Doing whatever he pleased

"Naturally, they were purchased by the people themselves."

Upon hearing the Emperor's question, the minister beside him quickly bowed and answered.

Fang Weiyan frowned slightly upon hearing this answer, even though he had expected it.

He had forgotten about it, and the ministers hadn't thought of it either.

That makes sense, as this custom has been passed down for so long here, the ministers naturally wouldn't want to change it.

It's a pity. If any minister had proposed this change, Fang Weiyan felt that this person was a capable individual.

Simply having the courage to make changes makes a person a viable candidate.

Unfortunately, not a single minister proposed this change.

"Although the people have some surplus grain now, it is extremely unreasonable for them to still have to pay for this matter. If the imperial court were to pay for it, I imagine the number of people offering incense would only increase in the future."

Fang Weiyan tapped the table and began to speak.

The minister standing nearby paused slightly upon hearing this, then quickly said, "But Your Majesty, the Jiang Kingdom a population of thirty million. Even if we only consider twenty million who actually offer incense, the annual expenditure on incense..."

The minister was somewhat anxious; it would be terrifying if this sum of money were spent like this.

"The imperial court doesn't lack such a small amount of money."

Upon hearing this, Fang Weiyan waved his hand and said...

"Putting everything else aside, offering incense to the Yin God of the dead increases the dynasty's strength. This expense should be borne by the dynasty, not by the common people."

"But the imperial court has already exempted the people from land taxes and other miscellaneous taxes..."

The minister, upon hearing this, asked in bewilderment.

Fang Weiyan glanced at the other person, knowing that the other person was also worried about increasing the burden on the imperial court.

However, Fang Weiyan didn't seem to care much about this.

"The people are already living in poverty, so exempting them from these miscellaneous taxes is only right. Incense Offerings offerings are related to the strength of the dynasty's Yin God. If the dynasty provides this money, the people's burden will be reduced, and they will naturally make more offerings to the Yin God."

Fang Weiyan spoke a few words, then waved his hand, "This matter is settled. I will have workshops built to produce incense and candles later."

It wouldn't work to simply distribute money directly to each household to buy incense and candles. It would be better to build a factory to produce these incense and candles and then distribute them to everyone.

Moreover, this approach also ensures that financial resources are used to the greatest extent possible.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the ministers could only quickly comply.

The incense and candle workshop needs to be built; this needs to be done as soon as possible.

Fang Weiyan made a note of this.

Yunxi watched this scene from the side, and couldn't help but purse her lips.

She saw clearly that her husband's decision would indeed greatly help improve the Yin God's strength.

It wasn't that no one had brought it up before, but it was quickly refuted.

This matter would be a huge burden on the treasury.

Fang Weiyan, at present, doesn't take such a burden seriously at all.

Because Fang Weiyan is just too rich.

Yunxi knew that Fang Weiyan was extraordinary, but she wasn't entirely sure how much money her husband actually had.

However, she knew that her husband was not short of money.

If money is not an issue, then enacting such benevolent policies is entirely feasible.

She believed that once this news spread, the people would be overjoyed and would become even more supportive of the new emperor.

And so it is said...

At this moment, Yunxi couldn't help but glance at Fang Weiyan.

Since Fang Weiyan, the people seem to be increasingly supportive of the new emperor.

The most important reason for this is money.

Basically, everything Fang Weiyan does is inseparable from money.

And now, many of the things Fang Weiyan wants to do are inseparable from money.

For example, they abolished taxes for the people and now they want the court to provide incense and candles, thereby reducing the burden on the people and enhancing the power of the Yin God.

This would have been difficult to achieve in other dynasties.

However, my own husband can do it.

It has to be said, having money really does allow you to do whatever you want...

Remembering what her husband had said during their earlier conversation, Yunxi couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand, then twitched her lips slightly and revealed a smile.

Fang Weiyan looked down at the memorials, which were all sent from various places, and most of them were about not having enough money or cement.

The students who were selected earlier did indeed prove capable of getting things done.

Factories and other facilities were set up, and roads were also built.

However, all of these things require money and cement.

Money is manageable, but cement is a limited commodity, so after it's been allocated, there are often shortages in certain areas.

As a result, the officials in these counties and prefectures naturally urged them to expedite the process.

Fang Weiyan himself shook his head as he looked at the matter.

After taking a closer look, Fang Weiyan felt that they still needed to increase production.

Fang Weiyan sat in the study for most of the day.

Only after the study was bathed in golden light did Fang Weiyan realize that it was already dusk.

Fang Weiyan stretched, his eyes sparkling.

Since becoming the Human Sovereign, he hasn't felt tired at all.

In the past, sitting like this for most of the day would at least cause some soreness in certain areas, but I don't feel that way now.

"Let's go have a meal!"

Fang Weiyan turned around and saw Yunxi waiting to the side, and immediately smiled.

Yunxi nodded gently upon hearing this and followed Fang Weiyan out of the imperial study.

"My lord..."

Yunxi stepped forward and spoke softly.

Fang Weiyan turned around upon hearing this, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just thought of something."

Yunxi pursed her lips and talked to Fang Weiyan about how having money meant you could do whatever you wanted.

This was something she had just thought of and found quite funny, so she waited until Fang Weiyan Fang Weiyan done with his work before sharing it with him.

Fang Weiyan n't help but chuckle when he heard Yunxi talk about it.

"Money can indeed buy anything. It can solve 99% of problems, and the remaining 1% is no problem at all now that I have that status."

"Therefore, in my position, money can solve 100% of the problems."

To be honest, after having money, Fang Weiyan felt that he could indeed solve many problems with money.

This way, I can have far fewer worries.

"By the way, I heard that the foreign envoys have already arrived?"

As Yunxi spoke, her eyes flickered slightly as she asked.

Fang Weiyan hadn't noticed this, and nodded upon hearing it, "Yes, it was reported today that they've arrived, and I plan to meet with them tomorrow."

"I heard that the envoys arrived in carts laden with beautiful women, all to be presented to the Emperor."

Yunxi finally got to the point.

Fang Weiyan was taken aback upon hearing this, and only then did he understand what Yunxi meant.

When he turned to look at Yunxi, Yunxi was pouting and staring at him.

Fang Weiyan found the sight somewhat amusing.

"What, you're jealous already?"

Fang Weiyan spoke, he reached out and gently pinched the other person's cheek.

Fang Weiyan wasn't stupid; he could completely sense how Yunxi was feeling. It was obvious that she was jealous.

Yunxi felt Fang Weiyan's intimacy at this moment, which was rare for her before, and she was overjoyed, but on the surface she just hummed.

"How could I dare? Those foreign officials have already sent beautiful women as gifts; why not take them? My lord, you may take them into the palace."

She said this, but after saying it, Yunxi became somewhat nervous.

She is not old enough to marry her husband yet.

If the young master were to find another woman now...

Thinking of this, Yunxi felt a tightness in her chest.

It's not that Fang Weiyan can't find other women; as the ruler of a country, he is entitled to take concubines and the like.

She's not married yet, but Fang Weiyan is already taking her as his wife, so she'll still be unhappy.

The court officials should have started advising the emperor to take concubines long ago.

In the past, those who inherited the throne usually already had many concubines and a principal wife.

After all, people here get married very early.

However, Fang Weiyan was different; he appeared out of nowhere.

They haven't gotten married yet.

After ascending the throne, one should naturally urge the new ruler to marry quickly.

However, his legal wife is Yunxi, who is not yet of Yunxi age.

Yunxi cannot be chosen, but we can't let the Emperor choose someone else first, can we? Right now, Yunxi is Yin God, and her strength is formidable.

If they were to go and advise the emperor to take other concubines first, they feared they would lose their lives.

Another reason is that the old emperor had just passed away, and the new dynasty was currently in a period of national mourning. At such a time, the new emperor could not take concubines or marry.

With all these factors combined, by this time not a single minister in the court had mentioned the matter.

After all, discussing this at this time is against etiquette.

"Then we can distribute it as a reward to the court officials later."

Seeing Yunxi like this, Fang Weiyan casually said something as well.

He was no stranger to women; there were countless palace maids in the harem right now, so the women sent to him were not necessarily his.

Upon hearing this, Yunxi's face lit up with joy. She wasn't actually saying that Fang Weiyan couldn't accept those women.

She said these words just to see how Fang Weiyan would respond.

Hearing Fang Weiyan's answer now, she felt that Fang Weiyan could simply take all these women into his harem.

Yunxi was overjoyed and immediately said, "How can that be? Since it's a beauty sent by another country, she should naturally be taken into the harem. She's for you, how can you give her to someone else?"

Fang Weiyan found Yunxi's sudden change in attitude rather strange, "I'm just afraid that some of these women might become the other party's confidants."

This was actually what Fang Weiyan was worried about as well.

Among the many women in the imperial harem, quite a few were beautiful.

In addition, recently, the Ministry of Rites has had officials from various regions select many women, who have been chosen for the imperial concubine selection and then sent to the palace.

The main reason was that when the old emperor was still in power, there wasn't much silver left in the palace, which led to a significant reduction in the number of palace maids.

But how could such a vast palace function without a few maids?

So, once they had some money in hand, the officials below naturally began to take action on these matters.

After the selection process, some of the women were sent to the palace to serve as maids.

Many of these palace maids were of exceptional beauty.

"No matter what, I am a Yin God. Even if someone's trusted confidant sent in, I can still train them."

Upon hearing this, Yunxi immediately said with great confidence.

Seeing Yunxi say this, Fang Weiyan stopped objecting.

"In that case, if any women are sent, they can all be sent to you."

Yunxi beamed with joy upon hearing this.

She wanted to cultivate all these women to be her own, so that they wouldn't compete with her for her affections later.

Fang Weiyan and Yunxi were talking when they sat down. A soup pot was placed in front of them, along with fresh ingredients such as chopped vegetables and beef.

The soup pot in front of me was steaming hot, emitting a rich aroma.

"Come on, try my hot pot."

Fang Weiyan felt that Yunxi should like this.

I've been too busy before and haven't really focused on food, but now it's time to start trying to change things up.

Fang Weiyan prepared the seasonings for Yunxi and then demonstrated them to her.

Yunxi imitated Fang Weiyan, picked up her chopsticks, rubbed them in the stove, dipped them in the condiment bowl, and then put them in her mouth.

Yunxi's little face immediately lit up with a wonderful expression.

A multitude of flavors mingled in her mouth, a taste she had never experienced before.

Seeing the wonderful expressions on Yunxi's face, Fang Weiyan couldn't help but smile slightly.

How does it taste?

"Tasty!"

Upon hearing this, Yunxi nodded repeatedly, her face filled with immense joy.

Fang Weiyan smiled upon seeing this, and said that next time he went back to Earth, he would bring Yunxi a cup of milk tea, a sundae, or other desserts to try.

Despite being a princess, Yunxi in front of me has not eaten much.

Fang Weiyan secretly made a mental note of this, and then ate hotpot with Yunxi.

The palace maids serving the two couldn't help but glance at the hot pot.

They had never eaten these things before, and now they were very envious.

However, this was just a thought in their minds.

This thought was quickly suppressed.

The palace rules were strict and untouchable.

The next day.

Fang Weiyan awoke on the dragon bed to the soft calls of the palace maids.

The palace maids were extremely well-behaved when calling Fang Weiyan to get up.

At first, the calls were very soft, and after a few intervals, when the emperor was still not awake, they would move closer and call out a few more times.

This process is repeated.

If you shout too loudly from the start, and it annoys the emperor, you could be beheaded.

However, Fang Weiyan had now become the Human Sovereign, and he opened his eyes slightly upon hearing the palace maids' calls.

He then waved to the palace maids outside.

Upon seeing the Emperor's actions, the palace maids quickly rose. Then, one maid lit the candles in the bedchamber, another brought hot water, another carried clothes forward, and yet another came to serve Fang Weiyan as he rose.

The palace maid, who was in close proximity to the emperor, wore only a thin garment, through which one could see her snow-white skin and the faint outline of her breasts.

It does look incredibly tempting.

Fang Weiyan Fang Weiyan sat down on the edge of the bed, and several palace maids knelt down to help him put on his boots.

With the help of palace maids, Fang Weiyan quickly finished dressing.

Fang Weiyan's hair has grown quite a bit now, and after combing it, he put on a crown.

Suddenly, an emperor exuding majesty appeared before them.

The palace maids carefully tidied up the clothes, making sure there were no misalignments or wrinkles, before escorting Fang Weiyan out of the palace.

Meanwhile, the sedan chair outside the palace was already prepared.

Fang Weiyan sat in the sedan chair, which was carried by guards to Chengtian Hall.

A moment later, Fang Weiyan arrived in the main hall, and all the officials immediately knelt down to offer their congratulations.

Looking at the officials kneeling below, Fang Weiyan felt as if he controlled the lives and deaths of these ministers.

Fang Weiyan's eyes flickered slightly, and he waved his hand to signal the officials to rise.

What's going on today?

Fang Weiyan's gaze swept over the ministers below.

Currently, more than half of the ministers below are young and inexperienced.

These candidates were selected from among the applicants, and Fang Weiyan did not expect them to know anything about officialdom.

As long as these candidates are obedient and understand some mechanical principles, sowing, breeding, and so on, that's fine.

These things are already recorded in the book.

These candidates performed well, so Fang Weiyan promoted them.

"Your Majesty, spring planting has been completed this year. These are the reports from various regions on the crops planted."

Fang Weiyan finished speaking than a minister stepped forward to present a memorial.

When the guards brought it to Fang Weiyan Fang Weiyan, he glanced at it and saw that the condition was quite good.

The area of arable land in various regions has increased significantly compared to last year, and many times more than the year before last.

After all, much of this farmland was seized from local gentry.

However, these farmlands were of little use to the local gentry.

With lower food prices and labor shortages emerging across the country as various regions begin to seek workers, a labor shortage has become a common problem.

Who would cultivate the land for those local gentry?

Even if you plant crops, you won't make much money from them.

After all, it's impossible for it to grow as fast as the crops sown by the royal family.

Plant a few vegetable seeds at random, and the vegetables in the field will grow taller than some children.

Such low yields had already led countless local gentry to abandon their plans to cultivate the land.

They all knew perfectly well that the matter of farmland was no longer something they could touch.

Besides this, there's also the imperial inspector personally dispatched by the emperor, who has no intention of returning yet and is wreaking havoc in various places.

Wherever he went, no one escaped losing their head.

This is also because the Emperor's timing was excellent!

In the past, local officials and gentry would collude, and even the inspectors wouldn't dare to kill indiscriminately, since some people had to be left behind to govern these counties.

However, after the emperor selected the candidates and gave them some training, they were directly assigned to various regions. Once these candidates became familiar with the operations of each region, the emperor's ruthlessness was revealed.

They slaughtered countless people in various places, yet this did not affect their rule in the slightest.

The people cheered continuously.

This is because the current emperor enjoys immense popularity among the people.

Killing someone under the emperor's decree, even if this inspector killed an ordinary civilian, would be seen by others as a heinous criminal.