Zhu Youjian's eyes lit up instantly.
"Oh? You're that fast?"
Luo Yangxing shook his head.
"It's not that I acted quickly, but rather that many of the people Master Gao mentioned are already somewhat famous."
“For example, this Li Ruolian, his father was a military scholar during the Wanli era.”
"And then there's Shi Kefa, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations last year, who is quite famous in the capital."
"As for this Li Zicheng, although he was just an ordinary person, Master Gao even gave him his place of origin."
"I dispatched the Imperial Guards to Mizhi to investigate every person in the area named Li Zicheng, and they easily discovered the real leader..."
Luo Yangxing began to explain earnestly.
Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction.
"Good job, you did a good job."
"Send someone to bring them to the palace and hand them over to Master Gao for a lesson."
Luo Yangxing quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already issued this order."
"These people should already be on their way, and they should arrive in a couple of days."
Zhu Youjian was in a better mood.
"I will remember this merit. When the court is more prosperous, I will naturally reward you."
At this point, he sighed.
"Alas, although I confiscated Wei Zhongxian's property..."
"That amount of silver is indeed considerable, but it's still not enough for the Ming Dynasty at present."
This was not Zhu Youjian deliberately feigning poverty, but rather a heartfelt expression of his feelings.
The Ming Dynasty has been short of silver for quite some time.
In particular, Zhu Youjian learned from Gao Qingyun that the Ming Dynasty only had seventeen years left to live.
This desire to change the status quo grew even stronger.
But whether it's seizing military power or carrying out other reforms, money is essential.
That's why Zhu Youjian had such feelings.
Luo Yangxing smiled slightly.
"Your Majesty, why do you need to ponder this here by yourself?"
"Why don't you just ask Master Gao and see what good suggestions he has?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian immediately nodded.
"Ah, it's not that I don't want to go find Master Gao."
"I just feel that it seems a bit incompetent of me to go to Master Gao for advice every time I encounter a problem."
As he said this, the emperor's face showed a rare hint of embarrassment.
Luo Yangxing quickly lowered his head, not daring to look any longer.
He thought to himself, "It seems that Gao Qingyun has completely gained His Majesty's trust."
"Oh no, it's not as simple as trust; it's a special kind of dependence."
"His Majesty lost his father at a young age, and his good older brother, the Tianqi Emperor, is completely unreliable and cannot act as a father to his elder brother."
"So His Majesty's impression of Gao Qingyun is probably not only that of a teacher, but also that of a father figure..."
Upon realizing this, Luo Yangxing dared not think any further.
He looked up and said:
"Your Majesty, if Master Gao were to hear you say that, I'm afraid he would be heartbroken."
“Since Master Gao is a teacher who educates people, he must think you are meddling.”
After hearing this advice, Zhu Youjian was indeed much more at ease.
"That's true."
"I will go there now and raise this issue with Mr. Gao."
Zhu Youjian set off immediately and soon met Gao Qingyun.
At this moment, Gao Qingyun's eyes were covered by a black cloth.
It wasn't that he deliberately sought it out; rather, it was made especially for him by those three young girls.
"Master Gao, we heard that covering your eyes with a black cloth can help with your recovery."
After Gao Qingyun accepted the eye mask they had sewn, she put it on without hesitation.
However, he wasn't thinking about recovering.
Instead, it went astray.
"It's a pity I don't have an iron crowbar, otherwise it would be even more convincing..."
Seeing that Gao Qingyun remained silent, Zhu Youjian grew anxious and pressed him for an answer:
"Master Gao, what do you think about the Ming Dynasty... cough cough, the Ming Dynasty in history? How exactly should we solve the problem of our source of revenue?"
Gao Qingyun finally stopped thinking about it.
He smiled and shook his head.
"Little Zhu, what's so difficult about this?"
"Since ancient times, if the imperial court wants to collect more silver, it can only get it from other people."
"These other people are either ordinary people, landlords and gentry, or foreign businessmen."
"Ordinary people at the end of the Ming Dynasty were already on their last breath."
"The Chongzhen Emperor in history wanted to squeeze the land from them and make the people suffer even more, so he levied three taxes."
"But not long after, the people could no longer hold on, and they rose up in rebellion."
"And that's how the Ming Dynasty came to an end!"
Zhu Youjian blushed quite a bit after hearing this.
He whispered, "So, without Master Gao, I wouldn't have done something so stupid?"
Gao Qingyun heard the noise but didn't hear clearly, so he leaned forward and asked, "Xiao Zhu, what did you say?"
Zhu Youjian immediately coughed a few times.
"What can I say? I can only lament the stupidity of Emperor Chongzhen."
He quickly changed the subject.
"So, Master Gao, are you saying that Emperor Chongzhen should extract money from landlords and gentry?"
Gao Qingyun did not ask any further questions.
He shook his head after hearing the question.
"This is indeed something that should be done, but the Ming Dynasty at that time did not have the capability to do so."
"The Ming Dynasty had been established for more than two hundred years. By the time Chongzhen ascended the throne, the bureaucracy was already corrupt, with officials being greedy and protecting each other."
"No matter how good Zhu Youjian's orders are, when it comes to the county magistrate actually carrying them out..."
"They will certainly let the local gentry and landlords go, and instead focus on exploiting the common people."
After saying that, he stopped keeping everyone in suspense.
"In my opinion, the simplest way to make money in the late Ming Dynasty was to lift the maritime ban and do business with foreigners."
"When Westerners colonized the Americas, Central and South America were filled with gold and silver."
"And these foreigners absolutely love the silk, porcelain, tea and spices produced by our Great Ming Dynasty."
"As long as the seas are opened, gold and silver from the Americas will flow into the national treasury in large quantities."
Zhu Youjian took Gao Qingyun's words to heart.
Then he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master Gao."
Gao Qingyun laughed heartily.
"Alright, Xiao Zhu, stop flattering me."
"By the way, when will you send me the other students from your village?"
"My lesson plan is already written."
As he spoke, he waved the book in his hand.
It was written by him over the past few days, as he painstakingly worked through the process.
Zhu Youjian was deeply moved to see that Gao Qingyun, despite having eye problems, still dedicated himself to teaching and nurturing students.
He immediately said:
"Don't worry, Master Gao, the person is already on the way and will be here in a few days."
When Gao Qingyun heard this, it meant that many students probably didn't even live in the village.
Instead, they live in more remote mountains.
He sighed and said, "I never imagined that your Dahe Village would be so remote."
Zhu Youjian didn't take these words to heart. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the three respectful little girls in the corner.
A thought suddenly struck him.
"Master Gao, the male student won't be here for a while. How about I find you a few more female students?"
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