met free Chapter 531 Only the East Wind is Missing
Chapter 531 Only the East Wind is Missing
When Panshi City and Yun City were struck by plague, Zhao Yi was ordered to quell the outbreak. In return, the Emperor of Northern Qi granted Zhao Yi these two cities as his fiefdom. To show his favor to Zhao Yi and out of consideration for the suffering of the people in these two cities, the emperor exempted him from taxes for three years.
The court's increase in taxes and conscription has not affected Panshi City and Yun City.
Those who were unwilling to leave their motherland flocked to Panshi City and Yun City with their belongings to seek refuge, joining people from other places in pleading with Zhao Yi to "remove the corrupt officials from the court."
As calls to "remove the emperor's inner circle of corrupt officials" grew louder and more widespread, the news reached the capital.
Upon hearing this, the ministers in the court became restless.
However, Zhao Yi remained silent and did not respond to the matter.
At this time, in remote prefectures and counties that had not yet received the decree to stop increasing taxes and conscription, the people were still persecuted by the oppressive government and were full of complaints.
Those men who refused to be conscripted fled into the mountains and joined forces with the group that had previously "become outlaws."
They confronted the officials, escorted those with their families to Yuncheng, and asked Zhao Yi to punish the villains and give them justice.
A disheveled woman cried out, “Your Highness, all three able-bodied men in my family have been conscripted into the army, leaving only my two sisters-in-law and me. We have a widow to support and eight or nine children to raise. We struggle to even have enough to eat, and now they want to increase the tax by another 30%. Isn’t this forcing us to our deaths?”
Another woman, with a white mourning cloth tied to her arm, wept bitterly, "Yes, the officials broke into my house, forcibly dragged away my husband and my eldest son, who had just turned fifteen. They looted all the grain in the cellar, and even took the two oxen we kept in the cowshed. These are not upright officials who stand up for the people; they are clearly thieves! They couldn't even take a single grain of food from our house. My elderly father and mother, fearing they would become a burden to me, hanged themselves with a rope."
She held an infant in her arms, and a boy and a girl knelt beside her, also sobbing and crying.
The people knelt together at the gate of the mansion: "Your Highness, treacherous officials are in power. In order to satisfy their own desires, they have created all sorts of pretexts to plunder the people's wealth, causing chaos in the world. We beg you to eliminate these villains and seek justice for us people."
Zhao Yi stood by the window of his study and heard the cries of more and more people, recounting their tragic experiences.
They braved dangers to escape to Yuncheng, hoping he would eliminate the villains and give them a way to live.
Jiang Chao, standing to the side, felt a pang of unease and clenched his fists. "Master," he said, "these cruel officials are too inhumane. The people are living in misery every day. You don't need to hold back at all; just follow the will of the people."
He worried that his master still harbored some fatherly affection for the incompetent and tyrannical Emperor of Northern Qi. "You are clearly the most promising of this foolish emperor's sons. The other two are either traitors or already dead. He only has you as a viable son. Logically speaking, shouldn't the position of crown prince belong to you?"
“But he was concerned about your background and insisted that you attack the Great Zhou, turning against your own uncle, in order to make you the crown prince. If you don’t do this, he will definitely think you are disloyal and will not leave you a way out.”
At this point, Jiang Chao was full of resentment: "He has tried to kill you several times and has no regard for the father-son relationship or any leniency towards you."
In fact, in Jiang Chao's eyes, the Northern Qi emperor had a blood feud with Zhao Yi for killing his mother, and he wanted to kill Zhao Yi at every turn.
The Northern Qi emperor was unrighteous first, and Zhao Yi was even more unjust later.
Let's not worry about the upheaval, let's just do it first.
He took advantage of the people's clamor, stormed into the palace, seized the throne, and saved the people from their suffering.
As for the Northern Qi emperor, he was imprisoned.
Zhao Yi closed the window, his expression grave: "The time is not yet right."
He took Shen Qingtan to the enemy tower and stopped the soldiers' plan to attack the Prince of Zhenbei. This matter will be reported to the Emperor of Northern Qi by the garrison commander, as well as Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei.
The Northern Qi emperor will surely understand his intentions and will not show him any mercy.
Zhao Yi had been waiting for this opportunity.
Unexpectedly, the Northern Qi Dynasty fell into chaos first.
The Northern Qi emperor was not so incompetent as to be unable to grasp the current situation; he must understand the principle that internal stability must precede external resistance. In order to quell the internal unrest, he would inevitably halt military conscription and increase taxes, prioritizing the appeasement of the people.
As a result, the Northern Qi treasury was empty and its military strength was insufficient. How could it attack the Great Zhou?
The Northern Qi emperor has realized the situation and will not have any intention of attacking the Great Zhou for the time being. On the contrary, he is afraid that the Great Zhou will take advantage of the chaos to attack the Northern Qi.
With this understanding, the Northern Qi emperor would definitely send someone to bring him back to the capital, in order to counterbalance the Great Zhou.
but……
"Master, isn't the time ripe now?" Jiang Chao asked, puzzled. "As the saying goes, to gain the world, one must first win the people's hearts..."
“There is a way to gain the world: win the people, and you will gain the world. There is a way to win the people: win their hearts, and you will win the people,” Zhao Yi corrected.
"Hehe." Jiang Chao scratched his head, managing only a rough outline. He regretted not having read more books while serving his master. Now, trying to persuade a learned man like his master, he wanted to cite classical texts, but couldn't muster any knowledge. He rubbed his nose and said sheepishly, "Anyway, as long as you understand what I'm saying, that's fine. You have the support of the people, and you have the world. The timing is perfect."
He didn't want his master to suffer any more humiliation than he could bear for even a day.
Zhao Yi said in a low voice, "Wait a few more days."
The rumors circulating outside suggest that the Right Pillar General has seized control of the court, imprisoned the Northern Qi Emperor, and is plotting to usurp the throne. Could this be a move made by the Imperial Tutor earlier?
Given the temperament of the Northern Qi emperor, one cannot be too loyal and upright in order to win his favor.
After all, honest advice is hard to swallow. When these words reached the ears of the Northern Qi emperor, he thought these ministers were instructing him on how to do things and wanting to be his masters. Naturally, they would not win his favor.
Those ministers who won his favor were mostly those who were good at reading people's expressions, flattering him, catering to his preferences, and fawning over him.
These officials often don't care about the people; they prioritize their own interests.
Thinking about this, Zhao Yi became even more certain that it was the Imperial Tutor who did it.
Given the current situation, the Imperial Tutor intentionally made the Emperor of Northern Qi wary of him and distance himself from him.
With the assistance of the imperial tutor, the Northern Qi emperor established himself as a wise ruler in the hearts of the people.
After losing the emperor's tutor, his mediocre and incompetent nature gradually became apparent.
Now, the Imperial Tutor has pinned all the blame for the Northern Qi Emperor's foolish and incompetent deeds on the Right Pillar State.
The people also firmly believed this.
The Northern Qi emperor probably never dreamed that the good reputation his tutor cultivated for him would one day become a weapon that would turn against him.
"Now everything is ready, we just need the right opportunity." Seeing Jiang Chao's puzzled expression, Zhao Yi instructed, "These people are refugees from other places. Take your men and settle them in. Tell them that this matter concerns the national system. I will send people to the capital to investigate first. If the situation is true, I will definitely give the people justice."