Thief Emperor

Chapter 1058 Two Major Events!

The 16th day of the 12th month of the 10th year of Zhangwu.

After being shut down for more than half a month, the court finally held its first grand court assembly of the new year.

At the grand court assembly, His Majesty the Emperor sat on the main seat, looking down at the group of civil and military officials kneeling below. He remained silent for a moment before raising his hand and saying, "Gentlemen, rise."

After everyone had stood up, Emperor Li composed himself and began to speak: "Today, at this grand court assembly, I have some things I wish to say to you all."

Seeing that everyone was about to kneel again, Emperor Li raised his hand, signaling everyone to stand.

He put his hands behind his back, mentally organized his words, and said quietly, "This year marks the tenth year of the Zhangwu era. That is to say, even if we exclude the year before I ascended the throne, it has been a full ten years since the founding of the country."

"For the past ten years, I cannot say that I have worked day and night, but I can say that I have been diligent and conscientious and have never slacked off."

"In ten years, the country that was destroyed by the warlords has slowly recovered. The imperial granaries and the Ever-Normal Granaries built in various places are mostly full."

"In Jingzhao Prefecture, the price of rice this year is only six copper coins per catty. In Henan Province and the three provinces of Jiangnan, the price of rice has fallen to less than five copper coins. Although it has not yet reached its lowest point, if there are a few more years of bumper harvests, the price of rice can most likely fall to two copper coins."

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor continued, "In ten years, not to mention the administration of the court, nor my civil and military achievements, just looking at the price of rice, in ten years, the price of rice in Henan Province has dropped tenfold, far below what it was before the war at the end of the old Zhou Dynasty."

All the civil and military officials bowed deeply: "Your Majesty is divinely wise and martial, and governs the world with peace!"

The emperor frowned: "Rise, all of you."

After the officials rose again, the emperor continued, "I am not saying these things today to show off my achievements. Some people may agree with what I have done over the years, while others may not. It is only because of the emperor's authority that they dare not say it."

"There are also some people who wish they could kill me."

His Majesty the Emperor said quietly, "Whether I approve or not is not a big deal. As for the assassin, it is your ability to not find out who it is, but if I do find out, we will each rely on our own abilities."

"That's a bit of a tangent."

His Majesty the Emperor quickly steered the conversation back on track, saying, "Today, I mainly want to talk about two things. The first is that some old rules and regulations need to be changed."

"In ancient times, there were four classes of people: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. This has been the arrangement for thousands of years. However, in my opinion, apart from those who plot rebellion, all the common people in the world are the same, without distinction of high or low status."

“In previous years, I elevated agriculture and farmers to the same level as scholars, which caused dissatisfaction among many people. Some even threatened to resign. Last year, the Agricultural Academy set a good example, and many people shut up.”

"Today, I will also elevate the status of the two classes of merchants and artisans among the four classes of people."

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor sat back down in his seat and said quietly, "Crown Prince, you may speak."

His Highness the Crown Prince responded and calmly took out a document from his robes, then read aloud the contents of the reforms decided by His Majesty the Emperor to the civil and military officials.

These reforms largely consist of what Li Yun had told Du Qian before the new year, including encouraging industry and commerce, no longer excessively restricting the movement and circulation of people, and no longer restricting the sons of merchants from taking the imperial examinations.

Furthermore, the Gangdong Maritime Trade Office was established in Gangdong Province, under the Ministry of Revenue, and was mainly responsible for the commercial taxes and import and export taxes of the entire Gangdong Province for the next five years.

At the same time, it will promote the development of industry and commerce in Gangdong Province.

After reading out a dozen or so new policies, large and small, His Majesty the Emperor quietly looked at the officials.

At the grand court assembly, most officials were stunned. After they came to their senses, many immediately knelt down, kowtowed to Li Yun, and repeatedly said that the ancestral laws could not be changed.

Emperor Li narrowed his eyes and looked at them. After a long while, His Majesty the Emperor slowly said, "Respecting Heaven and honoring ancestors is one thing, but from the time our ancestors cleared the way through the wilderness until today, the world has been constantly changing. I have never seen any of you still covered in animal skins."

His Majesty the Emperor said calmly, "Moreover, I am not implementing this policy throughout the country immediately. I am only testing it in Jiangdong for three to five years. If it works well in Jiangdong, then it can be replicated throughout the entire coastal region."

"As for inland areas, we will gradually implement this policy."

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor said in a deep voice, "The chancellors of the Central Secretariat have all agreed to this matter."

Upon hearing this, the prime ministers were all somewhat stunned. They looked at each other, and finally all turned to Prime Minister Du.

Du Xiangong kept his eyes down and pretended not to hear anything.

Without waiting for a reply, His Majesty the Emperor continued, "This matter is settled. Who is right and who is wrong will naturally become clear in three to five years."

"This matter."

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at the Crown Prince and then continued, "I will still be in charge, but the specific matters will be handled by the Crown Prince. Any issues that arise in the various government offices can be reported to the Crown Prince. If there are any unresolved matters, they can then be reported to me."

The Crown Prince took a deep breath and bowed deeply to the Emperor: "Your subject obeys!"

Emperor Li gave his son a deep look, his expression solemn.

This was the first major task he entrusted to the Crown Prince, and it was also a matter of great importance concerning national policy.

Such a major undertaking as reforming old regulations, including the specific details and general strategies, would naturally be handled personally by Li Yun, as the Crown Prince was not familiar with these matters. However, Li Yun intended to entrust the supervision and implementation to his son. After all, this was not solely the responsibility of his generation of emperor; his son would eventually have to take on this task, and before that day arrived, Li Yun wanted him to personally witness and experience the benefits of these new policies.

Only then can these national policies continue in the future.

After all, even if the current crown prince doesn't agree with some of the emperor's policies, he will still do whatever the emperor says obediently and meticulously.

No one takes exams lightly.

As His Highness the Crown Prince nodded, the Emperor looked at everyone and said calmly, "This matter is settled."

Once those words were spoken, the entire Taiji Hall fell silent; no one dared to utter another word.

This is the majesty of the founding emperor. As long as he is determined to do something, no matter how many people in the court oppose him or how powerful the opposition is, he can forcefully push it forward without any obstacles.

Du Qian couldn't stop him either.

After discussing the new policies of Jiangdong Province, Emperor Li coughed and continued, "There is one more matter, which I would like to discuss at the Grand Court Assembly today. I would like to hear your opinions."

He paused for a moment before speaking, "As you all know, the Prince of Nanyang passed away before the new year, and I, along with many important officials of the court, have already gone to pay our respects."

"The Prince of Nanyang has passed away, and Minister Xue of the Ministry of Revenue has already resigned due to the mourning period."

The emperor said quietly, "The position of Minister of Revenue is currently vacant, but at this critical juncture for the court, someone must take charge of the Ministry of Revenue."

Who are your candidates?

No sooner had His Majesty finished speaking than Xu Kun, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward almost immediately. He knelt on the ground and loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I recommend Minister Zhuo for the position of Minister of Revenue."

After he said this, there was no further sound in the court.

His Majesty the Emperor remained calm as he looked at the crowd: "Zhuo Guangrui has been dismissed from office due to his crimes; how can he be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue?"

Xu Kun bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, Zhuo Xiang's crimes have already been fully pardoned by the imperial edict, and Your Majesty has also stripped Zhuo Xiang of his title. The punishment is already too severe."

"It was already wrong for Prime Minister Zhuo to be dismissed."

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review exclaimed, "It is already a condescending appointment for Prime Minister Zhuo to serve as Minister of Revenue!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned, looked around, and asked, "What are your opinions?"

By this point, even a pig would know that His Majesty the Emperor and the Minister of Justice were putting on a show together. All eyes fell on Minister Du, who silently stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subject agrees with Minister Xu's suggestion."

Yao Zhong also stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "I second that proposal."

"I second the proposal."

"I also second my opinion."

For a time, the Taiji Hall became a gathering place for nodding idiots.

His Majesty the Emperor remained calm and said indifferently, "Then let it be done this way. The Secretariat shall immediately draft an edict appointing Zhuo Guangrui as Minister of Revenue."

"But it's a deal."

His Majesty the Emperor emphasized one sentence: "His title will not be restored."

Zhuo Zhong, the Vice Minister of Works, knelt on the ground, bowed deeply, and said, "On behalf of my father, I thank Your Majesty for your grace."

The emperor waved his hand, signaling him to rise, then looked at the assembled officials and said quietly, "Today is the first grand court assembly of the new year."

"You may speak freely if you have any important matters to discuss."

As soon as he said this, the Taiji Hall immediately became lively, and the heated discussion continued until noon.

At noon, the emperor and everyone else had a "working lunch" in the Taiji Hall. At that moment, someone had already rushed to the residence of Prime Minister Zhuo and bowed to Zhuo Guangrui.

"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord!"

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has been reinstated!"

Zhuo Guangrui was playing with his grandchildren at home when he heard this. He put down his grandchildren, looked at the visitor, and then sighed.

"Your Majesty's kindness is as vast as the heavens, and Guangrui can never repay it in this lifetime."

(End of this chapter)