Chapter 332

Everyone was shocked!

Everyone's scalp went numb!

Everyone swallowed hard!

They were so shocked their scalps went numb!

But... what shocked them even more was... Facing Ying Su actually issued an edict to reduce taxes by one year?

Reducing taxes for the common people was nothing; after all, those were the imperial court's taxes!

But... what did it mean to increase taxes on the nobility?

The first time he made the nobility pay taxes, he implemented a policy called "incorporating the poll tax into the land tax," forcing all nobles to pay fifty percent of their revenue as tax!

All the nobles' resistance against him stemmed from this!

Later, when Xiang Yu's great army was defeated, he immediately added another ten percent to the tax!

Now... after one battle ended, he wants to add another ten percent to the tax again!

Adding it up like this means the nobles have to pay seventy percent of their revenue as tax?

What is he doing!

Does he want to leave anyone any way to live?

At that moment, in Manchaotang, everyone flew into a rage!

Even Seeing Ying Zheng couldn't help but swallow lightly!

Seventy percent tax!

This is seventy percent tax!

Asking the nobles to pay seventy percent tax—what a disaster!

Seeing Ying Zheng's eyebrows knitted tightly!

And the crowd shouted loudly: "We won't pay! We absolutely won't pay!"

"Yes! We will absolutely not pay this ten percent tax!"

Their shouts shook the heavens!

Everyone was filled with boundless anger!

And as soon as these words were shouted out, Zuo Zuo Zongtang's eyes instantly turned cold: "The Emperor's edict—who dares disobey?"

Zhuge Liang waved the feather fan in his hand: "Anyone who resists the edict will be executed immediately!"

As his words fell!

Boom!

Suddenly! A tremendous roar shocked the entire court and the world!

Li Yuanba slammed his hammer hard onto the ground!

Instantly, the earth cracked, and Zhenggegongdian began to shake slightly!

Such a scene simply made everyone swallow hard, and even more, it made countless people tremble!

Every single one of them was terrified to the extreme!

Li Yuanba!

This is Li Yuanba!

Back then, when he rebelled with Facing Ying Su, he alone killed fifty thousand people!

Later, facing Seeing Xiang Yu, he alone slaughtered over three hundred thousand people!

After that, during the crisis in Taiyuan, he alone killed nearly seven hundred thousand people!

Destroying the Xiongnu, he killed over one million!

Such a record was simply terrifying, horrifying!

The crowd might not have feared Zhuge Liang, might not have feared Zuo Zuo Zongtang, and might not have been so afraid even when facing Fuhao's two hundred thousand strong army!

But... seeing Li Yuanba, that was truly frightening!

At that moment, everyone was trembling!

Even Seeing Ying Zheng couldn't help but shiver!

Truly no way!

Truly no way!

In this world, he, Seeing Ying Zheng, feared no one, except for Li Yuanba and Li Cunxiao!

Either one of these two, if brought out, was an existence that made him have nightmares!

At this very moment, he didn't dare to say a single word!

But... him not speaking didn't mean Zuo Zuo Zongtang wouldn't let him speak!

Just as everyone was in panic, Zuo Zuo Zongtang bowed to Seeing Ying Zheng: "May I ask the Retired Emperor if he has any objections to the Emperor's edict?"

"You..."

With that single question from Zuo Zuo Zongtang, Seeing Ying Zheng was half dead with rage!

What did it mean to ask him to take a stand at this moment?

Disagree?

Disagreeing meant letting Li Yuanba go mad!

Agree?

He, the First Emperor, agreeing to Facing Ying Su's edict?

The key is, how many people would this offend!

Right now, he was in a time when he needed people!

At a time when he needed the nobles' help to reclaim the throne and gain a voice, how could he offend them?

He was furious!

At this very moment, he only wished to stay out of it.

But how could Zhuge Liang and Li Si possibly give Ying Zheng a chance to stay out of it?

They all bowed before Ying Zheng: "Retired Emperor, do you have any objections?"

"You... you..."

With these people acting this way, Ying Zheng grew even angrier!

Angry that they forced him to take a stance, even angrier at their attitude and their words!

They were not asking if he agreed with this edict, but asking what objections he had!

Too oppressive, truly too oppressive!

He was very angry, but... looking at Li Yuanba before him, what could he do?

In the end, he had no choice; he stepped forward and said: "The great victory ahead indeed warrants celebration throughout the land!"

Having spoken these words, he left immediately!

He could not say more; if he did, he would offend everyone!

Yet even this single sentence made all the nobles tremble!

Almost all the nobles felt somewhat desperate!

They had originally hoped Ying Zheng would resist, but... he... he actually agreed?

"Ah!"

The crowd wailed inwardly without cease!

But at this moment, there was not the slightest way out!

Fu Hao's two hundred thousand troops have already been able to intimidate everyone, making them dare not move rashly.

Now Li Yuanba has been added!

Truly, they have shaken everyone to their core!

No one dared to speak rashly!

In the end, they could only nod: "Yes!"

"Good! Xiao He, prepare to collect taxes!"

Li Si gave the order!

In the blink of an eye, the court meeting ended.

Everyone dispersed!

And Li Si, Xiao He, Zhuge Liang, and Zuo Zuo Zongtang, all of them gathered around Li Yuanba, asking Li Yuanba about the frontline battle situation and so on, as well as the current state of Facing Ying Su!