The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

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"These are all basic Huashan skills, nothing special, there's no need to become a disciple."

Taking the emperor as an apprentice would certainly be a gimmick, but I think I'll pass on that idea.

Upon seeing Jiang Ning's refusal, Zhu Houzhao was not discouraged, but instead said...

"Since Brother Jiang is unwilling to accept me as your disciple, how about we address each other as brothers from this day forward?"

Chapter 552: Addressing Each Other as Brothers

"what?"

Jiang Ning was stunned.

"This... there's no need for that, these are just basic body-training techniques from Mount Hua, nothing important."

Jiang Ning frowned slightly, somewhat hesitant.

Zhu Houzhao's expression turned serious: "Brother Jiang, do you think I'm not qualified to be your brother?"

"That's not true."

Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "Since you put it that way, then so be it."

Zhu Houzhao then smiled.

"I haven't asked Brother Jiang how old he is yet?"

Jiang Ning said, "Twenty-one."

He turned twenty last year, and will be twenty-one this April.

"That's it."

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "You are a few years older than me, so you are my elder brother."

Jiang Ning smiled but didn't say anything.

He didn't care about this, nor did he care much about Zhu Houzhao's suggestion of addressing each other as brothers.

But Zhu Houzhao was very happy.

He had only been on the throne for a short time and desperately needed his own people. Now that he had such an "elder brother," the help he could receive was unimaginable.

“Brother Jiang, now that you and I are brothers, you are my elder brother. Since you are my elder brother, it’s no problem to bestow upon you the title of king.”

No sooner had he finished addressing Jiangning as brothers than Zhu Houzhao began to paint a rosy picture of the future for Jiangning.

"I do want to bestow the title of king upon you, but unfortunately, there is no precedent in our Ming Dynasty for bestowing the title of king upon someone of a different surname. Even if I wanted to, those officials would not agree."

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, up to the reign of Zhu Houzhao, there were never any living kings of different surnames; all were posthumously granted titles.

After saying this, Zhu Houzhao added, "But Brother Jiang, rest assured, even if I cannot make you a king, I will never treat you unfairly."

“These things are not important to me.”

Jiang Ning remained unmoved and said bluntly, "I don't care about these things. I befriended you and am even willing to help you now because we share the same path. Nothing else matters. If one day you abandon this path, even if you have countless guards protecting you in the palace, I can still rush into the palace and end your life."

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Zhu Houzhao laughed.

"Brother Jiang, there aren't many people in this world who dare to threaten the emperor."

Jiang Ning smiled too. "You can try and see if I can do it."

"Of course, I have no doubt about your abilities."

Zhu Houzhao never doubted that Jiang Ning was capable of killing him; the other party had that ability.

"Brother Jiang, rest assured, if I really betray this path, I will surrender without resistance."

Zhu Houzhao smiled faintly.

At this moment, Liu Jin jogged into the courtyard.

"Your Majesty, it's time to return to the palace."

It was getting late. After hearing Liu Jin's reminder, Zhu Houzhao said to Jiang Ning, "Brother Jiang, see you tomorrow."

Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

After Zhu Houzhao left, Jiang Ning also left.

"Your Majesty, you seem very happy."

On the way back to the palace, Liu Jin looked at Zhu Houzhao's expression and said.

Zhu Houzhao's expression did not change much at this time, but there was always a slight smile on his lips.

Zhu Houzhao glanced at him upon hearing this, but said nothing.

Liu Jin smiled broadly.

"correct."

Zhu Houzhao suddenly asked, "Didn't the leader of the Wudang Sect submit a memorial to the throne some time ago?"

Liu Jin was taken aback, and quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Last year, after hearing that Your Majesty had ascended the throne, Daoist Chongxu of Wudang Mountain submitted a memorial, saying that he wanted to come to the capital to see Your Majesty and catch a glimpse of Your Majesty's countenance. However, Your Majesty did not grant his request."

Zhu Houzhao nodded upon hearing this, but said nothing more, seemingly lost in thought. His expression shifted, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Liu Jin, standing beside him, could only occasionally hear Zhu Houzhao utter a few words.

"The martial world... Zhenwu... Wudang... the Demonic Sect..."

Seeing that Zhu Houzhao was clearly thinking about something, Liu Jin wisely refrained from disturbing him.

"Big companion."

After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Houzhao spoke again.

"Is there a Zhenwu Emperor Temple on Mount Hua?"

Liu Jin was taken aback, wondering why Zhu Houzhao was asking this, but he didn't hesitate and quickly nodded.

"Yes."

Zhu Houzhao nodded after receiving the answer and said nothing more.

……

For the next few days, Jiang Ning went out early and returned late, mostly talking with Zhu Houzhao in the same courtyard, exchanging ideas, and refining some of the things Zhu Houzhao wanted to do next.

Zhu Houzhao has only recently ascended the throne and has little power in his hands. His main goal is to regain control.

Jiang Ning couldn't be of much help in this regard, because this was a power struggle within the imperial court, and Jiang Ning had no experience in this area. He could kill all these officials, but that would cause chaos, and Zhu Houzhao would never do that. If he did, it would make it even more difficult for him to regain power.

However, Zhu Houzhao never intended to ask Jiang Ning to help him regain power. Sometimes the struggle for power is dangerous, but also simple. After all, Zhu Houzhao's status already gave him a great advantage.

Moreover, the current court and harem are not like those of the Hongzhi era. If Zhu Houzhao cannot even regain power, then his ambitions will be nothing but nonsense.

A few days later, Jiang Ning continued to talk to Zhu Houzhao every day, and in the following days he discussed the population tax.

One of the reasons why ordinary people are becoming increasingly poor and struggling to survive is the population tax.

The poll tax originated in the Qin Dynasty. As the name suggests, this tax was based on the number of people in a household. In the early years of the dynasty, it was fine, but as the dynasty progressed to the middle and late periods, the amount of land in the country decreased due to the annexation by the kings and nobles. The people had less land, but the number of people in their families did not decrease, so the taxes they paid remained the same, but they ate less, creating a vicious cycle.

While the poll tax may not have been the root cause of the people's increasing poverty, it was a significant factor in the drowning of newborn male and female infants.

Therefore, Jiang Ning suggested that if Zhu Houzhao wanted to change the tax system in the future, he could abolish the poll tax and instead collect taxes based on the amount of land owned by each household.

That's right, it's the "equalization of land tax and poll tax".

"If we follow your logic, collecting taxes based on the land area would indeed reduce the burden on the people, but the amount of tax revenue that the imperial court can collect would be less."

Zhu Houzhao said something, but he didn't refuse; rather, he realized the difficulties involved.

"Most of the land in the Ming Dynasty is now in the hands of officials, gentry, and many princes. They don't pay taxes, and the Ming Dynasty will only get poorer. If this is the case, the only way is to first survey their land and make them return all the land they have seized over the years..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Houzhao felt a chill run down his spine.

If he really did that, even if he were the emperor, he would feel that his days were numbered.

"We still need to keep the army under our control."

Zhu Houzhao felt a chill run down his spine.

Doing these things requires having an army at your disposal. After the devastation of the Hongzhi reign, the Ming army's fighting strength was no longer sufficient. If Zhu Houzhao wanted to try out new laws, he first needed to regain power and the army, and then build a reliable and capable army before he could do so.

Jiang Ning was aware of this, so he did not rush to have Zhu Houzhao start doing it now. In addition, Jiang Ning also said.

"If you really start doing these things in the future, and if anyone tries to harm you, I will personally come to the capital to help you."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and said, "It's a deal."

Chapter 553: Using a Borrowed Knife to Kill

"I'm preparing to leave Beijing."

Jiangning Road.

Zhu Houzhao was startled.

"So early?"

Jiang Ning shook his head and said, "It's getting late."

He had been in the capital for seven or eight days; it was time to return to Mount Hua.

Zhu Houzhao nodded, feeling somewhat regretful.

During the conversations over the past few days, he increasingly felt that Jiang Ning was a rare talent, whose strength, ideas, and abilities were all outstanding.

It's a pity that the other party had no intention of entering officialdom, otherwise he would definitely be of great help to him in the court.

Have you decided when you're leaving?

Zhu Houzhao asked.

Jiang Ning said, "The day after tomorrow."

Zhu Houzhao nodded and said nothing more.

At that moment, a eunuch not far away stopped in his tracks; it was Liu Jin.

Liu Jin looked somewhat anxious, as if he had something to report to Zhu Houzhao, but hesitated and did not come over when he saw Jiang Ning and Zhu Houzhao talking.

Zhu Houzhao frowned and asked, "Master, what is it?"

Upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, Liu Jin finally came over.

"His Majesty."

Liu Jin said one sentence and then stopped talking, looking at Jiang Ning as if he was in a dilemma.

Zhu Houzhao frowned upon seeing this, but understood that Liu Jin must have something urgent to say, so he stood up and said to Jiang Ning, "Brother Jiang, please excuse me for a moment."

Jiang Ning nodded.

Zhu Houzhao followed Liu Jin and arrived at a house.

"what's up?"

Zhu Houzhao frowned and asked as soon as he sat down.

Liu Jin cautiously said, "Your Majesty, news has come from the palace. The Empress Dowager is urging you to dispatch troops to build a mansion for the Marquis of Shouning."

Zhu Houzhao's face darkened upon hearing this.

The Empress Dowager had spoken to him about this a few days ago, and her attitude was very firm. He hadn't taken any action in the past few days, but now the Empress Dowager was starting to urge him.

"Mobilize the military camp?"

Zhu Houzhao raised his voice.

"I have already said that I will not use the military camps for crafts. Go and tell the Empress Dowager that I will not agree to it."

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin did not leave, but instead looked troubled.

Zhu Houzhao's face darkened.

"Ok?"