Shi Fenglai watched Wei Zhongxian pacing back and forth in the room, and couldn't help but fell into deep thought.
Lin Ping'an's words about opening industrial and commercial taxes touched him so much that he wanted to applaud at that time.
If this policy is implemented in the Ming Dynasty, it will definitely bring huge rewards to the Ming Dynasty court. As for those people who Lin Pingan said will feel pain, he feels that they should have been hurt long ago.
Shi Fenglai was actually a man with ideals and ambitions, but his official career was bumpy. In 1607, at the age of forty-four, he won the first place in the imperial examination. Then he made great efforts and won the second place in the palace examination, and was awarded the Hanlin Academy by the imperial court. He took the post of editor and began his official career in the Ming Dynasty.
At that time, the Donglin Party was at its peak. However, Shi Fenglai believed that most of the Donglin Party members were rhetorical figures and could not accomplish anything practical, so he did not join the Donglin Party. Competition, he is more inclined to support the Zhejiang Party.
But even so, like many people, he could only endure his qualifications as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, without seeing a glimmer of hope at all.
After several years of this, finally in 1612, he was awarded the position of Shao Zhanshi of Zhanshi Mansion. To put it bluntly, he was the tutor of the emperor's family.
Although this position did not have much real power, it had great potential. Later, with the accession of Emperor Tianqi, Wei Zhongxian gradually came to power and became a popular figure in the Ming Dynasty.
This had to make Shi Fenglai rethink his life. After careful consideration, he decided to seize this opportunity and cling to Wei Zhongxian to achieve his political ambitions, because his age could no longer allow him to wait like this.
As long as he can do things for the Ming Dynasty, it doesn't matter what party he belongs to. This is Shi Fenglai's principle of doing things.
What Lin Ping'an said was indeed an excellent way to reduce farmers' taxes and start industrial and commercial taxes. Only in this way can the decline of the Ming Dynasty be fundamentally reversed. Shi Fenglai fully agreed with this.
In fact, he had thought about these ideas, but others were too soft-spoken and did not dare to put them forward rashly, so today he took advantage of Lin Ping'an's words to put forward this opinion to Wei Zhongxian.
However, what he didn't expect was that Wei Zhongxian was surprised by this, and his reaction made him very confused.
"Did he have such a plan for a long time?"
Shi Fenglai looked at Wei Zhongxian who was in deep thought, and couldn't help but feel a little shocked.
"If that's the case, then my previous understanding of this nine-thousand-year-old man is completely wrong."
He thought silently in his heart, because in his heart, he looked down on Wei Zhongxian extremely. The other person was just an illiterate gangster. He could become such a highly respected minister only because of his relationship with the Hakka family.
If such a person can think of this method, then it is obvious that his view of him is greatly biased.
Thinking of this, he tentatively asked:
"Does Nine Thousand Years Old also have such thoughts?"
Wei Zhongxian stopped, turned his head and looked at the master and said slowly: "I was preparing to make such a suggestion to Your Majesty these days, but I didn't expect that Lin Ping'an would become a roundworm in my stomach."
Speaking of this, Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but laugh.
It seems that I guessed it... Shi Fenglai suddenly felt a sense of awe for Wei Zhongxian at this moment. This feeling made him feel very funny. How could a person like him have such respect for a person? Does the eunuch feel like this?
At this time, Wei Zhongxian continued to say:
"The three suggestions made by Lin Ping'an are very good. Some people have said before that reopening the maritime ban will give those Japanese pirates an opportunity to take advantage of them. However, from our point of view, how can the Ming Dynasty be afraid of those Japanese pirates? As long as we are strong, Japanese pirates will So what if it comes?
As for the reduction of taxes on the people, it is even more pertinent. Where did the bandits of the Ming Dynasty come from? It’s not just the peasants who can’t afford to eat. In my opinion, as long as they have food to eat, clothing to wear, and a house to live in, who is mentally ill to rebel?
Although it is difficult to start the industrial and commercial tax, it will bring many benefits to our country. In this regard, the Donglin Party members are very wrong. They only know that increasing the country’s revenue must start with increasing taxes, but they never thought of starting from themselves. Come on, this is a typical self-interested villain! "
Shi Fenglai nodded repeatedly after hearing this. In the past, he only flattered Wei Zhongxian and blindly flattered Wei Zhongxian. He rarely discussed major court affairs with Wei Zhongxian in such detail. Now after hearing Wei Zhongxian's remarks, he couldn't help but refresh his view of Wei Zhongxian in his heart. .
"What I'm just curious about is why these words came out of Lin Ping'an's mouth?"
Wei Zhongxian looked at Shi Fenglai and said, "Do you think a teenager like him would have such an opinion?"
Shi Fenglai shook his head decisively. To be honest, he also found this incredible.
He thought for a while and said tentatively: "The Suzaku girl in the capital has been very close to Lin Pingan recently. She also accompanied Lin Pingan at this Zhuyuan Poetry Recital."
Hearing this, Wei Zhongxian fell into silence again. After a moment, he raised his head, a light flashed in his eyes, clapped his hands and shouted:
"Now our family finally understands that it is so!"
In fact, when Wei Zhongxian said this, Shi Fenglai already had a faint feeling in his heart, but at this moment he naturally pretended not to know and asked:
"This lowly official is stupid. I wonder what Nine Thousand Years Old understands?"
In Wei Zhongxian's heart, Shi Fenglai was already his confidant, so at this moment he said bluntly:
"Perhaps these words were not spoken by Lin Pingan, but by the old man who planted flowers in the greenhouse through Lin Pingan's mouth."
"Flowers bloom?"
Shi Fenglai cried out.
Wei Zhongxian nodded and said: "There is a night watchman standing behind Lin Ping'an. This is an indisputable fact. It is impossible for a young man like him to say the insightful words just now, so these words must be from the night watchman. mean."
"But the night watchman has never participated in the government affairs, and the flower director has not been in court for a long time. He plants flowers in the flower room every day. What does he mean by saying this?"
Shi Fenglai asked very puzzledly.
After hearing this, Wei Zhongxian was silent again. After a long time, he sighed heavily and said:
"The Night Watch only obeys the orders of His Majesty the Emperor and the person holding the Xuanyuan Talisman. The Xuanyuan Talisman has not appeared in the world for a long time. Even I don't know what it looks like. Who do you mean by this?"
"Is it your Majesty?"
Shi Fenglai was shocked. He really didn't expect this. Everyone knew that His Majesty only liked to do carpentry work and left all the government affairs to Wei Zhongxian. How could he have such insight?
"Perhaps we have all misjudged Your Majesty."
When he said this, Wei Zhongxian felt a chill down his spine. He thought of the emperor who only carpenter's work every day, and felt a little uneasy inexplicably.
Shi Fenglai was also shocked at this moment and looked at Wei Zhongxian at a loss.
"If this is the case, then what kind of person is your Majesty?"
He thought in his heart, and at the same time, the same question arose in Wei Zhongxian's heart.
He originally thought that he was very familiar with Zhu Youxiao, but until this moment, he realized that he did not know the emperor at all.
"Your Majesty, has he been pretending to be confused?"
A terrible thought arose in Wei Zhongxian's mind. Thinking of the fact that Emperor Wanli had not been in court for decades but still knew everything about the court's movements, he suddenly felt his head buzzing.
"Is this the tradition of Lao Zhu's family?"
"They all like to pretend to be confused while pretending to understand, pretending to be pigs and eating tigers?"
This discovery shocked Wei Zhongxian. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.
His Majesty's intention was definitely to start the industrial and commercial tax, but he just didn't want to face so many objections, so he gave the instructions to the Night Watchman. The Night Watchman never participated in government affairs, so he could only speak through the mouth of a thirteen-year-old boy. I will draw it out, firstly to see everyone's reaction, and secondly, to see who can be the first to understand the emperor's meaning and put forward this idea at the court meeting.
"This winding is quite far!"
Wei Zhongxian breathed a long sigh of relief, and his mood immediately improved. Since the emperor's ideas coincided with his own, why didn't he meet the emperor immediately and express this idea to him first?
Thinking of this, he said to Shi Fenglai:
"You have been in Zhanshi Mansion for many years, so you should think about contributing more to the imperial court. I will go to see the Holy Emperor right now, and I will definitely find a decent position with you."
After saying this, he ignored Shi Fenglai, turned around and left the house, heading straight for the palace.
