Happy Emperor

After the butler left.

Baturin looked at Ji Feng and sneered.

"Master Ji, I wonder what you think of my proposal just now?"

"No!" Ji Feng replied without thinking.

He is not a fool. If Baturin really controls the three provinces around Shengjing, then even if he takes control of Shengjing again, he will be a trapped lamb and Baturin can slaughter him at any time.

Moreover, he had his own calculations when he agreed to assist Baturin in attacking Ningfeng Province in the beginning.

He wanted to use the Batu family to take over Ningfeng Province, and then gradually swallow it up himself.

After all, the two provinces controlled by the Batu family are separated from Ningfeng Province by Shengjing. If he operates properly, Ningfeng will be his territory in the future.

"Master Ji, I have some bad news for you."

Baturin did not argue about this issue, but looked at Ji Feng meaningfully.

"Just now, that tyrant emperor raided Wang Shoucai's house and took away 500,000 taels of silver. Your plan to force him to abdicate has failed!"

"This...this tyrant!" Ji Feng's face turned pale.

He didn't expect that Emperor Li would dare to act like this.

"I'm leaving now." Ji Feng stood up with a cold look in his eyes.

"But Lord Batu, if Emperor Li truly controls all of Shengjing, you won't be able to spy on Ningfeng Province. Even the 50,000 troops you secretly sent to Ningfeng Province will never return."

After saying this, Ji Feng turned around and was about to leave. He was not worried that Emperor Li would go to his house.

But if this matter is not handled properly, no officials will listen to him.

"Don't be impatient!"

Baturin pushed Ji Feng to his seat and said with a faint smile, "As long as Lord Ji agrees to my proposal and stops interfering in the affairs of Ningfeng Province, I promise that Lord Ji will always be a meritorious official of Great Xia and enjoy prosperity for generations."

"I agree to your request. What else can you do?" Ji Feng didn't have the courage to fight to the death with Emperor Li, so he had to accept Baturin's conditions.

"Losing the support of the people!" Baturin said with a faint smile when he saw Ji Feng agreed.

"Lose the people's support? What use can those fools have?"

Ji Feng was dismissive. In his eyes, the people of Shengjing were nothing but prey and could not cause any big waves.

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. If food prices rise, the people of Shengjing can't even eat, and the current emperor is incompetent, what do you think they will do?"

"Rebellion? But these people have no weapons and their morale is not united. Even if the tyrant monarch sends troops to suppress them, it will not be able to shake their foundation." Ji Feng asked in a cold voice.

"If there are no weapons, we can secretly distribute some. If people are not united, we can send some people to pretend to be civilians and lead the riot. In this way..."

Suddenly, two sinister laughs were heard in the room.

But they all have their own ulterior motives.

......

Morning the next day

Lin Tian sat on the throne, looking at the ministers.

"My dear ministers, I have already prepared your salary."

None of the ministers responded.

Lin Tian paused and then smiled, "To express my apology, after the court session, I will arrange for An Bilie to visit each of your homes and deliver silver."

Upon hearing this, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue trembled all over and immediately stepped forward to kowtow.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty knows that it is not easy for our emperor. I will donate this silver to the national treasury."

He was the first to get the news that Emperor Li had gone to Wang Shoucai's house to confiscate his property yesterday.

He spent the whole day in fear, fearing that Emperor Li would bring people to his house to do the same thing. He was relieved until late at night when he saw no soldiers coming.

When he heard today that Emperor Li was going to send An Bilie to deliver the silver, how could he dare to accept it?

"Your Majesty, I want to donate money. You must not refuse my kindness."

"I don't want it either. Donate it! From now on, all your salary will be donated to the national treasury."

The ministers who had complained yesterday about not having enough food to eat were now vying with each other to express their loyalty.

"How can this be possible? Won't my dear ministers have nothing to eat?" Lin Tian asked with a sneer.

How could he let these old bastards go so easily?

After returning to the palace yesterday, I privately investigated these officials. Each of them is extremely wealthy.

"Your Majesty, even if we starve to death, we will never allow the treasury to be empty."

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue said this with great righteousness.

Even if these funds are donated to the national treasury, they will still be in their hands and will be their own money in the end.

"I am even pleased that you, my dear ministers, are so concerned about the country."

Lin Tian looked so grateful that he burst into tears.

"The treasury is now empty, and I still need several million taels to repair Shengjing's defenses. This money...sigh!"

Lin Tian's words couldn't be more obvious. Don't you want to donate money? Then donate more.

When the ministers below heard this, no one stepped forward to speak.

They didn't expect that not only did Emperor Li not want the salary, he also wanted them to pay out of their own pockets. Anyone who responded at this time would be a fool.

Seeing that no one spoke, Lin Tian didn't care.

He knew it was not easy to get these old bastards to take money.

"My dear ministers, I am just complaining to you. Please don't think too much."

After hearing this, all the ministers breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Lin Tian smiled and said, "I have my own way. Yesterday, I found a new way to replenish the treasury..."

The ministers who had just relaxed became nervous again immediately.

Emperor Li is forcing them to take money from their homes. If they don't take the money, they will probably end up like Wang Shoucai.

But no one came forward for a while.

It’s not that they are unwilling to do so. Compared to donating their lives, donating money is no small amount. The main problem is that they don’t know how much silver they should take.

If you take too much and then get charged with corruption, it will not be worth it.

Lin Tian looked at the "fat sheep" under him and winked at His Highness Lin Hua.

He knew that the time was right and it was time to find someone to take the lead in proofing.

When Lin Hua saw this, he immediately stepped forward, his eyes twitching slightly, and took out the silver bills he had prepared long ago.

Yesterday, Emperor Li sent someone to deliver him a silver note of 100,000 taels, asking him to return it at the court this morning.

He didn't understand what Emperor Li wanted to do at that time, but now he understood that he was asked to take the lead in donating money.

As an emperor, why does he use all the tricks?

"As a citizen of Daxia and an important official of the country, I am willing to donate all the money I have accumulated over generations to the country."

Lin Hua stepped forward and held up the 100,000 taels of silver note high.

"This is one hundred thousand taels. I hope Your Majesty will not think it is too little!"

The ministers were stunned, their faces looking extremely ugly.

What kind of trick is this? Even if Lord Lin Hua selflessly donates all his money to the country, who the hell would bring 100,000 taels of silver notes to court for no reason?

They all understood that this was a play between Emperor Li and Lin Hua, and the money probably didn't belong to Lin Hua himself.

But they had no evidence.

"My dear, don't you see how inappropriate this is? This is ten years of your salary!"

Lin Tian pretended to refuse, his eyes always on the group of ministers.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you for a hundred years, not just ten. I believe this is the way of a loyal minister."

Lin Hua was obviously much smarter than An Bilie, and his words were righteous.

It seems that if you don’t give money to the country now, you will be a traitor.

"Well, I was right about you, my dear."

Lin Tian smiled and looked at the ministers, "You must learn a lot from Minister Lin, do you understand?!"

Lin Tian's tone was full of threats.

All the ministers present understood that if they did not show some sincerity today, the emperor might come to take it in person one day.

And this sincerity is one hundred thousand taels of silver.