Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 21: Taking credit for others' achievements and claiming it as your own!
Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Xia Zhibai angrily but was unable to utter a word. His eyes revealed a rare hint of panic and loss of composure.

Park Gouer, who was lying on the ground, was almost suffocated by fear.

He didn't dare to scold Xia Zhibai anymore, or even make any noise. He just knelt on the ground, moving his body little by little, towards the outside of the hall.

Xia Zhibai's words were so outrageous that every word could cost a life. Not just one person, but three or even nine generations of a clan. He simply could not and dared not listen to them.

Park Gouer lay on the ground with his butt raised high, twisting and turning to move outward. His attitude was still respectful, but his movements were funny.

Zhu Yuanzhang also noticed it, and a fierce murderous intent flashed in his eyes, "Get lost!"

"I'll take my leave." Pu Gou'er was not surprised but happy, with tears appearing in the corners of his eyes. He kowtowed quickly to thank the emperor for his grace, and crawled out of the Wuying Palace, not daring to delay any further.

for a while.

Only Zhu Yuanzhang and Xia Zhibai were left in the hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down again, his face as gloomy as water, staring at Xia Zhibai. He really wanted to know what Xia Zhibai wanted to do. Was he really seeking death?

Or is it for what literati call integrity?

He didn't believe it.

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Xia Zhibai like a falcon looking at its prey, with the murderous intent in his eyes fluctuating.

"Who ordered you to do that?"

He didn't believe that Xia Zhibai could say this. Xia Zhibai was too young, only in his early twenties. It was impossible for a boy like him to say such things. There must be someone behind the scenes instructing him.

Was it Li Shanchang? The remnants of Hu Weiyong? The Northern Yuan Dynasty? Or the anti-Ming scholars in Jiangnan?
Zhu Yuanzhang was secretly suspicious in his heart.

Xia Zhibai gave a helpless smile: "If you really think that someone is instigating you, perhaps you can think that it is the unwillingness of the people of the world, and the people who have high hopes for you but are chilled by your cold blood."

"Since the Qin Empire, the thousands of years of history of this land have long proved that the people of this land are the most intolerant of the rule of dark forces. Whenever they find it difficult to live, they will resort to rebellion and revolution to overthrow and transform this rule."

"You have ruled a country that has seen hundreds or even thousands of popular uprisings, all to oppose the dark rule of the landlords and nobles."

"And you, Zhu Yuanzhang, you have long forgotten how you got this world."

“You keep saying you love the people, but how do you actually do it?”

"Do you really always think about the people at the bottom?"

"You built a grand capital in Fengyang, which took more than ten years. What did it look like in the end? How much manpower, material resources and financial resources did you spend on this capital?"

"You divided your sons into fiefs all over the country. Every prince who was given a fiefdom built a large-scale project, and every prince who was given a fiefdom oppressed the people."

"You know better than anyone the extent of extravagance in the palaces of various places. You know more about the atrocities and evil deeds committed by your sons in the local areas than anyone else."

"There are also ten palaces being built in Yingtian Prefecture. Which one is not unprecedented in scale, and which one does not require the conscription of countless civilians?"

"No matter how much the emperors of the past built, it was only for the emperor alone, and only a few places were built. What about the Ming Dynasty?"

"It's the entire Zhu family!"

“It goes on and on, there’s no end.”

"You said you wanted to reduce the burden on the people. You did reduce the rent, but did the people pay less?"

"You built palaces for your son all over the country and started large-scale construction projects in various places. Where did all this money come from? How did you make it out of thin air?" "It all came from the people's blood and sweat."

"The annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty is only about 20 to 30 million. Apart from government expenses and the support of the royal palace, there is nothing left. In the end, the court is out of money. How can you make money?"

"In the end, they are just like the corrupt officials you hate the most, collecting money from the people and imposing various heavy taxes. When has the Ming Dynasty ever had less of them?"

"There is no such thing as the Hongwu reign in the Ming Dynasty. The people have long been overwhelmed by heavy labor and heavy taxes."

"You spread the Great Edict throughout the country, hoping to infiltrate the teachings you want to the grassroots, but have you really gone to the local areas and asked the local people whether they like what you advocate?"

"You only said that the Ming Dynasty laws were extremely strict in punishing corrupt officials, but why did you never mention that they were equally strict on the people?"

"As a unified dynasty, it is understandable that you pursue national prosperity and military strength, but how do you actually do it?"

"The country has never seen wealth. You have determined the money that can be collected on the surface, but the palaces in the local areas are becoming more and more magnificent."

"If the Ming Dynasty was really that powerful, the last Northern Expedition would not have failed, and there wouldn't have been so many deserters in the garrisons across the Ming Dynasty."

"Endless wars abroad and massive construction at home. This is the true life of the people under your rule, Emperor Hongwu."

"I only ask you one thing. Can you survive under your own rule?"

"They forced people to conscript soldiers and labor every other day, and serving in the army meant a near-death experience. The tax rate was doubled compared to the previous dynasty, and the tax items were multiplied. In order to fulfill the imperial decree, the tax officials exploited the people like wolves and tigers. In good years, they took away all the food stored in the people's homes, and in bad years, they forced them to sell their children."

"Do you really think that ballad I wrote on the test paper was fake?"

"It is true that Fengyang is poor."

“But is it really so poor?”

"You already knew the reason a long time ago. Because you were ambitious and insisted on building the Central Capital in Fengyang, you conscripted too many people from the Fengyang area, causing the area to be abandoned year after year."

"Even the locals began to curse your empire with the method of 'hate the town' and wanted it to be destroyed quickly. What did you do?"

"Kill them all!"

"It eventually caused a boiling point of resentment among the local people, leading to a civil uprising. In your eyes, Fengyang was a place where the dragon rose, and you were worried that it would undermine your rule, so you had no choice but to leave this capital unfinished."

"And further reduce local land taxes to appease local people's anger and resentment."

"I have read the Great Edict you promulgated. In the book, you always regard yourself as the adopted parent of the people, and preach the 'great filial piety' you want everywhere."

"And what you call 'filial piety' is that the people should obey you without complaint and regret, and devote all their blood and sweat to build the unchanging eternal country you want to build."

"But your 'kindness' to the people is something they really cannot bear, and it is a burden that life cannot bear."

"You have always been proud of your love for the people. In essence, you are an emperor with a peasant temperament. You just take good care of your tools and oxen."

"But the whip that should be used and the land that should be plowed will not be reduced by an inch or a cent."

"Take the credit given by heaven as your own."

"The heaven and the earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs; the saints are unkind and regard the common people as stupid dogs."

"And you, the saint, are the kind of saint who treats the people as straw dogs! But can such a saint still be respected as a saint by the world?"

(End of this chapter)