As a good emperor, Zhu Yunying was clearly a very responsible and diligent ruler, despite the many events that had occurred during this period. However, as emperor, Zhu Yunying was well aware of his need to maintain control of the overall situation and knew that his plans needed to be implemented steadily.
In the imperial court, Ru Chang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, after our discussion, we also believe that the Ministers of the Six Ministries should be promoted to the first rank."
At this point, many military officers frowned, as the early Ming Dynasty had always valued military prowess over civil service. Although this had somewhat reversed during Zhu Yuanzhang's later years when he was consolidating the dynasty, a deep-seated distrust of scholars remained. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty stipulated that civil officials were not allowed to be granted titles of nobility.
Ru Chang's proposal to elevate the Six Ministers to the first rank is clearly an attempt to elevate them to the same level as the Five Military Commands. After all, the commanders of the Five Military Commands are genuine first-rank officials, their ranks being several times higher than those of the Six Ministers.
As Zhu Yunying pondered, Xu Huizu immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this is inappropriate."
Ru Chang was anxious. He was the Minister of Personnel, the "head" of all officials in the country. "Lord Zhongshan, the dynasty should promote both civil and military officials. Since the execution of the barbarian traitor, the civil officials are all headed by the Ministers of the Six Ministries."
Chang Mao was very clever and immediately stood up and said, "Minister Ru's words are unreasonable. His Majesty also realized that this official system was inappropriate, which is why he mentioned the matter of raising the rank of the six ministers. In our Great Ming Dynasty, the five military governorships are all filled by dukes and marquises, which is naturally above the rank. If the six ministers are ranked as first rank, this is not appropriate."
This was a clear signal: the emperor's brother-in-law and maternal uncle had stepped forward. These two were originally the standard-bearers of the military elite. Their statement naturally sent a signal to many. Moreover, the military elite group was indeed not happy to see the civil service group's status too high, nor did they want to see civil officials 'promoted'.
The civil officials began to argue that the Ming Dynasty should have both civil and military officials, and that the status of civil officials should be elevated. The military officials, on the other hand, felt that civil officials could be promoted, but their status should absolutely be inferior to that of military generals—this was the bottom line for the military elite group.
Although the military elites naturally gravitate towards Zhu Yunying, they also have their own demands, which Zhu Yunying needs to uphold. Obedience is one thing, but failing to fight for the treatment they deserve is unacceptable.
Sitting high on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying listened quietly. This matter was naturally a matter of both sides having their own reasons, but it was clear that in the end, Zhu Yunying needed to nod in approval, and even need to consider the old Zhu's attitude.
Seeing that he was about to lose control, Zhu Yunying slowly said, "The dynasty treats scholars well, and the Ming Dynasty naturally promotes both civil and military talents."
The emperor spoke, and the civil and military officials who had been arguing fell silent. They all looked on expectantly, hoping to know the emperor's attitude and what to do next.
The civil officials naturally hoped to gain the emperor's support, and their demand was for the six ministers to be promoted to the first rank. If the six ministers could be promoted to the first rank, although it was impossible to say that they could immediately ride the wave of the emperor's favor and compete with the military officials, their standing would be much stronger.
This isn't just about the six ministers; if the six ministers are promoted, everyone else should be promoted too.
Meanwhile, the military elites were also watching with bated breath. The military officers of the Ming Dynasty were accustomed to looking down upon the civil officials. If the civil officials were to be placed on equal footing with them, many military officers would certainly find this change difficult to adjust to. Moreover, if the civil officials were to gain power, it would definitely not be good news for the military elites of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunying pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance; let us discuss it further!"
He'd been offered a carrot, and although Zhu Yunying had long planned regarding the ranks of the Six Ministers, he didn't intend to give an answer immediately. Seeing the commotion and arguing among his subordinates, Zhu Yunying was actually pleased.
Having ascended the throne, his mindset naturally underwent a slight change. The desire for balance in the court is a common sentiment among emperors. Therefore, it's not surprising that Zhu Yunying now harbors such a mindset.
The matter of the Six Ministries can be put on hold for the time being, but there are other matters that need to be discussed carefully. These are also some of the foreshadowings that Zhu Yunying wants to implement new policies, and these matters are relatively obvious signals.
"At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, land taxes in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were heavy, especially in Suzhou and Songjiang. I have read the reports, and the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are suffering unbearably, fleeing and defaulting on their debts. This is not good. At the beginning of the dynasty, the foundation of the country was weak, and only Jiangsu and Zhejiang were stable." Zhu Yunying spoke slowly again, this was the important matter, "Yu Xin, is there a plan for reducing taxes in Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"
This silenced the Wuxun Group, with everyone adopting an indifferent attitude, as these matters were essentially none of their concern. The tax reduction in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions truly had little to do with the Wuxun Group.
Yu Xin immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we believe that the amount of grain per mu should not exceed one dou."
Zhu Yunying frowned slightly. This essentially meant that taxes in the Jiangzhe region had been halved. In Zhu Yunying's view, this was a bit too much. Although he hoped that the people of Jiangzhe would have a slightly better life, it was not good for such a vital source of tax revenue for the imperial court to suddenly have its taxes halved.
Yu Xin clearly noticed Zhu Yunying's displeasure and quickly began to report some information.
Ultimately, although the imperial court has launched several military campaigns of varying scales in recent years, the Ming Dynasty has maintained relative stability within its borders for the past thirty years. Furthermore, continuous relocation of people and reclamation of new farmland have ensured that the Ming Dynasty currently has no major food shortages.
Therefore, Yu Xin and others discussed and proposed halving the taxes in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, which was obviously a 'well-thought-out' decision and they felt there was no problem with it.
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