After my soul traveled to ancient times, I don't want to be cannon fodder

Seeing that the hall was empty, Zhong Ning smiled gently at Emperor Yong and said, "Father, can we talk now?"

Emperor Yong couldn't help but swallow his saliva, a complex expression flashed across his face, "Zhaohua, you, don't be impulsive, we can talk it over..."

"What about the Empress Dowager? Do you want to sacrifice yourself to protect Prince An, or stay in the palace and enjoy your remaining years? It all depends on your decision!"

When the Queen Mother heard this, she immediately remembered the humiliation she had just suffered.

She couldn't help but clench her palms, knowing that if she didn't speak up, this damn girl would really send her to the den of cosmetics.

She doesn't care about hierarchy, and if she says something, she will definitely do it.

If she really sneaked into the palace at night, knocked her out and took her away, who could protect her?

Even Hong San was destroyed by her, relying on those imperial guards?

A true master can move in and out of the army at will. Even if she doesn't understand, she can probably understand that this dead girl is at least a ninth-grade one now.

It's easy to strangle yourself to death.

Even if they wanted to take action against her afterwards, there probably wouldn't be any evidence.

Thinking of this, the Queen Mother suddenly felt regretful. Why should she offend this dead girl for Prince An who had committed a heinous crime?

"Zhaohua..." the Queen Mother said, "I am old... and the harem cannot interfere in government affairs... The important matters of the court... should be decided by the Emperor..."

Upon hearing this, Prince An panicked, "Mother, you can't abandon me, your son, and me alone, Mother..."

Prince An crawled forward a few steps and directly grabbed the hem of the Queen Mother's skirt.

The Queen Mother waved her hand, and immediately the imperial guards came forward and pulled Prince An aside.

"I am also tired, so I will go back and rest first. Emperor, before I leave, I have only one thing to say: Don't lose the big picture for the small..."

After saying this, the Queen Mother left slowly with the help of the palace maids.

She appeared to be extremely elegant, but in fact she was walking very fast, fearing that she would be stopped by Zhong Ning if she was even a step slower.

"Are you already a ninth-rank official now?" Emperor Yong asked in surprise after his initial shock.

"Hmm!" Zhong Ning hummed, a forced smile on his face. "Father, does he seem very happy?"

"I am very happy..." Emperor Yong suddenly stood up and shouted, "I never thought that our Great Yong would also have a ninth-grade master..."

Emperor Yong's eyes lit up. You know, because there were too few ninth-grade masters, he had always been wary of Beidi. He was worried that if he didn't meet Beidi's needs, the ninth-grade master in his family would suddenly appear in the palace one day and kill him with one palm.

Now, he, Dayong, also has a ninth-grade master.

Moreover, this expert is his biological daughter.

He no longer has to worry.

"Zhaohua, how many surprises do you have that I don't know about?" Emperor Yong said with a sweet smile, no longer as arrogant as before.

Zhong Ning couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Is this person a chameleon?

The change before and after is so great, it's almost the same as his mother's.

"Father...the matter of Fangyuan..."

Emperor Yong was silent for a moment before he spoke again, "Zhaohua, why are you making such a big fuss about this?"

"Justice," Zhong Ning said solemnly, "I will seek justice for those children!"

"Father, the people are the water and you are the boat. The water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it!"

"Father, as the Son of Heaven, rules over the entire empire. The law symbolizes the court's credibility. If Prince An breaks the law but cannot be punished by it, then where is the court's credibility?"

"How will the local government manage the local people in the future?"

"The number of crimes committed by the people will surely increase exponentially. If we then use the law to arrest them, there's no guarantee they won't be criticized: 'You princes and nobles kidnap and kill people, but why should we ordinary people be punished?'"

"How can we convince the public with such injustice?"

"By then, the world will be in chaos, rebels will gather and revolt, and the people will be divided among various factions. How will the court deal with it?"

"Just for the sake of Prince An, you've lost the hearts of the people. Father, is it really worth it?"

Hearing this, Emperor Yong sighed heavily:

"I know what you said, but among those court officials you arrested the other day, more than half were from major families."

"The aristocratic families control various places. On the surface, they obey the imperial court, but in reality, their hands have already extended to every corner of the country."

"Even I have to give those aristocratic families some face. The justice you seek is so simple, but the interests involved behind it are so complicated."

"Of course I know that killing Prince An and his son will appease the people, but Prince An is backed by a powerful family, and it will take time to dismantle them!"

So that's how it is!

It turns out that I thought too simply!

Zhong Ning pondered for a moment before continuing, "Father, someone has to play the bad guy in this matter. Even if we don't want to offend the aristocratic families, we can't let the people of the world down."

"Why don't you let me take charge of this matter? I am willing to be a sharp knife in your father's hand and eliminate all future troubles for you!"

Emperor Yong raised his eyes, which were as deep as the abyss. "What do you plan to do, my son?"

"First, my father's old illness has relapsed, and he is unable to govern. He has temporarily handed over the government to the Second Prince for supervision, and I, your son, will serve as regent. Of course, my father will still be the one coordinating everything behind the scenes."

"I will stand in the open and lead the investigation into the Fangyuan corpse case, survey all the land in the country, and then nationalize the salt and iron!"

Emperor Yong suddenly stood up straight, his voice trembling, "You said you want to survey all the land in the country? And take over the salt and iron ore?"

"Yes, now most of the land in Dayong is owned by aristocratic families and wealthy gentry. Less than 20% of the land actually belongs to the people, and most of the tax revenue of Dayong's treasury depends on this 20%. If this continues, the country will perish."

"Salt and iron are the lifeblood of the people and must not be controlled by aristocratic families!"

"Let's not talk about salt and iron for now. Let me ask you first, what are your plans after surveying the land?" Emperor Yong asked again.

Although Zhong Ning didn't know much, he knew one thing: under this situation, it was impossible to force those big households to give up their land.

But the national treasury is responsible for the people's livelihood, so it is impossible to only cut costs from ordinary people. Those who are really rich should pay more.

"After the land survey, we must implement reforms specifically targeting the land. We must adjust the tax system for those wealthy families who own countless fields but do not produce or pay taxes."

"These are the people who really have the money. Instead of collecting taxes from farmers, it's better to collect taxes from these people."

"This way, the national treasury revenue can at least quadruple. Whether it's supporting disaster areas, providing relief to the people, or conquering all corners of the world, we'll have an economic foundation to support it!"

After hearing this, Emperor Yong was deeply moved.

But he was also worried that such an action might cause dissatisfaction among the aristocratic families.

He was silent for a moment, then continued:

"My son has the intention, but this move is too sudden. If we are not careful, we may face a counterattack! Right now, our army is still on the battlefield in the south, so it is difficult for another dispute to arise in the country!"