Simulate the Great Sheng Imperial Palace.
At this moment, Emperor Zhu Wuyuan was reading intelligence reports from various regions, especially those concerning Zhang Yu.
"Sheng Yu has no countermeasures; it seems they've admitted defeat."
Zhu Wuyuan nodded silently, knowing that he had already won and that his opponent was powerless to turn the tide.
Little did he know that a new and exciting item had suddenly appeared in the bustling markets everywhere— Vermilion Hairpin.
The Vermilion Hairpin was uniquely designed, with intricate lotus scrolls carved on its body and a small red jade inlaid at the top, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.
At first, people thought it was just a novel ornament from foreign lands, and bought it as a gift for wives and concubines, just for the novelty.
Niu Er from Wang Family Village had been working odd jobs for half a year. Thinking about going back to see his wife, he gritted his teeth and decided to buy her a hairpin.
Upon entering, the shopkeeper began his brainwashing. "Young man, look, your monthly wages can only buy one Vermilion Hairpin, but if you can recruit three people to buy this hairpin..."
A Five-Level, Three-Tier System script, strictly prohibited in the New China, was uttered by the boss.
This rhetoric initially sparked a frenzy in the New China, with countless social elites and wealthy individuals becoming deeply entangled in it and unable to extricate themselves.
Many young talents, driven by the desire for overnight riches, have broken with their families and thrown themselves into this pursuit.
This is a sophisticated method of brainwashing that can make a person disown their family and friends, and even betray their country and defect to the enemy.
Niu Er was just a country bumpkin who had never left his hometown. He couldn't resist the brainwashing and temptation of such sophisticated methods. He gritted his teeth and bought three hairpins, becoming the boss's subordinate.
Watching the cow leave excitedly, the boss felt a surge of excitement. "Another downline! Before long, I'll be a boss and rich!"
At this point, Niu Er, deeply entrenched in the scheme, stopped working and began desperately recruiting others, all for the sake of his dream of getting rich quick.
The changes in the ox are just the beginning.
He no longer settles down to doing odd jobs or farming.
He carried Vermilion Hairpin with him every day and told everyone he met about ways to make money.
At first, the villagers thought he was crazy, but when someone actually made a little money by recruiting others, the whole village was in an uproar.
"Farming only earns a few taels of silver a year, but by developing a network to sell hairpins, you can earn a thousand taels of silver once you become a boss."
"My cousin has developed a large network of people in town selling hairpins; he's already Manager Rank. Last month, he bought a donkey!"
"My neighbor's younger brother earned five taels of silver in just half a month!"
The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Dasheng.
The terrifying aspect of pyramid schemes lies in their speed of spread; one person tells ten, ten tell a hundred, and they quickly spread throughout the country in a short time.
Farmers no longer cultivate the land; instead, they stay on the field ridges, waiting to recruit others and collect fees per person.
Merchants stopped trading, closed their shops, and devoted themselves to dealing in Vermilion Hairpins;
The soldiers were in a daze, discussing "how to develop three downstream connections" during drills;
Even officials in various regions were tempted.
Under Zhang Yu's instructions, the officials of Dasheng quickly became the beneficiaries.
They used their power and connections to reap huge profits.
In an instant, the entire Dasheng, from top to bottom, was bound hand and foot by this small Vermilion Hairpin.
Initially, this change was not obvious.
Officials deliberately concealed some information in order to make quick profits.
The people only saw the hope of making money, but they couldn't see the traps behind it.
Until the day for paying the autumn tax arrives.
Zhu Wuyuan sat in front of the Ministry of Revenue's account books, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
"Strange... Why is this year's autumn tax revenue less than half of last year's?"
"Not only that! The grain figures reported by granaries in various regions are also severely insufficient!"
"Furthermore, the border troops' pay is delayed, and the soldiers are rioting!"
The Minister of Revenue knelt tremblingly on the ground. "Your Majesty, this... this is truly due to the natural disasters this year, resulting in a poor harvest for the people..."
"Natural disaster?"
Zhu Wuyuan snorted coldly.
Who is he? He has governed the country and commanded armies for many years; what kind of situation hasn't he seen?
Filled with doubt, he immediately sent people to investigate, and there he saw a scene he had never seen before.
Farmland across the country lay fallow, soldiers lost interest in training and were frantically recruiting new recruits.
He wanted to make an example of someone, but he discovered that everyone in the country, from officials to ordinary citizens and the military, was a member of a pyramid scheme.
But he understood that if things continued this way, the country would surely perish.
This situation is just like what Old Jiang said: if the government is well-governed, the party will perish; if it is not well-governed, the country will perish.
However, Zhu Wuyuan was more decisive than Old Jiang -shek, and directly ordered the banning of pyramid schemes and the confiscation of all Vermilion Hairpins.
But now he'd stirred up a hornet's nest.
Now the entire nation has nothing left but the dream of getting rich overnight.
If this dream is shattered, they will go crazy, they really will go crazy.
In the middle of the night, several high-ranking officials gathered; by this time, they were the biggest beneficiaries of the pyramid scheme.
The Minister of Revenue asked in a trembling voice, "What should we do? Should we really carry out His Your Majesty's order?"
"Execute command?"
The Minister of War sneered:
"Would you be willing to give up an income of tens of thousands of taels of silver every day?"
The profits from pyramid schemes are terrifying, but the cost is nationwide decadence.
However, the scholar-official class has always only considered their own gains and losses.
"Exactly. In the past, our Lineage worked incredibly hard in business, but how much income did we actually make each year?"
"I can earn millions of dollars every year without doing anything; I can't bear to give it up."
An official made a statement.
At this moment, a general Minister of Revenue:
"Whoever tries to cut off my source of income, I will wipe out their entire family."
Now that the news has spread, the soldiers below are on the verge of mutiny.
"As long as you give the order, we are willing to honor you as emperor, as long as you don't abolish pyramid schemes."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan, the Minister of Revenue, paled drastically, his voice trembling with pain. "You are trying to put me in an unjust position!"
But at this moment, his colleagues, who should have been trying to dissuade him, all had burning eyes, as if he were about to perform a great feat to save the world.
Someone stepped forward, their voice impassioned:
"My lord, this is acting on behalf of Heaven to uphold justice."
"By removing a tyrannical and incompetent ruler for the sake of the people, you are acting for the public good. How could this be an unjust act?"
"That's right, His Your Majesty is incompetent, obsessed with power struggles, and disregards the lives of the people. You are saving them from dire straits."
"Your Excellency is a most loyal subject, and we all follow you."
The crowd was indignant, and all sorts of high-sounding reasons arose one after another, as if they were not rebelling, but "acting on behalf of Heaven."
Zhang Lan looked around and saw faces that were blinded by greed.
He finally realized that if he persisted, he would likely be seen as an obstacle to making money and eliminated on the spot.
He sighed deeply, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes, and said softly, "So be it... His Your Majesty is tyrannical, someone has to step in..."
This statement is both a compromise and an admission of guilt.
That night, the Imperial Palace was eerily quiet.
Zhang Lan led his trusted guards and, under the cover of night, quietly approached the Imperial City.
Along the way, none of the patrolling guards or the eunuchs guarding the palace gates stopped them when they saw them.
The reason is simple.
These people are also members of a pyramid scheme.
In their eyes, Zhu Wuyuan's call to abolish pyramid schemes is tantamount to cutting off their source of income and ruining their wealth.
One of the gatekeeper eunuchs even smiled and said to Zhang Lan's men, "Don't worry, Your Majesty... we won't stop him."
Thus, Zhang Lan and his party entered the depths of the Imperial Palace without any hindrance.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, candlelight flickered.
Zhu Wuyuan sat alone at the imperial desk, his brows furrowed, holding a newly delivered Secret Report in his hand.
As he was pondering a solution, the Hall Door was suddenly pushed open.
Zhang Lan entered with more than a dozen fully armed generals.
Zhu Wuyuan looked up and saw that it was them. His brows furrowed even more. "Dear Subject, what brings you into the palace with troops so late?"
Zhang Lan didn't answer, she just waved her hand.
Several generals immediately drew their swords, their blades flashing coldly, and charged straight at Zhu Wuyuan.
Zhu Wuyuan suddenly stood up, looking at Zhang Lan in disbelief. "You... you're planning a rebellion?!"
Zhang Lan avoided his gaze and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, your attempt to abolish pyramid schemes has sparked widespread public resentment."
Our actions are truly righteous, for the sake of all living beings.
"The greater good?" Zhu
He laughed, devoid of vitality, and pointed outside the hall:
"Look outside."
The fields lay barren, trade routes were cut off, and even during drills, the soldiers were calculating how to develop their own networks.
Is this what you call righteousness?
This is tantamount to bringing disaster to the country and its people.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
A general surnamed Zhao shouted impatiently:
"By canceling pyramid schemes, you are cutting off the source of wealth for everyone in the world."
Go to hell!
Before he finished speaking, he swung his sword down.
Zhu Wuyuan didn't even have time to react; he only felt a chill on his neck, his vision went black, and he collapsed.
He never understood until his death why he, who was so devoted to governing the country, had ended up like this.
When the news reached outside the Formation, the entire square fell into a deathly silence.