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Returning to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Zhu Youxiao discovered that Zhang Yu'er and Xiaobai were not there. The palace maid reported that it was Consort Liang who had sent someone to invite Lady Bai to meet her cat.
Cats meeting?! They’re not people, let alone friends, so why would they meet?
Zhu Youxiao thought that Consort Wang Liang was being petty, but he didn't take it too seriously and asked the palace servants to serve the meal. He didn't enjoy the banquet at Wuying Hall.
Just as I was about to start eating, I saw Zhang Yuer coming back with Xiaobai in her arms, looking a little strange.
"Your servant greets the Emperor." Zhang Yu'er squatted down and saluted, while the White Lady in her arms could no longer resist jumping onto the table.
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Look at Xiaobai's anxious look, it seems like he hasn't eaten yet!"
Zhang Yu'er chuckled, stood up and walked to the table, skillfully took the small plate, and began to serve the dishes according to Bai Niangniang's instructions.
"Didn't Concubine Liang invite you to dinner?" Zhu Youxiao asked casually as he started eating.
Zhang Yu'er pursed her lips and said, "We were supposed to stay for dinner, but Lady Bai got upset and beat Lady Liang's cat so hard that it ran around and climbed up a tree and didn't dare come down. Taking advantage of the chaos, I quickly carried Lady Bai away."
"Huh?!" Zhu Youxiao was a little surprised. Wang Liangfei's cat was the same breed as Xiaobai, also white, but it was a male cat. He had seen it before.
Looking at the chubby Xiaobai, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but laugh and said, "I didn't expect that Xiaobai is also a fighting cat. But, can he still climb a tree when he's this fat?"
Xiaobai glanced at Zhu Youxiao proudly, lowered his head, and ate with relish.
Zhu Youxiao shrugged his shoulders and refused to argue with the cat.
However, Xiaobai had been acting a little strange these past few days, and Zhu Youxiao had an inexplicable feeling in his heart. It was as if, as if they were about to part ways.
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Xu Hongru's rebellion was suppressed in just a month, but several counties were devastated, tens of thousands were killed or wounded, and the losses were considerable.
However, for those far removed from the turmoil, grief and suffering are merely after-dinner conversation. Without personal experience, there is no real pain.
The two prefectures of Suzhou and Songshan were not only the areas where the Ming Dynasty collected the most taxes, but were also the hardest hit areas where landlords and gentry defaulted on taxes.
It is said that "the wealthy and the idlers are unwilling to pay taxes. Even if they do, it is not white grain, and there is no surcharge. They are unwilling to transport it far away."
Moreover, the commodity economy in Suzhou and Songshan was well developed, and merchants were powerful. By bribing clerks, merchants and gentry were able to control local power and the local government.
By the middle and late Ming Dynasty, there was no longer a strict distinction between landlords, gentry, merchants, and even bureaucrats. They developed across boundaries and intertwined with each other, and it was common to have multiple identities.
It was precisely because of this complex situation that the wealthy and powerful merchants in Jiangnan felt so confident. They had already cultivated powerful representatives in the court and controlled the officials in the local areas to carry out their evil deeds.
As early as the Jiajing period, some local governments had been monopolized by merchants, and local government officials had to obey orders to a certain extent.
The fight between Wuxi's richest man Zou Wang and the then Minister of Rites Gu Kexue fully proved the existence of this situation.
The cause of the incident was that Zou Wang's mother passed away and the funeral was held in a grand manner. There were too many people coming, and not only were the streets congested, but the Gu family's old house was also demolished!
Old Gu was so proud of his high position that he thought, "How dare a businessman like you be so bold? You're asking for punishment!" So he asked the Wuxi prefect to throw Zou Wang into prison!
As soon as Zou Wang was thrown into prison, all the shops within ten miles of Wuxi City went on strike as a threat, demanding his release.
The Wuxi prefect was helpless and told Minister Gu that if the matter continued, the court would definitely punish Zou Wang, so he had no choice but to release him. Minister Gu was indignant, but he had no choice but to swallow his anger for the time being.
But the matter was not over yet. All the merchants in Wuxi refused to sell anything to Minister Gu and his family. There were even hooligans harassing them and sending threatening letters.
Minister Gu was frightened and quickly asked the prefect to send yamen runners for protection. However, the runners either stayed home on sick leave or made up excuses for personal leave, and no one came.
Now Lord Gu understood that this place was the enemy's home turf, and no matter how high his position was, it was useless. In the end, Minister Gu could only leave Wuxi with his family in despair.
Judging from the fact that Zou Wang defeated Minister Gu, our ancestors’ saying that “a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake” is indeed very reasonable.
In such a political environment, no matter how good the policies introduced by the imperial court are, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced when they reach the lower levels, or even deliberately misinterpreted and implemented.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao took advantage of the aftermath of the Wenxiang Rebellion and began to take action. However, the evil gentry in Suzhou and Songshan were still unaware of this and were dreaming of maintaining the status quo and continuing their extravagant lifestyle.
The pirated copy of "Da Ming Forum" was thrown on the table. Li Zitong, a wealthy landlord in Jiading County, Suzhou Prefecture, curled his lips with a look of disdain.
He took a sip from the tea bowl, then said to the steward with a hint of sneer, "The court has gone crazy with poverty. Isn't it just a dream to launch a 'grain-based' policy?"
The housekeeper stroked his rat-like beard and agreed flatteringly, "No matter how hard he tries, we have certain rules. No matter what policy he has, it won't work in Jiading County."
The so-called grain policy is to impose additional taxes on the rich.
The specific implementation method is: no additional taxes will be levied on farmers who pay less than five taels of tax; while for rich households who pay more than five taels of tax, grain taxes will be levied to varying degrees according to the amount of their property.
This was not Zhu Youxiao's original idea, but was considered one of the two best policies for saving the nation in the late Ming Dynasty, along with "clearing the military garrisons and replenishing the military pay." It was briefly implemented during the reign of Chongzhen.
When Lu Xiangsheng was the governor of Xuanda, he was one of the advocates and implementers, and achieved good results.
Although the original "grain-based" policy had some impact on the interests of officials and gentry, officials could still use their power to evade some of the issues, so the resistance was not too great.
However, under the instigation of Yang Sichang and other ministers, Chongzhen was once again fooled. The "Yinliang" tax was changed to "Junshu", which meant that regardless of whether you were rich or poor, everyone would be taxed together.
As a result, the people who were already on the brink of life and death had no way to survive. They had no choice but to join the rebellion, which greatly increased the power of the peasant uprising and made it difficult to contain.
Now, Zhu Youxiao picked it up again, ready to carry it through to the end. Of course, it was just a leak for the time being, so that local officials could make preparations.
But in the eyes of wealthy landlords like Li Zitong, this additional tax would not fall on them at all.
How much tax to pay, how to determine the list of exempted and levied people, is still decided by the local government. And what is the relationship between the local government and them is just a matter of writing.
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