Tax reform was something Zhu Yunying had long anticipated. It wasn't just something he considered after ascending the throne; he had such a plan even before, but now it was being formally proposed.

In fact, many people in the court knew that Emperor Ying Shi was quite dissatisfied with the Two-Tax System that had been in place since the Tang Dynasty.

This led many to secretly complain that although Emperor Yingshi was precocious and appeared to be wise and resourceful, with many ingenious ideas, the vast majority of people were not optimistic about tax reform.

Even though the Two-Tax System had many shortcomings, it had been in place for hundreds of years and was relatively complete. It did indeed seem to be quite suitable for the rule of a dynasty.

It's not that officials are used to these tax systems; the people seem to have long accepted the Two-Tax System, even if they may sometimes be dissatisfied. This 'sticky' system demonstrates its applicability, and there really is no need to change anything.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had only been established for a short time, and many of its systems were still being established and improved.

Now, with everyone just getting used to things, there are changes again. I imagine many people will find it difficult to adapt, and many will feel genuinely dissatisfied. This is simply putting people through a lot of trouble; it's just increasing everyone's workload.

Moreover, some insightful people were able to see the hidden dangers that the emperor envisioned in the tax system.

Given Zhu Yunying's extremely strict household registration system, his desire to merge the poll tax with the land tax would obviously create some conflict. If Zhu Yunying were to implement this system, it would clearly require changes to some of the systems previously established by Zhu Yunying.

The silent old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying and said irritably, "Passing the throne to you is just asking for trouble for ourselves."

"How is this causing trouble?" Zhu Yunying wouldn't stand for it; this matter needed to be discussed properly. "Grandpa, we don't like hearing that. Since we became emperor, we've saved you a lot of trouble. If we weren't such a good emperor, how could you enjoy your old age and be surrounded by your grandchildren!"

To his shameless grandson, Old Zhu said, "We changed the ancestral rules for your sake, so you have to accept that, right?"

Zhu Yunying nodded; he had to admit it. Because of Zhu Yunying's actions, the 'Ancestral Instructions Record' of the late Zhu family had indeed changed considerably after its completion—that was a fact.

“You don’t like the princes, and you keep thinking about reducing their power.” Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunying and continued, “The strategy we established before, which involved the princes pacifying the borders, was not implemented even years ago, let alone now. If you don’t agree with it, no one else can.”

Zhu Yunying did indeed have to yield in this matter, although there were princes who had been enfeoffed in their fiefdoms in the early years. However, Zhu Yunying had always resisted the enfeoffment of princes, and when Zhu Yunying grew a little older, the old Zhu slowed down the pace of princes being enfeoffed, and now he even forbade princes from going to their fiefdoms.

So, if we're really talking about the princes' strategy for pacifying the borders, it really was changed because of Zhu Yunying's attitude, a fact that Zhu Yunying himself acknowledged.

Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Yunying and continued, "We previously established a policy of non-conquest. We accepted the silver mines in Japan. We also suppressed the numerous letters of credence sent from Goryeo."

Yi Seong-gye must have been frustrated. Although he had usurped the throne, the Ming Dynasty never recognized his 'legitimate status' and always seemed ready to send troops at any time. They even occupied Busan Port, causing many people in Goryeo to feel uneasy or perhaps have other ideas.

Therefore, the rule against conquering other countries was removed from the ancestral precepts by Zhu Yunying. After all, he knew that Zhu Yunying had high hopes for many countries surrounding the Ming Dynasty, which were intended as 'foundation lands' for settling other members of the imperial family.

As for the treatment of members of the imperial clan, or the etiquette system for them, Zhu Yunying may have contributed to these matters, which made Zhu Yunming determined to make some changes.

However, these things are not necessarily entirely due to Zhu Yunying's efforts. After all, Zhu Yunying could also see some shortcomings in those systems, and Zhu Yunying was just a catalyst.

Upon review, it's clear that Zhu Yunying truly caused Old Zhu to change many things, whether willingly or unwillingly, and some of Old Zhu's plans had to be readjusted.

"Let's talk about the north. We previously set up a nine-line defense line," Old Zhu said to Zhu Yunying. "Of course, we are happy to see our Great Ming Dynasty pursue the fleeing enemy northward, but we have also dealt with you quite a bit and rebuilt the northern defense line."

"We don't acknowledge this!" Zhu Yunying immediately retorted. This matter needed to be clarified. "Although we developed the northern frontier, and during my reign we drove the Tartars to their deaths, I don't believe it was I who made my grandfather rebuild the defenses. The strength of our Ming army is the fundamental reason!"

Old Zhu glared, even angrier, "Playing dumb in front of us? Are we talking about your conquest of Liaodong, or the great victory last year? We're talking about your instigation to move the capital to Beiping, that's the real issue!"

Lead

This time, Zhu Yunying could no longer fool him, because what he had given before were only superficial reasons. The fundamental reason for the reconstruction of the Ming Dynasty's northern defense line was still the relocation of the capital to Beiping (Beijing).

Although the capital has not been completely moved yet, the relocation that has been decided will not be changed; it just needs a little time.

However, Zhu De's reconstruction of the northern defense line was not something that could be done overnight. He had been building the northern defense line for more than ten years, ever since he decided to establish the capital in Beiping.

Seeing that Zhu Yunying was no longer pretending to be stupid, Old Zhu laughed, "We knew you could cause trouble, but we didn't expect you to be this troublesome! We accept it. We worked hard to build this empire, just to pass it on to you. It's true that you can cause trouble, and it's also true that you can accomplish things. We'll just have to work a little harder."

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