Sitting quietly on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying suddenly asked, "My dear minister, if I were to reduce taxes by more than half as you suggest, the people of Jiangzhe would surely sing my praises. Our new emperor of the Ming Dynasty would surely gain a reputation for loving his people like his own children."
Ru Chang and the others below felt a chill run down their spines. These close associates who knew Zhu Yunying well understood that His Majesty's tone indicated displeasure, and indeed, great displeasure.
Not only did Ru Chang and his confidants understand, but Yu Xin could also tell. This Emperor Ying Shi was very similar to Emperor Hongwu in some ways; at times, he didn't bother to hide his thoughts.
Zhu Yunying ignored what his subordinates were thinking and casually asked, "My dear minister, if I were to reduce taxes today, by halving them, it would be because the court has surplus grain and it is a year of plenty. But if one day we encounter natural disasters or man-made calamities, would I raise taxes? At that time, the people would surely be in uproar. Would I then be a benevolent emperor who loves his people like his own children, or a greedy and tyrannical emperor?"
Yu Xin broke out in a cold sweat, mainly because Zhu Yunying's words were serious enough.
Furthermore, Yu Xin could not actually be considered Zhu Yunying's confidant; he was merely trying to gauge the emperor's intentions. His Majesty intended to reduce taxes in Jiangzhe, and moreover, this was the first year of the new emperor's reign, which many people felt was an indication of 'benevolent governance'.
In fact, many people were watching with bated breath. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he neither granted a general amnesty nor reduced taxes anywhere. If His Majesty hadn't posthumously honored his parents, or established an empress and crown prince, many people wouldn't even have felt that an emperor had ascended the throne.
This is illogical, at least not according to some of the common sense recorded in historical books, and the new emperor doesn't seem to care about those things at all.
This tax reduction in the Jiangzhe region has led many to believe that the new emperor has finally remembered to practice 'benevolent governance'.
Furthermore, taxes were halved. Don't forget that many of the high-ranking officials in the court were from the Jiangnan region. Even if they didn't own much land, their families and other relatives were a different story.
This put Yu Xin in a rather awkward position. It was unclear whether this was because his flattery had backfired, or because he had been misled by various relationships, which might have led to him being punished by His Majesty.
Zhu Yunying didn't say much, but Yu Xin was quite capable. "This matter will be discussed later! You all remember this well: both thunder and rain are acts of imperial grace! Today's tax reduction is because the people of Jiangzhe are suffering from poverty. You must not engage in any activities that seek fame or reputation!"
Kneeling on the ground, Yu Xin was drenched in cold sweat. He felt that His Majesty was giving him a warning, and he also felt that he had to work even harder in the coming period of time. Otherwise, he might lose his position as Minister of Revenue.
After reprimanding him, Zhu Yunying seemed to have thought of something, "In recent days, I have also been reading through ancient books, and the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Revenue have all submitted articles. This well-field system seems to have some advantages."
In an instant, many of the previously dejected, trembling, or indifferent civil officials raised their heads and became excited.
The well-field system—that was the best policy in the dreams of countless scholars. It was the *Zhou Li* (Rites of Zhou), the ideal system countless scholars envisioned. If the Ming Dynasty had implemented the well-field system, these scholars probably felt they could have achieved lasting fame and died without regret, or perhaps they felt they had the opportunity to create a utopian world.
The idea was probably good; Zhu Yunying was aware of these scholars' ulterior motives, but he was too lazy to expose them. These scholars had their own agendas, and their 'admiration for the past' was perfectly normal; many scholars were indeed somewhat idealistic.
Zhu Yunying only needed a pretext to smoothly introduce the well-field system. He was merely warming up the fire, stirring things up, and that wasn't really anything more significant.
Zhu Yunying was too lazy to pay attention to or think much about the thoughts of scholars. As long as they could conscientiously carry out the tasks assigned to them, that was enough. He could turn a blind eye to everything else.
As if remembering something, Zhu Yunying looked at Ru Chang and said, "Ru Qing, people from Suzhou and Songjiang can be appointed to the Ministry of Revenue."
As soon as Zhu Yunying finished speaking, many people beamed with joy. Was Emperor Yingshi truly going to treat the people of the Jiangnan region better?!
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