Chapter 666: 99 Emperors, Full Army Advances North

Chapter 666: Chapter 275: 99 Emperors, Full Army Advances North

“Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider. Once this policy is enacted, it will surely cause an uproar across the land, and the people will turn against you.”

Tong Taiyuan, kneeling on the ground, with his white beard and hair trembling incessantly, cried out in distress.

Chen Ping sat high on the throne, resting his chin on his hand, amused as he looked at this former head of the Cabinet Scholars, now the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He thought to himself, this old fellow finally couldn’t hold back. But there’s no rush; take it slowly. There will be more urgency later.

“An uproar? Who would cause an uproar, and why? Is it because of mere words, or because of their scholarly achievements? The people turning against me—who exactly?”

His gaze swept over the ministers in the hall, and he softly asked, “Is there anyone else who thinks this policy is flawed? Speak up now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of all the ministers in the hall, whether civil or military, drastically changed. Each had a myriad of thoughts but dared not voice any of them.

Tang Wenzheng gritted his teeth, suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Your Majesty’s move is groundbreaking in a thousand years, …

Throughout history, at the founding of every dynasty, it has always been prosperous, but the national fortune declines after a few hundred years due to rampant corruption and ineffective governance, repeatedly unchecked…

The introduction of the ‘nine-rank, thirty-six grade’ salary system is truly the manifestation of the Holy Emperor on earth, ensuring peace for all, and long-lasting prosperity.”

Just as the ministers’ gazes toward Tang Wenzheng began to turn strange and even disdainful, and they could hardly hold back these emotions from showing on their faces, Tang Wenzheng changed his tone and with a smile said, “Human nature is inherently selfish. Even with this ‘nine-rank, thirty-six-grade’ salary, clarifying the income of various officials and citizens, how can one monitor the entire world and deter all types of people across the seas?”

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that Tang Wenzheng indeed deserved his place among the top of the Thirteen Noble Families. Even after pledging loyalty and offering vast family wealth, it didn’t mean he would retreat entirely and undermine the foundation of his family’s standing.

The officials in the hall were already reduced by more than half compared to the time of the Great Li.

Those who remained were mostly those whose manners were slightly more presentable.

But no matter how presentable, these officials from noble families and scholarly, commercial backgrounds were akin to those who consumed human flesh and blood. From birth to adulthood, they naturally had their stances. They might submit, but they would never sincerely support policies that dug at their foundational interests.

Just like the ‘nine-rank, thirty-six-grade’ salary system proposed by Chen Ping through Feng Yuantu, along with severe penalties such as dismissal and forced labor for embezzling over ten taels of silver, repairing bridges and roads, and sentences ranging from five to ten years or even lifelong hard labor depending on the severity of the case.

This policy, once introduced, immediately caused a huge uproar among the ministers.

They never expected that the first blow would be aimed right at them.

If they had known, what was the point of their submission? It would have been more dignified to resist outright.

If they couldn’t resist?

Then forget it.

“Yes, Your Majesty mustn’t, if this policy is implemented, there will never be peace in the land again.”

“Your Majesty must not be stubborn. If this continues, the people will have no motivation to improve themselves, leading to laziness and negligence, greatly weakening national strength. If invaded by foreign forces, it would lead to a swift defeat, and the misery would be long-lasting.”

“Your Majesty, this must never happen…”

Dozens of voices rose in advice.

At this moment, these people had a general understanding of Chen Ping’s temperament. As long as no mistakes were made, minor verbal offenses were nothing to be overly concerned about.

Whether he would accept their advice was one thing, but this Emperor Taihe, true to his title, was quite calm and peaceful when not taking lives.

Feng Yuantu listened on the side, not interrupting, just showing a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

Sometimes, he always felt that this emperor’s every word and action seemed to be chaotic, attempting what predecessors had never imagined. Some of the ideas were downright unfathomable, with no indication beforehand of the slightest chance of success.

Yet, he managed to accomplish them.

In retrospect, the results were quite effective.

Just like the previous implementation of land and household registration reform, Feng Yuantu thought it was over at that point, offending every noble family and household across the land—making it seem as though the whole world was an enemy.

Even if they conquered the world, managing it would be impossible, as no one would respond positively.

Relying on illiterate peasants to manage the country—how could that be competent?

A while later, however, it was quite peculiar.

He indeed executed it.

Those elite families feared death more than expected, and their resistance wasn’t as intense as imagined.

After the Great Yu Dynasty’s military made precise strikes against some leading troublemakers, most people could only bury their dissatisfaction deep within their hearts.

As for whether or not the peasants could manage? Serve as officials?

This was a worthy question.

Feng Yuantu had seen some individuals who couldn’t recognize a single character and couldn’t count past ten fingers, yet once they became officials, they erupted with immense enthusiasm, getting things remarkably orderly.

Not knowing how to read wasn’t a problem. There were plenty of impoverished scholars who could be recruited to help.

In the worst-case scenario, if they couldn’t write official documents, they could use drawings or spread messages by shouting—it was feasible.

Additionally, controlling grain and salt sales, forbidding private transactions, everything was government-bought and then distributed per capita.

Each person would receive a few small slips of paper each month, allotting a fixed amount of food; no matter how much wealth one concealed at home, one couldn’t buy even a pound more of coarse grain.

This strategy practically drove some wealthy families to despair.

They were born to luxury, with feast and abundance surrounding them, and had never lived such a constrained life.

Thus, all over the nation, every prefecture and county was stirred up in a vigorous wave of rebellion.