Becoming a subject of the Ming Dynasty was by no means an easy task. Whether it was during the reign of Emperor Hongwu or Emperor Yingshi, neither of them were easy to deal with.
The Hongwu Emperor was too domineering and too forceful. Those who served him had to be prepared to lose their heads at any moment.
As for Emperor Ying Shi, he seemed to be more lenient, but he simply had too many ideas. Although it was only the second year of Emperor Ying Shi's reign, many of the changes he made caught people off guard.
The relocation of the capital to Beiping appears to have been spearheaded by Emperor Yingshi, as did the reduction of the power of the regional military governors. This also includes the recent establishment of banks and martial arts academies—all of which were Emperor Yingshi's doing, and all of them are his masterpieces.
The emperor can just speak, but his ministers are all restless and can't stay still.
Ru Chang accepted the tea offered by her second son, Ru Quan, and asked him seriously about Ru Quan and Ru Yong's studies at the Imperial Academy.
He had extremely strict rules and disciplined his family, and this wasn't just something he developed after becoming the Minister of Personnel; he always disciplined his children and grandchildren in this way.
“Ru Yong, you don’t like the Four Books and Five Classics, but you prefer the ways of commerce.” Looking at her youngest son, Ru Chang said, “These days, you’ve mostly been looking at banking matters. In your opinion, what benefits do you see from the implementation of this banking system?”
At this moment, Ru Yong said, "Father, in my opinion, for ordinary people, the only advantage of banks is that they make exchanging banknotes more convenient. However, for aristocratic families, especially merchants, banks are much more convenient."
Although he was the Minister of Personnel, it didn't mean Ru Chang knew nothing. This bank, touted as providing such convenience to the people, was actually exaggerating somewhat.
However, for merchants, especially those engaged in large-scale commodity trading, banks have indeed provided considerable convenience.
Ru Quan was somewhat envious of his younger brother, mainly because he was the second son and sometimes practically invisible. In terms of being valued, he certainly didn't receive as much attention as his eldest brother, Ru Jian, and he wasn't as pampered as his younger brother. He, as the second son, was in the most awkward position.
Ru Quan looked at Ru Chang and said, "Father, I have also heard some discussions today. His Majesty intends to reform the tax system, and there is a lot of discussion about it now, as well as some opposing views."
Ru Chang was not surprised at all. Ever since the emperor had revealed the meaning of "equalizing the land tax and poll tax" to the civil and military officials, there was really no need to hide it anymore. The people below began to discuss it among themselves.
Some felt that such reforms were the work of a sage ruler. For ordinary people, these reforms by the emperor were akin to liberating the livelihoods of a vast number of the poorest people.
After all, those who could stand in the imperial court had some knowledge and could see that the people who benefited from the land tax reform were obviously those who had no land or little land.
While some people approve of this, believing that Emperor Hongwu and Emperor Yingshi were truly sage and wise rulers, others now vehemently oppose it.
Ru Chang remained relatively calm, and simply asked, "Oh? Then tell me, what are the objections below?"
Ru Quan immediately said, "My son should also discuss this with some students. The land tax reform seems to benefit those with little or no land. However, if this continues, I'm afraid many people will lose interest in farming."
Ru Chang nodded slightly. Such opinions did exist in the court. Many people could see that cutting the poll tax had freed up the workforce, freeing many people from being tied to the fields.
This naturally means that some people might have other ideas; becoming a craftsman seems like a way to get ahead. Or they might become merchants, perhaps earning even more money.
This naturally makes things interesting, because feudal dynasties generally encouraged agriculture, which was the foundation of the dynasty.
If the common people don't farm in peace, and the big landowners feel that having too much land is 'unprofitable,' then it's a disaster, it's like destroying the Great Wall of their own power.
Seemingly encouraged by Ru Chang, Ru Quan became a little bolder. "In my opinion, if the poll tax is merged into the land tax and banks are added, merchants will naturally have great convenience in doing business. It is said that the Ming Dynasty's merchants are no longer limited to Southeast Asian countries. If this continues, it will not be a good thing."
Looking at his second son, Ru Chang nodded slightly. Ru Chang knew his sons' personalities; Ru Quan was a rather traditional scholar, which naturally meant that some of his ideas were similar to those of many scholars.
In their eyes, farming was the most important thing. In their minds, scholars were the epitome of nobility. As for ordinary people, they might not even look down on them.
Craftsmen and merchants were looked down upon and were at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
Because all other professions are considered inferior, only studying is considered superior. Furthermore, they believed that merchants were solely driven by profit, as evidenced by their ability to profit simply from reselling.
However, Ru Yong was somewhat dissatisfied and said, "Second brother, although merchants do not engage in production, they are not entirely useless. Merchants transport goods so that the people can obtain more goods."
"If merchants don't engage in production, and the people have no intention of producing, where will the merchants get their grain?" Ru Quan disagreed, saying to Ru Yong, "Young man, don't forget that even with a lot of money, sometimes it's just empty talk. As for grain, our Great Ming should have plenty of grain!"
Ru Yong was even more dissatisfied and said, "Last time, I was fortunate enough to meet His Majesty by virtue of His Majesty's grace. His Majesty is a man of great talent and wisdom. Although merchants do not engage in production, the capital involved in the transportation of goods is risky, so it is only right that they make a profit."
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