Chapter 420 Continuing to Appeal to the Emperor
"His Majesty."
Wei Shuyu bowed to Li Shimin and said, "The Prince of Yan's exorbitant entrance fee has caused widespread resentment among the people. I humbly request Your Majesty to punish him."
Li Shimin frowned.
He is Li You's father, the emperor.
The son doesn't understand the hardships of ordinary people, and when people criticize him, they will also criticize his father.
"We'll discuss this later."
Li Shimin changed the subject, saying, "Aren't you going to sue other people? Tell us about them first..."
"promise."
Wei Shuyu readily agreed.
His gaze then wandered over the princes...
The person being stared at couldn't help but feel a tightness in their anus.
They had every reason to believe that Wei Shuyu would not let them off so easily.
"Next..."
Wei Shuyu fixed his gaze on Li Ke: "Let's talk about the King of Shu..."
"They used the guise of rectifying Huxian County and improving the environment to amass wealth."
Swish.
All the officials turned to look at Li Ke.
I wonder how Xiao Wei will berate Li Ke next.
"There shouldn't be any problem, right?"
Li Ke smiled generously: "In many prosperous areas of the Tang Dynasty, it is reasonable to charge a fee in order to maintain the cleanliness of the streets."
"I was merely imitating..."
The ministers nodded involuntarily again.
But soon, Wei Shuyu's curses followed.
"Imitate my ass!"
"Wei Shuyu".
Li Ke's expression was somewhat unpleasant: "If you're going to discuss business, can you please stop resorting to insults all the time?"
Wei Shuyu ignored this and instead spoke to himself...
"When the earthquake struck, the houses collapsed."
"Hu County has been reduced to ruins!"
"It was the people of Hu County who built the entire county brick by brick."
"It was the merchants of Hu County who spared no effort in providing financial assistance that made it the prosperous county town it is today!"
"Now that Hu County has developed, the imperial court wants a piece of the pie..."
"Excuse me... on what grounds?"
The ministers whispered among themselves.
Hu County was developed single-handedly by Wei Shuyu.
Apart from providing some assistance during the earthquake, Hu County was basically left to fend for itself afterward.
"The imperial court protected them and provided them with a safe and secure environment to live in."
"How could they live such a comfortable life without the imperial court?"
Li Ke's reply was confident and assertive.
He even went so far as to take a step further and begin to question them in return...
"When the earthquake struck, didn't the imperial court send troops?"
"Didn't the imperial court provide any grain when the earthquake struck?"
"What right do you think the imperial court has...?"
Li Ke shouted fiercely, "Even your appointment to govern Hu County was made by the imperial court!"
The courtiers were shocked.
Li Ke surprisingly gained the upper hand in the verbal exchange and even launched a counterattack.
The King of Shu was awesome!
They immediately turned their heads, looking at Wei Shuyu expectantly...
"What you said isn't wrong, but..."
Wei Shuyu suddenly took a step forward: "Didn't they pay taxes?"
"The people pay taxes."
"The imperial court protects the people's safety."
"Isn't this what we should do?"
"They have already paid their taxes, so why should the court levy them again?"
As the saying goes... oppression by officials leads to rebellion!
"The court's excessive demands will only cause the people of the Tang Dynasty to lose all their support!"
The courtiers were taken aback.
That seems to make some sense.
We've already collected it once, why do we need to collect it again?
The assembled officials all turned to look at Li Ke.
"Wei Shuyu, stop throwing around accusations!"
Li Ke retorted in kind: "This policy of mine is not about getting something for nothing; it is mainly to improve the image of Hu County!"
yes.
We put in the work!
The ministers turned their heads again...
When they saw Wei Shuyu looking thoughtful, they were truly shocked...
Is the Wei family about to suffer a setback today?
"The King of Shu is righteous."
Wei Shuyu softened his tone and suddenly cupped his hands, saying, "However, I have a question I would like to ask the King of Shu for clarification."
"Speak!" Li Ke replied nonchalantly.
"May I ask the King of Shu, what about the money you collected?" Wei Shuyu asked softly.
"What, you want to accuse me of embezzlement?"
Li Ke straightened his chest and proudly replied, "The wealth I collected has been deposited into the national treasury, not a penny is missing, and all accounts are available!"
Snap snap snap...
Wei Shuyu clapped his hands, looking shocked: "So that's how it is..."
"Stop being sarcastic."
Li Ke finally lost his patience: "Spit it out if you have something to say!"
"nothing……"
Wei Shuyu said with a smile, "It's just that I'm quite curious."
"This money was clearly intended for the development of Hu County, so why did it end up in the national treasury?"
Swish.
The ministers' expressions changed drastically.
Li Ke's face turned deathly pale.
"Oh, right..."
"If someone asks where the money in the Tang Dynasty's treasury comes from, how should we answer?"
"It was earned by the King of Shu sweeping up garbage..."
Faced with Wei Shuyu's sarcastic remarks, Li Ke's expression changed repeatedly.
To rectify Huxian County and improve its environment.
This kind of money...
It must be taken from Hu County and used in Hu County.
Using it for other purposes constitutes embezzlement of public funds!
"besides……"
Wei Shuyu's casual expression vanished, and his aura slowly rose...
"You said you'd rectify Huxian County and improve its image?"
"But what's the truth..."
"The officials under your command abused their power and charged the same person twice..."
"Where exactly is the improvement you're talking about?"
"Besides tarnishing Hu County's reputation, I haven't seen any improvement whatsoever!"
Turn around...
"His Majesty."
Wei Shuyu bowed to Li Shimin and said, "The King of Shu has deceived the people, abused his power, and misappropriated funds..."
"His actions went against the original intention of an official, and his words and deeds damaged the face of the royal family."
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you punish him!"
Li Shimin's expression was also very unpleasant.
Li You's collection of entry fees is at least blatant; whether or not one enters is entirely voluntary.
Li Ke's actions were nothing short of using his power to oppress others and seek personal gain.
"This matter...will be discussed later!"
Li Shimin continued to stall.
After all, he's his own son, so it's impossible for him to really punish him severely.
He looked at Li Chengqian and Li Tai.
Did those two not wipe their butts clean?
"promise."
Wei Shuyu didn't delve into the matter further for the time being; he looked ahead...
Li Tai's chrysanthemum became even tighter.
A smile bloomed on his chubby face: "Shuyu, if you know where I have fallen short, please feel free to point it out, and I will certainly correct it!"
Shameless.
The ministers cursed inwardly.
He backed down before he even opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, you don’t actually have much of a problem…” Wei Shuyu said with a smile.
"Yeah?"
Li Tai breathed a long sigh of relief.
"It's just that they levy exorbitant taxes and force merchants to their wits' end."
Holy crap.
Have you forgotten the friendship we shared while plowing the fields together?
I've already yielded, and you still want to target me?
OK!
Then I'll have a proper discussion with you...
"What did you say?"
The King of Wei looked shocked: "I actually have such an official under my command?"
"I have been staying in the palace and am not entirely clear on what happened..."
"Shuyu, tell me properly, which official dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me?"
"I will personally behead him!"
Li Tai was much smarter.
They shifted all the blame onto their subordinates.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
