Zhang Meng spoke of Zhang Xuansu with such hatred that he practically gritted his teeth.
In the months following Yang Cheng's departure, Zhang Xuansu completely let loose in the capital, amassing wealth and power, turning the entire city upside down.
He first brought the Minister of Revenue to his side, then increased taxes in the capital, even charging taxes on people who went to the outhouses.
In addition, all businesses operating on the streets of Beijing, including small vendors, are subject to taxation.
Zhang Xuansu had previously incorporated a portion of the Imperial Guards, so he actually told the emperor that it was safest to use one's own army, so he dismissed the Imperial Guards of the Zhenwu Hall to patrol the streets, and took over the defense of the capital city, resulting in the need to pay money to enter the capital now.
If you don't want to queue to pay, you have to go to the Ministry of Revenue to get a certificate, and you still have to pay.
In short, Zhang Xuansu has practically ransacked the capital city in the past few months, and many ordinary people have even begun to flee the capital.
You must know that this is the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the most prosperous place in the entire Great Zhou.
It could be said that even if one were to beg for food in the capital, one would live a more comfortable life than outside the city.
Zhang Xuansu was able to force the people of the capital to the outside world; that takes some skill.
"Did His Majesty allow Zhang Xuansu to court death like this? And why hasn't Grand Tutor Cai reacted?"
Zhang Meng said with a frustrated expression, "Zhang Xuansu wanted to seize power from our Zhenwu Hall, so of course we refused. But His Majesty personally summoned us and reprimanded us. Since you, Grand Commander, weren't here, we had no choice."
Grand Tutor Cai was naturally even more furious, because many of his people were in the Ministry of Revenue, and as a result, Zhang Xuansu took control of the Ministry of Revenue, which directly cut off a large source of revenue for him.
However, Grand Tutor Cai was also helpless. Zhang Xuansu had the Emperor's backing, and much of the money he managed to obtain was used to build palaces for the Emperor and select concubines, making the Emperor very happy.
So in the end, Grand Tutor Cai endured it, and now he even claims illness and doesn't attend court.
Yang Cheng raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and said, "That old fox."
Grand Tutor Cai spent half his life cultivating his power, and half of the court officials were his cronies.
If Grand Tutor Cai truly wanted to deal with Zhang Xuansu, he could simply mobilize the ministers under his command in the court, and the entire Great Zhou court would be paralyzed.
As a result, Grand Tutor Cai actually backed down. It was obvious that he knew Zhang Xuansu had also offended him, so he decided to endure it for the time being and teach Zhang Xuansu a lesson when he returned.
"Hahaha, I congratulate the Grand Commander on his triumphant return from conquering the world."
As they were talking about Grand Tutor Cai, Grand Tutor Cai had obviously already received the news and was bringing Yuwen Du to welcome Yang Cheng.
Yang Cheng shook his head and said, "Returning in triumph? You were almost stopped at the gate and couldn't even enter the capital. Is this how you return in triumph?"
"Grand Tutor Cai, Zhang Xuansu is causing such a ruckus in the capital, aren't you going to do anything about it?"
Grand Tutor Cai smiled wryly and said, "Grand Commander, I would like to take charge, but the problem is that if I do, I will be going against His Majesty and challenging him."
As a subject, I have no intention of rebelling. However, if I were to use my connections to stand up to His Majesty, I could indeed temporarily paralyze the court and put Zhang Xuansu in a dilemma.
But what were the consequences? The consequences were that I was despised by His Majesty, and even a peaceful death would be difficult for me.
I am just an ordinary person. His Majesty could kill me with ease. If once is not enough, then a second time will do. I really can't stop him.
But you, Grand Commander, are different. Your strength and your foundation are the source of your confidence.
Now the entire military force of the Great Zhou is under your control, Grand Commander. Only you are qualified to confront His Majesty.
So I'm not deliberately feigning weakness to wait for you, Grand Commander, to return and resolve these matters; rather, I'm genuinely afraid of death and truly unwilling to give up this wealth and status."
Since Grand Tutor Cai spoke so sincerely, Yang Cheng couldn't very well continue to be sarcastic or sarcastic.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the role of military force is becoming increasingly important, and Grand Tutor Cai, the head of the civil officials, is indeed much less influential than he was three years ago.
Yang Cheng said calmly, "The Great Zhou is not just their Great Zhou. Let them do what they want for now. I will deal with them when I have time."
No matter how much trouble Zhang Xuansu caused, in Yang Cheng's eyes he was just like an ant, someone who could be crushed at any time.
However, Yang Cheng did not want the Great Zhou to fall into complete chaos until the crucial moment arrived.
Solving the problems of the Golden Horde and the Northern Jurchens would require the power of the Great Zhou, which is why Yang Cheng didn't just kill these idiots directly.
Now that I'm back, if Zhang Xuansu still doesn't know what's good for him, I'll have to consider really cleaning up the entire Great Zhou court.
Of course, these things were irrelevant to Yang Cheng at the moment. After returning, Yang Cheng did not go back to Zhenwu Hall first, but went to Zhou Yan's Sutra Repository immediately.
Inside the Sutra Repository, Zhou Yan sat in the center of a circle of tables, surrounded by densely packed cultivation manuals and various drafts written by himself.
However, Zhou Yan was not in a good condition at this time.
Although he was originally a cripple, he was physically strong and full of energy.
Now, however, his blood and energy have declined, and even his spirit has become listless.
Yang Cheng was startled and quickly asked, "Senior Zhou, what's wrong with you?"
Zhou Yan looked at Yang Cheng with a wry smile: "The Grand Commander has returned. It seems I will have to fail the Grand Commander's trust."
I originally thought that with the Hunyuan Xuan Gong as a foundation, as long as there were high-level techniques, I could completely fill it to perfection.
But I was too narrow-minded before. Some of the top martial arts techniques in the martial arts world were beyond my comprehension.
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