Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

Empress Zhangsun looked helplessly at her eldest son.

Although she had always known that her crown prince was very opinionated and that he acted in a very methodical way, she still couldn't help but think about how earth-shattering he had been when he went crazy in the past.

Therefore, we had no choice but to keep him here today.

"You implemented commercial taxes to encourage commerce, and many nobles naturally wanted to invest in it as well. After all, doing business requires capital, and at the beginning of the new policy, these nobles had the most capital. Now their businesses are growing bigger and bigger, but the commercial taxes paid to the court have never been insufficient. You..."

Empress Zhangsun paused, and finally said hesitantly, "Even if you want to punish and suppress them, you absolutely cannot kill them all with one blow."

Li Chengqian remained silent, staring blankly at his mother, who still treated him like a child, with dead fish eyes.

A face full of helplessness.

"Mother, are you saying I shouldn't skin and stuff all those who committed crimes with straw?"

Empress Zhangsun smiled and nodded slightly: "Your punishments are indeed good for punishment and warning, but ultimately they are too damaging to one's reputation. If you can avoid using them, it's best not to use them anymore."

"Hehe, Mother, all the officials in this world are a bunch of scoundrels. It's impossible to completely abolish the practice of skinning people alive. If I give up severe punishments, just you wait and see. The officials in the court are very good at making a lot of noise but little action, and protecting each other!"

Li Chengqian refused outright, but seeing Empress Zhangsun's concern, he eventually relented slightly.

"Your subject will use the punishment of skinning as little as possible, after all, who doesn't want a good reputation?"

.......

"These treacherous officials! Do they really think I'm some kind of emperor like Yao or Shun?!"

"Skin them alive and stuff them with straw! Skin them all alive and stuff them with straw for me!!!"

In the minds of the courtiers, the last time the crown prince was so furious and roared that he wanted to kill everyone was when the Buddhist community was rife with evil and committed the heinous acts of forced labor and mutilation.

Some of the young officials who had just entered the court and stood among the assembled ministers were seeing the prince's tyrannical side for the first time, and they all turned pale and looked terrified.

“Your Highness, please calm down. This matter involves many aspects. If we punish you so severely, it may cause a great uproar in the region…” Imperial Censor Dai Zhou hurriedly stepped forward.

However, it would have been better if these words hadn't been spoken, as they revealed that there was some major disturbance in some place, involving a wide range of people.

The crimson killing intent in Li Chengqian's eyes grew even stronger.

"Major unrest in the regions? Dai Zhou, are you saying that the Jiangnan and Huainan circuits are plotting a rebellion?! Very well! It seems that changing the ownership of Pengli Lake and Dongting Lake is not enough, now you want to challenge me!"

“So brave!!!”

Li Chengqian's anger intensified, and he viciously kicked the solid wood dragon table in front of him, shattering it.

The flying wood chips startled the officials in the Taiji Hall, who all knelt on the ground.

The reports submitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard regarding the annexation of land belonging to the people in Jiangnan and Huainan Circuits, and the irrefutable evidence of collusion between officials and merchants, are scattered everywhere.

This is the latest news that the Embroidered Uniform Guard recently uncovered.

Li Chengqian, who had originally planned to just give some minor punishments, was so shocked by the news sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard that he lost control.

The most severe crackdown by the imperial court in recent years has been on land annexation.

However, the officials in Jiangnan Circuit and Huainan Circuit, especially those in the prefectures and counties near Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake, found a new way of doing business. Under the guise of encouraging commerce, they instigated the people to start businesses, using their land as collateral to provide them with capital. Then, they colluded to exploit the people until they went bankrupt.

Because of the strong commercial atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty, many daring people went into business, and quite a few went bankrupt and became penniless. At first, the court and the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not pay much attention to it.

However, when Jiangnan Circuit and Huainan Circuit obtained permission from the imperial court to develop Dongting Lake and Pengli Lake respectively, they held bidding processes for the two lakes and ended up awarding the two largest freshwater lakes of the Tang Dynasty to private merchants.

People have to pay to fish, and even the water supply to the surrounding rivers and canals requires payment.

This caused an uproar in the imperial court.

How is this any different from treason?

Dai Zhou's face was also pale. In the current state of the Crown Prince, not to mention him, the Grand Counselor, even the current Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus would tremble in their legs if they were here.

However, as an advisor, he had no choice but to step forward and offer his advice at this time.

“Your Highness, those who deserve to die should be punished according to the law. However, the claim that both Jiangnan and Huainan Circuits have rebelled is a gross exaggeration. Many magistrates and officials in these two regions are talented scholars who have passed the imperial examinations; they wouldn't…”

"Then why! Both the Lianghu region has changed its surname, yet I still have to go through the Embroidered Uniform Guard to find out! If it weren't for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would I have heard that my Li Tang dynasty had also changed its surname?!"

Li Chengqian roared, fiercely interrupting Dai Zhou's advice.

He couldn't help but be angry; this was already a very serious problem.

Despite having excellent waterway transportation and geographical and climatic conditions, the recent development policies in Jiangnan and Huainan have resulted in only mediocre achievements.

At first, Li Chengqian thought that the government was not providing enough infrastructure and policy support.

After all, railways have not yet been built in these two places.

However, reality delivered a resounding slap in the face to Li Chengqian, the crown prince who had always boasted of his excellent performance.

The wealthy and powerful families in these two regions surpassed those in all other regions of the Tang Dynasty!

Even the big merchants in Guannei Road and Taiyuan Prefecture of Hedong Road are not as good as those in Jiangnan Road and Huainan Road.

These bastards have so many ways to make money, yet they chose lending!

Moreover, it involves collusion between officials and businessmen to exploit and fraudulently lend money!

"Your Highness..."

Before Dai Zhou could say anything more, Li Chengqian glared at him angrily.

"Drag him out! Give him thirty lashes! He deserves to die!!!"

"Yes!"

Two burly Han generals from the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace dragged Dai Zhou out of the hall amidst the horrified gazes of the censors.

The heavy blows of the cane came from outside, accompanied by Dai Zhou's chilling whimpers and screams.

Not all the officials have arrived today.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui took leave to go to Taiyuan Prefecture for medical treatment.

Changsun Wuji was not in the imperial court; he had gone to the provinces to oversee the Yellow River water conservancy projects.

Li Daozong interrogated those imperial relatives and led his men to arrest people in various places.

In the entire court, the only ones who could speak with authority were military generals like Yuchi Gong and Chai Shao, who also hated the merchants of Jiangnan with a passion.

Minister of Revenue Feng Deyi noticed the anxious and urging gazes of his colleagues around him, but he hunched over and dared not step forward at this moment.

As for Minister of Works Duan Lun, Minister of War Li Ji, and others, they would not dare to provoke Li Chengqian at this time.

Outside, Dai Zhou was wailing and screaming in agony, but Li Chengqian didn't even blink.

"Zhang Zhenzhou, Governor of Hongzhou in Jiangnan Circuit, and Li Xiyu, Governor of Shuzhou in Huainan Circuit!"

"Excellent! They are all worthy ministers of my Great Tang! Loyal and capable officials!!!"

"You want to go further, you want to carve out territory and establish your own kingdom, you want to make my Great Tang Dynasty a kingdom within a kingdom, huh? Fine!"

"I approve!"

"Minister of Rites Tang Jian! Immediately send them imperial robes and crowns. If you're going to do it, then do it thoroughly! Send them along with my declaration of war!!!"

Inside the palace, the eunuch Sun Yi, pale-faced, frantically ran towards the inner palace.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

"Your Highness, His Highness is going crazy!!!"