The emperor seems dissatisfied with the Two-Tax System, and this news has now become quite widespread.
This isn't about noticing any clues; it's about the fact that many things have already shown extremely clear signals. If you still can't understand them at this point, then there's no need for you to stay in the court.
Previously, the emperor had expressed his concerns about the Two-Tax System in court, but at that time it could also be interpreted as the emperor's dissatisfaction with the administration. In recent years, corrupt officials have increased again, and the atmosphere in officialdom is not good, which is something many people can see.
However, the fact that the emperor summoned the Imperial Lecturers to the Qianqing Palace, and that even the retired emperor and the crown prince listened attentively to the discussion of the tax system, speaks volumes.
The emperor may have some ideas about the tax system, and he may be going to adjust it. This is something that many people are discussing and speculating about in private.
This naturally excited some people. Although the Two-Tax System had already appeared in the Tang Dynasty, it was a relatively mature system, and many people did indeed think it was a very good tax system.
However, some people saw some shortcomings in it, and some genuinely wanted to govern the country well and realize their ambitions. If they could formulate a better tax system, they would not only be remembered in history, but might also become important officials in the court.
Since some people are excited and expectant, eager to make some big moves, others will naturally be worried. They believe that mature systems should be used as is, and there's no need to change anything, as that might only cause turmoil, which is not a good thing.
It's normal to have all sorts of ideas, and Zhu Yunying wasn't surprised at all.
"Second brother, it's not our place to step up this time," Chang Mao said calmly, sitting in his chair. "These things still need you to handle."
Chang Sheng laughed, not caring at all. "We don't care about these things. You are the head of the household after all, and we still need to maintain the reputation of the Kaiping Prince's Mansion. We'll handle this. We're not afraid of these things."
It's still necessary to pay a little attention to public opinion, even though this seems like a pointless exercise. But some things are just like that; you can't just rush out naked. A little bit of cover-up makes it easier to explain later.
“We have enough manpower. We weren’t originally planning to bring the Zhongshan King’s side, but the Xu family heard about it.” Chang Mao laughed smugly and said, “The second and fourth sons of the Xu family came to us, calling us ‘Uncle, Uncle’ so enthusiastically that we softened.”
Some things are actually not suitable to be publicized, and it's not that any martial arts group can participate in certain operations. But some things can't be kept secret from the top martial arts figures.
Chang Sen laughed and said, "Those guys always avoid us when they see us, afraid we'll force them to call us uncle. This time they came over, probably just like our family, the eldest pretends to be dead, and the other two keep jumping around."
Chang Mao glared, utterly speechless at his good-for-nothing younger brother. Even if some things were true, it wasn't right to say them so bluntly.
However, Chang Mao also knew that what Chang Sen said was true. He, the Duke of Kaiping, was just playing dead. Although many people knew that he, Chang Mao, had organized some of these events, he wanted to retreat behind the scenes at this time.
As for the Xu family, everyone understood that Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou wouldn't have spoken up if Xu Huizu hadn't given his approval. The family education at the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion was much stricter than that at the Kaiping Prince's Mansion.
Now that Xu Yingxu and Xu Zengshou have taken the initiative to step forward, it is naturally at Xu Huizu's behest. It's not necessarily that they want to advance and retreat together with the military merit group; the main reason is that both Chang Mao and Xu Huizu are well aware of their special status, as they are the banners of the two largest factions within the Ming Dynasty's military merit group.
Normally, the two of them would just exchange a perfunctory greeting, which was just the simplest form of social interaction. They almost never saw each other, as they needed to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
The fact that the Prince of Zhongshan's mansion was so proactive this time could only be due to either the Emperor's instruction or the Empress's guidance. Otherwise, someone as cautious and steady as Xu Huizu would not have done such a thing.
"We need to call people over from the Duke of Liao and the Duke of En," Chang Mao said earnestly. "These two families may be without their pillars of support and their descendants may be incompetent, but they have followed His Majesty for a long time, so we should lend them a hand."
The title of Duke of Liao was posthumously conferred upon Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhulu, and the title of Duke of En was posthumously conferred upon the Marquis of Hanghai. These two were the earliest military figures to "join" Zhu Yunying, helping the then Crown Prince Zhu Yunying to establish and expand the Maritime Trade Office, and assisting Zhu Yunying in his voyages to Southeast Asia and Japan.
Although they are no longer here, and their descendants are indeed incompetent, only inheriting the title of marquis, there are still some matters that need to be considered in light of their fathers' past achievements.
Remembering something, Chang Sen winked and said, "The Duke of Ying also brought some people, all claiming to be from the Duke of Xin. These guys are all restless."
The Duke of Ying was none other than Feng Cheng, Zhu Yunying's younger brother-in-law. The man he brought was a confidant of his uncle Feng Sheng, who could be considered one of the most capable military figures, comparable to Li Wenzhong, and was truly talented.
Chang Sen immediately laughed and said, "I guess they want to get our little nephew into the Feng family to become a duke. They're really dreaming."
Feng Sheng made great contributions, but he was also suspected by Zhu Yuanzhang. Most importantly, Feng Sheng had no heirs; his eldest daughter was Chang Mao's legal wife, and his youngest daughter married Zhu Su, the Prince of Zhou.
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