Wang Tingzhi, the Minister of Revenue, was the representative of the Wang family, a prominent clan, in the court, as well as one of the four great families. Emperor Qingyuan's actions were tantamount to directly humiliating the prominent families.
Although one side was the emperor and the other the subject, on the surface, the aristocratic families were supposed to yield to Emperor Qingyuan.
However, the powerful clans have a vast influence, with members in every department of the court, and their relationships are intricate and intertwined. If they want to do something, it will really give Emperor Qingyuan a headache for a while.
If orders from above cannot be carried out, then such decrees are practically useless. Therefore, Emperor Qingyuan was so angry that he had a headache for quite some time.
The Third Prince was one of the few representatives who supported Emperor Qingyuan's decision. He even bravely went to supervise the tax collection himself, but after more than a month of running around, he only got a cold shoulder and accomplished nothing.
Those seasoned veterans always have a way of making you unable to vent your anger.
Both father and son were seething with anger.
If things aren't going well for the Third Prince, you can imagine what's going on for Han Zhongyu.
The only reassuring thing is that the powerful families are simply not cooperating; so far, they haven't resorted to any underhanded tactics.
This situation was expected; who would willingly suffer losses?
However, this time Han Zhongyu only reported good news to Xie Yushu and not bad news. His letters to Xie Yushu were mostly about the local customs and specialties of the south, as well as other trivial matters unrelated to his official duties.
Because of the distance, Han Zhongyu sometimes only sent one or two letters a month, and sometimes one letter every two months.
Xie Yushu could imagine that he must be very busy. Regardless of whether Han Zhongyu sent a letter or not, she would send him a letter every two weeks without fail.
The Third Prince, who had been cooped up in the capital for more than half a month without any relief, suddenly remembered Pei Jie's repeated advice to him that Xie Yushu was loyal and righteous, and that she was so intelligent that she was almost supernatural. He suggested that he spend more time with her and make friends with her.
He specifically emphasized that they were friends with the same level of affection as he had.
The Third Prince understood that Pei Jie meant he should treat Xie Yushu as a colleague or strategist, not as a subordinate figure in a man's view of a woman.
Even if Pei Jie didn't say anything, based on Xie Yushu's numerous deeds, he wouldn't dare to underestimate her. He had tried making friends before, but the signals he received could be summarized in one sentence.
"The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water."
She has very clear boundaries in her mind; anyone who doesn't particularly like her can't get close to her.
The Third Prince hesitated for three days. He didn't want to be rejected, but after thinking about it, he decided to go for the sake of the common people.
So be it. Not everyone likes money; some people treat it like dirt. How much more so for him?
After adjusting his mindset, the Third Prince finally decided to visit Yuquan Manor and have a chat with Xie Yushu.
Since he didn't know if he would find anything useful, he was just grasping at straws in his desperation, so he didn't tell Emperor Qingyuan the truth. He only said that he wanted to go out for a stroll and would be leaving the capital for about half a month.
Emperor Qingyuan knew that his mission had been greatly affected, and since this matter couldn't be resolved in a short time, he simply gave him leave.
With Emperor Qingyuan's permission, the Third Prince returned to his residence, packed his belongings, and, accompanied by five bodyguards, rode lightly to Tai'an Prefecture.
When the Third Prince suddenly withdrew, the First Prince and the Fifth Prince assumed that he had realized the situation and was compromising with the powerful families.
Considering the complex power dynamics among the aristocratic families and the fact that very few people support Emperor Qingyuan, it's likely that Emperor Qingyuan will have to compromise with the aristocratic families sooner or later.
In his view, touching the interests of powerful families would have far-reaching consequences, and it was not something that could be done so easily. It was also possible that Emperor Qingyuan was already regretting it and was just waiting for a way to back down.
If they take the initiative to offer advice, they will not only give Emperor Qingyuan a way out, but also win the favor of the powerful families.
So, the two clever princes, the eldest and fifth princes, remonstrated in court the day after the third prince left, saying that increasing agricultural taxes would damage Emperor Qingyuan's prestige, and pleaded with Emperor Qingyuan to rescind his order.
These words were practically an admission that Emperor Qingyuan's actions were unwise, or to put it bluntly, foolish.
Emperor Qingyuan was both angry and heartbroken.
Ordinary people can't stand being called a scoundrel, let alone the ruler of a country.
If he were truly licentious and tyrannical, one could accept being cursed. However, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to reviewing memorials for nearly five hours every day, attending court early in the morning, and managing both the inner and outer courts. All his thoughts and considerations were for the stability of the Great Qi and the well-being of its people.
He felt he had done right by the clothes he was wearing!
The combined wealth of these powerful families is greater than the national treasury; they could spend it all in eight lifetimes. If you slightly infringe upon their interests, they will dare to openly or secretly challenge you.
It's one thing for aristocratic families; they're all part of a community of shared interests, so it's normal for them to be on the same page.
However, in order to win over his connections, the eldest prince and the fifth prince actually dared to openly and righteously advise him in the court!
"Fine, fine, so in the eyes of these two rebellious sons, I am actually a tyrannical and incompetent ruler." Emperor Qingyuan, his heart pierced, glanced at his two sons with a half-smile, leaving them standing there unattended.
These days, apart from the matter of increasing taxes on large landowners, nothing major has happened in the Great Qi court. The economy is developing steadily, and good news keeps coming. With this stability, Emperor Qingyuan's bad mood can be somewhat mitigated.
Since the issue of taxation remains unresolved, it's best for neither of them to bring it up again.
The rest are just trivial matters, like which woman is lending money at exorbitant interest rates, or which privileged son is bullying men and women. At most, people from two opposing camps might report each other for accepting bribes and frequenting brothels.
Emperor Qingyuan listened calmly as they argued among themselves, deciding to demote them to minor official positions or fine them some of their salary if necessary.
They dawdled from the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM) to the end of Si Shi (9-11 AM), and the eldest prince and the fifth prince knelt until the end of Si Shi as well.
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