Ming Dynasty: The Sixth Brother of the Zhu Family Seeks Immortality

The person who imparted this knowledge was his sixth grandson, Zhu Zhankan!

Zhu Di hesitated for a moment. Years of deep-rooted thoughts made him still disdainful of businessmen: "Zhankan, do you have a detailed plan in mind?"

Zhu Zhankan shook his head: "There is no detailed plan, just an idea to support businessmen to compete with Confucianism."

He stood up and walked around: "The reason why merchants are supported is not just because of the things in the court."

Zhu Zhankan turned to the prince and asked, "Father, where do you think the emperor's power comes from?"

Zhu Gaochi tidied up the language and explained using the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism he had learned: "A ruler should correct his mind and establish a program to govern the country. As the saying goes, to govern a country, you must care for the people, and to care for the people, you must establish a program."

The prince did not express his own understanding, but only expressed part of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

"What do the second and third uncles think?" Zhu Zhankan looked at the King of Han and the King of Zhao again.

The King of Han said: "It must come from... military power!"

King Zhao said: "From money and food?"

Zhu Zhankan did not confirm or deny, but simply said: "The power of the emperor is manifested in ruling the people, making military decisions, promulgating decrees, and managing government affairs."

"However, the emperor alone has no way to exercise all the powers. He can only distribute the power to central officials and local officials, and let the officials help the emperor and assist the emperor in exercising these powers!"

"In other words, the emperor's power is actually limited. In name, many powers belong to the emperor, but in fact he cannot hold all the power in his hands."

Zhu Di's face was a little gloomy, and even his head didn't feel so painful anymore.

"If the world is at peace and there are no major changes, the courtiers will naturally follow the rules that have been established for many years and compete with the emperor's power."

"But! Times have changed!"

"The revival of spiritual energy has brought more possibilities. Will people really listen to the royal family with peace of mind? Are there really no careerists in the world?"

Zhu Zhankan turned the topic back to businessmen: "It is true that businessmen pursue profit, but businessmen are also the force that can be the fastest to build a force."

Zhu Zhankan said in an incomprehensible tone: "Moreover, maybe the merchant is much stronger than Grandpa Huang imagined."

"Oh?" At this point, Zhu Di became a little curious.

The strength of the businessman is actually much stronger than imagined?

Although this grandson is occasionally outrageous, he is not a big talker.

"Salt transportation gives merchants an opportunity, and maybe they will come up with a lot of surprises..."

"Okay, then let's give those businessmen a chance."

...

I don't know when, but a rumor spread in the capital city that His Majesty intends to reduce some of the shackles of the merchants.

For example, businessmen have the opportunity to become officials!

And this rumor spread like crazy.

According to rumors, the imperial court is about to open a new business department in addition to the six departments!

The officials of the Ministry of Commerce are as high as those of the six ministers, followed by the ministers, and there are even official positions between the corresponding fifth, sixth and seventh ranks.

If the rumors are true, the power and interests involved are truly boundless.

There are also rumors that the Department of Commerce was established to completely establish the Ministry of Commerce.

The head of the Economic and Commercial Department is still the grandson of the Ming Dynasty, the future emperor.

This shows that the imperial court has confidence in the development of the Ministry of Commerce.

within the cabinet.

"It's an insult to politeness! It's an insult to politeness!" Yang Rong said with serious heart and heartache.

"We should advise and prevent such outrageous rumors from spreading in the market."

Yang Shiqi didn't say much, but everyone knew what was going on.

How could such a rumor with a huge amount of information spread among the capital without the emperor's approval?

This was the emperor's revenge for his ministers' disobedience to the salt policy reform.

And it is really possible that he wants to build a new department to compete with the Manchu ministers.

There seems to be little point in establishing a commercial department.

Confucian students have been rooted in the court for countless years.

How could just some merchants pose a threat to them?

But Yang Rong doesn’t think so!

He is different from the extremely honest Yang Shiqi and Xia Yuanji.

He did not accept bribes, but his family just kept them, so he didn’t know, right?

It is precisely because of this that Yang Rong and his family have many interactions with businessmen.

The reason why men of letters lived a comfortable life was definitely not because of the little tax income from the fields.

Taxation will only generate relatively large revenue when it is collected at random.

Now in the Yongle Dynasty, at least they don't dare to blatantly and wantonly harvest.

Then, the bulk of the officials' gray income comes from the contributions of businessmen from all over the country.

The reason why businessmen are willing to honor officials like them is definitely not because they say they admire the officials' conduct!

Chapter 120 Deposit Payment Meeting

Having no power and having power but not using it are two different things.

During the Taizu period, the status of merchants was reduced to the lowest level, which meant that merchants had basically no way to directly taint power.

But if the emperor is really allowed to open a commercial department.

For the changes in the imperial court and even the Ming Dynasty, they were earth-shaking!

Merchants no longer need to be completely dependent on Ming officials! No more officials completely attached to Confucianism!

They have officials who belong to the Ministry of Commerce!

Therefore, although Yang Rong still does not know how the officials of the Ministry of Commerce will be selected.

But if possible, they would better get rid of the Ministry of Commerce, or hold the power of the Ministry of Commerce in their hands.

Even selling part of the salt administration's income is not impossible.

"Why stop it?" Yang Shiqi calmly drank a cup of tea.

"Although merchants are not familiar with etiquette, their role is extraordinary, and the court does need to manage them."

Yang Shiqi is different from Yang Rong.

Yang Shiqi is really not greedy, and his family members are not greedy either.

What he pursues is to assist the wise king and emperor and achieve a great prosperity.

Originally, Yang Rong's ideal when he was young was also like this, but unfortunately he went astray.

The two major industries of the prince's family earned a million taels of silver in just one year.

This shocked Yang Shiqi greatly.

Therefore, he has also studied business recently.

It's just that the results of the research have not been good.

"You don't report it, I will report it!" Yang Rong left with a wave of his sleeves and turned to write a memorial.

Many old ministers also wrote to ask His Majesty to stop the unhealthy trends in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

However, Zhu Di kept all those memorials.

Instead, a salt transport chamber of commerce was quietly established, and behind the salt transport chamber of commerce was a college called Shangxue!

The external propaganda of the salt transport chamber of commerce was that as long as you bought the salt trading rights of an area.

You can send one person to Shangxue for study, and students who successfully graduate from Shangxue in the future can join the Ministry of Commerce.

Become an official of the court!

It was the grandson Zhu Zhanji who issued this slogan!

When the merchants saw that it was the crown prince who came out to take the blame, they quickly flocked to the capital!

The news fermented for a month.

In a blink of an eye, it was July of the twelfth year of Yongle!

During this period, officials tried to prevent the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce, and then Zhu Di imprisoned a group of people on the charge of corruption.

As for where the evidence came from? Some big businessmen risked their lives to provide it.

The weather gradually warmed up, and lively crowds gathered in a coastal port city.

The sea ban policy during the Hongwu period continued to be implemented in the early years of Yongle.

However, since Zheng He's voyages to the West, the policy has gradually been relaxed.