The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply troubled and only mentioned it casually, with a hint of testing his teaching.

I didn't expect my young grandson to offer any suggestions!

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xiong Ying's face turned serious, and she tilted her head and paced back and forth to analyze the situation.

"In my opinion, Your Majesty, the empty treasury must have been embezzled!"

"As for the methods of corruption, there are only a few! One is to deliberately exaggerate the losses when collecting taxes and then embezzle them all!"

"Either they take advantage of loopholes that haven't been plugged, stamp blank documents in advance, tamper with tax figures, and embezzle tax money."

"Either officials collude with grain merchants to sell government grain at low prices, and then apply for funding from the imperial court under the guise of disaster relief, ultimately profiting from both sides..."

Zhu Xiong Ying spoke with great logic and reason.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes blazed with murderous intent.

Such a simple principle is something even the eldest grandson can understand; there's no reason why others shouldn't.

Unfortunately, for so many years, those above and below have colluded and kept the emperor in the dark!

If it weren't for the widespread public discontent that arose at the beginning of the year, prompting him to dispatch the Embroidered Uniform Guard to conduct a covert investigation and gather intelligence, he probably wouldn't have been able to take action at all.

Zhu Yuanzhang shifted his posture and pondered, "Then, in my opinion, how should we resolve this?"

Zhu Xiong Ying took the teapot from the nearby eunuch and poured Old Zhu a cup of tea.

"To be honest, Your Majesty, to replenish the national treasury and reduce losses, we can proceed in three steps!"

"The first step is to make an example of one to deter others, in order to have a deterrent effect..."

"The second step was to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue and the provincial administration commissioners from top to bottom, and to centralize the finances of all levels in the imperial court and the royal family, thereby appeasing the people."

"As for the third step..."

Zhu Xiong's tone softened somewhat, and he said, "I believe that as long as there is profit to be made, corrupt officials can never be completely eliminated. It would be better to change the system!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and glanced sideways, saying, "Oh? Tell me, my eldest grandson, how would you like to change things?"

Zhu Xiong Ying straightened his back and said, "Grandfather, look at this nowadays. When the Ministry of Revenue asks local officials to pay grain, they agree verbally but then they start dragging their feet."

"The Provincial Surveillance Commission investigates corruption, but all they find are trivial matters; it's all just going through the motions!"

"If a rule is established that all tasks assigned to local areas by the Six Ministries must be recorded in documents, specifying what needs to be done, when it will be completed, and how much grain or silver needs to be paid."

"Make three copies: one for the Six Ministries and the Censorate, one for the Six Offices, and the other for the Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Brilliance."

"Then have the Six Ministries and the Censorate conduct monthly inspections. Each completed item must be truthfully reported and registered. The Six Offices will keep an eye on the Six Ministries, while the Grand Secretaries of the Halls and Pavilions will assist the Emperor in investigating the Six Offices..."

"Those who do well will receive improved treatment, promotions, and bonuses! Those who do poorly will first have their salaries reduced, and if they still fail to do well, they will be dismissed from their posts and imprisoned!"

"In this way, the officials below will no longer dare to slack off and will honestly do their jobs!"

What Zhu Xiong Ying was referring to was precisely the performance evaluation system promoted by Zhang Juzheng!

At present, the Ming Dynasty does not have a cabinet, but it has established the position of Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Brilliance, who is specifically to "serve by the side and provide advice".

Little did they know, this suggestion struck a chord with Old Zhu!

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes immediately lit up. He took his beloved grandson's hand, softened his tone, and squinted as he asked, "Was this method your own idea, my dear grandson, or did the Duke of Han propose it?"

The Duke of Han mentioned here is none other than Li Shanchang, who ranks first among all the dukes!

In the past two years, with Lao Zhu's approval, Zhu Xiong Ying has been studying Confucian classics with Lao Li.

When he had free time, he would also accompany the famous doctor Dai Sigong to learn medical skills, and then use his special skills from his previous life to help his relatives, such as Old Zhu and his grandmother Empress Ma, to take care of their health and live to a ripe old age.

He also sought instruction in military strategy and martial arts from his maternal uncles, Li Wenzhong and Xu Da, the Duke of Wei...

In his words, this is called combining the strengths of a hundred schools of thought and incorporating the wisdom of a hegemon!

Old Zhu dotes on her, so naturally he wouldn't object!

The strategy proposed by the eldest grandson, which involves hierarchical accountability, clear rewards and punishments, and is closely aligned with his goal of "severely punishing officials and strengthening imperial power," is consistent with his objective of "governing officials with severe penalties and strengthening imperial power."

While marveling at his success, one can't help but wonder if Li Shanchang, who helped him unify the world, had given him some guidance from the sidelines!

After the Hu Weiyong case, Zhu Yuanzhang had mixed feelings about this pillar of the state.

Zhu Xiong Ying, who already had a plan in mind, went to the side and helped Old Zhu massage his back, laughing, "Grandpa, this is all just my wild guesses! The Duke of Han didn't tell me any of this!"

"However, a few days ago, my grandson was reading the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han. He saw that they described the problems of the previous dynasty's bureaucracy being slow and the taxes being complicated, and they also had many rectification strategies."

"Considering that officials have been largely the same throughout history, why not set a rule to keep an eye on them?"

"Besides these, I've also heard that with more taxes levied, officials like to cut back on them, which makes the people suffer."

"Grandfather, look! If we combine all those messy taxes and corvée labor into one system, convert it into silver, and collect it, let's call it the Single Whip Law!"

"With clear accounts, officials no longer have any pretext to deduct funds, which helps prevent embezzlement. Ordinary people don't have to go through any trouble, and they don't have to worry about the money breaking down on the road. The national treasury can actually receive the money."

"These two methods are precisely the third step I mentioned. If there are any errors, please correct me, Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing about the Single Whip Method, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up even more.

This method may seem simple, but it hits the nail on the head regarding the root of taxation!

Without outside guidance, it is truly remarkable that Da Sun could come up with these ideas!

Heaven truly blesses the Ming Dynasty!

However, this matter between the government and the public is not so simple.

After a moment's thought.

He looked at his beloved grandson beside him, sizing him up with doting eyes, and laughed, "Our grandson! You weren't just thinking nonsense! You've solved our problem! Truly a prodigy of the Zhu family!"

"Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Zhu Xiong Ying bowed and said, "It is my wish to share the burden with my grandfather! If you must speak of rewards, I would like to personally visit my late mother's grave in a few days..."

He repeated what he had just told his cheap father.

Besides his familial ties, Zhu Xiong Ying also wanted to find some time to take a trip outside Yingtian City!

Thinking of his granddaughter-in-law, Lady Chang, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel sad, recalling his old relative-in-law, Chang Yuchun, who had died young.

Our grandson is such a filial child!

He paused for a moment, then held his beloved grandson's little hand, his heart aching more and more as he looked at him. He said, "My dear grandson, we agree!"

"Also, your maternal uncle from the Lan family will be returning from the southwest in about ten days. You and your father should go outside the city to greet him then!"

The uncle here is none other than General Lan Yu!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying replied expectantly, "Yes, grandson has remembered!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a great mood and wanted to continue chatting with his beloved grandson.

Unexpectedly, the eunuch strode in and presented the memorial with both hands.

"This is a secret memorial sent by Imperial Censors Yu Min and Ding Tingju. Please take a look, Your Majesty..."

Upon hearing two familiar names, I realized they were key figures in a grain theft case during the Hongwu era.

Zhu Xiong Ying blinked.

I'm afraid that once Guo Huan's case comes to light, the real show is about to begin!