Facing Zhu Di's anger and threat, Zhu Zhanxin's expression did not change.
Scholars, farmers, merchants, and businessmen had always looked down on merchants because of their mobility.
In ancient times, where productivity was not developed, there must be enough labor to cultivate in order to ensure the country's food supply.
Merchants did not engage in agriculture or even production. Their mobility and wealth were even more disadvantageous to the court. In order to consolidate the foundation of the country, the rulers belittled merchants.
It was important to belittle merchants to prevent the common people from abandoning agriculture, but they should not belittle merchants.
Later on, Da Ming didn't even need to wait for long.
After Zhu Zhanji's son succeeded to the throne, the consequences of underestimating merchants had already erupted.
Thinking of this, Zhu Zhanyi raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Di. He said bluntly,"The farmers are the citizens of our Ming Dynasty, and so are the merchants!”
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, who were standing at the side, were so angry that they almost had a heart attack.
Father/Imperial Grandfather was already so angry, why was Zhan Jue still so stubborn, insisting on bumping into him!
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji sighed in their hearts at the same time.
In view of Zhu Di's previous words, the two of them did not dare to make a sound. They were afraid that not only would they not successfully plead for Zhu Zhanxin, but they would also completely ignite Zhu Di's anger.
Hearing Zhu Zhanxin's words, Zhu Di was furious and suddenly stood up from the dragon throne.
"Agriculture is the foundation of the country!"
"Merchants are opportunistic and do not engage in production. It is not beneficial to the country but harmful!”
"They are greedy for benefits. As long as there are enough benefits, morality and ethics can be ignored! In their eyes, the lives of the commoners were not even worth a few taels of silver!”
"You said that merchants are also citizens of Great Ming, could it be that Zhen didn't protect them?”
"If Zhen really did not treat them as citizens of my Ming Dynasty, I would not care about their life and death!”
"It was Taizu who cleaned up the old rivers and mountains and stabilized the world! It was I who ruled the world so that they could do business!”
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji were extremely nervous.
At this moment, Zhu Gaochi finally knew how Zhu Zhanji felt when he was confronting Zhu Di and quarreling endlessly.
Zhu Zhanji didn't flinch at all and looked straight at Zhu Di.
"The land of the Nine Prefectures has been persecuted by the former Yuan Dynasty. Not only are there many Chinese people who are in dire straits, but there is also desolation everywhere!”
"After my Ming Dynasty established the country, although we lowered taxes and allowed the people to recuperate, our finances were in the red for years and we couldn't make ends meet! As a result, the national treasury is now empty!"
"The national treasury is empty. How can it support the operation of the country? How do we protect the people?"
"The land of taxes is the foundation!"
Zhu Di raised his sharp eyebrows, his eyes cold and angry, his sharp gaze piercing towards Zhu Zhanyi.
"It's precisely because the land of taxes is the foundation that we can't raise taxes!”
"Why did Great Ming implement such low taxes? They even lowered it again and again because they knew that the people were suffering so that they could recuperate and recover their vitality!”
Hearing this.
Zhu Zhan Xin couldn't help but shake his head in his heart. Low taxes were beneficial to the people, but he couldn't ignore the country's finances.
Not only did he want the people to not suffer from taxes, but he also wanted the national treasury to support the operation of the Ming court. He also had to stick to the old ideas.
All these years, if it wasn't for Xia Yuanji holding onto his money bag tightly and finding ways to balance his income and expenditure, the Great Ming's national treasury wouldn't have been able to support it long ago!
Thinking of this, Zhu Zhan Xin's expression was somewhat pained.
"At the beginning of the founding of the country, it was possible to restore the vitality of the people!”
"But after so many years, the country's expenses are already insufficient. If this continues, it will sooner or later become a disaster that will affect the country's foundation!”
"Salaries require money, the royal family requires money, the army requires money, disaster relief requires money, wars require money, money is needed everywhere! But the treasury was empty, where could they afford these expenses?!”
Zhu Zhanyi questioned Zhu Di again and again. How bold!
Zhu Zhanmo was the emperor's grandson, but at the same time, he was also a subject.
The younger generation questioned the elders, and the subjects questioned the monarch.
This made Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji tremble with fear.
Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but smile bitterly. This couldn't be inherited.
First, his father was always arguing with Imperial Grandfather, and now his younger brother was brazenly contradicting Imperial Grandfather.
Zhu Di looked at the stubborn Zhu Zhanxin and trembled with anger.
"Affect the foundation of the country? Merchants were also a threat to the country!”
"Zhu Zhan Xin! Raising the business tax and raising the status of merchants was shaking the foundation of the country!”
"When the time comes, will you be able to bear the burden of Great Ming's foundation being shaken?!”
Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji's hearts tightened!
Cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.
They couldn't help but scold in their hearts, We've already said this, how can Zhan Jue not understand the danger! If they continued to argue like this and touched the reverse scale of the dragon, how could they protect him!”
Zhu Gaochi did not dare to make a sound and could only secretly give Zhu Zhanshi a look.
However, Zhu Zhanmo cupped his hands and bowed.
"Imperial Grandfather, the crisis of the national treasury cannot be delayed any longer. Even if you don't go to war this time, with the current empty national treasury, it won't last long.”
"Moreover, you still have to go on a northern expedition. This huge expenditure will undoubtedly add to the injury if it falls on the national treasury.”
Zhu Zhanyi understood Zhu Di's concerns.
How could Zhu Di not know that the national treasury was empty?
However, the national treasury could still support it.
In history, the Ming Dynasty's treasury did support Zhu Di's northern expedition until Zhu Zhanji's son succeeded to the throne.
However, this was just a lingering struggle.
It was precisely because he did not save it in time that it collapsed in the end.
If the merchant tax was raised, the damage would be immediate.
The foundation of the Ming Dynasty had collapsed in Zhu Di's hands. Zhu Di, who had already felt guilty towards Taizu, would not have the face to see Taizu in the afterlife.
The fundamental reason for Zhu Di's anger and opposition was that raising the business tax would increase the status of merchants.
However…
Before Zhu Di could scold him.
Zhu Zhanxin's gaze was firm as he looked straight at Zhu Di and said word by word,""Imperial Grandfather! Who said that raising the business tax would raise the status of merchants?”
Zhu Zhan Xin understood the danger of raising the status of merchants.
He had received many years of education in the modern world, and history was a compulsory course in the modern world. He was very clear about the reasons why the ancient times valued agriculture and suppressed commerce. Naturally, he understood what kind of situation the high status of merchants would lead to in a period of backward production.
However, raising the business tax would raise the status of merchants. This was a common thought, and it was not impossible to solve this problem.
When Zhu Zhanxin finished speaking.
Everyone was stunned!
The expressions of the few of them all wrinkled, and their gazes fell on Zhu Zhanxin.
He seemed to be waiting for Zhu Zhan Xin to continue.
Raising the business tax would not raise the status of the merchants. This was beyond their expectations.
Everyone had always believed that the level of taxes would affect one's status.
Zhu Zhan Xin's words almost subverted their understanding.
Zhu Di stared at Zhu Zhanxin, his eyes slightly focused.
Zhu Zhan Xin did not continue. He looked at Zhu Di and bowed,""If Imperial Grandfather trusts me, please let me handle this matter!”
"If anything happens, I'm willing to accept any punishment!”
....
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