HLnovel Chapter 661 The Finances of the Ming Dynasty
Chapter 661 The Finances of the Ming Dynasty
Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who currently only uses one reign title and has no intention of changing it, is furious!
More than thirty, are they using one of these two a year? Needless to say, the people behind them are definitely following suit!
Alright, alright, it's his turn. As soon as he does something, these ministers start criticizing him. No emperor after him has ever encountered someone like Wei Zheng, who can act as he pleases!
The more Li Shimin thought about it, the angrier he became. He wanted nothing more than to beat up his incompetent descendants. Fine, he couldn't touch them, but what about his eldest son, Li Zhi?!
Wait, your father is going to give you a good beating!
Li Zhi, still a young child: ??? Father, love me one more time!
Little Zhu Di: We feel the same pain!
……
During the Hongwu era, Prince Zhu Gang of Jin, still angry, said sarcastically, "Oh, the eternally happy Emperor (Di), what a good reign title you've chosen, what a brilliant one!"
Qin King Zhu Shuang chimed in, "Oh! Happy Emperor (Di), this is exactly how you should use this reign title!"
Zhu Di was speechless. Why were these two teasing him? Were they taking revenge for his son? Yongle was so much better!
He felt he hadn't done anything wrong. Whoever came would have to reduce the power of the princes. At most, he would have to take good care of his nephew out of "brotherly" affection!
Old Zhu sighed, rubbing his forehead. His sons, oh dear, they wanted to see just how prosperous the Yongle era, as their descendants had described it, truly was!
……
"In short, the reign title Yongle was decided just like that. Although it's unclear whether Judy knew about it or not, whether this reign title was passed down through several hands or was reserved for rebels!"
"I guess the ministers have realized why the Prince of Yan was able to defeat his nephew. There's a reason for it! It's confirmed! It makes sense!"
Judy, the Great General Who Conquers the North: My nephew has gone missing, and as his uncle, I have no choice but to take up the mantle of my father's legacy!
"The first and second emperors of the Ming Dynasty referred to the system as the Hongwu Old System and the Jianwen New Policies. When Zhu Di ascended the throne, he ordered the abolition of the Jianwen New Policies and the restoration of the old system."
"In the Jiangnan region, taxes were heavy during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign. Jianwen's reforms reduced them, but this upheaval brought the situation back to pre-liberation levels."
"But it must be said that some of Zhu's policies were indeed problematic, such as the Ming Treasure Notes."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang, in the early years of the Hongwu reign, was furious. How could there be a problem with his paper money?!
"The Ming Dynasty's finances seem to give people the impression that it is rich, but also that it is poor. After all, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen could not even pay for the war. Even if he had money, it was exploited at every level, and very little actually reached the soldiers and the people."
"Even the descendants of princes are limited by poverty. The direct line princes are better off, but the lower-ranking members of the royal family are the unfortunate ones."
"Some deliberately commit crimes just to find a free place—the Imperial Clan Court—to eat and sleep; others inherit their family businesses and beg in the marketplace, etc." (Veritable Records of Emperor Shizong of Ming).
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: "..."
"It can be said that the government was short of money in the later period of the Ming Dynasty, but the officials, gentry and landlords of the Ming Dynasty were rich. Therefore, in summary, Zhu Yuanzhang's financial management ability has always been quite doubtful."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Old Zhu flew into a rage, as if someone had pointed a finger at him and yelled: "Old Zhu, you're no good at making money!!"
How could his meticulously designed finances fail, causing the collapse of the Ming Dynasty's economy?!
Enraged, Zhu Yuanzhang swept his gaze across the crowd. His rebellious sons covered their mouths and chuckled. "Great," he thought, "they've found a scapegoat." He roared, "You tell me! What's wrong with our policies?!"
The Prince of Qin, Zhu Shuang, who was called upon: ?! This junior is supposed to know how to say it? Just copy the answers!
However, with Zhu Yuanzhang watching him closely, his brothers secretly distanced themselves from him, fearing they would be implicated. The King of Qin, already in a terrible predicament, was furious. He thought, "What are you saying! These disloyal brothers?!"
"Father, the Yongle Emperor is here! You should find the fourth prince!" The Prince of Qin pointed with his hand, his quickness in shifting the blame astonishing.
Zhu Di, who had just been gloating, now looked serious and shoved the small screen in front of his father, saying, "Father, please look!"
Old Zhu: (?o?o)...
……