Zhu Xiong Ying returned to the palace, sent his younger siblings back to the East Palace, and went straight to the Wu Ying Hall. Now that he had spoken, he naturally wanted to get things settled, and he wasn't worried about anything; it wouldn't be difficult.
Upon seeing Zhu Xiong Ying, Old Zhu said, "Grandson, you should know about our maritime ban, right?"
Zhu Xiong Ying did indeed know these things; his main reason for ordering the implementation of a maritime ban was to prevent disturbances by remnants of coastal warlords and pirates.
Because the people of the Jiangnan region, and even the foreign merchant groups residing in the Quanzhou area at the time, had assisted Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, and others in their struggle for power, he became concerned about maritime trade. Coupled with the rampant private overseas trade and the prevalence of Japanese pirates, Zhu Yuanzhang established a policy of strict prohibition.
Including the earlier case of Hu Weiyong, there was the charge of "colluding with Japanese pirates and treason".
In the third year of the Hongwu reign (1389), the Huangdu Maritime Trade Office in Taicang was abolished. In the seventh year of the Hongwu reign (1389), an order was issued to abolish the three Maritime Trade Offices in Quanzhou, Fujian; Mingzhou, Zhejiang; and Guangzhou, Guangdong, which had existed since the Tang Dynasty and were responsible for overseas trade, thus ending China's foreign trade.
In the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign, because the Japanese pirates still showed no signs of abating, an order was issued to prohibit coastal residents from having private communication with overseas countries.
As a result, even Southeast Asian countries that had previously maintained friendly relations with the Ming Dynasty were no longer able to conduct trade and cultural exchanges with China.
Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, but then he said, "Grandfather, I also know about the maritime ban. However, after reading some tax data from the Song Dynasty, I found that maritime markets brought in sufficient commercial revenue. By the way, Grandfather, our taxes are too low."
Zhu Biao put down his brush, frowned, and said, "Ying'er, do you know what you're saying?"
The Ming Dynasty now uses the Two-Tax System, which was adopted during the Tang and Song Dynasties. This system divides the people's taxes into "summer tax" and "autumn tax".
Due to the differences in soil quality between the north and south, Zhu Yuanzhang proposed a reform of "separate governance between the north and south" in terms of tax rates. As a result, the tax rates in the fertile areas of Jiangnan, such as Suzhou, Songjiang, Jiaxing, Huzhou, and Hangzhou, were generally higher than those in the north.
"Your subject naturally knows this, but if you look back at history, every dynasty eventually experienced land annexation, leaving the common people without land. The wealthy would try to evade taxes, and the gentry would start to reduce taxes and corvée labor through various means. The tax burden on ordinary people became heavier and heavier, while some officials and scholars did not have to pay taxes to the state or bear corvée labor."
Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "It's a good thing that the Emperor treats scholars well. It's fine that scholars are exempt from corvée labor. But what if these scholars, after passing the imperial examinations, immediately accept land from others? What then?"
Old Zhu and Zhu Biao were taken aback; they felt this matter needed serious consideration.
Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "During the Song Dynasty, the two taxes once accounted for half of the revenue, but it is said that in the Southern Song Dynasty, they accounted for less than 20% of the revenue. Commercial taxes have increased, and this has become the main source of revenue. Your Majesty's one-thirtieth tax is somewhat careless."
Old Zhu was displeased and quickly said, "Ying'er, we have taxes on everything. Official money, brokerage tax, deed tax, and liquor tax are all residence taxes. Taxes on transfers, gate tax, and customs duties are all transit taxes."
Zhu Xiong Ying directly retorted, "Grandfather, I know that you value agriculture and suppress commerce. But I think that the current good policies may not be good in the future. The population of our Great Ming is naturally increasing, and the number of scholars, officials and gentry is also increasing. It is not feasible to exempt them all from taxes."
Old Zhu was a little displeased, and Zhu Xiong Ying continued, "The imperial treasury has always been empty, and I was thinking that perhaps..."
Zhu Biao suddenly laughed and said to his father, "This child said a lot earlier, and some of it makes sense. But it seems he just wants the power over the imperial treasury. Father, he's not in the mood to study right now, so let him make a fuss. I'll keep an eye on things, and I don't think there will be any major trouble."
Old Zhu laughed and said, "Alright, we should find him something to do. Otherwise, he'll just wander around all day, idling around like a spoiled brat!"
Zhu Xiong Ying was overjoyed and immediately knelt down, saying, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty, and your son thanks Your Majesty!"
Zhu Biao casually tossed the calligraphy brush over, and Zhu Xiong Ying laughed as she dodged it.
Old Zhu smiled without saying a word. If his son Biao were to ascend the throne now, he would surely be a good emperor!
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