Daming: The system rejected my request for salted fish

Chapter 988

Niu He, who originally had a lot to say, was left speechless by Zeng Tai's words.

However, Zeng Tai had no intention of letting him go. Instead of stopping, he continued to attack him.

"According to what you said, revoking the Sihai Chamber of Commerce's road construction rights and returning them to the imperial court would be like breaking faith with the people, just as the Duke of Zhenguo said."

"In the future, all imperial construction projects will no longer be open to tender. The silver mountain will eventually run out, but the nation cannot stand still."

"Do you know how much it costs to build canals, roads, and city walls? Without the benefit of bidding, who will pay for it? You?!"

As the Minister of Revenue, Zeng Tai was best at crying poor and trying all kinds of ways to deal with the emperor, but he just refused to take the money.

No matter how much money there is in the national treasury, he can say that there is no money. Anyway, he is the only one who knows the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue. No one can argue with him on this matter.

Having said this, Zeng Tai suddenly turned around and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, then saluted and said:

"Your Majesty, as a court official, you should relieve the country's worries. However, Niu He's shortsightedness has shown signs of harming the country. Keeping him in the court will only bring disaster."

"I impeach the Censor Niu He. As a Censor, he disregarded Your Majesty's grace and proposed a plan that would bring disaster to the country. He should be dismissed from office as a warning to others!"

It has to be said that Zeng Tai is indeed quite capable to have risen to the position of Minister of Revenue, and he can criticize Niu He without hesitation.

Of course, these are all means of attacking others in official circles, and Zhu Yuanzhang naturally would not really do that.

So after Zeng Tai finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang just waved his hand casually.

"Okay, although Niu He is a bit short-sighted, it's not to the point where he should be dismissed from his post, but he should be on the alert."

"How about this! A 20-stroke cane punishment is a small punishment, but a serious warning. In the future, you must correct your attitude and correct your ways as an official!"

In this way, Niu He, who had just recovered from his illness, received twenty strokes of the cane again.

Watching Niu He being carried out of Fengxian Hall by palace servants, the few people who had just agreed with him did not dare to say anything.

In fact, from the moment Zeng Tai started to get involved in this matter, they knew that things were out of control.

So when Niu He was insulted by Zeng Tai just now, these people acted completely like invisible people.

Now Niu He has been punished with twenty strokes of the cane in court. At this time, the key is to protect himself and not get himself involved.

As for Wei Wu, although he was very happy that Niu He was humiliated, that was Zeng Tai's fault after all.

Now it's his turn to exert his strength.

Therefore, when Zeng Tai's screams were heard outside the palace gate, Wei Wu saluted Zhu Yuanzhang again and said loudly:

"Your Majesty, I have something to ask of you, but before that, I need to ask Master Zeng something."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard Wei Wu suddenly speak, he was also stunned. This was not the process they had agreed on before.

If the previous conferring of titles was all rehearsed, then Wei Wu's words now were beyond Zhu Yuanzhang's expectations.

However, he was also curious about what Wei Wu was going to do, so he agreed immediately.

"Okay, if you have anything to ask, just ask him directly!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After responding to Zhu Yuanzhang, Wei Wu turned around and looked at Zeng Tai and asked bluntly:

"Master Zeng, I'd like to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, what is the current situation in Shandong after the implementation of the land-based tax system in Shandong?"

After hearing what Wei Wu said, not only Zhu Yuanzhang and Zeng Tai, but also the other officials present were all surprised.

They couldn't understand why Wei Wu suddenly brought up the issue of land reform in Shandong at this time.

However, despite being surprised, Zeng Tai quickly came to his senses and gave an answer.

"The implementation of the land-based tax system has been very smooth and effective. I can only use the taxation aspect as an example."

"I originally thought there would be a problem with Shandong's tax revenue, but I didn't expect that not only did the tax revenue not decrease, but it actually increased."

"Also, the people of Shandong have specially made several umbrellas called Wanmin Umbrellas, which are now on their way to the capital."

Umbrella of the People?

When Zeng Tai mentioned the Umbrella of All People, everyone in Fengxian Hall, including Zhu Yuanzhang, except Wei Wu, showed a puzzled expression.

They had never heard of the Umbrella of All People and had no idea what it represented.

The reason why Wei Wu knew about this was because he was the one who secretly asked someone to spread this thing in Shandong.

The reason for spreading this thing in the first place was to win the hearts of the people after Zhu Biao completed the land reform.

The policy of dividing the land tax into individual taxes was like the end of the world for landlords and gentry, but for the common people, it was a benevolent policy that saved them from disaster.

But this reputation cannot last long if it relies solely on the people's praise. There must be something to carry the people's gratitude.

So Wei Wu thought of the Wanmin Umbrella, which was particularly popular in the Qing Dynasty. After all, the Manchus had always practiced this kind of thing.

He did things like the Ten Days of Yangzhou and the Three Massacres of Jiading without any guilt, but he still liked to seek fame and reputation.

Anyway, there is a high probability that there will be no Qing Dynasty in the future, so this Wanmin Umbrella is just right for Zhu Biao to use now.

Of course, Wei Wu would not tell anyone about this matter, so that the people's gift of the Prince the "Wanmin Umbrella" could become a good story.

Just as Wei Wu was secretly proud of his arrangement, Zhu Yuanzhang on the dragon throne looked at Zeng Tai.

He asked a question that all the officials in Fengxian Hall were curious about.

"Zeng Tai, what is this Wanmin Umbrella? Have the local officials ever explained it to you?"

"Your Majesty, it is indeed stated!"

Zeng Tai responded with a salute, and then went straight to the meaning of the Wanmin Umbrella.

"According to local officials, the Wanmin Umbrella was invented by the people of Shandong to represent love and praise for the recipient."

"The cost of making an umbrella for all people is raised spontaneously by the people, and then we find skilled craftsmen to make it."

"In addition, every citizen who contributed money would write his or her name on a small silk strip and hang it on the edge of the umbrella."

"And the umbrellas that were sent to the capital this time are all for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang was just curious about what this umbrella was, because it sounded complicated, after all, it had the word "Wanmin" in it.

It was not until Zeng Tai explained its meaning that Zhu Yuanzhang realized how valuable the "Wanmin Umbrella" was. This was the public opinion!

But this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to hear Zeng Tai say that the Wanmin Umbrella was specially given to Crown Prince Zhu Biao by the people of Shandong.

Zhu Yuanzhang's butt seemed to be installed with a spring, and he bounced up from the dragon throne in an instant.