Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

“Speak up! Why are you all mute? You were all quite talkative when you were in the brothels, weren’t you? Now it’s your turn to speak, why are you all silent?”

Li Hong glanced around the Qianqing Hall, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"emperor!"

Just then, Qian Feng stepped forward.

"The most urgent task at present is to stabilize the disaster victims in the southern counties to prevent the phenomenon of refugees fleeing everywhere."

Li Hong nodded and looked at Fu Chang'an, the Minister of Revenue: "Fu Chang'an, how about I entrust this matter to you?"

Fu Chang'an hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the national treasury is currently empty, and the summer taxes have not yet been collected. This servant really has no way to raise so much grain for disaster relief."

"What a joke!" Li Hong sneered. "In this prosperous age, are the people destined to be displaced and homeless? I ask you, where has the money in the national treasury gone?"

Fu Chang'an was drenched in cold sweat and for a moment didn't know how to answer.

He can't very well say that the national treasury's money has all been used by you for war and ostentation, can he?

If this were to be said, losing one's official hat and plume would be the least of one's worries; one might even lose one's head.

"I'm asking you a question. Where has all the money in the national treasury gone?" Li Hong pressed in a deep voice. "As the Minister of Revenue, in charge of the nation's finances, don't you know where the money in the national treasury has been spent?"

Fu Chang'an wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face full of tension.

Upon seeing this, He Yong, who was not far away, immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that now is not the time to investigate where the national treasury's money went. The key is how to appease the displaced people, which is the best course of action."

Upon hearing this, Li Hong's expression softened, and he smiled at He Yong, saying, "He Yong, what method do you have? Why don't you tell me?"

He Yong bowed and walked to the center of the hall, cupping his hands in a respectful greeting, and replied, "Your Majesty, this servant believes that there is only one way to appease the disaster victims in the south: reduce or postpone the collection of their accumulated land tax."

In this way, not only will the pressure on the disaster-stricken people be reduced, but the people of the world will also know that the Emperor is compassionate and loves his people, and will call you a sage ruler, just like Yao and Shun in the world.

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall became instantly lively, with waves of agreement and praise echoing throughout the hall.

"What Lord He said makes a lot of sense. Reducing the land tax and allowing the people to recuperate will surely make them grateful and remember the Emperor's kindness."

"His Majesty's actions are comparable to those of a sage in the world; he truly deserves to be called the great ruler of our time!"

"With such a wise and capable ruler as our Emperor, how can our nation not prosper!"

Hearing the endless flattery from inside the hall, Li Hong finally smiled.

So he waved his hand and said, "Very well, since it is a prosperous age, it should be shared with all the people. In order to set an example for the people of the world, I hereby issue an edict to exempt the land tax owed by the disaster-stricken counties over the years."

"Your Majesty!"

He Yong immediately took the lead, shouted, and knelt down.

"Your Majesty!"

The other officials also shouted "Wise and wise!" and then knelt down and kowtowed three times and nine times.

Thus, amidst a chorus of praise for the "wiseness" of the emperor, the disaster in the southern coastal areas was supposed to be "smoothly resolved."

Only Qian Feng couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up in rebuttal: "Your Majesty, what the people in the disaster-stricken prefectures and counties need now is not the exemption of land and poll taxes, but..."

They need food to fill their stomachs and shelter! We implore Your Majesty to issue a decree to open the national treasury and distribute relief grain!

Li Hong's expression changed, and a shadow fell over his gaze as he looked at Qian Feng.

Fu Chang'an hurriedly said, "Lord Qian, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you questioning the Emperor's determination to provide disaster relief?"

Just as Qian Feng was about to retort, Fu Chang'an continued, "Lord Qian, you don't mean to say that the disaster relief funds should come from the national treasury, do you?"

Then may I ask, weren't those exempted land taxes funds from the national treasury?

Qian Feng was taken aback, then immediately denied it: "No, I didn't mean that."

But Fu Chang'an quickly interrupted him: "Since you didn't mean it that way, why does Lord Qian question the Emperor's benevolent heart in relieving the people from suffering? Do you even have the Emperor in your eyes?"

Do you know how much money was exempted from taxes this time? A full four million taels of silver! Wasn't this money meant to provide relief to the disaster victims?

After being pressed for answers, Qian Feng was speechless.

Thinking about it carefully, it does make sense.

But something still feels off.

The exemption of land tax alleviated the pressure on disaster victims, which was indeed a good thing for the country and its people.

The money and grain that should have gone into the Ministry of Revenue have now been donated to the disaster area. It is indeed a great thing that deserves praise, but why does it still feel like something is not quite right...?

In fact, He Yong and Fu Chang'an's theory is almost identical to what a certain idiot surnamed Hu said: "It is the same as not giving money to everyone."

However, the current situation is an abstract one: "abolishing the land tax is equivalent to solving the crisis," and "no one receiving money is equivalent to receiving money."

The advantage of doing this was that both the court and the emperor gained a good reputation, which would be recorded in history books.

The downside is that it has absolutely nothing to do with treating disaster victims.

In fact, similar exemptions from taxes and provisions were implemented five times during Li Hong's reign alone; this was merely a replication of the previous five measures.

Doesn't Li Hong know the ins and outs of this?

Of course not. In fact, the idea of ​​exempting the nation from taxes was first conceived by him.

Li Hong naturally knew that this scheme would not allow the disaster-stricken people to receive a single grain of food, but compared to the safety of the people, he cared more about the dignity of the emperor.

He preferred to spend money on war and ostentation rather than on these "troublemakers".

Of course, he couldn't simply settle things with a simple "reimbursement of taxes and levies."

Since the imperial court wouldn't provide the funds, the burden would be shifted to local government officials.

"Alright, it's settled then. The land tax in the disaster-stricken counties will be waived. If there is any shortfall, the county officials will make up the difference themselves. We must make sure the people are settled as soon as possible."

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Amidst a chorus of shouts, all the officials knelt down once again, proclaiming the Emperor's wisdom.

Li Hong smiled with satisfaction, then announced that the court session was over.

"He Yong, you stay and accompany me back to the Imperial Study."

After all the officials left, Li Hong only called He Yong back to the imperial study with him.

……

Inside the imperial study, Li Hong paced back and forth for a while, then said to He Yong, "The Chu envoy is about to enter the capital. What do you think?"

He Yong bowed his head and replied, "This servant will obey Your Majesty's orders."

Li Hong asked with a stern face, "I ask you, are the ships of the Chu Kingdom different from those of other foreign states?"

He Yong nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise. The ships of the Chu Kingdom that are anchored in the inner sea of ​​Haizhou are made entirely of steel and are extremely large, far beyond what other states can compare with."

Li Hong: "He Yong, tell me the truth. If one day, and I mean if, Wu Zhao and Chu go to war, can Wu Zhao's navy fight against Chu's ships?"

He Yong was taken aback: "Your Majesty, what makes you say that? Why would Wu Zhao want to go to war with the State of Chu?"

Li Hong's tone turned cold: "I'm only asking you whether my Wu Zhao Navy can defeat the ships of the Chu Kingdom. Don't answer any other questions!"

He Yong replied loudly, "Of course, my Wu Zhao Navy is superior. Even if the Chu ships are larger, my Wu Zhao Navy officers and soldiers are united in their hatred of the enemy and will surely defeat the Wu Zhao Kingdom!"

Li Hong paused for a moment, then took a secret letter from his desk, placed it on the table, and said to He Yong, "Read it yourself."