Old Zhu was well aware of Zhu Xiong Ying's little schemes, but he was too lazy to say anything more now; he had gotten used to it.
After all, Zhu Xiong Ying never hid his dissatisfaction with the excessive treatment of princes, and always had the idea of weakening the power and status of princes. He not only had ideas about these things, but also did a lot of things about them.
The only thing that made Zhu Yuanzhang somewhat gratified was that although his grandson had some complaints about the excessive treatment of the princes, he seemed to be doing relatively well overall. He had shown considerable leniency towards the imperial clan and had come up with many ways to settle them.
There are some things that Lao Zhu feels he simply can't take care of anymore. Although he's a very tough man, he can feel himself getting older these past few years.
After chatting with Lao Zhu for a while, Zhu Xiong Ying began to busy himself with reviewing memorials.
Now is the time to collect taxes. The Ming Dynasty currently relies mainly on the Two-Tax System, which is usually collected in the summer and autumn and is an important source of tax revenue.
Although there is now an additional source of overseas revenue, it is only silver. In fact, what Zhu Xiong Ying cares about are supplies. Silver is sometimes just a circulating currency, while food and other necessities are what truly affect people's livelihoods.
"The taxes in the Ming Dynasty are still too low." Zhu Xiong Ying shook his head and said with some emotion, "We have to find a way to increase taxes, otherwise it will definitely become more and more difficult in the future."
It's no wonder Zhu Xiong Ying wanted to increase taxes; the main issue was the land tax in the Ming Dynasty. Although the land tax was levied based on land area and soil quality, it was generally one-tenth of the harvest.
To be more specific, the tax on government land was five liters, three he and five shao per mu, while that on farmland was reduced by two liters, and that on land subject to heavy rent was eight liters, five he and five shao. For government land confiscated due to crimes or other reasons, the tax was one dou and two liters.
To make a comparison, the land tax in the Song Dynasty was about one dou per mu, in the Yuan Dynasty it was three sheng, and in the Ming Dynasty the land tax for official land was two sheng more than in the Yuan Dynasty, while the tax for private land was similar to that of the Yuan Dynasty, much lighter than in the Song Dynasty.
Of course, this varies by region; Zhu Yuanzhang always levied particularly heavy taxes on Suzhou Prefecture.
Some say that Zhu Yuanzhang did this out of revenge. Suzhou was Zhang Shicheng's stronghold at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and when Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Zhang Shicheng, the local people defended the city for him.
In fact, the Suzhou area was an important grain-producing region at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.
Further changes are needed; the people of Suzhou shouldn't bear such a heavy burden. Of course, other places, after a period of rest and recuperation, should also gradually have their tax standards increased.
Zhu Xiong Ying was well aware that in this day and age, it was impossible to completely abolish land tax. What he could do was to slightly increase land tax while reducing other exorbitant taxes and levies as much as possible.
Besides land tax, Zhu Xiong Ying naturally attached even greater importance to commercial tax, as he knew it was one of the most important sources of revenue for the imperial court.
The Ming Dynasty today cannot be as closed off as it was during the same period in history. Both overseas trade and domestic commercial activities are in a relatively good state. Zhu Xiong Ying also believes that increasing commercial taxes is imperative.
It can't just benefit a few powerful families, nor can it just enrich a bunch of wealthy gentry. These are things that Zhu Xiong Ying needs to consider and things that he needs to do well.
Governing a country well is no easy task; it's not simply a matter of having a strong army. The Ming Dynasty also needed to maintain a stable financial system in order to ensure the proper functioning of all its systems and processes.
It's true that Zhu Xiong Ying liked to expand territory, but that doesn't mean he necessarily wanted to engage in militarism. That would be unrealistic and not a good approach.
Zhu Xiong Ying returned to the Eastern Palace and began to rest, as he had already been quite busy lately. However, Zhu Xiong Ying knew very well that he would be even busier in the coming period.
Regardless of the situation, Zhu Xiong Ying actually quite liked it. Being busy was a good thing. What he feared most was having nothing to do and having his power taken away.
Being busy or tired is true. But what Zhu Xiong Ying cares about most is the sense of accomplishment and the desire for power!
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