Zhu Houyi knew that the most effective way to suppress them was to reform the imperial examination system and completely abolish the eight-part essay.
He advocated letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend, waving flags and shouting for reform.
How to attack the gentry was a difficult problem. All the civil and military officials in the court were gentry, and the lifeline of the empire was in the hands of the gentry.
Nobles!
They belonged to the Ming Empire's most stubborn conservative faction.
From the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period onwards, the gentry clans had controlled the lands of the Central Plains, and this had continued to this day.
No matter how the political power of the Central Plains changed, the gentry had stood firm for thousands of years.
After surveying the land of the world, taxes were collected, but a cruel reality was placed in front of Zhu Houyi.
No matter how the tax revenue changed, the situation of land annexation did not reduce. Instead, it became more and more serious.
The aristocrats were rich, and the imperial court had connections. They bought land wantonly.
These people, whose population was less than 1% of the total population of the empire, actually controlled 75% of the land of the Ming Empire.
What should he do?
Zhu Houjin had no other choice but to show his sword to the aristocrats of the world!
It was not that the emperor was mean and unkind, but that the annexation of land was too serious. The richer the rich, the poorer the poor.
Then…
I won't be polite. I'm going to make a move on you!
At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Zhu Houzhen only implemented the new tax law to supplement the national treasury's income, but the ownership of farmland in the world was not changed.
At that time, his foundation was not stable, and there were too many urgent matters to do, so he did not rashly declare war on the world's aristocrats.
But now, the situation was completely different. After several wars, Zhu Houjin had already firmly controlled the world.
The military power of the Ming Empire was firmly held in Zhu Houzhi's hands, and he had also eliminated Yang Ting and the remaining evil.
Although the civil service system formed cliques and fought against different factions, they did not dare to defy the emperor's will.
Even a simple sentence would scare them out of their wits.
It could be said that Zhu Houyi had already set the throne of the Ming Empire.
They had the East and West Chambers, Six Fan School, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and millions of soldiers.
Now, he could carry out in-depth reforms, including the most crucial reform of the empire's basic farmland.
Whoever dared to resist would die.
If the entire family resisted, they would kill the entire family!
If the entire clan resisted, they would kill nine or ten clans!
If a capable ruler wanted to do things, he had to be ruthless!
Sentimental rulers such as Li Yu, the ruler of Southern Tang, had become the rulers of their country because they were too sentimental.
Such an emperor could make a long list of names…
——————
Cining Palace.
The beautiful girls of the Pavilion of Fragrance were listening to Imperial Consort Li's lecture.
It had been three months since they entered the palace, and most of them had not even seen the emperor's face. However, Ren Yingying, who had not been selected, had already been conferred the title of Zhaoyi.
How could they not be envious?
In terms of talent, appearance, posture, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, they felt that they were not inferior to Ren Yingying in the slightest.
What made them feel even more pressured was that in the spring, Imperial Consort Li would select some beautiful women from the common people to enter the palace.
At that time, the chances of meeting the Emperor would be even slimmer.
Perhaps they would never see the emperor in their entire lives, and would wither away in the palace, slowly becoming old…
Even if it bloomed like a summer flower, it would be much better than this torturous wait.
The palace maid of Cining Palace came to Imperial Consort Li's side and reported in a low voice,"Reporting to Imperial Consort, the Emperor is currently watching fish in the Imperial Garden.”
Hearing this, Imperial Consort Li sighed.
" Mo Ruo's stomach hasn't moved at all. This widow is really worried. I heard that Ren Yingying is pregnant. Mo Ruo has been flipped over many times, so why isn't she pregnant with a dragon heir…"
"Reporting to Imperial Consort, recently the emperor has been busy with state affairs and has rarely flipped his signboard. The beautiful girls are all as beautiful as flowers, the emperor is too diligent.”
Another old palace maid said,
"Consort Dowager, during this period of time, there has been war and reform. The emperor is a young man who specializes in state affairs and has never seen the beauty of the beautiful girls. This servant thinks that it is better to let the emperor see them. This servant does not believe that the emperor will not be interested in those girls. I am afraid that he will not be able to control himself when the time comes…"
"You're right. If the emperor doesn't want to, we can't be unreasonable. His Majesty is at the prime of his life. Go, bring these girls to the emperor and see if he's moved or not. It'll be great if you can have a few of them. Remember to register them for this widow. This widow wants to raise a royal grandson…"
"This servant will obey!"
Then, Imperial Consort Li walked in front of these women and said,"
"This widow is giving you all the chance to see the emperor today. Whoever the emperor likes is her fortune. The others are not allowed to gossip. All of you are beautiful and will definitely attract the emperor's attention!”
"Remember, there aren't many opportunities. In a few months, this widow will choose another female from the common people. At that time, your chances will be almost gone. At that time, you can only be low-level palace maids. This widow hopes that you cherish this opportunity.”
Boom!
To see the Emperor?
Imperial Consort Li's words shocked all the 30 or so one-in-ten-thousand beautiful girls present.
Most of them were around 13 to 14 years old. Ever since they entered the palace, they had lived in Qunfang Pavilion and lived comfortably.
But today, Imperial Concubine Li's words had woken them up. If they did not receive the Emperor's order, they would become palace maids…
At this moment, they finally understood the cruelty of entering the palace.
After Xiu Nu left, Imperial Consort Li sighed."Ai, this widow has been worried to death, but you should be lucky…"
The old palace maid whispered,
"Consort Dowager, in my opinion, this matter will definitely succeed…In a while, this servant will go to the imperial garden to take a look and see if there are any beautiful women that the emperor would like to take a few more glances at.”
"Hurry up and keep an eye on it. Do you know what the biggest thing in the harem is?”
"I wish to hear the details, Imperial Consort."
"The most important thing in the harem is that whoever lies in the emperor's dragon bed for a longer time will be the future master of the harem!”
————
Zhu Houzhen was in the imperial garden, watching groups of goldfish swimming around.
In fact, he was thinking about all kinds of major events in the empire. There were so many things that he couldn't think of a good solution even if he sat in the royal study or Yangxin Palace Hall. He might as well come to the royal garden to breathe some fresh air.
At this moment, the laughter of a group of young girls rang out in the imperial garden.
Zhu Houjin looked up and saw a myriad of beauties and beautiful flowers.
These beautiful women were actually very brave. They were at the most innocent age of their lives.
They walked up to Zhu Houjing and said in unison,""Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Houyan sized up these innocent and lively girls. Their dressing was obviously different from the palace maids, and their beauty far exceeded the palace maids.
Only then did Zhu Houzhen remember that there were many beautiful women who had been selected into the harem last year. He had been busy these few months and had forgotten all about them.
Looking at them now, they were really beautiful, graceful, and eye-catching.
Under the spring breeze, their innocent laughter made Zhu Houyi feel relaxed and happy. Usually, the palace maids in the palace never dared to speak loudly in front of him.
From the looks of it today, each of these young ladies in front of him had a unique charm.
Those who could be selected to enter the palace had to go through layers of selection to stand out. The difficulty was no less than the beauty pageant in the future.
To be able to stand in front of the Emperor in the end, one must have defeated many people with their talent and appearance.
And to the Emperor, perhaps before the Emperor knew you, you were just a small wooden sign on the eunuch's tray every night…
Today, Imperial Consort Li had decreed that they could appear in groups in the imperial garden. This was something that was impossible under normal circumstances. Only Imperial Consort Li's decree would allow the imperial guards to not stop them. Otherwise, anyone who dared to approach the Emperor without permission would be arrested on the spot and severely punished…
Amid the laughter, Zhu Houzhen was pulled to the Longyu Pavilion by the beautiful women and sat down. Each of them began to show off their abilities to win the favor of the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, please sit down. I was born in a family of bone-setting. I can massage your shoulders and relax your muscles and blood…"
A very courageous young girl pressed her hand on Zhu Houjiu's shoulder. The young girl's kneading strength was just right, and Zhu Houjiu felt very sour and comfortable.
Some girls sang, while others stood under the peach blossom tree and danced…
In order to attract the emperor's attention, these beautiful women were trying their best.
They worked hard to show themselves. As long as they won the emperor's favor, they would have a place in the harem and become superior to others. They would not become palace maids who served others.
Zhu Houzhen originally thought that he would not sink into a gentle village, and he did not think that there was any woman in the world who could charm him…
He could definitely resist the attraction of any beauty and focus on national affairs, but today, he realized that his willpower was far from enough.
He admitted that he could not resist the temptation of a young girl's beauty. He could not be as calm as Liu Xiahui.
Zhu Houzhen realized that he loved both the country and beauties!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。