[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor":3,"chapter-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-341":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Wanli, the Enlightened Emperor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2322163,4542,"Chapter 341: Ancient Marshes of the Barren Continent, Drifting Reeds and Scattered Duckweed","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-341",341,"\u003Cp>The next day, at dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, a new official burns three fires upon taking office; though a reappointment lacks the fervor of a fresh appointment, it still brings at least two fires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, in the court deliberation, one fire had already been lit: it burned the Minister of Justice into confessing his incompetence, and it burned the Vice Censor-in-Chief into begging for dismissal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a slow simmer—still far from finished; not to mention, Minister Weng still served in the Nanjing Ministry of Justice, far away and beyond easy reach, unlikely to undergo any sudden redox reaction anytime soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who has ever cooked knows that when slow-simmering, you often light another stove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before dawn, ministers saw the Chief Grand Secretary’s carriage steadily parked outside the Ministry of Revenue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officials passing by hurried their steps, eyes straight ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister Wang Guoguang, as an elder of the New Party and the bureaucrat who authored the Wanli Financial Records, possessed both seniority and ability that gave him an almost “beyond the three realms” aura within court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, when the Chief Grand Secretary arrived unannounced at the Ministry of Revenue and received no formal reception, Zhang Juzheng felt no displeasure; instead, he bowed gently and apologized: “I came without notice—I’ve disturbed your observance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His visit was indeed abrupt; Zhang Juzheng had originally planned to raise the Emperor’s second matter during today’s morning court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the night before, he changed his mind and had no time to notify the Ministry of Revenue in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang rose from his seat, poured soy milk into a teapot, lifted it along with the teacup, and walked toward Zhang Juzheng: “Grand Secretary, have you come to level the Ministry of Revenue’s mountain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which of the Six Ministries doesn’t have a mountain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some are higher, some lower—that’s all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng rose and took the tray with both hands, placing it on the low table: “The Ministry of Revenue’s mountain has already been cleared by Li Youzi; you, Ruiguan, are the fiscal scalpel—why use it to kill a chicken?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their words set the tone for this private conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he hadn’t come to accuse, neither man felt the need to distinguish host from guest; they both sat down on the guest chairs beside the low table, one after the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang lifted the teapot and poured Zhang Juzheng his first cup of soy milk: “Ah, I thought I’d done something wrong and was about to be sentenced to death by His Majesty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Minister was exactly seventy this year, yet he looked more spirited than Zhang Juzheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only his furrowed brows betrayed a lingering gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng half-risen from his seat to receive the teacup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly heard Wang Guoguang’s resentment over yesterday’s court deliberation—indeed, such sentiment was widespread among the elder ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ruiguan, Weng Dali fabricated a wrongful case and murdered three innocent lives—how can we sink to his level and be grouped with him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is “innocent”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It means someone living a normal life, suddenly dragged into prison, crying out to heaven and earth with no answer, clinging to the hope of emerging clean, only to be dragged to the execution ground and slowly carved limb from limb until they bled out screaming in despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is innocence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng disliked soy milk; as he spoke, he only sipped minimally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang listened, then shook his head slightly: “Shuda, I’ve lived my life upright—I’m not afraid to say this even if His Majesty hears it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lives are not equal; you and I, court ministers, know only Weng Dali—who has ever seen a servant girl named Hehua?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, the Ministry of Justice committed a wrongful case, but it was unavoidable—any official who serves a lifetime will make some mistake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we easily condemn Weng Dali to death, who will dare to work earnestly in the future?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Secretary, His Majesty merely seeks to level mountains—why not spare Weng Dali’s life? Even stripping him of titles and exiling him three thousand li would earn the court and realm praise for His Majesty’s benevolence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang wasn’t truly afraid he’d follow Weng Dali’s fate—he’d never once erred since entering office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His early oath-poem—“Wang Guoguang of Shanxi, first posted to Wujiang; if I take even a copper coin, I shall die far from home”—still hung beside him, now displayed in the Ministry of Revenue’s main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He merely wished to plead—and so he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng slowly set down his teacup, silent for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood these elder ministers: Hehua or not Hehua—it was just a name; Weng Dali was a living man, someone he’d met, argued with, remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, having reached the rank of court minister, official documents routinely dealt with deaths numbering in the hundreds or thousands—three lives hardly moved hearts of iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, did Zhang Juzheng care?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng asked himself, and couldn’t help a self-deprecating smile; he shook his head and rejected Wang Guoguang’s plea: “Ruiguan, it’s different—you’d understand if you’d read the case files.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weng Dali and Zhang Guowei didn’t make a mistake—they knew it was a wrongful case and deliberately coerced false confessions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for who will dare to work earnestly in the future… Pan Zhiyi, who refused to close the case, will surely do better than Weng Dali now that he’s been reinstated to the Ministry of Justice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morally and legally, Weng Dali had no standing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But facing his old friend, Zhang Juzheng paused, then added: “Ruiguan, for you and me, we know only Weng Dali; but for the common people outside, Hehua is the living person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Public sentiment often lies in these very cases—just as His Majesty said, the flood that capsizes the boat is made of the people’s tears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We, court ministers, govern the myriad transformations, acting on the Emperor’s behalf to shepherd the people—we must prioritize the greater good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it was Wang Guoguang’s turn to fall silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Minister was never a fluent speaker; Zhang Juzheng’s torrent of moral and strategic reasoning left him speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang sighed again: “Very well. Grand Secretary, why did you come today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had clearly moved past the topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng had no reason to press further and naturally turned to his purpose: “Naturally, for the foundation of the state—the fiscal matter: land surveying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reorganizing the ranks was ultimately for the sake of action—never let means overshadow ends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor has always been clear on this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang frowned slightly and asked bluntly: “What difficulty could land surveying possibly hold that His Majesty couldn’t decide on himself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless it was a dispute over policy direction, ordinary administrative issues only prompted such hesitation when court opinion was evenly split.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like yesterday’s Hehua case—he waited for someone to mediate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng didn’t beat around the bush; he reached into his sleeve and pulled out several memorials: “In Huguang, the land survey triggered disputes among counties; the Provincial Governor submitted them to the throne.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His Majesty couldn’t decide, so he asked me to consult with court ministers. I myself am uncertain—I came to seek your advice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed two memorials on the low table and gently pushed them toward Wang Guoguang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Land surveying relied on local county magistrates to execute, but each magistrate’s character and ability differed, leading to varied methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take Huguang as an example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Daye County, gentry were first ordered to survey their own land, then the county office verified it—“Let them measure themselves, then we verify.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You County was more meticulous: it established a complete grassroots cadre team and personally oversaw every step—“Divide into groups and assign duties: measurers, calculators, record-keepers, each with fixed roles, ensuring fairness in distribution and supervision during measurement… all land dimensions, irregular and uneven, are measured with ropes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang’an County was the boldest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It outright confiscated gentry-owned official land—“After the Wanli Eighth Year survey, all land was reclassified as civilian land, no official land remained.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, each county acted independently; if the prefecture cooperated, it was merely competition—but if the prefecture was hostile, verbal battles erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The memorials Zhang Juzheng placed on the table were precisely such a case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng laid the memorials before Wang Guoguang, explaining: “First, His Majesty feared unrest from uncovering hidden households, so he decreed a three-year exemption from head tax, temporarily shifting the tax burden onto land tax (Chapter 188).”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After this decree was announced to all prefectures and counties, debate erupted, then intensified—now it’s become an uproar in the provinces.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang frowned deeper, increasingly puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked skeptically at Zhang Juzheng: “If it’s merely a temporary measure for three years, to be lifted immediately after, why is the uproar so fierce?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this matter well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor’s concern was not unfounded: hidden households were mostly destitute; even if uncovered, they couldn’t pay head tax—this temporary measure showed His Majesty’s statesmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this, he truly couldn’t understand why the provinces were so divided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng didn’t answer immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he extended his index finger and pressed it against one of the memorials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng looked at Wang Guoguang, his expression both approving and wary, and said softly: “The magistrate of Jiangxia, Mo Yang, claims this policy deeply aligns with national conditions—that head tax exemption should become permanent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang’s expression sharpened!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost blurted out: “Nonsense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Head tax, one of the three major taxes, was a vital source of state revenue—three years’ suspension was merely a concession for the survey!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How dare they make it permanent!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the Emperor seriously considering this—did he want to empty the Imperial Treasury?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng said nothing, merely gestured for Wang Guoguang to read the memorial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang’s face twisted in displeasure, but after hesitation, he reached for the memorial Zhang Juzheng had pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Displeased as he was, he still had to read it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his gaze to the document.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading a few lines, Wang Guoguang realized he’d misunderstood: Mo Yang wasn’t merely advocating exemption from head tax—he was advocating that head tax be permanently absorbed into land tax!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Yang began with the lijia system, arguing it was built on the foundation of the Yellow Registers and Fish Scale Maps, integrating population and landholdings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the Chenghua era, head labor duties had intensified, land consolidation had surged, causing lijia households to flee and commoners to abandon registration—resulting in the astonishing phenomenon of over two million displaced people in Jingxiang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Population and land had since drifted apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then argued that even this land survey and household census could no longer restore the old order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang’s expression grew increasingly complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first he thought it mere opportunistic nonsense; upon reading the opening argument, he began to take it seriously—now, he had to regard it with full attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Minister read the memorial carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng added his own view: “Mo Yang’s proposal to abolish head tax and shift burden to land tax—deeply aligning with national conditions—is not wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Yellow Registers record households; the Fish-Scale Maps verify land.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yet the Yellow Registers used for collecting household taxes had long since lost their utility before the Jiajing era, and in our dynasty, they had become utterly worthless paper.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take Cili County as an example: in compiling its household rolls, powerful villains had nested within, so that some clans with thousands of males were listed as only a few households, while others with no surviving sons were still recorded as having several males...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yellow Registers of this county had long since been hollowed out. The clearest sign was that during this household inspection, the prominent clans numbered in the thousands, yet the Yellow Registers listed only a few souls; families reduced to childless poverty were still recorded as households of several members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang read while nodding in response: \"I recall that during Longqing Fifth Year, the Censorate submitted a memorial on this matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It stated that in actual tax collection across counties, the practice of attaching household taxes to land taxes was rampant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was in direct opposition to the policy of the dynasty’s founding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the founding, each li-jia was assigned taxes and corvée based on the number of male heads—household taxes determined land taxes: \"The founding system established li-jia according to the number of male heads, and land taxes followed accordingly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it had reversed: land taxes carried household taxes—once land tax quotas were met, household tax targets were automatically fulfilled; land taxes now determined household taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The primary and secondary had undergone a complete inversion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading Mo Yang’s memorial, Wang Guoguang had completely changed his view—this argument was truly grounded in national conditions and unprecedented!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, he did not immediately declare his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang frowned in thought for a moment, then reached for another memorial, titled \"Memorial on the Question of Household and Land Taxes,\" signed by Hong Maode, a juren and land surveyor from Xiangxiang County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng explained beside him: \"Hong Maode opposes this. The Emperor also finds his reasoning sound.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang opened the memorial without looking up: \"Amateurs truly cannot tell the difference.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang, oblivious, flipped through Hong Maode’s memorial, silently reciting: \"The people are the foundation of the state; land is the people’s heaven.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Without household taxes, all tax and corvée burdens fall upon land, and the people come to view their land as a scourge, eager to abandon it at the earliest opportunity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Once land is abandoned, they become rootless wanderers beyond the reach of the Son of Heaven or the county magistrate—this is like gaining short-term profit while fostering long-term ruin...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang finished reading and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Hong Maode analyzed everything from the perspective of controlling the people, arguing that merging household taxes into land taxes would sever the link between people and land entirely—if only land taxes were collected and not head taxes, more people would abandon their fields and lie idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Household-less males\" would become \"unregistered people,\" whom the court could not control, resulting in \"land of Great Ming, but no people of Great Ming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Wang Guoguang, this argument prioritized stance over analysis and held little persuasive power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People are not beasts—they must make a living in markets and neighborhoods. Even if they abandon their fields, they find other ways to survive: escorting goods, trading, or working in workshops—all remain people of Great Ming, trapped in the same pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang opened the next memorial himself: \"Memorial on the Fish-Scale Maps,\" signed by Xu Ximing, magistrate of Qianjiang County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first touch, Wang Guoguang felt something unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon opening it, he discovered the first page bore two diagrams pasted with rice paste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was the format of the Fish-Scale Maps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was the format of the Yellow Registers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after these came the argument:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Yellow Registers take households as the mother and land as the child; the Fish-Scale Maps take land as the mother and households as the child.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Long-standing systems breed abuses. To rectify them, the law must be simplified.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It would be better to abolish the Yellow Registers entirely and use only the Fish-Scale Maps, making all taxes and corvée depend solely on the Fish-Scale Maps—this is what is meant by 'sitting on the map to collect land taxes'...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This magistrate of Qianjiang, Xu Ximing, was merely a jiansheng by background, yet his argument was remarkably substantive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Ximing’s point was that while the Yellow Registers were easy to compile, they were difficult to verify.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, in Longgang Town, Yangxin County, the Liu clan had only one household during Hongwu, but by Jiajing had split into three, and now numbered thirteen households with over six thousand people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For two hundred years, whenever the Yellow Registers were renewed, the Liu clan scattered to avoid registration; before this household inspection, the Yellow Registers listed only two hundred people!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, the Fish-Scale Maps were far simpler: though detailed, the land itself remains fixed—it does not grow legs to escape survey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once compiled, the Fish-Scale Maps are easy to verify; using them as the basis for taxation allows one to \"sit on the map and collect land taxes\"—with one map in hand, land taxes can be fully collected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang still did not declare his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed one memorial and took up another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading Li Tengfang, magistrate of Xiangtan County, who opposed it—since ancient emperors established their realms, neither household nor land had ever been discarded in favor of the other. Sages and heroes had spoken extensively, yet none had ever said collecting land taxes was convenient while collecting household taxes was not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some cited ancient systems, some upheld established law, and others claimed this move drained the blood of scholar-gentry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He read Wu Ren, magistrate of Daye County, who supported it—the founding era was one of rebuilding, aiming to open new fields and increase households; now, in the peak of prosperity, we must equalize taxes and care for the common people. How could we bear to see the rich owning endless fields yet bearing few labor duties, while the poor have no land to stand on yet suffer heavy corvée?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some spoke of progress, some of distribution, and of course, some were merely political opportunists fawning on the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang read them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed slowly; dawn finally broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of carriages and horses from the Thousand-Step Corridor had ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang quietly flipped through documents; Zhang Juzheng waited patiently beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the soy milk on the tea table no longer steamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang had finished reading the last memorial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zhang Juzheng leaned forward, softly asking: \"What is your view?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few things made the Chief Grand Secretary uneasy—this was one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this was a two-thousand-year-old ancestral law; even Zhang Juzheng, who sought change, dared not bring it to the Wenhua Hall without absolute certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Guoguang slowly raised his head and looked at Zhang Juzheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not answer, but instead wore an expression of deep reflection: \"The merging of household taxes into land taxes...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Precisely—the merging of household taxes into land taxes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun stood atop Wansuis Mountain, overlooking the entire Western Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jie sat in a nearby pavilion, panting as he pounded his legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuchs and palace maids had been sent far away; only the newly appointed Hanlin scholar Zhang Fu had been granted permission to assist Xu Jie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jie was about to offer some criticism when the Emperor’s voice came again on the wind: \"Zhang Fuzhi, I recall your Hanlin examination essay was on tax reform—you must be an expert.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think of merging household taxes into land taxes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: deep green woods and lush groves are nourished by the imperial dew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air atop Wansuis Mountain was excellent; apart from a stone imperial seat and the pavilion, it was all trees, two pines shading it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in this fine air, Xu Jie suddenly sensed a hint of danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced subtly at the young, reserved scholar beside him—Zhang Fu... wasn’t he the prodigy of the Three Zhangs of Taicang? Why had the Emperor taken such notice of him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange location, strange attendant, strange question—all reminded Xu Jie this was a perilous audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old minister’s instincts were sharp; Zhang Fu, however, remained clueless, racking his brain for words: \"Your Majesty, in tax collection, land is a source of revenue, but people may be one too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whether household taxes or land taxes, ultimately, both are levied on 'revenue sources.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over a thousand years, with irrigation canals built, farming tools forged, waterwheels used, and oxen plowing, the human head as a 'revenue source' has gradually lost value—it’s like plucking the least wool from the loudest-screaming sheep.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe abolishing household taxes and compensating elsewhere is the inevitable trend!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun chuckled softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When things reach a certain point, the natural discussions they provoke are always better than the Emperor dragging people along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The timing is ripe; everyone has their own thoughts; the reactions of those involved are genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter of merging household taxes into land taxes is just so—the pile of memorials passed to Zhang Juzheng contained not one word instigated or guided by Zhu Yijun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yellow Registers had been thoroughly corrupted since the Jiajing era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adjustments to the li-jia tax system had begun in the Longqing era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Six Inconveniences\" of the Yellow Registers and the \"Six Advantages\" of the Fish-Scale Maps had already been used in Wanli Second Year to argue for shifting from \"taxing people\" to \"taxing land.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Policy requires a historical context—and the prototype of merging household taxes into land taxes emerged precisely in the Wanli era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether \"Questions on Household and Land Taxes\" or \"On Collecting Household Taxes,\" these were all arguments appearing in Wanli-era history; even Zhang Fu’s remarks were likely heartfelt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhu Yijun had done anything, it was merely to propose a temporary three-year exemption from household taxes as a spark—trivial indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this did not mean immediate implementation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather, since the court no longer had the means to massacre entire cities, preparatory work had to be doubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun faced the mountain wind, without turning: \"This view is novel—no wonder you’re a scholar. Should I then implement 'merging household taxes into land taxes' across all provinces?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fu immediately knelt: \"Your servant’s candlelight pales before Your Majesty’s sun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then replied: \"Your Majesty, the time is not yet right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This policy is a grand reform in tax equity; once implemented, the scholar-gentry and powerful clans across the realm will surely erupt in uproar!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Land surveying is still underway, and provincial unrest has not yet subsided. If rushed, it may truly spark major chaos.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor was, of course, one who listened to counsel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun nodded thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he grew irritated: \"They are truly the greatest enemies of the realm! Why does every good policy provoke them to rise against me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fu silently marveled—the Emperor was indeed young and impetuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, then soothed: \"Your Majesty shines like the midday sun; they are but cicadas and wasps, unable to bear your radiance, only buzzing shrilly to disturb your peace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Xu Jie: \"Xu Shaoshi, behold what a young talent looks like.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Jie’s heart trembled; he forced a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun slowly turned back to Zhang Fu and smiled: \"Zhang Qing, wasn’t the rebellion in Huzhou, Zhejiang, instigated by your father?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light remark fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Fu’s lips still wore a composed smile, but his ears exploded with shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood surged to his brain, his face instantly turning pale!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could react at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor had already lost his smile, his expression blank, whispering: “Are you rebelling?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All written today, no pre-written drafts; barely finished today, meaning I’ll rest tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3811,"2026-06-20T16:31:35.124Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1bfdb5088caded3944b8c4d29f5b3c2c067f24e3206e70db8cf37d158e925cd0","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-342","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-340",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwanli-the-enlightened-emperor-cover.jpg"]