aid is right. From now on, we are all one family, all under the jurisdiction of the county lord. Yesterday when this was mentioned, everyone was happy." The headman of Xiaowang Village quickly agreed....The Emperor and the Marquis were left alone in the room. The Emperor immediately asked, "Cousin, what's a good way to bleed these powerful families"

The Marquis smiled and replied, "I didn't have much of a clue before, but I heard something on the way here that gave me some inspiration."

"What's the matter Tell me quickly, Brother!" The Emperor pursued, forgetting about his melon.

The Marquis then said, "Your Majesty, have you heard The son of the Duke of Zhen Guo, at a brothel yesterday, fought over a courtesan and killed a wealthy merchant"

The emperor nodded. “I’ve heard. However, the Duke of Zhen Guo has put forward a proposal for long-term imprisonment.”

The Marquis laughed, “Your Majesty, there are laws of the country and rules of the household. How can we just let the Duke of Zheng’s family have their way when it comes to who killed someone Even if the Duke of Zheng only has one son, he should be sent to the Jingzhao Mansion for investigation before any conclusions are drawn.”

"If the Marquis of Zhen Guo really cares, he'd come to court and plead with you. You understand the Marquis of Zhen Guo’s love for his son, and naturally, he should also understand your difficulties as the head of Tianwu, right"

The emperor blinked twice and immediately understood.

This is seizing the tail of the Duke of Zhen Guo's only son, openly robbing the Duke of Zhen Guo's mansion!

The Duke of Zhen Guo had already been hereditary for four generations. Although his family was not prosperous, relying on the imperial favors bestowed upon his ancestors and accumulated wealth over the years, he was also incredibly wealthy.

Don't even talk about tens of thousands of taels, hundreds of thousands wouldn't be a problem either.

Though the Emperor was already in agreement a thousand times over, as an emperor, he still needed to maintain his face.

He coughed twice and said, "A prince who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as commoners. The only son of the Marquis of Zhen Guo has committed a crime, and naturally must be punished. But in doing so, will the aristocratic families not grieve for the rabbit's death and the fox's sorrow, causing turmoil in Jiangnan"

"No," the Marquis shook his head, "The Duke's Mansion relieved the Emperor of his worries. The Emperor granting a pardon is only natural. Besides, it's said that the Duke's Mansion's heir is smitten with the eldest daughter of the Jiangning Marquis's second branch, to the point of obsession. If the Emperor were to issue an imperial decree for marriage, I fear the Duke's Mansion would be even more grateful to him."

The legitimate daughter of the second branch of Jiangning Hou's Mansion

The emperor didn't react at first, but when he understood, he couldn't help but laugh and cry.

"So my cousin was waiting for me here! The Empress has been longing to marry this niece to you, yet you've gone and played matchmaker for someone else!"

The Marquis raised his hand to pour tea, concealing the coldness in his eyes, and replied, "As I said, as long as the barbarians are not eradicated, half of the land will not be recovered. I will never marry. So, it's not good to drag a young lady down until she grows old and unmarried. Besides, I have a daughter! Fu Nuer is filial, even without marrying a wife, I have Fu Nuer to support me in my old age and see me off."

The Emperor had never liked the Wu family, and he was unwilling to go against his cousin's wishes. He only did this to please the Empress and the head of the Wu family.

Moreover, marrying off a daughter of the Wu family to the heir apparent of the Duke's mansion would bring a large sum of money to the national treasury and solve the issue of pension payments.

Thinking this way, he laughed and said, "This is not bad either. It solves the problem of the empty treasury and also solves Wu's family daughter's desire to marry, it can be said to be a win-win situation."

Unfortunately, the Lord's ambition went far beyond that. He pressed on, "Your Majesty, are you satisfied with this Do we no longer need to raise funds for the river repair"

The Emperor was immediately taken aback and asked, “Cousin, aren't you still trying to squeeze money out of the Duke's Mansion”

The Lord shook his head and smiled, "Of course not! You can't keep cutting meat from the same pig forever!"

The Emperor's expression was strange as he listened. His cousin used to be so serious and reserved, but now his words were...too down-to-earth!

Haven't you spent too long living on the Golden Sands

The lord didn't know what he was thinking. He took out a roster of soldiers from his bosom and said, "This campaign resulted in heavy casualties. We must replenish the ranks."

"Tianwu belongs to the common people, but it also belongs to the wealthy families and all the officials in the court. There is no reason why only the common people should send their children and grandchildren to fight against the barbarians, while the nobles and powerful families stand back and watch the excitement.

"

"Therefore, I propose that this time the soldiers be selected from the young sons of each family. Each family must contribute two sons, and they must be legitimate heirs. This way, each family will have something to care about, making them more dedicated to retaking our lost territories and more understanding of the hardships of war."

The emperor's teacup tilted in his hand, nearly spilling the tea.

This……

Yesterday in the court, civil and military officials and prominent families watched silently as the matter of the condolence fund was discussed.

This emperor looked at it and felt a chill of anger, let alone his cousin. He must be furious.

But he didn't expect that his cousin actually wanted to roast all the officials and dignitaries of Tianwu.

Cut off the supply at its source!

Strike the snake at its seven inches!

This is about choking the necks of all wealthy and influential families, tying them to the chariot heading north!

They may not care about the lives of common soldiers, but they cannot disregard the life and death of their own blood!

"This... this is likely to incur the wrath of everyone, brother. Are you going to become a lonely subject, Your Highness" The Emperor spoke up in opposition, "Brother, you mustn't do this! Let's find another solution!"

The Marquis smiled dismissively, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. It's not necessary for all those sons of noble families to enlist. If they learn from the Duke of Zhen Guo and understand your worries about the empty treasury, then sending just one to enlist would be enough."

“Let them rage, then! When I vowed to reclaim our lost territories and wipe out the barbarians, I cast aside all else. Whether they are officials or nobles, whether they hate me or revere me, it makes no difference. As long as the Emperor trusts me, I fear nothing!”

"Cousin, I don't trust anyone, but I will trust you…" The emperor's heart burned with emotion. He had so much to say, but all the words were stuck in his throat.

As an emperor, one must not have human emotions.

Even family, like wives and children, can't be trusted. One day they might even turn against you, stabbing you in the back for a chance at your position of power.

But how lucky he was to have such a cousin, who grew up with him as his only family.

When he was weak and couldn't stand against everyone, his cousin brought bodyguards to protect him. He always walked on the edge of life and death, gathering intelligence for him and taking care of some things that shouldn't be seen.

Now that he has assumed power and has the capital to vie for dominance with some, his cousin has begun leading troops out on campaigns to reclaim the lost half of their territory.

Now he has even solved the problem of an empty treasury, single-handedly shouldering the burden of all the powerful families!

The Marquis saw that the Emperor's eyes were red, and he sighed, smiling softly, "Why are you still like a child I don't have candied dates to coax you."

The Emperor also smiled, his smile carrying a hint of nostalgia.

When he was young, his biological mother died early. At that time, both the favored concubine and the empress had given birth to princes. The late emperor naturally ignored this poor little one, wishing that even palace maids and eunuchs could bully him at will.

At that time, my cousin's parents and relatives all died from the plague, leaving only my cousin.

He specially knelt on the path his father emperor must pass, and begged his father emperor's permission to send his cousin into the palace to be his companion reader.

My cousin could leave the palace once every two weeks, and I would secretly bring him maltose candy.

When he was bullied and unable to fight back, feeling both angry and hurt, his cousin would secretly take him to a secluded spot to talk.

He eats sugar, his cousin practices martial arts.

Even after so long, everything seems as vivid as if it were just yesterday...

These past few years, since he took power, people have started taking sides and working for him.

He wasn't the only one around his side, even meeting his cousin once every few months.

Occasionally, he would also harbor doubts, wondering if his cousin also harbored ulterior motives, if he too, like those officials, had something to ask of him, something to hide...

But at this moment, he was suddenly overwhelmed with shame!

Uncle was still Uncle, but he had become a "qualified" emperor!

The Emperor took a deep breath and said, "Cousin, you don't have to be like this. I am the Emperor of Tianwu, so these kinds of things should be handled by me! As you said, Tianwu is my Tianwu, it belongs to the people, and it also belongs to the officials and powerful families. It wouldn't make sense for them to just stand idly by!"pot.""Yes, my lady," Gu Li retreated a few steps before turning and leaving the room.Old Li couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "This child is really good. Before, I only saw him acting steadily and...