Chapter 439: Chapter 265: Suppressing the Partisan Strife, Seeing Luo Qiufu Again, Sowing Chaos in the Six Kingdoms, The Princess Enters the Capital (Part 2)
"Additionally, we can solicit funds from the Nobility and the great Noble Families."
The method sounded very familiar.
That’s right. It was a method Lu Mingyuan recalled from a certain emperor who had hanged himself from a tree on a mountain.
However, the current Great Yan was different. It wasn’t simply made up of Noble Families, nor were there any major factional struggles.
In this world, the Three Religions also existed, and ultimately, strength decided everything.
As long as one was strong enough to intimidate all the officials, squeezing silver out of them wouldn’t be difficult.
Hearing this, the Champion Marquis’s expression grew complicated.
’The Holy Emperor, as the Emperor, is actually willing to target these families from the Nobility.’
’It seems he truly wants to revitalize Great Yan, not just be a ruler who maintains the status quo.’
He naturally had no objections.
He would be overjoyed if these Noble Families could provide silver for the military campaign against the Six Kingdoms.
’It’s just that those great Noble Families would likely raise hell.’
’Wait...’
’The great Noble Families...’
Suddenly, Huo Qing thought of a great idea.
’A way to discipline these great Noble Families with just cause, and raise military funds at the same time.’
"Your Majesty, this general has a plan," Huo Qing said in a low voice.
"Speak, my dear minister."
Lu Mingyuan waved his hand.
"We could start by doing this... and then this..."
"..."
The explanation lasted for a quarter of an hour.
After listening to the whole plan, a sharp glint appeared in Lu Mingyuan’s eyes. He clapped his hands in excitement and said,
"A brilliant idea!"
"This way, we can not only quell the widespread chaos within Great Yan but also fill the national treasury. It truly kills two birds with one stone."
"Let’s do it just like that!"
...
Time passed extremely quickly. In the blink of an eye, a month went by.
The tragedy of the Song Dynasty soon spread throughout the Central Plains World.
It shocked the various kingdoms, but one point in particular drew everyone’s attention.
Namely, whether the Celestial Destiny and Fortune of the Song Dynasty still existed.
Celestial Destiny and Fortune was an inherently ethereal and illusory concept.
Did it reside in a single person, or within the National Fortune as a whole?
No one knew the answer to this.
However, this event served as a true wake-up call for the Six Kingdoms. They grew wary of their neighbors, and for a time, every nation felt a sense of crisis, significantly tightening their defenses.
As late autumn arrived, the weather grew colder, and the year drew to a close.
The countdown to the annual Myriad Nations Banquet had begun once more.
Only this time, the crowd of spectators was larger than ever before.
Beneath the black eaves of the Imperial City Gate, carriages streamed in and out.
A magnificent palanquin slowly entered the Capital City. To the surprise of onlookers, it was pulled by several strange-looking Barbaric Beasts. This was clearly not something an ordinary family could afford—even disciples from the great clans would have to carefully consider the cost.
Passersby all speculated about the identity of the palanquin’s owner.
A noble lady with snow-white skin, dressed in a long gown embroidered with a Three-legged Golden Crow, sat beside a finely carved window. Her unadorned face possessed an indescribable, tranquil beauty, tinged with a pitiable charm.
She gazed upon the scenes of the Imperial Capital City and let out a wistful sigh:
"I never thought I’d be back here after just one year."
"But this time, it’s under these circumstances."
A maid at her side comforted her, saying, "Your Highness the Princess, don’t worry. Since the new Emperor of Great Yan was willing to take you in, he will surely have a way for you to return home."
"I hope so."
Luo Qiufu’s eyes dimmed, all of her proud splendor from a year ago gone.
"If I had been more wary of that man earlier, perhaps things wouldn’t have ended up this way. But alas, there are no ’if onlys’..."
「Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace.」
Lu Mingyuan, having just concluded the morning court session, was with the Champion Marquis settling the accounts for the silver collected over the past month.
According to the Champion Marquis, many Government Offices throughout Great Yan had yet to submit. Some had not even adopted the new reign title. Such treasonous acts certainly had to be made an issue of.
Therefore, Lu Mingyuan launched a thorough investigation into the matter.
Any State and County that failed to comply was forced to pay additional taxes.
To prevent the Government Offices from simply passing the tax burden onto the common people—the classic case of "the wool comes from the sheep’s own back"—Lu Mingyuan dispatched the Great Yan’s Bright Lamp Bureau to monitor the entire nation.
Left with no other choice, these Government Offices could only ask the local magnates for money.
Furthermore, Lu Mingyuan confiscated the assets of Emperor Yong’an’s old loyalists and former ministers, adding their wealth to the national treasury, which amounted to a huge sum. These high-ranking Court officials may have been mediocre at governing, but their personal fortunes were substantial.
Within the Capital City, any great clan previously associated with Emperor Yong’an was thrown into the Imperial Prison by Lu Mingyuan.
As for the rebellious factions in various regions who defied the Court’s decrees, they were executed the moment they revealed themselves.
In short, there was one simple rule.
Those who committed grave errors were beheaded.
Those who committed minor errors were fined.
Over the course of the month, Lu Mingyuan completely stabilized the domestic situation, pacified the rebellious factions, and effectively nipped future troubles in the bud.
It was all thanks to the Champion Marquis.
Quelling rebellions everywhere also took a great deal of effort.
Fortunately, they had gathered enough money.
The national treasury was now far wealthier than before. While not enough to declare war on all Six Kingdoms, it was at least sufficient to mobilize forces capable of sweeping through three of them.
In this massive fundraising effort, a special thanks was owed to the Seventh Prince and the Yunwan Commerce Association for their generous contribution.
At Lu Mingyuan’s firm "request," Lu Yunwan naturally kept his head down and didn’t dare cause any trouble.
Without a second word, he donated over one hundred million in silver.
"Actually, this general has another question, though I fear it may offend the Holy Emperor."
In a side hall, the Champion Marquis looked at Lu Mingyuan and spoke with considerable hesitation.
"Say whatever is on your mind. We have a relationship of trust, Father-in-law; there’s no need for such reservations," Lu Mingyuan said with a smile.
After a month of cooperation, he was increasingly satisfied with his father-in-law.
He could both fight on the battlefield and devise strategies.
"Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince?"
Huo Qing finally asked the sensitive question.
Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan’s brows furrowed.
He clearly hadn’t expected this question.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it.
It was just that there were far too many other matters at hand, and he simply hadn’t had time to address it.
Now that the Champion Marquis had brought it up,
it meant it was time to handle it.
Lu Mingyuan sighed. "Neither of them has done anything out of line. If I were to simply eliminate them, the world would surely condemn me for being cold-blooded and ruthless."
"But aren’t Emperors supposed to be cold-blooded and ruthless?"
Lu Mingyuan asked himself, as if answering his own question.
"We shall see. The Seventh Prince has donated silver to the treasury time and again, which is a merit in his favor. The Ninth Prince has remained in his manor, content to be an idle, wealthy Prince. It’s not as though I haven’t had them monitored; I simply haven’t found anything suspicious."
Just because they were behaving didn’t mean Lu Mingyuan hadn’t assigned people to watch them.
In fact, they were under 24-hour surveillance, and they truly hadn’t done anything out of line.
So he couldn’t find any pretext to act against them.
Hearing this answer, the Champion Marquis was actually relieved.
’In his view, at least Lu Mingyuan wasn’t a cold-blooded and ruthless Emperor like Emperor Yong’an. There was still room for familial affection in his heart.’
’He still had reservations when it came to his own relatives.’
’At least he was still human.’
’Someone like Emperor Yong’an acted entirely in his own self-interest. Lu Mingyuan wouldn’t just kill someone on a whim.’
’If Lu Mingyuan killed both of his brothers, then Huo Qing would have to wonder if he, too, would be discarded and killed once his usefulness was at an end.’
So this question that he asked was a very pointed one.
"REPORT!"
Just then, the clear voice of an Imperial Guard rang out from outside the Imperial Palace.
"Reporting to the Holy Emperor, an envoy has arrived to request an audience!"
Huo Qing heard the announcement as well. He cupped his fist and said, "In that case, this general will take his leave and not disturb you further. I must go and make preparations for the expedition."
"Go."
Lu Mingyuan gestured with a wave of his hand.
A moment later,
a beautiful woman in a trailing gown entered the grand hall. Her skin was as fine as white porcelain, and her bearing was elegant and noble, giving her an exceedingly distinguished appearance.
Seeing the visitor, Lu Mingyuan smiled faintly and said,
"It’s been a long time."
"Her Highness the Princess."
When Luo Qiufu saw him, she was devoid of her former radiance. She stepped forward anxiously and said, "What do you want? As long as you help me return to the Golden Crow Country and reclaim my authority, this Princess can give you anything."
’Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.’
’The once-domineering Luo Qiufu could now only meekly beg for his help.’
’No matter who it was, seeing such a scene, they would be unable to suppress the feeling of glee in their heart.’
...
