"Is it reasonable to compete with the people for profit?" Zhu Gaochi asked softly, the Minister of Rites, who seemed to have aged in front of him.

Ren Hengtai frowned, the truth was there, it would never change, everyone knew it.

However, it is one thing to know, but it is difficult to change something.

Then Zhu Gaochi became more serious and said in a deep voice: "How can we compete with the country for profit?"

"Tax Commissioner!" Ren Hengtai suddenly spoke and called out Zhu Gaochi's current official position.

Zhu Gaochi looked at Ren Hengtai calmly, his face extremely calm.

Ren Hengtai was breathing heavily.

"Ren Budang, did I say something wrong?" Zhu Gaochi stared at Ren Hengtai deeply.

Ren Hengtai tried several times to calm down his chaotic emotions, but he always failed.

It is an indisputable fact that the local gentry and powerful people compete with the people for profits. But if the matter involves competing for interests with the country, it will be a crime of treason and theft of the country.

Just thinking about it, Ren Hengtai felt that there were floating corpses stretching thousands of miles in front of his eyes, rivers of blood, and holes thousands of miles away.

Zhu Gaochi clasped his hands in his sleeves, made a belly-holding gesture, lowered his eyes, and said softly: "The country has countless territories, there are countless people, and there are countless records in the yellow books on Xuanwu Lake. If the gentry's fame takes away the benefits of the people, then the people will lose a penny.

If a gentry seizes dozens of acres of fertile land from a common people, the country will lose dozens of acres of farmland, and the summer and autumn taxes will reduce tens of acres of farmland. There are countless gentry in the world, and they have countless fame, how much land will they seize? How much less will the country lose by summer and autumn taxes?

Doesn’t this mean we are competing with the country to benefit from it?”

Top-down exploitation has turned into exploitation by the middle class, taking advantage of the top and bottom and enriching the middle class privately.

Ren Hengtai's shoulders slumped. Hearing this explanation, he didn't understand.

Zhu Gaochi continued: "The state collects taxes and recruits miscellaneous servants, not only for one person in the family, but also for the whole country. Water transportation is dredged, ditches are dredged, the northern and southern borders are divided, the Japanese army is suppressed, the court salary is paid, and local relief is provided.

Don’t you need a lot of money and food?

How much is it if the local government seizes only a small amount of profit? Not much. But if the whole country competes with the country for profit, how much is it? How much!

The country is in short supply, the local area is fertile, and the people are hungry and cold. May I ask the ministers, under such circumstances, how long will the Ming Dynasty be?"

Ren Hengtai's eyes flickered and he was speechless: "Da Ming..."

"The Ming Dynasty will not last forever!" Zhu Gaochi let out a long sigh: "Nowadays, the Holy Emperor carries the power of founding the country, and no official dares to disobey him. However, when encountering fundamental events, we are still in today's situation. How can future generations change it? Dare to change it?

I don’t dare…”

With a sigh, he dragged himself into the city gate for a long time.

But those questions were firmly engraved in Ren Hengtai's mind.

He looked at the Fengtian Hall, which because of the emperor's frugality, had only weak lights shining behind the Meridian Gate. He was the first person in the world to have a scholar's archway, and the first person to hold the title of Minister of Etiquette and receive a bachelor's degree from the Wenhua Palace.

The minister, looking particularly lonely, lowered his head and turned around.

Ru Ruan supported the pale Zhai Shan and looked anxiously at the dejected Ren Hengtai, wanting to know what he and Prince Yan just said.

But at this moment, Ren Hengtai no longer had the strength to speak, so he walked heavily to Zhai Shan and Ru Ru: "Let's all disperse..."

After saying the last words, Ren Hengtai no longer wanted to stay in front of the Meridian Gate. He followed the thoughts of those kneeling down and forced the palace officials, stepped on the marks under the palace wall, and walked toward the Duanmen with a lonely back.

Zhai Shan grabbed Ru Ru's arm tightly and shook it anxiously a few times.

Ru Yu looked up at Ren Hengtai who was walking away and shouted: "What did you say?"

No one answered Rujun's inquiry.

Yu Xin and Wang Jun looked at each other and saw that Ren Hengtai had left. They waved their robes and cupped their hands towards Zhai Shan and Ru Yu: "Since your Majesty has issued a decree, we will leave first. Already."

Ru Yun stretched out her hand and opened her mouth, but Yu Xin and Wang Jun were already leaving from the Meridian Gate with their hands behind their backs.

"Let's go, everyone go back..."

Zhai Shan, who fainted for a while and never recovered, muttered weakly, then let go of Ru Ru's arm and staggered out of Duanmen.

Ru Yu felt like it was stuck in her throat, and she was holding a breath in her chest that could never come out.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he glanced gloomily at the officials in front of the Meridian Gate who were completely panicked after hearing the imperial edict, and he couldn't help but snorted coldly.

"Is this the result you want?"

"This is what you want!"

………………
Chapter completed!