Yu Su was not alone; he was the leader of a faction within the court.
The Zhang Family had grown powerful to such an extent, yet Yu Su had still brought them down. That alone showed the extent of his influence.
Even if he lacked the heaven-and-earth-overturning power of Chancellor Long or Chancellor Zhang, he should not have been thrown into prison over the crimes of his clan.
Zhou Yi concluded that the court had concealed the truth.
As commander of the Brocade Guard, Yuan Shun monitored the hundred officials and rarely remained ignorant of court affairs. "The true reason Lord Yu was imprisoned was that he tried to persuade His Majesty to change the tax laws."
Zhou Yi's gaze narrowed slightly as he asked in a deep voice, "Yu Su wanted to tax the scholars?"
"My lord is wise! Great Yong eyed us like a tiger watching its prey. To prevent another Renyin Coup, most of the tax revenue was sent to support the northern border army."
Yuan Shun said, "On top of that, natural disasters have been unceasing these past years, and the local prefectures urgently need silver for disaster relief. The Ministry of Revenue has long been unable to make ends meet. Lord Yu took the opportunity to advise reforming the tax system and abolishing the laws exempting officials and gentry from taxes."
"No wonder they cast him aside."
Zhou Yi suddenly understood, then asked, "What did the Emperor think of this?"
"According to the eunuchs of Shangyang Palace, Lord Yu originally persuaded His Majesty to first attempt taxation in a single prefecture. Later, Vice Premier Qin secretly sought an audience and said that Lord Yu would become the next Chancellor Long or Chancellor Zhang. His Majesty grew suspicious."
Yuan Shun said, "Lord Qin also said that