Who would raise a villain as a wife?

The result was that He Yunjing waited until late at night but Cen Li still didn't come. He was so angry that he blew out the candle and lay down on the bed. He got up before dawn, put on some casual clothes and walked towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony, without even bothering with the sedan chair.

He arrived too early and no one was in the Hall of Supreme Harmony yet. He sat down on the dragon throne and began to doze off. Not long after, Cen Li came in, looking a little unhappy, but didn't say anything.

When the time came, the eunuch sang to signal the start of court, and a group of officials entered the hall one after another. They were all surprised and surprised to see He Yunjing, who was in a high position, to varying degrees.

He Yunjing opened his eyes and glanced at the ministers. He had accompanied Jiang Li to court before, but this was the first time he sat in this position.

This feeling is really good. No wonder Cen Li wants to be the powerful official. Who wouldn’t like the feeling of being above everyone else?

The corner of his mouth curled up, and he shouted, "Stand up!" His eyes fell on Cen Li who was standing in the front.

Although Cen Li is now a eunuch, he is already involved in the court and is a formal official.

He held his chin up and said, "Yesterday I read the memorial. Since the treasury is empty, we will increase taxes. All taxes will be raised by 20%."

As soon as this was said, officials headed by the prime minister were all ready to act. Some honest officials stepped forward to dissuade them, "Your Majesty, there have been natural disasters of varying degrees in various places in the past two years. The people in many places can hardly even afford food and clothing. You must not increase miscellaneous taxes and shake the foundation of the country."

As soon as this was said, many people came forward to agree, asking He Yunjing to sympathize with the people and put the country first.

He Yunjing listened without any expression, counted the heads of those kneeling and begging, and found that only half of them were standing.

Looking at those who were not kneeling, many of them followed Cen Li's orders, while others were afraid of Cen Li's power and dared not act rashly, and they also did not care about the lives of the people.

He Yunjing curled his lips, "In that case, I will only increase it by 10%, and the rest will be deducted from your salaries. The treasury cannot be without money! I still need to build a temporary palace!"

What He Yunjing said was ridiculous. The Prime Minister was so angry that he tried his best to dissuade him but it was useless.

Cen Li lowered his eyes and listened quietly. Only when the gaze on him became more and more intense did he raise his eyes and meet He Yunjing's.

He Yunjing winked at him desperately, what was he waiting for if he didn't grab it since it had already been pushed up to him?

Cen Li wanted to ignore it, but he still raised his hand and saluted He Yunjing, saying, "Your Majesty, taxes cannot be increased and salaries cannot be deducted."

"Then what about my temporary palace? Didn't Lord Cen say that the treasury is empty and there is no money to build a palace for me!" He Yunjing put on the airs of a tyrant and looked at Cen Li with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Cen Li looked at him and said, "The palace is not urgent. Your Majesty can reduce taxes for two years to give the people a chance to recuperate and get through the natural disaster. The same can be said for the year of good harvest when the tax reduction is taken back."

He Yunjing had an expression of sudden enlightenment, but soon turned a little reluctant, "Then I'll listen to Master Cen. I'll exempt it for two years and take it back later."

When the court officials heard that He Yunjing had agreed to waive taxes, they were confused. Why was the tax reduced instead of increased?

But no matter why, it is a good thing, and a group of people shouted in unison that His Majesty is wise.

He Yunjing looked flattered and said, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works should hurry up. I want to build a wine pool and meat forest before the concubines enter the palace so that I can enjoy myself with the beauties."

The absurd remarks caused the crowds in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to remain silent and shocked. In the court, they wanted to enjoy themselves with wine and women, and they also wanted the women in their families to have fun. Who could tolerate this?

Even Cen Li couldn't help but frown. He said no yesterday, but wanted to have fun today?

Cen Li gradually reacted after listening to the voices of objection from the officials. He looked at He Yunjing who was in a high position. Was he trying to anger the officials by not sending away the concubines?

He Yunjing gave him a look that said "that's what it is" and quickly canceled the draft with the attitude of a powerful official.

Cen Li's face darkened, and he had to stand up again to advise, "The Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated that the Red Demon Star was moving, which might cause chaos in the harem and affect the country's destiny. For the prosperity of the country and the stability of the court, please suspend the selection of candidates and protect your body and mind."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officials in the court knelt down and begged He Yunjing to stop the selection for the sake of the country and the people.

What a great move!

He Yunjing couldn't help but give Cen Li a thumbs up and praise him for a job well done.

But on the surface He Yunjing couldn't do this. Instead he quarreled with Cen Li in the court. Mainly because he wanted to hold a beauty contest, Cen Li said nothing. All the ministers tried to persuade him with kind words.

It's funny. Everyone in the court knew that He Yunjing was just a puppet of Cen Li. Instead of sending his own women into the palace, it would be better to marry them off to consolidate the relationship in the court. After such a commotion in the morning court, He Yunjing ended up leaving in anger.

Cen Li stayed to discuss some political affairs with the officials, and unexpectedly, it went much more smoothly than usual.

He Yunjing waited until lunch time before ordering someone to send lunch to the imperial study. He went to the imperial study and had lunch with Cen Li.

He Yunjing didn't like being served, so he sent all the palace servants away after sitting down. While eating, he asked, "How was your day?"

Cen Li raised his eyes and glanced at him. "Not bad."

"I, a tyrant, am still of some use. It makes you look so kind." He Yunjing picked up a piece of chicken. It tasted bland and not tasty at all.

Cen Li raised his eyebrows slightly, "Aren't you afraid that you might faint and then turn around?"

"We are now in the same boat. You want me, the nominal emperor, to control the court, and I need your protection to enjoy wealth and glory. Our respective interests can make us the best partners. I believe you will not let me die, and I will give you what you want."

Cen Li put down his chopsticks and asked, "Don't you want the real imperial power?"

"That's not my intention. Thank you for the invitation." He Yunjing slowly served the soup and complained, "The power I want is different from yours. It depends on what position you are in. Emperors have more than just power. Building a country in troubled times and defending a country in prosperous times require a lot of effort.

To balance the court, to prevent those who have achieved great success from having different intentions, to make good use of the virtuous and to distinguish between the treacherous and the treacherous, how can one know every piece of land in the deep palace? How many people are there in communication with the upper and lower levels, and how much deception will there be in the middle?

As for taxes, do you know how much the people gave, how much was embezzled, and how much was left in the national treasury?

It is nothing but layer upon layer of exploitation, contempt of the higher for the lower.

In this world, where there is white, there is black; where there is light, there is shadow. We cannot get rid of corrupt officials, but we can grasp the right scale and let them know when to stop."

The soup cooled down after He Yunjing finished speaking. He picked up the small bowl and took a few sips. When he put it down, he met Cen Li's gaze.

He smiled and said, "It is a matter of human nature to leave a way out when doing things. It is the same even in high positions. Of course, there is no need to hold back on those who are extremely greedy and evil. Hu Zhi is one of those people. Not only must he be eliminated, but he must be eliminated in a grand manner so that everyone in the country knows about it."

Cen Li pursed his lips and said nothing. He saw in He Yunjing the bearing and talent that a true emperor should have. If He Yunjing had that intention, he would not be able to prevent it no matter how much he tried to guard against it.

He lowered his eyes and asked him softly, "What would you do if you were framed and wrongly accused?"