Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 046: A Slap on the Face Must Hurt (Part 7)
How many years have the Ming Dynasty's censors been running rampant? From Emperor Renzong to the current emperor, who hasn't been scolded by censors? But things like today's repeated setbacks have rarely happened in the past two hundred years!
The reasons for this are lack of sleep, blood rushing into the stomach and intestines after eating, which slows down the brain's reaction. These are just some tricks. The fundamental reason is that Zhu Youdong, contrary to the emperors of previous dynasties, refused to lower their status and debated with the censors in court. He himself went on the field to debate with the other party.
When the king and his subjects are discussing the issue in person, no matter how arrogant the subjects are, they are naturally at a disadvantage. This is compared to submitting a memorial to the king, where one can write anything he wants. This is a solid test of a person's true courage, aura, and adaptability.
Of course, it cannot be said that these two imperial censors are weak. The main reason is that they are not used to this method: even if time travelers have never participated in a real debate, who has not argued with others and been argued with in forums, QQ groups, and WeChat groups? That is a great test of a person's ability to respond on the spot. On the other hand, Zhu Youdong has been preparing for this day for a long time.
"Your servant Yang Yingwen has a report to make!"
Just when Xu Shunmin was feeling depressed, a loud voice rang out in the hall.
"I impeach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for playing tricks and scheming, seeking to gain business interests, being unable to sympathize with the people, and taking pleasure in harming and harming them! This is not what a benevolent monarch should do!"
You! You are the one who said in the last book a year ago that I am the reincarnation of an evil dragon, right? Very good, I have been waiting for you for a long time!
"Haha, Yang Jijian, please explain it more clearly."
"I would like to ask Your Highness, the Crown Prince, whether the soaps on the market in recent months are produced by Honghe Manor, which is under your command?"
"yes."
"That's right! Your Highness, as the crown prince, actually manages business affairs. This is not only a matter of competing with the people for profits, but also a great violation of the way of the saints."
"Yang Jijian may not have figured it out. This Honghe Manor was given to me by the Emperor. This soap is indeed produced in Honghe Manor. But why am I involved in this business? Oh, the people in my manor made some local specialties and sold them in the market to improve their lives. What did I do wrong? Yang Jijian, you are in your hometown in Yingtian Prefecture. If your tenants have such an output, would you not allow them to sell it on their own?"
"Your Highness is indeed eloquent. I would like to ask you, Your Highness, you have nothing to do with this soap?"
"This soap is produced by one of my manors, so it is of course related to me. But I did not sell it myself. And the shop selling soap in the capital city has nothing to do with me."
"Humph! Why is the Crown Prince resisting so stubbornly? I dare to ask, if the Crown Prince hadn't been behind this, why wouldn't the Jinyiwei of the entire capital dare to come to collect the relevant taxes? If it weren't for the Crown Prince's pressure, why wouldn't these soap shops be harassed by hooligans?"
"Hiss~~Did you think seriously before you said this? When can the Jinyiwei of my Ming Dynasty directly collect taxes from merchants and shops? Also, are all merchants under the emperor's feet going to be harassed by ruffians? I am not very clear about this."
"Well, Yang Jijian, what you just said is a big deal. If it is as you said , why does the city of Beijing where I live seem to be full of hooligans and gangsters, and the people seem to be suffering? Um, is Wang Zhizhen from the Imperial Guard here?"
"Your Majesty, I, Wang Zhizhen, pay my respects to you. Your Majesty, as the Crown Prince said, the Imperial Guards have absolutely no power to collect rent directly from shops. As for the hooligans, I am incompetent and cannot eliminate them all. However, the shops in the capital will not be harassed by hooligans without the protection of the Crown Prince. What Yang Jieshi said just now is mostly untrue!"
"Hmm~~~Yang Yingwen, do you have anything else to say?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll ask you again, Prince. The soap from Honghe Manor is selling very well and at a very high price. How much profit do you make?"
"Yang Jijian's question is unreasonable. I have never been involved in it myself, so I really don't know."
"Okay, okay, then I'll ask you again, the soap produced by Honghe Manor is selling so well, the profit must be quite large. Does Your Highness have a share of the profits?"
"Oh, of course there is. The whole manor belongs to me, so shouldn't I get a share of the manor's produce? Don't your tenants, Yang Jijian, pay you rent ?"
"That's it. The soap is sold at such a high price that many civilians have to cut back on their spending and diet for a piece of soap. Your Highness, don't you feel pain in your heart for taking the cut?"
"I want to ask Yang Jijian, your tenants have worked for you all year, but in the end they can only barely make ends meet. As the owner, don't you feel guilty?"
"My tenant farmers rent my land and should pay rent..."
"Haha, why don't you continue talking? The villagers of Honghe Village produce on my land, so isn't it only natural that I get a share of the profits?!"
"Then His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can also take a smaller share. This way, the soap can be sold at a lower price. This will not cause as much harm to people's livelihood!"
"Hahahaha~~ You shouldn't say this to me, you should say it to the ministers inside and outside the palace."
As soon as Zhu Youdong said this, Yang Yingwen's face changed rapidly: Oh no, I don't know what's going on, I was actually led astray by the grandson! How come just now he was talking about soap being too expensive, but now he's talking about reducing the land rent?
Can the land rent be reduced? If you say this, wouldn't you be cutting yourself off from the officialdom?
Humph! In the era when I traveled through time, spoofing was a necessary skill for everyone who was online, otherwise they couldn't survive on the Internet . Besides, you beasts in human clothing think it's natural to collect rent from others, but I am guilty of treason for making a little money. What kind of logic is this?
"My family collects rent every year, but every few years, we also use some money to build bridges and roads. Your Highness, as the crown prince, should do the same."
"Hahahaha~~ No need to remind me of this matter , I'm already doing it." After saying this, Zhu Youdong turned to face Wanli: "Grandpa Emperor, your grandson has an unreasonable request."
"Hehe, but it's okay to talk about it."
"My grandson asks the Emperor to allow two common people to enter the palace. They have important matters concerning the people's livelihood in the Ming Dynasty to report to the Emperor and the ministers."
"I thought it was something else. My Zhu family started from humble beginnings, and our great ancestor's teachings are to care for the people. If these two people really have something to improve the people's livelihood in our Ming Dynasty, what's wrong with me meeting them in this Huangji Palace?"
After a while, the voices of dozens of Han generals rang out outside the palace gate: The emperor has ordered Wu Youxing and Cao Sanxi to come to the palace for an audience!
Zhu Youdong had waited too long for today's grand court meeting and had been preparing for it for too long.
He knew clearly that for an emperor, emotions were a very luxurious thing. Although most emperors of the Ming Dynasty were more like ordinary people, they were emperors after all. It was unreliable to talk about emotions with an emperor.
According to the development of history, Wanli still had at least a dozen years to live. During these ten years, Zhu Youdong could not do nothing and wait foolishly for the throne to be passed to him. If he did something, he would inevitably be attacked. Once or twice is nothing, but if it happens too many times, the emperor will get annoyed.
Therefore, he has been suppressing his subordinates, waiting for such a grand court meeting: I will slap you in the face once and make you hurt and disabled! I may not be able to control you for a lifetime, but at least I can make you quiet for a while. In this way, the emperor will not find me annoying. I can also quickly launch more things in the future.
In addition, today's grand court meeting was not only aimed at the censors, but also aimed at driving Prince Fu out of the capital as soon as possible for his father, the crown prince. For this reason, he did not hesitate to suppress Wu Youxing's demands again and again, and put this trump card aside until this moment!
