The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

Yong'an County, a small county located in the south of the Yangtze River, is shrouded in dark clouds.

The continuous heavy rains have made the already barren land even worse.

Fields were flooded, houses collapsed, people were displaced, and there were starving people everywhere.

In the county government office, the county magistrate Liu Fuan was hugging his concubine, drinking and having fun.

"Master, the rain is too heavy. How can the people survive?"

The concubine said in a delicate voice.

Liu Fuan burped and said nonchalantly, "Serves them right! It's their bad luck to be born in this poor place! They'll just die. They can't pay the taxes anyway!"

Outside the door, the legal advisor hurried in, "Master, this is bad! The people... the people are rebelling!"

"What? Rebellion? They dare!"

Liu Fuan was so scared that his wine glass fell to the ground.

"It's true! They call themselves the 'Five Pecks of Rice Army' and have already breached the gates of the county government office!"

Liu Fuan's face turned pale, and he asked tremblingly, "How many of them are there?"

“There are over a thousand people!”

Before the lawyer finished speaking, the gate of the county government office collapsed.

The murderous "Five Pecks of Rice Army" rushed in.

Liu Fuan was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, and his concubine screamed and hid under the table.

This group of people included men, women, and even children.

However, the fierce light in their eyes made Liu Fuan feel like he was falling into an icy cave.

What shocked him even more was that these people were not holding hoes and carrying poles like in ordinary peasant uprisings. Instead, they were holding sharp swords and even a few long spears that flashed with cold light.

In a house somewhere, an old man in brocade robe sat behind a desk, listening to his subordinates' reports calmly, as if he had expected it.

In the capital, in the Golden Palace.

Qi Daokun, dressed in a crimson official robe, stood in the court in high spirits, without any trace of the frail look he had shown when he took sick leave before.

He lowered his head slightly and cast down his eyes to hide his emotions.

Stepping into this center of power again, he felt mixed emotions.

This was supposed to be his position, but now he had to submit to a young emperor who was still wet behind the ears.

Li Chengfeng sat high on the dragon throne, looking at Qi Daokun below with an indifferent expression.

He looked down at Qi Daokun condescendingly.

I secretly sighed that he pretended to be so conscientious that people who didn't know him would really think he was a loyal minister.

"My dear Qi, I have finally got you back."

Li Chengfeng's voice sounded gentle, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

Qi Daokun quickly knelt down and saluted: "I thank your Majesty for your grace."

"No gift."

Li Chengfeng raised his hand and asked, "Are you feeling better, Lord Qi?"

"Thanks to your majesty, I am now fine."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Li Chengfeng nodded, "I still remember that Qi Aiqing often came to the palace to visit me. Now it has been more than ten years."

"More than a decade has passed, and both you and I have changed."

Sighing like this, Li Chengfeng's gaze fell on Qi Daokun's slightly pale face.

Qi Daokun was startled. This little emperor seemed to have something else to say.

On the surface, it was a reminisce about the past, but in reality it was a warning to him.

Back then, Li Chengfeng was just a dissolute prince who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, but he was already the prime minister with great power in the court.

Now, the situation has changed. This kid actually sits on the throne, while he has become a minister under the throne, at the mercy of others.

The little emperor wants him to behave himself.

"Your Majesty is wise, I am old and useless."

Qi Daokun lowered his eyebrows and spoke humbly. He knew that showing weakness was the best strategy at this moment.

Li Chengfeng chuckled, "Why are you being so modest, Qi Aiqing? I still remember that back then, Qi Aiqing was full of vigor and ambition, making plans for the country.

"Now, I still need to rely on the experience and wisdom of Qi Aiqing to share my worries."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words. I will not refuse even if my life is short."

Qi Daokun glanced at the Minister of Revenue Qian Youliang who was standing behind him, and he knew that his chance had come.

Qian Youliang understood what was going on and immediately stood up, saying with a mournful face, "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

"This year, disasters have hit various regions severely, tax revenues have plummeted, and the national treasury is already empty. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

He paused deliberately and didn't continue speaking, but his words were more powerful than anything else.

Li Chengfeng feigned surprise. "Oh? Is that true? A while ago, there was a flood in the south, and I allocated quite a bit of disaster relief. Left Prime Minister, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Your Majesty, I have arranged for the Ministry of Revenue to distribute all the disaster relief funds, but..."

Song Zelin hesitated for a moment, as if he had something to hide.

Li Chengfeng frowned slightly. "Just what? Please feel free to speak, Left Prime Minister."

"However, I have heard that the people in the disaster-stricken areas did not receive much relief food and money. Most of it was withheld by local officials."

After saying that, Song Zelin sighed.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Daokun immediately responded, "Your Majesty, Lord Song is absolutely right! Although I am unemployed at home, I have also seen many reports of local officials' corruption and embezzlement, but I have been unable to find any concrete evidence, so I have kept silent."

"Oh? Is there such a thing?"

Li Chengfeng pretended to be surprised. "Then, according to your two nobles, how should we deal with this?"

Qian Youliang knelt down first, crying, "Your Majesty, the treasury is empty, and the people are living in poverty. If this continues, the country will no longer exist! I beg Your Majesty to be vigilant and punish corrupt officials severely, and save the people from this dire situation!"

"Master Qian is absolutely right! The only way to solve this urgent problem now is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

Qi Daokun nodded.

"Open source? How to open source?"

Qi Daokun rolled his eyes and said, "I think we can increase commercial taxes, and..."

He paused, glanced at Li Chengfeng's expression, and then continued, "And increase the land tax."

"Increase the land tax?"

Li Chengfeng repeated it, with a hint of chill in his tone.

As expected, it seems that this old man is still determined to commit evil.

The incident of tax extortion in Xijing just happened, and now you dare to bring it up again.

Li Chengfeng was obviously unhappy.

"Now that disasters are severe across the country and the people have no harvest, increasing the land tax will only force them to rebel."

Qi Daokun quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I do not intend to burden the people, but the national treasury is empty and I have no choice but to do so.

"Furthermore, I suggest that the land tax be increased only for the wealthy merchants, while the common people can be exempted from a portion of it."

"Oh? In that case, Lord Qi has helped me share my worries."

Li Chengfeng looked at him with a half-smile: "It's just that, all the wealthy businessmen in these places have some connection with local officials. If their interests are affected, I'm afraid..."

Li Chengfeng did not continue speaking, but everyone present understood the threat in his words.

Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Qi Daokun's forehead. He had touched the little emperor's bottom line.

He kowtowed quickly and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I just made a slip of the tongue. Please forgive me!"

Just then, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall.

An armored soldier stumbled in, fell to his knees, and shouted, "Report! Urgent report from the Minister of War! There's a severe drought in Hexi. The people of several surrounding counties have long been resentful and have now... have risen up in rebellion!"