"Your Highness, dressing and eating is human ethics; Except for dressing and eating, there is nothing to do. ”

In the opinion of the ministers, scholars should only recognize the vacuum on the Lun matter, not on the Lun object. Therefore, Mencius said: "Know in the common things, observe in the people." ”

"If you add discernment to things, you can reach the source and know the true source; Otherwise, if you only think about things, you will never be satisfied. ”

Li Zhen continued to talk about his theory to the crown prince Zhu Changxun here, and his eyebrows danced.

After all, he is now instilling his own thoughts into the future monarch of the Ming Dynasty, which will undoubtedly make his thoughts likely to become official governing ideas.

"Your Highness, the minister thinks what Master Li said is a fallacy!"

"Human ethics and physics are not all vacuums, not to mention human ethics, the relationship between parents and brothers is real."

"And physics is also tangible, and there are even invisible objects."

"There is no vacuum in this world, because if life is in a vacuum, it will perish! And the candle flame can't be bright! Therefore, it cannot be said that human physics is a vacuum. ”

But when Li Zhen just finished speaking, Ma Wanwei expressed his different opinions.

Although Li Zhen criticized Cheng Zhu Lixue a lot, he was influenced by Buddhism, believing that social relations and natural phenomena are the manifestation of a "vacuum", and that everything in the universe is nothing, so he will think that human ethics and physics are all "vacuum".

Wan Wei, who was in charge of teaching physics to the prince, had always been interested in studying atmospheric pressure, so he raised a different opinion at this time, and at this time he asked:

"Your Highness, please do an experiment to prove the minister's statement."

"Experiments?"

Li Zhen looked at Wan Wei and frowned slightly.

He didn't expect Wan Wei to prove his point by doing experiments again, just like he used to prove that there is an invisible object of gas in the void, and this way of exploring knowledge in an experimental way is very different from the way he is used to doing knowledge, which makes him very unaccustomed to it.

"Invited by my uncle."

Zhu Changxun did not refuse.

First, because Wan Wei is his little uncle after all, he is not easy to refuse; The second reason is that Zhu Yijun deliberately let people from all walks of life be his teachers, so that he is more tolerant and willing to contact all kinds of novel knowledge.

So, it didn't take long for Wan Wei to bring a gas pump he had invented himself and a transparent glass tube with a mouth, and a cricket was placed in the glass tube.

The young Zhu Changxun was very curious about this, so he asked Wan Wei: "Uncle, what are you going to do?" ”

"Back to Your Highness, the minister plans to extract the air from this glass infusion."

Wan Wei shook the glass as he spoke, and after the crickets inside jumped a little, he said, "Your Highness and the masters must have seen it, this cricket is alive." ”

Zhu Changxun and Li Zhen both nodded.

Wanwei then took the air extraction cylinder he invented and pumped the air, because the glass tube was not large, so it didn't take long to pump and there was no more air in the glass tube.

And soon, Zhu Changxun saw that the crickets in the glass tube that had been drained of air turned over, and his stomach was facing up, so he was stunned.

Li Zhen was also stunned, and couldn't help but say: "So, this cricket has to be alive and angry in an environment, and it really can't live in a vacuum?" ”

Subsequently.

Wan Wei also asked people to prepare small candles and put them into two glass tubes of the same size with and without gas, and the results also proved that the candles in the pumped glass tube went out faster.

Seeing this, Zhu Changxun looked directly at Li Zhen.

Li Zhen was already stunned at this time, and muttered: "I didn't expect that the master of the horse would overpower me in learning, and the master of the horse could correct me, but not by mental consciousness, but by still using experiments to speak." ”

After Li Zhen said this, he turned to look at the crown prince Zhu Changxun, and bowed his hand to Zhu Changxun and said: "Your Royal Highness, what the minister just said is indeed a big fallacy, and the master of the horse uses experiments to refute it, even a childish person can understand who is right and who is wrong, so if the minister refuses to admit it, it is obviously a deception to His Royal Highness, disloyal to the prince, and self-deception." ”

As he spoke, Li Zhen bowed to Wan Wei: "Thanks to the correction of the concubine, the contemptible man has indeed gone astray, the book written by the contemptible man before needs to be burned, and it should not be said in front of His Royal Highness again, and it is too untrue." ”

Zhu Changxun nodded: "Since that's the case, let's end the class and prepare for the next one." ”

"Yes!"

West Garden.

Zhu Yijun, who was walking in the Taiye Pool, asked the prince how he was doing, and learned from Tian Yi, the governor of Dongchang, that Li Zhen of the Wenhua Palace was refuted by Wan Wei when he lectured to the prince, so he smiled and said:

"Very good, I didn't let Wan Wei be the speaker of the East Palace in vain, this time, it can be regarded as an eye-opener for the prince, and I know that although some people's views are very novel, they are not necessarily right, as the so-called learning is endless, he should always keep his own thinking."

Zhu Yijun said and went back to his bedroom.

On the way back, Zhu Yijun met the imperial servant Huang Min, so he asked her: "Can penicillin be extracted in large quantities?" ”

Huang Min looked at Zhu Yijun with two eyes, suddenly lowered his head again, and replied with a red face: "Back to Your Majesty, you can't yet, the Pharmacy still relies on some luck to extract penicillin now, mainly because it is difficult to do it in a sterile environment, please forgive Your Majesty!" ”

"I don't mean to blame, just do your best."

"There may have to be a more efficient way to sterilize."

Zhu Yijun said and left.

And when he inadvertently turned around, he found that Huang Min was still standing in place, but when he turned around, Huang Min hurriedly turned around and left here.

Zhu Yijun smiled at this, and then asked Tian Yi again: "What is the public opinion about the collection of luxury tax?" ”

"Many people say that the new officials of Yuanfu took office with three fires, and if they want to collect money for themselves, they simply set up a name, and want to loot the money of big families for their own private party purposes, so as to prepare for the future usurpation of the army."

Tian Yi replied.

Zhu Yijun furrowed his brows after hearing this.

In order to prevent the emergence of the ban on luxury tax, opponents have made such rumors.

In Zhu Yijun's view, this is really a double win, if he really believes in this, he must first prevent the emergence of the ban on luxury tax, and then end the matter of Ji Guogong as the first assistant.

Tian Yi glanced at Zhu Yijun at this time because Zhu Yijun didn't say a word.

"I see."

Zhu Yijun replied and said, "Carefully investigate where this public opinion came from." ”

"Yes!"

With the advent of the twenty-first year of Wanli, Zhu Yijun and his ruling ministers did nothing but military reform to impose a luxury tax.

Although the growth of social wealth in the Ming Dynasty now mainly depends on external development, if the corresponding distribution adjustment is not carried out, most of the increased social wealth will still flow into the powerful bureaucracy, but not into the state and the common people.

The imposition of a luxury tax is essentially a means of regulation and control, and it is only a tax increase on luxury behavior in the name of frugality, which does not mean that the imperial court really does not allow the powerful bureaucrats and ordinary people to pursue extravagance.

This is what Zhu Yijun and his ruling ministers must do.

Because if we don't, although the wealth is increasing dramatically, we will not be able to enrich the country and benefit the people.

What's more, Zhu Yijun now also needs more treasury revenue to maintain the increased expenditure after the military reform, as well as to increase the internal revenue to prepare for his next southern tour.

It's just that the sale, sale and use of luxury goods are basically monopolized in the hands of the powerful bureaucracy.

Therefore, Zhu Yijun and his ruling ministers are working against all the powerful and bureaucrats.

Naturally, there are many opponents.

Of course.

After all, Zhu Yijun is the emperor, or the emperor who has just returned from a great victory, and Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang and other ministers who advocate the imposition of luxury tax are all veterans with great prestige in the army, so no one dares to oppose it directly, and there are only rumors that want to influence the emperor's thoughts.

"Your Majesty!"

"According to the deduction of the Cabinet Planning Department based on the data obtained from the overt investigation and covert visits, if the luxury tax is introduced, and according to the new ratio of three taxes to two taxes and one tax set by the Planning Department, the seven major customs and nine cities of this dynasty will receive a total of more than 20 million taels of silver in taxes!"

"Gaine, since the switch, the demand for luxury things has been rising every year, even exceeding the rate of increase in the demand for food, and the demand for luxury goods for the magnates and gentry is far greater than the demand for food for the people."

On this day, the morning sun is rising.

Qi Jiguang presented Zhu Yijun with the estimated scale of the luxury tax in front of the Imperial Division.

Zhu Yijun smiled after hearing this, and asked: "So, if this luxury tax can really be effectively implemented, can it meet the increased needs of the military reform and the cost of my southern tour?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, yes, even if you add the Tokugawa clan with soldiers, there will be a surplus, and if you add the trade routes on Japan's Honshu Island in the future, the increased commercial tax and luxury tax can further promote some good governance that benefits the people."

Qi Jiguang replied at this time.

At that time, Wang Xijue came out of the class and said: "But the vanguard of the government army, Qianhu Zhongchun, recently said that it is better to levy a luxury tax than a mining tax, and the mining tax is more abundant. ”

After hearing this, Zhu Yijun asked, "What do you think?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the mining tax cannot be levied, once the mining tax is levied, it is equivalent to a ban on mining operations, and it will also make the company use a mine in a place to collect taxes on the people."

At this time, Shen Li replied.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "I have no intention of exploiting my Chinese geographical advantages now." ”

And the head of the household Shangshu Wang Xuan said: "But Your Majesty, the people who steal mines are very huge, if the mines are still banned, the people who are afraid of being killed because of this will still not be stopped." ”

"Love the people is not indulgence, if you don't want to farm, you can enter the factory, you can also go to the sea to open mines, but you are not allowed to mine in the country, we must keep the local mineral profits for future generations as much as possible, and we can't do all the fishing!"

Zhu Yijun refuted Wang Xun's words and said: "Just levy a luxury tax!" ”

At this time, Zhang Jingxiu walked in: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent delivery from Jinyiwei, tens of thousands of workers involved in silk and other processing in Suzhou have gone on strike to demand that the imperial court stop collecting luxury tax, and the organizers Cheng Renqing, Cui Yilin and some others have been secretly detained by Jinyiwei. ”

(End of chapter)