For the time being, it seems that no bigwigs in the court have stepped forward; it's just some small fry expressing their opinions.

The policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax naturally had its supporters, while many others opposed it. The differing opinions stemmed not only from acceptance of the Two-Tax System or concerns about the merging of the poll tax into the land tax, but also from their respective political stances.

Zhu Yunying, seated high on the dragon throne, was very patient. He naturally understood the principle of "casting a long line to catch a big fish." Besides, this was just a warm-up; haste makes waste. What followed were some truly important matters.

Many people understand that some of these individuals are not particularly influential, and their opinions certainly don't carry much weight.

The emperor's words were unmistakably sarcastic, almost without any attempt at concealment. Moreover, as the newly appointed Minister of Rites, the emperor was directly criticizing the ministry, making the warning all the more obvious.

Holding little Zhu, the regent Zhu, said, “Don’t be like your father. Even though you’re the emperor now, you sometimes lack manners. We used to be monks and beggars, and we spent our time in the army, so our speech is a bit rough. Look at your father, he grew up in the palace, where is his imperial bearing and majesty!”

Little Zhu leaned against Old Zhu's chest and said, "Let's not talk about me, I'm not even an orphan. People say I have dignity, I have dignity outside, but not at home. People should be afraid of me, I am the Crown Prince."

Finally, a prominent figure stepped forward. Chen Di, the Minister of Rites, said, “Your Majesty, our dynasty has been established for over thirty years, and officials and common people are mostly familiar with the Two Taxes system. Changing the tax system now would likely cause considerable disruption to the people.”

"Does hearing cicadas chirping mean we stop farming?" Zhu Yunying said bluntly. "Since we know the Two-Tax System has many drawbacks, or that the dynasty's policies are somewhat inadequate, then let's just be straightforward and have the court do nothing at all. Any changes are considered disturbances to the people, isn't that the logic? Doesn't the Ministry of Rites follow the old system in its operations? Don't change the rules from a hundred years ago either, it's just disturbing the people!"

Chen Di immediately knelt down. What else could he say besides beg for forgiveness?

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Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying continued, “The old system should be changed where necessary. You all understand that with the passage of time, things from the past may not be suitable for today. Where did the Two-Tax System come from? It was because the Equal-Field System could not be continued. Now the Two-Tax System naturally has some shortcomings, so it must be changed. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

This is Joo Yun-young's true thought, and it can be considered his true feeling.

Zhu Yunying never cared about so-called eternal laws; he never believed that any policy could be implemented indefinitely. Clearly, it wouldn't work if things remained unchanged; they needed to evolve with the times.

Although Xiao Xiao Zhu's words seemed a bit chaotic, Lao Zhu understood what Xiao Xiao Zhu meant and was very happy.

“What Yin’er said makes sense.” Old Zhu was very happy and satisfied with Little Zhu’s insight. “We are the retired emperor, your grandfather was also an emperor, and your father is the current emperor. Yin’er is the crown prince. People respect and fear us because we are all emperors. Let us be a little more down-to-earth. We are just commoners from Huaixi.”

"Zan," "Wo," "Wu," "An," etc., were common self-references used by emperors, crown princes, or imperial grandsons in the Ming Dynasty. Even imperial edicts used these terms. Sometimes, they did seem to lack the solemnity of the imperial family, but all of that seemed less important in retrospect.

Of course, Chen Di also understood that although the emperor's words seemed serious, everyone knew that he was just saying it for the moment. Perhaps the emperor would hold a grudge, but it was just bringing up old grievances, and that was another matter entirely.

Unless Chen Di commits a serious crime, the emperor will not truly settle scores with him later...

Let Chen Di continue kneeling. Zhu Yunying is generally a generous person. However, he can be quite petty at times. Besides, in this situation, making Chen Di kneel is necessary; it's a way of 'making an example of him'.

Looking at Chen Di and Ru Chang, Zhu Yunying said meaningfully, "The court supports scholars not just to support a bunch of good-for-nothings. You ministers should know the principle of loyalty to the emperor since you are paid by him. If you are receiving a salary from the court, you should do your job conscientiously. If you are not going to stay because of policy changes, you might as well retire and go home to enjoy a peaceful life."

These words now seem increasingly harsh; the emperor appears to be genuinely angry.

At this moment, Chen Di knelt down to beg for forgiveness. He had only recently become the Minister of Rites, and he had reached the pinnacle of his official career. Retirement was out of the question for him; he was still thinking about bringing honor to his ancestors and realizing his ambitions.

Zhu Yunying continued, "In previous years, the treatment of the imperial clan was too excessive, and you, my dear minister, once advised that the stipends of princes be reduced by four-fifths. You also participated in the formulation of the stipends for imperial clan members below the rank of prince. I remember that you also participated in the formulation of the Opening-up Law. Is that the logic?"

The emperor's meaning seemed quite clear: he wanted Yu Xin to simply shut up.

Looking at Yu Xin's resume, it's clear that he's a subject of the Zhu family, and his high position is due to the appreciation of two emperors. Therefore, at this time, he shouldn't forget the emperor's favor and shouldn't say anything unnecessary.

At this moment, Yu Xin stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, if the poll tax is to be incorporated into the land tax, it will surely require an inspection of the fields."

Zhu Yunying glanced at Yu Xin and said directly, "Your name was bestowed by the Emperor Emeritus. After passing the imperial examination, you were appointed as the Director of the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Finance, and later promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Emperor Qianlong once told me that he asked you about the population and land tax data of the country in those years, as well as the geographical situation, and you answered them all without any questions."

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