Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

What does Gui Yao want?

She wants the truth, she wants the heroes to return, and she wants blood for blood.

And the foundation of all this is power.

She wants power!

But what she actually said was, "I want the people to have enough to eat and warm clothes to wear."

To establish oneself in the court solely by resolving a mental health issue is ultimately illegitimate and lacks legitimacy.

Then she would win the hearts of the people first.

Wasn't the Crown Prince's good reputation something she built up little by little for him?

She could do it again.

Li Deshun was deeply moved, saying, "The young lady's concern for the common people is a blessing to all."

Even though the young master has fallen on hard times and is in disgrace, he still puts the country and its people first, just like before.

He was determined to proclaim this loudly in front of all the civil and military officials, so that those who looked down on the young master would hear it.

Their magnanimity and vision are far inferior to those of their young master.

However, "defeating evil magic is no easy task. The young lady has paid a heavy price, and she should seek some benefits for herself."

He hoped his young master could be a little selfish.

Gui Yao smiled and said, "This time, the people's spirits were stolen because they were struggling to make a living and couldn't bear to miss the charity of Ciyun Temple."

If they have enough to eat and wear, they won't be easily manipulated, and I won't need to bother saving them; that would be beneficial to me.

Seeing that she insisted, and with the Imperial Guards and eunuchs following behind her, Li Deshun could not persuade her further and could only send a message back.

After the group left, Gui Yao's smile faded.

She can no longer fully trust anyone.

In the main hall of the palace, Li Deshun bowed and reported back, then loudly relayed Gui Yao's words, "Miss Gui Yao is willing to give it another try."

"What she desires is also what I desire."

The emperor swept his gaze across the assembled officials below, saying, "This is the very duty of you officials."

Is it better to give people fish, open granaries and distribute grain, or to teach people how to fish, set up workshops, teach farming and weaving, reduce taxes in the city, and allocate wasteland in the suburbs for the poor to cultivate...?

The emperor paused, his gaze falling on the high-ranking officials standing at the front. "Duke Zhenguo and Duke Ninguo, you two should take the lead in drafting a plan as soon as possible."

This……

Not only the two who were named, but also all the officials standing behind them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Is His Majesty going to take such drastic action just because of a woman's words?

Worldly benefits are limited; when ordinary people receive real benefits, officials and their families must relinquish those benefits.

Take those lands in the suburbs as an example. On the surface, they are registered under other people's names, but in reality, most of them are held by aristocratic families and nobles. They are then distributed away.

They were unwilling.

"Your Majesty, the people's well-being and safety are not achieved overnight."

An official from the Duke of Zhenguo's side stepped forward, saying, "Right now, dealing with the evil spirits is more urgent."

"Yes, opening workshops and reducing taxes will cost a lot of money. Allocating wasteland will require a lot of manpower and resources. I'm afraid the national treasury will not be able to support it."

The followers of the Duke of Ningguo also spoke out, saying, "If new policies are implemented at this time, they may incite a popular uprising and shake the foundation of the country."

One official worried, "The common people are used to laziness. If the court provides too much support, it may encourage their ambitions."

Some officials grumbled, "That woman opened her mouth and demanded that we cut off our flesh. How can we know that she's not in league with evil spirits, trying to disrupt our court?"

……

The two factions that were previously at odds are now unusually harmonious.

As for those like Zang Lan and the Minister of Justice, who are only loyal to His Majesty, we should argue with them.

The main hall was suddenly as noisy as a marketplace.

The emperor's ears were ringing from the noise. He was a wise ruler who was usually willing to listen to the voices of his officials, but today he felt unusually irritated.

He simply leaned back on the dragon throne, closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep.

Let them argue, let them argue, a few deaths will quiet them down.

He also wanted to see how his pig would react.

Xiao Huaijin watched all this with a cold eye. Gui Yao didn't take the opportunity to mention the matter of the heterosexual king, which was within his expectations.

She may seem carefree, but she is actually cautious and won't make a completely impossible request right away.

But he never expected the court of Dasheng to be like this, with Gui Yao arguing so much for the sake of the people.

If Gui Yao were to seek personal gain, who knows how far things would escalate.

He turned his gaze behind the screen, also wanting to see the Crown Prince's reaction.

The Crown Prince, behind the screen, initially felt that the imperial family was bowing down to Gui Yao when he saw the emperor going to ask Gui Yao about her conditions, and he was very dissatisfied.

But after hearing Li Deshun's reply, he thought that perhaps he was overthinking it.

There are people in this world who do good deeds without expecting anything in return; his sister is one of them.

Gui Yao's request was something the imperial court should have done.

He was not surprised by the courtiers' reaction, but when he saw the emperor close his eyes, anger surged within him.

But his face was too embarrassing to show to anyone, so he sent someone back to get a mask.

The mask was the blue-faced, fanged mask that Baozhu wore for him when he went to war. As soon as the palace servant brought it over, he put it on and strode out from behind the screen.

"Since you are all so knowledgeable, then I will test you: what is the relationship between ruler and subject?"

My father's health is already poor; at its worst, he doesn't even recognize himself. What will he do if these scoundrels anger him?

He wasn't ready to be emperor.

The once noisy council hall suddenly fell silent.

That mask had once pacified many countries and was so intimidating. In addition, the Crown Prince Aijie had always been aloof from others. If he were to ask that question again, who would dare to speak?

The crown prince purged the group of culprits.

"The officials of my Great Sheng court have broken their promises, and I feel ashamed. Li Deshun, go again and ask the master of Xuanji Tower if she has any good ideas on how to deal with the empty treasury that threatens the foundation of the country.

The ministers' expressions changed drastically.

Previously, the emperor went to Gui Yao, saying that Gui Yao would help them solve their problems. Now the crown prince is asking Gui Yao again.

Doesn't this imply that they are incompetent and can't solve any problems, and have to rely on a common woman?

The officials exchanged glances, as if they wanted to say something more.

The crown prince helped the emperor, who was slowly opening his eyes, and without turning his head, announced, "Dismiss the court."

Walking along the palace path, the emperor dismissed the palace servants, glanced at him, and said, "Aren't you afraid they'll stir up trouble and say that the royal family is cold-blooded and doesn't care about the lives of their officials?"

The prince removed his sweltering mask, seemingly unconcerned. "A bunch of bastards. Let them die or not. If a few of them really die, they'll be scared and easier to talk to."

The emperor did not refute, but thought to himself, "I cannot do this, and I will spread the news of today's morning court session."

Let the people know that it's not that the royal family is unwilling, but that the officials have their own selfish motives.

It also lets the people know that she has a heart for them.

"Father."

The crown prince hesitated for a moment, "If word gets out, won't people laugh at us father and son for being incompetent, unable to even control a subject?"

"If I don't give them a chance to speak, they'll say I'm a tyrant who rules by my own hand again."

The emperor sighed softly, "The late emperor was tyrannical and ruled the country with violence, causing chaos throughout the land. I then thought of becoming a wise ruler, implementing benevolent policies, and listening to the people's opinions."

In retrospect, it seems a bit like womanly sentimentality. Your Highness, are you still willing to cooperate with Gui Yao now?

The crown prince nodded.

Although he wished he could replace all the disobedient officials, the checks and balances in the court were not child's play.

"They got off too easily."

But soon, a palace attendant came over and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and the ministers request an audience. They say that another official has gotten into trouble."

The crown prince looked at the emperor and said, "Father, you should rest. I will go and take a look."

The emperor nodded, and the crown prince then instructed the palace servants, "Father has overworked and his headache has flared up again. Summon the imperial physician."

He then instructed his trusted confidants to spread the word about what had happened that day, before putting on a mask and returning to the council hall.

The person involved was a fourth-rank official who was feeling unwell today and had taken leave from attending the morning court session.

Unexpectedly, after drinking the Chinese medicine, he took the sword from the wall and slashed his own throat, with no chance for the servants to stop him.

With such a big incident happening in the manor, and so many people talking at once, the news spread quickly.

The officials had just arrived at the palace gates after court when they heard about this, and they all returned to the palace.

The crown prince listened quietly without saying a word.

After waiting for a long time, an official mustered up the courage to ask him to make a move. The crown prince sneered, "Like you all, I am not skilled in magic."

The implication is that if you want to live, you have to ask Gui Yao to come back, which means you have to meet his demands.

When it came to their own lives, the officials, who were used to opposing the emperor, finally started to rack their brains to figure out how to ensure that the people had enough to eat and wear, so that they could come up with a plan and then ask Gui Yao to come back.

Gui Yao had also heard about the official's affair and asked Mao Dan, "Didn't you put anything in his medicine?"

"I'm logging off."

Mao Dan's face darkened as he said, "That official has terrible personal ethics. He treated his wife very badly in the past. When she found bird droppings, she just stirred them up with a spoon and made him drink it..."

"All right."

Gui Yao was also speechless.

Just then, Li Deshun reappeared outside Xuanji Tower.