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

Chapter 526 Lü Ben's Ambition

They were all very dissatisfied.

The families in the north also suffered considerable losses, after all, there was constant warfare, especially in the north where the chaos was even more intense. However, some powerful families in the south managed to survive this opportunity.

Therefore, in terms of heritage, the aristocratic families of Jiangnan have the truly profound heritage.

However, their faces were extremely grim at this moment, since the reforms of the Ming Dynasty were not beneficial to them at all, and in fact, they were even worse.

If this continues, it won't be long before the advantages of these powerful families become less obvious.

This is what one person said with great dissatisfaction.

“The Ming Dynasty can no longer tolerate us. If we do not return, our family will likely perish in a short time.”

These current strategies are tantamount to wiping out the very foundation of our aristocratic families!

The policy of requiring gentry to pay taxes as a whole abolished their privileges, while the policy of merging land tax and poll tax eliminated their ideas of tax evasion.

Although they own a lot of land, they wouldn't have had to pay much money under the old system, but now they have to pay it whether they want to or not.

He sighed deeply at the thought of this place.

Then another person stepped forward and spoke.

"What's even more infuriating is that His Highness the Crown Prince actually made those common people start reading! How can this be allowed? Those are the books of sages and saints; how can ordinary people like them read them!"

"If they continue like this, it won't be long before the status of us scholars becomes worthless. What will we do then?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted even more strongly, and several people continued to make a ruckus.

Just then, someone stepped forward and shouted loudly.

"Since this emperor surnamed Zhu won't give us a way to survive, then we'll find a way to survive ourselves!"

"At worst, we'll rebel! Now that so many families have gathered their power, the court has already angered them all. There's absolutely no one who will help him!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, clearly indicating that this was a consensus among them.

At this moment, they turned their attention to an old man at the front.

This old man is none other than Lü Ben, the current Minister of Rites.

He should have been the Minister of Personnel.

However, due to Zhu Yunwen's affair, he was removed from that position and is now in charge of the Ministry of Rites.

Although both are among the Six Ministries, the difference in their strength is quite significant. One is only in charge of matters such as sacrifices, diplomacy, and the imperial examinations, and even these matters are much less than before. Zhu Xiong Ying actively assigns people to do these things. For example, the current imperial examinations have been completely altered by them, and now the officials of their Ministry of Rites know nothing about the content of the imperial examinations.

Besides, they didn't handle many diplomatic matters; they were only responsible for receiving diplomatic missions that were friendly to the Ming Dynasty.

However, they did not have the right to speak on behalf of the Ming Dynasty, which made them very frustrated.

Compared to this position, the position of Minister of Personnel is much higher.

This position allows one to decide the appointment and removal of officials. No official in the world would dare to disrespect him. That's the pinnacle of his official career. So, this is the position where one truly holds power.

The thought of his daughter and grandson filled him with resentment. "You're right. Zhu Yuanzhang has indeed gone too far, and with Zhu Xiong Ying's interference, this situation has arisen. We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

"I believe that each family is quite powerful. In that case, let's gather all our strength together. What can the Ming army do if it is strong? Most of their troops are already on the border, and we can even control some of the troops in Yingtian Prefecture. Victory is in sight!"

Everyone was thrilled upon hearing this.

Lü Ben is now their highest-ranking and most influential person in the court.

If this person agrees, it will undoubtedly be a great help to what they want to do next.

Just then, someone said with a smile.

"I've heard that Imperial Grandson Yunwen has returned to the capital!"

"We've met Prince Yunwen before. He's not only gentle and refined, but also incredibly talented. If he were to become emperor, he would be an excellent one!"

"What a pity! His Majesty has Zhu Xiong Ying by his side. If it weren't for Zhu Xiong Ying, Prince Yunwen wouldn't have been exiled to such a remote place. It's truly a pity!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Ben's eyes lit up.

This is good news, as Zhu Yunwen is currently in Yingtian Prefecture.

If they succeed in their rebellion and put Zhu Yunwen on the throne, then I will be second only to the emperor.

Moreover, Zhu Yunwen is not particularly old, and there are many things he doesn't know how to handle. In the end, I will have to rely on myself to help him deal with them.

When that time comes, I will essentially be the regent.

He never imagined that at his advanced age, he would be able to leave such a large legacy for his future children and grandchildren. The thought of this filled him with immense excitement.

"Since you all are so kind, then I'll take your bet!"

"However, there's one thing I need to tell you beforehand: Zhu Xiong Ying is not someone to be trifled with!"

"Although most of the Ming army is currently stationed in the border regions, the forces around Yingtian Prefecture are not weak either. Therefore, we need to mobilize more forces, and it would be best to transfer some of the troops from Yingtian Prefecture out to ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

The group laughed after hearing this.

"Lord Lü, rest assured, everything is going according to plan. This time, His Majesty and Zhu Xiong Ying have offended quite a few people. All the powerful families and scholars in the world hate them!"

"So this time, there will definitely be a huge response, not to mention we don't need to charge together, there are plenty of ordinary people who don't know about it!"

"We'll just sit back and let these ignorant people act as scapegoats. If this causes chaos, we won't have to pay anything!"

"Once this crisis is over, no matter who takes which position, we will still be a prestigious and powerful clan!"

Upon hearing this, he immediately burst into laughter.

They don't care about the lives of ordinary people, and they don't bother with such matters.

After the agreement was reached, everyone left.

Lu Ben still had some worries in his heart. He should discuss such a big matter with his daughter. After thinking of this, he prepared to go to the East Palace.

(End of this chapter)