Purple Palace.

"Where is the Privy Council's signature?"

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, receives your servant Zheng Zhonghe."

"Issue this decree throughout the land, requiring all officials in various departments to re-examine the imperial examinations, with the Imperial Academy setting the questions. Anyone who fails to meet the requirements will be expelled and never rehired. The Song Dynasty is in no shortage of talent!"

The ministers below were filled with emotion, and after a while they discussed the matter among themselves, they dared not speak out. Because the people standing beside them were no longer the palace guards, but the officials of the Tiger Yamen.

Hu Ya Si has now become synonymous with terror. Everyone knows that the chances of coming out alive after entering Hu Ya Si are extremely slim, and these officials have already developed a phobia.

Zhao Huan was now very satisfied with this situation, which was exactly what he wanted. Officials no longer dared to oppose him as they did before: "Pan Bufeng!"

Pan Bufeng was now the commander of the Imperial Dragon Guard. His imposing attire also frightened the officials. He stood up and said, "I am here!"

"The Imperial Dragon Guards are in charge of the exams. Anyone found engaging in malpractice or cheating will be killed without mercy!"

"I will obey your order!"

Many ministers shuddered. They had planned to bribe and cheat during the exam, but they gave up their plans after hearing this.

Zhao Huan said coldly: "Grand Chancellor Zhang Bangchang!"

Zhang Bangchang is now the prime minister, filling in for Bai Shizhong. He seemed to have expected Zhao Huan to call his name.

Zhang Bangchang wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up, holding the tablet: "Your Majesty."

"I ask you, what happened to Fanlou?"

Zhang Bangchang's hand, holding the tablet, trembled slightly. "Your Majesty, I have already remitted Fanlou's taxes over the years to the Kaifeng Yiliang Case Office."

Zhao Huan smiled slightly: "How much did you make up for it?"

Zhang Bangchang trembled and said, "Ten, one hundred and seventy-three thousand strings of cash."

With a loud bang, the ministers below were shocked. Seventeen thousand strings of cash, while the total annual tax revenue was only a little over forty million strings of cash. This small restaurant was surprisingly large. Even though it was the largest restaurant in Bianjing, it was still too much.

Even Zhao Huan was shocked by such a large amount of tax.

"Officials are not allowed to engage in business, otherwise they will compete with the people for profit. How many of you officials are still engaging in business without my knowledge?"

No one dared to answer. It was likely that every court official had a side job, even Li Gang and others were no exception.

"Okay! I know, every one of you officials has it. I won't investigate this matter anymore, and there's no way I can investigate. I can't arrest you all! So let me ask you this: how many of you officials don't engage in business outside of the court, and rely solely on court salaries for support?"

All the ministers chose to remain silent, and no one dared to respond.

Zhao Huan raised his voice: "I'm asking you! Is there anyone here?"

The hall was completely silent, with everyone bowing their heads in silence. After a while, a man emerged: Meng Gurao, the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture.

"Your servant Meng Gu Rao does not have any."

All the ministers raised their heads and looked at Meng Gurao, their eyes could kill people.

Zhao Huan sneered: "Meng Gurao, ah Meng Gurao, I said you can't be an official and you really can't be an official. Apart from Meng Gurao, is there anyone else?"

The ministers continued to bow their heads. After a while, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Tan Zongshan, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, since the reign of Emperor Shenzong, officials in our dynasty have gradually taken on side jobs. However, the expenses of the capital are enormous, and salaries alone are not enough to make ends meet."

The ministers immediately found an excuse and said, "Yes, yes, this salary is indeed a bit difficult to live with in the capital."

"Your Majesty, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are in the capital. I can't even afford to buy a house with my lifetime salary. I am still living in my father-in-law's house." The person who said this was the imperial doctor Ma Bangde.

Zhao Huan pondered for a moment and said, "I already know all this. Even the great Su Shi, the Dongpo Layman, lamented that the capital couldn't afford even an inch of tile. I will consider raising salaries."

The ministers below were overjoyed to hear this, as a salary increase was certainly something to be happy about.

"However," Zhao Huan then changed the subject: "From now on, if any official dares to engage in private business and profit from the people, they will be severely punished! Anyone found guilty of tax evasion must pay the full amount to the Ministry of Revenue within three months. Sell off any property that needs to be sold, and I will not pursue the matter further. However, if anyone is still engaged in business after three months, they will be handed over to the Tiger Yasi for punishment!"

"As you wish!"

Zhao Huan looked at Zhang Bangchang and said, "Zhang Bangchang, you sold Fanlou as well. As the prime minister of the dynasty, you should set an example for all the officials!"

Zhang Bangchang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, do not consider me a lowly person and do not punish me. I am deeply grateful for your grace. However, the national treasury is now depleted, and I dare not sell Fanlou any further. I am willing to confiscate Fanlou and hand it over to Kaifeng Prefecture."

Zhao Huan was delighted upon hearing this: "This is a good thing. You are sharing the court's worries, which is very comforting to me. However, you old ministers have devoted yourselves to the country, and I cannot let you down. So, if any officials are willing to confiscate their property, I will compensate them at the market price. However, I have no money now, so just consider it as my debt to you. When the Great Song is settled and the people are prosperous, I will repay you with interest!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Bangchang took the lead and knelt down, followed by all the ministers, each one of them shedding tears of gratitude: "Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long, long live the emperor!"

Zhao Huan was delighted, but his expression remained impassive. These ministers were finally obeying his orders. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, imperial power had never been so centralized. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Zhao Huan was now ruling as a dictator.

"Zheng Xian, the Tiger Yasi Envoy!"

Zheng Xian stood at the lower left, keeping a distance from the other ministers. He was not a minister of the various ministries, so he did not need to bring a tablet to court. He then stepped forward and bowed: "What are your commands, Your Majesty?"

"Let's release the owner and servants of Fanlou and let them continue running the business. However, the income will go to the court, and the court will also pay them salaries."

"As you wish!"

As a result, Fanlou became a state-owned enterprise in the Song Dynasty similar to today's state-owned enterprises, and was taken over and controlled by the imperial court.

The next day, the Ministry of Revenue was swarming with people. Officials from all over the country reported their assets, as the emperor had decreed a truce. As long as they paid the back taxes, they could sell their assets to the court. Even if it was just an empty IOU, it was better than being confiscated by the all-seeing Tiger Yasi.

The people of Bianliang were also excited. The emperor issued a notice to the world to reduce taxes for the people and return farmland to the people.

The court redistributed land to the people who lost their land. The people only had the right to use the land but not the right to buy or sell it. The purpose of this was to prevent land annexation.

The imperial court will provide you with seedlings and require you to pay a certain percentage of tax during the autumn harvest, so the enthusiasm of farmers who cultivate land has been greatly improved.

As for the annexed lands, the court will reclaim them all. If you don't want to sell them, you can go to the Tiger Court.

In just four months, the court's taxes increased exponentially. Zhao Huan ordered a further reduction in the tax on cultivated land, but at the same time increased the intensity of the collection of commercial taxes.

Apart from building water conservancy projects and recruiting soldiers, no other corvee labor was imposed on the peasants. Zhao Huan wanted to vigorously develop production and live in harmony with the people.

The result of this was that the city of Bianjing alone received more than 4 million strings of cash in taxes, and the national treasury was instantly filled.

However, the court's debts were staggering, exceeding 130 million strings of cash. Zhao Huan paid them off when he could, and delayed payments when he couldn't. This at least helped to alleviate the tensions among the large landowners.

PS: I am writing and saving the draft, waiting for it to be put on the shelves.