"Grandfather, we can’t let the Emperor do this, otherwise Great Chu will be filled with rivers of blood." Ouyang Ming said something similar to what Gu Jinli had said: "Although Jianghuai, Jiangnan, and Zhili are wealthy, the wealth only belongs to the noble families and affluent merchants. Ordinary farmers still lead a life of hardship. Didn’t you also say that if it weren’t for that bean oil, half of the households in Jianghuai would still be living off boiled vegetables, not daring to use oil in every meal?"

"When they can’t even afford to use oil, how can they have money left over to pay double the tax on grains and the Kangrong tax?"

Ouyang Ming was very angry. From a young age, she had learned horseback riding and archery, perused military books, and developed a rather chivalrous temperament, unable to bear seeing the common people suffer such hardships.

Master Ouyang, hearing her words, frowned at her, his expression turning colder, and reprimanded her: "Miss Ming, how did I teach you? You may possess a chivalrous heart, but to speak against the Imperial Decree is foolish."

Ouyang Ming was startled and immediately acknowledged her mistake, "Grandfather, forgive me. Your granddaughter was impulsive."

As a noble daughter, even if she knew the Emperor’s actions were wrong and felt sympathy for the common people, she shouldn’t be so reckless.

Remember, a single word could bring ruin upon the entire family.

"As long as you understand your mistake." Master Ouyang glanced at the sun outside, about to speak when he heard the sound of horse neighs and sighed. Another impulsive one had arrived: "Go to the inner room to hide for a bit; your grandfather has a visitor to see."

Ouyang Ming also heard the neighing. She curtsied and went into the study’s inner room to avoid them.

Soon, Ah Song brought Gu Jin’an over.

As soon as Gu Jin’an saw Master Ouyang, he immediately knelt down: "I beg you, Master, save the common people of Great Chu!"

Master Ouyang felt quite helpless, looking at him, and said, "Before you came, my granddaughter also appealed to me. Do you know what I told her?"

Miss Ouyang? She also came to petition Master Ouyang because of the tax issue. Truly a noble-minded lady.

"The student does not know." Gu Jin’an put aside thoughts of Miss Ouyang, looking at Master Ouyang’s expression, already sensing that Master Ouyang did not wish to wander into these muddy waters.

Master Ouyang repeated what he said to Ouyang Ming and added: "This is an order personally issued by the Emperor. Before the Imperial Decree was issued, many officials in the Capital had advised against it, some even advocating with their lives, but in the end, all that happened was the Emperor modified the Imperial Decree, not retracted his command."

He then looked at Gu Jin’an and asked, "Do you know the Emperor’s original decree?"

Gu Jin’an frowned and shook his head, "The student does not know."

Master Ouyang: "It was that all the people of Quan Dachu should have an increased tax on grain and the Kangrong tax, even places as barren and disaster-stricken as the Northwest were not exempt. It was only after the lobbying of the ministers that the Kangrong tax was waived for the Northwest, Northeast, and Central State, while increasing the taxes in Jianghuai, Jiangnan, and Zhili."

"Do you think the Emperor’s decision is right or wrong? Do you think the Kangrong tax should or shouldn’t be collected? The Rong people broke through Longshan Prefecture and ravaged a city, countless common people died horribly. The Emperor said that this Kangrong tax is military funds, used to fight the Da Rong."

It can be said, the reason for the Emperor’s tax increase and collection of the Kangrong tax is quite reasonable; the only irrational part is...

"But if you allow the people of Jianghuai, Jiangnan, and Zhili to pay double the tax, it will directly strip prosperous regions bare and turn them into places of poverty!" Gu Jin’an said, "The Rong people broke through Longshan Prefecture, indeed the court should send troops to resist the Rong, and raising taxes is understandable, but the condition is it must be reasonable. Charging one tael of silver per person as the Kangrong tax, which household can afford that except for wealthy families?!"

Gu Jin’an wanted to enter civil service but didn’t want to be a dog official living off the people’s blood, hence he was quite agitated, pleading: "The student wants to ask Master to help, to have Elder Ouyang Hong face the Emperor, persuade him to retract his command, to save the common people, to ensure the country’s peace, otherwise once trouble arises, the consequences are unbearable for the entirety of Great Chu!"

Master Ouyang did not interrupt Gu Jin’an. After listening to what he said, he replied: "Brother has already met with the Emperor, but the Emperor is firm in his decision, and my brother is helpless."

A few days ago, he received a letter from his elder brother, which informed him about the tax increase and the ministers’ lobbying, ending with an exhortation to him not to be angry, not to grieve, to let things take their course.

His brother spoke cryptically, essentially expressing his lack of confidence in this current Emperor Chu, letting him blunder on. If the dragon’s energy of Great Chu still exists, naturally a new emperor will turn the tide; if not, then it is fate.

The age gap between him and his brother is quite large; by the time he was born, his brother was already an adult and had experienced war, hence his brother saw things quite clearly.

This time writing specifically to tell him these things was essentially instructing him not to get involved.

"What does Master mean by this?" Gu Jin’an looked at Master Ouyang in shock. Master was intending not to intervene, wanting to give up?

Master Ouyang looked at Gu Jin’an and said: "Let things take their course, whether good or bad, it’s all destiny."

"Master actually believes in fate?" Gu Jin’an laughed, his smile carrying three parts coldness, three parts mockery: "The student believed, given Master’s character, you wouldn’t think much of destiny talk, it seems the student was mistaken."

These words were quite disrespectful, but Ouyang Hu did not get angry and instead looked at Gu Jin’an with some sympathy and concern, sighed, "I know you have great ambitions and wish to do things for the common folk, but this is the state of the world, you got caught up in it, we all did, what else can we do? Can we challenge heaven?"

This ’heaven’ referred to Emperor Chu by Master Ouyang.

The Emperor is just this kind of Emperor, even if they have great skills, if the Emperor is bent on destruction, they have no choice, do they?

Can you drag in the lives of nine clans to challenge the Emperor? How many people from your family are enough to die?

"Why can’t we fight?!"

"Why can’t we fight?!"

Their voices spoke simultaneously, Gu Jin’an and Ouyang Ming paused, looking in the direction of the voices, and saw each other.

Master Ouyang felt somewhat headached, yet seemed to have relieved a burden, asking them: "So how do you intend to fight?"

Ouyang Ming came out from the study’s outer room, said to Master Ouyang: "Grandfather, we don’t necessarily have to openly resist the Emperor, we can be tactful, there are plenty of ways, we must not give up from the beginning."

If you give up without even fighting, then why live at all?

"Well said, young lady!" Gu Jin’an, whose heart had fallen to rock bottom, returned to its place, looking at Master Ouyang: "Master, no matter how many difficult matters there are in the world, there are also countless solutions. Solutions will definitely exist. Please, Master, intervene, don’t give up."

Master Ouyang looked at him briefly, said: "What you said is as good as saying nothing. You still don’t have a solution, do you? How about this: I’m not an unfeeling person, as long as you can come up with a solution, I’ll lend a hand to help."

"Thank you, Master, for being willing!" Master Ouyang was still willing to help the common people, which made Gu Jin’an’s eyes shine again.

"Thank you, Grandfather." Ouyang Ming solemnly gave a courtesy to Ouyang Hu.

Ouyang Hu said with a chuckle, "You two did it on purpose, forcing this old man... I’m truly too old to want to deal with matters that could destroy the entire family."