Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

I see. These old guys suddenly got the taste of success - it turns out that the government affairs of Da Yan don't even need the emperor to intervene, we can handle it.

The holy emperor governs the world with ease.

No wonder the emperor specially sent someone to contact Babel Tower and asked him to return to Beijing to "report on his work". Perhaps he was really forced into a desperate situation, but he really had no one to use, so he wanted this "old friend of the previous emperor" to stand up for him.

"Are all the talents promoted by Your Majesty unworthy of great use?"

Qiao Yelan suddenly asked this question.

"How could that be possible? How could the emperor really nominate a pig to take over? It's just that the people the emperor chose were too radical - corrupt officials who had been investigated, cruel officials who had been impeached, and even officials who were imprisoned and had their property confiscated. Do you think the prime minister would agree?"

"That is to say, these people are actually capable, but their personal ethics are flawed, right?"

Qiao Yelan grasped the key point.

Eunuch Li nodded and sighed, obviously not knowing why the emperor did this.

People with both moral integrity and ability are either hard to find or their hearts are not on the side of the emperor, so people are appointed based on their abilities, regardless of their moral character. The purpose is to prove to those officials who are capable but whose methods are not up to par that the emperor only wants you to do a good job. As for moral issues and corruption issues, the emperor will personally stand up for you.

First, build a team. No matter what holds this team together, as long as you have the ability and stand on the emperor's side, the emperor will support you.

The man nodded secretly. This was indeed a good way to break the deadlock. After all, people with both moral integrity and talent were a minority, and most officials could only have one - so the emperor was actually deliberately putting hats and labels on the ministers in the court, making them split on their own initiative and forcing the ministers to stand in line again.

After all, the emperor appoints people based on their talents. So, as the opposite, shouldn't the prime minister appoint people based on their moral integrity? In other words, shouldn't he appoint people with both moral integrity and talent?

But the problem is that there are too many officials with dirty hands. No matter how righteous they appear to be, they know deep down what they have done.

For such people, would they be more comfortable standing with the prime minister faction that advocates both moral integrity and talent, or with the emperor faction that advocates "appointing people based on their merits"?

The former have to worry about being exposed and censored, while the latter -

They can even proudly say that their moral standards as officials are definitely above average!

Chapter 80 This is the old drama.jpg

"Thank you, sir, for clearing up my confusion."

"Uh—is that enough?"

Eunuch Li was a little confused.

"Yes, that's enough."

Qiao Yelan already has an understanding of the current situation.

The emperor was not happy with his position, but he had no intention of giving up. Instead, he tried every means to suppress his ministers and expand the sphere of his power - this showed that he was an ambitious emperor.

This also means that now is the time when he is weakest and most in need of help.

The most core intelligence request of the Tower of Babel is whether you have ambition.

"I wonder when the eunuch can arrange for me to enter the palace to meet His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty said, the sooner the better."

"Then please tell the eunuch that I, Qiao Yelan, would like to enter the palace immediately to meet Your Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty has time."

This sentence once again stunned Eunuch Li.

"Now?"

"Yes, right away."

The man pushed the banknote toward the other party again.

"But you should have someone in the palace who can be of use to you—someone who can arrange a way out for you."

The other party's expression suddenly changed.

In fact, this question has already crossed the line. After all, Eunuch Li now only wants to step down safely. If he reveals his cards at this time, he will inevitably be implicated.

However, thinking of the Tower of Babel and the ability of Lord Qiao in front of him, Eunuch Li gritted his teeth and took a deep breath.

"Yes - I am just one of the eunuchs who hold the pen. The current chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department is my godson. I was planning to rely on him to help me leave a way out in the new dynasty. I didn't expect that His Majesty would keep me and neither use me nor kill me."

"Use your means to inform him. If he wants to take a further step, he will soon have an opportunity. If he has no such intention, forget it."

Qiao Yelan made a whispering gesture.

"Of course, you and I know this sentence."

"Of course."

This time, Eunuch Li took the banknote directly, turned around and hurried out of the royal villa.

At this time, Ace hurried in with a stack of documents in his hand.

"This is something someone just sent over - he said he was from Simuitai."

Qiao Yelan picked up the document and narrowed his eyes.

--------------------------------------------

Qiao Yelan sat in the wheelchair that had been examined and was pushed by Eunuch Li through the long palace corridors until they finally arrived at a secluded place.

A bare garden with a pavilion in the middle and guards standing around it.

In the pavilion sat the current Emperor of Dayan.

"Your Majesty, I am Qiao Yelan, your humble servant. I am ill and cannot perform the full ceremony. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

"It's okay. I heard from my father that he once granted you the grace to go to court with a sword and shoes, without kneeling or bowing."

There was no displeasure on the emperor's face, but he looked at him with a serious look.

"It is the grace of the late emperor, not the grace of Your Majesty, and I dare not act rashly."

"Well, that's all I have to say - all of you go down."

"Your Majesty, this-"

"Go down!"

The guards and eunuchs didn't dare to say anything more and retreated one after another.

There was no sound within dozens of meters.

"Qiao Yelan, from the Tower of Babel?"

"Your Majesty's lesson."

"When my father helped me ascend to the throne, he told me that if one day I felt powerless and needed help, but didn't know who I could trust in the world, I could find you through Li Fang, and you would help me regain the world."

The emperor's voice was calm, but the fact that he never left Qiao Yelan's sight still showed his doubts.

"He said that this card would be kept for me and would not be given to that person - because I represent Da Yan."

"The late emperor praised me so much, I am ashamed to accept it."

Qiao Yelan nodded and lowered his brows.

The emperor did not speak immediately. He still couldn't understand why this man in a wheelchair, who looked powerless, was valued so much by his father. It could even be said that this man was the minister his father had left for him to take care of the young emperor.

"Tower of Babel, is it really just a business?"

"Yes."

"Then I am curious, how can you help me regain this Great Yan world?"

"Because I am very good at making money."

Qiao Yelan said with a smile.

"The world is bustling with people all for profit. The world is bustling with people all for profit. If those who serve as officials or soldiers are sincere in serving the country, they must be loyal to Da Yan and loyal to Your Majesty. But if they have ulterior motives, then what they seek must be power and profit."

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, holding the power of the world. It is natural for you to use power to control people, but the word 'profit' is cumbersome and fragmented. With your assistance, Your Majesty will be able to grasp the power and profit, and naturally you will be able to do everything with advantage."

The emperor stopped thinking and looked at Qiao Yelan's face with a playful look.

"You mean, you are a wealthy businessman, rich enough to help me bribe the officials?"

"Your Majesty is wrong. I have no money, and Babel Tower is just an ordinary business that I use to support my family. What I am good at is getting the money that originally belonged to Your Majesty back for Your Majesty."

This statement took the emperor by surprise, and his gaze grew serious.

"Can you tell me more? I am very curious about what money should have belonged to me but has been lost?"

"The minister obeys the order."

Qiao Yelan bowed, and then began his advice with his usual warm and friendly smile.

"Your Majesty knows that the annual revenue of the national treasury mainly comes from taxes and the sales of the Shaofu. The tax revenue of Da Yan is kept relatively low. After all, these are fixed. The only thing that may fluctuate is the commercial tax."

Of course the emperor knew this.

What fluctuated was commercial taxes, and the biggest cause of the fluctuation was naturally due to - Longmen.

Once Longmen is in chaos, commercial taxes will decrease, and if Longmen becomes peaceful, commercial taxes will greatly increase. Therefore, over the past few decades, Longmen has maintained a delicate balance between the Governor of Longmen and Kosice because everyone needs Longmen's [peace].

"Your Majesty, the situation in Longmen has been changing since the marriage with the Eastern Kingdom. Therefore, the commercial taxes have been reduced again and again in the past few years. Not to mention the fighting this year, which almost blocked the trade between the two sides. Therefore, the commercial taxes this year will not look good in terms of quantity."

Qiao Yelan’s words made the emperor immediately grasp the key point.

"On the surface?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. This year, Duke Wei took control of Longmen and fought against Kosciuszko. The security of Longmen collapsed. The trade route is different. It sounds so good - but is this trade route really unavailable?"

Qiao Yelan always just states the facts and lets the listeners think about it for themselves.

"Could Kosice not know how much profit she can gain through the trade route? Even if she doesn't know, doesn't Duke Wei know?"

"Grand Duke Koschei is extremely special in Ursus. Ursus has not had the energy and extra resources to support her in recent years, and the poverty of her fiefdom is also an open secret. So what on earth supported her to fight against Duke Wei for so long before she was completely defeated?"

"As for Duke Wei, it is clear that Great Yan would not allocate any funds to him, and Duke Wei himself has no other fiefdoms except Longmen. So how did he raise an army with enough numbers and combat power to drive out Kosice who had been entrenched in Longmen for decades?"

Qiao Yelan's words caused a stir in the emperor's ears.

"These two are both tyrants. How could a tyrant be willing to accept help from others and be controlled by them? So the answer is obvious - they must have their own way of making money to support their fight."

"Calculate the commercial taxes you have under-collected in the past few years, and then calculate how many people these taxes can support, and you will understand how they have been able to conquer until now."

The emperor felt his fists harden.

Those two bastards were fighting in Longmen, and all they burned was my money!

After a long silence, the emperor spoke again.

"Forget it, it's all in the past. Fortunately, Wei Yanwu has completely taken over Longmen, and the trade route has been opened again. After this, commercial taxes will slowly return to normal levels."

The emperor tried to calm himself down. After all, all the money had been burned, and it was unrealistic to ask Wei Yanwu and Kosice to return the money now. It would be better to settle the account slowly later.

"Your Majesty, I have said that I am good at helping Your Majesty get back the money that belongs to you. Therefore, I have discovered something even more suspicious from the behavior of those two people."

Qiao Yelan’s constant fanning of the flames never lets the fire go out on its own.

"The merchants in those caravans would rather pay tolls to the two local tyrants Koschei and Wei Yanwu than continue to trade. That's because the profits are so considerable - that means that even with the tolls, they can make a fortune!"

"Merchants are the most timid and the most daring people. They cherish their lives but are also greedy for money. They still go out to trade even when they are risking their lives and being exploited by passers-by. This shows that under such circumstances, they earn even more than when they paid taxes to Da Yan in the past peacetime."

The emperor was stunned.

He really hadn't thought of this. Originally, he was just worried about the commercial taxes of the past few years. But after Qiao Yelan reminded him, he remembered that the commercial taxes were just the money collected and returned to him.

What about the money that was not collected and fell into the hands of those businessmen?

How many should there be?

It is businessmen's nature to pursue profit, so they will do anything as long as there is profit. High risk and high profit are twins. The higher the risk, the higher the profit, and the higher the profit, the more businessmen are willing to take risks.

They paid taxes to Koschei and Wei Yanwu, and even took the risk of being robbed, robbed, or gunned down to carry out such trade - without a high enough return on investment, would they take such a big risk?

That must be because after going through so much, the profits they got were much higher than the profits they got after paying taxes to Dayan during the peacetime years, so they would do this!

"How can a small family dare to do such a cross-border business? Of course, only large caravans with backstage support dare to continue to go through Longmen during this period. Therefore, the money naturally falls into the hands of the people behind the caravan."

Qiao Yelan's voice carried a hint of suggestive anger.

"Your Majesty, think about it. When the national treasury is not rich, these people have a lot of income in their hands. Do you think they will just be content to bury this money in their own cellar?"

Of course not!

The emperor roared these words in his heart.

Now it's all clear.

According to the ancestral rules established when the Great Yan Dynasty was founded, the army was not allowed to engage in business. Therefore, the only ones who could support the multinational caravans were naturally the prime minister and his group of civil servants.