"I believe that the policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax is indeed good. I am foolish and did not understand its intricacies just now. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Finally, someone couldn't withstand the wicked husband's menacing gaze and stepped forward to agree.

Seeing that someone had taken the lead, the remaining opposition members dared not continue to insist and began to echo him.

"jingle...."

The wicked man casually tossed away the blood-stained longsword in his hand, which landed on the ground with a series of crisp sounds.

He put on a warm and friendly smile as if changing his expression, and said softly, "Gentlemen, you are all very wise and righteous. I admire you greatly."

These words made the opposition members look like they'd just eaten shit. They'd already killed people, and now they were pulling this stunt?

Even if it's a slap followed by a sweet treat, it wouldn't be as clumsy as you.

Couldn't you at least put your heart into it and act more seriously?

Just as they were secretly grumbling to themselves, the wicked man cupped his hands to Ying Zheng, who was on a high throne, and said, "Your Majesty, our Qin ministers are very righteous, and the court naturally cannot treat them unfairly."

"I propose that we slightly modify the Yelang strategy to compensate you gentlemen."

"Oh?" Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "Tell me about it."

The wicked man nodded, turned to face the court officials, and said loudly, "I previously proposed the production team strategy to make efficient use of the newly acquired land and prevent it from being wasted."

"In that case, it would be better to collect the grain produced by the lands contributed by our colleagues and use the grain produced in Yelang to supplement your supplies."

"Those who cultivate the land will be convicted of serious crimes or death row inmates, or prisoners of war who have surrendered, and will be subject to labor reform. Various assessments will be conducted to enhance their enthusiasm, and those who perform outstandingly will be exempted from criminal punishment and incorporated into the common people of Qin."

This was also a spur-of-the-moment idea of ​​his, after all, cutting off someone's source of income is equivalent to killing their parents, so he had to make amends to them in some way.

Those present were all at the pinnacle of power in the Qin state, with vast wealth and countless mouths to feed. It would be unwise to suddenly cut off their source of income.

Besides, everyone looks out for themselves; otherwise, they'll be doomed.

The best approach is to crack down on some and recruit others.

We can't afford to offend the gentry and powerful figures of the land, and push all the civil and military officials to the opposite side, can we?

As long as the court is of one mind, those gentry and powerful figures will not be able to cause the slightest trouble.

"That's a good plan!"

After a moment's thought, Ying Zheng nodded slightly in agreement.

Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall visibly became excited. It was truly a case of "after the darkest hour comes the dawn," at least their income was preserved.

"Hey, we thank Your Majesty and Commandant Wei!" The entire court of officials said in unison, their voices so loud they almost lifted the roof off.

The wicked man curled his lips into a smile and waved his hand, saying, "Since there are no objections, then we will not hand over the land to our colleagues for the time being. We will first implement the land tax reform among the people, and then redistribute it after Yelang is brought under my control."

"Of course, of course!"

The twists and turns of life made these people completely oblivious to certain things; they were too busy being thankful that they had managed to preserve their assets.

Of course, some clever people sensed something was amiss, and their expressions became increasingly helpless.

And yet, when did Yelang become Qin territory? How come we never received any news about it? Turns out we were just planning to attack now?

This is so bad it's speechless.

In short, you're using someone else's land to make empty promises to your own people, and then you don't actually do anything about it?

Of course, after glancing at the wicked man's imposing physique, they didn't doubt that he couldn't win over Yelang.

Wang Jian and Meng Ao exchanged a smile, feeling both helpless and amused by the wicked man's antics. Ever since this young man entered the court, they felt that the entire Qin state had changed, but they couldn't quite put their finger on what had changed.

"Your Majesty, this old minister requests permission to go."

This time, Meng Ao was one step ahead of Wang Jian, and quickly walked to the center of the hall, where he bowed deeply.

Wang Jian glanced at Meng Ao, but remained unmoved.

He really had no interest in the mere Yelang people; their fighting strength was hardly stronger than that of the savages, so why bother to take on their burdens?

He glanced at his wicked husband, a smile playing on his lips. He knew in his heart that there would be big moves coming from the court, and today's events were definitely orchestrated by this kid behind the scenes.

As long as you stay in Xianyang, you'll have no trouble finding good jobs.

Thinking of this, Wang Jian looked at Meng Ao with a teasing gaze. Since you like to play with the savages, why not let you have them?

Seeing that no one was vying for it, Ying Zheng immediately nodded and said, "Since General Meng Ao wants to go, then you shall lead 100,000 troops to attack Yelang."

The wicked man added, “General, Yelang has a large area of ​​deep mountains and forests. We should prioritize clearing their flat lands first, and then proceed with the rest gradually. The most urgent task is to replenish the funds and provisions for our colleagues.”

Upon hearing this, all the officials and civil servants turned their pleading gazes to Meng Ao, who was now no different from their provider.

Feeling the earnest expectations of his colleagues, Meng Ao nodded solemnly and said loudly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, my colleagues, within a month, I will take over the entire plain of Yelang."

Putting aside others, he himself is also in this mess; so many mouths in his family are waiting to be fed!

Ying Zheng's approving gaze fell on his wicked husband, who returned the smile. His husband had handled the matter exceptionally well today, greatly pleasing Ying Zheng.

At least, it didn't cause any turmoil in the court, and the only cost was the death of Zheng Ke, which was practically negligible.

"If there is nothing else, then let the court adjourn. General, please mobilize the troops immediately!" Ying Zheng stood up and asked. Seeing that no one spoke, he left directly.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully see you off!"

The courtiers bowed in unison until Ying Zheng's figure disappeared from sight, then they slowly rose to prepare to leave.

"Oh, right!"

The wicked man slapped his forehead and pointed at Ke Lan's corpse on the ground, saying, "Since this person is dead, we will not pursue the matter of implicating his relatives and friends."

"Meng Can!"

"Yes, what are your orders, Commandant?"

The wicked man rubbed his chin and said softly, "Seize all the valuables in this dead man's house and use them as compensation and rewards for the soldiers who went to war."

Having risen to the rank of Imperial Advisor, his family must be incredibly wealthy; otherwise, this old fellow wouldn't have risked his life to protect his money.

He also wanted to see just how much property could be found in this man's home.

Little did anyone know that Meng Can would speak so readily, "Zheng Ke owns at least a thousand acres of fertile land across the country, no fewer than twenty mansions, and his other assets must be even more numerous!"

As the magistrate of Taicang, in charge of the nation's money, grain, and farmland, he was quite familiar with the rewards Zheng Ke had received throughout history, but he was also unaware of the details regarding those smaller items and working capital.

"I think you should give up your position as the magistrate of Taicang and instead take charge of trade and anti-corruption!" The wicked man revealed a sly smile.

Although it was the first time Meng Can had heard the term "anti-corruption," he could understand its meaning. He glanced at the officials present with a malicious intent in his eyes.

The ministers who were caught in his gaze were all terrified, fearing that this young man would reveal his family's wealth to his wicked husband, and that this butcher would find an excuse to confiscate their property.