Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 238 Zhu Yunfeng teaches the Crown Prince how to govern the country
What does your father usually teach you?

“Father. Father always taught me to be upright and brave.”

"Gone?"

"Gone."

"What about academic studies? Weren't they taught things like governing a country?"

"No, it was all the teachers who taught us."

"That's true. With your father's level of governance, it would be a waste of time to teach him."

Inside the Qianqing Palace of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunfeng sat on the dragon throne behind his desk, with Crown Prince Zhu Cilang sitting beside him.

At this moment, Zhu Cilang is learning politics from Zhu Yunfeng.

Emperor Chongzhen appointed Prince Wu to oversee the state, the Crown Prince to observe governance, and many scholars from the Grand Secretariat to assist him in governing the Ming Dynasty in the seventeenth year of his reign.

Unlike the cultivation-focused, idle-style characters like Jiajing and Wanli, Zhu Yunfeng belongs to the action-oriented type.

Unlike Zhu Yuanzhang, he wouldn't do everything personally. Local minor matters could be handled by the cabinet, but he would focus on agriculture, taxation, personnel, and the economy.

In terms of the economy, he opened a weaving factory in Jiangnan, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and increased exports to Japan, Korea and other places.

Furthermore, they revoked the salt permits, seized the private salt merchants, and established official salt and tea markets.

The grain was also in the hands of the government, which sold it at market price.

Taxation goes without saying.

One of the root causes of the Ming Dynasty's downfall was its inability to collect taxes.

Many people believe that scholars in the Ming Dynasty were exempt from taxes, but in reality, they were taxed, only with tax reductions or exemptions.

According to the regulations during the Hongwu era, after passing the imperial examination and becoming a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), one was exempt from taxes and corvée labor, and could also be exempted from corvée labor for two other males.

If a family of several members has one son who passes the imperial examination at the county level, he can help himself, his father, and his brothers avoid corvée labor and no longer need to be conscripted by the government to work.

The preferential treatment for those who passed the provincial examinations and the imperial examinations was even greater.

For example, during the Hongwu reign, it was stipulated that a successful candidate in the imperial examinations could have 80 mu of land tax reduced or exempted, two adult males exempted from corvée labor, and their immediate family members' taxes halved.

For those who passed the imperial examination, the land grant was 200 mu (approximately 33 acres), with any excess

During the Wanli era, this number skyrocketed, with those who passed the provincial examinations receiving a reduction of 200-400 mu, and those who passed the imperial examinations receiving over 800 mu.

As the grain-producing area of ​​the Ming Dynasty, Jiangnan was also the cradle of the imperial examination system, with a large number of successful candidates in the provincial and metropolitan examinations dividing up the farmland in the south.

Once someone passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), countless self-cultivating farmers would immediately come to offer their land to this Juren, thus evading taxes.

Under these circumstances, most of the land in Jiangnan was exempt from taxes and the people were not required to perform corvée labor. Furthermore, these scholars and officials used various means to evade taxes and shift the burden of taxation onto the people.

For example, although the regulations clearly stipulate that a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) can own a maximum of 800 mu (approximately 133 acres), it is common for wealthy gentry in Jiangnan to own thousands or even tens of thousands of mu (approximately 16,000 acres).

They concealed the excess tax they owed and then bribed officials to transfer the taxes that should have been collected from them to the self-sufficient farmers.

As a result, the imperial court became increasingly impoverished, and the taxes borne by the self-cultivating farmers became heavier and heavier, leading to widespread bankruptcies and closures. Meanwhile, the scholars and officials who had passed the imperial examinations all became incredibly wealthy, rolling in money.

This was especially true of high-ranking officials in the imperial court, such as Yan Song and Xu Jie, who owned large amounts of land and property in their hometowns.

Therefore, after Zhu Yunfeng took power, he immediately abolished the privileges that the civil officials had created for themselves during the Wanli era, and stipulated that a formal investigation of all the land in the Ming Dynasty should begin, and that all land should be registered and recorded, with no further tax reductions or exemptions allowed.

At the same time, taxation was separated from the household tax system and established as a separate tax department. The tax department could form a tax army, and all taxes, including commercial tax, customs duty, trade tax, mining tax, salt tax, and tea tax, had to be paid.

We must ensure taxes are collected before we can discuss anything else.

Otherwise, all those messy reforms are just a sham.

How can you govern a country if you don't have money?
If Emperor Chongzhen had done this in the past, he would probably have been drowned in spittle from the entire court.

But now.

Nothing.

You have your spittle.

Our old Zhu also has his own killing knife.

If all the officials in the court are not afraid of death, then I, Old Zhu, am not afraid to kill you all.

Emperor Chongzhen could kill at most a few people.

Old Zhu and his son really dared to kill them all.

Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang had generals stationed in various regions.

Xu Da, Tang He, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, Li Wenzhong, and others each radiated influence across several provinces.

The imperial court's orders were conveyed to them, making it much easier for them to act in the localities.

Therefore, the implementation of various policies has been quite smooth.

Especially in the Jiangnan region, after Zhu Yuanzhang had already killed a number of people, the policy was quickly implemented.

With the implementation of a series of policies, summer grain should be harvested in various regions by September this year, and the results will be visible then.

While governing the country, Zhu Yunfeng naturally also took on the responsibility of educating the crown prince.

To be honest, he had never done anything in education before.

But he felt there shouldn't be any problem.

Anyway, it won't go astray.

"Come on, tell me what your teachers taught you on a daily basis?"

Zhu Yunfeng looked at the young prince with great interest.

According to seniority, Zhu Yunfeng is the twenty-seventh generation of the Zhu family.

Zhu Cilang was the eleventh generation, and Zhu Yunfeng had to address him as his great-uncle.

But as the regent, and already 31 years old, he naturally had to treat him like a son or nephew.

Zhu Cilang thought for a moment and said, "Master Jiang and Master Yao taught me to recognize characters from the Thousand Character Classic, Master Wang taught me to understand principles from the Three Character Classic, Master Qu taught me to comprehend benevolence and righteousness from the Analects, and Master Fang..."

Crown Prince Zhu Cilang had more than ten teachers, and the series of lessons gave Zhu Yunfeng a headache. However, the core idea was actually just one thing—Confucian culture.

That's all?

Zhu Yunfeng frowned.

"Yes."

Zhu Cilang nodded.

"Your teaching isn't very good."

Zhu Yunfeng said, "Confucian culture can teach normal people, but it cannot teach a qualified emperor. An emperor still needs to have his own ideas."

As he spoke, he asked Zhu Cilang, "Do you know why His Majesty the Taizu Emperor wanted to kill so many merchants, and why I made tea, salt, and grain state-run markets for government trade?" Zhu Cilang pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know. I only heard them say that merchants are the cornerstone of the country, and that trade should be encouraged and merchants' taxes reduced."

"These civil officials have already started targeting the next generation."

Zhu Yunfeng sighed, "But what I want to tell you is that they are all wrong, they are all deceiving you for their own benefit."

Zhu Cilang thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, Regent, can you tell me why?"

"It's very simple."

Zhu Yunfeng said without hesitation: "The essence of commerce is the circulation of goods. One place produces more grain than salt, and another place produces more salt than grain. Merchants can make up for the needs of the two places by buying and selling each other, so that the two places will not lack grain or salt. This is beneficial to the country."

"However, merchants must be profiting from this, and the state must collect taxes on the profits generated. Just like farmers who grow grain, in addition to meeting their own livelihood needs, they also have to pay a portion of the taxes to the state for the purpose of national governance."

"Moreover, tax regulation can help stabilize prices. It is in a merchant's nature to pursue profit, and they will never give up a penny if they can earn more. Tax regulation can help us know their pricing, and we can also control pricing by increasing or decreasing taxes, thereby ensuring that prices are neither too high nor too low."

"But merchants don't want to be regulated or taxed, because that would prevent them from inflating prices and making huge profits. So they bribe high-ranking officials in the court and desperately advocate that merchants should not be taxed. Allowing merchants to inflate prices of various goods in this way is what makes the common people suffer."

"Then tell me, are what the civil officials are telling you correct?"

Zhu Yunfeng finally asked a question in return.

This is a very simple principle. Zhu Cilang was very smart, and after a little thought, he understood the mystery. He frowned and said, "I see."

Zhu Yunfeng said, "That's why Emperor Taizu wanted to kill merchants on a large scale. But if too many merchants died, goods could not circulate. That's why I set up official monopolies to maintain price stability and protect the circulation of goods."

Zhu Cilang said, "But I have heard that if the government monopolizes the market, it will inevitably lead to rampant corruption."

"That is indeed the case, so this is not a long-term solution. We still need to open up to private merchants, which will also promote competition between government and private enterprises. However, since most of the private sector has been eliminated, we can only rely on government-run enterprises. This is a temporary measure."

"I understand."

"Your father is too stupid. No one taught him, so he didn't know the intricacies of the matter and was completely fooled by the civil officials."

Zhu Yunfeng instructed him: "If you want to become emperor in the future, you must learn how to discern whether a civil official's suggestion is truly out of concern for the country and its people, or is merely for his own benefit."

Zhu Cilang said tactfully, "Your Highness, he is, after all, my father. Besides, the founding emperor said that you are a descendant of the Zhu family, so according to seniority, he is also your great-grandfather."

"It is precisely because he is your father, my great-grandfather, that I have to keep using him as a negative example to urge you not to follow in his footsteps."

Zhu Yunfeng pointed his index finger at Zhu Cilang's head and said, "With your father's pig-headed appearance, do you know what a joke there is about your father in our later generations?"

Zhu Cilang looked troubled.

Zhu Yunfeng didn't care about his expression and said, "Emperor Chongzhen met Wu Sangui in the underworld and hurriedly asked, 'Changbo, how is the rebel leader?' 'I have quelled him!' 'Great! How about the Western bandits?' 'I have also quelled them!' 'And what about the Tartars?' 'I died of illness in the army while suppressing the Tartars!' Emperor Chongzhen could no longer hold back his tears: 'Wu Changbo truly deserves to be called the most loyal minister of our dynasty!' How about that? Wu Sangui personally destroyed the Ming Dynasty, and he couldn't even distinguish between loyalty and treachery. Wasn't he stupid?"

Zhu Cilang said somewhat angrily, "Your Highness, the Regent, you have spoken too harshly."

"Ugh."

Zhu Yunfeng sighed and said, "I know it's not good to scold your parents in front of your child, but to put it bluntly, so many people in the Ming Dynasty were killed by the Jurchens, and your father has to take responsibility. He deserves to be scolded. It is our Zhu family that has let down the people, do you understand?"

Zhu Cilang was stunned for a moment, then remained silent.

"Alright, these are just the more basic theories of governing a country. Let me tell you about some more advanced theories of governing a country."

Seeing that he remained silent, Zhu Yunfeng continued, "What did your teacher say, and what examples did he give?"

"As Wu once said, 'A single word can make or break a nation.' Confucius said, 'When a ruler loves and cares for his ministers, and the ruler and his subjects are of one mind, the nation can prosper.' Therefore, a ruler should treat his ministers well."

Zhu Cilang replied.

Zhu Yunfeng said, "That statement is both right and wrong."

"Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Zhu Cilang stared at him with wide eyes.

Zhu Yunfeng laughed and said, "It is right for a monarch to treat his ministers well, but it depends on what kind of ministers he treats well. If they are corrupt officials or treacherous ministers, why should he treat them well?"

"Ah."

Zhu Cilang nodded in agreement: "Yes, but no one knows whether he is a corrupt official or a treacherous minister."

"That depends on your own ability to detect it."

Zhu Yunfeng laughed and said, "It's easy to be a foolish ruler, but difficult to be a wise one. Confucius also said that if a ruler insists on his own way and none of his ministers oppose him, the country will eventually perish. This is indeed true. A ruler cannot always be right, and even wise rulers make mistakes. However, if an emperor is always clear-headed, knows how to proceed in the future, and knows how to plan the future development of the country, then Confucius's words will be misinterpreted. Of course, such an emperor is very rare, so I will now teach you."

Zhu Cilang opened his eyes wide this time, looking at Zhu Yunfeng with a surprised and astonished expression, and said: "Your Highness can teach me to become a wise ruler who is right in everything he does?"

"Actually, it's very easy to do this."

"Easy?"

"Yes, there are only two options: one is to control the military, and the other is to control the purse strings."

Zhu Yunfeng explained, "Do you know what it means to 'a gentleman loves money, but acquires it in a proper way'?"

"know."

Zhu Cilang said without hesitation, "The Grand Master Fang once said that a gentleman loves wealth but acquires it in a proper way. Wealth and honor obtained unjustly are like fleeting clouds to me. This is true for a gentleman, and even more so for the country. Tea, silkworms, grain, and salt are of paramount importance in the Jiangnan region, and the people depend on them. If heavy taxes are levied, countless families will go bankrupt. The country should reduce corvée labor and taxes, allow the people to rest, and not compete with the people for profit."

"???"

Zhu Yunfeng asked, completely bewildered, "Who exactly is this Grand Tutor Fang?"

"It is Fang Gongqian, the Junior Chamberlain."

Zhu Cilang remained silent and said, "He has already been killed by His Majesty Taizong under the pretext of surrendering to the Jurchens."

"Since he's a traitor, why are you listening to his nonsense?"

Zhu Yunfeng said speechlessly, "That person is probably from Jiangnan."

"He is from Tongcheng, Anqing Prefecture."

"No wonder, he said that to trick you into giving him tax breaks so he can pay less tax on his assets back home, understand?"

"Forehead"

Zhu Cilang scratched his head and looked at Zhu Yunfeng, asking, "Then what is the true meaning of 'a gentleman loves money, but acquires it in a proper way'?"

Zhu Yunfeng said with a grin, "It means I like your money, so it makes sense for me to take it."

"???"

Zhu Cilang was completely bewildered and said, "Isn't this the act of robbery?"

Zhu Yunfeng retorted, “When a ruler governs a country, sometimes he has to act like a robber. Where do those corrupt officials get their money? They steal it from the people and the country. Those big merchants bribe the government, oppress the people, and plunder. If you don’t kill them and take their property, how can you truly use the money for the benefit of the people?”

"The saying 'do not compete with the people for profit' is wrong in itself. The country must compete for profit, and it must compete in every aspect. It doesn't mean squeezing the people dry, but rather taking money from everyone except the people, honest businessmen, and honest officials. Only in this way can the country have money for people's livelihood and help them live a better life."

"The richer a country is, the stronger its army can be built, the higher the salaries of its officials can be paid, the bridges and roads can be built for the people, and the people can be helped to become rich. Any disasters can be dealt with quickly, and any rebellions can be quelled quickly."

“If the country has no money, and all the money is taken away by corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants, yet they deceive the court by saying that this is to enrich the people, then that is wrong. Because if the court has no money, the people have no money, and the money is in the hands of those who do not work, then the country will perish.”

"And now."

Zhu Yunfeng looked at Zhu Cilang and said seriously, word by word, "It's because your father is an idiot that the country is broke, the people are poor, and the country is on the verge of destruction."

(End of this chapter)