The old emperor only desires immortality; you must not rebel.

With the departure of the Holy Emperor, the officials within the Qing Kingdom, instigated by certain individuals, began to stir up trouble again.

For the officials in the capital, they had long been overwhelmed by the emperor's iron fist, but this did not mean that all officials in the Qing Kingdom were in the same boat.

After all, the emperor's orders could only circulate within the capital; once they left the capital, they naturally became ineffective.

Having never been struck by the Holy Emperor's iron fist, one naturally wouldn't know what fear is.

What?

Did the Holy Emperor kill 40,000 people with a single punch?

Then I am the Holy Emperor's father!

This force, which clearly exceeds common sense, is neither convincing nor frightening.

Although openly rebelling against the Holy Emperor was impossible, powerful families and officials in various regions had their own ancestral methods.

That is to disrupt the Holy Emperor's empire, tarnish the Holy Emperor's reputation under the guise of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and then ruthlessly trample on the common people whom the Holy Emperor cherishes.

They couldn't make the Holy Emperor dissolve in water or have him strangled by palace maids, but they could ruin his reputation.

For example... taxes!

After the Holy Emperor had finished exploiting all the nobles equally, local officials and powerful families began to exploit the common people equally.

If the emperor wants to build a palace, will you pay the fee or not?

If you don't pay, then you are not a subject of the Holy Emperor!

Those who are not subjects of the Holy Emperor will have their houses and fields confiscated!

The Holy Emperor is celebrating his birthday, and everyone must offer him money!

The Holy Emperor wants to select beautiful women; please present all your girls to him.

Of course, in order to ensure that it does not offend the Holy Emperor's eyes, it must first be inspected by all the officials.

Under the guise of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, they relentlessly tarnished the reputation of the holy emperor.

Manipulate grain prices again, forcing the grass and weeds to gnaw on tree bark and even exchange their own offspring for food!

They euphemistically call it "your contribution to the Holy Emperor."

The officials in the imperial court were well aware of the matter, but most of them turned a blind eye.

I didn't see it, and I don't know!

If the people rebel, it's because the emperor isn't benevolent enough; what does it have to do with them? They are also victims.

To cause trouble in the capital would be right under the emperor's nose, so naturally no one would dare to do so. But it would be much easier to find a remote and chaotic place.

For example...the Southwest!

The southwest of Daqing is mostly mountainous and forested, and is also home to many Baiyue people. The Qing Kingdom established the Southwest Protectorate here.

Driven by various forces, the grassroots people of the Southwest were the first to speak out.

Inverted!

Inverted!

When someone shouted the slogan "Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?" and raised the banner "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise," the starving corpses throughout the southwest followed suit.

A massive uprising swept across the southwest!

……

When the Holy Emperor of Qi received the message from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, three cities in the southwest had already been captured.

"I've been too conservative with them!"

The Holy Emperor sighed softly.

Although his departure was intended as a sting operation, the emperor was still angered when these corrupt officials actually drove the people to rebellion.

Inside the palace, Gao Zhan, who was serving nearby, suddenly shivered and felt a chill that seemed to penetrate to the bone.

He looked cautiously at the Holy Emperor, his heart filled with doubt and uncertainty.

This damned emperor is truly enraged!

"I have already given them a chance."

The Holy Emperor spoke calmly.

It's called a "gratitude tax," meaning that as long as you pay the tax, the Holy Emperor will forgive past transgressions, which is considered an immense favor.

Such a great favor, yet not only do they not know how to be grateful, they have also joined forces to rebel against me!

At this moment, the Holy Emperor really wanted to emulate Emperor Yang of Sui and roar loudly.

"These lowly people, I let them live, I gave them food, and they rebelled against me!"

The Holy Emperor looked up at the sky, his hands behind his back, with what appeared to be a vicious dragon coiled behind him, soaring into the air around the palace's giant pillars.

He only wanted immortality, so why did he have to rebel?

"Xiao Gao!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhan hurriedly stepped forward, fawningly asking, "Father, what are your orders?"

"Would you rebel against me?"

Gao Zhan's heart tightened, and his expression changed drastically.

Got it!

Is this old guy trying to kill me?

Bang!

The emperor of Qi immediately knelt down and loudly proclaimed, "Your subject would never dare to have such a thought!"

"Father, Heaven can bear witness to my heart!"

"No!"

The Holy Emperor laughed loudly, "I will make you rebel against me!"

"Not only that, they will also issue an edict denouncing me!"

"Just say I'm incompetent, cruel, bloodthirsty, and tyrannical!"

Gao Zhan looked completely bewildered.

Against you?

Every emperor, whether wise or not, will try to embellish his reputation; no one wants to be portrayed as a foolish and tyrannical ruler in history books.

Why would someone pour dirty water on themselves?

Gao Zhan dared not question it and could only respectfully reply, "Your subject obeys!"

He didn't understand, but since the Holy Emperor had given the order, he would just do as he was told.

The Holy Emperor laughed loudly and strode out of the palace with his head held high.

"Xiao Gao, you can sit on this throne for a few days first!"

"I'm going to play games!"

……

After a brief stay of a few days in Ye City, the Holy Emperor departed in a grand procession, accompanied by the corrupt officials of Qi.

The Holy Emperor will let them know that even without the corrupt officials of Qing, there are still beasts in Qi.

If you don't do it, plenty of others will!

……

Qing Kingdom is located in the southwest.

When a popular uprising swept across the entire southwest region, villages throughout the region were practically deserted.

On the tree trunks outside the village hung grotesque human heads, and mutilated corpses hung under the eaves.

The body was stripped naked and carelessly thrown onto the road.

Crows circled in the sky, emitting piercing cries.

The courtyard of the Southwest Protectorate.

"I ate pickled vegetables and tofu~"

"Even the emperor is no match for me!"

The Southwest Governor Hu Zhiyuan cut tofu with one hand, his face full of enjoyment.

The officials around the courtyard carried boxes of silver into the courtyard.

More than twenty boxes of Snowflake Silver were delivered.

An official dressed in a bright red robe hurried in from outside the courtyard.

"grown ups!"

"We just received news that our emperor has left the State of Qi."

"Hey!" Hu Zhiyuan chuckled, shook his head slightly, and said with a smile, "So what if you're leaving?"

"This is a huge mess for him to clean up!"

They're all in their seventies or eighties, why bother with all that worry and effort? They might pass away any day now.

What kind of holy emperor is this? It's all bullshit!

In this southwestern region, far from the emperor's reach, if it weren't for his hard work and dedication, the situation would probably be even worse.

The Holy Emperor should really thank him.

"go!"

"Request aid from the imperial court, saying that the southwest needs disaster relief grain and also silver!"

"They said if there's no more food, the people here will revolt again."

"Alas!" Lord Hu, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, sighed softly, his tone filled with helplessness.

"Oh, right."

"Remember to invite Mr. Lin and the others over for dinner tonight. Tell them there's business coming up again soon."