Chapter 150 Officials force people to rebel
"Of course there are," Zhu Chong said. "For example, some irregular laws can be improved or corrected. For example, our royal fiefdoms are tax-free. We're not useless, so why do we need the court to support us? Do we want to be parasites?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao was immediately amused by Zhu Chong's words, and at the same time felt grateful to Zhu Chong. Since his younger brother said so, there must be a day when the law is really revised, and his fiefdom will definitely be the first to be affected and dealt with as a demonstration!
Therefore, Zhu Biao trusted Zhu Chong even more, believing that he was truly dedicated to the public and not a so-called playboy!
"Also, the tax exemptions granted by the imperial court to scholars should be curtailed. We cannot give them unconditional preferential treatment simply because of their status. Even if we cannot abolish it completely, we must strictly limit the amount of tax exemptions they receive."
"Why is this?" Zhu Biao was immediately confused. "Father is doing this out of love for talent. After all, scholars are not like farmers. They need a lot of time to study and have no time to manage the land. Doing this will also cause dissatisfaction among scholars all over the world!"
"Of course there's dissatisfaction." Zhu Chong first affirmed Zhu Biao's words, but then immediately changed the subject, "Our father made this law out of love for the people and their talents, but scholars are also human beings. The court can give them preferential treatment, but it's definitely not unconditional."
"Brother, don't forget this saying: 'Those who excel in learning will become officials.' Scholars study for this very reason. Because of this, there will be more and more scholars in the future. You don't deny this, do you?"
Zhu Biao was stunned when he heard this, and it took him a long time before he slowly nodded.
"What if one day, more than 80% of the people in the world are scholars? Will the court still give them tax exemptions? Then how will the court eat? How will it support the people of the world?" Zhu Chong pointed out the most serious situation.
Originally, Zhu Chong said to himself that one day, more than 80% of the people in the Ming Dynasty would be scholars. Zhu Biao was quite happy about it. However, after hearing the latter part, Zhu Biao's face instantly turned into horror.
There is nothing wrong with what Zhu Chong said. If that day really comes, the imperial court will almost not need to set up the Ministry of Revenue!
"Brother, you should understand that by that time, the court will not be able to provide land as rewards, and even paying salaries to officials will probably be a very difficult task!" Zhu Chong continued.
"By that time, 80% of the land in the world will be concentrated in the hands of the royal family and nobles, and the imperial court's taxes will eventually be levied on the people who have lost their land."
"The people have lost their land, yet they are being taxed more. What do you think this situation will end up like?"
"The officials will force the people to rebel!" Zhu Biao surprised Zhu Chong by saying those four words. At this moment, the eyes of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty had become worried, and he was no longer as cheerful as before.
"Brother, you're wise!" Zhu Chong laughed. "The people will surely be overwhelmed by the heavy burden, and rising up in rebellion will be a natural thing."
"Second brother, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me what you want to say." Zhu Biao finally reacted at this time. He thought that his second brother must have seen through it a long time ago and was deliberately trying to scare him.
But he had no choice but to stare at Zhu Chong to see if he had any good ideas.
"It's still what I said earlier." Zhu Chong spread his hands. "Tax exemptions are different for different people. Scholars shouldn't be eligible for tax exemptions."
"Besides scholars, all other people, including descendants of the royal family, princes, and ministers, had to pay taxes. No matter how they owned the land, they would be taxed accordingly."
"But even so, Big Brother, you know that when there's a decree from above, there will be corresponding countermeasures below. Even if we can temporarily stop the chaos, the final result will still be what I just said."
Zhu Biao nodded slowly after hearing this. Zhu Chong was right. The solution was there, but it was too difficult to implement. It would definitely not be implemented thoroughly, and the final result would remain the same.
After all, his father had not started well. After the founding of the country, he made too many promises of titles, appointments, and blessings to his descendants. Once the policies like those Zhu Chong said are implemented, those people will probably be the first to jump out and rebel!
"Is there no better way than this?" Zhu Biao asked the question with difficulty.
Zhu Chong smiled slightly, held up a cup of tea to Zhu Biao, took a sip, and then asked, "Brother, how can I keep the cup of tea in my hand full of tea?"
"The tea is gone, just refill it." Zhu Biao picked up the teapot and filled the cup in Zhu Chong's hand with tea.
"Hahaha..." Zhu Chong put down his teacup and laughed, "Brother, haven't you already given the answer?"
"The land of our Ming Dynasty is like this cup of tea. Since I am not the only one drinking it, and everyone wants to take a sip, and want to take a big sip, and we want this cup of tea to never be finished, then why not just keep refilling it?"
"What do you mean?" Zhu Biao seemed to understand, but also felt that he didn't understand.
"Brother, our Ming Dynasty is big, but the world outside of Ming Dynasty is even bigger!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao's brows furrowed, and his eyes widened. "You mean to satisfy your own country's land needs by launching wars abroad and invading other countries' lands?"
"Brother, what do you think of the word invasion?" Zhu Chong asked Zhu Biao a new question with a smile.
"Invasion?" Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment. "Invasion, invasion... Invasion is wrong. It will cause, will cause..."
"Okay, big brother, stop with your Confucianism. To me, invasion means expanding territory!"
Zhu Chong laughed heartily. "You may think what I said is wrong, but in my opinion, aggression may be a sin in the present, but it will definitely bring great merit to future generations."
"Let's not talk about distant times, let's just talk about the Tang Dynasty. Almost all of the Tang Dynasty emperors expanded their territories. Do you dare to say that wasn't invasion?"
"Although it eventually fell, subsequent regimes generally inherited the Tang Dynasty's approach to expanding territory. However, in my eyes, it all became internal strife."
"The emperors of the former Yuan Dynasty were all cruel and ruthless, but it cannot be denied that the territory they possessed was the largest of all dynasties to date."
"Brother, if we had inherited all the land from the heyday of the former Yuan Dynasty, then the problems I just told you about would not have occurred, at least not for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao's expression changed, but his brows were still furrowed and he was reluctant to speak.
Seeing Zhu Biao's expression, Zhu Chong knew that it would not be easy to get his brother to support his ideas, but it didn't matter, he still had a roundabout way.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
