If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"Then, as for those who do business, we can leave small vendors to their own devices, but once they reach a certain scale, they must apply to the imperial court for a business license. This way, the imperial court can control them. Moreover, not just anyone can do business."

Li Junren's mind was in turmoil. The amount of information Zhou Wu had revealed was overwhelming. He had never thought about these issues before, but now that Zhou Wu was saying this, it seemed to make a lot of sense.

After returning home, Zhou Wu began to honestly review the tax procedures and offer suggestions.

This wasn't poetry, so there were no ready-made examples to copy. Zhou Wu had to record whatever came to mind, compile it into a book, and then present it to the emperor.

On the third day, Zhou Wu met with Emperor Li Tiancheng on time with his memorial.

Inside the main hall, only Li Tiancheng and Zhou Wu were present. As soon as Zhou Wu entered, Li Tiancheng immediately ordered all the palace maids and eunuchs to retreat outside the hall. This matter was far too complicated, and Li Tiancheng did not want the news to leak out.

Li Tiancheng was holding the process and regulations summarized by Zhou Wu, his face growing increasingly excited, clearly showing his high regard for Zhou Wu's plan.

"Zhou Wu really wronged you by appointing you as the Crown Prince's tutor."

Zhou Wu didn't know why Li Tiancheng would suddenly speak like that, but for some reason he felt a little flustered.

“Your Majesty, I am doing quite well as the tutor of the Crown Prince. I can learn a lot from my colleagues in the Crown Prince’s residence.”

Li Tiancheng could see that Zhou Wu was very talented, but too lazy and needed to be trained.

"Zhou Wu, I have decided to heed your advice and establish a separate tax office. Due to your virtue, Duke Lü will serve as the chief official, and you will be his deputy. However, you will be in charge of all matters."

Li Tiancheng has essentially delegated all authority to Zhou Wu. On the surface, Zhou Wu is just an adjutant, but Li Tiancheng has said that Zhou Wu will handle the specific matters. In other words, Yu Xian is merely a lightning rod that Li Tiancheng found for Zhou Wu.

The next day, Zhou Wu's transfer order came down.

Zhou Mansion (the capital city).

"...Zhou Wuyuan is hereby relieved of his post as the Crown Prince's tutor and appointed as the Junior Supervisor of the Tax Office. This is the imperial decree."

What was bound to happen could not be avoided. Li Tiancheng's newly established tax bureau was comparable to the Six Ministries, but it was independent of the Three Provinces and directly obeyed Li Tiancheng.

The tax office was headed by one chief official, one deputy chief official, four officers, eight clerks, sixteen scribes, thirty-two clerks, and sixty-four guards. The miscellaneous servants and guards were also fully staffed.

This was only the organizational structure in the capital. The tax office would also set up offices in local prefectures and counties, and would have resident officials and guards.

As for the change in Zhou Wu's status, the imperial edict stated that he was relieved of his post as the Crown Prince's tutor and appointed as the Junior Supervisor of the Tax Bureau. Both positions are of the same rank, meaning that Zhou Wu's actual rank has not changed, only his position has been transferred. As for his status as the commander of the Qingyang Army, the imperial edict did not mention it, so he is still Zhou Wu.

. . . . . .

The establishment of the Tax Bureau naturally sparked a heated debate in the court. However, this time Li Tiancheng seemed determined (mainly because he was terrified of poverty). No matter who jumped out to complain, he immediately countered them. Over time, the ministers realized that the matter could not be changed, so they stopped wasting their efforts and could only wait and see what the Tax Bureau was all about before making any moves.

Today is the first day of reporting to the Tax Bureau, and Li Tiancheng has directly allocated the best government office in the capital as the Tax Bureau's office.

Upon entering, the guards at the door asked to see his token. Zhou Wu sighed inwardly, thankful he had brought it.

"My lord please."

When the guards saw Zhou Wu's Junior Supervisor token, they were clearly startled, not expecting that the second-in-command of the Tax Bureau would be so young.

When Zhou Wu entered, he found that quite a few people had already arrived. These people were transferred from other departments and some were directly transferred from reserve officials. However, these people had one thing in common: none of them had a family background. This was the only requirement Zhou Wu made for Li Tiancheng.

"Hey, newbie, get over here and stand properly. When the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Minister of the Imperial Household arrive, they'll be on your guard."

Just as Zhou Wu was looking around, a man in the crowd called out to him. This man looked several years older than Zhou Wu.

Clearly, the other party mistook Zhou Wu for a low-ranking official because of his young age. Zhou Wu mingled among them, listening to these officials talk about their past frustrations, and how they all expressed their determination to make a big difference in the tax office and live up to His Majesty's trust.

"Oh."

Zhou Wu didn't say anything, but obediently stood with them, even at the very back of the line.

The tax office is now directly managed by the emperor, so the officials, both high and low, feel like they are the emperor's protégés and have finally made it.

About an incense stick's time later, Yu Xian, the Junior Steward of the Tax Office, arrived.

Yu Xian was one of the veterans who followed Li Tiancheng in conquering the country and was deeply trusted by Li Tiancheng. Originally, Yu Xian rarely concerned himself with court affairs. If it weren't for Li Tiancheng's personal invitation, Yu Xian would not have taken up this so-called position of the Junior Minister of the Tax Bureau.

"Everyone is here?"

Yu Xian glanced at the people in the courtyard, but didn't see Zhou Wu because he was standing in the last row.

"Reporting to the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, all 128 officials below the rank of Junior Supervisor have arrived."

"Where is Junior Supervisor Zhou Wu?"

Yu Xian was an upright and honest man. He was just as upright in his actions as in his character. He once passed by Zhou Wu in the imperial court. Zhou Wu debated with the ministers and was very impressive, but Yu Xian did not have a good impression of him. He felt that the young man was too frivolous and not up to the task.

The tax official had no idea what kind of drug Zhou Wu had given Li Tiancheng, and he wanted to see what Zhou Wu was really capable of.

"Sir, I'm here."

Zhou Wu stood in the last row, waving his hands as if afraid the other person wouldn't see him.

"As an officer, you're standing in the last row? This isn't a military camp; there's no need for you to eat and live with them."

Yu Xian was subtly mocking Zhou Wu for being a mere warrior. Upon hearing this, Zhou Wu immediately lost all goodwill towards Yu Xian, thinking to himself, "I don't think I've ever offended this old man."

"Alright, everyone's here. This is the first meeting since the establishment of our tax office, so I won't say much more. If you need anything in the future, just contact Supervisor Zhou. Alright, everyone can leave now."

Everyone could see that the Minister of the Imperial Household Department didn't seem to like this Junior Supervisor. The discord between the two officials immediately extinguished the fighting spirit that had just been ignited among the lower-ranking officials.

Seeing this situation, Zhou Wu decided to have a serious talk with Yu Xian for the sake of the bigger picture. He told Yu Xian that it was fine to have opinions about him, but he must not let personal grudges affect the progress of the tax reform.

With that in mind, Zhou Wu headed straight for Yu Xian's office.