Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 257 The two sides of Confucianism and the dissatisfaction of the nobles!
In the traditional Chinese concept, land is the lifeblood of many people.

Therefore, Zhu Yunhuan was very cautious about any reforms involving land.

They are different from business tax reforms.

Because of the tradition formed over thousands of years, doing business is considered a dishonorable thing in the eyes of those landlords.

Although everyone is doing it, they are either ordering the servants or having it managed by other people.

Even after making money, you still have to curse a few times to show your nobleness.

But the land is different.

Land is the foundation.

There is no need to hide the management of land.

Passing down the tradition of farming and studying is something to be proud of.

Therefore, in Zhu Yunhuan's view, the court's restriction on land rent was an earth-shaking event.

However, he did not expect that Yang Shiqi and others acted so relaxed, which made him extremely puzzled.

"The land of the world is cultivated by the people of the world!" Yang Shiqi said, "The officials of the court still have some dignity. I don't believe any of them dare to collect more than 30% of the land rent."

"His Royal Highness's rules really don't affect them."

"On the contrary, they are eager to catch those evil people who collect high rents and exploit tenants."

Yang Shiqi explained the reasons to him in detail.

The reputation of the local gentry is very important.

Confucian scholars don't care about what kind of thieves and prostitutes they engage in, or what other evil things they do behind the scenes.

It must look good on the surface.

You want people in all corners of the country to think that you are a "good man".

This is the case with collecting land rent.

High-ranking officials in the imperial court all had land at home, ranging from a few thousand acres to tens of thousands of acres.

If it is the family of a noble or meritorious official, there will be even more land.

This is not the loess in the north, but the fertile paddy fields in the south.

The rent they collected from renting out their land was generally slightly lower than that of small landlords.

This shows that one is kind to others and has a benevolent heart towards the people, making him worthy of being a Confucian scholar.

As for secretly taking more money and food from the tenants through housekeepers, servants or others, that is another matter.

If it really gets out of hand, it has nothing to do with me.

It's all the people below who are doing bad things.

Beat the person in charge and explain the situation to the people. The people will then praise him for being a scholar, having a good family tradition and good character.

Therefore, the court now wants to limit land rents and only allows a maximum of one-third of the rent to be collected. This is a benevolent and benevolent policy of the court. How dare they openly oppose it?
Just like loan sharks, they are all wealthy and powerful families.

However, no matter which dynasty, when the court discussed restricting and cracking down on usury, the officials' attitude was still very firm, supporting strict management and cracking down on usury.

To put it bluntly, this kind of thing cannot be made public among these officials and landlords.

You can secretly let your subordinates lend money at high interest rates.

But they will all go through the hands of a third party and they will never admit that they put it in their home.

After listening to Yang Shiqi's explanation, Zhu Yunhuan suddenly understood.

I vaguely remembered that when I was reading "Dream of Red Mansions" in my previous life, Fengjie secretly went to lend money at high interest, and it was the same.

Do it secretly.

Otherwise, if the news gets out, the Jia family’s reputation will be ruined.

Even if everyone knows the truth, they have to pretend not to know for the sake of appearances.

Social opinion and moral judgment still show very strong restraining power in these matters.

For example, slaves had no human rights and their status was very low.

Every year, countless slaves are tortured to death by their masters using various means.

However, when the imperial court said it would legislate to prohibit masters from beating slaves to death at will, no officials who employed slaves in large numbers stood up to oppose it.

For the sake of face, everyone talks about how well their families treat their slaves and how they would never be harsh or abuse them.

If a family has a bad reputation for treating their slaves badly, they will be criticized and scolded behind their backs by others.

This is like the officials in later generations. As long as they are not investigated, they are all honest officials. Who says they are corrupt or accepting bribes?

In an era when Confucian scholars controlled public opinion, these officials, powerful people, and gentry were much more hypocritical than people in later generations!
No one dares to object to treating tenants well.

Anyone who disagrees will be criticized by everyone.

There is no need for the court's laws to punish him; the spit from the people outside is enough to make him unable to raise his head.

Even colleagues and friends will keep their distance from such a person and dare not associate with him.

The influence of Confucianism's moral arch was reflected at this time.

On the one hand, it imprisons human nature.

On the other hand, it has also formed a substantial and effective constraint on many powerful classes, local tyrants and evil gentry on certain issues.

If they want to establish a moral monument, they must bear the constraints that come with it.

Especially when the court wants to implement relevant policies.

"Benevolence" is the core of Confucian morality.

If you are unkind, you will be unworthy of being a scholar and a Confucian disciple.

At least on the surface, everyone must be "benevolent"!
"In the past, it would have been difficult to manage the issue of tenancy." Yang Shiqi said with a smile, "Now that the government is in good order and the people are in harmony, local governments are fully capable of handling this matter well."

In short, the supervision established through the Ministry of Posts and Communications has come into play.

In the past, after the imperial court issued an order, it was difficult for local officials to implement it.

"Okay, then let's submit these measures to the Dali Temple for discussion and formulate specific legal provisions as soon as possible." After listening to Yang Shiqi's explanation, Zhu Yunheng finally put his mind at ease.

Now that the Dali Temple has been transformed into a specialized legislative body, it naturally needs to be put into operation.

It is the responsibility of the Dali Temple to regulate the behavior of government offices through legislation so that the decrees made by the court are enforceable.

"Yes!" Yang Shiqi, Xia Yuanji, Yao Guangxiao, Yang Rong and others responded quickly.

"However, if Your Highness wants to use these tricks to purchase a large amount of land, it may not be easy." Xia Yuanji reminded. They were all smart people, and from Zhu Yunhuan's measures, it was not difficult to see that he wanted to purchase a large amount of land owned by landlords and wealthy businessmen.

However, they did not understand why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did this.

Under the whole world, could it be the king's land.

Don’t landlords still have to pay taxes to the court on their land?
Why should the imperial court take all the land for itself?

If Zhu Yunhuan had not always acted in this way and had not made many reforms that they could not understand but were very effective, I am afraid that several people would have advised him not to do so.

Zhu Yunhuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I know what's going on."

Then he asked, "Does the bank have sufficient capital now? If the court wants to buy a large amount of land, it won't be short of money, right?"

Xia Yuanji said: "That's not a problem. The total capital of the Ming Bank is now over 3 billion, and the silver inventory is as high as hundreds of millions. The silver and money to purchase the land is very abundant."

The development of the Ming Bank surprised both Xia Yuanji and Yang Shiqi.

The two had never imagined that the total deposits of the Ming Bank could reach tens of billions of taels of silver.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that banks have a monetary magnification effect. Only then did the two understand how terrifying this magnification leverage is.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded gently: "The survey of the land throughout the country must be implemented as soon as possible. It is a matter of vital importance."

Only after he has a clear understanding of the land situation can he make development plans.

Even in industrial society, land remains the most important resource.

Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji couldn't understand why Zhu Yunhuan wanted to buy a large amount of land, but Zhu Yunhuan knew very well that it would be most cost-effective to buy the land first before the Ming Dynasty's economy took off.

Later, with the development of the economy, the amount of currency in circulation increased sharply, and land prices inevitably took off.

If you can grab a large amount of land first at this time, you can seize the initiative.

But this matter can only be done slowly.

After giving the instructions, Zhu Yunhuan asked everyone to leave.

Yao Guangxiao stayed and said, "If His Royal Highness wants to make the landlords in the world trust the court and start a trend of handing over the land to the court's leasing agency for management, you might as well go and talk to the Duke of Kaiguo."

The old monk is a staunch supporter of his reforms.

Different from Yang Shiqi, Xia Yuanji and others who wanted to be prudent and advance reforms slowly, the old monk was eager to make drastic reforms to change the world.

The old monk really wants to see great changes in the world.

After Zhu Yunhuan came to power, he carried out a lot of reforms, which made the old monk very satisfied.

Zhu Yunxi was stunned for a moment.

Founding Duke Chang Sheng?

Is it that uncle of yours who spends his days singing and dancing at home, claiming that he is going to enjoy his life?

Can he play a role in this?
"Although the founding duke does not like to work properly, he has close ties with the children of the powerful and wealthy in the capital and has a wide network of contacts. If he takes the lead in handing over the land to the court for management, it will encourage other noble families to follow suit."

Yao Guangxiao smiled and said, "With the noble families taking the lead, and the Ming Daily helping to wave the flag and shout, many people will naturally follow suit."

"However, in this matter, the imperial court must give them some benefits and not let them suffer any loss."

Following the trend is popular everywhere.

The trend leaders are naturally the nobles in high positions of power.

Zhu Yunhuan's eyes suddenly lit up.

Thoughts raced through his mind, and he said, "Master, you're right. I haven't visited my uncle for a long time. I was just about to go and see him."

……

The founding duke's mansion.

When Zhu Yunhuan walked in, Chang Sheng was drinking and having fun with a group of friends.

"Right now the imperial court doesn't know what to do. Life is getting harder and harder."

A young nobleman was drunk and complained while looking at the dancing girl in the middle of the field.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone interrupted him.

"That's right. Since the establishment of the Taxation Bureau, our family's business income has suddenly decreased by two-thirds. With the high expenses at home, we are suddenly unable to make ends meet. I thought that the Taxation Bureau would be abolished sooner or later because it aroused such a huge wave of opposition, but I didn't expect it to gain a foothold. Alas!"

"The tax commissioner didn't collect that much tax, right? Why did your business suddenly go bad?" someone asked in confusion.

"This is not a question of how much tax to collect." The man explained, "It's mainly because the tax bureau collects taxes equally for everyone. I am a noble family, but I have to pay the same amount of taxes as ordinary people. In addition, the court has relaxed restrictions on business, and the number of ordinary people doing business has increased sharply. In this way, my family's business will be severely squeezed, right? It's already very difficult to maintain it now. If it continues, I'm afraid it will all stop."

"Yes, don't we noble families rely on our own reputation and the court's preferential treatment to do business?" Another noble son said, "Now that the Criminal Department's Anti-theft Division has wiped out all the thieves, those small merchants dare to do business everywhere. In the past, only noble families like us raised the banner and the bandits didn't dare to rob us."

"Yes, yes, yes. Now there are no thieves blocking the road to rob, local officials dare not extort money at will, and the taxation is exactly the same. Those low-class people do business just like us noble families, so how can we play?"

All the noble disciples were talking one after another, and they were all full of complaints and grievances.

The family’s business income dropped sharply, and their “pocket money” was also affected.

"I heard that Fang Xiaoru is still preaching about 'the way of the saints and the world's justice'. He is really abominable. Why doesn't the court arrest such a person?"

"I've heard about this, too. The corruption of human hearts is caused by these rotten and sour Confucian scholars."

"The court is currently surveying the land of the world. Not just fields, but also mountains, rivers, lakes, wastelands, forests, and houses. They all need to be recorded and filed. There are rumors that the court is going to redistribute the land of the world, causing panic everywhere."

"What exactly does His Royal Highness want to do? When he was competing for the position of crown prince, we all supported him. He wanted to set up the Ming Military Academy. Although we have never suffered from hardship since childhood, we all gritted our teeth and went to the academy to study and receive training just to support him. We are loyal to him, right? But why do I feel that after His Royal Highness came to power, the policies he formulated were all aimed at our noble families? We didn't get any benefits at all!"

"Isn't it? Moreover, since the establishment of the Postal and Communications Department, the letters of complaint from the Metropolitan Censorate have piled up like a mountain. Those untouchables, one by one, have been rebelling, writing letters of complaint everywhere. Many of them reported our noble sons, saying that we oppress the good, bully the market, indulge in extravagance, and commit many evil deeds... The group of people in the Metropolitan Censorate even used chicken feathers as a token of authority, summoning people for questioning every few days! Why? It's so insulting! Last time, I had a conflict with an untouchable at a restaurant. I got angry and slapped him twice. As a result, that guy wrote a letter of complaint to the Metropolitan Censorate. The Metropolitan Censorate took the letter and asked my father what was going on? My father took off my pants and beat me hard with a stick. It hurt so much that I couldn't get out of bed for three days. Now when I think about it, I have no place to vent my anger."

"That's right. Those lowly people all say how good His Royal Highness is, but how good is he to us nobles?"

The complaints from the sons of noble families were endless.

"Not entirely. Haven't you all experienced writing letters in the Postal Department? Haven't you all tried out the many new gadgets in the Manufacturing Bureau? Also, the court used to often delay salaries, but since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took charge of government affairs, salaries have been paid on time every month, without a single day of delay, right? Also, the court has given a lot more rewards to the nobles than before."

Chang Sheng listened for a long time and finally stood up to speak for Zhu Yunhuan.

"These are true, but compared to the bad things, they are nothing! None of us noble families rely on the salary and rewards from the court to make a living!"

"If you ask me, you are the uncle of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Can you ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for us?"

"What exactly does His Royal Highness want to do?"

"Does the imperial court still need to rely on us nobles to rule the country?"

"Why are you always nice to the lowly people, but not to us nobles?"

……

(End of this chapter)