Zhu Yunying looked at his father, Zhu, who already had ideas for his new policies. In essence, these were ideas that Zhu Yunying had harbored for a long time. Indeed, Zhu Yunying had been preparing for these new policies for some time.
Elevating the status of civil officials and reducing taxes in the Jiangnan region are things that must be done.
It's Zhu Yuanzhang now, but even if he weren't Zhu Yuanzhang, as long as he's the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he should do this.
Ultimately, it was time to loosen Zhu Yuanzhang's high-pressure tactics a bit; he couldn't keep using the same methods for governing chaotic times and establishing a dynasty. Otherwise, some people might really think this was the "tyrannical Qin," too harsh, practically "Legalist."
In fact, whether it's Zhu Xi (the elder Zhu) or Zhu Xi (the younger Zhu), in the eyes of some traditional Confucian disciples, they all embody some Legalist ideas, or the ideas of the Gongyang School. Of course, neither Zhu Xi nor Zhu Xi truly recognized the Gongyang School.
The Gongyang School is a school of thought within Confucian classics that specializes in studying and transmitting the "Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals".
Zhu Yunying naturally liked the Gongyang School's theories of great revenge, the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and the concepts of hegemony and benevolence. However, in Zhu Yunying's view, he did not actually agree with some of the Gongyang School's theories.
For example, the Gongyang School wanted to limit royal power, believing that the emperor was not "heaven" and that royal power was not eternal. In fact, the Guliang School also respected royal power more, and they disliked the Gongyang School's theories that when the emperor could not fulfill his duties, the feudal lords could act on his behalf, and that the king should be respected and the barbarians should be expelled.
The Guliang School had its advantages; many of their theories were indeed more beneficial to the rule of feudal monarchs. However, when the Gongyang School was more suitable, Zhu Yunying naturally chose the Gongyang School without hesitation.
He was neither a follower of the Guliang School nor a supporter of the Gongyang School. He was willing to use anything that was good for the Ming Dynasty.
"Grandson, I'll have Lian Qiongqiong visit her family tomorrow and ask her to go back and pass on a message." Zhu Yunying chuckled, then, after testing the water temperature, said to Old Zhu, "Our daughter-in-law is quite capable. Let her father help pass on the message, and we'll have an easier time. 'A few peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo grove, and the ducks are the first to know when the spring river warms.' Grandson loves this kind of thing."
With Zhu Yunying's help, Old Zhu took off his shoes and began to soak his feet. "That makes sense. These are the things our Ying'er likes the most."
Zhu Yunying continued, "I'm thinking of reforming the tax system, and the Jiangnan region is a good opportunity. Let's first implement the Single Whip Tax in Jiangzhe. If it works well here, we'll promote the new tax throughout the Ming Dynasty."
Old Zhu clapped his hands, even more proudly, "Good, our grandson is so reliable! If he does well in one place, he'll expand it to the whole country!"
Pilot programs are absolutely necessary, and Zhu Yunying felt it was something he should do. Immediately implementing policies nationwide might not be a good thing; it's more appropriate to implement and pilot them on a small scale first.
Zhu Yunying still had some ideas, and continued to say to his father, "Including the land reform that I mentioned before, it was also implemented in the Jiangnan region. I was actually thinking that if we used the well-field system as a pretext, those scholars and literati would probably be grateful."
Old Zhu pointed at Little Zhu and chuckled, "Our grandson is full of mischief!"
That's for sure, and that's something that makes Joo Yoon-young a little proud.
"This well-field system was the dream of those scholars. Mencius, the Rites of Zhou, and the Book of Poetry were practically the ideal of a well-governed world that scholars envisioned." Zhu Yunying chuckled, quite pleased with himself. "Actually, it aligns with our policies."
The well-field system is said to have originated in the Shang Dynasty and had reached a high level of maturity by the Western Zhou Dynasty. However, during the Spring and Autumn Period, due to the emergence of iron farm tools and the widespread use of ox-drawn plows, among other reasons, the well-field system gradually disintegrated.
Ultimately, the well-field system belonged to the Zhou king and was distributed to the common people for use. Lords were not allowed to buy, sell, or transfer the well-fields and were required to pay a certain amount of tribute. Lords forced the common people to collectively cultivate the well-fields, with the surrounding areas being private fields and the center being public fields. In essence, it was a system of private land ownership, though some consider it merely a utopian fantasy of scholars.
In fact, when it comes to the land reform of Zhu Yunying, there are some similarities between it and the well-field system.
It is perfectly correct that land belongs to the state and is distributed to the people for their use. Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, land was divided into private and state-owned land.
It wasn't possible to nationalize everything at once, as that would only dampen the enthusiasm of some landlords. In a sense, Emperor Zhu Yunying was a representative of the feudal landlord class, and he still had to protect some of the landlords' enthusiasm to a certain extent.
Zhu Yunying only restricted land annexation and limited the development of some landowning classes; he did not completely eliminate them.
Joo Yun-young was very clear about all of this, and he didn't intend to take too big a step, because he knew that wouldn't be a good thing. He should take each step steadily and surely, which was also one of Joo Yun-young's expectations.
Zhu Yunying was aware of these things, and he did indeed intend to do so, ensuring that everything was done well in every aspect.
New policies should be implemented in this way. Even the best policies, if implemented too hastily or if they don't adapt well to local conditions, could lead to a series of upheavals, which is not a good thing.
Zhu Yunying did indeed need more pilot projects and further research to make better improvements. Observing the effects of these pilot projects and identifying any shortcomings would be crucial for better governing the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunying, full of anticipation, said to his father, "Your grandson has many ideas and is starting new policies in all aspects."
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