As dawn broke, the court officials who had come to the palace for the court assembly were already lined up in order, waiting for the emperor to summon them into the hall.
The officials stood ramrod straight, but the open square outside the Mingde Hall allowed a cool breeze to swirl around them, making their warm bodies inside feel even colder.
The crowd waited outside, silently praying for the sound of bells and drums to signal the arrival of the sage. But the drums, which should have sounded at dawn, were delayed today.
The emperor arrived late with a somber expression, followed by Princess Ruining, who also looked weary.
Clearly, Princess Ruining was already in the palace before the court assembly.
Some court officials showed expressions of dissatisfaction. Naturally, they dared not and could not direct their dissatisfaction at the Emperor, so they could only direct it at Princess Ruining.
Once the emperor was seated, he would routinely engage in several rounds of heated debate with his courtiers. As the saying goes, the more important the matter becomes, the more complex it becomes.
Seeing that no officials stepped forward, the emperor cleared his throat and said, "I intend to reduce or exempt taxes."
Originally, the sage had no such intention.
Before the morning court session this morning, Princess Ruining brought someone to see him. The person had probably been waiting at the palace gate for a while, and was covered in the damp scent of morning dew. As soon as the palace gate opened, the person entered.
"Lu Zhaoan?"
The emperor had just risen and was washing his face with the help of palace maids when he saw the newcomer. He then slowly wiped his hands again with the towel in his hand before handing it to the kneeling palace maid beside him.
Lu Zhaoan bowed and knelt on the gleaming floor of Yong'an Palace. He paused for a moment, then smiled at his reflection in the ground.
Upon hearing the sage call his name, he leaned down even further.
The Emperor glanced at Princess Ruining, who remained silent to the side, and softened his expression, saying, "Get up. What brings you to the palace so early?"
Lu Zhaoan stood up, his posture as upright as a pine tree, but his gaze remained fixed on the ground, keeping to himself his duty.
Princess Ruining stepped forward and took Emperor Zhenlong's arm: "Father! My cousin told me something that I think has great potential and can solve our current predicament. I brought him here to see you."
Whenever his beloved daughter acted coquettishly, Emperor Zhenlong couldn't help but smile. He gave a soft "Oh," and asked, "What did you say?"
Although no civil unrest has yet broken out, the sheer number of displaced people is like a taut string, threatening to snap and spiral out of control. Meanwhile, news has arrived from the border that the northwestern barbarians, who have been peaceful for over a decade, are beginning to stir again. It seems they have heard about the current situation in Dacheng and, knowing the court is unstable, have started to plot.
Lu Zhaoan lowered his head and said, "This humble subject would like to request Your Majesty to reduce or exempt taxes."
"Nonsense!"
Before Lu Zhaoan could finish speaking, the Emperor flew into a rage. He glared at Princess Ruining and said, "Is this what you brought this boy here so early in the morning to tell your father?"
Princess Ruining nodded.
"This is utter nonsense! These days, appeasing displaced people, providing disaster relief, and resettling refugees—which of these doesn't require money? The national treasury is already empty; if taxes are reduced further, I won't even be able to pay the military salaries!"
If barbarian tribes invade, he will be a king who loses his country.
Emperor Zhenlong thought to himself.
I dare not let my imagination run wild.
Princess Ruining shook his arm: "Father! Please let my cousin finish speaking!"
The sage was still angry, but he did not object. Lu Zhao'an, however, was bowing his head, waiting for the sage's instructions. Since the sage hadn't spoken, how could he dare to open his mouth rashly? Seeing that Lu Zhao'an remained silent, the sage raised his foot and gave him a light kick: "I'm asking you a question!"
Lu Zhaoan thought to himself, "You didn't say anything, did you? How could I dare to say anything!"
However, he also knew that although the sage disagreed with reducing taxes, he was not angry. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"This humble citizen is willing to follow the example of the Gu family and donate all of my family's wealth to the national treasury. Although it is insignificant compared to the tax reduction, it can still solve my immediate problem."
The sage's mood improved upon hearing this. He smiled and asked, "Does your father know?"
Lu Zhaoan said righteously, "My father would be very happy to be able to contribute to Dacheng."
The ten-year period had come to an end. When he left the Lu family, he planned to take his mother with him. From then on, he would search everywhere for medical treatment, hoping that his mother would regain her senses and be able to travel the country again on her own two feet.
He was the one who built the Lu family's vast fortune. When he first took over, he was shocked by the emptiness within the Lu family. He saw that this once prosperous family was actually maintaining its appearance only through pawning.
The Lu family is heartless; if he leaves, they will not allow him to take even a penny of their wealth. It's not that he couldn't use some means to take the money, but he simply doesn't want to bother with it. After all, if he could earn money before, surely he could earn it again?
Moreover, just as Gu Yaoniang said, with such immense wealth in his hands, could he really look down on those people's grass roots and tree bark, and his own bird's nest and sea cucumber?
Clearly, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Since that's the case, it's better to go through with the Emperor openly and hand over all the property he couldn't take with him to the national treasury. Even if the other members of the Lu family were dissatisfied, they dared not say anything more.
The sage seemed to have seen through his thoughts. He knew that Lu Zhao'an was different from the other members of the Lu family, but he did not expose him.
"Since ancient times, when there is a year of famine, the imperial court will reduce or exempt some taxes. I just didn't expect that the first person to talk to me about this would be you, boy."
Lu Zhaoan didn't know how to respond, so he simply bowed again, which made the emperor laugh. He knew that Lu Zhaoan was usually a man of few words, so he didn't say anything more.
Simply reducing taxes will inevitably empty the national treasury, and now there are internal and external troubles... The emperor's face was once again filled with worry.
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