The Cruel Tyrant

61

Qing kingdom in the 193rd year (there was no reign era name at this time). One day during morning assembly in the late spring, the Crown Prince issued three imperial edicts.

The first ordered the Shangshu of the Ministry of Works to construct in the imperial city, the Imperial Engineering Academy, the Imperial Classical Learning Academy, and the Imperial Agricultural Academy.

Second, each county and city must have a government-run School (previously only private schools existed). Those who had paid tuition could enjoy the use of books, tables and chairs. Those who had not paid tuition could listen in and could not be driven away.

Third, taxes were levied directly from farmers on the basis of how many acres of land they had and the amount of rent to be paid to the landowner. Land that was already being cultivated was not allowed to be sublet at will.

When the three edicts were issued they had caused a huge uproar. Even the officials who had never dared to be audacious in front of Su Mu could not sit still. These officials had been cultivated by their families and still enjoyed the protection of their families, so they naturally wanted to protect the interests of their families. Some time ago, the Crown Prince's order that children of concubines could also gain a share in the family property had already caused dissatisfaction among many people. At this moment, it all broke out. These people did not dare to confront the Crown Prince face to face for fear of their lives, so they all agreed——to go on a strike against the court!

Su Mu, who received the news in the study, let out a sneer and said: "Anyone who participates in the strike will be forgiven if they attend tomorrow's morning assembly, otherwise the lower level officials will take over their posts."

As a result, most of the people came to the morning assembly obediently the next day. As for the few who did not come, they were all sent to prison on various charges within three days. It was quite easy for Su Mu as these court officials all had stains on their record.

In short order, he controlled the court officials and gathered the hearts of the people at the bottom. As for those little grasshoppers, who cared where they hopped.

In the prison, Yun Feiyu, Yun Feiyan, and Lin Siyuan sat at a table. After learning of the edicts issued by the Crown Prince, Yun Feiyan said with a solemn expression: "This has almost cut off the lifeblood of all the gentry. This move of the Crown Prince has touched the interests of most of the middle and upper classes. I am afraid that something big will happen soon. While the court officials don't dare to go against the Crown Prince to his face, they may still pose obstacles in private."

Lin Siyuan also nodded and said: "The Crown Prince has practically cut off the entire middle level, I'm afraid the sky will collapse soon."

Yun Feiyu shook his head and said: "All the troops of the Qing kingdom, as well as the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Wu kingdom, are in the hands of the Crown Prince. At this time, no one will dare to make mistakes. After the New Laws are fully implemented, the political situation will be stabilized. These people who only know how to flap their lips won't cause much of a storm. But in the process, I am afraid that thousands of people will die."

After speaking, Yun Feiyu laughed self-deprecatingly and said: "I originally thought that the Crown Prince borrowed troops from the Wu kingdom only to quell the rebels. Now it seems that the real purpose of the armed forces of the Wu kingdom is actually here. The troops of the Qing kingdom are all citizens of the Qing kingdom. Many of the high ranking military officers are also from gentry and aristocratic families. Even if they are controlled by the Crown Prince, it would still be impossible for them to suppress their own family. The only possible solution is to use the army of another country. The Crown Prince.....is indeed a rare genius that only appears in a thousand years. The Crown Prince.....is indeed the hope for the Qing kingdom."