Zhu Youxiao originally just asked him, not wanting him to put forward a feasible suggestion, it seems that this person still has advantages.

He nodded and said: "Zuo Qing is reasonable, rice can indeed increase yield, but there are few water conservancy facilities in the north and the effect is poor, I want to overhaul the water conservancy in the north and use cement, I don't know if Zuo Qing can worry about me." ”

Zuo Guangdou thought to himself, here it is again, and the disobedient will be kicked into the distance, right, but he has always been interested in water conservancy, and now that he has this opportunity, he will naturally not refuse. So he replied: "I am willing to serve Your Majesty." ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "Zuo Guangdou appointed Zuo Guangdou as the squire of the Ministry of Works, specializing in the management of water conservancy in the north, giving Shang Fang Sword, all expenses are paid by the Ministry of Households, and officials from all over the country must listen to their orders, and officials of the fourth grade and below can be cut first and then played." ”

Zuo Guangdou originally thought that the emperor didn't like him, so he wanted to kick out the Jingshi, but he didn't want the emperor to attach so much importance to water conservancy and give himself so much power. He was both grateful and ashamed in his heart, knelt on the ground and said: "The minister Zuo Guangdou will live up to His Majesty's expectations." ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "Get up." Water conservancy is indeed useful, but I feel that the tenants will collect more and the rent will increase, so it will not have much effect on the tenant farmers, so it is imperative to reduce the rent. ”

The right prince of Yushi stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, for thousands of years, the court has not interfered in the matter of renting, and it has become a precedent. ”

A number of ministers stepped forward one by one and expressed the same meaning as Wang Qia. Because this incident has indeed never happened in history, everyone does not want to go against the emperor, but is really worried that the world will be turbulent because of this.

Zhu Youxiao listened to their words patiently. Then he stood up and said: "Bi Qing, your household department sent people down to check the harvest situation in various places in the third year of the Apocalypse, and the rent rate in the future will be based on this, I must achieve rent reduction this year, Zhongqing can rest assured, the world cannot be turbulent." ”

The ministers were stunned, thinking that we had spoken together for a long time, but the emperor didn't listen to it at all. But the words have already been said, and the emperor always doesn't listen, so there's no way to do it.

After the Imperial Council, the Cabinet and the Six Shoshu remained. Zhu Youxiao asked: "Regarding the rent reduction, I think you are afraid that you will have the same idea as those people just now, let's talk about it." ”

Fang Congzhe said: "Your Majesty, the matter of renting tenants is indeed only related to landlords and tenants, and there has never been a situation where the imperial court has forced rent rates. Your Majesty is the first to open the world, of course, it is good, but I am afraid that the world will really be turbulent. ”

Huang Kezhang said: "The Ming army is not vegetarian, see who dares to turmoil." ”

Zhu Yanxi glared at him and said, "Can the Ming army also be used against the domestic gentry?" ”

Zhu Youxiao nodded: "That's true." The army is not allowed to fight in the country except for a flat sentence, and this point must be stipulated by law in the future. ”

Ye Xianggao said: "Your Majesty, the minister doesn't understand, why did he suddenly make such a big move?" Can't you take your time? ”

Zhu Youxiao sighed and said, "Although I have only been out for more than 20 days, what I saw on the way really made me sad and worried. It is the suffering of the people of the world who are sad, and the concern is that these poor people are the factors of domestic instability. When they can't eat enough, they dare to do anything, and then it will be too late to smoke everywhere. ”

Ye Xianggao said: "But if the landlord is unwilling to reduce the rent, how will it end then?" Without using the army, how to bring them to their knees? How to use the army to convince them? ”

Xu Guangqi said: "It is impossible for the landlord to be willing to reduce the rent. Although Your Majesty did not say what the rent rate was, I think it will always be less than the original fee. So why would the landlords be willing to reduce their income? If this is good for the tenants and not for the landlords, it will not be possible to carry it out everywhere. ”

Ye Xianggao said: "But if it is beneficial to the landlord, it will be detrimental to the tenants, and if it is beneficial to the tenants, it will be detrimental to the landlords, and this matter cannot be beneficial to both parties." ”

Zhu Youxiao thought to himself, isn't his goal just to reduce rent? He wanted the landlord to sell the land to the tenant farmers. Reducing rent alone is an impossible task now, and selling land is even more impossible.

He said: "The reason why I say that turmoil is impossible is because there is a large amount of overseas vacant land and open land in Liaodong waiting to be cultivated, and if the landlords must not be willing to reduce rent, then I will emigrate in large numbers, so that they have no tenant farmers to use." ”

Xu Guangqi said: "If you use tenant farmers to threaten the landlords, of course it may make them soften, but how long can it last? Isn't it the same again when the population is larger? In the early days, the distribution of land was relatively even, but after a period of time, the land began to flow to a small number of people, and a large number of landless poor people appeared, which eventually led to the change of dynasties. If you don't break this rule, you can only take care of the present. ”

Ye Xianggao said: "Using tenant farmers to threaten the landlords does not necessarily make them give in, so this matter should be considered in the long run and find a safe way." ”

Zhu Youxiao said: "I have a way to break the cyclical law of the rise and fall of dynasties. Rent reduction is the first step, you think about this step first, and then you can do it. ”

Xu Guangqi said: "Your Majesty actually has a way to break the change of dynasties, so it's good, we will convene officials from various ministries to find a way to reduce rent." I just don't know if Your Majesty's method can be revealed first? ”

Zhu Youxiao smiled mysteriously and said: "The secret of heaven must not be revealed, and you will know when the time comes." In fact, his method is to let the landlord sell the land to the tenant farmers, but how to sell it, where the tenant farmers will get the money to buy the land, he is still confused, and when the time comes, they still have to find a way, so it will not work to say it now.

The ministers were accustomed to seeing the emperor's endless new ideas, and these new ideas could be effective, so they thought that the emperor really had a good way, and they couldn't help but be greatly encouraged. Of course, everyone doesn't want the Ming Dynasty to perish, and it is best to do it for thousands of generations, since the emperor said that rent reduction is the first step, then of course the first step must be done. If the Emperor's method takes effect, what a great achievement. Confucianism pays attention to speech, meritorious service, and virtue, calling it the three immortals, if you can participate in it and come up with a good way, it will really be famous in history.

Zhu Youxiao's pie made the ministers excited, and immediately after they dispersed, they began to find someone to study how to reduce the rent. Zhu Youxiao was not idle, and asked Wang Chengen to publish a letter from a reader in the newspaper, describing the current situation of the difficult life of tenants in the world, advocating that landlords should reduce the rent rate of tenants, and calling on the imperial court to stipulate the laws and regulations on tenants, and set a reasonable rent rate, so that everyone in the world would obey it, so that the living conditions of tenants could be slightly improved.