After hearing this, Zhang Weixian smiled, put down the teacup in his hand, and said with a smile: "It's as expected."

"Father, do you think there is a conspiracy behind this matter?" Zhang Zhiji looked at Zhang Weixian and asked hesitantly.

After hearing his son's words, Zhang Weixian immediately became interested. He smiled and asked, "Okay, then tell me what you think."

As he got older, Zhang Weixian was willing to raise his son.

After hearing his father's words, Zhang Zhiji nodded and said, "This whole thing feels a bit strange. Is Duke Cheng really that stupid? I also feel like there's something fishy about this matter. Do you think His Majesty forced him to do this?"

"It seems that there is no benefit for him to do this. Although His Majesty has given him rewards and appointed him as the commander of the Beijing camp, everyone now knows that these are empty promises. Can he offend all the nobles and relatives of the emperor for such a small benefit?"

Glancing at his son, Zhang Weixian nodded and said with emotion, "It's good that you thought of this, but you are not allowed to have this idea again. All thoughts must rot in my stomach."

"From today on, you can only remember that this was done by Duke Cheng. He did it of his own accord, without any compulsion. He is a man who seeks rewards and the favor of His Majesty."

"Don't worry, father. I understand." Zhang Zhiji said quickly.

Then a conflicted look appeared on his face, and he said with a somewhat helpless tone, "What should we do? We've received a lot more visiting cards in the past two days, all from people asking for favors. Our family is a top noble family, and if we don't step forward, I'm afraid no one else will dare to do so. But if we do, I'm afraid we'll offend His Majesty."

"What do you think of the current emperor?" Zhang Weixian asked his son.

"He's ruthless and not easy to please." Zhang Zhiji said slowly, "Judging from what His Majesty has done since ascending the throne, he probably won't care about his old ministers, let alone the generations of national grace. From the incident with the old Prince Fu, it can be seen that His Majesty is ruthless when it comes to taking action."

Zhang Weixian nodded, sighed softly, stood up and said, "Don't even mention His Majesty. Over the years, hasn't the Ming Dynasty dismissed many nobles and relatives of honor?"

"In my opinion, Your Majesty is destined to be the Taizu and Chengzu. Regardless of how the outside world evaluates Taizu and Chengzu, the nobles and relatives of the nobles have their own set of evaluation standards."

"First, it's about Emperor Taizu. He was generous with his gifts. As for the nobles and relatives of the nobles who were killed by Emperor Taizu, just look at what they did and you'll know. But it also shows one thing: Emperor Taizu killed without blinking an eye. He was definitely a ruthless person with a cruel heart."

"As for Emperor Chengzu, he was also a man of great talent and strategy. Those who followed him in conquering the country met a good end. But in reality, the nobles and relatives of the emperor during Emperor Chengzu's time had long since learned their lesson and no longer dared to act as arrogantly and domineeringly as those during Emperor Taizu's time, otherwise they would have been dealt with in the same way."

Zhang Zhiji understood instantly. His father said that the current emperor should learn from both Taizu and Chengzu, rather than just one of them. This could only mean one thing: the current emperor could be as cruel and ruthless as Taizu, and at the same time, he could give his ministers a good end like Emperor Chengzu.

Seeing the look of enlightenment on his son's face, Zhang Weixian smiled and said, "It's great that you understand."

"From the time Your Majesty ascended the throne until now, have you ever treated anyone who has worked for Your Majesty harshly? Where are those who have opposed Your Majesty now?"

"Nobles and relatives of the nobles rely on the royal family's favor. If we lose the royal family's favor, what will we have left?"

"If we held military power, His Majesty might still take it into consideration. But the Ming Dynasty has been around for over 200 years. What do we have left?"

"During the Jiajing reign, we were almost completely defeated. Back then, it was Qi Jiguang who was leading the war, and all the soldiers who could fight were conscripts. Our men were no longer reliable. If the royal family hadn't still cherished us, we would have been wiped out long ago. Isn't the main reason our Yingguo Mansion has been able to maintain its current status because we did the right thing at the right time?"

"Yes, that's what my father taught me." Zhang Zhiji said quickly.

"Look at those civil servants. Which of those civil servants in the court right now is easy to get along with? Not a single one is belligerent. Don't they know the principle of 'lips and teeth'? If we all pay taxes, how can they escape?

"But they still support the taxation of the estates. Do you know why? The reason is simple. Whether it's the cabinet or the six ministries, they are all His Majesty's people. Even if someone wants to oppose it, they will be eliminated immediately."

"Although His Majesty now lives in the Western Garden all day, everything in the court is decided by His Majesty's words. Where are those people who were clamoring a few days ago? They are all gone!"

"So, father, do you mean we should do the same?" Zhang Zhiji said hesitantly.

"Okay, there's something I need to tell you. Remember this: our family is the Duke of Ying, the most powerful noble in the Ming Dynasty. It seems like we can't get any more promotion or reward, but maintaining our position is the most difficult thing. If we don't step up this time, do you believe that your father will be taken down soon?"

"When that time comes, our family will only have an empty title. Besides, this isn't a big deal. It's just some estate taxes. How much can we pay? It's just a little less every year. It's not a big deal."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!