If I fail to overcome the tribulation, I can only return to the Ming Dynasty and become a prince.

Chapter 22 The Emperor Summons
When the emperor wants to see someone, someone in the palace will naturally look for the person immediately, and the person being sought must also come to see the emperor immediately.

That was the Son of Heaven, the most noble and powerful Emperor in the world, who had the power of life, death, and seizure. Who dared to let him wait?
However, in the Ming Dynasty, an era when communications and transportation were not yet developed, even if the emperor wanted to meet someone in the capital, he would not be able to do so immediately.

It's not that anyone dares not to come to see the emperor, but in ancient times there was no other means of transportation except riding horses and sedan chairs. To go from outside the imperial city to meet the emperor inside the palace, even if you have fast legs, you have to walk at least half an hour.

Especially at this time, the imperial capital of the Ming Dynasty was still in Nanjing, and the palace city in Nanjing was larger than it was after the capital was moved to Beijing.

So when Zhu Zhanjuan was called to the palace from the Qinhuai River, the sun had already set to the west, and the lights were lit in the study room where Zhu Di was.

"Grandson, see you grandpa!" Zhu Zhanyu did not call Zhu Di the emperor, nor did he call him "long live the emperor". He just saluted respectfully and then stood obediently next to his fat father.

In fact, the so-called "Long Live Long Live Long Live" was mostly made up by later generations. Neither the Ming nor Qing dynasties would shout this in formal occasions.

Especially now it is still the early Ming Dynasty, neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu Di like this very much, so the court etiquette is relatively simple.

As for Zhu Zhanju, he still has a full understanding of his current status. He is only the second son of the prince. He is not as good as his elder brother Zhu Zhanji. Although Zhu Di loves him, this love is not as good as his elder brother Zhu Zhanji. It's not his ability to be coquettish or to show off in front of the emperor.

So after arriving, he didn't say anything, but waited for Zhu Di to speak.

"The little monkey cub is finally here. You took advantage of such a trick to trouble your grandpa. Do you want grandpa to spank you?" Zhu Di did not act like an emperor to Zhu Zhanquan, but more like a grandpa. To the grandson: "Tell me, since you dare to take the trouble, you should have a solution in mind, right? If you dare to say no, grandpa will have someone drag you down to beat you!"

Hearing what Zhu Di said, Zhu Zhanquan also put away his modest excuse. After thinking for a while, he asked the two ministers on the side: "Excuse me, two gentlemen, taking a county as an example, there can be approximately How many famous scholars are there? How much tax-free treatment can they enjoy according to Ming law?"

"Your Highness, there is a problem with your question, because the law of our court stipulates that although scholars have exemptions and exemptions, they are only exempted from their chores, and they still have to pay taxes." Xia Yuanji heard that Zhu Zhan When Jun asked this, he immediately began to explain: "Emperor Taizu said: 'If a virtuous gentleman values ​​his body and returns to serve his family, there will be no distinction between a gentleman and a barbarian. This is not the way to encourage scholars to treat virtuous people.' So Taizu The emperor ordered that 'those who own land will be exempted from corvee service in addition to paying rent and taxes', but it does not mean that they will not pay taxes. Your Highness, please don't misunderstand me!"

As a scholar and a high-ranking official in the capital, how could Xia Yuanji not know what Zhu Zhanqun meant by his question, but how could he break this hole in front of the emperor?

If he really wants to challenge the scholars all over the world, he will stab him in the spine, which means he is secluded from Shilin.

However, Zhu Zhanquan was too lazy to fight with Xia Yuanji. He just asked him in a different way: "How much land is dedicated to this county? Don't fight in front of me. A few days ago, I specifically asked the emperor to send Jin Yiwei. I went down to investigate, and Xia Shangshu should tell the truth truthfully."

"Zhanjun, what is dedication?" Upon hearing Zhu Zhanjun's question, Zhu Di suddenly became curious.Although he is not the kind of emperor who grew up in a deep palace and knows nothing about the sufferings of the people, he does not know much about things in the countryside.

"The so-called contribution is a means for farmers to place their land in the name of the local gentry and clan, and only pay rent to the gentry to avoid court taxes." Zhu Zhanquan completely ignored the ugly faces of Xia Yuanji and Jian Yi beside him, He directly stated the matter: "Since the founding of our country, Emperor Hongwu has treated scholars favorably and exempted them from chores so that the scholars can study with peace of mind. However, the local gentry has used this as an excuse to evade taxes.

They colluded with local officials to allocate all the taxes and corvees that should have been paid by them to ordinary farmers, making them need to pay taxes far beyond the requirements of the court. The farmers were overwhelmed, so they gave their land to the gentry. to avoid increasingly onerous court taxes.

If things go on like this, in a vicious cycle, the number of people who contribute will only increase, and households that honestly pay taxes to the state will become increasingly overwhelmed. Either they contribute and become tenants and no longer have to pay taxes, or they …”

Zhu Zhanjun did not say any more, but Zhu Di could hear what he wanted to say, which was nothing more than the word "civilian rebellion".

But more importantly than the civil uprising, the imperial court could not collect taxes. Financial bankruptcy was a more serious problem than the civil uprising. So Zhu Di finally showed his majesty and momentum as an emperor, looked at Zhu Zhanquan, and asked him Said: "Is there a solution?"

Zhu Zhanjun nodded, but after glancing at Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji who were eager to speak, he shook his head.

"Nodding and shaking his head, what do you mean? If you have a way, just say it, do you want grandpa to beat you?" Zhu Di suddenly became unhappy and slapped the imperial court in front of him, very angry.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanchun gave Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji a helpless expression, and then said: "Returning to grandpa, my grandson does have a solution, but it is a slow solution and will take up to ten years. It will take 20 years for the world to be stable and it will change bit by bit. It is impossible to cut through the mess quickly in a short period of time, and it will affect the interests of the noble families in the world and be criticized by thousands of people. My grandson really dare not say anything."

"Say, if there is anything you don't dare to say, I, the emperor, am here to support you, so you can speak freely." Normally, Zhu Di might have worries, but today he was really holding back his anger, and he spoke naturally. I don't care about that much anymore.

The emperor's attitude also made Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji on the side change their expressions. They hurriedly stopped them and said, "Your Majesty, think twice! The nobles are the foundation of the imperial court. If they move, the whole body will be affected! If the nobles become restless, I'm afraid that The world is uneasy, and I beg your Majesty to put the country, the country, and the country first and not to move lightly!"

Obviously, both Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji had guessed what Zhu Zhanchun was going to say, but they could not let Zhu Zhanchun say that sentence no matter what.

How could the dignified Jindan master be afraid of the restlessness of a mere scholar? He was polite to Zhu Di because he wanted to play the role of the emperor's grandson. It wasn't that he really didn't dare to say it, and Zhu Zhanquan's method was not that of Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji. Just as you thought.

So after Zhu Di lost his temper again, Zhu Zhanquan said: "The simpler solution is for the gentry to pay taxes as one body. There is no one in the world who doesn't pay taxes, so naturally there is nothing to contribute." Yes. But..."

(End of this chapter)