The construction of the straight road must not be rushed. The current scale and efficiency are very good. It is better to mobilize the refugees to help than to rebel.
The courtiers and officials did not dissuade such punishment. Whether they dared not or had nothing to say is unclear.
But they were all surprised to find that the emperor was no longer as murderous and cruel as before, at least he no longer wanted to get to the bottom of one thing, and he was not implicated too much.
In fact, based on what these people have done and the crimes they committed, this treatment is already very fair.
The case of Shanxi merchants has basically come to an end after the execution of these major businessmen and the officials they protected.
In the next period of time, Zhu Youxiao only had to do one thing well, which was to send trusted ministers and enough troops to various places in Shanxi to raid their homes one by one and count them.
I believe that his internal treasury will be richer than ever before, and he will no longer have to worry about money and food.
Of course, there was no way he could swallow such a big cake by himself. As the saying goes, those who saw something deserved it, and the royal guards and troops who participated in the raids and arrests would naturally be rewarded generously.
People work hard for you, but when you get rich, you don't even have a piece of steamed bun left for them. If this happens again next time, who else will do their best for you?
There is also the Ministry of Household Affairs, which naturally has to be divided into 20% to enter Taicang. Zhu Youxiao cannot always rely on butcher knives and blood to talk to them. If he really forces them into despair, it will only do him no harm. good.
When Zhu Youxiao announced the division, the expressions of the courtiers and officials really improved, especially the officials of the Ministry of Revenue, whose joy was visible to the naked eye.
On the contrary, the nobles standing on the other side looked eagerly at the emperor on the throne, their eyes seemed to be saying something.
Your Majesty, and us, how come we, the pillars of the country and loyal ministers of the emperor, are ignored?
Even the household ministers had benefits. Those who were closer to the emperor naturally didn't want to lag behind others in dividing the benefits. After all, it was just money, and who wouldn't want it?
It's just that they didn't play any part in this matter, and they didn't even know about it, so they didn't dare to say it explicitly, they only dared to hint with their eyes.
Zhu Youxiao secretly thought shamelessly, ignored their expectations, and discussed other matters with the officials.
Seeing that the emperor ignored him, many nobles secretly exchanged glances. Some of them also focused on Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo, who was standing at the front.
But Zhu Chunchen, who had always been the most impetuous, didn't even raise his head in the court today, as if everything had nothing to do with him as long as it didn't happen to him.
Duke Dingguo, who was standing next to him, also looked puzzled. It made no sense. Zhu Chunchen, who had always regarded wealth as his life and thought about how to make profits all day long, seemed to have changed into a different person.
But before he could think about it, he heard the emperor on the throne say:
"Over the past few years, natural disasters have occurred frequently in various places, especially in the north. People's farming has been fruitless, and people are in dire straits!"
"When I was in the southwest, I saw this miserable scene with my own eyes. The people were so hungry that their faces were yellow and their muscles were thin, and the flesh on their bodies could hardly cover their bones!"
"I am still living a wealthy life with fine clothes and fine food. I am so ashamed!"
At this point, Emperor Zhu showed off his poor acting skills again, with a bitter look on his face and intolerable words. If he couldn't cry, he would have to shed two tears.
Seeing the emperor's behavior, the courtiers and officials repeatedly comforted him, saying that this is what God is doing, and there is no way to change it.
However, they were afraid that the emperor would offer tax reductions or even require the treasury to provide support and relief, so they did not forget to remind them that the country was also in trouble, as the old slaves were still making trouble in Liaodong, and money and food were needed in many places.
Zhu Youxiao, who was well aware of the urinary nature of civil servants, did not expect them to serve the people sincerely. They, the nobles at the top, never cared about the people at the bottom.
"The cabinet has drafted an edict, and I want to announce it to the world. From this dynasty, from the second year of Tianqi, I, the Ming Dynasty, will never increase the amount of wealth!"
As soon as this statement came out, the courtiers and officials all looked at the emperor with surprised eyes. Did they hear it correctly? Did these words really come from the mouth of this cruel king?
In fact, in their eyes, Zhu Youxiao was not only stupid and cruel, but also extremely greedy for money. He was also a standard iron rooster who never plucked a dime, and was even more stingy than his grandfather.
That's why they found it inconceivable and shocked that an emperor who spent all his time plundering people's wealth and listening to slanderous rumors and killing loyal people, even if he felt sympathy, was actually willing to give up his own income for the first time.
This made them begin to wonder, is the emperor still the same emperor? Or it may be that the emperor has grown up and matured, or that the queen has been there to bring order to things, which is why today's changes have occurred.
But they did not advise the emperor on whether this policy was feasible or not. After all, it had little to do with them. They themselves did not need to pay taxes.
And they didn't lose anything. The gifts were the emperor's private property. No matter how much or how little they collected, it was the emperor's own business and had nothing to do with them.
Since the emperor wants to be such a bad guy and win over those losers, then let him go.
In short, they still have to collect a lot of the taxes they should collect. They will not be merciful on such a critical issue.
These people only have interests in their eyes, only care about their own benefits, and will not care about those thankless things.
Since the emperor wants to never increase his gifts, he can just let the cabinet draw up the decree. Anyway, their attitude is very clear. They don't support or oppose it. You can make trouble as you please.
So the matter was settled, and Xu Guangqi, the second assistant, drafted the imperial edict, and then the officials of the Sixth Section were responsible for copying it and sending fast horses to convey the edict to the two capitals and thirteen provinces.
And because Shuntian Mansion is at the foot of the emperor, the people living here are naturally the first to receive this good news.
After the court meeting dispersed, the officials walked slowly to the check-in room while whispering to each other, obviously discussing the imperial edict and policy of never increasing taxes.
As for Xungui, they all left the palace in a gloomy mood, each with their own concerns.
After Chengguo Gong Zhu Chunchen got on the carriage, he slapped his palms heavily on the carriage. The fat on his face was squeezed together due to the distortion of his expression, making it extremely ugly.
Seeing that the Grand Duke burst into flames, the two beautiful women who had been waiting in the car were also startled. After looking at each other, they quickly stepped forward and helped the fat man sit down.
One on the left and one on the right hugged the Duke of the State, and he served him with meticulous care.
After returning home, before going to sleep in the cage, servants came to report that more than ten princes, including the Marquis of Dingxi, the Marquis of Funing, the Marquis of Linhuai and the Marquis of Ningyang, requested an interview.
Zhu Chunchen immediately asked his servants to carefully lead them into the back hall, and then showed a sneer.
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