Nangong Lian'er chuckled: "What did I say? Speak of the devil and he will appear."
Zhao Huan pursed his lips and said, "Tell him to go to Wende Hall and wait. I want to leave him alone."
"As you wish." Cao Dongsheng bowed and retreated.
Nangong Lian'er was quite puzzled: "Why did Your Majesty leave him alone?"
"You're right. Duan Xiaorong is indeed clever, as intelligent as a half-demon. People like him are very proud, just like a wild horse, unruly and untamed. To tame him, you must kill his pride, so I'm going to leave him alone."
"Lian'er doesn't understand what your majesty means."
Zhao Huan explained, "Now that you've reminded me, I understand. Duan Xiaorong certainly has a way to reduce taxes, but he lacks the unsympathetic stubbornness of Meng Gurao. His sharp edges have been smoothed out by his time in the officialdom. He's afraid of offending the officials at court, so he's deliberately contradicting me."
Nangong Lian'er suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. Meng Gu Rao is really not as good as this Duan Xiaorong."
Zhao Huan nodded. "I should have removed Meng Gurao from the position of Minister of Revenue long ago. Meng Gurao is incorruptible and suitable for the position of Prefect of Kaifeng, but he is not suited to being Minister of Revenue. He is too angular and unsympathetic. Duan Xiaorong, on the other hand, is a man who can get along with everyone. Only someone like him can manage the Ministry of Revenue well. I have made the right choice by having him."
Nangong Lian'er looked at him in a daze: "Your Majesty, you have changed."
Zhao Huan was quite puzzled: "How have I changed?"
Nangong Lian'er whispered: "You have become smarter, but also more terrifying."
Zhao Huan smiled and said, "I will always be the same to you and will never change my mind."
Nangong Lian'er looked out the window dimly: "No, Your Majesty will change his mind about Lian'er one day. Because you are the emperor, I wish you were not the emperor, but just an ordinary citizen."
Zhao Huan was secretly frightened: He only thought about her at the moment, but what about Zhu Lian, Tang Wan'er, Li Sisi, and Mu Xin? When Nangong Lian'er passed away, would he be attracted to other girls again?
Zhao Huan immediately shook his head: No, no. Although he liked Nangong Lian'er's beauty, he seemed to like her innocent and straightforward nature that dared to love and hate more.
But she was probably right. He had indeed changed. He had become cold and cruel. He had been forced into this. On the lonely throne, especially as the last emperor, being lenient and forgiving would only get him killed.
"I went to Wende Hall to see Duan Xiaorong, you..."
Nangong Lian'er said expressionlessly: "Lian'er respectfully bids farewell to His Majesty!"
Zhao Huan really wanted to say, "I want to stay with you tonight," but when he saw her cold expression, he didn't know how to start.
Nangong Lian'er was different from the other concubines. Zhao Huan would not force her to do anything she didn't want to do. Although she didn't say it, her eyes said it all.
"Oh, okay. I'm leaving." Zhao Huan walked out of the door and was led by Cao Dongsheng to the Wende Hall.
Nangong Lian'er looked at his back and sighed softly.
Duan Xiaorong in Wende Hall had been waiting anxiously. An hour had already passed, and the Emperor still hadn't arrived. Did the Emperor really think he was going against him and was deliberately ignoring him? If the Emperor was disgusted, he might even banish him from Bianjing.
Just as he was daydreaming, Cao Dongsheng walked in: "The Emperor has arrived!"
"Your Majesty, Duan Xiaorong greets His Majesty."
"Well, my dear Lord Duan. You came to me privately because you have thought of a way to reduce taxes." Zhao Huan didn't like to beat around the bush, so he went straight to the point.
Duan Xiaorong was startled and said, "Exactly."
"Go ahead."
Duan Xiaorong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, our Great Song Dynasty is burdened with heavy taxes, and the people are suffering, yet the treasury is short on money. The reason for this is official corruption and the excessive number of officials. Reducing the number of officials is imperative."
Zhao Huan nodded and said, "Reducing the number of officials is exactly what I intend to do. I am preparing to have the Privy Council report the number of officials."
"Your Majesty, we should use examinations to reduce the number of officials. Those with both talent and intelligence should be given priority, while those who are unlearned, incompetent, and muddleheaded should be expelled directly."
"Cough, cough," Zhao Huan coughed twice. "Unlearned, incompetent, and muddleheaded"—aren't these the eight characters the people used to curse Zhao Huan?
"Well, I will take care of all of this. But how do we solve the tax problem?"
"Your Majesty, taxes cannot be reduced or exempted. Not only can they not be exempted, but they must be increased."
"Increase taxes?" Zhao Huan was shocked. "The people are already in such a state, and we still want to increase taxes. Wouldn't this bring chaos to our Song Dynasty?"
Duan Xiaorong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the tax increase I'm talking about isn't for the common people. The common people's taxes that should be reduced must be reduced. I'm talking about the taxes on the wealthy merchants."
Zhao Huan frowned: "These wealthy businessmen are all very stingy. It's difficult to start with them!"
"Commoners pay one-thirty percent tax, while wealthy merchants pay one-twelfth. We can also follow the example of Xiangzhou and order local officials to publicly display the tax revenues of each merchant at the county government office. Local officials should provide more support to merchants who actively pay taxes, and strictly investigate local official systems to prevent collusion between officials and merchants. This requires the Imperial Dragon Guard."
Zhao Huan was delighted: "I can still restore Wang Anshi's
The Qingmiao Law and the Shiyi Law of the period."
"This, Your Majesty, I am afraid that the officials will object."
Zhao Huan sneered, "Equalizing public land, supporting agriculture, improving military preparations, and reducing corvée labor—I will implement all of these. Officials during the reign of Emperor Shenzong opposed this because there were no Tiger Yasi and no Imperial Dragon Guards. I want to see which official is fearless enough to oppose it!"
…
Huo Yuanjia was a bit nervous. The problem was that he was just a storyteller. He was talking about the Three Kingdoms, not the government. He didn't know why he was "invited" to this tiger yamen.
Wang Dabao escorted Huo Yuanjia to the interrogation hall at the Tiger Court. The walls were covered with all sorts of unknown tools. Some he recognized, while others were things he'd often seen in storybooks but had never seen in person.
Wang Dabao was quite polite to him and ordered two officers to push him to the table opposite.
Wang Dabao was sitting on the other side of the table and said, "Huo Yuanjia, I'm being polite to you. Anyone else who came here would have been hanged there long ago." He pointed to the pillar next to him.
That was the cross wooden stake used to try criminals. The criminals were tied to it. There were various torture tools next to it, the most conspicuous of which was the whip.
Huo Yuanjia shuddered with fear: "Sir, I am just a storyteller. Please tell me what crime I have committed."
Wang Dabao asked, "A few days ago, someone came to listen to your storytelling. When they heard you recount the story of Cao Cao assassinating Dong Zhuo, they said, 'Are kings, dukes, generals, and ministers actually of the same species?' Is this true?"
Huo Yuanjia rubbed his head and said, "I have so many people listening to books every day that I can't remember them all."
Wang Dabao smiled and said, "It's okay, you will remember it." Then he winked at the two officers next to him.
The two men lifted Huo Yuanjia up and tied him to a pillar. Huo Yuanjia was horrified and said, "Sir, please spare my life! Sir, please spare my life!"
PS: I'm being asked to recommend the book "Reborn Carpenter Emperor". The title alone suggests it's by Zhu Youxiao. You can go check it out.
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