Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying remained calm and simply said, "These past few days, there has been much discussion throughout the court and among the people. I have heard many of my beloved ministers debating the Two Taxes and the Equalization of Land Tax and Poll Tax in private."

At this point, the civil and military officials also began to take their duties seriously, because everyone knew that it was time to get down to business.

Seeing that the civil and military officials remained silent, Zhu Yunying chuckled a few times, "Oh? What's going on? I've heard that you ministers have been discussing this quite a bit in private, and now you're all speechless."

This made many people feel uneasy, and some unpleasant memories seemed to slowly resurface.

In the past, during the Hongwu reign, many things that civil and military officials said in private conversations would be delivered to Emperor Zhu's desk the next day.

Even though the Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't seem as rampant as it used to be, its strength shouldn't be underestimated. Especially since Emperor Ying Shi doesn't seem to be as mild-mannered as he appears; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to create the Eastern Depot.

At this moment, Censor Dai Deyi stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the Two-Tax System has been in place for a hundred years. Although it has some drawbacks, they do not outweigh its merits. I believe that the Two-Tax System should not be changed rashly, lest there be unforeseen circumstances.”

Dai Deyi, who ranked third in the imperial examination in the twenty-seventh year of the Hongwu reign, was a young man of high achievement. He was outspoken and incorruptible, and was now serving as a censor to oversee official conduct. At only thirty-five years old, he was still a promising young man.

Zhu Yunying looked at Dai Deyi and asked with a smile, "What you say makes sense, but since we know that the Two-Tax System has its drawbacks, why not change it? Zengzi once said: 'I examine myself three times a day.' I remember the Analects also says: 'If you have faults, correct them; if you don't, strive to improve.' In my opinion, this is not just about scholars correcting their own mistakes, but also about doing things in the same way."

It's common knowledge that Emperor Yingshi wasn't particularly fond of Confucianism. However, everyone also knew that Emperor Yingshi wasn't unlearned; he could occasionally quote classical texts, and many knew he was quite talented in poetry, though he simply didn't enjoy composing poems.

In the eyes of many civil officials, Emperor Ying Shi was indeed a contradictory figure, someone they both loved and hated.

Emperor Ying Shi was, without a doubt, the most legitimate emperor. Since he was the emperor, these civil officials would naturally be loyal to him, a principle they had been taught from childhood.

However, at times, they also felt that Emperor Ying Shi's thoughts were too unconventional, and that Emperor Ying Shi never intended to fully utilize Confucianism, and even intended to suppress it to some extent, which obviously made many Confucian disciples feel somewhat uneasy.

However, regardless of the circumstances, Emperor Ying Shi possessed the qualities of a wise ruler, which indeed inspired many civil officials to aspire to serve the emperor.

Dai Deyi then continued, “Your Majesty, if the tax system is reformed, it will inevitably need to be redesigned. Officials, gentry, and common people will likely face many troubles.”

Zhu Yunying chuckled and looked at Dai Deyi, asking, "Oh? In your opinion, my dear minister, the court should learn from the Huang-Lao philosophy of non-action and governance? But I remember that even in the case of non-action, the court still takes some measures, doesn't it? Is it because you're afraid the new policies will disturb the people, or because you're afraid the officials will do something wrong?"

Dai Deyi was now somewhat speechless. His reasons, which he considered quite good, had been completely refuted by the emperor. However, he also knew very well that his reasons were utterly inadequate; he simply hoped the emperor would reconsider.

In fact, Dai Deyi was a rising star among the civil officials of eastern Zhejiang. He was from Fenghua. His ancestors had followed Emperor Gaozong of Song south to Fenghua, and they could be considered a prominent family. He and Fang Xiaoru were from neighboring counties and were close friends. They studied together and became students of Song Lian, a leading figure in the literary world.

Moreover, the Dai family was undoubtedly a prominent and influential family in Fenghua. Although the Dai family had not previously produced many high-ranking officials or dignitaries, they were considered a family that valued both farming and scholarship, which aligned with some people's ideal of what a scholar should be like.

Since they are a prominent family, it naturally means they own a lot of land. In the past few days, Dai Deyi has discussed these matters with his colleagues.

His cousin, who served as a staff member in the Six Ministries, and his younger brother, who was visiting relatives in the capital, were among those who discussed matters together.

Ultimately, it all came down to the fact that the family owned more land. Even though the court did exempt some land taxes after Dai Deyi passed the imperial examination, it didn't mean that all of Dai Deyi's land would be exempt from taxes. Compared to the Dai family's land holdings, the tax-exempt land was a drop in the ocean, or even negligible.

The imperial court is practically undermining the foundations of these scholars and powerful families. Previously, some people wanted to donate land to scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, but the court has already blocked this avenue, and the area of ​​tax-exempt land is quite limited.

Now the land tax system is being implemented again, meaning the more land you own, the more taxes you'll have to pay. Even if you want to shift the burden of taxes, that avenue is basically blocked. This is incredibly unfavorable news.

Mao Dafang, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, also stepped forward at this time. This learned and poetic official, who had achieved fame at a young age, was actually a staunch advocate of orthodox thought. Some of his views were essentially Confucian ethics and morality.

Sometimes Zhu Yunying also found Mao Dafang's views to be pedantic and laughable. However, he had to admit that having such people in office made things relatively easy for him at times.

At this moment, Mao Dafang said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should restrain them with propriety and regulate them with righteousness before we can achieve anything."

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