Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 120 The second power besides the imperial power!
The cold wind howled in.

Fang Xiaoru's face changed again and again.

Confucianism has three immortalities.

Establish virtue, achieve merit, and make statements.

But no matter which one it is, it will win eternal fame.

Fame has extraordinary significance for Confucian disciples like Fang Xiaoru.

He is not afraid of death, and it's not just himself who is not afraid of death.

Even if someone wanted to kill his entire family, he would not be afraid.

As long as you can preserve your reputation for eternity, it will be a worthy death.

This is true for myself and my family as well.

However, Zhu Yunhuan now did not want him to die for the people of the world.

If that were the case, Fang Xiaoru would not have hesitated at all.

But Fang Xiaoru was somewhat puzzled by the fact that the King of Wu made him bear the infamy for eternity.

"Please speak frankly, King Wu!" he said with a bow.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to ask: "If this matter will bring great benefits to the people of the world, so that the poor will not be left with nowhere to go, starving to death in the wilderness, or freezing to death on the streets."

"But the wool comes from the sheep. If you want the world to be peaceful and the poor to survive, then the money can only be paid by the landlords, the rich, and the powerful."

"Do you think the poor will be willing to share the money?"

"If you do this, you will be their enemy."

“Many of them are scholars.”

"You should also know that studying costs money."

"The better the family background, the more likely it is that there will be scholars."

"On the contrary, poor people have a hard time making a living, so how can they read so many books?"

"If you offend landlords, wealthy businessmen, and the powerful, you will also offend millions of scholars in the world."

"They will curse you, slander you, and defame you."

"Do you think that if you do good things for the people of the world, they will thank you?"

Zhu Yunxun raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth.

"you are wrong."

"Public opinion does not lie in the mouths of the poor people, but in the hands of scholars who hold pens and swords and write history and books."

"If you offend them, what you will leave behind after your death will not be immortality in history, but only verbal criticism and infamy!"

Fang Xiaoru sat still, but his expression was unconsciously gloomy.

Zhu Yunhuan suddenly laughed.

"I know you are afraid and you dare not face it."

"You are not afraid of death, but you are afraid of being cursed for eternity."

"So, you only dare to propose the well-field system, even though you know it is not feasible, you still want to propose it."

"Because the well-field system was a Zhou system, it was implemented by Duke Zhou and was praised by sages."

"In this way, scholars all over the world will not be able to object."

"If you restore the ancient system, you will gain eternal fame."

Zhu Yunxun said disdainfully: "You wishful thinking!"

Fang Xiaoru did not defend himself, but asked: "Your Highness, Prince Wu, do you have any better ideas?"

"Of course there is!" Zhu Yunxun sighed, "Equally dividing the land in the world seems very good, but in reality it is difficult to implement."

"At least, in today's Ming Dynasty, the conditions are far from mature."

He stood by the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky where layers of clouds had obscured the sun, and whispered four words: "Reform the tax system."

Fang Xiaoru was reaching for the teacup when he heard this. He trembled and stopped his hand in mid-air. He asked, "How do I change it?"

"Tax the rich and reduce the taxes on the poor as much as possible until they are reduced to zero, or even to the point where the government is subsidizing the poor."

Zhu Yunhuan spoke calmly and calmly with the most ordinary words.

It's a gentle breeze when it comes out, but it's thunder when it falls.

Taxing the rich and reducing taxes on the poor has been the slogan of many countries in later generations, and many policies have been introduced.

However, the actual effect is still limited.

Because the rich have countless ways to evade taxes, taxes on the rich often appear high on the surface but are actually very low.

It seems that the taxes collected from the poor are not much, or even non-existent, but because of various methods of tax transfer, the final tax burden still falls mainly on the poor.

Can the Ming Dynasty today achieve what later generations could not do?

In fact, Zhu Yunhuan didn’t know either.

But he wanted to give it a try.

Otherwise, if he became an emperor and did nothing, would he just sing and dance all day long and spend an absurd life surrounded by three thousand beauties in the harem?

Seems to look good too!

After all, it is much easier to be a tyrant than a wise ruler.

After the war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, there is now enough land for the people to cultivate.

In the next few decades, there will be no need to worry about the people rising up in large-scale uprisings because they cannot survive.

Even if there is occasional unrest, the impact will not be great.

As for the Ming Dynasty's national destiny.

I don’t care about the flood after I die!

When you think about it this way, it’s really beautiful.

But is it really necessary to do so?
He still felt somewhat unwilling.

People always have to find something to do.

Otherwise, entering the sage time would be very boring.

In the previous life, I had also pointed out the way forward and written inspiring articles.

I only hate that those who eat meat are vulgar, and that I am not the one who governs the country.

Many ideas are castles in the air and can only become jokes.

Now that I have the opportunity, I naturally have to give it a try.

A time traveler should do things that no one else can do!

Only in this way can you feel a sense of accomplishment.

If you feel it is difficult and impossible to succeed, then you don't do it and just follow the old ways. You might as well just be a tyrant and enjoy your life to the fullest!

Fang Xiaoru's pupils shrank slightly.

Then Zhu Yunhuan laughed and said, "Everyone in the world says that there is a difference between the noble and the humble. The noble do not bear taxes, while the humble need to support the noble."

"The same is true for the taxation of the imperial court today."

"From the feudal princes to the nobles, officials of the imperial court, and officials of all levels, those who had studied and gained meritorious service, the taxes they had to pay were extremely light, or even nothing at all."

"How can we achieve the world's justice in this way?"

"On the contrary, it will only encourage poor people to transfer their land to the wealthy in order to evade taxes from the court."

"The poor get poorer and the rich get richer."

"Until the poor finally have nowhere else to go, they rebel in anger, the country is in chaos, and then a new dynasty is rebuilt, and the cycle repeats itself."

It was the privilege of officials and gentry not to pay taxes that greatly accelerated the pace of land annexation.

The scholars and officials are not unaware of this.

On the contrary, in every dynasty, the court has been discussing how to crack down on powerful landlords.

But no one has fundamentally changed this situation.

Because once the reform affects their own interests, many people will immediately change their attitude!
Zhu Yunhuan said calmly: "If I want to do something, I will do it in the opposite way."

Fang Xiaoru's face was filled with shock and disbelief.

Zhu Yunhuan continued: "I think that the more land and assets one has, the more taxes one should pay."

“For example, if a family of five only owns three acres of land, then the family does not have to pay taxes.”

"If you have 20 acres of land, you have to pay one tenth of the tax."

"If you have a hundred acres of land, you have to pay two out of ten taxes."

"If you have 300 acres of land, you have to pay 30% tax."

"If you have 500 acres of land, the tax is 40% of the land."

"For one thousand acres, the tax is ten to five."

"And so on. In short, whoever has more land has to pay more taxes." "The same goes for a house. If you only have a thatched cottage, you don't have to pay any taxes."

"On the contrary, if you own a mansion with thousands of rooms, magnificent and luxurious, you will need to pay property taxes every year."

"Whether it is a meritorious official, an official or a wealthy person, or a reader who has achieved fame, none of them shall be exempted from taxes or have their taxes reduced for this reason!"

"The imperial court collected taxes from the rich and powerful and used them to help the poor and redistribute social wealth."

"Aren't they trying to annex the land? I will use the tax system to prevent them from annexing it."

"Even if it is annexed, it must be spit out obediently."

Taxation has the function of regulating distribution and can make wealth redistributed relatively fairly.

This is a basic concept of modern tax system in later generations.

But for people of this era, the concept is still too advanced.

After all, in the eyes of people of this era, the poor are often people of low status and they should naturally bear more taxes.

How can it make sense that the richer and more powerful you are, the more taxes you should pay?
If officials and gentry could serve together and pay taxes together, it would be a heaven-shattering and earth-shattering thing.

During the Ming Dynasty, it was impossible to collect taxes from officials and gentry.

Zhu Yunhuan's idea was even more contrary to Tiangang.

Officials and gentry pay taxes, while the poor are exempt from taxes... Can officials and gentry accept this?
Even in later generations, due to various reasons, the regulatory role of taxation has not been well played out.

Because the rich will always find a way to exploit loopholes.

But in this life, Zhu Yunhuan has one biggest advantage.

As the supreme ruler of the Ming Dynasty, the laws were made by him.

The law has loopholes, which can be exploited by others, and this will be very troublesome for future generations.

Because amending, formulating and improving the law is not an easy task.

But for the supreme rulers of the imperial era, it was very simple.

As long as he becomes the emperor, his words and his decree will be the law!

If there are any loopholes, they can be filled at any time with an imperial edict.

Fang Xiaoru's face showed excitement, but it soon dimmed.

He shook his head: "Your Highness cannot implement it!"

Zhu Yunhuan laughed.

The wind blew up the hair on his temples, making it dance silently.

Of course he knew it was difficult.

What is an emperor?
The emperor is the general representative of the landlord class and the largest landlord in the world!

If the emperor betrayed the landlord class, would he still be the emperor?
Wouldn't the landlord class dethrone the emperor and elect a new one?

They certainly will!
"Of course it's difficult." Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "That's why I hope to get your help."

"This king will never act rashly or casually."

"First of all, I would like to ask you, does my philosophy go against the words of the saints?"

Fang Xiaoru remained silent for a long time before he said, "The saints talked about etiquette, but they also sought the greater good of the world."

"I think that although your highness's ideas are shocking, they do not violate the words of the saints!"

"Good!" Zhu Yunhuan clapped his hands: "A platform a hundred feet high starts with a pile of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"You just said that for the sake of the people of the world and for the sake of eternal peace, you must do it no matter how difficult it is."

"Since this action does not violate the words of the saints, then you should go to the world and preach it."

"If you spread this idea of mine to the world, interpret the scriptures for the saints, and establish words for future generations, then my reforms in the future will be able to proceed naturally."

Fang Xiaoru's dim eyes suddenly became bright.

His hands were shaking slightly, and his body was shaking with them.

In this era, imperial power is supreme.

But in fact, there is another invisible power.

It is not imperial power, but it is no less than imperial power, and even surpasses it.

That is what the saints said!

But the saint had died long ago, and the dead cannot speak.

In fact, there are many different interpretations of what the saint said during his lifetime.

Therefore, how to interpret the words of the saints becomes the greatest invisible power - the power of interpretation!

For example, Zhu Xi made a lot of interpretations on the words of the sages and developed and perfected Neo-Confucianism.

The so-called "preserve the laws of nature and eliminate human desires" had a profound impact on later generations, surpassing that of many emperors.

Fang Xiaoru was a scholar and had a very high reputation throughout the world. He was regarded by many as a seed of scholarship in the world.

What Zhu Yunhuan wanted him to do was to use his fame to interpret the scriptures and reinterpret the words of the saints.

This second power, which has always been held by scholars all over the world and even used to threaten the emperor, is now in his own hands!

Make it work for you!
There is a difference between the rich and the poor. The rich do not pay taxes, while the poor pay taxes to support the rich. This is not the requirement of a saint, but an act that goes against the saints.

Being fair to the world is the principle of the saints!
Repeat this preaching until a strong momentum is built up.

By then, it would become a matter of course to impose heavy taxes on the gentry, officials, and scholars in order to seek the public good.

This is certainly difficult, but not impossible.

In this world, there are many people who only care about protecting their own interests and don't care about the lives of others.

However, there is never a shortage of idealists in this world.

The ideal of universal justice has been pursued by many people since ancient times.

As long as Fang Xiaoru used the sage's scriptures as a banner and gathered them together, he could form a powerful public opinion.

In addition, with Zhu Yunhuan's secret help, even if the voices of opposition could not be completely suppressed, there was at least a balancing force.

The words of the sage can become a sword for the gentry, landlords, and scholars in the world to restrain imperial power.

But on the other hand, if they take the initiative to grasp the power of interpreting the scriptures, they can use it to turn the scriptures of the saints into a sword to cut themselves!
"If you do this, the people of the world who benefit from it will be grateful to you."

"Millions of people will no longer have to starve or freeze to death."

“But countless wealthy people, gentry, and scholars who have lost their privileges will attack and slander you.”

"You can't escape the infamy that will last for thousands of years!"

Zhu Yunhuan sat down again, picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and said calmly: "I am asking you now, are you willing or not?"

The room fell silent.

After a long while, Fang Xiaoru finally spoke up and asked, "Will Your Highness really implement such a national policy?"

"Not necessarily!" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile: "What I want is long-term peace and stability in the world and the eternal stability of the Ming Dynasty."

"If something cannot be done, then I will not force it to happen, causing the Ming Dynasty to fall into instability or even war."

"I have said before that what I said today, once it comes out of my mouth and enters your ears, I will never admit it in the future."

"You go to interpret the scriptures and preach the ideas of the saints. That is your business and has nothing to do with me."

“Whether or not it will be done, and when it will be done, depends on how the world changes, and also on your efforts.”

"Only when the time is right will I follow the trend."

"If not, then it can only be shelved."

"Do you understand what the king said?"

Fang Xiaoru stood up and bowed: "I understand now. Thank you, Your Highness, the King of Wu, for your guidance."

Zhu Yunxun smiled again and asked, "So, are you willing or not?"

A very complicated expression appeared on Fang Xiaoru's face, which then turned into a smile.

"Whatever you ask for in your life, how can you not want it?"

"If this is accomplished, my merits will be no less than those of a saint!"

"If life can be like this, what else can I ask for?"

"After today, I will do my best to make this happen."

"A mere infamy that will last for thousands of years is not worth mentioning."

He looked up at the sky outside the window.

The sky is covered with floating clouds and the sun is nowhere to be seen.

But the world is not dark, it is still bright.

Fang Xiaoru said in a clear voice: "Confucius said to become a martyr, Mencius said to pursue justice. Where the truth is, even if there are tens of thousands of people, I will go!"

……

PS: Normal updates will resume from today!
(End of this chapter)