"I rule over all the people, and I consider it my duty to seek the well-being of the people of the Ming Dynasty. Scholars, farmers, merchants, and soldiers—the five classes of the Ming Dynasty—I treat them all equally, without distinction. As the saying goes, there is no high or low, only differences in occupation…"
"The increase in commercial taxes is not intended to suppress merchants. Legitimate businesses will have their own reasons, but collusion between officials and businessmen will be exposed. However, the increase in commercial taxes will reduce the level of shrewdness in business operations, reducing the actual burden rather than increasing it. Furthermore, all tax revenue will go into the national treasury, enabling the court to implement more policies that benefit the people..."
"Before the increase in commercial taxes, weren't there enough cases of exploitation at road checkpoints and extortion by officials? As merchants suffered, they were forced to seek the protection of officials, and this led to the rise of official corruption, which has persisted despite repeated bans."
"I hereby declare that from now on, no official who dares to commit corruption will be forgiven. Emperor Gao's skinning and strawing may be too harsh, but exile, confiscation of property, and public beheading are not punishments I would punish with such an iron fist."
Inside the teahouse, the sound of newspaper reading stopped, and the expressions of the drinkers varied. Some lowered their heads in thought, while others moved their lips as if they wanted to say something.
This was a new rule established by the Wucheng Bingmasi. In any teahouse or tavern where there were storytellers, as soon as the new newspaper arrived, the articles in the government affairs column had to be read out in public.
The court affairs column of this issue of the newspaper rarely published an article written by the emperor himself, announcing that the crackdown on collusion between officials and businessmen had entered a new stage.
"Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, yet he also possesses ruthless tactics!" a slightly overweight middle-aged man praised. "As a businessman, I understand this deeply."
Everyone's eyes turned to him, some in agreement, some in doubt, some in disdain and some in opposition. But who would dare to say in public that "Long Live" was not good, or that he was dissatisfied with living a long life?
A scholar-like fellow sitting at the same table with the fat man had a strange expression on his face, as if he couldn't help laughing. He looked up at the fat man and echoed loudly, "Long live the wise and mighty Lord, who knows everything. Anyone who dares to deceive the Lord will have his head chopped off."
Oh, this is half true, and some people in the teahouse agree with it.
Since last year, countless heads have been lost. Those who owed taxes, those who obstructed the clearing of garrisons and the payment of military pay, and even gentry and students. It is not an exaggeration to say that the number of heads that have been cut down has been countless.
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