Hearing her words, Zhao Changheng's expression turned very unpleasant.
This trip was worthwhile.
I never expected to encounter such a thing.
Just as I was thinking about how to investigate, I suddenly heard He Youyou speak again.
"Ah Li, this is another ready-made test. Let me test you. If you were to investigate this matter, where do you think you should begin?"
Ah Li was used to being tested by her, so she wasn't surprised that she suddenly wanted to test her.
Upon hearing the question, he seemed to have already prepared a plan and immediately gave an answer.
“Mother, I believe there are two lines of inquiry into this matter, one overt and one covert.”
"Which two lines?" It was Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi who asked this question.
He had overheard the conversation between the mother and son.
Upon hearing He Youyou ask this question, I had some thoughts in mind and felt that I should investigate the actions of local officials by looking at the tax system.
However, he was surprised when he heard Ahri say that there were two lines to take action on.
Zhao Wenyi thought he was pretty good when he came up with one line, but how come this person could come up with two lines?
Ah Li smiled calmly and said, "There is no doubt that the investigation should start with the government. Who received the imperial edict? Who were the people involved? By investigating layer by layer, we can naturally find out who disobeyed the edict and collected taxes from it."
This line aligns with what Zhao Wenyi had in mind.
He then asked, "And what is the hidden thread?"
"The hidden network..." Ah Li stopped abruptly, turned to He Youyou and asked, "Mother, I remember you once mentioned to me that a village bully wanted to buy our family's land at a low price?"
He Youyou nodded: "That's right, that person was deliberately trying to extort money from us, wanting a thousand acres of our fertile land. However, he didn't succeed."
Instead, their house was burned down.
Ah Li said, “Our dynasty has had three wise rulers, and by now, the population has increased considerably compared to when the country was founded. With more people and less land, land prices have risen, and there are many people among the common people who want to annex land. I think we should secretly send more people to investigate those who are taking advantage of the situation to buy up land from the people. I am worried that the disaster in Jeju, which is ostensibly a natural disaster, is actually a man-made disaster.”
"Well said," He Youyou praised. "Ali is becoming more and more meticulous in her thinking."
Ah Li chuckled: "It's all thanks to my mother's excellent teaching and the excellent teaching of the teachers at the academy."
Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi's face turned pale.
The boy in front of me was only sixteen or seventeen years old. Although he was a bit older than me, I had been given high expectations since I was a child.
When he was young, his grandfather said that he resembled the founding emperor and attached great importance to his education and upbringing.
Many renowned Confucian scholars were invited to the palace to teach, and he began to be involved in politics at a very young age.
The Emperor cared for his grandson even more than his own son.
However, when faced with a real problem, he didn't think things through as thoroughly as an ordinary young man.
He secretly glanced at his own father's expression.
Zhao Changheng's expression was very solemn.
His mind was in turmoil.
Even as the emperor, he never imagined there was a hidden thread to investigate.
Since he ascended the throne, none of his ministers had ever mentioned to him the existence of land annexation among the people.
Fortunately, He Youyou was unaware of his thoughts.
If she finds out, she'll probably give you another dressing down: "You talk like you have a courtier giving you advice, you don't use your own brain, you just pass the buck."
The four of them were each lost in their own thoughts, eating their own tofu pudding.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
The waiter brought up the wine and dishes.
The waiter was already resentful that they were stingy and wouldn't order expensive dishes.
As soon as I went upstairs, I saw four people, each with a bowl of tofu pudding, and I couldn't hold back anymore.
"How can you gentlemen eat outside food in our restaurant?"
Seeing his reaction, Ah Li was in no hurry to argue.
He reached out and took the bottle of Shaoxing wine from the waiter's tray, opened the cap, smelled it, and gave the waiter a charming smile.
"Brother, your wine smells amazing! Is it homemade?"
The waiter looked smug: "That's right. Go out and ask around. In the whole capital, no other family brews wine better than mine."
Ah Li nodded slightly: "Your wine is truly excellent. However, there is a grain shortage this year, and the imperial court has issued an order prohibiting the unauthorized production of wine and grain in the five northern prefectures. In the capital, only wine from official cellars is permitted for sale; the sale of privately brewed wine is forbidden. Violators will be..."
He stopped there, his phoenix eyes smiling as he stared at the waiter.
The waiter was clever and sensible; he listened to him and stopped there. How could anyone not understand?
He immediately put on a smile, made no further mention of eating out, and diligently set out the food and drinks: "Please enjoy your meal, sir."
With that, he immediately turned around and went downstairs.
Zhao Changheng sighed inwardly.
Alas, even imperial decrees cannot stop the superficial actions of those below.
If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate; this has always been the prevailing social trend.
Even as the emperor, he was helpless.
Just as the four were about to eat, they suddenly heard someone speaking again.
He has a very loud voice.
"Hey, isn't this our great talent?"
Ah Li looked up and saw another person coming up the stairs.
The man was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in brocade and adorned with pearls and jade, exuding an air of extravagance.
Upon seeing this, Ah Li stood up from her seat and bowed to him, saying, "Classmate Li."
The man walked over to their table and glanced at the people there.
Ah Li hurriedly introduced them: "Uncle Huang, Mother, this is my classmate, Li Shipeng, young master Li."
Although they were classmates, this young master Li was not a scholar who passed the civil service exam, but a military exam.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
