My father Zhao Kuangyin

"This must be a rumor spread by people from Tang...Jiangnan, it's not to be believed." Sun Chengyou hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, the tribute from Wu cannot cross the river. It must be transported from the Lingnan and Lianghu regions to Jingjiang before it can be transported to Kaifeng. This roundabout route inevitably results in losses along the way, so we need to make more preparations. For this reason, the King of Wu is frugal in his daily expenses..."

Halfway through the conversation, Zhao Dezhao, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted, saying, "Let Lord Sun know that there's a rumor in Wu that 'Even chicken, fish, eggs, and vegetables are collected meticulously; a mere bushel of arrears is punishable by whipping.' This is already a Wu folk rhyme. The people of Wu were born into the world first, and then into the state of Wu. Qian Chu's oppressive policies have long been a source of suffering for the people of Wu. Since you are a subject of Song, why do you need to excuse and cover for him?"

Translated, it means that even the smallest things, like chicken eggs, must be collected without exception, and anyone who delays paying even a fraction of a grain will be whipped.

The taxes of the Song Dynasty were already quite heavy, and those of Qian Wu were even heavier.

It wasn't that Zhao Dezhao was a saintly and compassionate woman who couldn't bear to see the suffering of people in other places; it was just that this money, taken from the people, couldn't be used for the people, and was utterly useless, a drop in the ocean. The Wu region had at least five or six hundred thousand households and three million people, and the silver that followed was practically nothing compared to the tribute.

The real truth is that Qian Chu frequently used the pretext of paying tribute to the Song Dynasty to increase taxes and levies.

Such things are completely unpredictable; perhaps they exist, perhaps they don't. Zhao Dezhao currently needs to wage a protracted tug-of-war with his third uncle, so he naturally doesn't want to miss the opportunity to reveal his abilities.

Furthermore, Qian Chu's actions were akin to the empress dowager at the end of a certain dynasty who plundered the people's wealth just to amuse foreign guests.

Therefore, Zhao Dezhao was prejudiced and felt uncomfortable, which led him to become the one who "spread the rumor".

Of course, this rumor was something he knew from reading historical records in his previous life; it wasn't a baseless accusation—"The Qian family ruled Zhejiang and Jiangsu for over eighty years, lavishly paying tribute externally and indulging in extravagant and presumptuous domestic affairs."

When everyone saw that Sun Chengyou was speechless and unable to respond, the hall fell silent.

"I have also heard that whenever an officer is about to whip a person, he must take out the tax register and determine the number of lashes based on the amount of tax owed. After the lashes are finished, the next officer will read the register aloud and continue the punishment until all the tax registers have been checked and the punishment has been completed..."

Zhao Dezhao slowly said, "Those who are punished lightly will be whipped dozens of times, and those who are punished severely can be whipped hundreds of times. Some are crippled, and some are beaten to death. If this is the origin of the annual tribute of the Wu Kingdom, every drop of which is stained with the blood of the people, our Great Song would rather not accept this blood and tears of wealth."

"This..." Sun Chengyou glanced at the emperor's ever-changing expression on the couch, then at the aggressive Zhao Erlang, and could no longer maintain his composure. He stumbled off his seat and knelt down directly: "Your Majesty! This matter is because Erlang was misled by the Tang people's rumors! It was a treacherous scheme by Li Yu! Your Majesty must not believe it!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhao couldn't help but sneer.

In the past, he had always been a witness; now he was truly participating in politics. How could this be tolerated?

Judging from his current expression, the rumors have been confirmed.

Moreover, it is an established fact that oppressive government is more ferocious than a tiger. Why do we always ignore the facts and instead use Li Yu, an outsider, as a shield?

They'll start talking about one thing and then switch to another, always trying to change the subject, never daring to answer the core of the question.

Zhao Kuangyin was utterly astonished by what his eldest son had said, and after understanding the situation, he was filled with mixed feelings of joy and anger.

While Qian's tyranny was certainly despicable, his actions alienated the people, which was ultimately a good thing for the Song Dynasty's future recapture of the Wu region.

However, as the emperor and the ruler of the land, he certainly could not openly agree to it.

"During the Xiande era, there was a great famine in the Huai region, and Jiangnan could not provide relief. Therefore, refugees crossed the river to the north in batches. At that time, I still remember that Emperor Taizu of Zhou sent envoys to take in the starving people and treat the people of other countries as his own. Furthermore, Emperor Shizong, after conquering the Huai region, also issued several edicts, and naturally loved the people of Huai like his own children." Zhao Kuangyin slowly said, "If what Rixin said is true, and their tribute and the heavy burden on the people are, I would rather not take a single penny."

"Your Majesty..."

After the sudden attack, Sun Chengyou, who was caught in a world of difference, was breathing rapidly and his face turned red.

The three departments have already taken it; do they really intend to transport it back?

If we calm down and think about it, is the government going to wage a propaganda war to show the people of Jiangnan?

If the purpose is to win over the people, then for Song, spending this money would certainly be worthwhile.

But how could he go back and explain to Qian Chu?

Sun Chengyou is not a truly virtuous person. He will return to China at the latest by late June or before July. Now Zhao Dezhao has exposed his true colors, and his image as a filial son and virtuous minister has been shattered... How can he escape this blame?

Thinking of this, he harbored great resentment towards Zhao Dezhao. Why did he have to bring up this matter for no reason?

Is the Song Dynasty truly pure and innocent? Haven't you counted how many corrupt officials have fallen from grace in the past two months?

"After you return to your country, please tell Wende (Qian) that you should treat the people like your own children, govern with benevolence, and not be as harsh as a tiger."

"I...I obey your order."

At this point, Zhao Dezhao interjected again.

"Father, I believe this tribute should be returned in its entirety to the people of Jiangnan, so as to demonstrate the benevolent rule of the Great Song Dynasty."

To be honest, Zhao Kuangyin was really reluctant to part with the money. Seeing his eldest son calmly and without batting an eye urging him to "donate," he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

This was originally the government's word, and had nothing to do with him, so he didn't care at all as he spoke.

Unfortunately, the moral high ground set by Zhao Kuangyin was too high, so he had no choice but to step down from it.

"As Rixin said, I should exempt the people of Wu from their arrears and taxes for one year, so that they can recuperate and thrive."

"Your Majesty is benevolent!"

Now that things had come to this, what else could Sun Chengyou say? He could only offer a cautious compliment before hastily accepting the order and retreating.

Feng Bing, as an observer, only then acted as a peacemaker.

"So that my lord may know that the taxes of the Great Song Dynasty... cannot be taken lightly."

As he spoke, the official glanced at him but did not stop him. Feng Bing then continued, "Take Kaifeng for example. Some farmers, because their brothers had to divide the family property after they came of age, had fewer able-bodied men in the family. The land was still the same, and the taxes were still the same. Some families could not afford to pay the taxes, so they simply abandoned their land and fled, just like the rent, labor service and tax evasion during the early Tang Dynasty. In the end, the burden was even heavier when it was distributed to each family."

This situation is just one of many phenomena, and it doesn't mean that changing the tax system will work.

There are limits to the profits in the world. If you take one-tenth and I take one-tenth, then in the end, those who come later will either have none or very little.

The only solution is to unify the country, reduce the need to support the army and even the border defenses, increase revenue and reduce expenditure, and gradually reduce taxes.

"Although the censor said so, Wu Zheng's policies are too harsh, and it can no longer be excused by the burden. If we want the world to prosper, wealth should be in the people's homes, not in the government."

This is the principle behind the classic saying that wealth should be stored among the people.

"What you say is true, but now... the Northern Han, Liao, Jiangnan, and the obsequious but untrustworthy Qian and Wu—this is a consequence of the times, and unification is not the only solution," Feng Bing said. "Su Chuo, the prime minister of Yuwen Zhou, once said, 'The heavy taxes of today are like a fully taut bowstring, imposed only because of the chaos of the times, not a method for governing in times of peace. Which ruler in the future will be able to loosen the bowstring?'"

Following Su Chuo was his son Su Wei, who assisted Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, in governing the country and making the Sui Dynasty the richest in history.

When talking about the Sui Dynasty, one cannot help but mention Guang Shen.

My father's enormous fortune was squandered in such a way; no one in the world could match him.

At least Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han had merits and accomplished something real. But you, damn it, need to mobilize a million troops to conquer Goguryeo? What does that mean?

Returning to the previous point, Feng Bing's words clearly revealed his stance, firmly standing by the side of Zhao Dezhao, the eldest son of the Song Dynasty.

Why?

Who is this man who is now drawing his bow to conquer the world?

The Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty!

Who is this person who rules the world by loosening the bowstring?

A new emperor has arrived in the Song Dynasty!

Using this story to advise Zhao Dezhao, how could the father and son not understand the implied meaning?

Well, Zhao Dezhao was indeed a bit confused at first, until his father gave him a meaningful glance, which made him realize his mistake.