Chapter 939
Chapter 939
When Pan Yun came out of the Ministry of Works looking excited, his relatives had already been crying to the emperor for three days.
After Empress Wang spoke with the former princesses, she only reduced the number of two people, while the rest entered the palace as usual.
Zhu Qiyu was extremely annoyed.
If it weren't for the people from the Imperial Observatory saying that the Imperial Advisor was making a divine artifact at the Ministry of Works, and that people from both the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of War's weapons workshop hadn't gone there, he would have sought the Imperial Advisor's advice long ago.
But he couldn't take it anymore if he kept crying.
Yu Qian and other cabinet ministers felt that it was all an act, and that they could cry whenever they wanted.
Chen Xun even said, "If Your Majesty cannot bear to see them cry, then I will cry with them today!"
They wanted the Ministry of Revenue to fund the construction of Huai'an Harbor, but there was no way they could get the funds!
Chen Xun has been reinstated to his original position and is now the Minister of Revenue.
Not content with just crying himself, he grabbed Yu Qian and Cao Nai, saying, "I beg your help, let's cry together!"
The imperial clansmen who had just retreated to a side hall to rest seemed to have heard Chen Xun's shouts. One of them burst into tears, his voice faintly carrying: "Emperor Taizu... open your eyes and see! Where in this world does the Zhu family still reside?"
"Emperor Taizong, you suffered so much because of the policy of reducing the power of the princes back then, and now he's not reducing their power, but he's directly refusing to feed us!"
Zhu Qiyu: "..."
He couldn't help but slam his fist on the table: "Is this still a place for handling state affairs? It's practically a vegetable market!"
Pan Yun excitedly brought over a spool of thread and a light bulb. Hearing the crying coming from the side hall, he turned around, stuffed the items into his sleeve, and pushed open the door of the side hall with a bang.
Cheng Jing was leading the eunuchs to pour tea and water for the princes when he saw Pan Yun appear at the door, bathed in rosy light. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he immediately cried out excitedly, "Imperial Preceptor—!"
Pan Yun glanced at him, stepped inside, and looked at the princes with red-rimmed eyes, asking, "Why are you crying?"
The princes glared at her, clearly displeased.
Everyone knows that the emperor had been holding back the memorial from Zhejiang regarding the construction of a port because he hadn't decided whether the final port would be located in Huai'an Prefecture or Ningbo Prefecture. As a result, no sooner had Pan Yun entered the palace than the emperor issued an imperial edict to Zhejiang. No one would believe that this had nothing to do with Pan Yun.
The princes remained silent, but Chen Xun hurriedly came out of the main hall and rushed into the side hall. In front of them, he complained to Pan Yun: "Grand Preceptor, the princes of the imperial family want to build a large seaport near the place where the emperor rose to power, but the national treasury is empty, so His Majesty has not agreed."
"Hmph, is the national treasury short of money, or has it been diverted to other uses? This country belongs to the Zhu family, not the Chen or Pan families. There are still many fellow villagers living in Fengyang, where life is hard. What's wrong with building a port for them and helping them make a living?"
Pan Yun said, "Emperor Taizu decreed that members of the imperial clan are not allowed to leave their fiefdoms without an imperial edict. There are indeed many members of the imperial clan in Fengyang and Nanjing, but without an order, they cannot go to Huai'an Prefecture at all. What does building a seaport in Huai'an have to do with them?"
“How can it not be related? If Huai’an port prospers, they can also do some business. If they can’t go themselves, their stewards will handle it.”
Pan Yun sneered and said, "The founding emperor decreed that members of the imperial family are not allowed to engage in business."
The princes choked for a moment, then muttered under their breath, "We didn't do business either; it was the stewards in our households who did it." "Don't the stewards' profits belong to you?" Pan Yun sneered, "The Zhou King's lineage is close to the emperor, and he has medical skills and is good at making pills. Even he didn't dare to run a medicinal herb business. His pharmacies are mostly for public welfare. You guys are bold enough to directly target maritime trade."
The princes and nobles remained silent.
Pan Jun turned and went to the main hall, saying, "Please invite the princes to come and discuss matters."
Pan Yun bowed to the emperor and said, “Your Majesty, I have been traveling to various cities recently, including Kaifeng, Nanjing and Fengyang. There are quite a few members of the imperial family in these three places. Among them, the earliest branch of the imperial family has already reached the position of Fengguo Zhongwei. They can only receive a small salary from the government office every month. But as you know, the national treasury is empty and local finances are also in some difficulty. Moreover, the imperial family members have too many children and grandchildren. In Kaifeng, the salary for the imperial family members is all in paper money every month, and the rice salary is halved. They are having a very hard time.”
Chen Xun's heart tightened, and he quickly said, "They still have land. The fiefdoms they were granted have long been converted into permanent land, with the smallest being twenty mu. In addition, they do not have to pay taxes or perform corvée labor, so they live a prosperous life."
Pan Yun said, “These members of the imperial family have been spoiled since childhood. They are weak and helpless. How many of them can settle down to farm? Most of the land they have acquired has been sold off, leaving their families extremely poor. Their children lack food and clothing from a young age, and they can only get a full meal by going to school.”
Old Zhu could never have imagined that the school he opened for the imperial clan members would be free to attend. In order to give them more time to study and to allow them to focus on their studies, he provided a lunch provided by the school, which became the only opportunity for the lowest-ranking imperial clan members to have a full meal.
However, the Imperial Clan Academy only allowed them to study until they were eighteen years old; after that, they were all released.
So they could only mooch meals from others until they turned eighteen.
Chen Xun swallowed hard and quickly looked at Yu Qian and Cao Nai, saying, "You two should speak up for me!"
With so many members of the imperial family, do we really need to improve their treatment?
Kill him and fill the national treasury!
The old princes who rushed in were excited and quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, Your Majesty, life is tough for the imperial family members. Some of them who were separated early have become collateral branches, and their titles and stipends have been reduced. Now they don't even have enough money to buy cotton-padded clothes for the whole year."
Zhu Qiyu looked at Pan Yun: "What does the Imperial Advisor mean?"
“Building the Huai’an port will only enrich a few powerful and wealthy princes of the imperial clan. What use is it?” Pan Yun said, “There are tens of thousands of members of the imperial clan at the lowest level. It is only beneficial to them.”
The smiles on the faces of the princes and nobles froze.
Yu Qian looked up at Pan Yun, his brows furrowed, and interrupted her, "Grand Preceptor, this matter should be discussed further."
The result of their long-term planning was that they avoided the imperial family and went to the study to discuss the matter quietly.
Pan Yun said to Yu Qian, "Master Yu, I know your concerns and I agree with them. When Emperor Taizu Gao established this law, it was precisely because he was concerned about your concerns. However, things are different now."
Pan Yun said, "Emperor Taizu Gao would never have imagined that the imperial family members would be so prolific, nor would he have imagined that raising them would turn them into nothing more than pigs that only know how to eat and drink."
Zhu Qiyu, standing to the side, blushed slightly.
Pan Yun said meaningfully, "The imperial family members are also human beings, and they are also citizens of our Great Ming. There are enough of them, and Lord Yu should not treat them differently."
Yu Qian's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately turned to Zhu Qiyu and said, "The Imperial Preceptor is right. Members of the imperial family who no longer hold titles are indeed no different from ordinary people and should not be treated differently."
Cao Nai pondered for a moment and said, "The number of members of the imperial clan is gradually increasing, and they all rely on local finances, which are also facing difficulties. Indeed, we should provide members of the imperial clan with more ways to make a living. In this way, the lives of the local people will be better." (End of this chapter)