Nanjing Imperial Palace.
Zhu Gaoxu was chatting with Zheng He.
The legend has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
"Your Highness, the customs has been officially used, but it has caused a lot of trouble."
"Oh?" Zhu Gaoxu frowned, "What's going on?"
Zheng He looked solemn and his tone was a little heavy.
"Since the imperial court abolished the national policy of maritime ban, overseas trade is now on the right track."
"The five major customs have all played their regulatory role. The navy has deployed ships to patrol smuggling ships in various places where smuggling may occur. According to the customs system established by His Highness, once a smuggling ship is detected, the ship and the goods will be confiscated."
"But that's the problem. Many of the fleets are backed by high-ranking officials. They also want to participate in making huge profits at sea, and because of the status of the big names behind them, they are unwilling to pay customs duties. Instead, the fleets and goods are impounded. Finally, I used my connections to get those dignitaries to put pressure on my Navy!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu's face suddenly turned cold.
That’s what happened!
He is really not afraid of death!
Dare to threaten the navy for huge profits at sea!
Zheng He said worriedly: "I heard that a large number of courtiers have impeached our navy for being arrogant and domineering and competing for profits with the people!"
To be honest, Zheng He was not afraid at all of the unwarranted impeachment by those high-ranking officials.
But the problem is that there is no one in the navy in the court!
If there are too many people impeached, as the saying goes, "three people make a tiger", I am afraid that His Majesty the Emperor will also be dissatisfied with the Navy, and then it will really be an unreasonable disaster.
"Most of them are those high-ranking officials and local gentry who colluded together to try to divide the power of our Navy and make the Navy hand over control of the five major customs so that they can get involved and seek personal gain!"
Zheng He directly stated the purpose of those people, and then wisely shut his mouth.
All that needs to be said has been said.
Next, it depends on how the prince responds.
After all, the greatest confidence of the Ming Dynasty Navy is the prince in front of him!
Zhu Gaoxu knocked on the table and thought for a moment, then chuckled.
"Don't worry, let them make trouble!"
"If you want to trade overseas, we welcome you. Pay customs duties according to the rules!"
"If you don't want to pay tariffs, you just want to earn money all over the world. How can there be such a good thing in this world!"
Zhu Gaoxu sneered for a while, and then gave Zheng He some reassurance.
"The person standing behind the navy is not just me, the prince, but also His Majesty the Emperor and the entire Ming Dynasty royal family!"
"So these idiots think that by impeaching you Zheng He and bringing you down, the customs will be theirs. They are really asking for their own death!"
Hearing this, Zheng He suddenly understood and a smile appeared on his face.
In other words, those people are competing for interests with the royal family!
Since Zheng He's voyages to the West, the royal family has been responsible for maritime trade.
Nowadays, the imperial court has divided the financial power to the Ministry of Revenue, which is responsible for collecting commercial taxes, and sea trade tariffs are the focus!
Those idiots were dazzled by the benefits. If they wanted to get a piece of the pie, they were tantamount to grabbing power and money from the Ming Dynasty royal family!
What the outcome will be is naturally self-evident!
"It makes you stupid!"
"Wealth and silk are so touching!"
Zheng He let out a long sigh.
Zhu Gaoxu took a sip of tea.
"The navy has nothing to worry about."
"The imperial court will only increase its investment in the navy next!"
"So you, Zheng He, don't have to be afraid of anyone. No matter what happens, I, the prince, will support you!"
"As for those people you just mentioned, let them make trouble for the time being. I will compile a letter and send it back to the capital to say hello to the old man."
It’s time to clean up a bunch of clowns.
At the same time, the Beijing Imperial Palace.
All the officials in the court came to discuss the matter.
But their faces are not very pretty.
Because the theme of today's discussion is all related to women.
Whether it is the abolition of the human burial system, the prohibition of women's foot binding, or the prohibition of drowning of girls, etc., it can be said that they are all emancipation policies for women.
Everyone was a little surprised after hearing this, and when they thought about the rumors that had appeared in recent days, they also had vague speculations in their hearts.
Couldn't these be all the prince's ideas?
Why are you so depraved that you only focus on pleasing women?
However, this idea can only be thought in the mind, and no one dares to say a word.
After all, the prince is the crown prince, so how dare they discuss it.
Zhu Di looked at the strange expressions of the ministers, and his old face seemed a little uneasy.
"Ahem, what the prince means is that this will help promote the population growth of our Ming Dynasty!"
"After all, women are also our subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and they can also increase the productivity of our country. Now the Ming Dynasty is in a period of rapid development, but there is a shortage of manpower everywhere. Therefore, it is indeed a good idea to liberate some restrictions on women and promote the growth of the population of the Ming Dynasty. idea."
After hearing this, the ministers began to discuss.
However, most are opposed to it.
After all, this is too outrageous!
Under the constant ideological constraints of Cheng-Zhu Confucianism, they have long been accustomed to the idea of strong men and weak women.
Now that the imperial court is required to introduce corresponding policies to elevate the status of women, it is indeed difficult for the officials to accept it for a while.
However, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs, expressed his opinion directly and approved of the prince's actions.
"Your Majesty, I think this is feasible."
"Freeing some restrictions on women is a good thing for the development of Ming Dynasty."
As long as it is conducive to the development of Ming Dynasty, Xia Yuanji will support it.
The Minister of the Ministry of Finance is now focused on this matter, hoping to see the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty in his lifetime!
After Xia Yuanji expressed his stance, the officials could only choose to acquiesce.
Zhu Di nodded with satisfaction and immediately ordered the cabinet to issue a decree and issue corresponding policies.
Now that the big thing has been solved, there’s one little thing left.
Zhu Di looked at the court officials meaningfully and said with a smile: "I have heard a lot of rumors recently, and I have also seen many memorials impeaching the Navy for fighting for profits with the people!"
"My dear friends, are you involved in this matter?"
Hearing this, all the ministers were shocked!
Be it customs duties or commercial taxes and miscellaneous taxes, since the royal family divided the financial power, they are all the property of the royal family!
But there are some people who are not afraid of death. They are jealous of the huge profits of maritime trade and want to get a piece of the pie by impeaching the Navy!
But the court ministers present all knew that it was the royal family's money. Aren't you planning to compete with the royal family for profit?
Even if they had the courage, they would not dare to do this!
So all the officials shook their heads and immediately distanced themselves from this matter!
If you want to seek death on your own, please don’t involve me!
Zhu Di's expression softened slightly when he saw this. He knew that these important ministers were not involved.
As for those clowns, they are all insignificant characters.
Zhu Di had long wanted to clean out these idiots, but he still wanted to see how far they could go, so he kept his troops on hold.
"Everyone does his job!"
"The cabinet is not allowed to view memorials related to Navy Customs."
Zhu Di ordered in a cold voice, causing all the officials to tremble.
If they guessed correctly, His Majesty the Emperor is preparing to go on a killing spree!
