The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 191 The Crown Prince is Going to Make an Enemy of the World
What is the Crown Prince trying to do?!
Is he crazy?

Tax exemption announcement, what is he doing...?

Not to mention the ministers listening at this moment, even Emperor Qianxi was stunned!

If the Crown Prince's first memorial earned him the gratitude of all the subjects of the land, his current move is practically inviting the entire world to condemn him.

What is his intention?
Isn't he digging his own grave?
If the first impression Emperor Qianxi had upon hearing the Crown Prince's memorial was that the Crown Prince wanted to win over the people, consolidate his position, and make his voice heard in the court.

At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind: the crown prince wanted to be an enemy of the world.

No, the Crown Prince is going to make enemies of all the officials in the land!
If that's the case, whether the crown prince can ascend the throne in the future will depend entirely on whether his father supports him.

From this point of view alone, this is a great thing.

Moreover, the new measures introduced by the Crown Prince were also seen as a great thing by Emperor Qianxi.

He was utterly disgusted by those ministers who spoke eloquently, claiming to be speaking for the country and the court, but in reality, they were all just pursuing their own selfish interests. However, there was not much he could do about it.

After all, he still needed ministers.

Even if he dislikes these ministers, he still has to use them.

Otherwise, he alone, as a commander, would not be able to govern the country.

This world needs people he hates.

But now, the Crown Prince's idea has given him hope.

Those ministers did not all take the fate of the nation as their own responsibility.

Don't they all claim to be upright gentlemen?

Okay, then let's make it public how much tax you've been exempted from.

You've already saved so much on taxes, let's see if you still have the nerve to spout nonsense here.

This is a brilliant move to strike at the heart of the problem! For a moment, his gaze towards the Crown Prince softened.

After Shen Ye presented the memorial, the Taihe Hall was even more silent than before.

All eyes were focused on the Crown Prince and Emperor Qianxi, waiting for the two most powerful people in the land to speak.

After a moment of silence, Emperor Qianxi coughed lightly and said, "My ministers, do you think the Crown Prince's memorial is feasible?"

Although Emperor Qianxi asked if it was feasible, everyone could see the faint smile on his lips. Judging from his expression, it didn't seem like a question, but rather a tacit approval.

Emperor Qianxi undoubtedly hoped that this memorial would be successful.

But if this memorial is passed, then the tax exemptions they have received will be made public, how can they be considered upright gentlemen?

I said you were competing with the people for profit, and you said I exempted you from a thousand taels of tax!
I said you are harming the country and its people, and you still say that I exempted you from a thousand taels of tax!
I said you're not a good person, but you still say I exempted you from a thousand taels of tax!
……

Tong Guowei remained calm and silent. Although this public announcement was related to his interests, he was, after all, a Duke and received special treatment.

He remained calm despite the situation.

Besides, he knew there was something to panic about! He didn't need to rush.

Grand Secretary Zhang Ying's expression changed immediately. As a Grand Secretary among civil officials, there were many things that he did not do himself, but were inextricably intertwined with.

He knew very well that each of his colleagues had taken full advantage of the imperial court's tax exemption policy.

As a result, some people who owned countless fields did not have to pay a single penny of tax.

Meanwhile, those who owned little land saw their taxes steadily increase.

Why did they so vehemently oppose the land tax reform? It was, of course, because they owned a lot of land.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not speak.

He knew that to secure his position as Grand Secretary, while he needed the support of his subordinates, the approval of the Qianxi Emperor was equally important. Without the Qianxi Emperor's approval, his position as Grand Secretary would be nothing more than an empty shell.

The issue of merging the poll tax into the land tax has already angered Emperor Qianxi. If he were to speak out on this matter, Emperor Qianxi would not know how to view him.

His position as Grand Secretary is very likely to be lost.

So at this moment, whatever he says will only backfire. He cannot speak.

Many people shared Zhang Ying's thoughts. Although they disagreed with the Crown Prince's plan, they dared not be the first to stand up and oppose it.

Kong Meiyun and Wang Yan were standing very close together, and both of them looked very unhappy.

The two of them approached the Crown Prince and, using ancestral rules as an excuse, persuaded him to oppose the conversion of poll tax into land tax.

They thought they had accomplished their mission, and the Crown Prince had even given them a free gift of a prosperous population and no more taxes. Little did they know that the Crown Prince had dug a pit for them, waiting for them here.

This made them feel like they had been tricked.

However, at this time, neither of them was suited to oppose the Crown Prince.

After all, they had just praised the Crown Prince, saying that he was benevolent and a rare wise ruler.

They've only just spoken, and now they're standing up to oppose it? Isn't that contradicting themselves? What will others think of them?

How are they supposed to live their lives after this!
Just as everyone was struggling with the decision, someone stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, reducing taxes is a dignified gesture from the court to all officials. If it is announced, it will not look good for the officials of the court."

The speaker was a middle-aged official in his forties whom Shen Ye did not recognize, but whose rank was third grade.

Upon hearing this, someone else stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the Crown Prince's proposal is utterly unnecessary."

"These tax exemptions are not going to be collected anyway. If we were to publicize and compile statistics, it would take a lot of manpower and resources, which would be a waste of money and manpower. It's really unnecessary!"

The speaker was Ren Tongfang, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. His family owned a large amount of land in Suzhou, and he was considered one of the wealthiest among his colleagues.

He himself exempted himself from many taxes, so naturally he dared not make it public.

Otherwise, it would be a huge problem.

Putting everything else aside, if Emperor Qianxi saw that his family could be exempted from several thousand taels of silver in taxes every year, I wonder if he would try to kill him.

As soon as the crowd began to speak, dissenting voices arose one after another.

The result sounds completely opposite to the Crown Prince's first memorial.

Just then, someone said, "Your Majesty, this old minister thinks that making it public is not a problem."

"After all, not long ago, you gentlemen all presented yourselves as righteous officials who believed the court should not compete with the people for profit. Now let everyone see just how much tax you gentlemen have exempted, which will perfectly demonstrate your integrity. What's wrong with that?"

The speaker was Yu Chenglong, and he had a slight smile on his face.

Although Yu Chenglong also enjoys tax exemption, his family assets are not much.

He would be happy to disclose how much tax he is exempt from.

However, this is on the premise that everyone present makes it public together.

His support for the Crown Prince immediately changed the expressions of many people.

In the end, it was Kong Meiyun who stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that such a public announcement is purely asking for trouble and is very likely to cause chaos in the court."

"In my opinion, Your Highness's suggestion should be abandoned for now."

Kong Meiyun's intervention garnered widespread support and agreement. Instead of being angry, Emperor Qianxi smiled and asked, "Crown Prince, do you have anything to say about everyone's opinions?"

　It's the end of the month, and this is the first update today. I'd love for all the votes you guys have to give me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)