Chapter 531: Only the East Wind is Missing
When Panshi City and Yuncheng were struck by plague, Zhao Yi was ordered to control the plague. The Northern Qi Emperor granted Zhao Yi these two cities as fiefdoms. To show his favor and out of consideration for the suffering of the people in these two cities, he exempted them from taxes for three years.
The court's increase in taxes and conscription has not affected Panshi City and Yuncheng.
Those people who were unwilling to leave their motherland brought their belongings to Panshi City and Yuncheng for refuge, and together with people from all over the country asked Zhao Yi to "clear the court."
As the calls for "clearing the imperial court" grew louder and louder, the incident became a hot topic and the news reached the capital.
After hearing this, the ministers in the court became restless.
But Zhao Yi remained silent and did not respond to this matter.
At this time, the people in remote states and counties that had not yet received the order to stop increasing taxes and conscription were still suffering from harsh policies and complained bitterly.
Those men who did not want to be conscripted fled to the mountains and forests and joined forces with the group of people who had previously become bandits.
They confronted the officials and escorted those who fled with their families to Yuncheng, asking Zhao Yi to punish the villains and give them justice.
A disheveled woman cried out, "Your Highness, all three of my able-bodied men have been drafted into the army, leaving us three sisters-in-law to support a widowed mother and eight or nine children. Even daily food and clothing are a struggle, and now they're increasing taxes by 30%. Isn't this pushing us to death?"
Another woman, a white mourning cloth tied around her arm, wept bitterly, "Yes, the officials broke into my home and forcibly dragged away my husband and my eldest son, who had just turned fifteen. They stole all the food from the cellar and even took away the two oxen we kept in the shed for farming. They're not the kind of officials who stand up for the people, they're just thieves. We can't even get a single grain of food out of the house. My elderly father and mother, fearing they'd become a burden to me, hanged themselves with a hemp rope."
She was holding a baby in her arms, and a son and a daughter were kneeling beside her, sobbing and crying too.
The people knelt at the gate of the palace and said, "Your Highness, a treacherous minister is in power. To satisfy his selfish desires, he has exploited the people's wealth under various pretexts, causing chaos throughout the country. Please execute this villain and seek justice for us, the people."
Zhao Yi stood in front of the study window and heard more and more people crying and telling of their miserable experiences.
They braved all the dangers and fled to Yuncheng, just to ask him to eliminate the villain and give them a chance to live.
Jiang Chao, standing by, felt very uncomfortable and clenched his fists. "Master, these cruel officials are too inhumane. The people are living in dire straits every day. You don't have to worry about anything at all. Just follow the will of the people."
He worried that his master still had some paternal affection for the incompetent Northern Qi Emperor. "You are clearly the most promising of this tyrant's sons. The other two are either criminals or dead, leaving you as his only viable son. Logically, shouldn't the throne of heir be yours?"
"But he's concerned about your background and insists you attack the Great Zhou and turn against your uncle, only then will he appoint you as the crown prince. If you don't do this, he'll definitely think you're disloyal and won't leave you any chance of survival."
At this point, Jiang Chao was filled with resentment: "He has killed you several times, and he didn't care about the father-son relationship and showed you mercy."
In fact, in Jiang Chao's eyes, the Emperor of Northern Qi and Zhao Yi had a feud over the murder of his mother, and he wanted to kill Zhao Yi everywhere.
The Emperor of Northern Qi was unkind first, and Zhao Yi was unjust later.
No matter how things turn out, just do it first.
He took advantage of the people's calls, broke into the palace, seized the throne, and saved the people from danger.
As for the Emperor of Northern Qi, he was imprisoned.
Zhao Yi closed the window, his expression solemn: "The time is not right yet."
He took Shen Qingtan to the enemy tower and stopped the soldiers' plan to attack the King of Zhenbei. This matter, whether it was the garrison, or Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei, would send a message to the Emperor of Northern Qi.
The Emperor of Northern Qi would certainly understand his thoughts and would not show mercy to his men.
This was the opportunity Zhao Yi was waiting for.
But unexpectedly, Northern Qi was the first to fall into chaos.
The Northern Qi emperor was not so foolish as to fail to understand the current situation. He must have understood that before resisting foreign aggression, he must first stabilize the country. To quell the civil unrest, he would have stopped conscription and increased taxes, focusing on appeasing the people.
As a result, the Northern Qi treasury was empty and the military force was insufficient. What could it use to attack the Great Zhou?
The Emperor of Northern Qi has realized the situation and will not have any thoughts of attacking the Great Zhou for the time being. Instead, he is afraid that the Great Zhou will take advantage of the chaos to attack Northern Qi.
With this understanding, the Emperor of Northern Qi would definitely send someone to bring him back to the capital to check and balance the Great Zhou.
but……
"Master, isn't the time right now?" Jiang Chao wondered, "As the saying goes, there's a way to win the world... win the people... win the people... win their hearts..."
"There is a way to win the world: win the people, and you will win the world. There is a way to win the people: win their hearts, and you will win the people." Zhao Yi corrected.
"Hehe." Jiang Chao scratched his head and stammered out a general idea. He regretted not reading more books while staying with his master. Now, when he was advising such a learned man as his master, he wanted to quote classics, but he couldn't squeeze out a drop of ink from his stomach. He rubbed the tip of his nose and said embarrassedly, "Anyway, it's enough if you understand what I'm saying. If you have the support of the people, you will have the world. Now's the perfect time."
He didn't want his master to suffer any more humiliation than usual.
Zhao Yi whispered, "Wait a few more days."
There are rumors now that the Right Pillar State has taken control of the court, imprisoned the Emperor of Northern Qi, and is plotting to usurp the throne. Was this a move made by the Emperor's tutor earlier?
Given the nature of the Northern Qi Emperor, if you want to please him, you cannot be too loyal and upright.
After all, honest advice hurts. When the Emperor of Northern Qi heard these words, it meant that these ministers were teaching him how to do things and wanted to be his boss, but naturally they would not win his heart.
Most of the ministers who won his favor were those who were good at observing his words and expressions, flattering him, catering to his preferences, and fawning on him.
These officials often do not care about the people, but focus on their own interests.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yi became more and more certain that it was the imperial teacher who did it.
In order to create the current situation, the imperial tutor deliberately made the Emperor of Northern Qi fear him and distance himself from him.
With the assistance of the imperial tutor, the Emperor of Northern Qi established an image of a wise ruler in the hearts of the people.
After losing the assistance of the imperial teacher, his mediocre and incompetent nature gradually became apparent.
Now, the imperial teacher blamed all the foolish deeds of the Northern Qi emperor on the head of the Right Pillar State.
The people also firmly believe this.
The Emperor of Northern Qi probably never dreamed that the good reputation cultivated for him by the imperial tutor would one day become a weapon that would backfire on him.
"Everything is ready now, except for the east wind." Zhao Yi saw Jiang Chao's puzzled expression and ordered, "These people are refugees from other places. Take your men and settle them down. Tell them that this matter concerns the national system. I will send people to the capital to investigate first. If the situation is true, I will definitely give the people justice."
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