The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 302 Literary Family
At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the Imperial Seal in his hand and, as if he had thought of something, turned his gaze to Zhu Xiong Ying beside him.

"You handed this thing to me right away, didn't you want to keep it for yourself?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao inwardly cried out in alarm; his father's paranoia had struck again.

Empress Ma also looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with a resentful expression. Zhu Xiong Ying was currently overseeing the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

All matters in the imperial court are inseparable from Zhu Xiong Ying, and as for those who have sided with him, who knows how many? If he really wanted to rebel, why would he wait until now?

At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile.

"Grandmother was absolutely right when she said something: This is just a stone. It's unrealistic to think that a stone can guarantee the long-term peace and stability of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Only we ourselves can decide the fate of our Great Ming Dynasty. Only by doing better can we guarantee the eternal peace of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt embarrassed upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that he was less insightful in this regard than a child, and he felt ashamed.

"We're very happy that you have these thoughts, and we hope you'll remember them!"

"When we unified the country, many people suggested that we recognize Zhu Xi as our ancestor, so that we could win over the hearts of scholars across the land. But I refused them outright!"

"I, Zhu Chongba, am just a poor peasant. I have been a monk and a beggar. My family has been poor for generations. Otherwise, we would not have starved to death. As for those so-called saints and lords, we have absolutely no connection with them!"

"I believe that even without those so-called saintly families, we can still conquer the world!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded after hearing this.

"That Zhu Xi is not worthy to stand alongside my Zhu family. They just want to gain some power, but power in this world is not so easy to obtain. Do they really think my Zhu family is easy to bully? They want to reap the benefits without sowing!"

Zhu Yuanzhang and his crown prince Zhu Biao nodded in satisfaction upon hearing Zhu Xiong Ying's words.

Previously, Crown Prince Zhu Biao considered these scholars to be the most important people. However, after hearing what Zhu Xiong Ying said, he became increasingly aware of what the foundation of the Ming Dynasty was: the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Yingtian Prefecture has become much more lively during this period than before, especially with a significant increase in the number of scholars.

Scholars from all over the country began to flock to Yingtian Prefecture.

In the past, this kind of situation usually occurred during the imperial examinations. However, it is not the time for the imperial examinations, so it is somewhat puzzling that so many people have appeared in the capital.

Upon learning of this situation, Zhu Xiong Ying immediately sent people to investigate and indeed obtained some information. It turned out that the Kong family from Shandong had come to Yingtian Prefecture. In addition to the Kong family from Shandong, the Meng family, the Zhu family, and the Cheng family also came with them.

These prominent families held an extremely high position in the hearts of scholars throughout the land.

Needless to say, the Confucian and Mencian families were also prominent figures in Neo-Confucianism, as were Zhu Xi, the ancestor of the Zhu family, and Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao, the ancestor of the Cheng family.

He held an extraordinary position among scholars.

Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but smile as she looked at the list in her hand.

"It seems that these major families have quite a strong lineup this time!"

"Each of these four great families has sent a highly respected elder. The Kong family has sent Duke Yansheng Kong Ximing, the Meng family has sent Meng Ziru, the Zhu family has sent Zhu Ying, and the Cheng family has sent Cheng Daoan!"

These men held extremely high positions among scholars, and now that they had all come to this place together, Crown Prince Zhu Biao rushed to find Zhu Xiong Ying after hearing the news.

"You need to be careful about this matter with U.A. High School. These people probably have ill intentions and are very likely targeting you!"

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled.

"I don't think I've done anything to offend them, so why are they targeting me?" Zhu Biao rolled his eyes at him after hearing this.

"You still have the nerve to say you haven't offended them? The policies you implemented were practically wiping out their wealth. They hate you to the core now. I bet these powerful families only appeared for their own status and to meet the demands of those scholars!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded upon hearing this, then smiled and said...

"Should I see them or not?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao sighed.

"We have no choice in this matter. If we don't meet with them, the scholars in the court and the public will probably cause an uproar!"

"After all, these people still hold a very high position in the hearts of scholars!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded with amusement after hearing this.

"In that case, I'll meet them. I'm quite curious to see what these guys will say!"

At this time, many patriarchs and heads of prominent families gathered in a manor in Yingtian Prefecture.

Sitting at the front were four elders, the most senior members of the four families led by the Kong family.

At that moment, the patriarch of a prominent family raised his wine cup and said with a smile.

"Time is short, and we really couldn't find many good places, so we can only make do with this one place. Please forgive us, esteemed elders!"

The group nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this; the man's attitude was quite good.

At least for now.

This manor was probably the largest one they could contact.

At this moment, Zhu Ying from the Zhu family stepped forward and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality, esteemed families. Tomorrow we will offer our advice to His Highness the Crown Prince. He is still young and has made many mistakes. If things continue like this, who knows what will become of him!"

"The purpose of being a scholar is to guide him to correct his wrongdoings. With a few of us taking action, Zhu Xiong Ying will definitely pull back from the brink and turn back to the right path!"

The scholars all looked at him with disappointment and frustration.

Everyone else nodded after hearing this.

"Yes, this Crown Prince is still too young. He actually came up with this 'equalization of land tax and poll tax' thing. What use is that?"

"The people we can truly rely on are still us scholars and aristocratic families. What we're doing now only benefits those lowly people, but it doesn't benefit us at all. Who in the world would be willing to risk their lives for them?"

Everyone nodded after hearing this.

They were the absolute rulers of their respective families, each one a local tyrant.

Now, due to the conversion of land tax to poll tax, their respective family interests have suffered extremely serious losses, which is something they do not want to see.

"Actually, I think it's fine for His Highness the Crown Prince to be in charge. Why let a child do it? What does a child know?"

(End of this chapter)