chsdbacks Chapter 43, Flying Kites
Chapter 43, Flying Kites
The Holy Emperor's face darkened, and he was somewhat angry!
Who do you think I am?
If I were that kind of person, would those palace maids in my palace who deliberately expose their enormous bodies every day still need to stare at me so eagerly?
The Holy Emperor felt that his noble character had been insulted!
Gao Zhan looked uneasy, his body trembling slightly.
It was rumored that the Emperor of Qing Kingdom had a fondness for the wives of his ministers and had taken in a mad rush of concubines as soon as he ascended the throne.
Realizing he had made a mistake in his flattery, Gao Zhan immediately changed his approach.
Gao Zhan immediately knelt down and shouted:
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"
After the Holy Emperor rejected the Empress Gao Zhan, who was over forty years old, Gao Zhan took another approach and simply made the Holy Emperor his father.
After all, this kind of thing has happened before. When the world was divided into four kingdoms and the kingdoms were fighting each other, there were times when people served foreign emperors.
Gao Zhan knelt on the ground, his posture devout!
I've recognized you as my godfather, so you can't just kill me again, can you?
The Holy Emperor blinked, a rare look of astonishment on his face.
Even the Holy Emperor was astonished!
Although, in terms of age, he could be the father of the emperor of Qi.
In this era, even being a "master" isn't out of the question.
The Holy Emperor slowly descended the cliff face, a broad smile on his face: "I'm a little short of money lately..."
"no problem!"
Gao Zhan immediately smiled obsequiously and asked, "How much money does Father Emperor need?"
"I... I still have two million taels in my private treasury. Father Emperor, you can take it if you need it."
The Holy Emperor's face darkened once again!
My money!
The Holy Emperor then thought of the beasts in the Qing Kingdom, who squandered his money, marrying ten or eight wives and buying ten or eight houses.
Before the confiscation of the property of aristocratic families, the emperor's private treasury contained only a mere 30,000 taels of silver!
Gao Zhan smiled broadly and asked, "Does Father have any other requests?"
At this moment, Gao Zhan's will to survive is overflowing!
Having witnessed the terrifying power of the Holy Emperor, Gao Zhan had long since given up any thought of resistance.
It's just about acknowledging a father figure, isn't it?
It's not like he hasn't called his father "Father Emperor" before.
The Holy Emperor revealed an evil smile.
"Issue an imperial edict to summon all officials to court!"
……
The officials of Qi had been waiting at the palace gate for a long time.
Upon receiving the news of the court session, the officials immediately lined up and began to enter the palace.
As the assembled officials entered the Wuying Hall, they immediately saw the Holy Emperor sitting upright on the dragon throne.
Beside the Holy Emperor stood the Emperor of Northern Qi, who stood respectfully.
Seeing this, the Qi officials, who were always hypocritical, began to curse inwardly.
The emperor should have died for his country at this time!
The literati and scholars of the Qingliu school have always held the emperor to extremely high moral standards.
However, since even the emperor had become a "submissive subject," he could no longer cause them any trouble afterward.
"I intend to implement benevolent governance in the State of Qi!"
The officials lowered their heads, and no one spoke.
Once you're gone, I don't care what kind of benevolent policies you implemented.
The Holy Emperor smiled broadly: "From this day forward, all registered officials shall take stock of their assets, and 70% of all asset profits shall be handed over to me for unified allocation!"
"Whether officials or powerful families, all must pay a 'favor tax'!"
"And of course, there's the death tax!"
"The remaining assets will be inherited by your sons and daughters. They only need to pay 40% of their assets as taxes to me, and then they can divide the assets equally!"
The Holy Emperor is fair, and the policies implemented in Qing will naturally be implemented in Qi as well.
Just as the officials thought, he could not occupy the State of Qi for long.
It was easy to conquer the State of Qi, but governing it was an extremely difficult task.
At least within the Qing Kingdom, there are still many beasts waiting for the Holy Emperor to deal with them.
Instantly, the silent ministers all raised their heads.
He felt a slight anger in his heart, but quickly suppressed it.
I need money!
Even after you leave, the money will still be ours.
At worst, the common people will suffer. After all, it's the emperor competing with the people for profit. If anyone is to blame, it's the emperor of Qing.
If all else fails, blame our emperor; who told him to lose because he lacked backbone?
The ministers, who had never witnessed the great power of the Holy Emperor, still lacked reverence for him; at the very least, they dared to exploit the poor and insignificant people whom the Holy Emperor valued.
The Holy Emperor looked down at the assembled officials in the hall and smiled, saying, "I plan to return to Qing Kingdom in a month, so you may all come with me."
Upon hearing this, the court officials were completely unsettled.
If they return to Qing Kingdom, what power will they still have?
"His Majesty!"
"We are subjects of the Great Qi; is it inappropriate for us to travel to the Qing Kingdom?"
"Your Majesty, I request to resign and return to my hometown!"
"Your Majesty, I request to resign!"
"Your Majesty, I request to resign!"
In a short time, many officials requested to resign and return to their hometowns.
The officials who had previously had straw stuck in their heads also stepped forward.
Money is fine, but asking them to leave the country they love is absolutely out of the question.
He can resign now, but he will be reinstated when the Crown Prince returns.
They've all surrendered; we can't just kill them.
Moreover, with so many people, if we kill them, who will maintain order in the court? The entire city of Ye will likely descend into chaos.
Gao Zhan looked at the officials who were resigning one after another and sneered inwardly.
These are my subjects!
There wasn't a single loyal and devoted person among them.
Unfortunately, they never witnessed the power of this Emperor of Daqing, otherwise they would never have uttered such words.
The Holy Emperor smiled and said, "None of you want to go?"
Silence fell over the court.
"Someone come here!"
"Bring me my kite!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several guards outside the hall quickly raised a huge kite that was as tall as a person.
The emperor's majestic gaze swept over the assembled officials, then he pointed with his finger.
"You're the one!"
The Holy Emperor had already strode down the Danbi cliff.
Without a word, the imperial guards rushed forward and dragged the unfortunate Vice Minister of War to a kite.
"His Majesty!"
"His Majesty……"
The Vice Minister of War immediately panicked.
The Holy Emperor's lips curled into a mocking smile as he laughed, "I'll play a game with you!"
"The game is called 'Flying Kites'!"
The imperial guards had already swiftly bound and imprisoned the Vice Minister of War.
The Holy Emperor picked up the kite with the Minister of War tied to it with one hand and laughed loudly, "Take a look, everyone, how is my kite flying?"
The Vice Minister of War turned pale with fright.
The assembled officials looked at the Vice Minister of War, who was tied to a kite, with a mixture of sympathy and relief.
At this moment, everyone secretly made up their minds that they absolutely could not let their guard down.
As long as they persist, the emperor will eventually give in; this is their usual tactic.
The Holy Emperor, holding a kite, looked up at the sky and laughed loudly, "Hold on tight!"
The Holy Emperor performed a miraculous feat!
The entire kite, carrying the person, was instantly hurled into the sky by the Holy Emperor, and then disappeared as a black dot.
The echoes of the Vice Minister of War's screams lingered in the sky.
The ministers trembled violently, their hearts filled with roars and curses.
Damn it, you dog emperor, how can you fly a kite like that?
"continue!"
An excited smile appeared on the Holy Emperor's face.
He casually pointed to another high-ranking official among the assembled officials, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.
The Vice Minister of Works' expression changed slightly.
"His Majesty!"
"I believe it's not impossible to go to the Kingdom of Qing!"
"I have long admired the Kingdom of Qing, and it is truly an honor for me to be able to go there!"