Old Zhu was in a good mood. After taking a bite of food, he said, "We've been reading the memorials you sent these past few days. This 'integration of land tax into poll tax' is good; our grain tax has increased."

"It's not just about increased grain taxes; if you ask us, it's about less land consolidation in the future." Zhu Yunying said to his father with a hint of pride, "If we continue to promote land nationalization, there will be less and less land consolidation in our Ming Dynasty. We won't have to worry about large landowners taking over the land and ordinary people becoming tenants in the end."

Clearly, this was a grand strategy, an absolutely grand strategy. The land tax reform appeared to have been implemented, but Zhu Yunying had actually planned for land nationalization long ago, and had been implementing it slowly and systematically.

Ultimately, it's about learning from past mistakes. Many dynasties fell into chaos at the end because the people lost their land.

Zhu Yunying, naturally, learned his lesson. He needed to start working hard now, laying a more solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty from the very beginning. Even if the dynasty couldn't last forever, he wanted to prolong its lifespan as much as possible.

"It's not just that grain taxes have increased; we've also reduced taxes, so the Ming Dynasty can now distribute wealth among its people," Zhu Yunying said with a smile, adding smugly. "Grandfather, the people of Suzhou are all cursing you. Just wait and see, they'll all be praising Emperor Yingshi. Emperor Yingshi is benevolent; our emperor is far superior to yours."

Old Zhu laughed heartily, not caring at all about the infamy he might bear. He was indeed proud of what his beloved grandson had done.

As for whether his predicament could be understood, Old Zhu didn't care much. As long as it benefited the Ming Dynasty, that was enough.

Of course, with the Ming Dynasty flourishing, Emperor Zhu was growing increasingly proud. His beloved grandson never disappointed him. In Emperor Zhu's eyes, Emperor Yingshi was the one who could transform the Ming Dynasty into a magnificent and prosperous empire!

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