bookrandom Chapter 1298
Chapter 1298
After all, they had to bring up the matter first. Zhu Yunwen already felt there wasn't enough time, so he naturally hoped they would return as soon as possible.
"Summon them immediately!" Zhu Yunwen immediately put down his imperial edict and said impatiently to Ma Sanbao. Then, he asked anxiously about Zhuo Jing, who had gone to Sichuan: "Now that Yuan Tai has returned, is there any news from Zhuo Jing?"
Seeing his master's eager look, Ma Sanbao was a little helpless, but he still said seriously, "Your Majesty, please don't be impatient. Lord Zhuo has also sent word in advance. I estimate that it will be either today or tomorrow."
Zhu Yunwen's eyes sharpened, and he nodded: "Alright, you should go and summon Yuan Tai to see me first." Even if he was anxious, things had to be done one by one.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ma Sanbao replied immediately, and then left the Qianqing Palace.
Not long after.
Then Yuan Tai slowly walked in.
He was only dressed in casual clothes, looking somewhat disheveled, thinner, and more haggard, as if he had just returned to Yingtian Prefecture after a long journey and had come to the palace immediately.
"Your humble servant Yuan Tai greets Your Majesty!"
"Long live your Majesty, long live, long live your Majesty!"
After not seeing him for more than a month, Yuan Tai bowed deeply to Zhu Yunwen. Although he looked haggard and tired, there was a hint of excitement in his voice.
Zhu Yunwen immediately raised his hand slightly: "My dear minister, you have worked hard in Lingnan for a long time and have returned weary from your journey. There is no need for formalities. Please rise."
Hearing Zhu Yunwen's gentle voice carrying a hint of concern.
Yuan Tai's heart stirred, and as he slowly rose, he couldn't help but glance at Zhu Yunwen, who was completely different from his previous impression. A sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a feeling of mixed emotions, including regret and reflection) welled up within him.
Not long ago, I was at odds with His Majesty at every turn, almost to the point of criticizing him mercilessly in any situation. I never imagined that this young emperor was so clear-headed and thoughtful, and even more determined to create a peaceful and prosperous Ming Dynasty...
Therefore, even towards himself who had spoken rudely on many occasions, he still treated him with great favor and respect.
"Such vision and magnanimity..."
"This truly puts us to shame," Yuan Tai thought to himself.
On the surface, he spoke with a grateful but loud voice: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"
However, with his mission on his mind, he could only silently tell himself, "I must repay His Majesty's kindness with my life." Then he took a deep breath and suppressed his mixed feelings.
He steadied his gaze and said, "Your Majesty, this time I secretly traveled to the Guangdong area. With the assistance of the local Imperial Guards, I blended in with the people as an ordinary citizen and secretly visited many places to inquire... What I saw and heard... can only be described as shocking!"
"Just as Your Majesty had anticipated."
"Most officials, gentry, scholars with tax exemption privileges from the imperial court, etc., all have more or less the problems that His Majesty mentioned earlier!"
"They accept land donated by people who cannot afford taxes, but then hide these people from the public or allow them to register under someone else's name, using their tax-free allowances to seek personal gain..."
"If that's all there is to it, it can still be considered good."
"After my own investigation and assessment, and after comparing it with the fish-scale registers of land in the local areas, I discovered that some gentry and landlords had colluded with clerks to under-register a lot of land, even back when the registers were first established in the Hongwu era."
"And then there's a portion of gentry and landlords..."
"They more covertly use the 'sprinkling' method to evade taxes and harm the people."
"The so-called 'flying distribution'... refers to the practice of falsely reporting one's land ownership as numerous insignificant small shares, which are then 'flyed' to poor farmers in the same or neighboring villages, who then share the tax burden on these lands. This results in many 'landless taxes,' meaning people who have no land are required to pay taxes, while the true landowners escape punishment."