Li Qing finally understood why Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see him. It was all an over-interpretation of this group of literati.
I have to say that they know how to read and understand!
Damn it, I have been tricked by these idiots... Li Qing sighed and said with a wry smile: "Mother, do you believe this?"
Empress Ma chuckled and said, "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not, and it doesn't matter whether the emperor believes it or not. What matters is that the literati in the capital, even the Hanlin scholars, think so."
Li Qing was silent, "Please teach me, please."
"I can't teach you." Queen Ma shook her head, "You wrote this poem, and the final right of interpretation is yours. I show you this just to make you mentally prepared. As for how to deal with it, it's up to you. It’s my own.”
"Huh~" Li Qing nodded, "Xie Niangniang told me this."
Queen Ma saw that he quickly regained his composure, a flash of admiration flashed in her eyes, and asked with a smile: "Can acupuncture be used?"
"Can."
…
Two quarters of an hour later, Li Qing took back the silver needle and exited the Qianqing Palace.
"You've finally come out." Mao Xiang grabbed Li Qing and walked to the imperial study. "The emperor has been in court for a while. Please answer me honestly later. Don't talk about it casually."
"……clear!"
Li Qing nodded helplessly, complaining in his heart: This hasn't even happened yet, and you're already blaming me?
Royal study room.
After receiving permission, the two of them walked into the main hall hand in hand.
"I see that my emperor may live long and my prince may live a thousand years."
"Pingshen." Zhu Yuanzhang put down the memorial and looked at Mao Xiang, "Where is Mr. Li?"
"Back to the emperor, I have brought Mr. Li." Mao Xiang respectfully replied, "The author of that poem is Li Qing, Li Qianhu, who is under Wei Chen."
Zhu Yuanzhang was startled, and Prince Zhu Biao was also greatly surprised, and both looked at Li Qing.
Li Qing bravely took a step forward, cupped his hands and said, "Back to the emperor, what the commander said is that I am the creator of that poem."
"Li Qing." Prince Zhu Biao was the first to attack, "Not to mention your poem, it is a serious crime for you to use metaphors in your poems to allude to the imperial court. Do you know your crime?"
"I..." Li Qing instinctively wanted to cry out for injustice, but suddenly remembered Queen Ma's words, swallowed them again, raised his robe and bowed, "I know that I am guilty, but I am terrified."
He knew that Zhu Biao was helping him by directly changing a debate question into a multiple-choice question.
At the same time, I also understand that if I continue to quibble at this moment, not only will it not have any effect, but it will make Zhu Yuanzhang disgusted.
As Queen Ma said, it doesn't matter whether the emperor believes it or not, what matters is that everyone thinks so.
Li Qing asked himself that even if he was full of words, he would not be able to argue with those people who had read poetry and books, so he simply admitted it.
When Zhu Biao saw him being so polite, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth and he looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang glared at Zhu Biao, and then said, "Mr. Li said, unfortunately, he is always mistaken for the waist. Can you tell me what this 'waist' refers to?"
"I am scared." Li Qing said respectfully, "I am a royal guard and have no right to dictate the government affairs."
"You're already pointing the finger!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's tone suddenly became harsh, and his imperial aura suddenly exploded. The small yellow gate and the maids all fell silent and knelt down.
Mao Xiang also knelt down to plead guilty, "I was not strict with you, please forgive me."
"It's none of your business." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and looked directly at Li Qing, "I understand."
Li Qing took a deep breath and answered directly: "I believe that when encountering a problem, what we have to do is to deal with the problem, not just the person with the problem.
Just like sealing on an empty piece of paper, it is an unforgivable crime for officials who hold the seal to deceive the emperor and ignore their superiors. However, killing them does not solve the problem. If the system is not reformed, such things will still happen in the future."
"Li Qing!"
"Shut up." Zhu Yuanzhang glared at his son, then looked back at Li Qing, "Continue talking."
Seeing that Lao Zhu was not angry, Li Qing breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he gave himself a chance to speak, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the imperial court should establish another organization to be responsible for the details of the accounts.
The local accounts and accounts that need to be reconciled by the Account Department are gathered in this department, and they are responsible for collecting the accounts and performing proofreading.
As a result, local officials in the province have to travel back and forth, and the time saved can be used to do more practical things."
Li Qing explained, “With the addition of a third-party agency, it will also avoid favoritism and malpractice to a large extent, making it more fair.”
"The imperial court is already doing it, but you don't know it." Zhu Yuanzhang said lightly, "Don't think you are the only one who is smart."
Li Qing was stunned for a moment, then sighed in admiration, "Your Majesty, your Majesty."
"Stop being careless." Zhu Yuanzhang didn't accept this trick at all, "Aren't you quite capable?
Go on, if it's good, I'll forgive you, if it's bad, hum..."
Li Qing had no choice but to think for a while and then said: "Wei Chen thinks that the taxation can be adjusted appropriately. It is time-consuming and laborious to pay the tax in kind. It is better to collect the money directly. This will not only facilitate the people, but also greatly increase the tax revenue of the court."
"Abolish the tax in kind?" Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes widened. He thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, food is the most important thing for the people, and the court must have control over what is needed for food and clothing."
Li Qing secretly sighed: In the final analysis, the credibility of Ming Dynasty banknotes is not enough. Even the issuer himself thinks so, so what else can be said?
So he settled for the next best thing and said: "Your Majesty, not all things that are used for food and clothing are suitable for payment of in-kind tax, such as fruits.
Transportation costs are huge. The manpower and losses along the way from the local area to the capital account for more than half of the tax itself. Wouldn't it be better to convert things like this into money at market prices for things that are difficult to store for a long time?"
"Well...that's true." Zhu Yuanzhang said happily: "This is a good suggestion."
"Any more?"
"It's gone." Li Qing added, "It's gone for the time being."
It is better to squeeze out the toothpaste slowly. Furthermore, he does not know much about government affairs, and he has no idea whether his idea is suitable for implementation.
Today is just a small test, it is enough to arouse Zhu Yuanzhang's appreciation.
"Yeah." Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Drag him down and hit twenty big boards."
"What?" Li Qingren was dumbfounded, "Your Majesty, you asked me to say this!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "We asked you to say it, and that's not why we beat you. Who asked you to metaphorically reflect the imperial court? The twenty-big board has given you an advantage."
"...Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."
…
"Father, this man has outstanding vision and unique knowledge. He can be a pillar of talent." Zhu Biao frowned slightly, "If you beat him too much and scare him so much that he dare not speak, you will lose more than you gain!"
"Haha..." Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, "You, you still lack enthusiasm in judging people. Don't look at him as if he is submissive. This person is actually extremely courageous. This small punishment will not scare him at all.
"
Zhu Biao did not agree, but did not refute. He smiled and said: "Father, why don't you hand this person over to your son?"
"Look at your potential." Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily, "The whole Ming Dynasty will be handed over to you in the future, why are you so anxious?"
"Ah haha...long live my father." Zhu Biao said with a sneer, "I just think that with this person's talent and learning, being a member of a thousand households in gilded clothes would be an incompetence, so why don't we let him..."
"No."
Zhu Yuanzhang flatly refused, "Biao'er, don't think that others can't see what Li Qing said today. In fact, local officials and even Beijing officials can understand this truth, but no one has reported it. Do you know why?"
"Because...interests?"
"That's right." Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Once he is allowed to enter the civil service system, he will have only two results. One is to live in harmony with the public, or he will be excluded and unable to achieve anything."
"Only in Jinyiwei can he maintain his original intention."
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Not only cannot he be allowed to enter the civil service system, but he must be on the opposite side of the civil service system. He can only survive by relying on divine favor. Only in this way can he be fully used by himself."
As he spoke, he sighed, "The residual Yuan Dynasty has not yet been destroyed, and the intrusion on the Ming Dynasty continues. The Ming Dynasty is also internally unstable, and many chieftains are in rebellion. The reason why we follow the Yuan Dynasty system in many places is to help the Ming Dynasty settle down quickly.
In fact, we never wanted to reform, but the current Ming Dynasty does not have the conditions for reform at all."
"Father..."
Zhu Biao felt heartbroken when he looked at his father, who had grown many gray hairs.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, "Don't worry, we will definitely help you remove all obstacles while we are still alive, so that you can carry out reforms with peace of mind after you take office."
Zhu Biao sniffed and choked, "I am incompetent."
"Huh? You have done a good job, but sometimes... you are too soft-hearted." Zhu Yuanzhang helped Zhu Biao and paused, "But Li Qing's small reform does not have a big impact and can be implemented.
You go back and sort it out, and there will be a secret in the afternoon." Zhu Yuanzhang warned, "Remember, you must reveal it to the civil servants skillfully. It is Li Qing who proposed the strategy, so that he will be hated by others."
"Father..." Zhu Biao was a little embarrassed.
"In the future, when you take charge of reform, you must have someone around you who is both capable and absolutely trustworthy." Zhu Yuanzhang said displeased, "Just do as we say."