vrcanaries Chapter 312 The love between children
Chapter 312 The love between children
"With the Ming emperors collecting such low commercial taxes, did local prices decrease? Did the common people benefit? Huh!" Shen Lian said sternly.
"In the end, all this money that originally belonged to the imperial court and the country ended up in the pockets of merchants and gentry!"
"A bunch of greedy, short-sighted fools! They've ruined the Ming Dynasty!"
"The Manchus, with a population of only a little over 100,000, conquered the Central Plains! This has never happened before in the thousands of years of Chinese history."
"Opening the door to thieves! My scalp itches, the water's too cold! Shave my head and change my clothes. Do these traitorous dogs who sold out the Ming Dynasty have any good end?"
"The Yangzhou Massacre, the Jiading Massacre. Ha! Did those barbarians of the Manchu Qing dynasty treat you traitors with any leniency?"
"How many literary inquisitions did the Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors conduct? They slaughtered scholars all over Jiangnan—it was all retribution!"
"I, a dignified Han Chinese, not only have grown an ugly pig's tail, but I don't even have the right to be a slave to the Manchu emperor! And yet there are people who praise the Kangxi and Qianlong era as a golden age, a wise ruler, a sage ruler! Bullshit!" Shen Lian couldn't help but swear.
"For over two hundred years, the Manchu Qing dynasty ruled China, stagnating and suppressing scientific and cultural development. They reduced our once great nation to a state of being bullied by everyone. And yet, some worthless intellectuals still praise them!"
"The Donglin Party! They call themselves upright gentlemen! They are all hypocrites who scheme and plot. They are more harmful to China than Shi Jingtang and Qin Hui! Our Chinese Empire will never allow such people to exist."
Shen Lian unleashed a furious outburst from the throne, causing all the ministers below to lower their heads.
"As the saying goes, there is no stability without agriculture, and no wealth without commerce. I have always encouraged commerce. But that encouragement is only for legal merchants who pay taxes in accordance with the law!"
"Do they think they're all grown up now? Trying to test the limits of the country's laws, is that it?"
"Guards, throw Sun Zhicai and his accomplices into the imperial prison for a thorough investigation! Find out who they took money from and how they dared to test the laws of the imperial court!"
"Ah! Your Majesty, spare us! Your Majesty, spare us!" Sun Zhicai and the others were terrified and kowtowed, begging for mercy. Unfortunately, it was no use; the palace guards came up and dragged them all away.
"The imperial tax laws naturally need to be updated and revised to keep pace with the times. But if anyone dares to say anything about not competing with the people for profit, they are either stupid or malicious! They will be severely punished without exception!"
"From this moment forward, all of you officials are to have six months to dispose of all business activities within your families. From now on, all direct relatives of any government official within three generations are strictly prohibited from engaging in commerce!"
"If you want to get rich, don't become an official! Those who find being an official arduous and difficult, I allow them to resign!"
With several universities graduating thousands of students each year, Shen Lian isn't worried about a lack of officials. Of course, for officials, resigning is out of the question; they've studied diligently for decades just to become officials.
Even more than a hundred years later, countless people still aspire to be officials! The ideology of prioritizing officialdom has long been ingrained in the Chinese people. Even Shen Lian could not eradicate it.
"The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Censorate shall strengthen their oversight of officials. From now on, any official who commits a crime shall not be allowed to hold any public office in the court for three generations, let alone become an official."
Shen Lian wanted to establish the rules while he could still think of them, so that his descendants wouldn't be unable to deal with the bureaucratic system when it grew too large.
"Alright! If there's nothing else, let's adjourn the court!" Shen Lian waved his hand and stepped down from the throne.
. . . . . .
After leading his troops to Kulun and setting up camp, Shen Weiguo hurriedly led his guards to a warehouse in the city.
"Brother Stone! Mingyue." Shen Weiguo walked in and saw Gao Da talking to a young girl.
"Weiguo, you've arrived!" Gao Da nodded.
"Mingyue, how are you? Are you settling in well here? Have you encountered any danger? I was very worried about you infiltrating Kulun..." Shen Weiguo greeted Gao Da and immediately turned to the woman beside him with concern.
"Alright! You guys chat first, I have some things to take care of. Weiguo, you and Mingyue should also have a good get-together, we're going back to the capital in a couple of days!" Gao Da said this as he walked out of the house.
As the leader of the youth group, he naturally knew his younger brothers and sisters very well. Shen Weiguo had always liked Feng Mingyue, while Feng Mingyue secretly harbored feelings for Shi Jian.
Shi Jian and someone else are mutually attracted to each other—what a mess! Gao Da shook his head; he couldn't interfere in such matters. He just hoped they wouldn't cause any trouble.
After graduating from the military academy's telecommunications class, Feng Mingyue joined their military intelligence department. He specifically brought her along on this trip to Kulun, hoping she could spend more time with Shen Weiguo.
The real trouble was what happened between Shi Jian and that woman. He didn't want to involve his two younger brothers and one younger sister all at once.
"Mingyue, here you go!" Shen Weiguo took out a smooth and warm Hetian jade bracelet and handed it over.
"Brother Weiguo, where did you get this? It's very valuable." Feng Mingyue liked the bracelet very much, but she also knew it was very expensive and not something an ordinary family could afford.
“Hey! Didn’t we win the battle at Tukrik? I saw this among the spoils of war, so I asked the commander to give it to me. How about it? Pretty, right?” Shen Weiguo said, reaching out to take Feng Mingyue’s hand and put it on her.
Feng Mingyue reflexively withdrew her hand, avoiding Shen Weiguo.
"Mingyue, are you still thinking about Shijian?" Shen Weiguo's face immediately fell.
"No! It's not... I..." Feng Mingyue shook her head, her face full of bitterness.
"Don't lie to me! You're still thinking about him!" Shen Weiguo waved his hand.
“Mingyue, you know about Shijian and the Princess. Why do you have to demean yourself like this!” Seeing Feng Mingyue’s pitiful appearance, Shen Weiguo’s tone softened.
"I don't know what Shi Jian is better than me in? We both graduated from military academy, but he probably hasn't achieved anything in Guangxi yet!"
"And I've already led my company to two victories. Our regimental commander has already recommended me for commendation, and I might be the company commander in a few days!" Shen Weiguo said proudly.
"Mingyue, don't worry! I will definitely do my best in the army and make many merits. Sooner or later I will surpass that Shi Jian and make him salute me when he sees me. Let's see if he dares to be so smug then!"
"Pfft!" Seeing Shen Weiguo's sullen expression, Feng Mingyue couldn't help but smile.
"Mingyue, you look so beautiful when you smile!" Shen Weiguo stared blankly at Feng Mingyue, then reached out and pulled Rouyi to put the bracelet on her wrist.
This time, Feng Mingyue did not refuse and obediently let Shen Weiguo put the bracelet on her.
"I've accepted it! You've accepted my bracelet, so you're mine now!" Shen Weiguo jumped up with joy.