Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The next day.

The Golden Palace of the Dayong Imperial Palace.

The civil and military officials lined up on both sides, and the court assembly had just begun.

The three major clans indeed stepped forward.

Duke Liu Hua, over sixty years old, was tall and thin with a white beard. He held a scepter and exuded an imposing aura.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."

Xiao Ye sat on the dragon throne, glancing at him indifferently.

"explain."

Duke Liu took a step forward.

"Your Majesty, I impeach the Puji Hall for using commerce to disrupt the government and the market! People are abandoning agriculture for business, leaving fields barren. If this continues, the nation will cease to exist!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Wenhao, the Minister of Rites, stepped out from the ranks of civil officials.

"Your Majesty, I second that opinion. As the ancients said, 'Prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the foundation of the nation.'"

"Although Pujitang is nominally a royal merchant, it has in fact been monopolizing the market. I recently visited various counties around the capital and found that the people are full of complaints. Farming is not as good as doing business, and doing business is not as good as relying on Pujitang. If this trend is not curbed, the foundation of the Great Yong Dynasty will be destroyed in an instant."

Next, General Wang Wang, the Cavalry Commander, stepped forward. He was a military man, strong and muscular, with a face full of menacing features.

"Your Majesty! Merchants are making all the money, and no one is farming to deliver grain. The Ministry of Revenue's grain reserves are insufficient, leading to frequent shortages of military pay in the army camps. I believe the court should immediately close down the Puji Hall and send the people back to farming!"

The three of them spoke one after another, making sure their words were perfectly watertight.

From market order to the fundamentals of agriculture to the shortage of military rations, Pujitang was put on the spot for all to see.

Everyone in the court craned their necks to look at the Right Chancellor standing at the front.

Gu Debai remained calm throughout, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. It was as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Gu Mingli was dozing off, his head nodding, and he didn't hear what the three of them had just said.

The ministers remained silent.

These three families clearly colluded beforehand. Anyone who speaks up for Pujitang at this time will offend all three powerful families.

After a moment, Xiao Ye gave a cold "hmm".

"Agriculture is the foundation of the nation and should be given due attention."

He nodded to Liu An, who was standing to the side.

Liu An shouted in a shrill voice, "Announce the imperial decree—"

Two young eunuchs carried a bright yellow scroll to the front of the hall and unfurled it.

The assembled officials looked at each other in astonishment.

Everyone originally thought that with the three powerful clan heads joining forces to put pressure on the emperor in court, the emperor would have to go back and digest it for a few days.

Then, in the imperial study, he frantically tried to find a way to appease the powerful clans.

To everyone's surprise, the emperor showed not a trace of panic.

They had the imperial edict ready at hand long ago, and even predicted the angles from which the three major families would launch their attacks!

So everyone held their breath and listened intently to the imperial edict.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Agriculture is the foundation of the nation, and taxes are its lifeblood. From this day forth, a separate 'Tax Bureau' shall be established in addition to the Six Ministries, dedicated to the verification and collection of land taxes, commercial taxes, and customs duties nationwide. Its authority shall be equal to that of the Court of Judicial Review, and its reports shall directly reach the Emperor's ears!"

Liu An swept his gaze across the assembled officials and loudly announced the next sentence: "Pei Yu, the former principal of the Ministry of Revenue, has performed his duties effectively and is hereby promoted to the position of Director of the Tax Bureau!"

Upon hearing this, a murmur suddenly broke out in the vast Golden Palace.

Pei Yu?!

The officials and civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

Who doesn't know that Pei Yu, the grandson of Minister Pei of the Ministry of Personnel, is the most notorious playboy in the capital?

He spends his days with a bunch of spoiled brats, indulging in cockfighting, dog racing, eating, drinking, and merrymaking.

Just because he was given a sinecure as a tax collector at the Pujitang Logistics Park, he is now considered "capable of handling official business"?

Pei Chongyue, standing in the ranks of civil officials, also widened his eyes in surprise upon hearing the imperial edict.

Her hands, tucked into her wide sleeves, trembled uncontrollably.

My Yu'er has become so successful!

Ever since the Pei family established a relationship with the Gu family, they have had a smooth and successful career in the court.

He was repeatedly employed by the emperor.

It seems that letting Yu'er train with Master Gu was definitely a wise decision.

In the future, we must make sure that Yu'er has more opportunities to interact with Lord Gu.

Being close to Lord Gu is equivalent to being close to His Majesty.

The Pei family has a worthy successor.

No, I'll send some more generous gifts to the Gu family when I get back tonight.

Before the imperial edict was finished being read, Eunuch Liu continued reading.

"Furthermore, the first task of the Tax Bureau after its establishment was to conduct a comprehensive survey of the fields in all prefectures and counties of Dayong and to re-register them."

Upon hearing this, Jia Wenhao and Wang Wang's faces immediately darkened.

They all looked at Duke Liu.

Duke Liu, however, remained calm and gave Jia Wenhao and Wang Wang a wink.

He gestured to them: "Please be patient."

……

After the court session ended.

Jia Wenhao and Wang Wang quickly caught up with Liu Guogong, who was walking ahead.

Wang Wang gritted his teeth, his face full of anger.

"My lord! The emperor is clearly going to measure the land. This imperial edict is aimed directly at our noble families!"

Jia Wenhao also frowned deeply.

"Does Xiao Ye really intend to break off relations and confront us head-on? Has he forgotten how the emperors of the previous dynasty perished because they offended powerful clans?"

Duke Liu stopped in his tracks, glanced at the two heads of the family, stroked his white beard, and chuckled.

"What's the panic? If the emperor really had the guts and the strength to confront the three great clans head-on, he wouldn't have sent that good-for-nothing from the Pei family today."

"Don't you all know what kind of person Pei Yu is? He's just a spoiled brat who's been pampered since childhood and can't endure any hardship."

"The emperor deliberately sent such people to measure the land, making it look grand, but it was just a formality."

"Send a message down to the stewards of each of the estates to send out more ruthless servants, armed with clubs, to wait outside the estates. If they dare to approach, give them a good 'intimidation.' These pampered young masters are very delicate; a little fright and they'll cry and go home."

Jia Wenhao and Wang Wang exchanged a glance, then suddenly realized what was going on, and their furrowed brows finally relaxed.

"The Duke is absolutely right! The Emperor doesn't have the power to challenge us!"

"However, we can't just defend ourselves. We also need to teach the emperor a lesson so that he knows how deep the roots of the powerful clans are and that he can't afford to offend them."

Duke Liu nodded in satisfaction, then looked coldly at Jia Wenhao.

"Excellent. It's time for the price of salt on the market to double."

"Let the lowly commoners make a ruckus, so the emperor won't get bored and cause us trouble all the time."

……

Unlike the undercurrents raging in the imperial court.

Gu Mingyue and Prince Qi, Xiao Jue, have joined forces and come up with a complete strategic plan.

We're about to roll it out in full force, but a problem has arisen.

This project requires a large number of artisans and skilled workers.

Gu Mingyue felt that this matter should be handled by her brother.

Night falls in the backyard of the Gu residence.

Gu Mingyue, carrying a palace lantern, quietly pushed open Gu Mingli's door.

"Brother, are you asleep?"

Gu Mingli was sitting at his desk, deep in thought, when he heard his sister's voice and immediately looked up.

"Not yet, what's wrong?"

Gu Mingyue walked in, closed the door behind her, and sat down at the table.

"We've completed the mission, and here's our new reward: 'Future Headlines.' I just took a look; you should check it out too."

As she spoke, she raised her hand and made a sweeping motion in the air.

A translucent, ice-blue system panel was displayed.

Gu Mingli leaned closer and carefully read the contents.

[The three major clans colluded to deliberately inflate salt prices; a month later, the market price of salt had soared to five times its usual level.]

The common people, unable to afford salt, suffered greatly. The powerful clans secretly instigated the uprising, ultimately leading to a riot in the capital and shaking the imperial court.

Gu Mingli frowned deeply after reading it.

"These old dogs are truly heartless, always trying to take advantage of people's livelihoods."

Gu Mingyue closed the system panel and looked at her brother.

"Brother, can you make snowflake salt?"