Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

"Your subject...accepts the order."

In an instant, the officials in the hall all bowed, some with smiles on their faces, while others looked like they were about to cry.

At this moment, they all realized that the Tian family of Qi was finished, and the good days of those nobles from the six states who once occupied a region were probably coming to an end.

Once salt and iron, like tea and porcelain, are directly controlled by the imperial court, it means that the people will no longer have the financial resources to resist the imperial court.

The remaining power of the nobles from the six former states will gradually weaken and fade from the stage of history. A unified dynasty with a prefecture-county system centered on Xianyang will become the only one of its kind.

Chapter 301 Zhengjie's Reward

Inside the sleeping quarters.

Bai Su bowed to Zheng Jie and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Zhengjie rolled her eyes at him: "There are no outsiders here, so why are you being so polite?"

After speaking, she glanced at Bai Su with her phoenix eyes, exuding a charming and alluring aura that left Bai Su speechless.

She brushed aside the strands of hair between her brows with her fair hand, revealing her snow-white neck, and then said, "You actually did it."

Bai Su was stunned for a moment, then realized that what Zheng Jie meant was to take over the salt and iron that originally belonged to the aristocratic families and let the imperial court manage them. This was something she had wanted to do for many years but could not.

After all, when the world had just been unified, the ability to bring all the land under one's control to Xianyang, and to standardize weights and measures and writing was already the limit.

Having offended a large number of intellectuals and merchants from the six states, it was natural that no further action could be taken against the powerful families.

Now, with Bai Su's help, and taking advantage of this opportunity, the salt and iron industries, the last link in the unification of finance, have finally been brought back under royal control.

It helped her achieve unification in many aspects, including territory, finance and taxation, writing, official channels, and systems.

It can be said that the system of farming and warfare during wartime has been completely transformed into a normal system for governing the country.

After that, the government changed its approach to using the people's labor to support them without harming them, instead of relying on the forced conscription and labor to exploit the people and accumulate resentment as before.

It can be said that we have truly witnessed the first step in laying the foundation for all ages.

Even though Zhengjie appeared calm, she couldn't hide the excitement in her heart at this moment.

She looked at Bai Su with her phoenix eyes and asked, "Is this your philosophy of governing the country?"

Bai Su scratched his cheek and said, "I'm just picking up scraps from others, taking the best of each of the three governing philosophies summarized by the sages."

Zhengjie asked with some curiosity, "Oh, which three?"

Bai Su held up three fingers and said, "The first type is rule by man, which uses benevolence and morality to govern the people. Its advantage is that the people are simple and honest, and it reduces the tendency of armed conflicts among the people. Its disadvantage is that it cannot concentrate its strength and is powerless to deal with war or disaster relief."

"The second is the rule of law. Establishing a unified system and governing the country according to law has the advantage of being able to unleash tremendous mobilization capabilities in a short period of time. Whether it is war, disaster relief, or water conservancy construction, the ability is extremely strong."

"The downside is that it is only suitable for special periods. Once the people relax, excessive laws will seem out of place and may easily cause dissatisfaction among the people of the six states in Shandong."

"The third type is non-interference, which has the advantage of conforming to the will of the people. The monarch should not impose his will on the people and create a burden. It liberates the vitality of the people, allowing them to recuperate and restore production."

"However, the drawback is that if the court does not intervene, excessive freedom will only lead to the exploitation of the weak by the strong, and powerful families will use their advantage in the salt and iron trade to continuously annex land."

"Once it grows to a certain size, it will shake the foundation of the court and cause chaos throughout the country."

"I have combined the advantages and disadvantages of the three ideas and concluded that as long as the key areas such as land, coinage, salt and iron, imperial examination, household registration, and grain are always kept in the hands of the imperial court."

"Do not allow outsiders to interfere. As long as we can ensure the long-term peace and stability of the people, we need not worry about the local gentry and nobles. As for other unimportant aspects of people's livelihood, we can govern by doing nothing."

"Firstly, it won't have a significant impact on the country; secondly, even if problems arise, the court can amend the laws and make adjustments at any time..."

Zheng Jie's phoenix eyes lit up, and she nodded slightly.

Bai Su's words struck a chord with her; these areas were indeed the foundation of a unified dynasty.

Controlling these things would mean the imperial court would establish direct contact with the common people, ensuring long-term stability and prosperity for the farmers.

As for the middle-level aristocratic families, they became replaceable parts.

If they obey, they are employed; if they disobey, they are discarded and kicked out of the imperial power structure, slowly fading into obscurity.

As these systems gradually stabilize, the influence of these aristocratic families on royal power will decrease.

Zhengjie glanced at Bai Su with admiration, thinking to herself, "He truly is my man."

She took the first step in unifying the world, and Bai Su helped her complete the next step. Standing on two legs is naturally much more stable than standing on one leg.

Bai Su stroked his chin and said, "However, it's not so easy to do it completely."

His statement was certainly not unfounded.

Many of the remnants of the six kingdoms and those aristocratic families had shady dealings and unclear relationships in private.

Now that the court has raised its sword against the Tian family of Qi, it is inevitable that they will feel a sense of shared fate and respond to the call of the remnants of the six states to become enemies of Xianyang.

A cold glint flashed in the Empress's phoenix eyes, and she said with her lips slightly parted, "That would be perfect. I was just worried about not having an excuse to take action. If they choose to step forward, then I will gladly wipe them out as well."

"With all six kingdoms destroyed, these spirits of the old era naturally have no reason to exist anymore."

Her cold voice revealed the empress's decisive and domineering nature, leaving Bai Su stunned and inwardly speechless.

Is this the aura of a great emperor throughout history?

The Empress glanced at Bai Su with her phoenix eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Bai Su was stunned for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is so beautiful, I was captivated without even realizing it."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhengjie's phoenix eyes. Her rosy lips curled slightly, and then she smiled sweetly: "You...you really think I'm beautiful?"

Although Bai Su had praised her more than once before, asking her again at this moment didn't seem abrupt at all.

The atmosphere between the two of them now seemed harmonious and natural.

Bai Su was slightly lost in thought. His sister, dressed in a plain black palace dress embroidered with gold patterns, was sitting in front of him. This feeling of history and reality intersecting made him feel a little dazed.

The historically renowned emperor, now with his fair and delicate hand, lifted his black hair and turned his exquisite face. The scene of his charming smile and beauty was like a dream.

Bai Su rubbed her nose and said earnestly, "There is no woman in the world more beautiful than Your Majesty..."

A faint smile curved at the corners of Zhengjie's lips. Dressed in a dragon robe, she exuded a more domineering aura than her usual dignified and luxurious demeanor.

Bai Su felt a little out of control for a moment, but fortunately, he had spent quite a bit of time with Zheng Jie, and his resistance to Zheng Jie's beauty had improved considerably, so he didn't lose control.

Zheng Jie glanced at Bai Su with alluring phoenix eyes, her lips slightly parted as she asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

"It's definitely real, more real than real gold."

Bai Su said in a serious tone.

The Empress Dowager stared intently into Bai Su's eyes. Seeing that he had no intention of lying, she finally let him off the hook: "You always say things from the bottom of your heart, which warms my heart. No wonder those young girls are so infatuated with you..."

Bai Su's lips twitched. Why did he sound like a scumbag?

He coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, I am an honest man and would never try to seduce any young girls..."

Zhengjie glanced at him, a half-smile on her face, and said, "You don't go after young girls, but instead go after mature women, right? I heard that the Yuezhi Queen is a charming and alluring woman."

Bai Su gave an awkward smile.

Zhengjie rolled her eyes but didn't say anything more. Didn't she know Bai Su's character well enough?

She simply turned a blind eye; after all, those were just insignificant women who could never replace her in Bai Su's heart.

After pondering for a long time, she said, "From now on, I will temporarily entrust the affairs of state to Hu Yu. With you by this girl's side, I have no worries. As for Fu Su..."

"I don't know why she is so hostile to you, but I still hope that there won't be too many conflicts between the two of you. After all, she is my daughter."

Bai Su understood what she meant. In Zheng Jie's heart, she was grooming Fu Su as her successor, and Bai Su was her most trusted right-hand woman and a pillar of the court.

Zhengjie naturally didn't want a life-or-death struggle to break out between the two of them; she wouldn't want to lose either of them.

Bai Su's expression immediately turned strange. Others might not know why Fu Su was angry, but he certainly did.

Fusu first lost face because of him, then lost Zhengjie's trust, and finally even lost her own body. How could she not hate him with a passion?

However, Zheng Jie's worries were clearly unnecessary.

Bai Su felt clearly guilty towards Fu Su, but he didn't harbor any deep hatred. No matter how the two fought in the court, he wouldn't push Fu Su to his death.

Before he could even explain, his sister spoke first: "I know that with your petty and treacherous nature, it's understandable that you feel wronged to be so hostile and have to hold back at every turn. So, as compensation, let me reward you."

"After all, you damned sycophant, you've worked very hard this time, doing so much for me..."

"A...a reward?" Bai Su was taken aback.

Zhengjie sat down beside him, her slender jade hand lifting the strands of her hair, revealing her snow-white neck and the deep cleavage beneath her collar, before slowly leaning down.

"hiss……"

Bai Su gasped in shock.

In a daze, a poem involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

With a light touch, a slow twist, a gentle smear, and a quick flick, the emperor ceased holding court in the mornings.

Zheng Jie seemed to have thought of something, raised her head, and looked at Bai Su with her phoenix eyes: "By the way, what were you about to say, you scoundrel?"

Bai Su was taken aback for a moment, then said in a serious tone, "Ahem, no... nothing, it's just that what Your Majesty said makes a lot of sense, and I... have nothing to say in response."

Chapter 302 Xiang Yu and Han Xin

The mist is hazy, and the mountains and rivers are intertwined.

Amidst the lush greenery, a young girl dressed in white stands before a long, jet-black spear.

This spear is extremely domineering, measuring over thirteen feet in length and weighing nine hundred and eighty-one kilograms. An ordinary person would probably not even be able to lift it.

But the girl in white simply gripped the spear with one hand, pulling it from the ground as if it were a nimble branch, and with a slight smile, she began to wield it.

In the hands of the girl in white, the heavy spear seemed weightless, wielded with effortless ease. Wherever the spearhead pointed, it was exceptionally sharp. Even before the spearhead arrived, the spear's aura still crisscrossed the area, breaking wood and shattering stones with unparalleled dominance.

"Excellent marksmanship..."

The one speaking was a girl in red named Han Xin.

She sat on the steps of a hexagonal pavilion not far away, her delicate figure slightly slender, a sword strapped to her back. Her features were exquisite, but her dark eyes were like stagnant water, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He seemed like a soulless puppet, appearing quite eccentric.

The girl in white stopped what she was doing and planted the heavy spear into the ground with a "bang".

She picked up the wine jug with a flourish and took a big gulp, then laughed and said, "Han Xin, you don't kill anyone, you don't practice martial arts, so why are you carrying that precious sword around every day?"