The goods hadn't even been delivered to the destination, but they had already lost all their money. The common people were furious and resentful, so they carried the lamp wicks to the shore and burned them all.
I asked you to collect taxes, I asked you to collect taxes, but the goods were all burned, and you still collected taxes from your mother...
You see, this was the Ming Dynasty at that time.
When commercial taxes are collected, the people who suffer the most are small traders and hawkers, while the wealthy merchants, gentry, officials and businessmen are not greatly affected; when the maritime ban is lifted, it enriches individuals, and the country does not gain much benefit.
Regardless of whether a policy is good or bad, once it is implemented at the grassroots level, it will always be most beneficial to interest groups, and the losses and damage will be passed on to the common people.
Faced with such a bureaucratic system, such a chronically ill system, even a time traveler would feel powerless. Then, they would probably become furious and want to chop up all the officials, landlords, and gentry.
"Long live the emperor—" Wang Tigan's voice interrupted the young emperor's thoughts. He glared and all his hatred turned to Eunuch Wang.
Wang Tigan was so frightened that he quickly knelt down, bowed his head deeply, and reported in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, yes, it's about Miss Yu'er."
Zhu Youxiao was stunned for a moment and let out a sigh. This servant was quite smart and didn't let the secret slip.
Zhang Yuer, who was tickling the cat next to him, turned around when he heard the sound, looking confused.
"Get up, you coward." Zhu Youxiao cursed angrily and said, "But do you want to take Yu'er to see it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Ti Gan got up tremblingly.
Zhu Youxiao's expression eased slightly, and he waved his hand and said, "Yu'er, take the snacks on the table and go with Eunuch Wang to do something."
Zhang Yu'er didn't understand what was going on, but she stood up and bowed, saying, "As you command."
White Snake lay there lazily, with no intention of following, and even raised her little paws as if waving goodbye.
Zhang Yuer was amused. She held her little paws lovingly, picked up the snack plate, turned around and followed Wang Tigan out of the hall.
"Xiaobai, come here!" Zhu Youxiao stretched out his hand to beckon. Bai Niangniang glanced at him, but did not respond or move.
Zhu Youxiao smiled to himself, his attempt to relieve his mood by petting the cat was in vain. He felt rather bored and said with a sigh, "Even you don't listen to me, let alone those bastards down there."
White Snake closed her golden eye, and her other eye was a deep blue as she looked at the supreme young emperor.
Zhu Youxiao stared at it for a while. The cat's eye, as pure as the clear sky, seemed to have a calming effect on his mind, and he felt much calmer.
Turning his head to look outside the hall, Zhu Youxiao murmured, "I want to know the situation in Guangning, to know which of the ministers below are loyal and who are corrupt, and I also want to see the coast of the Ming Dynasty, from where we can open up to the world..."
"Meow!" The cat's meow so close to him made Zhu Youxiao look away. Xiaobai jumped silently onto the desk in front of him, its two strange eyes shining as it looked at him and shook its big head.
Zhu Youxiao smiled and reached out to touch the big furry head.
Xiaobai shook his head, jumped lightly and dodged, turned around, widened his eyes, and meowed at Zhu Youxiao again.
"When you become stupid, I will make sure you smoke enough." Zhu Youxiao rolled his eyes and became angry.
Zhang Yuer followed Wang Tigan out of the hall and asked doubtfully, "Eunuch Wang, what errand did the emperor give you?"
Wang Tigan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Miss Yu'er. You'll know when we get there."
Calling Yu'er "Miss" was a new understanding for Wang Tigan, and it had been a while since he changed his mind. At first, Zhang Yu'er was a little uncomfortable, but she got used to it later.
Of course, Zhang Yu'er is not stupid. Apart from Wang Tigan, the palace maids in the Palace of Heavenly Purity are also very respectful to her. Why doesn't she understand why?
As Wang Tigan exited the Qianqing Gate, he saw the three main halls in the distance, destroyed by fire during the reign of Emperor Wanli and abandoned to this day. The presence of such ruins in such a great empire evoked a sense of fading desolation.
Once outside the Qianqing Gate, they were already in the Outer Court, where the security was tight. As Wang Tigan was the eunuch in charge of the imperial seal, the guards didn't dare to stop him and politely led him and Zhang Yu'er to a duty room on the east side.
In the duty room, there was a middle-aged couple, a teenager of fifteen or sixteen, a brat of eleven or twelve, and a little girl of six or seven years old.
Although these four people were wearing new clothes, the roughness on their faces and hands, as well as their uneasy expressions, showed that they were from poor families and had never seen the world.
Several people had been waiting for a long time, and the youngest girl couldn't help it and secretly reached out to take the snacks on the table.
"Pa!" The middle-aged woman slapped him bluntly and scolded him softly, "Don't move. Didn't I tell you that at home?"
The little girl pouted, lowered her head and rubbed the back of her hand that was hurt, trying hard not to cry.
As soon as Wang Tigan and Zhang Yuer entered, several people immediately stood up. The couple, holding their children, hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects, calling out, "Greetings, sir, greetings, young lady."
"Get up quickly, get up quickly." Wang Ti laughed dryly in a friendly manner, stepped forward and stretched out his hands to pull them up one by one.
Zhang Yu'er was also surprised, but she had just come in from outside and hadn't adjusted to the light yet, so she couldn't see their faces clearly. She thought she was just here to deliver snacks, so she put the snack tray on the table.
Wang Tigan turned his head and glanced at Zhang Yuer, then said with a smile, "Miss Yuer, since your family is reunited, I won't be an eyesore here anymore."
Having said that, Wang Tigan turned around and went out, closing the door behind him.
A family reunion? Zhang Yuer frowned slightly, and only realized what was happening when the door closed. She stared at the people in front of her with wide eyes, and finally her gaze focused on the faces of the middle-aged couple...
Wang Tigan stood outside the door and heard silence from inside for a while, then crying and screaming. He couldn't help but pursed his lips and thought to himself: The emperor is really kind to Zhang Yuer. He actually sent people to find her relatives and brought them to meet her. What a great favor this is!
I'm just being polite to Zhang Yu'er and her family now, which is a good thing. Who can predict whether something unexpected will happen in the future?
Thinking of this, Wang Tigan called two eunuchs and asked them to wait here and send Zhang Yuer back to the Qianqing Palace. He then went back to report to the emperor.
Ecstasy, surprise, excitement, as if in a dream... Because Zhang Yuer was completely unprepared, her emotions were a mess.
But after all, blood is thicker than water. Over the past ten years, although their appearances have changed, they cannot give up their family ties.
My mother was crying and calling me, and childhood memories flooded into my heart like a stream of water released from a floodgate.
Zhang Yuer felt like she had so much to say, but something was holding her back, preventing her from saying anything. She could only cry, and she could only hug her mother, searching for the feeling she once had.
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