Chapter 6 Everyone Wants to Conquer Me

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhou Yi was surprised that the Emperor would take back control of state affairs; this was wonderful.

Thinking of the female bodhisattva who made offerings outside the city, the emperor still cared about the people.

Ji Huaizhi noticed their panic and told them to take it slow, as this was all his private treasury.

"Furthermore, I cannot bear to see the people suffer. Therefore, this year's tax collection will be postponed, pending the local officials' preparations for resettling displaced people. The people must be allowed to recuperate and rebuild their lives. Tax collection will only be discussed after production has resumed."

The officials looked up in surprise.

Some people frowned, while others wore expressions of joy.

Ji Huaizhi paid attention to their expressions and wrote down those who disagreed.

Next time, raid their mansion first.

"Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable! The national treasury is empty..."

Ji Huaizhi looked at him with a half-smile: "Why are you staring at my national treasury? You know my national treasury is empty, so you can use your family property to fill it up."

The speaker immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This humble servant merely..."

"I'll tell you to take off this official robe."

The man immediately shut his mouth.

Ji Huaizhi smiled, "Being emperor is really great."

No wonder everyone wants to sit on this dragon throne.

Upon seeing this, everyone immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

In the most conspicuous spot on the city wall, the emperor's decree to postpone the collection of taxes was posted. It also mentioned the charitable granaries and the resettlement of displaced people. The moment it was posted, a large crowd gathered around it.

After the literate people read it aloud word by word, the people immediately knelt down facing the direction of the Forbidden City:

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Some people were so moved that they cried.

"Who exactly is saying the Emperor is a tyrant? He's clearly a good emperor! He genuinely cares for the people; it must be some treacherous person doing this on purpose!"

"Yes! I heard that the female bodhisattva who gives alms outside the city was also sponsored by the emperor. He confiscated the property of corrupt officials and made sure we had enough to eat!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

When Lu Haitang came with Lin Yi and Lin Er to deliver the pre-made dishes this time, these people no longer knelt down to thank her.

Instead, he took a portion and knelt towards the Forbidden City, muttering "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She hadn't expected to suffer so much.

This good reputation actually went to the dog emperor.

She hasn't even received her wages; it's absolutely outrageous.

Lin Yi glanced at her and said, "Miss Lu, the Emperor has decreed that the number of servings of these dishes will be doubled starting tomorrow."

"knew!"

Lu Haitang gritted her teeth.

That dog emperor!!!

Ji Huaizhi sneezed. Who was cursing him?

"Your Majesty!" Eunuch Chen suddenly rushed into the Qianqing Palace, his expression panicked: "Your Majesty, the heavens..."

"What's wrong? Did a Lin Daiyu fall from the sky?" Ji Huaizhi was speechless at his panicked look. There would be many more such incidents in the future.

A woman dressed in strange clothes fell from the sky.

Ji Huaizhi arrived at the Imperial Garden and raised an eyebrow at the woman in sportswear.

[Is this the emperor? He's so handsome!]

Am I stunningly beautiful to him now? After all, I resemble his ideal woman so much. Am I about to become his sweetheart?

Ji Huaizhi never expected that he could hear this woman's inner thoughts.

interesting.

"Where am I? How did I get here? I want to go home!" Huang Yan began her performance.

Her expression was like that of a frightened little rabbit: "Are you filming a movie?"

"Handsome guy, are you a celebrity? I've never seen you before, can I get your autograph?"

Ji Huaizhi: "......"

Huang Yan felt extremely special at this moment; the ancients must have never seen such a special woman as her.

"Guards! Force him to commit suicide!"

Ji Huaizhi flung his sleeves and said, "This is truly an eyesore."

Huang Yan blinked. What was going on?

Shouldn't he make himself a concubine because he thinks she resembles his ideal woman?

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Huang Yan was being treated like an assassin.

The login happened very quickly; the task failed before I even realized it.

Ji Huaizhi stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the square palace: "Can you come up with something useful?"

Suddenly, Ji Huaizhi thought of something and looked at Chen Duojin, who was dozing off to the side: "I want to hold a selection of candidates!"

Chen Duojin was so frightened he almost collapsed, and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"......"Neuropathy.

The Emperor's sudden decision to hold a talent selection was something no one had expected.

Although it was reasonable, many people felt it was strange. After all, Deng Zhiyang's family was raided by the emperor after he proposed the selection of concubines. Could this be a conspiracy?

However, the draft has an additional requirement: participation must be voluntary.

When the news of the Emperor's selection of concubines spread, everyone was surprised, some were happy and some were worried.

However, upon hearing that the girls participating in the talent show had to do so voluntarily, many daughters from prominent families breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor's reputation was so great that many people were afraid of him, fearing that if they accidentally angered him in the palace, they would lose their lives.

The matter of the talent selection was entirely entrusted to the Empress Dowager.

Ji Huaizhi was looking at the memorials out of boredom when he saw that Zhou Yi's memorial had gotten to the point.

Unlike others who present their greetings such as "The flowers are blooming here and there, I wish Your Majesty good health," "It's raining here and there, I wish Your Majesty good health," "People are fighting here and there, I wish Your Majesty good health," "Villagers have lost some poultry here and there, I wish Your Majesty good health," or "I've been cured of a doctor here and there, I wish Your Majesty good health," this person presents their greetings with a different perspective.

Looking at these words, Ji Huaizhi frowned silently.

Chen Duojin clearly sensed that the Emperor was in a bad mood, so he tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

"What's there to be anxious about? What's there to be anxious about? You have to tell me about such trivial matters? What are your subordinates good for?"

These people are insane.

Ji Huaizhi threw away the memorial: "Proclaim the Book of Changes."

"He presented the Book of Changes to the Emperor."

Zhou Yi arrived at the imperial study with trepidation, wondering why the emperor had summoned him.

Although my impression of the emperor changed somewhat last time, it doesn't change the fact that he is a capricious tyrant.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Ji Huaizhi looked at him and said, "I want to break down the barriers of social class and establish the imperial examination system. What do you think, my dear minister?"

Zhou Yi suddenly looked up, then knelt down again: "Your Majesty is wise."

“But Your Majesty,” Zhou Yi looked up, “the civil and military officials will not agree.”

After all, breaking the social hierarchy would harm the interests of those aristocratic families.

If social status and birth are not valued, then those large families will find it difficult to easily obtain official positions by virtue of their family and hereditary privileges.

"I don't care whether he agrees or not," Ji Huaizhi said casually. "You said you had two talented people at your disposal? Let me use them first."

Zhou Yi was so moved he almost cried; the Emperor was going to be a good emperor.

Ji Huaizhi wanted to hold the imperial examinations this year to recruit talented people. The civil and military officials opposed it without even thinking about it, and they were not afraid of death to oppose it.

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!" The Prime Minister was the first to object.

Ji Huaizhi glanced at him and said, "I remember that the Prime Minister is getting old. Starting tomorrow, he will no longer need to attend the morning court session."

“Your Majesty, the Prime Minister’s words make sense. The imperial examination is a matter of great importance and should not be taken lightly,” said the Minister of Works.

"Minister of Works need not come tomorrow. Also, I have heard that your son is extravagant and has been abducting women in the street. Confiscate his property," Ji Huaizhi said casually.

"emperor!"

“Say it again and he shall be ordered to commit suicide.”

"Your Majesty! The court officials are all loyal to you. Your actions will alienate them!" The speaker was a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

"Besides, the imperial examination system violated the rules set by our ancestors, and even if the late emperor were still alive, he would not have agreed to it."

Upon hearing this, everyone knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Apart from Zhou Yi and a few others, the other people who knelt down all disagreed.

Ji Huaizhi remained expressionless, lost in thought.

Everyone else wanted the emperor to retract his order, as this was a very serious matter.

Everyone thought it through. There are so many people; surely he won't kill them all?

There was no one left in the court; they were pressuring the emperor to retract his decree.

Ji Huaizhi glanced at someone and casually pointed at them: "Give him death."