Dapeng's Time Travel Life

The smoke of war gradually dissipated in the afterglow of the battle in the capital. Although traces of war still lingered in the streets and alleys, a new vitality was quietly emerging. Zhang Peng stood in the courtyard of the Prince's mansion, watching the craftsmen repair the damaged walls and listening to the joyful laughter of the people outside, yet a sense of unease lingered in his heart. Although the sudden crisis of the siege had subsided, he knew that the enemies of reform were only temporarily dormant, and the undercurrents were still surging beneath the surface.

"Your Highness, the latest progress on reforms across the country has been compiled here." An aide carrying a thick stack of documents hurried into the courtyard, breaking the brief silence.

Zhang Peng snapped out of his daze, took the document, and casually flipped through one of them. His brows furrowed: "The imperial examination reform has been implemented relatively smoothly, but the land reform has encountered big trouble in several southern provinces."

The aide sighed and said helplessly, "The powerful families in the south are deeply entrenched. They have been annexing large amounts of land, and the reforms have touched their core interests. Now they are uniting to resist and even inciting the people to riot."

Zhang Peng's gaze turned cold: "These powerful families, for their own selfish interests, have disregarded the lives of ordinary people. We cannot let them run rampant; we must find a way."

Zhang Peng fell into deep thought. After a long while, he suddenly looked up and said, "Here's what we'll do: you go and contact some enlightened gentry and students in the south. They have a certain influence in the local area and are mostly in favor of the reforms. Have them come forward and organize public lectures to explain the benefits and significance of the reforms to the people in detail, and expose the true colors of those powerful families."

The staff member accepted the order and left. Zhang Peng then carefully reviewed the other reports and discovered that in addition to the obstacles to land reform, there was also a shortage of funds to promote the reform.

"At this critical juncture of reform, how can we afford to cut off funding?" Zhang Peng muttered to himself, secretly considering solutions. He decided to personally go to the Ministry of Revenue to discuss countermeasures with the Minister of Revenue.

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Peng met with Minister Zhao. Minister Zhao looked worried and immediately began to complain to Zhang Peng: "Your Highness, you've finally arrived. The reforms are costly, but the national treasury is running out of money. If this continues, many reform measures will have to be forced to stop."

Zhang Peng pondered for a moment and said, "Lord Zhao, I have an idea. We can levy a special tax on those wealthy merchants. They make a fortune every day, and now that the country is in trouble, they should do their part."

Lord Zhao looked troubled: "Your Highness, these wealthy merchants have extensive connections and immense power, I'm afraid..."

Zhang Peng interrupted him: "What are you afraid of? For the sake of reform and the country, no matter how great the resistance, we have to try. I will go to the palace to report this matter to the Emperor and try to gain his support."

After leaving the Ministry of Revenue, Zhang Peng went straight to the palace to meet the Emperor. After listening to Zhang Peng's petition, the Emperor nodded slightly: "Zhang Peng, what you say makes sense. This matter is entrusted to you; I fully support you. Anyone who dares to obstruct it will be severely punished!"

Zhang Peng knelt to accept the order, his heart filled with enthusiasm. However, as soon as he stepped out of the palace, he received astonishing news: several powerful families in the south had joined forces to submit a joint petition impeaching Zhang Peng, accusing him of failing to implement reforms effectively, leading to widespread suffering, and demanding that the emperor dismiss Zhang Peng and halt the reforms.

"These people are really quick!" Zhang Peng sneered inwardly. He knew this was a desperate struggle by powerful families. He didn't back down at all; instead, he decided to take the initiative.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Zhang Peng immediately summoned his advisors to discuss countermeasures. The group sat together, the atmosphere heavy with tension.

"Your Highness, these powerful families are coming on strong. We must come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible, or the reform will be in danger," an aide said anxiously.

Zhang Peng remained calm: "What's the panic? The more anxious they are, the more it shows that our reforms have hit their sore spot. What we need to do is expose their crimes to the public."

Therefore, Zhang Peng organized a team to collect evidence of various crimes committed by powerful families, such as land grabbing, oppressing the people, and tax evasion. At the same time, he also contacted ministers in the court who supported the reforms, asking them to speak up for him in court.

A few days later, in the imperial court, Zhang Peng, holding evidence, spoke eloquently: "Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, these powerful families are rich but heartless, and have committed numerous crimes. Now they are attempting to obstruct reforms. Their crimes are truly unforgivable! I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

Having said that, he presented the evidence to the Emperor. After reviewing the evidence, the Emperor was furious: "These traitors! How dare they be so audacious! Guards, immediately arrest the heads of these powerful clans and bring them to justice! Thoroughly investigate their crimes!"

With the emperor's decree, those once-arrogant aristocratic families crumbled instantly. Another major obstacle was removed from the path of reform.

Looking at the crowd in the court, Zhang Peng was filled with mixed emotions. He knew that the road to reform was still long and there would be many more challenges in the future, but as long as he had the emperor's support and the people's backing, he was confident that he could carry the reform through to the end and lead the country to prosperity and strength.