That's the absolute truth!
Without the assistance of Xun Yu, Chen Qun, Cao Cao, and others, even with his own system for recruiting troops, it would be difficult to integrate various laws, policies, and solutions in a short period of time.
It was thanks to them that Great Liang; these people made invaluable contributions.
Talented people are rare, and truly exceptional talents are even rarer!
Bai Zizai nodded. The Emperor has a discerning eye; he has found so many talented people to serve under him. It would be difficult for Great Liang not to become powerful.
When he was with the Northern Region Barbarians, he witnessed firsthand the power of Xiahou Dun and the three Zhang Jiao brothers. They used hammers and clubs to beat those barbarians into a state of both love and hate, and in the end, they were completely subdued.
This ability left him utterly dumbfounded; if someone could deceive others so easily, it would be strange if the Great Liang wasn't strong in that area.
"Huh?"
Just as he was about to speak, Lin Yi suddenly spotted a familiar face, which made him chuckle – it was Jia Xu and Cao Cao!
Is this the legendary "speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao appears"?
They were drinking tea in a teahouse, surrounded by several familiar faces—recognized as members of several prominent families—and seemed to be discussing something.
These aristocratic families seemed quite troubled, while Jia Xu and Cao Cao looked on with beaming smiles, as if they had just found a gold mine. This immediately piqued Lin Yi's interest.
"Your Majesty, recently Lord Jia and Lord Cao have been keeping an eye on the aristocratic families, seemingly wanting them to sponsor Your Majesty's birthday celebration. They're probably discussing this matter," Wang Yue explained, noticing Lin Yi's confusion.
The Net was watching the surroundings, and naturally it wouldn't miss these aristocratic families; they were all under its surveillance.
Forehead!
Lin Yi's lips twitched. No wonder these aristocratic families were all acting as if they had lost loved ones; it turned out they had been taken advantage of by Cao Cao.
He said irritably, "That Cao Cao is unreliable. I, the emperor, need sponsorship for my birthday? This is outrageous! Can't the Ministry of Rites ask the Ministry of Revenue for the money?"
"Cough cough!"
Wang Yue coughed twice and said awkwardly, " Lord Cao said that these aristocratic families have made a fortune in the Western Regions following the Great Liang, and they're all rolling in money. We have to bleed them dry, otherwise having too much money will be a burden."
"I see, that makes sense!"
Lin Yi nodded slightly. It was only natural to fleece the fat sheep. It seemed that he needed to lend Cao Cao a hand so that he could fleece them even more easily.
On a whim, he walked straight into the teahouse.
Inside the teahouse!
" Cao Aman, you're going too far! I've paid taxes to His Majesty too. What's wrong with making a little money? Why are you staring at me like this? Do I owe you anything?" Zhang Wanhao was almost in tears. When had the Zhang Clan ever felt so aggrieved?
This is just too difficult! After paying taxes, they still get ripped off. It's like being a ruthless skinflint!
Cao Cao showed no anger, but looked at him with a smile and sighed, "Brother Zhang, it's not that I, Cao Cao, want your pittances. I'm giving you a chance, do you understand?"
The Emperor's birthday means something of immense importance. If you sponsor it, the Emperor will be overjoyed, and your Zhang Clan will rise to prominence!
It wasn't that he was greedy; it was just that these aristocratic families had made a fortune this time, increasing their wealth more than tenfold on the Western Regions trade route. They couldn't handle so much wealth!
Rather than letting him remain and become a source of trouble, it would be better to hand him over to the Emperor—a win-win situation.
Screw you!
Zhang Wanhao's lips twitched, and he said quietly, " Lord Cao, you're asking for five million strings of cash for such a paltry sum. This is way too much for me to handle!"
There's no way there are dates this big in the All Under Heaven; this is practically robbery.
As for the idea of "even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven," we're already incredibly lucky to be alive. Anyone with eyes can see that the Emperor won't allow powerful families to reappear; to try and ascend to heaven would be suicide.
The other family heads also shook their heads, saying that no one could afford to spend millions at a time like this.
This precedent cannot be set. The emperor has a birthday every year, and the retired emperor is also present. Wouldn't that amount to tens of millions of strings of cash a year?
"Why!"
Jia Xu glanced at him and sighed, "Money is something you only need enough of. You can't take it with you when you die, so keeping so much money isn't necessarily a good thing! The Emperor works so hard for the country, and it's only now that he's celebrating his birthday. You should all be grateful so you can go far in the future!"
Holy crap!
These words terrified everyone. This old coin could kill without shedding blood; you can't take it with you when you die—it was truly frightening.
Liu Kun couldn't help but whisper, "Lord Jia, we understand the gratitude, but we really can't afford to receive five million strings of cash every now and then."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Tell me!"
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone.
"Emperor!"
Turning around, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they quickly stood up to greet them.
The heads of the major clans turned pale. Had the Emperor himself come to ask for money? They had no choice but to pay.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Cao Cao and Jia Xu were also startled. They quickly paid their respects and then explained, "Your Majesty, we were just discussing with the heads of several families how to contribute to Your Majesty's birthday celebration!"
"My birthday?"
Lin Yi frowned slightly, glanced at Cao Cao with displeasure, and said in a deep voice, "My birthday celebrations are handled by the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue. Why would I need the efforts of a few family heads? Why would I take the people's money?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. The Ministry of Revenue has been severely depleted recently due to the wars in the southwest and the Yamata. We are now unable to provide the benefits of the Imperial Examination. That is why I wanted to discuss this with the heads of the various families."
"I thought the heads of the families would share the burden of the country, but I never expected that..." Cao Cao explained with a bitter expression.
"Etc!"
Before Cao Cao could finish speaking, Wang Hui abruptly interrupted him.
Wang Hui broke out in a cold sweat. If Cao Cao continued speaking, they would probably be considered rebels. He said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I did not expect the Ministry of Revenue of Revenue to be in such dire straits. Your Majesty is still concerned about those candidates. You are truly a wise and benevolent ruler."
Our families have made a lot of money following the Emperor. If we don't even contribute to the Emperor's birthday celebration, we're worse than pigs and dogs.
"I, Wang Hui, am willing to accept these five million strings of cash!"
This is the Emperor himself; if we refuse again, we're probably only one centimeter away from having our property confiscated.
"I, Zhang Wanhao, am also willing. Lord Cao, you should have told me earlier that the court was in such a difficult situation. I have no choice but to step forward." Zhang Wanhao stood up with a forced smile, his face amiable, as if the person who had argued with Cao Cao earlier did not exist.
Me too!
The major families nodded in agreement. Now that they were dining with the Emperor, if they didn't step up at this crucial moment, they would be in deep trouble.
After these days of reflection, they have learned the most important thing: just being alive is enough.