133: opposite

Chapter 132: Rebellion

On the day of the Great Audience, Wang Anshi's remarks were far too shocking.

Investigating the country's cultivated land was not a problem, and investigating the country's population was not a problem either.

Lightening corvée labor and reducing taxes was fine, and abolishing exorbitant taxes and levies was also fine.

But of all things, he should never, ever have reached his hands into the pockets of the great noble families, high-ranking officials, and wealthy merchants!

Which of them did not possess fortunes rivaling a nation? Which of them had not encroached upon countless interests?

And now, Wang Anshi actually dared to investigate them and even demanded that they pay taxes. How could this be possible!

"Your Majesty! This precedent must never be set!"

"Your Majesty! We are all Disciples of the Saint, exceptionally upright and incorruptible. We truly have no money to pay taxes!"

"Your Majesty! A king does not speak of wealth or poverty, and feudal lords do not haggle over amounts. Households that receive stipends from the state do not contend with the common people for profit."

"Your Majesty! To levy taxes on merchants... if things go on like this, everyone in Great Yu will pursue profit, which will inevitably plunge the imperial court into utter chaos!"

"Your Majesty! You must never listen to slander and be hoodwinked by petty villains!"

"Your Majesty! Let this subject beat Wang Anshi, this treacherous villain, to death!"

"Ah…!"

For a time, a chaotic melee instantly broke out across the entire imperial court.

Seven or eight old men surrounded Wang Anshi and rained blows upon him. Out of respect for the elderly and young, Wang Anshi did not fight back, choosing instead to constantly dodge and retreat.

However, when facing some of the younger officials, he met force with force, beating quite a few of them until they wailed and cried for their parents.

Wang Anshi had fought his way out from among the rebellious masses in Yong Province, so he naturally possessed some martial arts prowess.

This disturbance continued until Zheng Yi issued an order, and Xu Mujun and the others finally separated the various officials.

In the grand hall, a large pile of torn clothes, fallen boots, and hats were left scattered on the ground, presenting a very miserable sight.

"Beloved subjects, please remain calm and do not be impatient."

Zheng Yi said calmly, "Minister Wang's strategy is something We also feel deeply about. For the sake of Great Yu, the reforms are imperative."

"Wang Anshi, hear my decree."

"Your humble servant is here!"

"I hereby promote Wang Anshi to Second Assistant of the Cabinet and Minister of Revenue to execute these reforms. Respect this!"

As soon as his voice fell, the various court officials present immediately began to wail and cry for their parents.

"Your Majesty! This must not be done!"

"Your Majesty! You have been hoodwinked by petty villains!"

"Your Majesty…!"

Seeing that many of the old ministers were about to run up to him, Zheng Yi immediately stood up and walked away at a brisk pace.

Liu Chengen hurriedly followed behind, shouting as he went, "Court dismissed!"

"Dismiss the court quickly!"

"Your Majesty!"

Liu Chengen hurried up to him and hesitated, saying, "Does the Directorate of Ceremonial need to help Lord Wang? this servant is afraid he cannot sustain it alone."

"Mn."

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "The nationwide reforms involve too many complications. Dispatch a Martial Artist of the Grandmaster Realm from the Shangwu Division to protect him closely, and ensure Wang Anshi's safety at all costs."

"In addition, summon Wang Anshi for an audience."

"Understood!"

Soon, inside White Jade Capital, Zheng Yi granted an audience to Wang Anshi, Yuan Qichang, Cai Dashi, and the other three.

"We subjects pay our respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"

"Rise."

Zheng Yi said casually, "Starting from today, the reforms begin. Do the three of you have any grievances?"

"We subjects have no grievances!"

"Good!"

Zheng Yi clapped his hands and said, "Execute this strategy boldly and without fear; I will naturally support you from behind."

"Any memorial attempting to slander the three of you will be ignored by Me."

"I trust you three beloved ministers, and I hope you will not let Me down."

The three said respectfully, "We are willing to die in Your Majesty's service!"

"Good!"

Zheng Yi said, "Great Yu has many deep-seated chronic ailments that require strong medicine to cure. Gentlemen, everything depends on you."

"In a few days, I will issue the imperial decree."

"Understood!"

In the following days, numerous officials scrambled to request an audience with Zheng Yi, hoping to make him retract his command or alter the contents of the reforms, but all of them were rejected by Zheng Yi.

Ever since the Great Audience that day, Zheng Yi had been in seclusion inside White Jade Capital, refusing to see anyone.

This state of affairs continued for as long as half a year, until after the Shangyuan Festival, when all the officials finally recognized reality.

The reforms were imperative!

Right after the Shangyuan Festival, Zheng Yi issued the imperial decree, cementing the course of the reforms.

On the fifteenth day of the first month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor issues this decree: Entrusting Wang Anshi as Minister of Revenue and Second Assistant of the Cabinet to take full charge of Great Yu's reform matters."

Wang Anshi also laid out the contents of his reforms in full, compiling them into books and publishing them in the Propaganda Division's newspaper to be distributed across the thirteen provinces.

The reform memorial, titled "Clearly Setting State Affairs", contained numerous provisions, but its core ideology pointed its spearhead directly at large landowners, major noble families, and even various vassal kings and Sects!

"Article One of the Reforms: Order the various commanderies and counties across the thirteen provinces to strictly investigate the specific acreage of cultivated land within their jurisdiction, including the lands of commoners, officials, noble families, vassal kings, and Sects."

"Article Two of the Reforms: Order the various commanderies and counties across the thirteen provinces to strictly investigate the specific population within their jurisdiction and rebuild the household registers, including tenant farmers, fugitive households, and refugees, without letting a single person slip by."

"Article Three of the Reforms: Implement the Single Whip Law, consolidating the land tax, corvée labor, and other miscellaneous levies of various prefectures and counties into a single item, collected collectively in silver and calculated and paid according to acreage. No pretexts may be fabricated to collect exorbitant taxes and levies! Once discovered, the offenders shall be immediately dismissed from office and investigated."

"Article Four of the Reforms: Implement the Green Shoots Law. During the lean months of February and May each year, the government shall provide loans of money and grain to farmers, charging an interest of twenty or thirty percent every half year, to be repaid along with the summer and autumn taxes respectively. This is to assist refugees in farming locally and increase the population."

"Article Five of the Reforms: Implement the Exemption Service Law. The original system of households taking turns to perform corvée labor shall be replaced by hiring people through the government to undertake it. Civilian households unwilling to perform corvée labor shall pay a certain amount of gold and silver according to their poverty-wealth Rank."

"Article Six of the Reforms: Implement the Farmland and Water Conservancy Law, encouraging the reclamation of wasteland and the construction of water conservancy projects. The expenses shall be contributed by local households based on their poverty-wealth Rank, or they may apply for loans from the prefectural and county governments."

"Article Seven of the Reforms: Establish the Commercial Tax Division to levy tariffs on merchants' goods. A certain tax must be paid whenever any cargo is circulated. Except for agricultural supplies (as specified), all other commodities must be taxed!"

"Article Eight of the Reforms: Official taxation. Abolish the notion that people with academic honors do not pay taxes. Any subject of Great Yu, including but not limited to officials, nobility, and imperial relatives, must pay taxes according to their annual income."

"Article Nine of the Reforms…"

These dozen or so comprehensive articles essentially covered all aspects of the nation's politics, economy, culture, population, agriculture, and commerce.

As soon as the contents of the reforms were issued, they immediately caused an incomparably huge commotion.

There were those who cheered, declaring that this was a strategy to revitalize the country and that the imperial court should vigorously promote it.

There were even more who were furious.

Quite a few people clamored that this strategy was a method to exhaust the people and weaken the officials. Countless memorials drifted toward White Jade Capital like snowflakes, but His Majesty kept them all pending without dispatching them.

"His Majesty has been hoodwinked by petty villains! How can he contend with the common people for profit!"

"My family followed Grand Ancestor to conquer the world! This Great Yu realm has a share belonging to us, yet we actually have to pay taxes too!"

"His Majesty even has to call me his cousin, yet as a dignified imperial relative, I actually have to pay taxes!"

"Villains! There are petty villains by His Majesty's side!"

"The treacherous and sycophantic ministers have jumped out on their own! Wang Anshi is one, Yuan Qichang is another, and Cai Dashi is yet another!"

"Hmph! His Majesty turns a deaf ear to our loyal words. This is the sign of a chaotic era!"

"No wonder His Majesty cannot give birth to an imperial prince, and no wonder Tianshou Mountain keeps emitting muffled sounds. It turns out that the ancestors of Great Yu are punishing His Majesty!"

"Shh… You're crazy! How can such things be spoken of?!"

"It is His Majesty who has gone mad! His Majesty is devoid of benevolence, causing Heaven to send down disasters and give birth to ten princesses in a row. If this is not a disaster, what is it!!"

"Purge the emperor's entourage! We want to purge the emperor's entourage!"

"His Majesty is devoid of benevolence… giving birth to ten princesses in succession. Such an inversion of Yin and Yang will inevitably lead to hens crowing at dawn. We ought to prop up the grand mansion as it is about to collapse…!"

In the imperial court, deep in the mountains and wilds, and down in the alleyways of the market, everyone was discussing the contents of Wang Anshi's reforms everywhere.

And some rumors and bewitching instigations targeting Zheng Yi grew increasingly arrogant, spreading through the entire capital like a storm.

Even so, Wang Anshi's reforms were still being carried out with great vigor.

Squads of men from the Jinyi Guard, the Tax Division, and the Commercial Tax Division set out, heading towards the various commanderies and counties across Great Yu's thirteen provinces, all for the purpose of executing the new laws!

Faced with this situation, countless officials also launched a counterattack.

On the twenty-eighth day of the first month in the eighth year of zhengyong, eighteen officials tendered their resignations, but His Majesty did not grant them.

On the fifth day of the second month in the eighth year of zhengyong, twenty-three officials tendered their resignations, and His Majesty granted them.

The positions they vacated were quickly taken over by members of the Emperors Party.

On the twenty-fifth day of the second month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

Second Assistant of the Cabinet Lu Xiangqing and Cabinet Assistant Li Yuanhao stated that they were advanced in age and requested to retire, but His Majesty did not grant it.

On the third day of the third month in the eighth year of zhengyong, Lu Xiangqing and Li Yuanhao requested retirement once more, but His Majesty did not grant it.

On the fifth day of the third month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

An imperial physician went to Kun Ning Palace to take the pulse for peace, and immediately rejoiced.

Empress Lu Liner was pregnant once again.

His Majesty was overjoyed, and the inner court was greatly shaken; this matter immediately spread throughout the imperial court.

On the eighth day of the third month in the eighth year of zhengyong, Lu Xiangqing withdrew his retirement memorial.

On the fifteenth day of the third month in the eighth year of zhengyong, Li Yuanhao continued to request retirement, and Emperor Zhengyong granted it.

On the twentieth day of the third month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

Dali Temple Junior Minister Yuan Fang was promoted to Minister of Dali Temple, becoming one of the Nine Ministers.

On the twenty-eighth day of the third month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

Thirty-five officials tendered their resignations. Emperor Zhengyong rebuked them angrily and then consented.

The officials who left their posts were quickly replaced by members of the Emperors Party.

A portion of them, at the request of Zheng Xuanyue, were taken over by young, upright officials of the Qingliu faction.

On the fifth day of the fourth month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

A landowner in Jing Province was unwilling to let officials from the Ministry of Revenue survey the cultivated land, and instigated tenant farmers to beat a Ministry of Revenue official to death and destroy the body, but it was still discovered by the accompanying Jinyi Guard.

His Majesty was furious and issued a decree to confiscate their entire family, with all family property and land confiscated into the national treasury.

This move not only failed to awe the officials, but instead provoked an even greater backlash.

On the tenth day of the fourth month in the eighth year of zhengyong, seventeen landowners and Sects in Jing Province refused to let Ministry of Revenue officials enter and expelled them.

On the twenty-first day of the fourth month in the eighth year of zhengyong, twenty-three landowners, officials, and nobles in Yangzhou refused to let Ministry of Revenue officials enter and expelled them.

On the first day of the fifth month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

Water bandits infested Jiang Province, killing thirty-two Ministry of Revenue officials, shocking the entire realm.

The Emperor ordered the First Division of the New Army to enter Jiang Province to suppress the water bandits.

On the fifth day of the fifth month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

Shu King Zheng Zongxuan, under the pretext that "the laws of the ancestors cannot be changed and Great Yu's statutes cannot be altered," expelled Great Yu's officials, commanded the subjects of Shu, and carved out a separatist domain as a feudal lord in Shu.

Furthermore, under the name of "purging the emperor's entourage," he marched out of Sichuan into Hanzhong, occupied the three counties of Hanzhong, and pointed his vanguard straight toward the capital!

On the sixth day of the fifth month in the eighth year of zhengyong.

Prince Ning, Zheng Yuanhao, issued a decree following his imperial uncle Zheng Zongxuan, also under the banner of "purging the emperor's entourage," dispatching troops toward the capital!

Subsequently.

Prince Qing Zheng Yuanlie, Prince Jin Zheng Zongyang, Prince Chen Zheng Zongkai, and Prince Jiang Zheng Zongyue all dispatched troops to purge the emperor's entourage!

In the same month.

A civil revolt erupted in Qing Province, with countless rebellious masses storming the prefectural government office, shouting "The Azure Heaven is dead, the White Day illuminates the world!" The White Lotus Sect had experienced a resurgence from the ashes!

At Tianlong Temple in Jiang Province, a Buddha's light illuminated the world. One hundred thousand monk soldiers expelled the Jiang Province commandery troops, occupied the six prefectures of Jiang Province's government office, and declared, "Where the Buddha's light shines is the Western Paradise; earthly matters shall not touch it!"

In Yunmeng Marsh, all elite Martial Artists of the Tuoba family came out in full force. The one hundred thousand water bandits under their command plundered everywhere, and their military vanguard spread across the three provinces of Jing Province, Yangzhou, and Yue Province, forming a formidable power.

In Yong Province and You Province, the Heavens Mandate Sect also experienced a resurgence from the ashes, but it was quickly suppressed by the new recruits.

Subsequently, the believers of the Heavens Mandate Sect broke into Shu Province, converged with Shu King, and willingly became vassals.

In Hai Province, thirty thousand Disciples of Yuanhe Mountain descended the mountain. Most of Hai Province's commandery troops also rebelled, occupying the prefectural office and declaring themselves independent as feudal lords!

In Bing Province.

A mysterious person attacked the local garrison. Cui Xiawu was no match, suffering heavy injuries before being rescued, while killing over a thousand enemies in a single battle!

The newcomer claimed to be from the main Wang family clan; Bing Province had also rebelled!

In just a few short months, out of Great Yu's thirteen provinces, at least ten provinces showed intentions of rebellion!

Yet right under these circumstances, in Wu Country far away in the northern lands, another major event occurred!