Thief Emperor

Chapter 1072 I'll Control Your Mother!
Compared to Jiangdong's new policies this year, Li Yun's new tax law has been in effect for many years.

It was initially piloted in the three provinces south of the Yangtze River, but now it has been basically implemented nationwide.

This new tax law, which was also the first national policy implemented by Li Yun, piled almost all the miscellaneous taxes into the land tax, and exempted all officials, gentry, and nobles from taxation.

This system can greatly alleviate land consolidation and make life much better for the poorest people.

Because ordinary people at the bottom of society inevitably own little land, they will naturally be better off without the poll tax.

However, while the common people benefit, the interests of others are inevitably harmed, with the gentry and officials being the most severely affected.

It's important to know that even imperial estates under the name of the royal family are now subject to land tax! In other words, no matter what kind of king, nobleman, or county magistrate you are, as long as you own land, you have to pay taxes!

This matter once sparked discontent among officials, and memorials of opposition flew to Li Yun's desk like snowflakes, but His Majesty the Emperor ignored them all, pretending not to see them. Those with more vehement words were directly punished.

Because of this new tax law, from the first year of Zhangwu to the seventh year of Zhangwu, there were more than a dozen local rebellions, mostly led by local wealthy families or aristocratic clans who coerced the common people into rebellion.

These rebellions were easily quelled by Li Yun's garrisons stationed in various locations, without causing much of a stir.

In the end, due to the Emperor's firm stance and the compromises of officials from aristocratic families such as Du Qian and Du He, the policy was still forcibly pushed through.

This is why we have the abundant national treasury of today, and by last year, in the ninth year of Zhangwu, Emperor Li was even able to launch a three-pronged military campaign.

And the lives of ordinary people have indeed visibly improved.

Furthermore, if Li Yun's new policies in Jiangdong can be implemented in the future, commercial taxes can be used to subsidize a portion of the land taxes, and the entire society may very well enter a golden age during Li Yun's reign.

But what is the price of this "vibrant life," or rather, this prosperous era?

That means the interests of a small group of people are harmed.

This small group consisted of aristocratic families, gentry, and officials and nobles.

If this small group of people can adapt to the situation and stick with the new dynasty, their interests will naturally shift from agriculture to commerce as times progress, and they will still be able to reap huge profits.

But now, in the early stages of this transformation, it's clear that no one can see the situation clearly.

Even someone as talented as Du Qian couldn't understand it.

Even if Li Yun told them, they might not believe him.

So what should these people do if they suffer a loss?

We cannot simply sit idly by and wait for our demise.

Initially, they resisted with force, which was the dozen or so rebellions in the early days of the new dynasty. After tens of thousands of people were killed, these people realized the situation and have now given up resisting with force.

But there are always other ways.

The simplest and most effective way is to kill Li Yun, the founding emperor.

In this way, even if the newly established Tang Dynasty could not be brought to an end, the court's policies would likely shift after Li Yun's death.

If this method doesn't work, then we should place our hopes on future generations. After Li Yun is gone, we can then steer the court in the right direction.

This is the biggest contradiction that has accumulated since the establishment of the new dynasty, or rather, since Li Yun ascended the throne ten years ago.

Chen Wang Wuheng, or rather, this failed rebellion, was merely a byproduct of this enormous contradiction, or a concrete manifestation of it.

"Going against the tide and acting perversely."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at Wu Heng and smiled: "The people's hearts have been lost."

His Majesty the Emperor looked up at Wu Heng, a half-smile on his face: "Who told you that?"

"Self-deception!"

Knowing he was doomed, Wu Heng was no longer afraid of Li Yun. He took a deep breath and sneered, "You know very well how many officials in the court you built are still loyal to you?"

"If your Twelve Imperial Guards are gone today, those officials in the court will take your life tomorrow!"

King Chen glared at Li Yun, whether to provoke him into wanting to die or to mock the bandit who had overthrown the Wu Zhou Dynasty.

He said viciously, "Your most trusted prime minister, Du Shiyi, probably wishes you were dead! He just doesn't dare to say it out loud because he's afraid of your military might!"

"The Du family of Jingzhao, we've followed you for twenty years, and what have we gained? The benefits the Du family of Jingzhao has received today are far less than those of the Du family of Jingzhao during the Xiande era!"

"It's not as good as the glory and wealth of the Xiande era!"

"Du Qian, Du He, Tao Wenyuan, Fei Xuan, and even Zhuo Guangrui, whom you personally promoted!"

"Are they on your side?" His Majesty the Emperor narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "You are a commoner, yet you know my court inside and out. You can name my important ministers without hesitation."

Wu Heng looked at Li Yun with a cold smile and said nothing.

Emperor Li stood up, glanced at the trembling Wu Yuanyou beside him, then at the bound Wu Heng, and remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Perhaps what you say makes some sense, but my Zhangwu reign has only lasted ten years, and the livelihood of the people has already surpassed that of your old Zhou by a great margin."

Wu Heng scoffed at it.

"Throughout history, dynasties have shared the world with scholars and officials, which is why they have lasted so long. It's just a pity that you, a bandit-turned-traitor, don't understand these things and only show some womanly compassion."

"What use are ordinary people?"

What can the people do for you?

Wu Heng looked at Li Yun and said sarcastically, "You've been in the palace for ten years, how many ordinary people have you actually seen?"

"If one day someone enters the palace to assassinate the king and take your life, will those common people you speak of storm the palace to save your life?"

Prince Chen said without any mercy, "Therefore, I say that although you usurped the throne and pretended to abdicate, you have never been a true emperor from beginning to end."

"The true emperor."

Wu Heng looked at Li Yun and gritted his teeth, saying, "Only by using both kindness and severity can one subdue the officials and make them work for you. But you only rely on force to subdue people!"

His Majesty the Emperor glanced at Wu Heng, stepped closer to him, carefully examined his expression, and then stretched out his large hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Snapped!"

With such strength, His Majesty the Emperor was able to swell up Wu Heng's face with just one blow, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth and eyes.

"It's really noisy."

He glanced at Wu Heng and said coldly, "The reason why the Wu Zhou dynasty perished was because all of you Wu family members had this kind of thinking, which led to the rise of refugees everywhere."

"When Wang Junping led his men into the Chang'an Imperial Palace and raped and murdered the Wu family women, did the officials and nobles you mentioned enter the palace to help your Wu family?"

Should we stop Wang Junping?

Blood trickled from the corner of Wu Heng's mouth, yet he remained defiant, attempting to provoke Li Yun into killing him on the spot to avoid further physical suffering.

"That's because the emperor of the court has lost the art of governing the people, which has led to widespread refugees. If he had mastered the art of governing the people, the world would still be at peace today!"

"Fuck your mother!"

His Majesty the Emperor was truly enraged and slapped him again on the left cheek, cursing, "The court takes one or two hundred coins, while Shitai in Xuanzhou takes one string of cash. Is this your way of controlling the people?!"

Emperor Li was truly enraged by what he said. At this moment, he even had the urge to punch this beast of the Wu family to death. After slapping him, he glared fiercely at the half-dead Wu Heng and cursed, "In your next life, you'll also have to be controlled by someone!"

After uttering that curse, he suddenly turned around and looked at Wu Yuanyou beside him, angrily saying, "Do you think like him too?!"

Wu Yuanyou was terrified. He knelt on the ground with a thud and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, your subject...your subject..."

"I have absolutely no such thoughts. Your Majesty loves the people like your own children. I...I agree with Your Majesty."

Wu Heng's eyes were swollen. He struggled to open them, looked at Li Yun, and grinned, saying, "What...what use is this kind of 'knocking-head bug'?"

Wu Heng forced a smile.

"You're angry because I... I've hit a nerve."

His Majesty the Emperor clenched his fist, ready to kill the man with a single blow, but his fist stopped mid-air. He simply looked coldly at Wu Heng and sneered, "Killing you now would be too lenient. Tomorrow, I will transfer you to the Three Judicial Offices and arrest and interrogate all your accomplices!"

At this point, His Majesty the Emperor narrowed his eyes, his murderous aura chilling: "Perhaps you people who have never been touched by the dust of the world think this way, but once the people are enlightened, you lot will be extinct!"

After saying that, he snorted angrily, ignored Wu Yuanyou kneeling on the ground, and left in a huff.

Wu Yuanyou was so frightened that he kept kowtowing.

As Wu Heng watched the departing figure, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "In your court, my...my cronies are everywhere!"

"They're all dead now, but in the future... they'll be reborn!"

"You can catch them all, but can you kill them all?!"

Upon hearing his voice, Emperor Li stopped, glanced back at Wu Heng, whose face was already bruised and swollen, suppressed his anger, grunted, and strode away.

There was no looking back.

(End of this chapter)