If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

Zhao Yu smiled slightly, his voice calm.

"I have summoned you all today to discuss the construction of the official road." He paused, then turned his attention to Li Qiang.

"What? Minister Li is so concerned about these rumors circulating in the streets?"

The hall fell silent instantly.

All eyes were drawn to Li Qiang, the Minister of War.

Li Qiang's face instantly turned a deep red, like a purplish-liver color.

The emperor said he didn't come for this matter, but he jumped out to explain himself so impatiently. Doesn't that make him look like he's trying to hide something?

He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I was in a moment of panic and lost my composure. Please forgive me."

After saying this, he forced himself to return to the ranks of civil officials, despite the hushed laughter of the crowd.

Zhao Yu looked away, as if nothing had happened.

He spoke loudly.

"The second phase of the official road project has been completed, and it now connects half of the cities of my Great Liang."

"If the finest warhorses are used to deliver messages, they can reach any passable city within half a day from the capital." He glanced around at the prince and his entourage.

"The local officials deserve immense credit."

The civil officials below immediately bowed and uttered humble words.

"It's all thanks to His Majesty's grace." Zhao Yu waved his hand, then abruptly changed the subject, his voice carrying a hint of something intriguing.

"However, I have also discovered a problem."

"As Minister Li just said, the Li family is extremely loyal to our Great Liang. To show their loyalty, they are willing to examine their own ranks and purge any scoundrels."

"But when the news reached other cities, the people misunderstood it, saying that the imperial dignity had been damaged and that the noble families were disregarding human life."

"This is enough to show that there are problems with the spread of information between cities and within cities." He looked at Li Qiang.

"Right, Minister Li?"

Li Qiang's heart skipped a beat.

He knew perfectly well that there was no misunderstanding; it was clearly a deliberate act by his family to spread the word.

But now that the emperor has put the words on the table, what can he say?

He could only grit his teeth and nod repeatedly.

"Your Majesty is wise! Indeed... there is indeed a problem!"

Zhao Yu nodded in satisfaction.

"Therefore, I have decided to undertake the second project—the Royal Daily!"

"I will build a daily newspaper pavilion in every city."

"From now on, all important decisions made at court each day, and all my decrees, will be transmitted by the court to various towns and cities on the same day via the cement road."

"Then the Daily News will issue a citywide announcement."

"In this way, the people can avoid misunderstanding the court, and my decrees can be delivered smoothly and directly to the grassroots."

After Zhao Yu finished speaking, he asked, "What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"

To others, this statement might just be a novel government decree.

But to the ears of the major families, it was like a thunderclap exploding overhead.

What!

Royal Daily News?

Li Qiang was greatly alarmed.

If this were built, wouldn't it be uprooting their aristocratic families?

The power to transmit information has always been the lifeline through which these powerful families control the world!

They can arbitrarily misinterpret the imperial decrees, block information that is unfavorable to them, and even create public opinion to influence public sentiment.

Just like before, they could pin all the bad things they did on the little emperor, and all the good things they did could go into their own pockets first.

Once this Royal Daily is built, one of their greatest advantages as powerful clans will be completely shattered!

Li Qiang could no longer sit still. Ignoring his earlier embarrassment, he suddenly rushed out of the queue.

"His Majesty!

This is absolutely unacceptable! Building the Daily News Pavilion is incredibly expensive and wasteful of resources, yet the results will be minimal!

"Local officials already have their own way of conveying government orders; there's absolutely no need for a newspaper! This project is a complete waste of resources and manpower!"

Zhao Yu looked at him coldly.

"Minister Li, didn't you just say that the common people have misunderstood the loyalty of your Li family?"

"If there is no problem with information transmission, then why would the public misunderstand?" Zhao Yu's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Could it be... that there really is a problem with your Li family?"

These words, like a sharp, icy knife, pierced straight into Li Qiang's heart.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

If he dared to object again, wouldn't that be confirming that the Li family had problems in front of the entire court? Although everyone in the court knew this, such things couldn't be discussed openly.

Otherwise, the Li family would end up like the Dong family in an instant.

Li Qiang's eye twitched, and he finally spoke.

"Your Majesty is wise. I support the construction of the Daily News Pavilion."

Although he agreed, he had already made up his mind.

After the court session, report to the clan immediately and then discuss countermeasures with each family.

This matter absolutely cannot be allowed to end like this!

Just then, Wei An's sharp voice came from outside the hall to report.

"Your Majesty, the Wolf Kingdom delegation requests an audience!"

Zhao Yu's lips curled into a smile. It seemed that the Wolf Kingdom had reached a conclusion.

"Announce!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sarakaka led several envoys from the Wolf Kingdom into the Xuanzheng Hall.

The leader, Sarakaka, knelt on one knee, adopting a very humble posture.

"Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Liang, our Wolf Kingdom agrees to all the conditions requested by your country and has come to sign this oath."

Zhao Yu smiled and winked at Wei An.

"Hand over the contract."

Wei An immediately took a pre-prepared contract and walked quickly to Sarakaka.

Sarakaka took it and quickly glanced at it.

He discovered that there were a few more clauses regarding the trade of medicinal herbs than previously agreed upon, but they were not particularly harsh conditions.

Without hesitation, he immediately pressed the Wolf Kingdom's exclusive certificate on the contract.

After signing the oath, the Wolf Kingdom delegation respectfully took their leave.

As soon as they left, Li Qiang, who had just calmed down, jumped out again.

"His Majesty."

He bowed and spoke, his tone much more respectful this time.

"Currently, the recruitment of soldiers in various places is causing huge consumption of food, supplies and weapons, and everyone is struggling."

"Now that the reparations from the Wolf Kingdom have arrived and the national treasury is full, I wonder if the military pay... can be disbursed now?"

Zhao Yu looked at Li Qiang.

This right to recruit soldiers was a pie he used to weaken the wealth of powerful families and disperse their power.

Li Qiang wanted the imperial court to bail them out of their private army, but how could he possibly agree to that?

However, it would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because once it was brought up, Zhao Yu came up with another great idea.

"There are priorities and urgency in everything."

"Now that there are no powerful enemies around Daliang, it is the time to focus on developing people's livelihood and national strength."

"The money in the national treasury should be used for projects that benefit the country and its people, such as official roads and daily newspapers, not for your military pay," Zhao Yu said, shaking his head.

But then she immediately changed the subject.

"However... the Ministry of Works has recently rushed to produce a batch of brand new weapons and armor."

"In that case, all those old standard-issue equipment in the national treasury will be useless. What should we do with them?"

"How about we sell it to you, so you can strengthen your troops and defend the area?"

Upon hearing this, many civil servants' eyes lit up instantly.

The emperor had previously agreed to their recruitment of soldiers, but they were ultimately just militia or civilian troops, without the equipment and organization of the imperial court, and they dared not go too far.

But if we could get our hands on a batch of standard weapons and armor, the situation would be completely different!

Zhao Yu took in their expressions and continued to throw out bait.

"Perfect timing. The autumn harvest will be over in ten days, and the cement road will be almost completely completed by then." He stood up.

"On that very day, I held a royal auction in the capital." He looked down at the officials below him.

"If any of the major families want something, bring your money and come bid."

Without a second thought, Li Qiang immediately bowed and agreed.

"I obey your decree!"

Behind him, other officials from prominent families echoed his sentiments.

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

Zhao Yu nodded in satisfaction and flicked his dragon robe.

"Dismiss the court."