First Prince of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 589 Privileges
It is not uncommon for people in the world to believe in ghosts, gods, Buddhas and Taoism. There are people who believe in it, from the officials and prominent families to the families of the poor.

Needless to say its influence, to a certain extent, as the leader of Taoism in the world, Tianshifu's prestige in the south of the Yangtze River is even higher than that of the imperial court, especially for the people at the bottom.

Whether it is an auspicious omen or a bad omen really has a great influence on the turbulent situation at this time. The celestial master Zhang Normal has really picked a good time, just like when he presented the Fortune Return Talisman in previous years.

It can be seen that even if they are outsiders, Taoist leaders can't escape to seek their own interests. Buddhism has been suppressed in recent years and dare not stand out. In the end, it made Taoists have thoughts that they shouldn't have. Yongzhang Daoist affairs have been satisfied The Zhang family is gone, do you want to take the opportunity to discuss the religious affairs of the world forever?
"Is the Celestial Master still in good health?"

Jiang Yu replied without any ups and downs in his voice: "The age of the Celestial Master is similar to that of the Holy One, so naturally it is also the year of its heyday."

Zhu Biao turned his attention to the direction of the Jinshen Hall. He hadn't stepped out of the East Palace during this period, so naturally he hadn't discussed it with his father for a while, so it was a little difficult to play his cards.

Taking action rashly to disrupt his father's plan will only make the situation difficult to deal with, but if he doesn't take action, he still feels a little itchy. Zhu Biao has a deep-rooted habit of holding power and controlling the general trend of the world for many years.

"I remember that the contemporary celestial masters were conferred as Zhengyi sect master Dazheng, leading Taoist affairs, regarded as the second grade of rank, and set up assistant officials such as praising the teaching and holding books."

Jiang Yu tried hard to recall for a moment before answering: "Yes, but I still remember that he was awarded the title of Celestial Master in the Yuan Dynasty, and he was in charge of Sanshan Talisman Policy and Jiangnan Taoism."

Longhushan Tianshi Mansion has great power. In the early Yuan Dynasty, it could suggest the appointment and removal of Taoist affairs management officials and Taoist temple managers in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, and proposed to the emperor the funding and staffing of Taoist temples for new construction. It could also directly issue degree certificates. .

Nowadays, he is in charge of Taoist affairs in the world, but the most fundamental one is the issuance of degree certificates, that is, the right to the status of Taoist priests has been taken back by the court, and of course the same is true for Buddhism.

This is what Tianshi Mansion is dissatisfied with. Zhu Biao couldn't help shaking his head. The contemporary Tianshi's eyes are like a torch, but it's a pity that he still has a bad view of the current emperor's temper. The bigger picture matters.

He only saw the majestic momentum in the south of the Yangtze River, but forgot that the center of the imperial court was in the south of the Yangtze River. Not to mention the noisy state capitals in the south of the Yangtze River.

There is no war between the north and the south of the imperial court, and the generals guarding the Beijing camp are worrying that they have no place to make meritorious service and be promoted.

This is why Lao Zhu dared to provoke the literati so recklessly. You can make trouble, but if you dare to rebel, we dare to kill them all. Zhengchou has no reason to attack you sons of bitches.

Zhu Biao waved his hand and said, "Go on, do what you should do, and don't be smart about the rest."

Jiang Yu promised in a deep voice, then kowtowed again before retreating in a proper manner, feeling a little panicked and a little excited, it's a good thing for the superior to treat you with courtesy, but it's a good thing for you to be able to ask you so unobtrusively, After all, Fengyang and his party did not make a trip in vain.

Zhu Biao got up and found a "Tao Te Ching" from the bookshelf and put it on the desk. After casually flipping through a few pages, he told Fugui who came in to serve him: "The pear flower cake newly made in our palace tastes good. Take it with you." A box plus this book will be sent to Jinshen Hall."

"promise."

Not long after Fugui left, Zhu Biao became busy again, with the princess's soup for a while, Li Liangdi's apricot cake for a while, and Chen Liangyuan's ginseng and bird's nest for a while.

He always felt that he was fed so much that he probably didn't need to eat normally anymore. During the period when he was confined to the Eastern Palace, he could be regarded as seeing the capabilities of his concubines.

Half an hour later, Fugui came back, first made a new cup of tea outside, and then came in, changed the tea for the prince who was indulging in the sea of ​​books, and then said in a low voice: "When I was going, I happened to meet the emperor. After reprimanding several adults from the Ministry of Education, they finally ordered Zhang Tianshi to come to Beijing to preach."

Zhu Biao didn't raise his eyes, but his pupils flickered for a moment, and he had a rough guess in his heart. As expected, Zhang Tianshi's ending in Beijing might not be much better than that of his predecessor Yan Shenggong.

Why bother, it is something that has nothing to do with Taoism, so it has to face difficulties, even the most relevant Confucian mansion can't avoid it, but Tianshi's mansion insists on taking chestnuts from the fire, and now it is burning people, and they can't even hide Drop it, it's too late to get out.

Zhu Biao suddenly wanted to see the expressions of the members of the Zhang family when they received the decree. He wondered if he could still maintain the demeanor of an outsider. Since the second year of Hongwu, he has actually met many eminent monks. I was quite curious at first, but then I didn't even bother to see it.

It's not because of their fame, if they can go to Beijing to see Zhu Biao, then they must have real talents, otherwise, even people from other places would not be so easy to meet the prince and prince of this dynasty. Strictly speaking, the nobles of cultural relics also pay close attention to it.

It's just that their practice is of no benefit to the country or the people. After all, what they cultivate is only their own body. No matter how high the mind is, they can't help Zhu Biao rule the world.

When they met, they would talk about some illusory witty words, which were profound, but after thinking about it, they realized that it was not very beneficial. Everyone understands the truth, being able to speak and being able to act are two different things.

Buddhist and Taoist temples in various places in the world are not engaged in production, and they all need people to support them. In addition to offering incense and fire, they have a large field of merit that does not need to pay taxes.

With the stability of the world, Buddhism and Taoism will become richer and richer, and the field of merit will generally become larger and larger, becoming a moth and burden of the dynasty. treasury.

Zhu Biao naturally thought the same way, and the same sentence, he even wanted to collect taxes from gentry, let alone monks and priests. Once the privilege of not paying taxes leaves a loophole, it will inevitably be messed up. .

Princes, generals, scholars, farmers, businessmen, beggars, prostitutes, monks and priests, in short, no matter who they are, as long as they plant the land, they have to pay taxes without any privileges. Only in this way can the national treasury be filled. Taxes coming up are getting less and less.

The privilege of not having to pay taxes is still there, but Zhu Biao has to solve it after all, but it is not the time yet, and it will take time to accumulate. Not everything needs to be cut quickly, and sometimes it is more appropriate to boil frogs in warm water.

To get the privileged class used to obedience, they have to be hurt first so that they don't dare to make trouble. What Lao Zhu is doing now is to suppress the people, because they are the best to bully.

During the founding of the country, the most privileged class was the founding nobles, princes and generals. They are the real powerful and powerful rebels, and they are qualified to shake the country and the country when they are angry.

The troubled times have just passed, and the literati's influence is still not great enough. During the Taiping years, they are the real romantics who can influence the public opinion. Now they are just jumping and shouting a few times at most, and no one will care.

Zhu Biao put down the book and walked around the hall with his hands behind his back. If I remember correctly, Zhang Yuchu, the eldest son of the heavenly master Zhang Zhengzheng, is Zhang Yuchu.

He is highly valued by literati and scholars in the south of the Yangtze River. Su Boheng, the ninth grandson of Su Zhe, called him a Confucian of the immortals because of his majestic appearance and wide learning.

Before the Heavenly Master's Mansion fell, it was as if Zhu Biao hadn't exterminated the Kong family, because it was useless to kill some people. If they couldn't kill them mentally, Zhu Biao would surely recover after a hundred years. , because they are the benchmarks, there will always be people who need them, and the thousand-year-old family has been passed down to this day, and it is not easy to exterminate them.

So is this the next Heavenly Master Zhang of Longhu Mountain?

"Fugui, you go to the office of the general secretary and tell them to send someone to the Tianshi mansion in Longhushan to pass on the decree of the palace, and say that the palace has been learning about heaven and man recently, and I hope that the celestial masters of the past generations will hand it over to me. An Annotated View of Daozang."

"promise."

........................

(End of this chapter)