In this vast imperial court, not a single person stood up for the common people.
"I'm a little envious of you. Although you can only stay at home reading and playing chess every day, at least you don't associate with beasts and you don't have to pretend with them every day."
Yao Zhijie then asked Yin Quan to bring him a pot of wine.
Yin Quan promptly served it to him and thoughtfully included two side dishes.
Seeing him drinking alone in a huff, Pei Yanzhi glanced at him and said, "Drink less. You have to leave before dawn. You can't stay here."
"I know we can't let others see us together, right? I understand, it's been a rule for years."
"Oh, right, I haven't thanked you yet. When General Sun returned to the capital to report on his duties and His Majesty rewarded the three armies, it was thanks to you that I reminded my aunt to wear a glass hairpin. Otherwise, my aunt would not have been able to rise from a minor noblewoman to the rank of concubine."
"My poor aunt, she bore His Majesty a son and a daughter, but she didn't even get the rank of concubine. She has to watch other people's faces every day. She was promoted just by wearing a hairpin. Now she is the only one favored in the harem. I don't know what to say. But I still want to thank you. Come, let me toast you."
"You can't drink alcohol because you have an injury on your hand."
"Okay, I'll drink it for you."
Yao Zhijie happily drank two glasses, and after a few more, he was already showing signs of intoxication.
"How could it be such a coincidence? General Sun sent tribute to the palace, and then you had my aunt wear a glass hairpin. Are you trying to help His Majesty or your wife? Don't lie to me, that Eunuch Su was bribed by my aunt."
“You say your Pei family isn’t involved in factional strife, so why are you bribing a eunuch? And you only listen to the messages he sends you, without giving any orders. Don’t you know that Eunuch Su initially looked down on your wife and gave her a hard time?”
"If you wanted to protect her, you should at least have informed Eunuch Su. Instead, you didn't say anything. I really don't understand what you're thinking."
"And His Majesty too. Before, he only kept talking about increasing land taxes, but suddenly he started implementing commercial taxes out of nowhere, and he even had a reason for it. When did His Majesty become so knowledgeable about merchants? It's like he suddenly had an epiphany... Wait, His Majesty first accepted tributes and then started implementing commercial taxes. Could it be... could it be... that the commercial taxes are related to your wife?"
Yao Zhijie was so frightened that he sobered up completely.
"Really? You're kidding me!"
He stared at Pei Yanzhi with wide eyes in shock, and when Pei Yanzhi acquiesced, his breathing slowed down.
"It really is her... How can she be so amazing? No way! I have to get to know someone this amazing."
As she spoke, she stood up and walked out, but when she reached the door, she remembered that she "couldn't be seen by anyone" and turned back.
He looked at his friend, who was still fiddling with the chessboard, and at the calm expression on his face, and he could hardly believe it.
"No, how can you be so calm?"
"Aren't you curious about what she ate to grow up like this? How does she know so much? Even Eunuch Su keeps praising her, saying that she's exceptionally smooth in dealing with people and situations."
"Besides, how dare she, a mere woman, threaten the livelihoods of the powerful clans and wealthy merchants? She's asking for trouble... Why didn't you stop her? Do you hate her or love her?"
"You wouldn't have deliberately let her get herself into trouble so you could make room for your cousin, would you? I've heard you've been getting very close to that cousin Yunyan. It's really strange. You weren't that nice to her when we were younger. What's going on? Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Did you realize you liked her after she left?"
Faced with these questions, Pei Yanzhi only glanced at him indifferently, "Aren't you thirsty after saying all this?"
"..." Yao Zhijie was speechless, but he still took the tea that was handed to him and drank it all in one gulp.
After finishing his drink and moistening his throat, he said, "So, what are you planning to do about this?"
"Let's keep it a secret for now. Only a very few people know about this, so we should be able to keep it a secret for a while."
"I'm asking why you didn't stop her? She doesn't understand the seriousness of the matter, and neither do you?"
"..."
After a pause and a long while, Pei Yanzhi slowly placed the black chess piece in his hand onto the chessboard. He said casually, "She always does things in a very methodical way. Once she does something, it's because she really wants to do it."
"She really wants to do it? And you're going to go with her? Are you crazy?"
"Don't you think increasing commercial taxes is a good idea?"
"That's certainly a good thing, but in doing so, will we really offend all the noble families and aristocratic clans in the world?"
Yao Zhijie spoke excitedly, and sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the person opposite him pause for a moment.
"It's alright, it's only a matter of time."
He spoke in a low voice, so softly that it might have been inaudible if it weren't for the quiet of the night.
"What do you mean by sooner or later..." Yao Zhijie didn't understand his implied meaning for a moment.
Pei Yanzhi waved his hand, "It's nothing. By the way, does the Fourth Prince have any ideas about the commercial tax?"
He casually changed the subject.
"What ideas could he possibly have? He just stands there like a wooden statue when he goes to court, day after day for ten years. Nobody cares about his suggestions, and he doesn't care about the state of the court. In any case, the world will never fall into his hands."
"As for the Sixth Prince, I've recently heard some rumors that he intends to take over the responsibility of overseeing commercial taxes?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yao Zhijie's face immediately fell. "You mean my cousin? It's true. My aunt is trying to persuade him right now, but he's as stubborn as can be. Ugh, it's giving me a real headache."
"Just a headache?" Pei Yanzhi teased, looking at him as the boy's fingers tapped out a rhythmic pattern on the chessboard.
Yao Zhijie sighed, "You really can't hide anything from me."
After saying that, he drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. "Old Pei, actually I also want to do it, but if His Majesty appoints our Yao family to handle the commercial tax, we will have no choice. Even if we are purged by the Crown Prince and the First Prince, it will be understandable. If we volunteer, we will be doomed. The powerful families and wealthy merchants of the world will never let us go."
"So the question now is, how do we get His Majesty to choose his generals?" Pei Yanzhi said casually, his right hand, which was made of youthful bones, picked up a chess piece again.
He calculated where he should place the piece to win.
"Yes, and it's not enough for just our Yao family. We need at least one powerful family, like your Pei family."
"After all, the Yao family only has so much power. They are a second- or third-rate family. Their ancestors were long-term workers in His Majesty's household. The highest-ranking official they hold now is my father, who is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. With an old Minister above him, they have very little power. How can they possibly resist those opposing forces?"
"And those subordinates, they're the best at being two-faced. You know that, those slippery guys. They agree with you verbally, but they drag their feet and can drag you out of business with just a few words."
"Hmm, that makes sense, so I have an idea."
"..."
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