Puppet Emperor 04

"Please speak, Your Majesty." Teng Shuchang's words were respectful, but his expression was arrogant.

"About this tax collection, I actually know a little bit. There are two methods. One is to collect a lot at once, an increased tax." Fang Zhiyi lowered his voice, "My royal father did exactly this. The only side effect was just some unruly commoners causing trouble."

Teng Shuchang was taken aback. "And the other method?"

Fang Zhiyi frowned in thought for a moment. "Just collect taxes according to the old method. Although it won't yield as much as the first method, it won't be little either. The important thing is that it comes in every year, it's just a bit slower."

An incompetent ruler.

That was the first thought that popped into Teng Shuchang's mind.

He only pondered for a moment. "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the second method is more in line with our ruler's thoughts."

"Is that so?" Fang Zhiyi nodded. "What a pity, I wanted to get it over with quickly."

Teng Shuchang was stunned. Was this guy crazy? If he really let him do that, given that the people's hearts were already unstable, wouldn't it directly incite a rebellion? He subconsciously decided that from then on, he had to review every one of Fang Zhiyi's decisions. He couldn't let this foolish emperor mess up the situation in just a few moves.

That day, upon returning to the military camp, Teng Shuchang hadn't even warmed his seat before he heard news that left him dumbfounded.

After the morning assembly, Fang Zhiyi immediately took a dozen eunuchs and aggressively rushed to Xie Wanyuan's house, smashing everything up. If Xie Wanyuan hadn't been away from home, he probably would have been beaten up too.

Teng Shuchang laughed. "I knew the emperors of the Li Dynasty were absurd, but I didn't expect to run into the most absurd one of all."

"This Xie Wanyuan..." Little Hei sighed, "is an honest official, a good official, and also a solitary minister."

"He hasn't joined any faction and only works wholeheartedly for the imperial court. He has offended countless people. In fact, he only has the court and the common people in his heart; even the former emperor meant nothing to him."

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "I could tell. He's incredibly stubborn. If I hadn't struck first today, his head would probably be hanging outside the Meridian Gate by now."

"I still don't understand what you are trying to do."

Fang Zhiyi smiled. "What else can I do when things are like this? Just muddle along day by day. At any rate, I am still an emperor. After fighting wars in so many worlds, can't I just enjoy myself a little?"

"As long as you're happy. If only we had arrived earlier. I feel that with your methods, you probably could have withstood the great army of the Mang Dynasty."

"You think too highly of me. Ice doesn't freeze three feet thick in a single cold day. This Li Dynasty was already riddled with holes to begin with." Fang Zhiyi stared blankly at the moon in the sky.

"Bastard! You are an absolute bastard!" Because he had to wake up early every day for the morning assembly, Fang Zhiyi's temper had become very bad.

Watching yet another minister being scolded by Fang Zhiyi until he didn't dare to make a sound, Teng Shuchang felt a bit helpless but also quite pleased. The more Fang Zhiyi acted like this, the more alienated the ministers would become from him, and the less chance he would have of turning the tables. Everything was developing in the direction they hoped for.

"I can't take it anymore." After the court assembly, Fang Zhiyi just lay flat. Teng Shuchang was a bit bewildered: "What is wrong, Your Majesty?"

"What's wrong? Look at all this crap!" Fang Zhiyi pointed at the pile of memorials. "How about you do it?"

"Me?" Teng Shuchang was puzzled.

"Yes, you do it. I don't want to do it anyway, or you can send a few people over." Fang Zhiyi said. The thirteen northern cities had already been taken over by the officials of the Mang State, but they still sent government affairs to the capital to be handled. By the time they reached Fang Zhiyi, they had already passed through Teng Shuchang's hands.

"Uh... this... isn't very appropriate, is it?" Teng Shuchang looked at this emperor, constantly sighing in his heart.

"What's inappropriate about it?" Fang Zhiyi sat up. "It's settled then. From now on, after court, you send people to handle this rubbish. I want to go out for a stroll."

"A stroll?" Teng Shuchang became vigilant.

Fang Zhiyi chuckled, "To tell you the truth, I haven't really been out of the palace much. If you guys hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I would have been stuck here for the rest of my life."

Teng Shuchang looked at Fang Zhiyi's yearning expression, and combining it with his previous actions, just shook his head. "Your Majesty should just stay peacefully within the palace."

Fang Zhiyi didn't say anything else, only sighing continuously.

"It won't be easy to get out," Little Hei pondered. "How about you just kill him, and then have those eunuchs form a guard squad or something."

"Do you think we are shooting a movie? With the meager combat power in this palace, we'd be flattened in minutes." Fang Zhiyi stroked his chin. "However, there is a way."

Although he said that, Fang Zhiyi had completely given up. He was either researching barbecue to satisfy his cravings or sunbathing and sleeping. He was originally just a mascot anyway, and Teng Shuchang had no demands of him, so he could only bend over and honestly start working himself.

This time, the tax collection did not go smoothly. Many commoners resisted the taxes and even clashed with the soldiers. If Teng Shuchang's trusted aides hadn't arrived fast enough, rivers of blood would have flowed at the scene.

This made Teng Shuchang very irritable, so much so that his face darkened when he saw Fang Zhiyi carrying a birdcage.

"Oh, what's wrong, General Teng?" Fang Zhiyi had completely let himself go. He held a birdcage in his left hand, and the eunuch behind him was holding a cat.

Teng Shuchang glanced at him. "It's about the tax collection. My thought is, if it doesn't work, we'll just kill a batch first. We've given them too much face!"

Fang Zhiyi raised his eyebrows. "Wouldn't killing a batch make things even worse? Do you know who is whose relative or friend? When the time comes, people will be even more rebellious."

"Then what do you say we do?" Teng Shuchang raised his voice. "We have conquered your capital, but that's because you were too weak. It's time for their ridiculous integrity to see some blood!"

Fang Zhiyi shrugged and prepared to leave with a face full of indifference.

His attitude made Teng Shuchang inexplicably angry. As an emperor, hearing that your own subjects were going to be killed, you aren't moved at all?

He immediately reached out to stop Fang Zhiyi. Dexiang opened his mouth, but saw Fang Zhiyi wave his hand, looking thoughtful.

"General Teng, I actually have a method that is more reliable than collecting taxes, and maybe we can get a bit more out of it." Fang Zhiyi rubbed his fingers together, looking like a scheming merchant.

Teng Shuchang was taken aback, half-believing and half-doubting. "You have a method?"

Fang Zhiyi chuckled. "Let's go, we'll talk in the study!" He strode forward, and Teng Shuchang followed behind in confusion.

In the original plot, because the commoners resisted the taxes, Teng Shuchang had his subordinates kill many of them and barely managed to collect the tax funds. Naturally, Fang Zhiyi would not watch this kind of thing happen.

Inside the study.

Teng Shuchang looked at Fang Zhiyi's confident appearance. "Since that's the case, I'll give you a chance. If you can't handle it well, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Hearing this, Fang Zhiyi stood up to leave. "Then you might as well just chop them down right now."

"Hey?" Seeing him leave so resolutely, Teng Shuchang was a bit shaken. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I'll listen to you. You handle it."

Fang Zhiyi turned back and smiled. "But there's one thing, you have to cooperate with me."