amaotonovel Chapter 1130 Damn it, have I become a conservative?
Chapter 1130 Damn it, have I become a conservative?
Emperor Zhu was accompanied by a group of men including Heizhima Tangyuan, Yang Shaofeng, Li Shanchang, Liu Bowen, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Zhu Lao Er, Zhu Lao San, and others. Empress Ma, on the other hand, was accompanied by the concubines from the old emperor's harem, Chang Mou Nu, Yu'er, and a group of princesses and noblewomen.
It's normal for the two groups to separate.
Before they parted, Empress Ma slipped a stack of banknotes into Emperor Zhu's hand, and Lady Chang similarly slipped a stack of banknotes into Heizhi Tangyuan's hand, which was quite normal.
Even after Yu'er stuffed the money into her hand, she whispered, "Try not to spend our family's money," which was quite normal.
The ones who are not quite normal are the daughters of Zhu Lao Er, Zhu Lao San, Zhu Lao Si, Zhu Lao Wu, the daughters of Duke Deng Yu of Wei, the two daughters of Marquis Xie Cheng of Yongping, the daughter of Duke Xu Da of Wei, and the daughter of Duke Feng Sheng of Song.
The young lady from Deng Yu's family slipped a stack of banknotes into Zhu Lao Er's hand, and the two young ladies from Xie Cheng's family slipped a stack of banknotes into Zhu Lao San's hand.
The daughters of Xu Da and Feng Sheng were no exception; each slipped a stack of banknotes into the hands of Zhu Lao Si and Zhu Lao Wu.
In broad daylight, under the clear sky, what on earth is this about these young ladies stuffing banknotes into the prince's hands?
Especially Zhu Laosan, you took both of the daughters of Marquis Yongping Xie Cheng by force.
For a moment, Yang Shaofeng even felt his whole body trembling, his hands and feet were ice cold, and words such as "what kind of behavior is this", "the collapse of morality", "the decline of social customs", and "the loss of the people's morals" kept popping into his mind.
Damn it, has this official become a conservative?
No, no, it's not a big deal that your Ming Dynasty's social order has collapsed. The key point is that Empress Ma, Lady Chang, and the young lady were stuffing banknotes into the hands of the men of your Zhu family on the Inner Five Dragon Bridge, and you guys could still grin and laugh there. Aren't you afraid that the common people will know that you are all afraid of your wives?
Yang Shaofeng was internally ranting, but Emperor Zhu, with his bandit-like air, waved his hand and shouted, "Come on, let's take a good look around this former market."
Let's skip the rouge stall.
Let's skip the shops that sell face powder.
I didn't even glance at the stalls that offered to write letters for people.
I glanced at the book stalls, looking at the different parts.
You can ignore the mutton stalls, but you absolutely must ask the price of the pork stalls.
There were also stalls with signs that said "Ningyang Milk Tea," and I had to stop and buy a few cups of that too, and then pay with black sesame dumplings—but the stall owner absolutely refused to accept the money I was offered, so what could I do?
There's no need to look at the stalls selling umbrellas, shoes, boots, ready-made clothes, and other miscellaneous items.
You have to stop at the scarf stall and buy two.
Oh, that young lady playing the pipa on the table, she's quite the artist! I'd better listen carefully.
Also, take a good look at the stall selling antiques and calligraphy next door.
Selling antiques from the Tang Dynasty and calligraphy and paintings from the Song Dynasty that were just made last week during the Ming Dynasty seems to be a business that has existed since ancient times.
Yang Shaofeng, along with Heizhima Tangyuan, Zhu Lao Er, Zhu Lao San, and others, followed behind, walking, looking around, and eating as they went, occasionally calculating the amount of money in their hands.
Emperor Zhu, who was walking ahead, didn't have time to think about all that.
If you see something you like, buy it.
Even if you don't like something, you still have to buy it and take a look.
Upon seeing the young woman playing the pipa for money, Emperor Zhu turned and walked away.
When he saw acrobatics such as breaking large stones on his chest and breathing fire, Emperor Zhu cheered louder than anyone else and was more generous with his reward money than anyone else.
The group of people finally arrived at a shop with a sign that read "Enjoy Yourself to the Fullest".
Emperor Zhu, his face dark and sour, glared at Yang Shaofeng and snorted coldly, "Back then, you cried and begged for two imperial physicians to leave with you, and this is the thing you've produced for us. You're really something."
Before Yang Shaofeng could react, Li Shanchang tugged at Emperor Zhu's sleeve and whispered, "This stuff sells for a fortune in the market, a hundred thousand strings of cash a year."
Emperor Zhu's expression changed instantly, and he said with a smile, "But these words have been said. This thing can be considered as finding a way for silkworm farmers to get rich, which is not bad."
Li Shanchang rolled his eyes and suddenly shouted at a shop not far away, "Hey kid! Peeing in the street, what kind of behavior is this!"
Emperor Zhu, Liu Bowen, Yang Shaofeng, and Black Sesame Dumpling all looked in the direction of Li Shanchang's shout, and saw a little kid in open-crotch pants watering the base of a wall outside a shop with a sign that read "Pediatric Internal and External Medicine Clinic".
The little boy was startled by Li Shanchang's shout. He stopped pouring the water he was about to put in and ran into the shop crying. A woman wearing a skirt, a thin jacket, and a ruqun came out of the shop. Perhaps she felt that her child was in the wrong, so she only glared at Li Shanchang and then turned and went back into the shop.
A little further on, there was another shop with a sign that read "Medicine Room for Men and Women, Internal and External Medicine".
Li Shanchang stroked his beard and smiled, then turned to Yang Shaofeng and said, "The prepared medicine that the Prince Consort made in Ningyang County, and the prescriptions that were later compiled by Dengzhou Medical College, are all great things that benefit the country and the people."
Yang Shaofeng quickly said, "Prime Minister Li, you flatter me." But Emperor Zhu stroked his beard and asked, "By the way, you haven't told us yet. What's the reason you're calling us all to stroll through the former market this time?"
As soon as Emperor Zhu finished speaking, Li Shanchang's face darkened.
No, why are you asking him this in such a reasonable way?
Why don't you wait until you're done shopping before asking? At least let this old man enjoy the pleasure of shopping before he dies.
Now look what's happened. If you ask him, won't Yang the Madman just give you a hard time on the spot?
Yang Shaofeng also perked up and looked at Emperor Zhu, saying, "Your Majesty, I was thinking about the issue of merchants abusing their power, and then I brought up some tax-related issues with His Highness the Crown Prince. After that, we also talked about the division of labor among the various government departments."
"The so-called 'merchants wielding power' means that after merchants have made a lot of money, they will often think about colluding with the government, and the circulation of wealth in the world cannot be separated from merchants."
"It is precisely because of this that the issue of tax collection arises, namely, how to determine taxes? Who collects taxes? How to ensure the fairness of tax collection? How to use taxes? How to supervise the use of taxes?"
"This then leads to the issue of the division of labor among government departments, namely, how to ensure the supervision of each department? How to ensure that officials are fulfilling their duties and that there is no abuse of power?"
"Especially for small vendors like those in the former market, how should their taxes be determined and collected? How can their most basic rights be guaranteed?"
"..."
Alright, I've finished answering all my questions. Now it's up to you, old man, to do the rest.
Emperor Zhu was completely stunned, and his gaze toward Zhu Lao Er (Zhu the Second) now held a hint of hostility—was this your elder brother framing your brother-in-law, or did they conspire to frame us? What role did you, you scoundrel, play in all of this?