"Jiangnan's prosperity is obvious to all," Zhu Youxiao added, his tone suddenly changing, his tone emphasizing, "However, the gentry in Jiangnan are the most serious in defaulting on state taxes; and the merchants in Jiangnan are also the most prone to tax evasion. Why is that?"

Tang Mo and Xia Zhongshi were shocked and quickly knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, we are not the ones who committed the crime, and we would never dare to evade taxes."

Zhu Youxiao lowered his eyes and said calmly, "I am not a tyrant. If you are unworthy, how can you enter the palace to see me? Can you still sit here?"

Tang Mo and Xia Zhongshi bowed their heads deeply and said in unison, "Long live the wise king."

Zhu Youxiao did not immediately call the two men to their feet. Instead, he continued in a deep voice, "I know this is the result of collusion between officials and merchants. Some officials are deliberately sponsored by merchants in order to gain protection or profit."

With a somewhat sarcastic sneer, Zhu Youxiao said, "Thirty percent tax, isn't that high? Even though it's so low, they still evade taxes and circumvent the rules. And the literary style is flourishing. Have you read so much that you can't even stomach the dog?"

Tang Mo and Xia Zhongshi didn't dare to speak, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, perhaps because they were too ashamed.

"Every time the imperial court wants to increase commercial taxes, even without merchants speaking out, officials will vehemently obstruct it. Their so-called 'not competing with the people for profit' is nothing more than using merchants to enrich themselves. It's simply shameless. If they truly care about the people, why doesn't anyone speak up for the farmers who dig their bread from the soil?"

"What I said today will be published in the Ming Forum tomorrow. Let those bastards who are neither officials nor businessmen see it, and let everyone in the world know their true faces."

The emperor seemed to have vented his frustration. He took the tea offered by the palace servant and drank it. He let out a long breath and said, "You two, get up!"

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great grace." Tang Mo and Xia Zhongshi kowtowed before sitting back on the embroidered cushion, even more respectful and careful than before.

Zhu Youxiao thought for a moment, then raised his head and said, "I have arranged supervisory officials in the Chamber of Commerce not only to supervise you, but also to help you solve your problems. If any official dares to use his power to blackmail or embarrass you, they will help you deal with it. By the way, these supervisory officials will also hold the title of Censor to facilitate their work."

After the Censorate was changed into the Metropolitan Censorate in the Ming Dynasty, it included both high-ranking and prestigious officials and a large number of low-ranking and powerful officials.

This not only maintains the principle of "using the inferior to supervise the superior" in the supervisory system, but also enhances the deterrent power of the supervisory agencies, enabling them to truly play their role.

The governors, admirals, provincial governors, general managers, prime ministers and other high-ranking officials sent by the emperor to various places usually held the title of Chief Censor to facilitate their actions, but they did not take care of the affairs of the Censorate.

Zhu Youxiao gave the title of Censor to Wu Zheng, Yang Runmin and Zheng Zhilong. Although the rank was not high, they became the emperor's eyes and ears and officials in charge of discipline, and had a great deterrent effect on officials.

"In the future, the court will intensify its efforts to impeach officials and increase the number of supervisory officials." Zhu Youxiao sneered and said, "Just stick to your business and abide by the law. The court will severely punish officials who are greedy and exploitative."

"Long live the wise king." Li Dan and others bowed and offered flattery.

In the past, merchants were reluctant to pay commercial taxes. Some of the reasons were due to their own greed, while others were because they felt they were losing out by paying taxes after paying tribute to officials.

Now, the emperor has said openly that he will send people to escort them.

Regardless of whether officials were involved in exploitation or not, commercial taxes had to be remitted to the court. And those illegal officials would certainly not have a good end. The emperor's words of strict punishment, ranging from exile to beheading, were not just talk.

Li Dan, Wu Dazhang, and the others, including Tang Mo and Xia Zhongshi, all breathed a sigh of relief. Although their previous concerns had not been completely dispelled, they now felt more confident in confronting corrupt officials.

It seems that the emperor is serious and is preparing to crack down on officials who collude with businessmen.

The Chamber of Commerce, which could submit petitions and had supervisory officials with the title of censor in charge, became a channel for the emperor to crack down on officials, which was obvious.

"Next, I have a few tasks for you to do." Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "If you do it well, it will benefit the country and the people, and you can also make money."

The emperor's entrustment of an errand was a sign of trust and honor, not simply servitude. This was a characteristic of the feudal era, and Zhu Youxiao increasingly understood the mindset of the people of that time.

…………………….

As the mouthpiece of the imperial court and a policy indicator, "Da Ming Forum" has become well-known to the public and has played a very good role.

For example, the severe punishment of gentry who withheld or concealed taxes, as well as some obstructions in the clearing of military treasuries and the replenishing of military funds, was greatly deterred by the publication and publicity of "Da Ming Forum".

If there were no newspapers, the news that someone was confiscated, exiled, or even executed on the spot would have spread without knowing when. Perhaps no one would care about the conviction and execution of a local tycoon in a certain county.

Therefore, the news about the Chamber of Commerce's audience and the Emperor's instructions published in the new issue of the newspaper soon caused a huge sensation in the Ming Dynasty.

Collusion between officials and businessmen is not a new problem; it can even be said to have reappeared after the reign of Emperor Taizu and the Hongwu Emperor. It flourished and grew stronger after the mid-Ming Dynasty.

The Ming emperors did not sit idly by as the official-merchant groups grew increasingly powerful. From the Jiajing Emperor to the Tianqi Emperor, a struggle between the emperor and his ministers lasted for nearly a hundred years.

Wanli was known to be "corrupt" and Zhang Juzheng also had a bad reputation. The reason was simple: he had touched upon the interests of the official and business circles and was subjected to their wanton slander and vilification.

Now, the young emperor has inherited his grandfather Wanli's "greedy" quality, and is ready to fulfill his grandfather's will and carry out the "Emperor's love of pearls and jade" to the end.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!