Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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People are complex, and Ronan is no exception. While he is a humane person who doesn't want his friend Liu Menglong to put himself in danger, he is also a cold-blooded political animal. Liu Menglong, who has disagreements with him, is undoubtedly blocking his way.

In short, once the matter in Luoyang is resolved, regardless of which faction wins, including the emperor, it will only further exacerbate the economic problems in Seris, and within ten years, the country will be in chaos.

Ronan lay low here for ten years, then acted as a go-between, supporting a certain prince to come to the aid of the emperor. In the era of cold weapons, Guangdong was not a good place to start a business, but in the era of firearms and cannons, it was a good place.

Moreover, he is a foreigner and does not have the qualifications to usurp power. As long as he does not betray Seris's interests, he will be a trusted loyal minister.

In the end, it was all for nothing? If Ronan was after power, then so be it.

But he and Dinia are not pursuing power now; they are pursuing the beginning of a new era.

For Ronan, the game of power was just a bit of fun in the process of achieving his ideals.

By not competing, he was able to obtain what he desired.

Chapter 803 Subtle Hidden Leaders in the Fundraising Campaign: Money Smeared, Political Achievements Flooded

The next day, Luo Nan was summoned to the yamen early in the morning. To his surprise, the chief officials of the nine yamen of the Foshan Coastal Defense Sub-prefecture were all gathered together.

The Assistant Magistrate of the Coastal Defense Prefecture did not have a deputy, so Zhou Chongren, the Chief of the Finance and Grain Department who ranked first among the subordinate officials, naturally sat in the main seat.

The fact that the head of the Finance and Revenue Department sits in the main position is not because he is in charge of finance, but because the Coastal Defense Sub-Prefecture was originally a temporary organization to support the navy, and the Finance and Revenue Department was in charge of logistics within this logistics organization. Therefore, the Finance and Revenue Department was ranked first. Even though the Coastal Defense Sub-Prefecture has now become a permanent administrative organization, and the Finance and Revenue Department's authority has become to manage finance, this point remains unchanged.

The second-ranked official is the head of the Agricultural Administration Department. Don't ask why; the answer is that Seris prioritizes agriculture.

Third was the Iron and Steel Bureau, which was actually the most powerful government office in the Foshan Coastal Defense Sub-Prefecture. In theory, it could manage everything within Foshan and related to the iron and steel industry. To put it bluntly, this government office had money, grain, and even soldiers.

The rest will have to wait a little longer.

The nine bigwigs gathered together for one thing.

This is the autumn harvest, which is nothing special in itself, but Foshan is going to receive a subsidy.

The term "assistance payment" refers to the provision of funds for military expenses, which is an ancestral custom.

During the reign of Emperor Sejong, the eldest son of Emperor Taizu who ascended the throne at the age of eighty, the expenses brought by the border troops in various directions of the dynasty became unbearable for the court. Therefore, the court decided to increase the autonomy of the border towns. However, at first, no one was willing to go to the border areas to serve as a civil official, and the local military officers also caused trouble every day. There was only one reason: the border areas were poor.

Emperor Sejong, who had long served as his father's logistics manager and was skilled in economics, devised a scheme called "cooperative payment," or fiscal transfer.

In this way, civil officials could take the opportunity to embezzle money by changing every few years, but the money would eventually end up in the hands of military officers. Military officers who served for a long time and whose positions were essentially the local authorities would never allow civil officials to take all the money, and they would have to distribute it to their subordinates.

This is what is meant by "to save the people, first save the officials; to strengthen the army, first strengthen the generals."

Therefore, the final outcome is "harmony between civil and military officials" and "harmony between soldiers and civilians".

Only wealthy places that send money to poor places are unhappy.

Foshan used to be a poor, remote town, so it also had subsidies. You say it's not anymore? Are you kidding me? You dare say this isn't a poor county?

Regardless of Foshan's situation, even the wealthy counties that support Foshan will be targeted. The reason is simple: they say they'll provide 50,000 worth of supplies, but only give a maximum of 30,000. On the other hand, they claim to receive 50,000, but actually only receive 30,000. Only 10,000 is distributed to lower levels, and in the end, only 3,000 is actually distributed.

Everyone has a tacit understanding; you're good, I'm good, we're all good.

According to custom, Foshan needs the Assistant Magistrate to handle this, but now, the Assistant Magistrate is not here.

"My lords, how come I know nothing about this? Didn't we collect any subsidies last year?" Ronan asked.

Zhou Chongren, the head of the Finance and Grain Department, smiled and said, "Master Luo, this was originally a small matter. After all, Foshan only accepts cotton cloth and grain worth 10,000 yuan a year. At this time last year, a lot of documents were sent to Lord Liu. He was a little drunk at the time, so he signed and stamped them."

Ronan chuckled. "This payment document isn't buried at the very bottom of a pile of documents, is it?"

"Haha, it seems so," Wang Pingzhen, the head of the Agricultural Administration Department, replied with a laugh.

Xu Zhongting of the Ironworks Department bluntly stated, "Master Luo, to be honest, this little bit of stuff is just a drop in the ocean for Foshan. At most, it's enough for the hardworking colleagues in various government offices to have a few morning teas. Nobody wants to take this little bit. Last year, we fooled Lord Liu to avoid him talking too much. Now we're bringing this small matter up for discussion so that you, Master Luo, won't find out and ruin everyone's harmony over such a trivial matter."

In the past, the officials of the Foshan Coastal Defense Sub-Prefecture were not a unified entity; they were representatives of the interests of various places in Guangdong, converging in Foshan. However, after a year of maneuvering, Luo Nan has managed to mold them into a local interest group that is colluding, acting in concert, and acting in concert.

Ronan is a key figure in this interest group, and naturally, no one wants him to harbor resentment over such a small matter. At the same time, this incident is also a way of showing that we can fool the man surnamed Liu, but we can't fool you.

"Very well, gentlemen, you have really given me, a foreigner, a lot of face. Everything will proceed as usual. Give my colleagues some clothes and rice and flour, and use any extra spare money to have some morning tea."

Ronan made one thing clear once again: he had new rules, but at the same time, he wouldn't easily break the old ones.

In an instant, everyone was all smiles.

After a burst of laughter, the real drama began. Zhang Changlin from the Ministry of Justice asked, "I wonder if Lord Liu mentioned his trip to the capital to you, Master Luo, before he left?"

They were officials with connections above them, but those connections were mostly limited to the southern coastal region. They could get some information and knew that there would likely be something going on during this grand sacrificial ceremony, but they didn't have any concrete details. However, since the matter was of great importance, they wanted to see if Liu Menglong, who had an even higher and stronger backing, had any information.

"No, that's really not the case. You gentlemen are giving me far too much credit. In the end, I'm just a foreigner. Even if Lord Liu knows something, would he be able to tell me?"

Ronan laughed.

The officials laughed, but in their hearts they didn't believe it at all.

Ronan is indeed a foreigner, but he is no ordinary foreigner. His concubines are all highly skilled and have a keen understanding of politics and business. Could Ronan, who can lead such a group of women, be an ordinary person in the West?

To put it bluntly, in such a vast and powerful country as China, no high-ranking official could possibly have so many skilled individuals assisting him.

Ronan also brought in a lot of metallurgical technology and high-yield crops. This is something that can't be done by people with high cultivation or money; it requires power.

Without a doubt, Ronan was a big shot in the West.

Luo Nan is a big shot, yet Liu Menglong dared to appoint him as his advisor, allowing him to make public appearances and interfere in Foshan's political affairs. This is definitely not an ordinary relationship.

“I really don’t know, but the fact that I have absolutely no idea is precisely what makes it a big deal,” Ronan said.

For a moment, everyone's faces darkened, becoming even more somber.

"Actually, gentlemen, what do the power struggles in the court have to do with us? If I, a foreigner, were to say something outrageous, even if it were someone else, we would still get our money and our achievements would still be there, wouldn't you say?" Ronan had to reassure these people.

Zhang Changlin, from the Department of Justice, slapped his thigh. "That's right, what Master Luo said makes sense. No matter how big the changes are, they won't affect us. At most, it's just a matter for the real big shots like the governor and the admiral. Does that mean we'll stop doing business and stop making achievements just because we change the governor or the admiral?"

“If you ask me, it’s safer to just focus on building up your achievements. If you do it too well, you might get promoted.” At this moment, Wang Pingzhen from the Agricultural Administration Department said. At first, he was the most enthusiastic about building up his achievements, but now it’s different. He can embezzle more without causing any deficits, so he really doesn’t want to be promoted.

"That's the truth."

"Yes."

A group of officials echoed this sentiment, all wanting to continue their corrupt practices for a few more years.

Chapter 804 The situation has matured; no one can see the bigger picture. The fifth rank is no longer a big deal.

Thousands of miles away, the capital.

Liu Menglong didn't have the same high rank as Lu Jianling; he was still a civil official. It took him two extra days to complete the registration and reporting procedures for local officials entering the capital. Of course, this was only because he had connections in the court. If he didn't have connections and wasn't paid for the service, he would definitely be held up by the minor officials in the relevant departments for several more days.

After completing the procedures, Liu Menglong's first task was to visit his cultivation teacher, Yu Daoheng.

At night, in the small warm room in the courtyard, the master and apprentice sat facing each other.

After exchanging a few greetings and complaining about how cold the weather in the capital was, Liu Menglong then began to complain about the decline of morality in the capital. He had only passed the imperial examination a few years ago, and back then, the capital did not have such an obvious culture of extortion and bribery. How could it have become like this in just a few years since the new emperor ascended the throne?

Yu Daoheng picked up his wine cup and took a small sip of his hometown's yellow wine. "When the house was first being built, the servants were willing to contribute their meager savings to help build it. But when the house fell into disrepair and started to decay, they not only showed no compassion, but also demanded more monthly wages and tried to steal valuables from the mansion. It's all such a simple truth."

"This..." Liu Menglong wanted to curse these people for their depravity, but he didn't say it. In the past year in Foshan, he had truly grown a lot. When faced with difficulties, why didn't he repair the house, but instead stole money? This was not a matter of depravity, but simply a calculation of interests. The mansion was large, and there were too many servants, each with their own faction. They were not of one mind. Even if you contributed, it would only end up in someone else's hands and would not make the house better.

As Ronan said, when a country ages, the problem isn't one or a few major corrupt officials, but rather the absence of major corrupt officials and the presence of countless minor ones, making it impossible to effectively execute any orders.

They either cultivate a completely new and extremely powerful interest group to become a major parasite, or the final result of this tactic is usually to send themselves to the guillotine.

Either these scattered small interest groups are brought together to form a large parasite, which is extremely difficult to do, and even after it's done, the ruler's head will still be in jeopardy.

If the Kingdom of Phos didn't have three abnormal individuals like Ambrina, Ronan, and Dinia, especially Ronan who gained the support of powerful figures in religion, nobility, merchants, and magic, then without a doubt, Isabel was right. Maintaining the status quo was tantamount to waiting for death, while only through fire could one be reborn.

"It seems you've matured a lot," Yu Daoheng said with great satisfaction.

"Teacher, what exactly is the situation with the emperor?" Liu Menglong asked the question he really wanted to ask.

Yu Daoheng's expression also became solemn. "There is a mysterious person by the emperor's side, but apart from the emperor himself, no one has ever actually seen him, and no one can even guess his identity. On the other hand, the emperor is in frequent contact with Wu Jiuxiao."

"Grand Tutor Wu?" Liu Menglong was stunned.

Wu Jiuxiao was an important minister in the later period of the previous emperor's reign. He then assisted the previous emperor. However, after a few years, he resigned from his post after his cultivation reached the fifth level. At the same time, the previous emperor gave him the title of Grand Tutor, so many people are used to calling him Grand Tutor Wu.

After resigning from his official post, Wu Jiuxiao, who was already over seventy years old, miraculously began to make rapid progress in his cultivation, reaching the seventh level in just over ten years.

After reaching the seventh level, he went into seclusion. It is said that, like other people who reached the seventh level, he went to study the method of immortality. It has been more than ten years since then. What is he doing suddenly appearing now?

Is he planning a strong comeback to politics?

This won't do. Top-tier extraordinary individuals cannot directly participate in politics unless the world is in chaos. This is a tacit understanding and rule established by these top-tier extraordinary individuals themselves hundreds of years ago. Those who break the rules will be punished by the whole world.

Ultimately, the state of the world has no impact on top-tier extraordinary individuals. Political changes bring no benefit to people like Wu Jiuxiao. Wealth and power are not only useless to people at his level, but are also a waste of time and energy.

“You’re surprised, and so am I,” Yu Daoheng said. He himself didn’t understand what was going on. “Most people think that Grand Tutor Wu is just here to side with the emperor and show his support. But if that’s the case, can’t he just make a statement? Even if he has to show his face, does he need to have frequent contact with the emperor? It’s too strange.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Menglong thought about it again and agreed.

Moreover, there was a mysterious person by the emperor's side.

At the same time, in Lu Jianling's bedroom at the Lu residence, she lay in a huge bathtub filled with hot water. After a long, comfortable sigh, she stopped moving and took out a wooden horn.

Mr. Horn was very small, especially to her, only eleven or twelve centimeters long, about the same size as her late husband.

She remained a widow for twenty years. For the first ten years or so, nothing happened, but after she turned forty, she began to experience this desire from time to time. When it was strong, it affected her thinking, and she had to do something to calm it down. But she never dared to do anything big, and her movements were very subtle, for fear that her desire would only intensify.

After barely suppressing his desires, Lu Jianling began to think about some things his second son had mentioned earlier.

The second son did indeed patronize a prostitute, but when she went to see one of his old friends, the second son was present.

Then, the second son said something to her.

Simply put, the eldest and third brothers are acting suspiciously.

The Justice Society, which the eldest brother was involved with, had been secretly researching things related to innate talent, and the person behind it all seemed to be connected to the emperor.

The third brother is clearly just an ordinary person, yet he gets very close to one of Wu Jiuxiao's disciples. Does he deserve it?

“My mother should be focusing on the two of them, not me.” These are the exact words of the second son, Liu Chongsi.

Clearly, the situation was beyond her imagination, and even beyond her father-in-law's expectations.

This grand sacrificial ceremony to Heaven is likely not as simple as a major political upheaval.

Unfortunately, she can't directly ask her eldest and third sons right now, because each of them has their own faction, and asking them directly might alert them.

"We can only ask the boss about the prescription and see what he says."

Lu Jianling made this plan in his mind.

Then he thought to himself, "The second son is no simpleton either; he knows things that even his father-in-law doesn't."

This was information that neither the second brother's colleagues, who were all low-ranking military officers in the Imperial Guard, nor his drinking buddies who hung out on the streets could possibly know.

In the past, she hoped her three sons would be successful, but now she genuinely hopes they will all be good-for-nothings who just loaf around and do nothing.

"What exactly does the emperor want to do?" Lu Jianling was also filled with great doubt.

Lu Jianling had some ideas, but quickly dismissed them all, saying, "Forget it, this is not something I can get involved in."

Her father-in-law was not a high-ranking official. He was said to be the Minister of War, but he had little to do with military power, let alone political power. As for herself, she was just so-so, not even the leader of a small faction.

As for individual strength, under normal circumstances, perhaps her fifth rank would be considered decent, but in the current situation, even seventh-rank individuals have entered the fray, so she is nothing.

Chapter 805 Smokescreen: Failure is the Mother of Success, But Don't Laugh Yet

In the emperor's bedroom, the emperor, who had just finished reading several secret reports, was immersed in excitement and had no desire to sleep at all.

First, his series of subtle actions, along with the actions of Consort De, a "spy," and Chen Zuolin and others, had successfully deceived the powerful ministers in the imperial court who controlled the empire's power departments.

Now, these important figures all believe that this emperor, who doesn't have much real power, will use the "Talent Transplantation Technique" and the "Cultivation Transfer Technique" as bargaining chips to win over either the pro-peace faction in the north or the pro-war faction in the south, while simultaneously attacking the other. This would free up some positions, which would then be filled by marginal figures who would side with him as emperor, ultimately achieving the goal of regaining some power.

However, this was just a smokescreen.

Emperor Zhao Disheng did not believe this method would be useful. Even if he dismissed all the officials in an instant and replaced them with new ones who were loyal to him, he would soon be reduced to his original state and become an official without real power.

Only by first gaining control of the armed forces—not just those who are loyal to him, but those who are forced to be loyal to him—and then relying on such an armed force, can new policies be implemented and a portion of the purse be recovered.

With guns and money in hand, things can only get interesting from there.

The way to control the gun was to transform the soldiers in his armies, who were composed entirely of ordinary people and were merely for show, into people with talent.

The soldiers in these honor guards were all sons of noble families, officials, and noble clans, but they were all ordinary people.

Their families sent them here purely to earn a government salary, so we should do them the right thing.

Their brothers, sisters, or other relatives with extraordinary powers do not treat them as family. In their homes, most of them are not even as high-ranking as those servants with a little bit of extraordinary power.

The people who hate the current and future rulers the most are not the illiterate and powerless ordinary people below, but this group of people.

As for how they acquired their talents, we have to go back to the barbarian chieftain who attempted to conquer the west more than 500 years ago.

In fact, more than a thousand years ago, when the cultivation methods for extraordinary powers were just beginning to get on track, some people began to study how to endow more people with cultivation talents.

More than 500 years ago, that barbarian chieftain, by combining the research results of Chinese dynasties with his own wisdom, created a large magic array to bestow talents upon mortals.

Unfortunately, his method was not perfect or stable enough, so he failed.