 'cancelling the poll tax' to offset the resentment caused by this change?"

Upon hearing this, the ministers wanted to agree, but were afraid of offending the emperor who was the first to propose it.

What Wang Guoguang said is indeed reasonable. The difficulty of implementing the major policies of the country is very different under different names.

Zhu Yijun felt emotional.

Indeed, empiricism is unacceptable.

He secretly took notice and praised: "Mr. Wang has a profound insight, and has helped me find the way out of the wrong path."

Wang Guoguang was not too proud: "Besides this, there is one more thing that Your Majesty must investigate."

"If the Ding tax is abolished, some people will voluntarily abandon their land. I'm afraid there will be a lot of refugees by then. We need to prepare for a rainy day."

It is true that farming can provide food, but not everyone is willing to work. Abandoning land may be a personal decision, but overall, it results in the formation of refugees.

Of course, this is not something that cannot be solved. The Ming Dynasty has the ability to slowly digest a certain number of refugees.

However, Minister Wang's thinking was obviously different from that of the emperor.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "I have already made up my mind about this matter. I will start from the south of the Yangtze River and the southeast, and then advance slowly."

He could guess what Wang Guoguang was thinking, which was nothing more than tying people to the land.

But Zhu Yijun did just the opposite. He wanted to drive the extra people off the land!

The common people will definitely abandon their land, because farming depends on the harvest, and in years of famine they may even suffer losses after paying taxes.

How nice it is to abandon the land. After abandoning the land, you only need to fill yourself.

Yes, they still need to fill their stomachs - so Zhu Yijun wants to provide a place for these refugees who don’t want to rely on the weather for their meals.

Why Jiangnan?

Because Jiangnan had developed handicrafts, numerous workshops, and a strong heavy industry foundation, major shipyards were widely distributed in Jiangnan.

This is a good place for migrant workers to work in factories.

Why Southeast?

Because there are many ports in the southeast, offshore trade is booming and people are sailing across the oceans.

This is a great place for refugees to go on adventures.

These are the two hidden lines concerning the internal and external circulations.

Zhu Yijun saw further ahead, so he was firm in his attitude and left no room for Wang Guoguang to negotiate.

Seeing the emperor's attitude, Wang Guoguang, who had worked together for many years, naturally understood that the emperor had other considerations. He bowed silently and returned to his shift.

With the return of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Censors also made suggestions and discussed various matters related to the Taiyuan earthquake and disaster relief.

Then the Prime Minister Zhang Juzheng made a memorial to the emperor, suggesting that the provincial governors and inspectors should be rewarded or punished based on the progress of the survey. Sun Piyang was dismissed, Deng Yizan was fined three months' salary, and Wang Daokun was transferred to the six ministries in Nanjing. The emperor agreed to all of them.

In addition, Liang Wenmeng, formerly the Censor of Shaanxi, was transferred to be the Governor of Sichuan, and Li Sancai, the Councillor of Sichuan, was promoted to be the Prefect of Yingtian.

In addition to being a scholar-official Zhang Fuzhi, he was also appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and a secretary in the Secretariat. He was in charge of the Qiushi Academy and followed the chief monk around.

After all the matters were discussed, it was already late.

"My Lords, please let me know if you have anything to report." Zhu Yijun looked around the court and confirmed again.

The ministers looked at their noses with their eyes and at their hearts with their noses, and it was obvious that the performance had already ended.

However, after a long silence, the next sentence that came was not "dismissal without further ado".

"In this case, there are only two matters left for me to discuss."

The ministers looked at the emperor in surprise.

"One is the civil unrest in Huizhou Prefecture."

"It is said that within one prefecture, the people of six counties, just because of uneven taxation, actually regarded each other as enemies and almost launched an attack."

"One is about the newspapers in the south."

"Recently, many newspapers have discussed the land survey, saying that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the south has been rich and the north has been poor, and the land survey is tantamount to the northern provinces sucking blood from the southerners."

Zhu Yijun sighed and looked around at his ministers: "My lords, regional discrimination is unacceptable."

(End of this chapter)