Creation Color Master

By the pond in the wilds of Suzhou, the reeds on both sides are undulating in the wind, like rippling water waves.

In a cleared space, a figure in a cloak was sitting by the water, fishing leisurely.

The young man looked at the quiet pond, his mind seemed not to be on the fishing rod, and wisdom flashed in his eyes from time to time.

"call--"

A breeze blew by, and a few strands of hair were blown down and fell on the young man's forehead.

“Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—”

Several figures rushed out from the side and stopped behind Yang Shiqi.

Yang Shiqi felt someone behind him, and his eyes flashed with violent emotional fluctuations. It seemed that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived, and it was time to meet his nominal lord.

"What brings you here?"

Among the figures standing behind him, the leader stepped forward and said respectfully, "My lord, please move aside."

Yang Shiqi put down the hoist in his hand, gathered his cloak, and said softly: "Since the lord has invited you, it must be that something big has happened in Suzhou. We should return quickly."

After saying that, he got on the carriage that had been prepared on the side. The man jumped on the carriage and acted as a coachman.

As the whip was waved, the carriage galloped towards the city.

Inside the governor's mansion, the Fourth Prince and a group of his staff seemed to have been waiting for a long time. As footsteps sounded, everyone's eyes fell on Yang Shiqi who had just arrived.

"Zhou Cheng, I heard that you went out of town to fish today. You seem to be quite leisurely and elegant."

Yang Shiqi's eyes swept calmly over the crowd, and finally met the gaze of the Fourth Prince Tang Chengbin who was in a high position, and then he slowly said: "My lord, I have just finished dealing with the affairs at hand, and I feel that the weather is good today, and I feel a little carefree."

"I don't know what happened. My Lord, why did you summon me here so anxiously?"

The fourth prince Tang Chengbin looked at Yang Shiqi deeply, and then said: "Prefect, please take a seat quickly. Something happened in Suzhou Prefecture, and I couldn't sleep at night, so I called everyone here today to seek a solution."

Before the Fourth Prince Tang Chengbin finished speaking, a man below him could not wait to stand up and said respectfully, "My lord, I don't know what is troubling you so much. You may as well tell me and I will definitely help you solve your problem."

Yang Shiqi glanced at the people who stood out. He was standing in the first place, looking calm and composed, with his eyes slightly lowered.

When the Fourth Prince saw someone standing up to cooperate with him, he said, "Everyone, this group of lowly people actually left their homeland to evade taxes. Now, the people under my command are pouring into Dengzhou as refugees."

"If this continues for a long time, there will be a serious population loss under my rule. Where will the troops come from? Where will the tax revenue come from? Where will my achievements be?"

"Everyone, do you have any good ideas to help me pacify the people?"

Liu Zikang, the one who just spoke, immediately replied: "My Lord, what is the problem? If you want to keep these untouchables, why not just stop them from moving?"

"My Lord, you can compile a population register and impose punishment on those who leave their homeland. You can implement a policy of collective punishment, so that the untouchables can supervise each other. With the cooperation of the government, the untouchables will have no way to escape."

"My lord, you can also send an army to the border between Suzhou and Dengzhou to guard the area. If you find anyone who has left his homeland and attempts to enter Dengzhou, kill them without mercy."

"These two strategies will surely relieve the lord's worries."

The fourth prince Tang Chengbin nodded continuously, thinking it was very feasible.

Then the Fourth Prince continued to look around, looked at the person behind Yang Shiqi, and said, "Fan Yankang, do you have any good advice?"

The middle-aged man named by the Fourth Prince, wearing a blue gown and holding a folding fan, stepped out and said, "My Lord, we are only trying to get a bite of food to get rid of the lowly people. Why go to such trouble and require the cooperation of the government and the army? Just give them a bite of food and they will stay where they are."

"Wouldn't it be much less consuming to have a casual facility than to deploy troops and government officials?"

The fourth prince Tang Chengbin thought it made sense. When sending out an army, the first thing to worry about is the consumption of food and fodder. The amount of food eaten by one monk in the army can be as much as that of ten or even dozens of people, and they also need meat. Compared with the food intake of the untouchables, Fan Yankang's proposal was obviously more reasonable.

The fourth prince Tang Chengbin was very excited by Fan Yankang's plan.

Although he still had some concerns in his mind, the Fourth Prince Tang Chengbin still looked at his first strategist.

Then he asked, "Zhou Cheng, which of the two of them do you agree with more?"

Seeing Tang Chengbin asking him a question, Yang Shiqi stepped out slowly and said, "My lord, I think Fan Yankang's plan is better, but it still has some flaws."

Hearing this, the Fourth Prince Tang Chengbin's eyes lit up and he quickly said, "Does the governor have any additional information? Come quickly."

He still has great faith in Yang Shiqi. It was thanks to Yang Shiqi's strategies that he has achieved his current position.

Seeing that Yang Shiqi had some additions, Tang Chengbin was still very happy.

"My lord, since ancient times, the people are like water and the king is like a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. My lord, if you want to truly solve the problems that bother you, you must treat the people well. All you need to do is encourage farming, reclaim wasteland, and slightly reduce taxes, and the problems will be solved."

"As for providing porridge to the people, I think that the military service and tax issues raised by the lord the other day have made the people panic. We must use gentle means and treat the people who have no food to eat as refugees to calm their hearts and stabilize the problem of population loss."

Yang Shiqi's voice was upright and upright, carrying a power that could shock people's minds.

Fan Yankang had always been unhappy with Tang Chengbin's attitude towards Yang Shiqi. Now Yang Shiqi said in front of everyone that his plan had flaws. How could he tolerate this?

"snort--"

"Prime Minister Yang, you can't say that. Suzhou already produces very little grain, and it's extremely poor. The lord doesn't have much food and grass, and the daily consumption of the army and officials is huge. How can there be extra food to support these lowly people? It's good enough to have something to eat."

"It's a pity that Yang Zhoucheng is the one who controls the political affairs of the state, but he doesn't consider the lord in every way and only seeks profits for the lowly people. I wonder what he is thinking?"

After these words were spoken, the hall fell into silence. No one had expected Fan Yankang to say this about Yang Shiqi.

Everyone present had witnessed Yang Shiqi's abilities with their own eyes, and they had a keen eye for talent. Yang Shiqi was the first talented person to submit to the lord, and his relationship with the lord had always been that of both teacher and friend.

Saying this, no matter how you think about it, seems to be an attempt to alienate the ruler and his ministers.

"Why--"

The fourth prince Tang Chengbin sighed, then said to Yang Shiqi slowly:

"What the governor said is not wrong, but I only have one year now. Your plan will take more than ten years, or even decades. If my achievements are obtained from that, I will definitely lose to my brothers."

"What the king wants is a method that is relatively quick and can demonstrate political achievements."

"Prime Minister, you are too kind-hearted. You are merciful to the people and loyal to the emperor. If I ascend the throne, you will be the best candidate to be the emperor."

"But this time I cannot listen to you. You should handle Suzhou's government affairs properly in the future. I will let Fan Yankang handle this matter."

Seeing that Tang Chengbin had made the decision, Yang Shiqi said nothing more, bowed respectfully and returned to the team.

But no one noticed that when Yang Shiqi bent down, he revealed a meaningful smile.

My plan has now been completed, and the effect is just as I expected.

The fourth prince, Tang Chengbin, has become eager for quick success and short-sighted, and has not thought about the consequences of adopting this plan at all.

Although doing so can temporarily stabilize the people's livelihood, it does not calm the people's hearts.

The reason why he said that was that he didn't want to take over and deal with this problem. Once the plan cooperated with the lord was implemented, this strategy would be completely ineffective, and what would be waiting for him would be Tang Chengbin's wrath.

In other words, whoever takes over this matter now will be in trouble.

There is also Fan Yankang, who is jealous of talented people and greedy for money. If there is even a slight flaw in what I say, he will easily put the blame on me.

Everything is going according to plan as expected, and the rest is up to time.

Coming out of the Governor's Mansion, Yang Shiqi avoided Fan Yankang's sarcasm and looked up at the white clouds floating in the sky, muttering in his heart:

My lord, I have already done my part to fan the flames, but I wonder if your actions are ready.