Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 474 I'm unhappy
After the two stewards brought the bad news, they planned to say goodbye and leave.

The two of them came here today mainly to inform the three little ones that they don't need to cause trouble for the various government offices in the capital for the time being.

This time, King Zheng's move to cut off the source of the trouble has temporarily made it impossible for preparations for war to continue.

The problem of the emptied treasury could not be solved, and even if the process of preparing for war continued to be forced forward, it would only serve to fatten King Zheng's belly.

If he were to do this a few more times, not only would the current national treasury be emptied by him, but Daxing's tax revenue for several years to come would probably also be embezzled by him.

Until this problem is solved, the three little ones' mission will have to be put on hold.

But before leaving, the two stewards borrowed Li Xuan from Princess Ankang, saying that they needed his help with something.

Princess Ankang naturally had no reason to refuse this.

……

Early the next morning.

Li Xuan arrived at the Imperial Household Department early to report and found that the eunuchs in flowery clothes were all walking in a hurry, and none of them had the time to stop.

As soon as he entered the hall, Zhao Feng was assigning tasks to several people. When he saw Li Xuan sticking half of his head out of the door, he immediately dismissed everyone.

"Why don't you just come in? Why are you sneaking around the door?"

Zhao Feng shook his head helplessly.

It can be seen that he is in a much better mood today than yesterday.

"The issue of the arbitrary collection of temporary war taxes was discussed at the court this morning. All officials involved have been arrested and brought to justice. Special envoys have also been sent to the prefectures and counties affected by the front lines to stop the collection of temporary war taxes."

"But those officials are not willing to plead guilty easily. They all say they are doing it for the country and the people."

"Everyone knows what's going on behind the scenes!"

Speaking of this group of civil servants, Zhao Feng felt so angry that his teeth itched.

After all this trouble, I don't know how much of the people's money will go into the pockets of these bastards, but Emperor Yongyuan has to bear the bad reputation. How can this be justified?

"Ah Xuan, go out with Xu Lang later. He will tell you what to do."

Zhao Feng said something hurriedly and went out to do something.

Li Xuan walked out of the house and found Xu Lang waiting outside.

After the man and the cat greeted each other, they headed straight out of the imperial city.

Today they did not ride in Princess Ankang's carriage. After all, that carriage was too conspicuous and inconvenient for their next actions.

After leaving the imperial city, Xu Lang summoned a slow horse and took Li Xuan to various destinations.

Li Xuan's task was simple. He just had to go to the homes of the officials involved in the incident and look for evidence of their crimes.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs had done the site reconnaissance work in advance, and Xu Lang informed Li Xuan which rooms he needed to search and the documents he needed to find.

In just one night, the Ministry of Internal Affairs found so many clues, which is amazingly efficient.

However, no matter how good the performance is now, it is just a way to fix the problem after the horse has bolted.

Zhao Feng’s biggest dereliction of duty was that he failed to discover this matter in advance.

If the impact of this incident cannot be minimized, I am afraid that Zhao Feng will find it difficult to regain the same trust as before.

Li Xuan is a cat, and is most suitable for doing these spy jobs.

Even if he climbed over the wall and got caught while looking for documents, he would probably just be driven away.

The animal spy business is really interesting, but it is not easy to find an animal with high intelligence and strong cultivation like Li Xuan.

It cannot be said that there are no beasts in the world that meet these characteristics, but most of the beasts that meet the requirements do not have Li Xuan's cute and harmless appearance.

Therefore, Li Xuan has unique advantages in being a spy.

Li Xuan and Xu Lang worked together and successively searched the homes of several officials and found the necessary documents.

The content of the document was not enough to prove these people's evil intentions, but it was enough to prove that they were involved in promoting the collection of temporary war taxes.

To put it mildly, this matter was caused by the officials below acting on their own initiative. To put it seriously, it was a case of false imperial decree and deceiving the emperor.

At today's morning court session, facing the questioning of Emperor Yongyuan, several ministers and vice ministers from the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue and Ministry of War were all clueless and put all the blame on their subordinates' self-willed behavior. They also acted indignant and advocated severe punishment to serve as a warning to others, and even mentioned the execution of all nine clans of these officials.

After listening to Zhao Feng's description, Li Xuan didn't know whether these officials were retreating to advance or were really prepared to sacrifice these low-level officials.

If it's the latter, these guys are really cruel.

After a whole day of work, Li Xuan and Xu Lang found evidence of the involvement of more than a dozen officials.

Although these officials do not hold high positions, they all hold powerful positions in various departments.

This time, the temporary war tax was successfully collected, and these people made "invaluable contributions".

And now, it is time to reward them according to their merits.

At night, Li Xuan and Xu Lang were riding their horses towards the imperial city.

"Is that all?"

Li Xuan waved his tail and asked Xu Lang.

Xu Lang rode on his horse and reported to Li Xuan in front of him in a low voice:

"Master Xuan, we have completed the tasks assigned by the general manager today."

"But according to our investigation, many officials in various places also cooperated."

"Otherwise, how could such a big thing not be exposed until now?"

"Imposing a temporary war tax is a big deal..."

“But the concerns of local officials are understandable.”

Xu Lang suddenly changed his tone.

Li Xuan turned around with a puzzled look.

"I am just guessing. It is possible that not all local officials are actively cooperating. There are always people who are suspicious of this matter."

"It's just that their voices didn't reach your Majesty's ears in time."

When Xu Lang said this, Li Xuan understood what he meant.

Officials' reports were also passed down one level at a time, and no one could bypass all the superiors in the middle and contact Emperor Yongyuan directly.

"Deceiving the Holy One?"

Li Xuan had only seen this kind of thing in history books.

These four simple words only made me feel how terrifying they were until I witnessed them with my own eyes.

Although Emperor Yongyuan was the emperor of Daxing, he basically lived in the palace.

Even in the imperial city, Emperor Yongyuan only recently further enhanced his control.

Outside the imperial city, there were many things happening in the capital that Emperor Yongyuan could not see or hear.

Not to mention places outside the capital.

As long as the officials below are willing, they can easily paint a completely false world for Emperor Yongyuan and deceive him for his entire life.

In history, there were so many incompetent emperors who led to the downfall of their country. Even when the whole country was in rebellion, they still enjoyed themselves in the palace. This was extremely absurd. This was because they had no objective understanding of the facts in the outside world.

The world they know is the false world painted for them by those treacherous and evil officials.

As for Emperor Yongyuan's current situation, although he wants to see and hear, his eyesight and hearing are far from sufficient, so the world he sees is chaotic.

If it weren't for the loyal Imperial Household Department, Emperor Yongyuan would have become a blind and tyrant living in a false world.

……

In the next few days, Li Xuan would occasionally be called by Zhao Feng to help.

As the impact of this incident expanded, it became a city-wide uproar and everyone in the capital knew about it.

But in terms of public opinion, there is a huge divide.

The mainstream opinion is that Emperor Yongyuan launched a war in an attempt to provoke a dispute between Daxing and Damao, launching a major war to force officials to complete preparations for war and attack Damao in the shortest possible time.

However, the process of preparing for war consumed too much energy, which aroused the dissatisfaction of Emperor Yongyuan, so he began to punish officials, causing panic among the people in the court and the country.

The cleverness of this public opinion lies in the fact that it is almost entirely true, except that it conceals the good things that King Zheng has done.

The people already hated war, and when they heard that they would have to pay more taxes to fill the hole in the treasury, they were extremely resentful.

There was also another statement that explained the origin of the temporary war tax and the real crimes for which those officials were arrested.

However, these remarks were always drowned out as soon as they emerged, and only a few people knew about them. Even if someone heard them, they would believe more in the previous remarks and thought that it was Emperor Yongyuan who was causing trouble.

After all, it feels much more satisfying to scold the emperor than to scold a few unknown officials.

As the matter was thoroughly investigated, preparations for the expedition to the desert had to be put on hold temporarily, after all, many of the officials who were working on it had been locked up.

Moreover, because of the trick played by King Zheng, although there was still money in the treasury, if they continued to prepare for war, the money would be consumed quickly and might even be insufficient.

And if preparations for war were completely stopped and the expedition to the desert was left unfinished, I am afraid that Emperor Yongyuan's prestige in the court would be severely damaged in the future.

The existence of Prince Zheng was enough to trouble Emperor Yongyuan. If this matter was not resolved properly, I am afraid that Emperor Yongyuan would have more and more troubles in the future.

At this time, the three children were sitting in a private room of a teahouse in the West Market of Beijing, looking at the endless stream of people outside, with a worried look on their faces. "Ah Xuan, what do you think we should do?"

Princess Ankang held her chin with both hands, listening to the occasional complaints about the court coming from the streets, her little face almost wrinkled into a bitter gourd.

Li Xuan was also helpless.

The chess game between Emperor Yongyuan and Prince Zheng involves the entire Daxing and the entire court.

The dynasty's territory and people were all chess pieces they used to determine their superiority.

Li Xuan is just a cat. He can barely manage the three-acre land in front of him. He has no good solution for such a big problem.

Today, the three little ones went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find the two stewards to inquire about the situation, but they didn't even find anyone.

According to the flowery-clothed eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department, the two stewards have been so busy these days that even they have difficulty seeing each other.

Seeing that there was really nothing to do in the palace, the three little ones went out of the palace to relieve their boredom and see what the people had to say about the matter.

But after sitting in the teahouse for a while, they had not met anyone who said anything good about Emperor Yongyuan.

"My father did nothing wrong, why are you all scolding him?"

Princess Ankang said somewhat indignantly.

Because someone in the teahouse was talking nonsense and criticizing Emperor Yongyuan.

Nowadays, Princess Ankang's ears are also very sharp. Although not as good as Li Xuan's, they are still far better than ordinary people.

Li Xuan was very clear about this situation. After all, in his previous life, hiring internet trolls to control public opinion had become a mature industry.

In Daxing, where information was not as well-informed as in the Internet age, the effect of the water army was even more significant. People who were unaware of the situation quickly blamed all the problems on Emperor Yongyuan.

To some extent, Emperor Yongyuan was not strong enough, which was also one of the reasons for this situation.

But they should never be blamed for this temporary war tax.

In the past, Li Xuan didn’t know much about Prince Zheng. He only knew about this ambitious uncle of the current emperor through other people’s words.

How powerful is King Zheng, and how charming he is...

Li Xuan had also thought that this person might be a better emperor.

But from what happened this time, Li Xuan could be sure that he did not like the way King Zheng acted.

Perhaps for a politician, this temporary war tax was a perfect strategy. It not only made up for his own disadvantage, but also gave Emperor Yongyuan a warning.

But what King Zheng embezzled this time was the hard-earned money of the people on the front line.

This made Li Xuan very unhappy.

"You big shots are fighting against each other, but you have to drag the common people into it. There is so much money in the national treasury that you don't want to be greedy, but you have to take the common people's money."

In Li Xuan's opinion, a good emperor is one who can make people's lives better and better.

But this King Zheng is so good that he has not even become emperor yet, but he has already started to exploit the people.

If such a person were to become the emperor in the future, would the people have a good life?

Li Xuan rubbed his head against the distressed Princess Ankang, and then comforted her:

"Don't bother, we'll do what we can and leave the rest to the adults."

"Yes." Princess Ankang nodded obediently.

At this moment, Yu'er asked, "Your Highness, Xuan. Can that person really help?"

"We have to give it a try after all. Since it's Xuan's idea, I think it's okay." Princess Ankang replied with a smile.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside the private room.

Yu'er went to open the door and greeted the visitor.

"Your Highness, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are still as elegant as ever."

Chen Tan bowed with a smile and seemed to be in a good mood.

"Boss Chen seems to be in a good mood today."

"Is there something good going on?"

Princess Ankang asked him to sit down and asked curiously.

"Haha, I have to thank Your Highness for this." Chen Tan explained with a smile: "Thanks to Your Highness taking over those industries, the old guys in the gang who used to dislike me are now even more dissatisfied with me."

The corners of the three little ones' mouths twitched at the same time.

"Uh, is this a good thing?"

Princess Ankang asked puzzledly.

"For Chen, it's a good thing."

After Chen Tan finished speaking, he did not explain any further and instead asked Princess Ankang:

"By the way, what does Your Highness want to talk to me about?"

This straightforward conversation also saved Princess Ankang a lot of effort.

She didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Boss Chen, I heard you say before that the Money Gang started out as a chamber of commerce. Do you still have business dealings with the Great Desert?"

"Of course there are. Transnational business has always been profitable, and it is also the main source of legal income for the Money Gang today."

"Well, slave trading is not among the industries transferred this time. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"That does not belong to the underground industry in Beijing, but to the transnational underground industry."

Chen Tan thought that Princess Ankang had discovered that some of the businesses she had taken over were missing, and had come to call for an explanation.

A look of speechlessness flashed across Princess Ankang's face, and then she smiled again.

"Boss Chen, you misunderstood. I wanted to ask you for a favor and pay attention to some things on the border between Daxing and the desert."

"This..." Chen Tan suddenly showed hesitation.

Naturally, he had heard about the recent uproar in the capital.

"It's not our turn for the Money Gang to intervene in this matter, right?"

Chen Tan's refusal was obvious.

"Boss Chen, please listen to me and make a decision later."

"I just want to ask Qian Qian to help me keep an eye on some financial transactions in the border area between the two countries."

"Who knows? Maybe I'll be involved in the Chamber of Commerce's business in the future."

"I heard that the Money Gang's influence spreads all over the country, with countless branches. I think this matter will not be difficult for Gang Leader Chen."

Hearing this, Chen Tan smiled and said to Princess Ankang, "Since Your Highness knows the Money Gang so well, you should also know that it will be expensive for us to solve the problem, right?"

Seeing Chen Tan's words, Princess Ankang's smile deepened:
"Boss Chen, you should know how huge the treasure I want to pay attention to is, right?"

"How about this? My reward to the Money Gang is related to the amount of treasure you can track down. In short, the more you find, the more you will be rewarded."

Princess Ankang is now becoming more and more skilled in writing blank checks, but as the leader of a gang, Chen Tan is probably not so easy to fool.

But to the three little ones' surprise, Chen Tan actually accepted this blank check-like reward.

"Then your highness, we have a deal!"

……

On the way back, Princess Ankang felt more and more puzzled.

"It seems that Boss Chen agreed a little too hastily. Is he just talking and not taking action?"

Li Xuan and Yu'er could both understand Princess Ankang's concerns.

But they didn't have any good solution for this.

After all, they couldn't offer any decent compensation.

I've heard before that hiring the Money Gang is very expensive. Although the three little ones are not as poor as before and have some money in their pockets, it is not enough to satisfy the Money Gang's appetite.

After all, what they entrusted the Money Gang with was not a trivial matter.

Since King Zheng had embezzled so much of the people's money, he would always transfer it into his own pocket and control it.

With so many things, it is impossible for there to be no noise at all when they are being moved.

Therefore, Li Xuan decided to give it a try and let the Money Gang investigate the matter.

Although he knew that the Ministry of Internal Affairs would not let go of this clue, having more people investigating would mean more protection, and would more or less be a help.

But when the three little ones returned to Jingyang Palace, they heard another unexpected news.

"Is there going to be a Royal Garden competition tomorrow?"

The three little ones stared at each other, wondering if Emperor Yongyuan had become so angry that he lost his mind.

Although counting the days, it is the monthly competition day again.

But at this point in time, Emperor Yongyuan still had the mind to organize a competition in the Imperial Garden.

(End of this chapter)