Feeling that things were mostly calm in the court, Zhu Yunying was quite satisfied and at ease. Half the year had passed, and while it couldn't be said that everything was resolved or that there were no more priorities, the situation was still relatively peaceful.
However, for Zhu Yunying, it is indeed time for him to start considering some reforms.
Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying slowly spoke, no longer laying low, "You ministers must be somewhat aware of the affairs of the Maritime Trade Office."
Many people were aware of this, even if they hadn't personally intervened in or handled the affairs of the Maritime Trade Office, they had at least heard of it. Moreover, the enormous pie that was the Maritime Trade Office was coveted by countless people.
Initially, profits were modest, but as the scale of maritime trade grew and private smuggling was severely cracked down on, the output of the Maritime Trade Office naturally increased. Naturally, many people became increasingly interested in this huge pie.
Yu Xin of the Ministry of Revenue immediately became excited, as he had always hoped to bring the Maritime Trade Office under the full jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue.
Zhu Yunying said with some pride, "Initially, the output of the Maritime Trade Office was limited. Although the Emperor Emeritus did not completely ban the sea, the Maritime Trade Office's contact with the countries in Southeast Asia was indeed limited."
This is also true. If Zhu Yunying hadn't been messing around with things back then, Emperor Zhu would at least have had a 'maritime ban' policy. This didn't mean that going to sea was completely forbidden, but there were many restrictions on going out to sea, and large-scale commercial trade was even more uncertain. There was some activity, and often it involved smuggling and other activities in coastal areas.
At this point, the more astute ones quickly stepped forward to flatter him. Although the foundation of the Maritime Trade Office was laid by Zhu Yuanzhang, and even when Zhu Yunying was setting up the Maritime Trade Office, it was Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunying who generously provided a lot of resources.
However, it is now Emperor Yingshi sitting on the dragon throne, and the increasing output of the Maritime Trade Office is naturally due to Zhu Yunying. Only in this way can Emperor Yingshi's wisdom and foresight be demonstrated, and it is his vision that has given the Ming Dynasty an additional source of revenue, a source of revenue that is becoming increasingly productive.
Zhu Yunying continued, “Tea, porcelain, and silk are mostly produced by the Ming Dynasty. There are also some ironware, which are quite popular overseas. However, I am aware that there are still unscrupulous merchants smuggling goods. The court must severely crack down on these people.”
Many officials are worried, probably because some of them may have connections or entanglements with powerful local families. Or to put it bluntly, these officials might be the ones protecting these powerful families.
The imperial court had already dealt a significant blow to these people, and now with further severe crackdowns, their opportunities for production are shrinking. This is clearly not a favorable situation for them.
Just then, someone stepped forward, and their argument was naturally "competing with the people for profit."
In the eyes of these civil officials, the imperial court should not interfere in these matters. If the court intervened in commercial activities, it would be competing with the people for profit. To them, it was only right for powerful families or merchants to make money. In any case, it was not a good thing for the court to interfere in those affairs.
Zhu Yunying, with a stern face, rebuked him harshly, "Competing with the people for profit? Then tell me, my dear minister, who exactly is getting this profit?"
The imperial censor stepped forward and solemnly declared, “Your Majesty, Heaven also bestows its gifts. Those who are given teeth have their horns removed, and those who are given wings have their feet padded. This means that those who receive the greater gift cannot take the lesser one. In ancient times, those who received rewards did not eat by their own labor, nor did they engage in any minor occupation. This also means that those who received the greater gift could not take the lesser one, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven…”
This is what Dong Zhongshu told Emperor Wu of Han. The general idea is that Heaven bestows different gifts upon all things. But in essence, it means that those who enjoy a salary since ancient times cannot contribute the share of manual laborers, nor can they engage in industry or commerce. They cannot take less than what they have received, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven.
However, some people misinterpret this, failing to understand that those who receive salaries are not allowed to compete with the people for profit. They see only the imperial court competing with the people for profit, and they simply don't want to see the imperial court taking away a portion of the profits.
As for the saying "do not compete with the people for profit," that doesn't apply to these officials; that maxim applies to the imperial court. Moreover, in their eyes, only aristocratic families or merchants are considered "the people," while others are simply not included.
Zhu Yunying continued, "You have also read quite a few books, and you have a deep understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics. In my opinion, it was understandable that the Retired Emperor was dissatisfied with the Second Sage. It wasn't that the Second Sage's teachings were flawed, but that you unworthy descendants distorted the words of the Sage!"
Zhu Yunying didn't care about these complaints, and calmly said, "In my opinion, it's time to properly organize the classics. How can you people govern the world if you don't understand the teachings of the sages!"
Ignoring all these matters, Zhu Yunying simply observed the civil and military officials calmly. It wasn't just in the Ming Dynasty; scholars throughout history had distorted the words of countless sages. These people, for their part, didn't care about such things at all; they claimed to follow the sages' teachings, but their actions were entirely different.
Zhu Yunying continued, “The Maritime Trade Office should be controlled by the imperial court. The powerful families and merchants are all subjects of the Ming Dynasty. You should all remember this well: only when the Ming Dynasty is prosperous and strong can those people enjoy a life of luxury. You should also remember this well: you are first and foremost subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and only then are you the offspring and relatives of some people. Do not forget your duty.”
Zhu Yunying continued, “Matters such as maritime trade should be governed by regulations. Those merchants and the like only see their own selfish interests and only think about making money for themselves. The imperial court should take overall control, determine the quantity and type of goods to be imported and exported, and set prices.”
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