There is a rainbow after the storm, and the Forbidden City is still the Forbidden City.
It’s still majestic with gold tiles and red walls!
But if you look closely, the Forbidden City does not seem to look like the original Forbidden City.
The pavilions, terraces, pavilions and pavilions are all there, but no one from the old days comes.
Newcomers don't know the good things about spring and autumn, they only see the emperor sitting on a high platform.
The Forbidden City will not change, the emperor will not change, only the people will change!
Prince Liujin still studied in Wenhua Hall every day, but the eunuch beside him was replaced by a stranger.
A man in his thirties, very burly, ugly, and not very talkative. He always lowers his head and lowers his hands, with an expressionless face.
His name is Chen, which is wrong!
It is said that he used to be the head eunuch of the Honorary Room. It is said that he was personally selected by the Queen. It is said that no one has ever seen him smile.
There is also the old concubine Guo. She took the late emperor's concubines and moved to the Xiaoling Mausoleum. She said she wanted to guard the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu Gao, so the huge Forbidden City became even more empty.
Some people know the reasons behind all this, some are ignorant, and some are at a loss...
There are countless speculations from the outside world, but as time goes by, such speculations are like the wind blowing through the Forbidden City, getting further and further away!
~
As soon as autumn passes, winter comes suddenly.
This year's winter not only came early, but was also extremely cold. The sky was even gloomy. Occasionally something cold fell, and I didn't know whether it was rain or snow.
The emperor was afraid of people, but he also hated the cold. So early on, the eunuchs burned the earth dragon in Qianqing Palace to make the palace as warm as spring.
In the palace, a pot of orchids bloomed silently on the windowsill.
Zhu Yunxi stood in front of the window covered with kraft paper, looked at the gray sky outside, and said, "Winter comes early this year, and the frost is also early. I'm afraid it will affect farming!"
Behind him was Li Zhigang, who had just returned to the capital from Hebei and other places.
I haven't seen him in nearly half a year. He has lost a lot of weight, but his energy is extremely high.
"Your Majesty is thinking of all the people, and all the people in the world are lucky!" Li Zhigang said.
Zhu Yunxi continued to look out the window, "It's so cold in the south, and you can imagine it in the north. Once farming is affected, people's lives will be difficult! The Ministry of Revenue just gave me a discount, saying that to prepare for a rainy day, it is best to delay the delay in some states.
Government taxes!"
"He also said that the state governments should quickly report their grain reserves to prepare for emergencies!"
Li Zhigang was silent for a moment, and glanced at the emperor's back, "Actually, from my point of view, it doesn't have to be like this!" He paused as he counted, "Our Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and small disasters cannot be avoided. When encountering a lack of integrity,
It's good to make a big fuss about it, which seems a bit unfair to me!"
"The so-called plan does not change quickly! If there is a disaster, the disaster situation in different places will be completely different, and the handling will be prioritized. No matter how the central government prepares, it must look at the actual local situation. If it does not care about local affairs, it will take care of itself according to its own
Act on your ideas!”
"Sometimes it might be counterproductive!" Li Zhigang said, glancing at Zhu Yunxi's back again, "Besides, our Ming Dynasty's state capitals have sufficient granary reserves. With disaster grain allocations, there is no need to act nervously from top to bottom.
It makes people panic!"
"If there is really a disaster, it can't be stopped, so just treat it! If you make such a big fanfare before the disaster comes, then it will be a false alarm. Not only will you lose face, but it will also delay other official matters in the court!"
This is what Zhu Yunxi likes about Li Zhigang. This person is not completely flattering, but has his own views on the DPRK. His starting point is sometimes far more practical than others.
Zhu Yunxi smiled slightly, but still did not turn around, "They have good intentions. After all, there have been constant disasters in the past few years, and they are also afraid of them!"
"What the emperor said is absolutely true. The intentions of the princes in the court are good!" Li Zhigang said again, "But in my opinion, it is inevitable that it is a little too superficial! If the central leader moves his mouth, he will break his leg. The princes in the court are
We have all the dignity and respect, and we have the people’s livelihood through benevolent government and caring for the people, but the people below can’t help but complain endlessly!”
"Furthermore, disaster years have always been a time for officials to take action. Now that the disaster has disappeared, preparations have begun. There must be someone secretly helping!"
Zhu Yunxi smiled and curled his lips silently.
Li Zhigang is still the same Li Zhigang. While expressing his own opinions, he never forgets to step on others.
"I have to say something inappropriate. The princes in the court should go and see the place!" Li Zhigang added, "In fact, the disaster is not that terrible, and the people are not so easy to die of cold and hunger. When encountering a minor disaster,
The people will always find their own solutions! How can the imperial court manage such a huge world? Once taxes are delayed, it will be difficult to collect them again."
Hearing this, Zhu Yunxi frowned.
This is what he doesn't like about Li Zhigang. Deep down in his heart he is too cold, and everything is based on interests.
"You did a good job on your errand in the north!" Zhu Yunxi finally turned around, sat down casually, and held the warm stove in his hands, "The gentry in the north asked you to do a lot, and there are two more people on the yellow book of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
We have made great achievements in the land, and we have firmly put a stop to this unhealthy trend of helping others to obtain tax exemptions from their own land. You have done a great job!"
Zhu Yunxi's appreciation made Li Zhigang's heart suddenly feel hot.
Strange to say, he was not corrupt as an official, and he did not even pay much attention to enjoyment, but he could not stop praising the emperor.
"If you give me some more time, I will tell those gentry how to spit it out after they have eaten it!" Li Zhigang said, "I have actually calculated in private that just because the big landowners are hanging on the gentry, over the years, I will let them spit it out!"
The unpaid taxes are an astronomical sum!"
"They violated the national law by attaching the land to the gentry, so they were given an advantage by reporting the land truthfully! They should be held accountable, not only to make up for the previous years' taxes, but also to add penalty interest!"
"ruthless!"
Zhu Yunxi secretly thought, Li Zhigang is more ruthless than the emperor!
The emperor just wanted to stop the gentry class from relying on their privileges to help others get tax exemptions. But Li Zhigang wanted to directly confiscate other people's homes and fine them money.
It sounds like it's to relieve anger, but Zhu Yunxi can't do it, and he doesn't dare to do it at this stage.
That is tantamount to offending not only the gentry class, but also the landlord class. To make a fortune is to kill one's parents!
"There are priorities!" Zhu Yunxi crossed his legs, "Do it step by step!" He said, and then said, "You can rest for some time, and then go to the southern provinces to continue the investigation!"
After saying this, he suddenly smiled and said, "You are an official from the Jiangnan line. You should know that the real difficulty is yet to come!"
"In fact, it's not difficult to just track down the tax evasion in Guadaan!" Li Zhigang said sternly, "After all, it's state law, and whether it's a gentry or an official, when faced with the facts, they can't deny it, they can only admit it. And so far.
, before the emperor has issued an order to revoke their privileges, they will not be so ignorant of current affairs!"
"The most difficult part is that we have to take away their privileges and at the same time require them to pay taxes and grains!" Li Zhigang added, "There will definitely be trouble, but if I say something unpleasant, it is nothing more than that I will risk my life and lose my reputation.
They are just killing a group of disobedient people. Is it possible that they still dare to rebel?"
Suddenly, Zhu Yunxi suddenly realized that something was wrong with Li Zhigang today.
In his report, it seemed that the focus was not on the new policies that were about to be promoted, but on purpose to lead Zhu Yunxi to follow him.
If it were in the past, this guy would still have to take credit!
"What exactly do you want to say?" Zhu Yunxi put down the heater and asked seriously.
"In that case, I will speak frankly!" Li Zhigang's eyes flashed with light, "I discovered a huge shortcoming of our Ming Dynasty in the northern provinces. If we don't start working on it now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to recover in the future!"
This chapter has been completed!