[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor":3,"chapter-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-346":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},2322168,4542,"Chapter 346: The Master Summons His Troops, All People Are My Brothers, All Things My Kin","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-346",346,"\u003Cp>At this moment, the ministers in the Wenhua Hall all had the same thought—the Emperor is truly a master actor!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Youzi stepped forward to present his report, no one believed the Emperor had truly been as ignorant as he had just pretended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when the small eunuchs carried a massive chest filled with documents and set it down in the center of the Wenhua Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How long must they have prepared for this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone involuntarily fixed their gaze on the dozens of neatly stacked files inside the chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as the three young men from Huizhou knelt prostrate, they couldn’t help sneaking glances backward through their armpits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are these the household registers of Huizhou Prefecture held by the Ministry of Revenue?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi covered his nose and mouth, brushing away the dust from the ancient documents: “Your Majesty, these are the records kept by the Ministry of Revenue, detailing all tax matters in Huizhou Prefecture since the Hongwu era.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Allow me to explain them one by one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene—how professional could it possibly be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of Huizhou stared at Li Youzi with burning eyes, both hopeful and tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Vice Minister was far more relaxed—he had no stake in this, so he spoke plainly: “First, the petition claims the silk and satin owed by She County’s population was to make up for the summer grain arrears of all six counties—this is untrue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The supplementary silk for summer tax was only meant to cover She County’s own shortfall in grain, not the total of all six counties!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he spoke, Yin Zhengmao, Xu Guo, and others turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamo stepped forward in disbelief, arguing with Li Youzi: “Impossible! I calculated that She County owed only 2,910 taels in summer grain; the other five counties owed 3,234 taels—exactly the amount converted into silver for silk collection!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trusted his calculations absolutely—there could be no mistake!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Youzi merely chuckled: “You miscalculated. You cannot convert grain into silver directly—the value of silver then and now is not comparable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamo froze in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver value…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi pulled a document from the chest and handed it to a Secretary for circulation: “The Ministry of Revenue also has records: the reform of the tax system occurred on the first day of the fourth month in the second year of Wu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She County owed a total of 9,766 shi, 9 dou, 3 sheng, and 6 shao in summer grain; an additional four cash of silk per mu was levied, totaling 9,041 jin of silk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At that time, the provincial administration, besides discovering She County’s shortfall of 9,700 shi in grain, also re-surveyed abandoned fields in Dengying and Mingde townships and imposed supplementary taxes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Combined, the total silk and satin amounted to 8,780 bolts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This figure matches perfectly—there is no basis for the claim that She County bore the summer grain arrears of the other five counties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamo fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Guo and Yin Zhengmao exchanged glances, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi wasn’t done—he pulled out another volume: “Moreover, only She County was originally required to pay silk and satin to make up for summer grain; the other five counties were not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take Wuyuan County as an example: before the Wu-era reform, its tax quota was 8,315 shi of wheat and 8,315 shi of rice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The next year, Wuyuan produced 8,000 shi of wheat, falling short by 315 shi, but its rice harvest was abundant—8,624 shi—fully offsetting the deficit, so Wuyuan County had no need to pay supplementary grain tax.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now consider Xiuning County…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each sentence, he pulled out another volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xijue, curious, took one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he glanced at it, he was instantly dizzy from the dense rows of numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Original summer grain tax quota: 8,999 shi, 4 dou, 5 sheng, 2 he, 2 shao. Autumn grain rice: 10,849 shi, 8 dou, 7 sheng, 8 he, 6 shao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Additional wheat after reform: 993 shi, 2 dou, 2 sheng, 1 he, 8 shao—equivalent to 214 liang, 8 qian, 5 fen, 1 li, 3 hao in silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Additional rice: 11,851 shi, 4 dou, 8 sheng, 8 he—equivalent to 5,747 liang, 9 qian, 7 fen, 1 li, 7 hao in silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xijue immediately passed it to Shen Shixing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Secretary didn’t want to pretend he understood—he quickly scanned to the end where it read “Now, after offsetting the figures,” and feigned comprehension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore an air of profound mystery and turned to Wang Xijue: “It means Xiuning County also didn’t need to pay supplementary summer grain tax.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the ministers took turns examining the volumes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their expressions grew intrigued, almost delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brilliant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She County claimed it bore too much burden—including the arrears of the other five counties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Youzi struck like a thunderclap—you miscalculated due to silver price fluctuations!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a stunning reversal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Maoxue, kneeling before the throne, turned his head and wiggled his eyebrows at Xu Guo like a dancing puppet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Zhengmao looked bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi ignored Xu Guo’s frantic facial gestures and continued: “Second, the petition claims the 8,780 bolts of silk and satin were collected by Huizhou Prefecture without specifying which county paid—so it should be evenly divided among all six counties. This is also incorrect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamo had been flipping through the previous document, trying to find a flaw in Li Youzi’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he looked up, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One blow hadn’t settled when another came—the court had just invalidated even the principle of equal apportionment!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamo raised a trembling finger toward the official documents in Xu Guo’s hands, nearly weeping: “The Da Ming Hui Dian clearly states in black and white, and official documents confirm it—only Huizhou Prefecture is named as the collector!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi nodded, then shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time he didn’t reach for any document—he spoke slowly: “Both the Da Ming Hui Dian and the Ministry of Revenue’s official notices follow standard phrasing: in Zhili, they refer to the prefecture, not the county; in each provincial administration, they refer to the province, not the prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, the Da Ming Hui Dian also states that silk and cotton are collected from Zhejiang Provincial Administration—but in reality, this means the eight prefectures of Hangzhou and others, while Wenzhou, Taizhou, and Chuzhou are exempt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The official notices are the same: ‘Collected from Zhejiang Provincial Administration’s summer tax silk and cotton’—no specific prefectures or counties are mentioned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers all turned to Shen Shixing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the actual chief editor of the Da Ming Hui Dian, Shen Shixing should know these conventions best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Xu Guo, hesitated, then nodded: “It is indeed so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That single nod struck like a heavy hammer on the hearts of the She County delegation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Guo and Yin Zhengmao exchanged glances, both seeing the same two words in each other’s eyes—finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Shuai Jiamo, ignorant of court protocol, still argued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cried out urgently: “Your Excellency, how can Huizhou be compared to Zhejiang’s case!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Zhejiang, eight prefectures produced cotton and three did not—so the province could tax according to production.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But in Huizhou’s six counties, not a single one produces silk! Isn’t that precisely why they should be evenly apportioned?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For years, only the people of my county have sold their grain for silver, then bought silk from outside to pay the state tax—is this fair!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the problem with vague official documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhejiang was told only to collect cotton, naturally it apportioned the tax to the eight cotton-producing prefectures—but if the court ordered Huizhou Prefecture to collect silk, yet none of its counties produced silk, what then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi reached into the chest again and pulled out another document, calmly: “If that logic holds, it actually proves this tax rightfully belongs to She County.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the founding of the dynasty, several townships under She County—Dengying, Mingde, Renli, Yongfeng, Xiaoti—did have mulberry groves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the tenth, twenty-fourth, and tenth years of Yongle, the tax quota was adjusted each time—and She County never objected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended the document toward Shuai Jiamo and said softly: “But the other five counties never planted mulberry trees at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She County once had mulberry groves!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Zhengmao and Xu Guo both shook their heads—they had no idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Shuai Jiamo didn’t reach out to take the document.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood frozen, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi continued: “Third, if you claim the prefecture’s three bureaus and six departments secretly altered records, the original Hongwu fourteenth-year household registers remain in the Ministry’s archives—though the county’s copy may have been tampered with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One volume after another was pulled from Li Vice Minister’s treasure chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point, the ministers understood the full story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of Revenue’s documents clearly showed: the people of She County had made a colossal mistake!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This silk tax was always meant for She County alone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was never a head tax of the six counties—it was a special product tax of She County!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unconsciously, the hall fell silent except for Li Youzi’s voice, still methodically listing each point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, Li Qing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun promptly called off Li Youzi's pursuit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Youzi fell silent at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bowed to the Emperor, then took back each document from his colleagues and returned them all to the chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Youzi quietly returned to his place, the hall remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun turned to Yu Maoxue: “Yu Qing, what do you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Maoxue beamed with joy: “I am humbled! I am humbled! Li Vice Minister performs his duties with propriety, possesses profound learning, masters the subtleties of statecraft, and upholds the grand strategies of governance—Your Majesty, you alone govern all transformations, divide yin and yang…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun quickly cut him off: “Enough, enough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Maoxue fell silent at once—but his smile refused to fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this, his prestige in his hometown would skyrocket—he might even be enshrined beside Zhu Xi!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Yu Maoxue’s plea for forgiveness felt more sincere, and his buttocks stuck even higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun held back Yu Maoxue and turned to Yin Zhengmao: “Yin Qing, what do you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Zhengmao had no reply: “I withdraw from this matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was full of resignation—the truth was clear, but his reputation in his hometown was surely ruined!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he could ever return home in peace was now uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun turned to Xu Guo: “Xu Qing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Guo fell silent for a long while before slowly speaking: “Your servant is guilty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a dispute reaches this point, being wrong means losing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun shook his head, then finally looked at Shuai Jiamoe: “Shuai Jiamoe, the dispute among the six counties began because of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, the people of the five counties have abandoned their fields, merchants have closed their shops, and the five counties have even convened to petition the court, accusing the people of She of disrupting established law; they wish to raise armies and fight to punish the instigators of this rebellion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How far have the six counties escalated?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Xiuning County, “villagers and urban ruffians have gathered again, waving banners and shouting loudly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of Wuyuan have “called upon other counties to openly assault and humiliate government clerks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jixi County has grown even more rampant, directly “leaning ladders against the county magistrate’s wall, tearing down official notices, hiding them at home, inciting the ignorant villagers, and shouting and clamoring outside the gates.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of Qimen and Qian counties, though few in number, have “gathered together, their collective anger surging unpredictably.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fathers and sons of the five counties cried out, clinging to one another, all siding with one faction; when censors and surveillance commissioners arrived to quell the unrest, their swords were useless, their words fell on deaf ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the whole affair turns out to be a misunderstanding—how then shall the instigator face himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamoe stood frozen for a long time before sinking helplessly to his knees: “Your humble subject willingly accepts the death penalty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knelt prostrate, resigned to his fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether or not he had overstepped in submitting his petition was unimportant—he could simply return home in disgrace—but now that a mass disturbance had erupted, right and wrong mattered greatly: if he was right, he might still gain a sliver of hope; if wrong, he would face eternal ruin. Shuai Jiamoe gritted his teeth, waiting for his death sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, long passed, no voice of imperial punishment came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he heard only the emperor changing the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is also the matter of former Xiuning County Magistrate Fu Can’s petition to increase taxes for both Xiuning and She counties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shuai Jiamoe, since you have reviewed nearly all of this county’s tax records, do you know exactly how many tax items She county currently has?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamoe looked up, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not understand why the emperor had not punished him, nor why he had suddenly asked about this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew full well that Fu Can, that son of a bitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood even better the miscellaneous taxes of Huizhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart was dead, yet he replied stiffly: “Your humble subject knows that in the Jiajing era, some miscellaneous taxes were abolished; now there are fewer than a hundred in total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are cooperative levies, silk and satin levies, bell-casting levies, shop fees, postal transport levies, military farming levies, land deed taxes, labor service levies, miscellaneous official levies, lock and sluice levies, incidental levies, tea tree levies, wine and vinegar levies, house rental levies, Sichuan pepper levies, fruit and tree profit levies, tung oil levies, ink kiln levies, oil press levies, water mill levies, waterwheel levies…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamoe took dozens of breaths in succession, so many that the air grew thin—had the Hall of Literary Glory not been airless, how else could it be that with every tax item he named, the ministers’ faces grew a shade darker?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun listened, tapping his desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fewer than a hundred” indeed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were not dozens of miscellaneous taxes—they were dozens of slaps across the faces of emperor and ministers in the Hall of Literary Glory!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet despite his fury, Zhu Yijun showed remarkable patience and did not interrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Shuai Jiamoe finished listing them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun gave a slight nod, his expression now composed: “I now fully understand the situation in Huizhou Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers exchanged glances—the emperor was about to deliver his final judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this matter had little to do with the ministers in the Hall of Literary Glory; they merely waited to see the emperor’s true intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Yin Zhengmao, Xu Guo, Yu Maoxue, and others truly cared, bowing deeply: “We humbly beg Your Majesty’s decree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun first looked at Yin Zhengmao and Xu Guo: “You are high-ranking officials—you should know my Hall of Literary Glory is not a place where concessions are handed out based on who shouts loudest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I cannot reduce She county’s taxes simply because you have made such a commotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This silk tax must still be paid by She county as before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huizhou Prefecture had once proposed tax exemptions, but that door could not be opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once She county was exempted, the other five counties would immediately erupt, demanding their own exemptions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, one must remain resolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Zhengmao and Xu Guo felt humiliated, stumbling as they accepted the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun, seeing their obedient compliance, nodded with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He softened his tone, leaving room for mercy: “Yet Fu Can’s actions were also unjust. Merchants are wealthy—it makes no sense to impose a head tax on the entire county.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Combined with these dozens of heavy miscellaneous taxes, the people’s suffering has made the six counties ignite at the slightest spark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Zhengmao and Xu Guo reluctantly accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuchs and Ministry of Revenue officials stepped forward: “We failed in our oversight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun paid them no mind, continuing: “Though I will not directly abolish She county’s miscellaneous taxes, this tax reform may serve as a pilot project in Huizhou Prefecture!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like Songjiang Prefecture, merge these dozens of miscellaneous taxes, and abolish the head tax, as just discussed in court!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using the Ministry of Revenue’s land survey records, consolidate and recalculate the land tax and commercial tax as the primary levies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Guo looked up sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is how one governs subordinates! Truly, thunder and rain are both the grace of heaven!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Zhengmao thought little of it—his face showed only pure delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new tax system!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merging and eliminating dozens of miscellaneous taxes would free up a staggering amount of silver!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Localities were riddled with redundant, overlapping taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the “cooperative levy” Shuai Jiamoe mentioned was a duplicated head tax—one portion sent to the Jinqi Circuit, another to the Huining Circuit—because Huizhou had once been protected by the Huining Military Surveillance Circuit, but later the guard was transferred to the Jinqi Circuit, and the surveillance officers had quietly failed to inform Huizhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All hidden beneath ancestral regulations of the Three Bureaus and Six Departments—or simply bureaucratic inertia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the miscellaneous taxes were audited, whether ancestral rules or hidden illegal levies, all could be swept away at once!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention abolishing the head tax—this would be a blessing to ten Battalion Commander!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget mere resentment over the silk tax—such virtue might even warrant She county building life shrines for these three men!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three minor officials of Huizhou still daydreamed, when the secretary drafting the edict hesitated: “Your Majesty, the Grand Coordinator of Nanjing, Sun Piyang, has just been dismissed—should we issue an edict to Bao Xixian, the Surveillance Commissioner of Nanjing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An edict must have someone to receive it; one cannot have Sun Piyang reform taxes while packing his bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun’s face remained expressionless as he shook his head: “Decades of delay—only now do you force me to intervene? Why send an edict to the Nanjing ministries and the Nanjing Grand Coordinator’s office? Do you expect them to wait until I die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they cannot manage Huizhou Prefecture, let them stop trying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers’ eyes gleamed—what a ferocious remark!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless glances exchanged meaning across the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor feigned ignorance: “Transfer Xu Xuemo, Provincial Administration Commissioner of Huguang, to Fengyang, to oversee Huizhou Prefecture’s tax affairs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue an edict to the Commander of the River Defense and Fengyang Grand Coordinator, to assist Xu Xuemo in implementing the Huizhou tax reform pilot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After reform, all tax revenues from this prefecture, except for retained portions, shall be routed through the Commander of the River Defense and Fengyang Grand Coordinator’s office to the capital!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng and Wang Guoguang exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here it comes! Finally!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frog has been simmering for seven years—now the fire is turned up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, Li Chunfang had proposed that the emperor seize tax authority from the southern Zhili prefectures of Fengyang, Anqing, Huizhou, Ningguo, Chizhou, Taizhou, and Guangde.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor had rejected it as too hasty, instead establishing the Fengyang Grand Coordinator to oversee the River Defense on April 18, Wanli Year 1, stripping southern Zhili of its military authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now the moment has come—the emperor clearly intends to strike at southern Zhili’s tax authority!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No minister in the hall is foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the emperor’s long-winded digression on Huizhou’s tax dispute, they now finally smelled his true intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The balance between the two capitals may end in this reign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Southern-born ministers lowered their heads, their thoughts racing—yet all three southerners in the Grand Secretariat remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only northern-born ministers stirred eagerly, ready to support the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere in the Hall of Literary Glory instantly grew electric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuchs discreetly replaced the ice buckets in the corners; secretaries focused intently, ready to write furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single casual remark from the emperor sent hidden currents surging through the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the emperor, who had lit the powder keg, seemed oblivious, calmly tying off every loose end: “Shuai Jiamoe, fabricated false statements, falsely petitioned, incited the masses, and provoked civil unrest—sentence him to military exile at Anqing Garrison!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shuai Jiamoe blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anqing Garrison—wasn’t that right outside Huizhou’s doorstep?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, he understood—the emperor had pardoned him, allowing him to resume his work and contribute to Huizhou’s tax reform!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A benevolent sovereign!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately knelt: “Your Majesty’s grace and virtue—your humble subject vows to record today’s court deliberations and persuade his fellow villagers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling attendants to escort him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He performed another round of three prostrations and kowtows before following the eunuch out of the Hall of Literary Glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was gone, Zhu Yijun feigned a sigh: “A simple misunderstanding has caused the six counties to erupt like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Dajiang seized the county magistrate and sent urgent dispatches to the provincial administrations of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong, claiming that Xiuning and Wuyuan counties had been invaded by over ten thousand She bandits—desperate circumstances.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cheng Renqing and others established an assembly in Wuyuan County, appointed themselves officials, beat government clerks, requisitioned grain, and mobilized firearms—nearly tantamount to treason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My ministers, brothers and kin—such chaos can be stirred by mere falsehoods. Words are truly terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had I not believed Shuai Jiamoe’s original intent was pure, I would have already drawn my blade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers, waiting for the real drama, offered only half-hearted cries of “Benevolent Sovereign! Virtuous Emperor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the emperor did not make them wait long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor gestured with his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of eunuchs emerged from the side hall, carrying a stack of wooden chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers wore strange expressions—they seemed to have it out with these documents today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun paused, then sighed: “The matter of the six counties is not merely about the six counties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A single man, Shuai Jiamou, made an innocent miscalculation—and it sparked armed conflict among the people of Huizhou Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I truly do not know—if a hundred agitators can stir the people of the six counties to war, might they not do the same to the entire Great Ming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the emperor spoke, the eunuchs opened the chests, revealing stack upon stack of newspapers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zongyi frowned, turning to look at the Tongzheng Office’s ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, Zhou Ziyi, the Right Director of the Tongzheng Office’s News Bureau, was not present in court today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These are ‘demonic books’ recently seized by the Nanjing News Bureau—never yet circulated publicly. You are fortunate to see them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun waved his hand lightly, signaling the eunuchs to distribute the newspapers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers had excellent inner cultivation; they remained silent in place, though their thoughts scattered wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demonic Book case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the emperor to call it this—his wording must be wildly insane—after all, when Tan Yao spread pamphlets insulting the emperor and Zhang Juzheng, he never earned the honor of being called “demonic book.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they pondered, the newspapers reached the Grand Secretariat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng held the paper in his hand, not even glancing at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Shixing silently realized the emperor had indeed consulted the Chief Grand Secretary; he shook his head, unfolded his newspaper, and upon one glance, was left speechless in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Shen Shixing—Wang Xijue was equally stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a plague, every minister who received a newspaper was struck with horror, unable to control themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the ministers whispered among themselves, the sound in the Wenhua Hall grew louder and louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demonic book!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly, a demonic book!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Newspapers passed hand to hand among colleagues; one glance at the headline was enough to plunge them into endless abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It read: “Land Survey, Land Survey—Squeezing the Southerners for every copper coin, treating Northerners like dirt and sand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It read: “The fat, blood, and marrow of the southern lands feed the corrupt officials of the north.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It read: “The Emperor is not merely the ruler of the northern court—how can he bear to slaughter the people of the southern realm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All manner of such things!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold wind seemed to sweep through the Wenhua Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the height of summer noon, countless court officials shivered with sudden chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",4004,"2026-06-20T16:31:35.124Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","768e1b9c373e13e525d261808f9465a59d1083504773199e7b23ccc55ce99a1b","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-347","wanli-the-enlightened-emperor-chapter-345",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwanli-the-enlightened-emperor-cover.jpg"]