Capable and powerful officials are either unwilling or afraid to do it.
Those who lacked ability and had ulterior motives were not allowed to work by the old emperor.
After all, this was his own idea, and if he messed it up, he would be the one to lose face.
in this way.
In such a large court, a suitable candidate could not be selected in a short time.
It was another day to send tributes to the old emperor.
"Eunuch Su."
Late at night on Donglai Street, Jiang Shuwan stood on the street and saw Eunuch Su smiling as she went to greet him.
"Young mistress, no, no, you mustn't wait for this old servant here. It is thanks to you that I have regained the Emperor's favor. I am very grateful."
As he spoke, Eunuch Su bowed deeply to her, showing her far more respect and deference than before.
Jiang Shuwan was also a clever girl; she wouldn't act arrogantly if people gave her face.
The two treated each other with great respect and courtesy, creating a very friendly atmosphere, just like allies and comrades-in-arms.
As they entered the room and drank tea, they heard news from the palace and couldn't help but sigh deeply.
After all, apart from the old emperor, these two were the ones who most hoped to get the commercial tax issue sorted out.
But now that we can't find an official to oversee this matter, things are going to get difficult.
Biting her lip, Jiang Shuwan's mind flashed with Pei Yanzhi's image.
With the abilities of this minor official, he is certainly capable of handling this matter well.
However, he is currently only a scholar who has passed the imperial examination and has not yet entered officialdom, so he cannot share the burden of the old emperor.
If only the commercial tax law had been introduced when Pei Yanzhi entered officialdom, but the common people couldn't wait any longer!
With sighs and profuse remarks, the silver was counted, and Jiang Shuwan and Eunuch Su walked to the street corner, where they sat down and left.
The weather is getting colder, and even the soldiers under curfew at night are wearing thicker clothes.
Perhaps because of the tense situation in the court these past few days, even the soldiers under curfew were on high alert. Jiang Shuwan encountered several checks on her way back to the manor, and by the time she arrived at the Marquis's residence, the moon was already high in the sky.
She came in through the back door and went straight back to her own yard.
However, no sooner had she left than the back gate opened again, and a furtive figure slipped in.
Xiao Wu complained, "Why is Young Master Yao here again? The token the young master gave you wasn't for breaking curfew every day."
"What can I do? My aunt is one of His Majesty's concubines. To avoid suspicion, your son won't let me come during the day. I can only sneak over at night. Do you think I want to do this? It's like we're having an affair."
"Let me tell you, the day my affair with your prince is exposed, I will definitely settle accounts with him. Our Yao family has never coveted the position of crown prince, yet we are so cautious. If someone sees us, they will definitely become suspicious. When the eldest prince and the crown prince target the Yao family and my aunt, I will definitely drag them down with me."
Yao Zhijie went in cursing and swearing. When he arrived at Pei Yanzhi's courtyard, he saw him leisurely setting up a chessboard with one hand, which made him even angrier.
"You have the leisure to play chess here. You don't know that the court has been in an uproar these past few days. His Majesty has beheaded many people and can't find the person in charge of commercial tax affairs. Tsk tsk tsk, I feel like I'm going to jail when I go to court now. I'm afraid His Majesty will drag me out and behead me too."
"It's not that bad. Consort Li is currently in the Emperor's favor. He won't touch the Yao family, no matter who else His Majesty would do."
"That's true." Yao Zhijie's anger subsided after saying that. He sat down opposite Pei Yanzhi with a smug look on his face and asked him to start another game. The two of them began to play chess.
"It's been a long time since I played chess with you. I wonder if your chess skills have deteriorated. I recently acquired an ancient book, and my chess skills have greatly improved. Tonight, I'm going to utterly defeat you."
"I don't care what ancient books you have, I can beat you with one hand."
"Why are you as arrogant as ever! Wait, what does beating me have to do with playing with one hand? Chess is a game that requires brains. Are you implying that I'm brainless?"
"You just realized that?" Pei Yanzhi raised an eyebrow as he spoke, and Yao Zhijie was so angry that he almost jumped up.
"You wait and see, I definitely won't lose to you like before. I can't be second best forever..."
That's what they said, but in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yao Zhijie was utterly defeated by Pei Yanzhi, leaving him completely routed.
He buried his face in the chessboard and sobbed, “Last time my aunt said my chess skills had improved so much that they were comparable to those of a professor in the palace. You lied to me, you all lied to me…”
"Again?" Pei Yanzhi asked without a trace of sympathy.
"I'm not playing anymore, I give up, I give up..."
Yao Zhijie groaned dejectedly for a moment, then looked up and saw Pei Yanzhi with his left hand tightly bandaged and hanging in front of his chest, playing chess against himself with his right hand. He found it quite amusing.
After laughing, he became serious and said, "The court is in such a mess now, are you really just going to stand by and watch?"
"..." Pei Yanzhi was focused on playing chess and didn't reply to him.
"Ah, I'm really asking a pointless question. You haven't even entered officialdom yet. How can a scholar participate in court decision-making? I don't know which genius came up with the idea of a commercial tax law. I'm really tempted by it."
"You want to make this happen?" Hearing this, Pei Yanzhi raised his head slightly, holding a chess piece in his hand and secretly rubbing it with his fingertips.
If Yao Zhijie looked up, he could see the deep meaning in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and pretended to be fiddling with the chess pieces.
“It’s not a matter of whether I want to or not. I just think that if the commercial tax can be collected, then there’s no need to increase the land tax. The people have really suffered enough these past few years. The eldest prince and the crown prince are constantly fighting, and no one cares about their lives. This method can save the people.”
When the topic of commercial tax law came up, Yao Zhijie became visibly more excited, but his head soon slumped back down.
"How could I, a mere junior official in the Ministry of Personnel, dare to get involved in this matter? This would be going against the powerful clans and wealthy merchants of the country. Not to mention me, even my father, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, would just pretend not to see it and act like a blockhead in court."
"I can't control it, and I don't dare to!"
Yao Zhijie sighed, then sighed again, “When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer. The ancients were right.”
"The eldest prince and the crown prince don't care? Such an ingenious commercial tax law, aren't they even a little tempted?" Pei Yanzhi asked softly, holding a chess piece.
Yao Zhijie didn't see the deep thought in his eyes; he just kept cursing.
"Seriously? Those wealthy merchants give them lavish gifts during holidays. Raising commercial taxes would be taking money from their own coffers. Why would they be willing to do that? Otherwise, why do you think we can't even find a capable person to oversee the commercial taxes? Even with the Crown Prince and the First Prince opposing it, anyone who wants the job is too scared to move!"
"This is absolutely incredible! They used to fight to the death, always contradicting each other, always going their separate ways. But now, a single commercial tax law has turned them into brothers working together, sharing the same goals. It's disgusting!"
"That's fucking disgusting!"
Thinking of the eldest prince and crown prince who had joined forces to oppose him at the morning court session, Yao Zhijie felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, as did the lackeys behind them.
They all followed their lead.
That bastard isn't human.
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