Chapter 274 Has the Emperor Emeritus Gone Mad? ...
"If that's the case... you don't need to worry." Qi Chengming looked towards the capital. "Since the war ended at the end of last year, the national treasury has stopped increasing taxes. Not only that, but this year Emperor Taiyuan ascended the throne, and in order to grant amnesty to the world, he reduced the amount of grain tax and autumn tax for the next three years."
Qi Chengming knew Shen Zhong's taxes better than anyone else.
If he had been sent to a wealthy fiefdom, he might not have noticed these things. But he went to the barren border region of Liuzhou. During the years of hard work in Liuzhou, he personally witnessed the daily lives of the people of Liuzhou, worried about the greatly increased military pay just like them, and racked his brains with Mr. Qin to make up for the autumn tax that they couldn't raise.
At that time, Qi Chengming felt that the years of war were about to wear down the people of Dingguo, and he was even more unsure whether anyone was lining their own pockets and making a fortune from the war.
Therefore, after ascending the throne this year, he was determined to lead the people to recuperate and thrive.
The first point is to reduce exorbitant taxes and levies.
The three high-yield grain crops in Liuzhou were developed gradually over three to five years. It has been more than a year since he returned to Beijing, and Qi Chengming will also vigorously develop grain production and reduce warfare in the next three years. Of course, whether or not we can recuperate depends not on the mercy of the enemy, so Qi Chengming is putting all his efforts into developing new weapons.
Nowadays, people need both food and weapons to walk in balance.
"Really...really?" The old man was still incredulous. A glimmer of hope appeared in his numb eyes, but it was quickly replaced by sorrow. "Our house and land were sold to a wealthy person a long time ago. We...we have no status anymore, so we can't work."
Even if taxes are reduced, it will have nothing to do with them.
Qi Chengming asked calmly, "Was someone forcing you to buy or sell?"
"No, no, no!" The old man cried out in surprise, and the woman and man behind him blurted out as well, quickly explaining, "No, it was a nobleman who wanted to buy land, and he spread the word that we offered ourselves up. He didn't mind that our land was scattered here and there..." "He even wanted to take us in, but we didn't want to sell ourselves..." "Even our current odd jobs were recommended by this nobleman!"
A faint buzzing sound came from high above, melting into the night breeze—the drone had arrived.
Qi Chengming's gaze swept across the crooked "tents" scattered across the field through the drone's view, and he was somewhat surprised.
There are at least a dozen families living here. They are supposed to be subjects of the government, but they live like savages.
Banknotes are in disarray, taxes are heavy... Has it reached the point where small groups of ordinary people are fleeing?
Reform can no longer be delayed.
Qi Chengming felt heavy-hearted and comforted them: "It is not your fault to abandon your household registration. Old man, Yanshi County is not far from here. I can send someone to take you there. It is under the jurisdiction of Prince Ning. After killing a group of corrupt officials, he is distributing houses and land. I have pardoned all the vagrants who did not have household registration or commit crimes before this. As long as you register at the Yanshi County government office and are properly investigated, you can be treated the same as other people."
"...You can also tell these things to your relatives and friends."
Nothing carries more weight than the words of a monarch.
The group was so frightened that they knelt down again, trembling like leaves. This time, the old man was so excited that his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence: "Your Majesty...!"
It was unclear whether he was excited because he had spoken directly with the emperor in his lifetime, or because his group's years of hardship had finally been resolved.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Some quick-witted people had already pulled the people next to them to do as they were told, and they knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, weeping with joy.
Fang Bi pursed her lips, knowing that His Majesty disliked others kneeling before him, so she quickly gave the others a look and helped them up: "Alright, don't get agitated. We'll have to spend the night here, and we'll set off early tomorrow morning."
The Imperial Guards sent a group of men to appease them.
Qi Chengming, preoccupied, opened the infrastructure system and asked Huang Dong via MP4: [Where is the silver cart located?]
Huang Dong was still awake at this hour and quickly replied—in fact, Qi Chengming sometimes wondered why Huang Dong was always there no matter what time he looked for him. Didn't Mr. Huang sleep?
Huang Dong replied: [We can't travel the fastest waterways in winter. The first batch of silver wagons has been on the road for three months. Two days ago, a messenger sent a letter from Dengzhou. The second and third batches are still en route.]
Qi Chengming calculated the time.
We're almost there.
After ascending the throne, he no longer needed to conceal the existence of Silver Island Prefecture; the vast silver mine was also a panacea for saving the country. That's why he appointed Huang Dong as the Prefect of Lingnan, waiting only for the people and the silver carts to arrive before he could stage his next grand act…
[For the final leg of the journey, I will send the central army to meet you.] Qi Chengming dared not be careless.
The first half of the journey was protected by the Silver Island Prefecture's military and the retired veterans of the Weiyong Earl's caravan. This was only the first trip; as the transport became more frequent, it would only attract unwanted attention and drive people crazy.
"Sigh." Qi Chengming sighed.
Gan Tang walked over with concern at the opportune moment and asked, "Your Majesty?"
Qi Chengming waved his hand, saying nothing. His thoughts were a jumble of emotions; every matter concerning the nation that needed to be addressed was important, yet they were all intertwined.
The most difficult thing is currency reform: Qi Chengming had warned Emperor Hongren early on that if he carelessly played the "Liuzhou ticket" card, it would easily ruin the system. Now it's his turn to take charge of the whole situation. How can he save Dingguo from this huge mess?
—He wasn't entirely confident, so he could only cautiously try it out first.
Although Qi Chengming didn't say anything at the moment, several tasks had already been refreshed on the infrastructure panel he silently opened, according to his thoughts:
[Infrastructure Task: Reform the Yanshi County Government and distribute land extensively (Incomplete)] (Executor: Prince Ning)
[Infrastructure Task: Planting Three Major Grain Crops in Yanshi County] (Currently Undertaken by: Prince Ning)
[Infrastructure Project: A Stepping Stone to Spark an Idea] (Currently being implemented by: Prince Ning)
[Infrastructure Task: Establish Taiyuan Money Exchange]
[Infrastructure Task: Abolish other privately minted currencies]
[Emperor's Daily Task: Expand Territory]
...
That night, Qi Chengming spent the night in the wilderness, and entered the city under the morning light and dew, returning to the palace quietly.
There has been no reaction from the inner palace for the time being, but at the morning court, the several Grand Secretaries who came today all expressed their veiled advice: How can a monarch disregard the safety of his country?
Even if the new emperors were capricious in the past, they wouldn't have cared or dared to interfere... But today's situation is still too outrageous!
Qi Chengming was getting a headache from all the nagging. Even Mr. Qin, who came to distribute the memorials, was nagging him, which terrified everyone.
"I understand, I understand." Qi Chengming rested his forehead on his hand, grateful that it wasn't a grand court assembly today. It was just that the officials from the six ministries who needed to report matters were all meeting in the side hall of the Zichen Palace. There were only a few familiar faces coming and going, which saved him some face.
"Your Majesty, there is one more matter..." After the morning court session ended, only Empress Song remained in the room. He sat on a stool and reported with a stern expression.
Emperor Taiyuan had been on the throne for several months and had initially consolidated his power. His policies were implemented swiftly and decisively, showing that he had no intention of "remaining unchanged for three years." Yet the retired emperor had completely disappeared without a word of objection. Was this appropriate?
Many of his old ministers who still obeyed him began to have doubts, and in the past two days, there have been many rumors and whispers among the people that "the new emperor is unfilial and has imprisoned his father."
Song Gu's sensitive nerves were touched, and he immediately investigated, trying his best to stop the spread. The investigation revealed that someone was indeed intentionally spreading it, and there were more than a few people behind it, with diverse backgrounds. No matter how hard he tried to stop it, he couldn't stop the actions of those with ulterior motives.
"That's normal," Qi Chengming said, his expression remaining unchanged.
"You've all worked hard these past few days, but there are always some people trying to sabotage things behind my back." Qi Chengming knew how united those 'suspicious' loyal ministers were, working together to suppress him. But there would be die-hard loyalists of the retired emperor who wanted to test him, as well as people who disapproved of his methods and style, and those whose interests had been infringed upon, stirring up trouble behind the scenes, seizing his weaknesses to attack.
"Your Majesty, I'll just drag out another group of people as an example to scare the rest. Once the results from Yanshi County are in, this matter will be forgotten." Song Gu narrowed his eyes, clearly plotting something.
"No need." Qi Chengming smiled instead. "I've heard about something else... Speaking of which, haven't we gone to pay our respects to Father Emperor in a long time? It's time we met."
"Is it...?" Song Gu was puzzled, not understanding what the new emperor was up to, but he cooperated by not asking any more questions and followed the emperor all the way to the Imperial Palace with his doubts.
The Imperial Palace has changed dramatically.
The palace doors were wide open, with only a few Ice-Drinking Guards standing guard as usual. Smoke curled from the side hall, and figures could be vaguely seen busily moving about, conducting experiments. Blast furnaces and large cauldrons stood there, and the air was filled with a somewhat pungent chemical smell.
Qi Chengming glanced in that direction and stepped into the main hall without hesitation.
In the main hall, an elderly Taoist priest with an air of otherworldly wisdom sat in the highest seat, holding a whisk and speaking with a kind face. Upon seeing the emperor enter, the old priest remained engrossed in his discourse. Emperor Hongren, dressed in a simple blue Taoist robe, sat beside him, listening intently, his spirit and energy no longer showing signs of age; he possessed the demeanor of a highly accomplished master.
"Greetings to Father Emperor," Qi Chengming said ambiguously, his tone and attitude respectful.
Emperor Hongren was not furious when his sermon was interrupted. He merely glanced over and said devoutly, "Your Majesty, please wait a little longer. I have not yet finished my lessons for today."
Qi Chengming leisurely found a seat and sat down, listening with great interest to the Taoist priest's sermon.
After listening for only a few sentences, Qi Chengming blinked. He checked again, and realized he couldn't understand these Taoist classics.
Song Gu stood to the side, completely bewildered.
He glanced discreetly to the side, watching several young Taoist disciples busily refining elixirs behind a screen at the other end of the hall. Beneath a small purple clay furnace, they gently controlled the fire with palm-leaf fans, and a faint, strange fragrance filled the air. On a low table in front of the display window, there was a half-open golden sandalwood box containing several round, red pills, clearly extremely precious.
Song was extremely suspicious.
...This, this entire Imperial Palace has changed so much!
How could the retired emperor possibly be so serious about practicing Taoism? Even if we assume the worst, how could he dare to handle these pills without any caution? Wasn't he afraid of being poisoned to death?
What exactly is going on?
-----------------------
Author's note: Hehe, I'm looking forward to writing about Qi Chengming doing something big (rubbing hands)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com