Hearing that blush-inducing voice, An Fu leaned closer to Qin Yu and grinned mischievously.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Hong'an medicine is very potent. According to the dosage I prescribed, they won't be finished in less than three hours! They can sleep for a whole day and night afterwards without any problem!"
Qin Yu was overjoyed and praised him.
"Good job! Let them have fun here, we're off to the horse farm now!"
While Yin Dang and his companion were engrossed in women, they secretly left the Drunken Flower Pavilion and rode towards Beijun.
Upon arriving at the Beijun Military Horse Farm, Qin Yu couldn't help but frown.
All around was mud, covered with a thick layer of horse manure, leaving no place to put one's feet.
In this hot weather, the stench of horse manure mixed with the air under the scorching sun makes it difficult to breathe.
Looking into the distance, there was not a single soldier around, only a ragged old man with a hunched back struggling to pull a cart of grain.
His hair was disheveled, and sweat soaked the graying strands on both sides.
His already tattered clothes were now stained with a lot of dirt.
Seeing Qin Yu's gaze fixed on the old man, An Fu choked up with a sob.
"Your Majesty, that is Zhang Tang, the Duke of the Pillar State!"
Qin Yu frowned, cursing the tyrant eight hundred times in his heart.
No wonder the ministers all looked down on him; this tyrant had gone too far, and the loyal ministers' hearts were probably broken.
Thinking of this, Qin Yu quickly walked over.
Upon seeing Qin Yu, Zhang Tang, who was hunched over, paused slightly and immediately knelt down.
Even though the excrement on the ground soaked his clothes, he remained kneeling motionless.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!"
Although he was respectful, he didn't show much affection on his face; instead, he was neither warm nor cold.
However, Qin Yu could understand.
No one would easily forgive such a thing.
Qin Yu quickly bent down to help the person up, pursed his lips, and said seriously.
"Please rise, Duke. I was too foolish before, which is why I made such a mistake. Now I have come to my senses and have decided to revitalize the court, but I am suffering from a lack of help. I beg you, Duke, to lend me a hand and help me eliminate the treacherous officials and stabilize the country!"
Hearing his words, Zhang Tang was not as excited as expected. Instead, he calmly looked at him and asked.
"Then may I ask how Your Majesty intends to revitalize the court?"
Although a prodigal son's return is more precious than gold, who would easily believe that the emperor, who has been a scoundrel for so many years, would suddenly say that he has come to his senses?
Even if they realize it now, it's just a passing fad and they won't be able to stick with it for long.
Qin Yu knew that Zhang Tang was testing him.
Although he himself couldn't come up with any good ideas, he did possess a brain that had accumulated thousands of years of wisdom.
To come up with a few good policies for governing the country is a piece of cake.
He nodded and began to speak clearly and logically.
"I do have some ideas. Since the Duke of Zhuguo has asked today, I will speak frankly! The people are suffering because of the heavy taxes. In order to reduce the burden on the people, I plan to merge the poll tax into the land tax and reduce the taxes."
"Nowadays, officials in the court protect each other and appoint relatives, making the entire officialdom a mess. I intend to implement a military merit system to determine official positions based on military merit, and to purge the parasites in the court."
"As for the livelihood of the people, I also have some ideas. We can use work relief to provide more opportunities for the people to survive."
...
The more he listened, the more excited Zhang Tang became.
Every national policy is a sound one; this is something no scoundrel could have come up with.
Seeing his agitated expression, Anfu spoke up at the right moment to persuade Zhang Tang.
“This old servant has witnessed His Majesty’s changes these days. First, His Majesty devised a plan to eliminate Sima Lie’s spies who had been planted in the palace for many years. Then, he taught Consort Jing a lesson, leaving her with no way to speak of it…”
Anfu told Zhang Tang everything that had happened recently.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tang burst into tears of joy, finally believing in Qin Yu's sincerity.
He immediately knelt down and bowed to Qin Yu.
"This old minister has finally waited for this day! The late Emperor entrusted me with the task of assisting Your Majesty, but I failed to persuade Your Majesty to return in time, and I have been restless day and night. Now that Your Majesty has come to your senses, this old minister will certainly do my utmost to assist you and serve Your Majesty faithfully!"
Seeing him kneel down again, Qin Yu quickly helped him up, shaking his head in distress.
"Please rise, Duke Pillar of State. I am filled with ambition, but I have no one to rely on. I fear I will not be able to accomplish great things!"
"Your Majesty need not worry. This old minister has long had a plan for this matter. Having served in court for many years, I have already laid out my plans for Your Majesty, waiting only for the day when Your Majesty rediscovers your original intentions. It would be a great fortune to live to see Your Majesty awaken to this truth!"
Hearing this, Zhang Tang took off his clothes.
Then, grabbing a seam, he ripped the clothes to shreds with a tearing sound.
Inside, there lay a translucent jade pendant.
Zhang Tang handed the jade pendant to Qin Yu and gave him some instructions.
"If Your Majesty is in trouble, please take this jade pendant to the Abbot of Qingyun Temple, Liu Caiqing. She will definitely do her best to help you!"
Liu Caiqing?
Qin Yu frowned as he took the jade pendant and began searching his memory for the person in his mind.
I heard that Liu Caiqing was the only disciple of the late Imperial Preceptor and had been cultivating under his tutelage since childhood.
Over the years, she has gone nowhere but stayed in the Tower of Babel in the palace all day, refining elixirs of immortality.
But what use is an elixir of immortality if he has to fight against treacherous officials?
Aside from her alchemy skills, this woman's only advantage is her beauty. Are we going to give her to Sima Lie so she can seduce him?
Qin Yu held the jade pendant, completely baffled.
Seeing him frowning and sighing, Zhang Tang shook his head and began to explain.
"Your Majesty, do not underestimate Liu Caiqing. She is concerned about the world and hates corrupt officials who harm the people to the bone. If she knew that Your Majesty was going to fight against Sima Lie, she would definitely do her best to help Your Majesty."
“I understand what the Duke of Zhuguo is saying, but Liu Caiqing has been indifferent to worldly affairs and has no ambition for power or influence all these years. How can she compete with Sima Lie?”
Qin Yu shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"That's not true. She has five female disciples, each with unparalleled swordsmanship. They can move freely within the palace without arousing suspicion, ensuring the Emperor's safety!"
Zhang Tang stroked his beard, smiled, and shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu suddenly realized what was going on.
I never expected this!
Zhang Tang was surprisingly meticulous, even arranging a bunch of beautiful female bodyguards for him.
Since he was already portrayed as a tyrannical and incompetent person, his pursuit of immortality at Qingyun Temple would not arouse suspicion.
In this way, he could frequently meet with Liu Caiqing to discuss important matters.
Wonderful, wonderful!
Qin Yu's eyes lit up, and he quickly put the jade pendant into his pocket, bowing to Zhang Tang in thanks.
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Duke Zhuguo."
"I cannot stay any longer today. Please be patient and wait a while longer, Duke. I will definitely find a way to rescue you!"
Zhang Tang cupped his hands in greeting and nodded in response.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Watching Qin Yu ride away, Zhang Tang's face lit up with joy.
If the Emperor can turn back, there is hope for the Great Xia Dynasty!
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