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

Chapter 500 It’s a thankless task, but I’ll do it!
Although the eunuchs in colorful clothes in the Imperial Household Department are useful, they are still too eye-catching when placed outside.

If someone were to pay attention, it would not be difficult to confirm the details of the eunuchs in flowery clothes.

By then, Emperor Yongyuan's methods will be exposed.

Therefore, Emperor Yongyuan urgently needed a new helper to help him gain more control over the people.

Li Xuan had the same idea on this point.

Therefore, the man and the cat came together by coincidence, making the birth of the Red Scarf Team a natural thing.

Of course, there were many other coincidences, otherwise this step would not have happened so quickly.

In the past, Li Xuan felt it was too troublesome and just wanted to seek help from other forces.

But in the end, by accident, he still led Princess Ankang on the road of building power.

Although it is just a small red scarf team, it is a good start and a good opportunity for them to practice.

As for Li Xuan's personal feelings, he hoped that the Red Turban Team could flourish in the capital and have influence on the entire dynasty in the future.

After Li Xuan and Zhu Shimin confirmed the details of the transformation of the underground industry, they returned to the palace to meet Emperor Yongyuan.

As a result, Emperor Yongyuan did not see him, but he did see Zhao Feng, who had been particularly busy recently.

"Ah Xuan, what's the matter?"

Compared to usual, Zhao Feng actually looked a little tired.

It should be difficult for a master like him to feel tired, which shows how busy he has been recently.

Li Xuan went directly to Ganlu Palace just now, but did not find Emperor Yongyuan, so he came to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to inquire.

"I have something to discuss with His Majesty, where are the others?"

"Your Majesty is not free today, perhaps we will have a chance to meet in the evening." Zhao Feng replied.

Li Xuan nodded, but was not too anxious.

"You've been very busy lately."

Seeing that Zhao Feng looked tired, Li Xuan did not bother him.

At this time, Zhao Feng was sitting in the hall of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with a cup of hot tea at his side, quietly watching the people coming and going outside.

He had some rare free time recently, so he sat here and stared blankly.

Zhao Feng nodded and just smiled slightly at Li Xuan's words.

"At work, there are always busy and idle times."

"Now that I'm done with my work, I can finally relax for a while."

When Li Xuan heard this, he was startled and asked immediately:

"Busy working?"

“Have you arrested all the officials?”

Li Xuan knew that Zhao Feng had been busy with this matter before.

During the war preparations, it was reported that some officials had privately activated temporary war taxes, which was a capital crime of deceiving the emperor.

However, the matter is of great importance and involves several high-ranking officials who hold real power, so it needs to be investigated carefully.

It's called an investigation, but it's just to see who can be killed or removed from office, and who can't be touched.

At the beginning, Li Xuan heard that the ministers and vice ministers of the Ministry of War, Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Revenue were involved behind this.

If all these people were brought down, I'm afraid the entire court would be shaken.

But given Emperor Yongyuan's control over the court, he would not be able to touch these people, after all, they still have Prince Zheng to support them.

The situation got so bad that all the officials resigned, and preparations for war in the desert could no longer be made.

At that time, the first ones to quit will be those nobles who seem to have a good relationship with Emperor Yongyuan.

Things in the court are complicated and require compromises between the two sides.

Even though Li Xuan was not involved in it, he felt a headache just hearing about these things.

"We arrested a group, killed a few, and found people to fill the vacancies. After all, there is always a shortage of people who want to be officials." Zhao Feng answered Li Xuan's question.

"Then will these people be able to serve Emperor Yongyuan in the future?" Li Xuan asked curiously.

If this method is followed, as long as it is persisted in, Emperor Yongyuan's voice in the court will become increasingly greater.

Zhao Feng smiled and shook his head, explaining:

"Being an official is glamorous, but it's not as easy as you think."

"Whether they deserve to go down or not is still a matter of debate."

"Even if they can continue to serve, how do you think they can continue to serve as officials?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in Zhao Feng's words, and Li Xuan also understood what he meant.

"If you want to stay in office, you have to be in cahoots with them."

"If I don't join hands with them, I won't be able to continue to be an official."

“Isn’t this a dead end?”

No matter how many people Emperor Yongyuan supports, they will still be useless.

"The root of the problem is still here. King Zheng is the key."

"Without King Zheng, all the civil and military officials are nothing more than a bunch of fence-sitters."

"But as long as King Zheng is around, the officials who are dependent on him will continue to act so recklessly."

"I've been busy these few days, but it's just to give them a few days of peace."

"After a while, it will remain the same as it was originally."

Zhao Feng also said somewhat helplessly.

Li Xuan also knew that this was not something that could be resolved in the short term.

The struggle between Emperor Yongyuan and King Zheng began as soon as he ascended the throne.

Emperor Yongyuan had been on the throne for twenty years up to this point, and he had been fighting with King Zheng for twenty years.

Judging from the current tactics of outlasting the old man, Emperor Yongyuan has made considerable achievements and is about to outlast Prince Zheng.

But King Zheng was not stupid and was becoming more and more anxious.

Especially with Princess Yanzhao and the Wu family as the catalyst, no one can guarantee that King Zheng will turn the table one day.

Otherwise, if he waits any longer, King Zheng will only face the day of reckoning.

He has been arrogant in the court for so many years. Does he really think that Emperor Yongyuan is made of mud and has no temper?

It is said that it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

Emperor Yongyuan was a gentleman twice.

Back to business, Li Xuan couldn't find Emperor Yongyuan, so he asked Zhao Feng:

"So is the national treasury under our control now?"

Zhao Feng was stunned and replied with a strange look:

"The national treasury has always been under the control of your majesty, but the process of money flowing into and out of the national treasury is no longer under your majesty's control."

Li Xuan was speechless. So the warehouse manager was the only one who was one of them?

What's the use?

Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Zhao Feng quickly added: "The process from top to bottom is too complicated and difficult to control. And this is much better than before. In the past, there were even treasury expenditures that Your Majesty was not aware of."

Zhao Feng shook his head, full of helplessness.

Li Xuan covered his head, not knowing what to say.

With this start, they can still hold on to the current situation. Emperor Yongyuan still has some things.

At least, compared to the situation when Emperor Yongyuan first ascended the throne, the current situation is much better.

"By the way, I heard that you, Xuan, earned a lot of money for His Majesty this time. Is it enough for the expedition to the desert?"

Zhao Feng joked with a smile.

Li Xuan puffed out his chest, his face full of pride.

"It's just a small amount of money, not worth mentioning." Li Xuan wagged his tail.

Zhao Feng laughed out loud and continued:

"Your Majesty originally just wanted to make some noise this time, let the nobles have a taste of the sweetness, and then use the desert envoys as hostages to end the conflict and deepen the contradiction between the civil officials and the nobles."

Zhao Feng's words made Li Xuan's eyes roll around and think about the details.

There was not much money in the national treasury, and Daxing's economy was not enough to support a war, so it was understandable that Emperor Yongyuan was bluffing.

When a war breaks out, the happiest people are naturally the nobles. Otherwise, in times of peace, the civil servants would be the most jealous because they would try their best to make money and gain credit.

Then find a reason to cease fire in the name of the civil officials' dragging their feet, and then send the desert envoys back. It should not be difficult to stop the conflict with the desert.

After all, he had heard that Da Mo did not want to start a war at this time.

Moreover, Emperor Yongyuan still has the Desert Envoys as bargaining chips. If the battle on the front line goes well, he can even get some benefits.

The nobles were enjoying the fighting, and if a ceasefire was forced, the blame would definitely be put on the civil officials. At that time, the conflicts between the two sides would become deeper, and Emperor Yongyuan could further win over the nobles.

The most important thing is that if a war breaks out, Prince Zheng will be dragged into the quagmire. Prince Zheng doesn't have much time to begin with, and the more of his time is wasted, the more chances Emperor Yongyuan will have of winning in the future.

After outlasting Prince Zheng, Emperor Yongyuan was able to win without fighting.

Zhao Feng's simple words made Li Xuan think of many details.

He was also influenced a lot in the palace and made a lot of progress without even realizing it, even he himself didn't realize it.

"Although Emperor Yongyuan's plan is risky, the benefits are enough for him to take the risk."

"Although Prince Zheng's response delayed the time, Emperor Yongyuan now has the money I earned for him. It will be easier for him to operate in the future, and it can even greatly prolong the duration of the conflict."

"By then, not only will the nobles have made outstanding contributions, but we can also support a new group of nobles to serve Emperor Yongyuan."

Li Xuan thought so, but he also understood that although Emperor Yongyuan seemed to be in a good situation, Prince Zheng would definitely not sit idly by and wait for death.

This temporary war tax was a good example. It almost pierced Emperor Yongyuan's kidney and dealt him a fatal blow.

Not to mention the temporary war tax, it also dealt a heavy blow to Emperor Yongyuan's reputation among the people.

The mere fact of emptying the national treasury almost caused Emperor Yongyuan's plan to fail in the cradle.

It was also thanks to Emperor Yongyuan who thought of using the competition in the Imperial Garden to raise money among the people and make up for the deficit in the national treasury.

It seems that Emperor Yongyuan at that time did not think about how much money he could make. He just needed enough money to support a short conflict.

"No wonder Manager Shang said that the money I earned at that time was enough to fight the desert twice."

"One million taels of silver is just the money to sustain a conflict."

As he learned more details from Zhao Feng, Li Xuan also figured out many problems.

Now Li Xuan's speculation on antiques for Emperor Yongyuan is going smoothly. Just by changing the transaction subject to mortgage bills, Emperor Yongyuan has earned no less than 50 million taels of silver.

As the trading of mortgage notes has become stable, this business can now continue for a long time and bring Emperor Yongyuan a considerable and stable income.

"Will Emperor Yongyuan really take this opportunity to start a real war?"

Li Xuan suddenly thought so.

At this time, a familiar figure came in from outside the house and greeted Li Xuan with a smile:

"Ah Xuan, how come you have time to come and play with us? Aren't you very busy recently?"

With a hearty laugh, Manager Shang walked in, sat next to Li Xuan, and reached out to touch his little face.

"Meow~"

Zhao Feng on the side immediately muttered in dissatisfaction:

"Godfather, can't you see your adopted son who is this old?"

Shang, with a smile on his face, looked at Zhao Feng, then waved his hand in disgust and drove him aside:
"Go aside!"

"You have no respect for your elders. You saw your godfather coming in, but you didn't move."

Zhao Feng reluctantly held his teacup and gave up the first seat, and did not forget to pour a cup of tea for his godfather.

"Alas, I am destined to be a hard worker. I have no time to rest for a moment."

Zhao Feng sat aside, sighing and pretending to be pitiful.

"This is what you should do. You are the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Manager Shang was drinking tea leisurely.

"You didn't say that it was so difficult to be a steward." Zhao Feng complained.

"Hey, you guys think I'm awesome, right?" Shang, the chief steward, said as he kicked Zhao Feng calmly, then asked, "Who begged me to be the chief steward in the first place?"

"I!"

"I'm the one who caused all this trouble for myself, okay?"

Zhao Feng rubbed his numb butt and answered helplessly.

His butt was wrapped tightly by the chair, but he still got kicked.

Manager Shang just moved his feet, but his true energy kicked Zhao Feng's butt through the chair.

"Godfather, your skill of hitting a bull from a distance is still so perfect. I admire you!"

Zhao Feng can't learn this skill now.

One is the difference in realm. After all, there is a big realm between Zhao Feng and the monk.

The second is the difference in the attributes of true Qi. Although Zhao Feng’s wind attribute is a mutated attribute, he cannot learn the "silent and subtle" effect of water attribute.

As both stewards were there, Li Xuan asked about the purpose of his visit.

"Oh?"

"Ah Xuan, do you want to divert the taxes from those underground industries to the royal treasury?"

"I'm afraid this is not in accordance with the rules."

In response to Li Xuan's question, Manager Shang gave a direct answer.

Since taxes go into the national treasury, there is a risk of being intercepted along the way, there should be no problem with the royal private treasury.

After all, the person who managed the royal private treasury was Princess Ankang herself.

"Those properties are all under Princess Ankang's name anyway, so there should be room for manipulation, right?"

Li Xuan asked next.

Zhao Feng, who was standing by, was puzzled: "Ah Xuan, why do you want to clean up all those industries?"

"Isn't this just a loss of a lot of benefits?"

"Besides, if you don't do it, someone else will do it, and you will have to manage it all over again, which is quite troublesome."

"The most valuable thing about the Money Gang's underground industry is not the industry itself, but its monopoly position."

Zhu Shimin reported directly to Zhao Feng, so he was more aware of the situation.

"Ankang doesn't like these illegal activities. The Red Scarf Team is the organization I established for her, so naturally she wants it to be cleaner."

Li Xuan's indifferent answer left the two stewards speechless.

"You."

The two stewards said this at the same time, and reached out to touch Li Xuan's head, and each pulled one of his little ears.

"When Her Royal Highness the Princess asks for the stars and the moon in the sky, Xuan will also go and pick them, right?"

The two stewards couldn't help but joke.

In their opinion, only Li Xuan would do such a thankless task for Princess Ankang.

As a result, Li Xuan nodded heavily, without hesitation.

The two stewards stopped smiling, and they both saw Li Xuan's seriousness and solemnity.

Manager Shang even sighed: "Ah Xuan is indeed a symbol of good fortune."

"Everyone is a princess who loves kittens."

"You are so nice!"

"The kitten has fallen in love with the princess."

(End of this chapter)