Yu Xin proposed changing the opening method, which was undoubtedly good news for Zhu Yunying, and could be said to be exactly what he wanted.
Zhu Yunying was serious about carrying out land reform; he genuinely had this in mind. However, in Zhu Yunying's plan, it was clearly not just about land reform; one could even say that land reform was merely a derivative of tax reform.
Zhu Yunying was indeed quite dissatisfied with some of the tax systems of the Ming Dynasty, and he had some opinions about some of the old Zhu's practices.
The excessively low commercial taxes were a limitation of Zhu De's era. While Zhu De appeared to prioritize agriculture over commerce, and many of his policies reflected this, he failed to see many of the underlying problems. This was partly due to Zhu De's background.
The Two-Tax System and other corvée labor policies, in the eyes of people of that era, were not problematic. Ultimately, it was a matter of the times, because the practices of previous dynasties were not much different from those of Zhu De, so Zhu De's policy-making was understandable.
However, in Xiao Zhu's eyes, such policies are obviously inappropriate, and he does have some thoughts on this, which is quite normal.
Since Yu Xin had brought these things up, Zhu Yunying naturally wouldn't hold back. Originally, he had only intended to warm things up a bit, having instructed his trusted confidant to bring it up, but now it seemed unnecessary; Zhu Yunying only needed to use this as an opportunity to elaborate.
Obviously, this is not a bad thing. In Zhu Yunying's view, this is just going with the flow, which is also in line with his style. He does many things this way.
With Xu Miaoqing's help, Zhu Yunying got up, washed up, had a simple breakfast, and then walked unhurriedly toward Fengtian Hall. Even the emperor has to get up early and go to work; there's no such thing as a monarch neglecting his morning court sessions.
At this time, civil and military officials were also lined up and in order, and each of them looked very respectful, seemingly showing great deference to the young emperor sitting on the dragon throne.
Perhaps it was out of reverence for imperial power, or perhaps out of fear of the lingering influence of the late Zhu Yuanzhang (Emperor Zhu Yunying). Of course, submission to the young emperor Zhu Yunying cannot be ruled out either; these are all possibilities.
Zhu Yunying clearly didn't care what the purpose of these officials' respect for him was. What Zhu Yunying needed were some pragmatists and capable officials who could share his burdens. That was what he cared about most.
As civil and military officials presented their reports, Zhu Yunying sat on the dragon throne, listening quietly to their reports and offering his own opinions at appropriate times.
Suddenly, Zhu Yunying spoke up, “The Emperor Emeritus established the nation and founded the Ming Dynasty during a time of chaos. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty wreaked havoc on the land, leading to widespread disorder and corruption. In times of chaos, severe punishments are necessary to bring about clean governance and peace. Now that our Ming Dynasty is clean and prosperous both internally and externally, it is time for a change.”
As soon as Zhu Yunying finished speaking, many people became excited, and each of them looked very expectant.
Zhu Yuanzhang was undoubtedly a prime example of a harsh and severe legal system, creating a brutally oppressive political atmosphere. Whether civil or military officials, everyone was extremely cautious. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was merely one example among many.
In reality, many people didn't have high expectations for Zhu Yunying, because even some of the harshest emperors throughout history hadn't sent prisoners to labor camps. If it weren't for Zhu Yunying's immense power, his initial proposal of a labor camp policy would have been met with widespread criticism, especially from scholars and intellectuals.
But now, the Emperor Yingshi, whom they believe is of the same lineage as the retired emperor, is going to start governing the country with leniency and reducing the severity of punishments and prisons.
Clearly, Joo Yun-young doesn't care about what some people think; he's just offering some guidance.
Zhu Yunying, unconcerned by the turmoil in some people's hearts, continued, "In this matter, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Rites, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review shall jointly submit their reports. I will treat the people with leniency and promote the virtue of educating and guiding the virtuous."
Perhaps at this time, some officials might think that their Emperor Yingshi would reduce killings, redress wrongful convictions, and stop using harsh laws to control the people, instead promoting the idea of winning people over with virtue. But that would certainly be an illusion. Many people who knew Zhu Yuanzhang well also knew that Emperor Yingshi would probably not be as harsh as before.
This means that, relatively speaking, Zhu Yunying did not intend to maintain high pressure and harsh laws indefinitely; in fact, even the old Zhu thought so.
Otherwise, the fearsome Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't have been brought under control in previous years. High-pressure tactics work for a while, but clearly, they can't be maintained indefinitely; a slight loosening of restrictions is necessary.
It is obvious that neither the old Zhu nor the young Zhu were the kind of benevolent rulers they were supposed to be, and we should not expect them to give these scholars and civil officials the same status they had during the Song Dynasty. At most, they would just give them a slightly higher status now.
After all, during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, while the status of scholars wasn't exactly abjectly low, it certainly wasn't high either. The continued suppression by military officials was something Zhu Yuanzhang was not happy about.
He didn't want civil officials to have too high a status, but he also didn't want military officials to unilaterally dominate; what he needed was a balanced situation. This system of checks and balances is probably something many monarchs would prefer to see.
Zhu Yunying strolled leisurely towards the inner palace. He felt that he hadn't valued children much in the past, or rather, he hadn't considered having children immediately. According to Zhu Yunying's expectations, he planned to have children in a few years.
Having lived two lives, even with his seemingly indifferent demeanor, Zhu Yunying still felt a deep longing for his children when they were actually born. He would check on his son and daughter whenever he had the chance, and of course, due to the special status of Little Zhu, he was somewhat biased towards this child and valued him more.
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