I Have the Martial Arts Heavenly Eye in the Storm Riders

Everyone instinctively turned to look.

A figure pierced through the swirling dust and slowly stepped into everyone's sight.

The man's appearance was exactly the same as Wenlong's.

Unlike Wenlong's reclusive and calm demeanor, this person walked step by step with an aura of imperial majesty that came from long reigning over the throne.

It was the real Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Wuchang.

He neither shouted angrily nor rushed forward.

He slowly walked to Wenlong's side, his gaze sweeping over the imperial guards who were still holding Wenlong captive.

A single glance fell upon it.

Several guards felt their knees buckle and nearly collapsed to their knees.

Wenlong looked up at his younger brother and sighed softly.

Wu Chang reached out and personally brushed the dust off his shoulder.

This single action shattered the last shred of hope in the hearts of all the imperial guards.

"His Majesty!"

The assembled officials knelt down in a thunderous roar.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The imperial guards turned pale and, without the slightest hesitation, knelt heavily amidst the ruins.

In an instant, a deafening roar echoed throughout the shattered capital.

"The Great Qian Dynasty is finished!"

"The Ming Dynasty is back!"

The people in the distance, however, showed no joy whatsoever.

They knelt in the dust, staring blankly at the scene, feeling as if the whole sky had collapsed.

The peerless emperor who exempted them from taxes and gave them their first glimpse of a way to survive has disappeared.

And the dragon flag of the old dynasty was raised again.

Bujia Village, Hangzhou.

In the bamboo forest, Bu Tian stood in a clearing, gazing blankly at the now calm sky.

The crack in the sky disappeared, and so did the lightning.

But he felt as if a piece of his heart had suddenly gone empty.

This feeling came without any reason, yet it was so heavy that he could hardly breathe.

It was as if something extremely important was quietly drifting away from this world.

His face gradually turned pale.

Is it...

Did something happen to Dad?

I heard soft footsteps behind me.

Chu Chu stood under the bamboo shadows, also gazing at the sky.

She couldn't understand what that astonishing phenomenon just now meant.

But she could see into her son's expression.

"Tian'er".

Chu Chu's voice was strained, and she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"Your father..."

Bu Tian suddenly came to his senses.

He didn't voice the unease in his heart, but forcibly suppressed the turmoil surging in his eyes and turned to look at his mother.

"Mother, don't worry."

"Father will be alright."

That's what they say.

But his hands were already clenched so tightly in his sleeves that his knuckles turned white.

In the backyard of the Nie family residence in Nie Family Town.

Dugu Meng sat under the eaves, holding her newborn son in her arms, gently breastfeeding him.

Qing'er was in the courtyard, practicing the sword techniques that Nie Feng had taught her before he left, wielding a small wooden sword.

But when the strange phenomenon in the sky completely dissipated, the little girl stopped and looked up at the sky in a daze.

"daughter."

"What happened in the sky just now?"

Dugu Meng did not answer.

She simply held the child in her arms tightly, her gaze lingering on the direction of the capital.

The sky there has returned to calm.

But the unease in her heart did not dissipate in the slightest.

After a long while, Dugu Meng lowered her head and gently kissed her son's forehead.

"wind."

Her voice was very soft, so soft that only she could hear it.

You must come back safely.

The Golden Palace.

After the palace doors closed, the chaos and noise outside seemed to be temporarily shut out from behind the palace walls.

The gilded dragon pillars still stand majestically, and the crimson gold floor tiles still reflect the cold light of the entire hall.

This place was unaffected by the great battle on Dragon Peak.

But the officials who returned to the palace could no longer find the peace and security they once had, as if they had the world at their fingertips.

Wu Chang ascended the imperial steps step by step, and amidst the bowing of his ministers, he once again sat on the dragon throne.

This time, he no longer needs to use Wenlong's identity.

The person sitting on the dragon throne is Wu Chang.

The true emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

The dragon throne remains, but the country is no longer what it used to be.

Dugu Ming disappeared too suddenly.

The collapse of the Great Qian Dynasty was too sudden.

However, the political decrees, public sentiment, military power vacuum, and border threats he left behind have already formed an invisible giant net over this golden palace.

The courtiers lined up below the throne.

Before the euphoria of restoring the nation had subsided, the chill of reality crept up their spines.

After a long while, a senior official from the Ministry of Revenue finally stepped forward, steeling himself.

"His Majesty."

"What should be done with the decrees previously issued by Dugu Ming?"

Wu Chang looked down at him.

The old minister stood with a bow, his voice growing increasingly deep.

"Dugu Ming's edict to exempt taxes has spread throughout the land."

"The people now believe that their old suffering is over and that the new dynasty can give them a way to survive."

"If the court were to suddenly abolish it, I fear that public resentment would rise up, and if we are not careful, it could incite a popular uprising."

As soon as he finished speaking, another minister stepped forward.

"But if we don't abolish it, the national treasury will be empty; where will the money and grain come from?"

"The capital has just been in great turmoil, and the prefectures and counties in various places have not yet returned to their posts. Military pay, relief, city repairs, and the resettlement of the people—every single thing requires money."

"Your Majesty, what Dugu Ming left behind is not just a mess, but a sword hanging over the court!"

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became extremely oppressive.

Wu Chang remained silent.

He certainly understood what these ministers were truly afraid of.

What they fear is not just the empty national treasury.

Even though Dugu Ming disappeared, he left an extremely terrifying shadow in the hearts of the most ordinary people.

An unparalleled emperor willing to exempt the people from taxes and allow them to breathe.

This kind of public sentiment is harder to sever than swords.

Just then, the Minister of War also stepped forward with a grim expression.

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter that I must report."

Wu Chang's gaze darkened slightly.

"explain."

The Minister of War gritted his teeth and said:

"The border is now undefended, and morale among the troops is in disarray."

"Previously, troops from all nine border regions rose up to defend the emperor, and a million-strong army retreated to the capital."

"Apart from the commander of one route who was frightened out of his wits by Dugu Ming's palm strike and fled in panic with his remaining troops, the other eight elite border troops, along with the eight generals, have all been buried in Longfeng."

"Now, only a few thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers remain to defend the nine border passes."

"If foreign tribes were to learn of the upheaval in the capital and seize the opportunity to invade, the borders of our Great Ming Dynasty would likely be engulfed in flames of war in an instant!"

At this point, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I request that you immediately issue an edict to conscript a large number of soldiers to replenish the border troops."

"In addition, the position of the border general must be decided as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, once the alien cavalry enters the territory, it will be too late to remedy the situation!"

Inside the main hall, the officials all bowed their heads.

No one dared to utter a sound.

Because everyone knows that this is the most critical problem right now.

Although the Peerless Emperor has disappeared.

But the shockwaves left behind by Dugu Ming have already loosened the very bones and muscles of the entire world.

Wu Chang sat on the dragon throne, his hand slowly pressing on the armrest.

The cold armrests of the dragon throne hurt his palms.

He suddenly realized.

What's more difficult than wresting the throne back from Dugu Ming is how to reclaim the entire world from the shadow left by Dugu Ming.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Wu Chang slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the faces of all the civil and military officials.

"My beloved ministers."

His voice wasn't loud, but it made the entire Golden Palace even more silent.

"Is there a good solution?"

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Upon hearing this question, no one in the entire hall immediately responded.

Everyone knows that this is not the time to get by with a few nice words.

The decree exempting taxes from payment should not be lightly abolished.

The troops stationed at the border cannot be left unreplenished.

If grain and labor are forcibly requisitioned, the people will immediately remember that Dugu Ming once gave them a way to survive.

But if we do nothing, the land that the Ming Dynasty has just regained will soon be trampled by the iron cavalry of foreign tribes.

After a long silence, a senior cabinet minister with gray hair and beard finally stepped forward.

"His Majesty."

He bowed deeply with his hands clasped, his voice aged yet extremely steady.

"In my opinion, Dugu Ming's decrees should not be completely abolished."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of many ministers in the hall changed drastically.

Someone couldn't help but whisper:

"Wouldn't that be admitting that the traitor has the people's hearts?"

The old minister did not turn around, but continued:

"Fame can be taken away, but profit cannot."

"The common people don't care who issued the edict; they only care about whether they will have food to eat tomorrow."

"If Your Majesty abolishes Dugu Ming's three-year tax exemption order as your first decree after ascending the throne, the people of the world will not remember the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty, but will only remember that the Ming Dynasty took away their newly acquired means of survival."

Wu Chang's eyes flickered slightly.

"you mean?"

The old minister raised his head and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, please issue the 'Edict for Restoring the Ming Dynasty and Pacifying the People'."

"Let the world know that although Dugu Ming is a usurper, the people are innocent."

"The previous decree exempting land taxes for three years was fully acknowledged by the Ming Dynasty, and was neither pursued nor changed, nor were additional levies imposed."

"In this way, the people will not lose anything and their hearts will not be thrown into chaos."

"As for the name of the edict, it is no longer a gift from the Peerless Emperor, but rather a statement from His Majesty after restoring the country, showing compassion for the common people, enduring the suffering of the chaotic world, and bringing peace to the people of the land."

The hall was deathly silent.

That was a very harsh statement.

The benefits that Dugu Ming gave out will not be ignored.

However, this benefit should be reinstated under the imperial grace of the Ming Dynasty.

Wu Chang paused for a moment, then asked:

"What about the national treasury?"

"If taxes are waived for three years, where will the military funds come from?"

The old minister seemed to have anticipated this question and immediately replied:

"The exemption of land tax does not mean that all taxes in the country are exempted."

"Salt, iron, customs duties, and commercial taxes may still be collected as before."

"The imperial treasury left by Dugu Ming in the palace, as well as the rewards, land deeds, gold and silver that have not yet been officially conferred after he became emperor, can be confiscated and returned to the national treasury for the time being."

"As for those powerful and corrupt merchants who took advantage of the chaos to embezzle government granaries, hoard grain to raise prices, and levy exorbitant taxes under the guise of the new dynasty, their property will be confiscated and used as military funds."

"Local magnates, temples, and businesses often hide their land and households. The court can use the pretext of restoring the Ming dynasty to survey land and strictly investigate tax evasion, but it must not pass on a single penny to ordinary people."

"In this way, the common people will not be harmed, and the urgent needs of the national treasury can be met."

Many ministers felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing this.

This is hardly what you call bringing peace and stability to the people.

It was clearly a ploy to exploit the chaos left behind by Dugu Ming and ruthlessly rip out the entrenched power and tyranny of the local strongmen.

But they simply couldn't refute it.

With the people's hearts still in turmoil, if the imperial court dares to extend its reach to the common people, it will be tantamount to forcing those who have just knelt before the peerless emperor to immediately retaliate.

Therefore, this money can only be extracted from the wealthy first.

What truly chilled them was not whether those powerful merchants would suffer misfortune.

However, if this cut goes too deep, it's hard to guarantee that it won't eventually cut oneself due to the tangled web of relationships.