Furthermore, at the beginning of the year, Emperor Yingzong introduced the "equalization of land tax and poll tax." Even though it was only a few pilot programs, no one could guarantee that this seemingly good policy would be absolutely effective. The Two-Tax System, which had lasted for hundreds of years, still had many supporters.
Most people naturally hoped that the Ming Dynasty would become increasingly prosperous and powerful, but some people hoped to see Emperor Ying Shi suffer a setback.
After all, Emperor Yingshi seemed incapable of making mistakes. He was always a man of great talent and ambition, which made some civil and military officials feel that their abilities were not being fully utilized. If Emperor Yingshi were to make a mistake, they might have a chance to wrest some power back from him. The imperial power of the Ming emperors was unprecedented.
It was not only because of the emperor's great talent and ambition, but also because after the Hongwu Emperor abolished the prime minister system, the imperial power of the Ming Dynasty was no longer restrained.
To govern the country together with scholar-officials has always been a dream of many scholars. Even in the current situation, many civil officials still hold this idea, and they are constantly waiting for an opportunity to arise.
These are turbulent times. For Zhu Yunying, even as an emperor with great power, if he were to make any careless move, not to mention whether it would shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty, the mere presence of civil and military officials would be enough to cause him headaches.
After finishing his official duties, Zhu Yunying immediately got up and headed towards the Qianqing Palace to have his meal.
Old Zhu was in a good mood, sitting in the courtyard busily preparing dinner. He no longer seemed like the Hongwu Emperor who commanded the respect of all under heaven; this robust, white-haired old man was busy setting out the evening meal. This ever-busy, assertive old man appeared to be thoroughly enjoying what he was doing.
Seeing Zhu Yunying arrive, Old Zhu was even happier. "You're really petty. We're willing to give you the throne. You rush to send us your little matters, what's the use of us even looking at them?"
"Even if I become emperor, I will still be my grandfather's grandson," Zhu Yunying said with a smile. "Besides, I have only been emperor for three years. Although I have handled many things smoothly, I dare not say that they are perfect. I still need my grandfather to steer the ship."
Old Zhu, however, did not think so. He was very confident. "I told you years ago that you are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If you don't even have confidence yourself, how can you convince the people? We should not be arrogant, nor should we be humble! We know what Ying'er is capable of."
Zhu Yunying blushed slightly; he was quite confident. But it was clear that Old Zhu trusted Zhu Yunying more.
The grandfather and grandson had just sat down when they heard footsteps outside. Without a doubt, in the Ming Dynasty, only young Zhu Yuanzhang would be so unruly; no one else would dare to run around the Qianqing Palace like that.
Suddenly, Zhu Yunying sensed something was wrong. Little Zhu's running was unusually heavy; not only were his footsteps heavy, but there was also a faint sound of armor clanking...
"Great-grandfather, we're back!" Little Zhu appeared, wearing armor, and more importantly, his golden armor had five claws.
Zhu Yunying was furious and said irritably, "We're not dead yet, and you're just running around everywhere in your five-clawed dragon robe?!"
Old Zhu couldn't stand seeing Little Zhu scolding Little Zhu, so he immediately defended him, "Back when we were still alive, you were also running around in your five-clawed robe. Did we ever scold you? This armor, Yin'er, was a gift from us. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Zhu Yunying was speechless for a moment, and could only forcefully change the subject, "Go wash your hands, it's time to eat."
Shuangquan and Wang Chengen immediately got busy, directing the maids and eunuchs to remove the crown prince's armor, and busily bringing him clean water to wash his hands and face.
“Yin’er is better than you. You were a bit chubby when you were little, which was cute, but you lost your good looks as you grew up.” Old Zhu couldn’t take his eyes off little Zhu. “Our Yin’er is better, much more robust than you. Your face is a bit delicate, and your body isn’t robust enough. If you ask me, we knew from the beginning that you couldn’t fight.”
Zhu Yunying was speechless and said irritably, "Then there's really nothing we can do. Our looks are all given to us by our parents. Our parents are both handsome, so we are handsome too. If our Yin'er were thinner, he would definitely be handsome too. He doesn't look like his grandfather, he looks like his grandmother."
Little Zhu turned his head and immediately said, "Great-grandfather, we're just like you. Everyone outside says we're the skin that our great-grandfather shed!"
This rascal followed Old Zhu around Yingtian Prefecture, and sometimes he heard a lot of people flattering him.
While it might sound a bit exaggerated and cheesy, in terms of appearance, Little Zhu does bear a resemblance to Old Zhu. This is probably one of the reasons why Old Zhu adores Little Zhu so much; it's hard for Old Zhu not to like this great-grandson with his 'attributed appearance'.
Old Zhu also said with a smile, "Your father is willing to come today because a military report came from Korea. Take a look at it later and tell us about it."
Little Zhu's treatment is exceptionally good; at such a young age, there's almost nothing that can be hidden from him. This kind of treatment was only enjoyed by the eldest and youngest Zhu back then, except that Little Zhu can observe these important court affairs, but he can't make decisions yet.
"Great! We rode horses at the training ground this afternoon and even defeated Aunt's Qilin!" Little Zhu said proudly. "Our dad likes to slack off. Aunt's family has a Qilin, and so does my other aunt's. Our great-uncle's family also has a Qilin. If it weren't for our great-grandfather's rules, my second uncle's family would definitely have a Qilin too."
Joo Yoon-young, who was being criticized, had nothing to say, except that there was some truth to his complaints. While Joo Yoon-young naturally had high hopes for his juniors when naming them, he also couldn't help but have some lazy thoughts.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
