Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 368 Underhanded Tactics (10,000 words)
In fact, many times, Emperor Ninghe felt that being an emperor was quite meaningless.

He inherited a complete mess from his father. The emperor had almost no real power, commercial taxes had long been abolished, farmers were burdened with heavy taxes and levies, the national treasury was so empty that rats could starve to death, natural disasters were frequent, and peasant uprisings were rampant. In the first few years after becoming emperor, Emperor Ninghe had countless nightmares. In his dreams, he was driven off the dragon throne and hanged on a crooked tree in the back mountain, his body swaying back and forth. When he woke up, he was drenched in sweat and would quickly touch his neck.

Thankfully, his head is still intact.

Even the palace eunuchs and maids who were bribed didn't have the money. They secretly sold off countless palace items to raise funds for the Imperial City Guard. In the early years, when wearing the dragon robe, one didn't even dare to walk too fast, fearing that the robe would wear out and there wouldn't be enough money to replace it. In the harem, the empress and concubines might not be able to acquire even one new piece of jewelry all year round.

Of all the emperors in Ningguo, he probably had the worst life.

Throughout the year, the only income of the national treasury came from agricultural taxes and population taxes, but this money was far from enough to support the court's annual expenses. Military expenses were often in arrears, and weapons and armor had not been replaced for many years. The Imperial Stables were only filled with weeds, and there were no warhorses to be seen anymore... He was so frugal that he wished he could split a copper coin in half to spend it. This was probably the most accurate description of his situation. If it weren't for the Cui family's wealth, he probably wouldn't have been able to survive until now.

A while ago, Sun Hao was raided and 370,000 taels of silver were confiscated. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep for two days. But what did he hear now?
Fourteen million?

This is outrageous!

How dare these people?

While they were still excited about the 370,000 taels of silver, they actually embezzled four years' worth of national treasury revenue. Who gave them the courage?
Whose Ningguo is this?
For a moment, Emperor Ninghe felt his fingers curling up uncontrollably.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Fang De took out a thick stack of Xuan paper. The Xuan paper was covered with dense characters, and judging from the ink marks, it was obviously freshly written.

This is a statistic compiled by Fang De.

Emperor Ninghe shuddered after only glancing at the paper. The names on the paper were arranged in order of rank, with each person's name corresponding to their current position, the date of receiving the bribe, and the total amount of the bribe.

From the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, who received a maximum of 670,000 taels of silver, to constables who accepted bribes of a few dozen taels, there was something for everyone.

Neither Song Yan nor Fang De spoke, leaving only Emperor Ninghe's heavy breathing in the Hall of Diligent Governance, veins bulging on his forehead.
My money!
It's all my money!
His chest was churning with turmoil, and Emperor Ninghe's eyes were bloodshot. He desperately suppressed the impulse in his heart, taking several deep breaths before gradually calming down.

He certainly wanted to confiscate the money and put it into the national treasury, but he wasn't stupid; he also understood that doing so would be extremely difficult. The number of officials involved was simply too large. If he were to take action against so many officials, there would inevitably be widespread opposition in the court, and perhaps even some who would die trying to remonstrate.

With a heavy sigh, Emperor Ninghe beckoned to Wei Zhong to bring over three heels.

The emperor and his ministers sat facing each other.

This can be considered a dialogue between the emperor and his ministers, which shows how much Emperor Ninghe attaches importance to the current situation. After all, this is the biggest and most far-reaching case that Emperor Ninghe has dealt with since ascending the throne.

"Master Fang, Song Yan, tell me, what should we do?"

Song Yan looked at his nose with his eyes down and his heart with his nose down, without saying a word.

Fang De cursed the little fox in his heart. At this crucial moment, she actually wanted this old man to take the lead; she was truly despicable… However, he was, after all, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Emperor Ninghe's teacher. Emperor Ninghe's attention was mainly focused on him, and in this situation, there was nothing he could do. Some things that offended people had to be said eventually, and Fang De had already been prepared for this before coming.
"What Your Majesty is worried about is nothing more than pulling up a radish and bringing out the mud along with it."

Emperor Ninghe nodded.

One or two hundred officials—that sounds like a lot.

However, the imperial court is not so incapacitated by the loss of one or two hundred people.

However, the network of relationships among these people is extremely terrifying.

Who doesn't have a few classmates? Who doesn't have a few brothers and sisters?

The Yang clan and Bailu Academy were two extremely united forces. Any attempt to move against these individuals would inevitably provoke fierce resistance. Even more frightening was that Emperor Ninghe knew perfectly well that these one or two hundred officials had committed far more than just the crime recorded in the ledgers. Who could guarantee they hadn't colluded with other officials to commit other crimes? What if, if they were arrested, they implicated others to escape punishment?

By then, the entire court will likely be in complete chaos.

Emperor Ninghe naturally wanted to purge all the corrupt officials from the court, but he also understood that now was not the time. If he did so, it would truly cause turmoil in the court and unrest among the people. This was the Ninghe era, not the era of Emperor Taizu or Emperor Taizong. After decades of decay, the emperor's control over the court was far less than before. Perhaps in just a few days, he would be overthrown from the throne.

Fang De stroked his beard and spoke eloquently: "Then Your Majesty should issue an edict in advance, and in the case of the Ghost Cave, only the person who kept the account book should be investigated, and no accusations from these officials should be accepted. This will put the minds of other officials at ease."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ninghe's eyes lit up.

As expected of an old fox, he resolved the most important conflict with just one sentence.

If other officials do not have to worry about being implicated, the resistance will inevitably be much weaker.

"In addition, Your Majesty can take action against Wei Dongling and the others first. Everyone knows that these people have always upheld imperial authority. Dealing with them first will also shut some people up," Fang De said again.

"The Wei family... Ah." Thinking of Wei Dongling, Emperor Ninghe's face darkened. He must have been thinking of the Wei family, a family full of loyal martyrs, but who would have thought that such a worthless person would emerge in the end, ruining their lifelong reputation. "So be it. He should bear the consequences of his own sins. When the time comes, the Wei family will be demoted from Duke to Marquis, and a virtuous nephew or son can be chosen to inherit the title. That way, the family line will be preserved."

Both of the methods proposed by Fang De were perfectly legitimate.

It might be somewhat useful, but neither Fang De nor Emperor Ninghe could guarantee how useful it would be. After all, among these one or two hundred officials, seventeen were students of Bailu Academy, seven were cousins ​​of Yang Guochen, nephews and nieces of Yang Hetong, and several others were related to the Yang family by marriage. If Bailu Academy and the Yang clan were determined to protect these people, things could get complicated.

Emperor Ninghe then turned his gaze to Song Yan: "What are your thoughts?"

Song Yan pursed his lips, not answering directly but asking in return, "Within Dongling City, how many of the Imperial Guards, the Golden Guards, and the Silver Feather Guards are absolutely loyal to His Majesty?"

Fang De frowned.

This is an extremely sensitive issue. As a subject or son-in-law, it is truly inappropriate to raise it in front of His Majesty. If it were a more sensitive emperor, he might have thought that Song Yan was planning something.

Emperor Ninghe, however, did not care much. After a moment's thought, he said, "There are three thousand men in the Golden Guard and three thousand in the Silver Feather Guard. Their loyalty is not a problem. As for the others, they are either neutral or have been bribed. Zhao Gaizhi's loyalty should also be fine. So, the Imperial Guards also number three thousand."

Hearing this, Song Yan was speechless.

Of the 90,000 troops in the entire Dongling Prefecture, you can only command 9,000.

And you still look so smug, like you're begging for praise?

How could I possibly accept that?

However, upon further reflection, it becomes clear that when Emperor Ninghe first ascended the throne, he probably didn't even have 9,000 men. It was only due to the infighting among the major factions in the court that Emperor Ninghe had room to maneuver, gradually leading to the current situation. Emperor Ninghe also lacked the methods and decisiveness of Li Shimin and Zhu Yuanzhang. The fact that he survived for twenty years and managed to maintain a 30/70 split is already quite remarkable.

Thinking of this, Song Yan stopped criticizing Emperor Ninghe. After a moment's thought, he said, "In that case, let's gather a thousand men from the Golden Guard and a thousand men from the Silver Feather Guard to lie in ambush near the palace."

"Let's forget about Zhao Gaizhi. He only has three thousand men under his command, so he probably can't fully control them yet."

"Of course, this process must be done carefully, and there must be a reasonable excuse. Wear armor and wrap yourself in a cotton coat so that no one can tell there's a problem."

"Mobilizing the army? Is this to prevent certain people from resorting to desperate measures?" Emperor Ninghe raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that Song Yan was indeed audacious.

Song Yan nodded: "In addition, when we hold court tomorrow, we should try to prolong the court session as much as possible. We need some time to guide public opinion."

"What is public opinion?" Fang De and Ning He asked the same question, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"Public opinion, in essence, is the will of the people and their hearts," Song Yan explained simply. "The Fang family needs to put in a lot of effort in this regard. Take the Ghost Cave for example; their crimes are too numerous to count. His Majesty is furious and plans to personally conduct a public trial for these people. As for the location of the trial, it will be set up in the inner city, outside the palace. The blockade between the inner and outer cities will also be temporarily closed tomorrow. It might be a bit difficult to create a public opinion explosion in just one morning, but attracting several thousand or even tens of thousands of people shouldn't be too difficult."

"When the Fang family arranges the people, they should emphasize how badly those children were tortured. It would be best if Fang Shan personally arranged a cart to pull those children all the way from Chang'an Street to the palace gate, so that everyone could witness the evil deeds of the Ghost Cave and incite the people's pity, anger, and even murderous intent."

"When the time is almost up, announce the end of the court session, and lead all officials to the palace gate... Under the watchful eyes of the people, first kill those Ghost Cave members who have been captured alive."

"Then, the protective umbrella behind the trial ghost cave."

"I believe that under the watchful eyes of the people, no fool would dare to step forward and plead for those corrupt officials who have taken bribes, unless he wants to be cursed for all eternity and have his mansion trampled by the furious people."

"Of course, some people must also be placed among the common people to stir up emotions at the right time."

Commonly known as "fire-starting".

Neither Fang De nor Ning Hedi were fools. They had only listened to a little bit before they gasped in shock.

If Fang De's proposal was aboveboard, then Song Yan's methods were absolutely underhanded, the kind that would kill without consequence.

Just imagine the scene of a dense, dark mass of people surrounding the palace, all eyes fixed on the criminals. The two men felt their scalps tingle. Under such circumstances, even Yang Hetong would not dare to exonerate the Yang family members. In order to preserve a good reputation, he might have to abandon these Yang family members and distance himself from the matter.

"If that's the case, why not prepare for a few more days? The morning court can only be delayed until noon at most. Any longer would be inappropriate. Such a short time to stir up... well, public opinion, isn't that a bit too short?" Emperor Ninghe asked after a moment's thought.

Song Yan shook his head: "The Yang family and those people from Bailu Academy are not to be trifled with either."

“There are countless spies within Dongling City. If public opinion changes even slightly, it will immediately reach their ears. These are all old foxes. Once they sense something is wrong and take precautions in advance, the situation will become more complicated. They might even resort to desperate measures, which would be even more disadvantageous for us.”

"Once the Yang family arrives and the person in charge of Bailu Academy goes to court, the Fang family can freely spread their bait. At this time, even if those left behind at home receive intelligence, they won't be able to deliver it to the palace... This is the time difference we're going to exploit."

"The people the Fang family sends out should not be those old scholars who are full of literary jargon and classical Chinese. They should be the kind who can talk big, stir up trouble, and boast and chat. They should speak plainly and in a way that everyone can understand."

"Chang'an Avenue has the highest pedestrian flow, and there are several other streets as well. We'll try our best to gather people together, even if it means beating drums and gongs. If all else fails, we'll spend some money..."

This is a shill.

“The Fang family shouldn’t be short of silver. I don’t believe that one tael of silver per person can’t attract tens of thousands of people.”

"Of course, the more the better."

"I think His Majesty will gain at least 14 million this time, and the Fang family will definitely not suffer a loss."

Song Yan wore a sinister and eerie smile, which made Emperor Ninghe and Fang De feel a chill run down their spines.

Paying someone to deliberately spread rumors and discredit your opponent is hardly a sophisticated tactic.

But mobilizing tens of thousands of people at once is not something an ordinary person can do; under normal circumstances, this would be called a rebellion.

"When the matter is over, even if Yang Hetong and the people in the Secretariat realize that they have been tricked, they can only swallow this bitter pill. This is because His Majesty publicly executed the Ghost Cave members in front of tens of thousands of people, exterminated the nine generations of corrupt officials, and even announced that the royal family would take care of these children. In an instant, he won the hearts of the people of Dongling City."

"Your reputation will reach its peak."

"Under these circumstances, neither Bailu Academy nor the Yang family would dare to make any rash moves."

"There are more than a dozen people in the list who are involved in the Imperial Guard. If we take this opportunity to eliminate all of them, we may still have a chance to completely control the Imperial Guard."

With this kind of maneuvering, the original 30/70 split can be turned into at least a 40/60 split, or even a 50/50 split.

"Of course, doing so is quite risky, and His Majesty's safety may be threatened."

Emperor Ninghe smiled wryly: "Danger? There probably is, but how could any danger compare to the danger when I first ascended the throne? How could it compare to the danger when I caught a cold and the imperial physicians' medicine was useless? How could it compare to the danger of them poisoning my food?"

"I, the emperor, have been a coward for most of my life."

Emperor Ninghe had a premonition that he might not live much longer—five years, three years? Or even less?
In this life, I still want to do something that will go down in history.

Fang De seemed to be deep in thought.

If Fang De had heard this elsewhere, he would have no doubt that Song Yan was already preparing to rebel.

But is it really appropriate to say this in front of Emperor Ninghe now? Even if Emperor Ninghe hasn't thought about those things yet, after this incident, will His Majesty become wary of Song Yan?

Song Yan's words were somewhat inappropriate. He gave Song Yan several meaningful glances, but Song Yan seemed not to notice at all.

"And what about you? What do you do?" Emperor Ninghe asked curiously.

"Confiscate their property!" Song Yan blinked. "I promise I won't embezzle a single tael of silver."

They discussed some more details, and by the time they left the palace it was already midnight.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, lashed against my face.

cold.

Cool.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of snow, which crunched underfoot.

Two rows of deep footprints, a journey of a long way.

"I wonder how long this snow will last." Looking up at the snowflakes falling from the sky, Fang De sighed.

"Who knows? Maybe it will happen after the first month of the lunar calendar."

For poor families, such days were very difficult to endure. In some places, people didn't even have winter clothes and could only wrap themselves in quilts and stay huddled on the kang (a heated brick bed) all day. For most people in that era, snowy days were not considered good days.

Of course, things were different for those from aristocratic families and scholars.

Perhaps it will feel very romantic, and when inspiration strikes, it will become a poem about snow.

However, with such heavy snow here, the situation in the northern deserts and western regions must be even worse. Perhaps next spring, the Xiongnu and Jurchens will once again raid southwards.

Another fierce battle ensued.

"Don't say those things again in the future."

"I know."

Fang De looked up and saw that Song Yan's eyes were clear and without many distracting thoughts, with a faint smile on her face.

Suddenly, Fang De seemed to understand something, and a slightly bitter smile appeared on his face.

……

at the same time.

Inside the palace, Emperor Ninghe, draped in a cloak, gazed silently down at the figure in the distance.

It was too far away to see anymore, but Ning and Di remained quietly watching, motionless, like a stiff statue in the snow.

"It's getting cold, Your Majesty should rest." Wei Zhong's voice came from behind.

Emperor Ninghe let out a long sigh: "What do you think of that kid Song Yan?"

This isn't the first time such a question has been asked.

Wei Zhong's old face then stretched into a wrinkled grin, resembling a crumpled chrysanthemum: "He is capable."

"She's also a very loyal person."

Emperor Ninghe smiled, his expression a mixture of conflict and struggle.
"Are you loyal and sentimental?"

(End of this chapter)