Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The elephant carriage of the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi had just arrived in front of the door. Zhu Zhanji, who had been waiting in the gatehouse for a long time, stepped forward to greet him.

"Father, you have worked hard today."

"Cough cough cough"

Zhu Gaochi's bodyguard opened the car curtain. Zhu Gaochi did not get out of the car, but covered his mouth with a handkerchief and waved to Zhu Zhanji.

The elephant carriage is mainly painted with red paint, as are the four pillars, the bottom of the pavilion, and the sill seats. The screens, chair backs, cushions, curtains, and red curtains in the carriage are all in a style that looks extremely warm and comfortable.

Zhu Zhanji was carried into the car by the guards. The screen in the car was not unfolded, so Zhu Zhanji was directly held in Zhu Gaochi's arms.

Seeing Zhu Gaochi coughing violently several more times, Zhu Zhanji asked worriedly.

"Father, are you still feeling unwell?"

"It's an old habit, it doesn't matter."

Zhu Gaochi sighed and leaned heavily on the seat covered with velvet blankets, his forehead covered with wet beads of sweat.

The humid and cool night breeze of late summer blew by, and the noisy cicadas chirped one after another, but the father and son never spoke.

"Are the cabinet ministers still waiting in the flower hall? They must have been waiting all day for the tax reform results discussed yesterday." Zhu Gaochi tried to get up.

"Father, please rest for a while." Zhu Zhanji took out his handkerchief and wiped his father's sweat carefully. While wiping, he said: "There are always endless matters in the cabinet. Father, please take care of yourself."

"I know, I know." Zhu Gaochi patted his son's back with his fat palm.

Seeing his son take back the handkerchief and hesitate to speak, Zhu Gaochi was about to say something, but finally changed his words.

"I didn't want you to get involved in the country's affairs at such a young age, but as a father, I am really tired today. You and I, as father and son, have the right to relax. If you can't talk out of this carriage, just ask whatever you want."

There was a look of hesitation on Zhu Zhanji's small face, but he quickly asked: "Father, what did your Majesty, or Mr. Jiang, say about the tax reform system discussed by the gentlemen today?" ?”

"There's no use at all." Zhu Gaochi said without hesitation, "Compared with the solution proposed by Mr. Jiang, it's just a puddle of mud and a pile of shit."

"how come?"

Zhu Zhanji was surprised.

In the mind of the young Zhu Zhanji, the gentlemen of the cabinet were simply synonymous with human wisdom. How could the solutions these gentlemen worked together to come up with were as rotten as feces compared with Jiang Xinghuo's countermeasures?

"Why not?"

Zhu Gaochi asked solemnly, but he felt that his son was too young and it was difficult to understand, so he patiently explained it again.

"Serving as a slave to the mother? Is there such a magical strategy in the world?"

Zhu Zhanji's round black eyes widened in shock, feeling that his world view was about to be shattered.

Although he was still young and could not personally understand the huge physical and mental burden that harsh corvee exerted on the people, he also knew that this policy was definitely a good policy that benefited the country and the people.

Of course, everything has both pros and cons. Since it benefits the country and the people, of course there will also be disadvantages.

"Mr. Jiang's benevolence, if we can continue to implement the practice of renting slaves into households, it will be a great merit for countless living people."

Zhu Gaochi nodded slowly, and then said: "Mr. Jiang believes that since the purpose of each tax imposed by the imperial court is to obtain taxes, it should only be counted in the national and economic accounts, instead of letting corrupt officials at the grassroots level borrow money." With this name, we can seize more resources and obtain more benefits from the people!"

Zhu Zhanji was stunned for half a minute, and then he sincerely sighed: "Mr. Jiang is really a bodhisattva with a heart like a saint in this world!"

Zhu Gaochi wanted to echo this, but thinking about the cabinet members waiting for him in the flower hall, he shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Although Jiang Xinghuo has a bodhisattva heart, all the landowners in the dynasty have grown up blaming each other. If they don't implement it with thunderous means, they will be scapegoated tomorrow after tomorrow.

"Mr. Jiang's strategy hasn't been finished yet. There are also countermeasures against grain, cattle, and seeds. My father will have to listen to it tomorrow. If you have time, you can take a ride and go to Datianjie Temple to see Grandpa Qin Daoyan. "

"What's wrong with Grandpa Dao Yan?" Zhu Zhanji asked curiously.

"I was called crazy by Mr. Jiang."

In the flower hall, Yang Shiqi, Yang Rong, and Xie Jin put down their teacups in unison.

At this time, the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi was in high spirits, not at all tired as he was in the carriage just now.

"I have met His Highness the First Prince."

After the salute, the host and guests sat separately.

They are all ministers of the country. Although they are curious about the results of the tax reform system discussed yesterday, they still have to put their own work first. This is why a few people dare to come to the eldest prince's house openly.

The eldest prince is in charge of the cabinet. Isn't it normal for the cabinet to report on its work? It’s not like one person came here secretly, we all came here openly and openly.

"The regulations of the "Horse Herding Law" are probably settled. There are three mares for each male horse, and one foal is levied for each year of age for the sergeants. They are not allowed to use it without permission."

"Can."

"News came from the grassland that Kun Timur was killed by Guilichi. Guilichi was not a descendant of the Yuan Emperor, and many ministries were dissatisfied. Therefore, Guilichi gave up the title of Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, changed his name to Tatar, and called himself Khan." Xie Jin His memory was very good, and few of them had any personal memorials. They relied entirely on dictation, "Does the imperial court want to send envoys to help the good people and give them some rewards?"

"There was internal strife and division in the Northern Yuan Dynasty, so the imperial court naturally had to make a gesture."

"Don't give anything that shouldn't be given. Tea, table salt, iron pots, etc., even if it's a reward, you can't give it." Zhu Gaochi pondered for a moment, "Let's stick to the same old thing, reward bullfighting uniforms, and give Pasiba silver coins and other things, repair books Send an envoy to the cabinet to attach a note in my name, and finally let my father see it."

In the early Ming Dynasty, silver coins were mostly used to reward ministers. The silver coins here generally refer to the "Basiba Wen silver coins", which is the kind that Zhu Di publicly rewarded Xia Yuanji, the minister of household affairs, at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet last time.

"Pasiba script" is a Mongolian script created by the monk leader Pasiba during the Kublai Khan period. It was the currency that was popular all over the world in the early Yuan Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, banknotes were mainly used, supplemented by copper coins. Silver coins were rare in number and exquisite in style.

Therefore, after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there was a pile of Pasiba silver coins in the treasury that were as exquisite as works of art. They could not be recirculated, and they were unwilling to be melted and recast, so they were all reserved for rewards to ministers.

After discussing the two minor matters, several members of the cabinet looked at each other, but Jie Jin took the lead and asked tentatively.

"Wusongjiang River is flooded this year, and the harvests in Suzhou, Songjiang and Jiaxing in western Zhejiang will definitely be bad. Many officials below have handed in information."

Zhu Gaochi slowly put down the tea cup in his hand, and the atmosphere in the flower hall suddenly froze.

"What exactly does that mean?"

Xie Jin gritted his teeth and continued: "It means that the imperial court can reduce or reduce the taxes of Su, Song, Jia, Hu and other prefectures this year?"

"boom!"

The tea cup was slapped hard on the floor tiles of the flower hall by Zhu Gaochi, and it immediately fell to pieces. The porcelain fragments fell at the feet of several people. Xie Jin had long been silent.