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Chapter 569: The Fifty-sixth Year of Xuande
Suning's methods were brutal and swift. Because he firmly grasped the military power and justice of the Ming Dynasty, Suning did not care about the resistance of the kings. In addition, Zhu Di had already pulled out all the teeth of these kings, so they could only obey and go to Beijing obediently.

In fact, these kings did not want to be treated like "pigs", so when Suning allowed them to take imperial examinations and do business, they could not help but be tempted. In addition, the royal family could also enter the cabinet, participate in and decide the major affairs of the Ming Dynasty. What else could they be dissatisfied with?

As for the Imperial Ming Ancestor Instructions formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang, they were just a tool in the hands of the powerful. Zhu Yuanzhang had already handed over the Ming Empire to Zhu Yunwen, but Zhu Di still used the excuse of "pacifying the rebellion" to commit rebellion. This fully demonstrates that the Imperial Ming Ancestor Instructions would only be effective in the late Ming Dynasty, and they were also shackles that bound the hands of the late Ming emperors.

Sun Ruowei gave birth to twins for Su Ning. The retired emperor Zhu Gaochi was so happy that he immediately named the children Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu respectively, and then forcibly brought them to his palace to raise them, without giving Su Ning any chance to refuse.

"Sun Ruowei, you have become a hero of my Ming Dynasty again." Su Ning looked at Sun Ruowei with a smile.

"Your Majesty, how could this happen?" Sun Ruowei looked at Su Ning in confusion.

"Haha, maybe God also thinks you are too partial to Zhu Qiyu, so he makes you love him from the bottom of your heart."

"Your Majesty, have I ever treated Zhu Qiyu differently?"

"Sun Ruowei, they are all your sons now, so you should raise them well."

Some were happy and some were sad. Seeing that Sun Ruowei had given birth to a pair of twins, Concubine An felt a little confused. You know, she and Su Ning have been together the most times, and she has been with Su Ning earlier than Sun Ruowei. She really can't understand why there has been no movement.

"Your Majesty, why is my belly still so still?"

"Xijuan, could it be that you're putting too much pressure on yourself?"

"Huh? Does this have an impact too?"

"Of course there will be an impact, and doing it too frequently will also affect the chances of pregnancy."

"Ah? How could this happen!"

"Don't worry! There's nothing wrong with your body. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. We'll follow your ovulation period."

"Your Majesty, I am completely dependent on you."

"Hehe, of course you have to rely on me for this kind of thing."

Suning's control over the Ming Dynasty is not much worse than that of Taizu and Taizong, so any political decree will be implemented immediately. The seven-member cabinet is not only more standardized, but also allows them to check and balance each other.

Realizing that the civil service was becoming increasingly powerful, Suning directly opened literacy classes in the army, recruited young scholars and juren who had failed the imperial examinations, and then sent them all to the Ming army for training. Soon the Ming army became more and more knowledgeable. Of course, this was a gradual process, so Suning was still very patient in implementing it.

The army's transformation, coupled with the strict separation of military and politics, completely put an end to the unlimited expansion of the civil service. At the same time, Suning also began a strict anti-corruption campaign. Although it did not involve the skinning and tendon pulling out of the corrupt officials like Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, it spared the lives of the corrupt officials and still made them the treasure pot of the Ming Dynasty's finances.

Suning's series of policies were all effective. Although they knew that Suning was restricting their civil service collective, Suning adopted an open and aboveboard strategy, and the Three Yangs had to cooperate with Suning as much as possible.

"Lord Yang, how is the tax revenue of our Ming Dynasty this year?" Su Ning looked at Yang Shiqi in front of him with a smile.

"Your Majesty, because the Ming Dynasty has strengthened its anti-corruption efforts, this year's taxes have doubled." Yang Shiqi and the other two were speechless about these corrupt officials.

"Well, corruption is like leeks. Once you cut one, there will be another. We can only do our best to fight corruption and promote integrity." "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Your Majesty, I heard that you intend to abolish all punishments in the world?" At this time, Yang Rong looked at Su Ning excitedly.

"Yes! Abolish all cruel punishments and only impose prison sentences and death sentences based on the length of time."

"Your Majesty, this is truly a sage's strategy!" The three Yangs all flattered Suning.

"Haha, imprisonment and the death penalty might scare them more."

Because Zhu Di made five expeditions to the northern desert, and the last one defeated the main force of the Mongols, completely breaking the last backbone of the Mongols, Suning had an easier time governing the grassland.

The Ming Dynasty directly stationed 100,000 field troops in the grassland, forming a real threat to the grassland tribes. Then it recruited soldiers from the grassland tribes, deployed troops in the Southeast Peninsula and Northeast Asia, and quickly conquered the neighboring small countries of the Ming Dynasty.

"Zheng He, you must pay attention to safety during your voyage to the West this time, and make arrangements for your successor."

"Yes! Your Majesty."

"Also! I am not interested in the rare treasures of various countries. Instead, I am interested in the food, books and culture of various countries."

"Yes! Your Majesty, I know what to do now."

"Well, your missions to various countries are to cooperate with the Ming Dynasty in conducting business. You don't need those empty promises. You must ensure the healthy development of maritime transport, and not just the superficial appearance of glitz and glamour but the underlying flaws."

"Huh? I understand."

"Go! My envoy from the Ming Dynasty, expand the living space for our Ming Dynasty."

"Living space?"

"My Ming Dynasty is a living organism, and it needs a living space that can satisfy its growth and development."

"Your Majesty, I will fight for the survival of the Ming Dynasty for my entire life."

In order to support Zheng He and the entire shipping policy, Suning also vigorously developed sea-going shipbuilding, supported more merchants to enter the shipping trade, encouraged the establishment of factories in various places and promoted the research and development of machinery. This soon led to a huge boom in the industry and commerce of the Ming Dynasty, which in turn promoted the simultaneous development of agriculture.

In the twelfth year of Xuande, Suning saw that he had broken the curse of his life, and then he issued an edict that all officials and gentry should pay taxes together. This immediately caused an uproar throughout the country, and unprecedented pressure also came upon him.

If Suning and Emperor Hongxi Zhu Gaochi had not accumulated power for sixteen years, they might have been overthrown by the officials and gentry of the Ming Dynasty this time. It can be seen how angry these powerful people of the Ming Dynasty were, but in the end they could only obey obediently.

In order to establish this system of unified tax payment for officials and gentry, Suning prepared a lot of things, and the impact it had on the Ming Dynasty was far-reaching, laying the foundation for the continuation of the national tax system for five hundred years.

In the 56th year of Xuande, Suning, who had been the emperor of the Ming Dynasty for 56 years, passed away. At this time, Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiuyu were also 56 years old. They had grown into suitable heirs to the empire. However, Suning handed the throne to Zhu Qiuyu, which was a compensation for his unfair fate.

(End of this chapter)