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The fierce conflict between the Wu Prince's Palace and the civil official and scholar-official group was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples throughout the Eastern Palace.

That afternoon, Crown Princess Lü specially ordered tea and refreshments to be set out in the pavilion in the East Palace Garden, and summoned Zhu Yunwen.

"Wen'er, do you know what your third brother has been doing in the court lately?" Madam Lü took a sip of fragrant tea, her voice filled with barely concealed excitement.

Zhu Yunwen respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, I have heard that your third brother proposed reforms to the education system, which has been met with strong opposition from the civil officials."

“It’s more than just opposition!” Madam Lü put down her teacup, her eyes gleaming. “Your third brother is cutting himself off from all scholars in the world! Literary leaders like Ren Hengtai and Fang Xiaoru hate him to the bone right now.”

She stood up, walked to Zhu Yunwen, and whispered, "Of course, this is your chance, Wen'er. What your third brother doesn't want is exactly what you should fight for."

Zhu Yunwen hesitated slightly: "But Mother, my third brother's reforms seem to have their reasons..."

"Nonsense!" Lady Lü interrupted him. "What kind of logic is this? Offending all the scholars in the world is like destroying your own Great Wall! Remember, the Ming Dynasty will ultimately be governed by scholar-officials."

She summoned her trusted maid: "Prepare a generous gift; I wish to personally visit Minister Ren's wife."

"Yes! Concubine."

"Mother, this..." Zhu Yunwen, standing to the side, felt somewhat uneasy.

Lady Lü, however, did not take it seriously: "Your third brother is trying to win over military officers, but they are all unsuccessful commoners and poor families. So we should unite with civil officials and also secretly contact those top nobles. This is the way we should maintain checks and balances."

"Mother, can we really defeat our third brother?"

"What's wrong? Feeling discouraged?"

"Over the years, I have felt that my third brother is really a stranger, which has given me a deep sense of powerlessness."

"Hmph! I'm really disappointed that you have such thoughts."

"Mother……"

"Enough! Don't say such pathetic things again."

"Uh? Yes! Mother."

In the following days, Lady Lü frequently visited the residences of various civil officials and ministers.

First, he visited the wife of Ren Hengtai, the Minister of Rites, and presented her with precious pearls from the East China Sea; then he invited the families of several censors from the Censorate to the Eastern Palace to enjoy the flowers; he even specially invited an imperial physician to treat the mother of Hanlin Academician Fang Xiaoru for her old illness.

These actions naturally did not escape Zhu Yuanzhang's notice.

Inside the Jinshen Hall, Mao Xiang knelt on the ground and reported in detail: "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess has been in close contact with the families of civil officials recently. Yesterday, she even hosted a banquet at the Eastern Palace to entertain the wives of officials from the Six Ministries."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved Mao Xiang away expressionlessly and said to Zhu Biao, who was standing to the side, "Biao'er, your Crown Princess has been quite active lately!"

Zhu Biao's face was grim: "Father, I have already warned her not to interfere in state affairs."

"A warning?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "She's paving the way for Yunwen! Yunwen offended the civil officials, so she's trying to win them over. She's really playing a clever game!"

Zhu Biao sighed: "Lady Lü is also deeply in love with her son..."

"Excessive love for her son?" Zhu Yuanzhang turned around abruptly. "She's pushing Yunwen into a fire pit!"

“But Yun-hu has really gone too far lately, almost recklessly. Should we give him a warning?”

"With you and me here, why should he have any reservations?"

"Father, you'll spoil Yunheng if you do this."

"Sigh! Yunheng wasn't spoiled by you or me, he was spoiled by your mother."

"This……"

Just then, the eunuch Pu Bucheng came to report: "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Crown Princess are requesting an audience outside the palace."

"Yes, let her in!"

"promise."

Then, Lady Lü gracefully entered the hall, bowed, and said softly, "Your Majesty, I have recently heard that the civil officials have many complaints about the court, and I am worried. May I ask Yunwen to hold a banquet in the Wenhua Hall to appease the officials?"

A cold glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes: "Was this your idea, or Yunwen's idea?"

Lady Lü's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm: "It's because I saw Yunwen studying the classics all day long, and I thought he should also learn more from the wise ministers in the court..."

"Enough!" Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted her. "How can a woman interfere in matters of state? Step aside!"

Lady Lü turned pale and hurriedly took her leave.

After she left, Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Biao, "Do you see? This is the result of your indulgence!"

Zhu Biao was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Father, actually, Lady Lü is right about something. This country does indeed need scholar-officials to govern it."

Zhu Yuanzhang gazed at his son for a long time before saying, "Biao'er, you are too kind. Scholars and officials should be employed, but not indulged. Although Yuntong is radical, his direction is correct. The Ming Dynasty cannot rely solely on bookish literati!"

……

Meanwhile, inside the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunwen was lecturing to Fang Xiaoru.

"Does Your Highness know that the way of the Great Learning lies in manifesting one's bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness?" Fang Xiaoru instructed earnestly.

Zhu Yunwen respectfully replied, "I understand. A ruler should govern the people with virtue and implement benevolent policies."

Fang Xiaoru nodded in satisfaction: "Your Highness is benevolent, which is a blessing to all people. Unlike some people who are obsessed with strange skills and tricks, deviating from the way of the sages."

Zhu Yunwen naturally understood who he was referring to, but he simply smiled and remained silent.

After class, Zhu Yunwen pondered alone in the Wenhua Hall.

He suddenly asked his personal eunuch Huang Jie, "Tell me, is it really true that Third Brother's reforms are completely unreasonable?"

The eunuch Huang Jie was startled: "Your Highness, this is such an important matter, I dare not speak rashly."

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "Alas! Although my third brother is radical, he is indeed doing practical things. As for me... I can only read the classics here."

"..."

At this moment, Madam Lü stormed in, angrily shouting, "Wen'er, I went to see your imperial grandfather just now, but I was kicked out!"

After hearing his mother recount what had happened, Zhu Yunwen frowned and said, "Mother, you really shouldn't have interfered in court affairs."

"I'm doing this all for you!" Madam Lü said angrily. "Your third brother now has the support of lower-ranking military officers and the adoration of merchants. If you lose the support of civil officials, how will you contend with him in the future?"

Zhu Yunwen said solemnly, "Mother, my third brother and I are brothers. How can there be any talk of us being rivals?"

"Brothers?" Madam Lü sneered. "There is no kinship in the imperial family! Has Yunhu treated you as a brother? Have you forgotten the Xuanwu Gate Incident?"

These words sent a shiver down Zhu Yunwen's spine.

……

That evening, Zhu Biao arrived at Lady Lü's palace with a gloomy expression.

"What brings you to see the Emperor today?"

Lady Lü said aggrievedly, "I was only thinking of Yunwen..."

"Shut up!" Zhu Biao was unusually angry. "You're harming Yunwen! Father Emperor hates the empress's interference in politics the most, and you're just asking for trouble!"

“But the Crown Prince, Yunhuo, he…”

"What Yunwen does is for Father Emperor to decide," Zhu Biao interrupted her. "If you dare to interfere in state affairs again, don't blame me for disregarding our marital bond!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Just as undercurrents were swirling in the Eastern Palace, Su Ning received a special guest at the Wu Prince's residence: Liu Sanwu, a retired official.

"Your Highness, I have come today to advise you to postpone the reform of the education system," Liu Sanwu said bluntly. "The current indignation among civil officials is not a good thing for the country or the people."

Su Ning respectfully poured tea for the old minister: "What Lord Liu said is absolutely right. But that is precisely why we must persevere. If we back down because of opposition, the reform will never be implemented."

Liu Sanwu sighed, "Your Highness, are you aware that the Crown Princess has been frequently trying to win over civil officials lately, and the Second Prince is spending all his time lecturing with great Confucian scholars like Fang Xiaoru? Isn't Your Highness's action pushing all the civil officials to the other side?"

Su Ning smiled slightly: "Lord Liu, what I need are not sycophantic scholars, but pragmatic talents who truly serve the people."

"King of Wu, don't you want to gain the support of scholars from all over the land?"

"The only person supported by all the scholars in the world is the emperor."

"This..." Liu Sanwu really never expected Su Ning to be so clear-headed.

This statement hits the nail on the head: if Suning successfully becomes the successor, he will naturally have the support of the people.

If he did not become the successor to the Ming Dynasty, the best outcome would be that he would become a regional prince, and the support of scholars would be meaningless.

After seeing Liu Sanwu off, Ma He whispered, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess's actions are indeed becoming more and more obvious."

Su Ning looked towards the direction of the Eastern Palace and said calmly, "A clown like him, not worth mentioning. The one we should really worry about is the one in the north."

"King Yan?"

“That’s right.” Su Ning’s gaze was deep. “Fourth Uncle has been too quiet lately, which is very abnormal.”

Just as Su Ning had predicted, Zhu Di was playing chess with Yao Guangxiao inside the Prince of Yan's residence at that moment.

"Daoyan, what do you think is the purpose of the Lü family's constant commotion?"

Yao Guangxiao placed a piece: "She simply wants to use the power of civil officials to contend with the King of Wu. However, her actions may backfire."

Zhu Di laughed and said, "Father hates forming cliques and engaging in corruption the most. The more she tries to win over civil officials, the more displeased Father becomes."

"So that's why Your Highness has been keeping silent lately?"

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." Zhu Di said meaningfully, "Let them fight it out, we just need to wait for the right opportunity."

"Indeed! The fiercer their fighting, the safer we are, and the more opportunities we will have."

This undercurrent, triggered by the reform of the education system, is spreading to every corner of the Ming Dynasty's political arena.

Su Ning, who was at the center of the storm, knew that this was just a test.

……

In the first month of the twenty-third year of the Hongwu reign, while Yingtian Prefecture was still immersed in the afterglow of the New Year, a storm that would change the fate of the Ming Dynasty was brewing in the Prince of Wu's residence. Twelve-year-old Su Ning stood in front of his desk, carefully reviewing the "Memorial on Tax and Labor Reform" that he had just completed.

Ma He and Li Shouzhong stood by, fine beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads.

"Your Highness, if this memorial is submitted, we will be making enemies of all officials and gentry in the land!" Ma He's voice trembled.

“Yes! Your Highness, you mustn’t be so impulsive. Losing the support of the scholar-officials would be very dangerous.” Li Shouzhong, who was standing to the side, also quickly advised Su Ning.

Su Ning put down the memorial, his gaze resolute: "It is precisely because officials and gentry refuse to pay taxes and corvée labor is unevenly distributed that the rich own vast tracts of land yet bear no tax burden, while the poor have no place to stand yet have to bear heavy corvée labor. If this continues, the country will cease to exist!"

"But……"

"Stop discussing this! Mahe, next we need to have the executive office strengthen intelligence gathering. We absolutely cannot give the enemy any opportunity to exploit."

"Yes! Your Highness."

This Attendant's Chamber was the intelligence agency that Su Ning had Ma He set up. Its intelligence-gathering capabilities were even more formidable than those of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, since the Attendant's Chamber's methods were inspired by espionage in later generations.

At the grand court assembly on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the civil and military officials were surprised to find that the King of Wu, who had not submitted a memorial for a long time, had once again stepped forward.

"Grandfather, I have a memorial to present." Su Ning held the memorial in his hands, his voice clear and melodious.

The civil and military officials present were startled by the voice and suddenly realized that the twelve-year-old King of Wu was up to something again.

"speak!"

"In recent years, land taxes have been chaotic and corvée labor has been unevenly distributed in various places. Your grandson has specially drafted a memorial on tax and corvée reform and requests Your Majesty to review it."

When the eunuch Pu Bucheng presented the memorial to Zhu Yuanzhang, the old emperor initially paid little attention to it.

However, the further he read, the more serious his expression became.

Zhu Biao, who was standing by his side, noticed the change in his father's expression and couldn't help but feel nervous.

"King Wu," Zhu Yuanzhang slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing, "do you know what your 'equalization of land tax and poll tax' and 'equal taxation for officials and gentry' means?"

These words caused an uproar throughout the court!

"What? Officials and gentry pay taxes together? The land tax system is being merged with the poll tax?"

"This...this is an attempt to undermine the foundation of our gentry! This is an attempt to plunge the world into chaos!"

However, unlike the outrage during the last education system reform, this time the civil servants quickly fell silent, because they were genuinely afraid.

The senior officials looked at each other, and they all saw fear in each other's eyes.

Minister of Rites Ren Hengtai opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

The censors of the Censorate looked down at their tablets, as if flowers had suddenly sprouted from them.

Zhu Yuanzhang took in everyone's reactions and sneered inwardly.

He looked at Su Ning: "King Wu, you explain yourself."

"As you command." Su Ning stepped forward calmly. "Currently, the tax system separates the taxation of people from the taxation of land. Wealthy households have more land but fewer people, while poor households have less land but more people, resulting in an unfair tax burden. 'Integrating the poll tax into the land tax' means incorporating the poll tax into the land tax, so that those with more land pay more, those with less land pay less, and those with no land pay nothing."

He paused, then looked around at the assembled officials: "As for 'officials and gentry paying taxes equally,' it's even simpler. Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor. Since they eat the emperor's salary, they should pay taxes. What right do they have to enjoy special privileges?"

Finally, an official stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable! Officials and gentry are the pillars of the nation; how can they be ranked alongside commoners?"

"Pillars of the state?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "I see them as parasites! Yunwen, your memorial states that in Zhejiang province, officials and gentry occupy 70% of the land, yet pay less than 30% of the taxes. Do you have any evidence to support this?"

"Grandfather, I have ordered Mingtang Trading Company's branches in various regions to conduct a secret investigation. This is the detailed account book." Su Ning presented another thick booklet.

Zhu Yuanzhang flipped through the account books, his face growing paler with each page he read.

Suddenly, he slammed the account books onto the imperial desk: "Good! What a fine example of officials and gentry pillars of the state! No wonder the national treasury is empty; it turns out all the grain has gone into your granaries!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" All the civil and military officials knelt down in unison.

Seeing this, Zhu Biao quickly advised, "Father, this matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration."

"Hmph! Court adjourned."

After the court session ended, the atmosphere inside the Jinshen Hall was exceptionally solemn.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao, and Su Ning, the three most powerful generations of the Ming Dynasty, sat facing each other.

"Yunyi, do you know what consequences this memorial will bring?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked in a deep voice.

Su Ning answered frankly, "Grandson knows. But a short pain is worse than a long one. Land consolidation is becoming increasingly serious. If it is not dealt with as soon as possible, it may lead to popular uprisings."

Zhu Biao, standing to the side, said with great concern: "But if this happens, I'm afraid all the officials and gentry in the world will regard you as an enemy."

“Father,” Su Ning said solemnly, “for the sake of the people and for the sake of the future generations of the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty, personal gains and losses are not worth mentioning.”

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly burst into laughter: "Good! What a wonderful 'not worth mentioning'! Biao'er, do you see this? This is what a true man of the Zhu family should be like!"

He stood up and paced around the hall: "Over the years, how could I not know the harm of land annexation? But I have been hesitant to make a decision for fear of repercussions. Now that Yunhu has brought it up, I will give him my support!"

"Father!" Zhu Biao exclaimed in shock, "This matter involves far too many things..."

"Precisely because it involves so many issues, we must act swiftly and decisively!" A fierce glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. "I want to see who dares to object!"

While the three generations of the family were discussing the details, the civil officials were already in chaos.

In the study of Ren Hengtai's residence, several important officials held an emergency secret meeting.

"He's gone mad! The King of Wu has gone mad!" an official cried out, pounding his chest. "He's trying to destroy our very foundation!"

Ren Hengtai remained relatively calm: "Gentlemen, there's no use talking about this now. The most urgent thing is to come up with a solution."

"What other countermeasures are there? The Emperor is clearly tempted!"

"How about... we jointly submit a petition threatening to resign?"

"Foolish!" Ren Hengtai scolded. "The Emperor hates being coerced the most. Have you forgotten the fates of Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang?"

Everyone suddenly fell silent.

At this moment, an unexpected message arrived: Crown Princess Lü invited all the ladies to the Eastern Palace to appreciate the plum blossoms the next day.

A glint flashed in Ren Hengtai's eyes: "Perhaps... this is our only chance. Only if the second grandson of the emperor becomes the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty can we, the scholar-officials, turn the tide against all odds."

The following day, Lady Lü warmly received the wives of the officials at the Eastern Palace.

During the conversation, the topic of yesterday's court assembly inevitably came up.

“King Wu is young and impetuous, and does not know the importance of things. He has startled you all.” Lady Lü sighed. “Yunwen always said that in governing, stability should be the priority, and one should not be too hasty.”

The ladies understood immediately and, upon returning home, relayed the Crown Princess's message to their husbands.

However, news of Lü's actions soon reached Zhu Yuanzhang's ears.

"That Lady Lü is truly courting death!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed angrily. "Biao'er, I shouldn't interfere in your family affairs. But if anyone tries to use this opportunity to cause trouble..."

Zhu Biao broke out in a cold sweat: "Your subject will go and warn Lady Lü immediately."

"Humph!"

Just as undercurrents were swirling in the government and among the people, Su Ning did something that surprised everyone.

He hosted a banquet at the Wu Prince's Mansion, inviting some small and medium-sized landowners from the surrounding areas of Yingtian Prefecture, all of whom had intricate connections with the Wu Prince's Mansion.

After all, his own Daming Bank and Mingtang Trading Company were very influential, so setting up a policy testing ground was a piece of cake.

"Distinguished gentry," Su Ning raised his cup, "I know you have reservations about the 'equalization of land tax and poll tax.' I've invited you all here today to hear your thoughts."

The landlords looked at each other, none of them daring to speak first.

Su Ning laughed and said, "Then let me speak first. The 'equalization of land tax and corvée labor' may seem to increase land taxes, but in reality, it exempts people from corvée labor. Everyone, do the math: is it more worthwhile to pay the increased land taxes or to continue to bear the heavy corvée labor?"

A bold landlord cautiously asked, "Your Highness, if the new law is implemented, is it possible for us to be exempted from corvée labor?"

“Exactly.” Su Ning nodded. “Not only that, the Ming Dynasty Bank will also provide low-interest loans to help you improve your farm tools, build water conservancy projects, and invest in workshops and commerce.”

"Is the King of Wu telling the truth?"

"Haha, a king's word is his bond."

The news spread quickly, and the small and medium-sized landowners began to waver.

At the same time, Zhu Yuanzhang also took action.

He issued an edict to establish the "Land Survey Office," which was headed by the King of Wu, and began to survey land throughout the country.

Suning, however, pulled off a bizarre move by conducting measurements in a different location, leaving those landlords and gentry who were planning to cause trouble helpless.

Surprisingly, military officers and nobles such as Lan Yu expressed their support.

Originally, most of them relied on their salaries and rewards. Although they had a lot of land, it was not the key factor, and the new law had little impact on them.

Months later, when the reports from the first batch of pilot areas were presented to the Emperor, even the most opposed civil officials were speechless.

After the implementation of the "land tax reform" in Yingtian Prefecture and Jiaxing Prefecture of Zhejiang Province, tax revenue increased by 60%, while the burden on the people was actually reduced.

What's even more surprising is that the phenomenon of concealing acreage has greatly decreased.

"Do you see that?" Zhu Yuanzhang waved the report at the court assembly. "This is the effect of the new laws!"

This time, no one dared to voice their opposition.

After the court session, Zhu Yuanzhang kept Su Ning behind.

"Yunwen, you have won this battle."

Su Ning showed no joy: "Grandpa Emperor, this is just the beginning. The real test will come from the implementation of this policy."

Zhu Yuanzhang gazed at his twelve-year-old grandson and suddenly felt that the future of the Ming Dynasty might really have to be placed on this child.

...(End of chapter)