Chapter 488 – Dark Zhuge Liang
“Ah, so this place is an alternate world? Many people from the future messed with our livelihood, I see.”
Zhuge Liang muttered after he woke up from a long dream.
Yesterday, Dong Bai asked Zhuge Liang if he wanted to be a demon or an angel. She even described the traits and the perks of each cultivation.
The innocent Zhuge Liang of yesterday picked the demon’s side, so he could walk the same path as Tong.
But now, Zhuge Liang regretted it.
“Oh boy. I should have picked the simpler path. Angel cultivation techniques should have been easier and more beneficial! What’s the point of taking the curses and act against my desire!?”
He was in a bad mood, not because of the wrong choice of cultivation technique, but because of Tong and other reincarnators’ existence.
Those people were not supposed to exist in this world. Yet, they were here, exploiting their futuristic knowledge and ruined the historical trend. Moreover, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang’s former lord, was captured and branded as a traitor.
Zhuge Liang felt like his future was robbed by Tong and otherworlders. He felt cheated.
“Ah… I’m pissed,” He sulked and sat idly on his bed.
As his imagination wandered through the flow of his old memory, he recalled Sima Yi, who allegedly acted as if he knew everything. Zhuge Liang remembered that this obnoxious youth always bullied him whenever he used the clan chat.
Everything made sense now.
“That bastard knew!! Dammit, Sima Yi!!”
Zhuge Liang jumped up with his reddened face of fury, but he calmed down after a bit of recollection.
After sitting still for half an hour, a cunning smile finally appeared on his face for the first time after he became aware of the world.
“Kekeke! Ah, interesting. Very interesting! Zhang Tong, you’ve messed up big time!!”
No one knew what he was thinking. But one for sure, he was up to no good.
.
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That afternoon, Zhuge Liang visited Dong Bai, the current empress, at her private office to report for his duty.
Dong Bai had succeeded the authority from Tong and Medusa, who were at the critical state of breaking through to become an 8-wing demon. Although Friday was inexperienced at managing, she was much older than every mortal here. As such, she had been reigning the unstable empire and kept it mostly in check.
But she needed Zhuge Liang’s skills now. Or else, Tong’s hard work would be ruined because of a few selfish officers.
“I’ve obtained my memory and the cultivation technique. I’m here to report for duty.”
The cunning strategist bowed his head to this teenage girl in front of him. Zhuge Liang did not look like an innocent youth in his puberty anymore.
Dong Bai nodded, “I need your brain, Zhuge Liang! My husband’s domain is in trouble because of that capitalist Te Langpu. I’m looking for a way to correct our government system, so those greedy bastards can’t abuse their authority. I can tell that our lands are being handed over to unworthy local nobles, but I don’t have proof who embezzled it!! Help me!!”
Zhuge Liang nodded, “That’s simple. We’ll need to execute the ringleader of this mess and show our retainers that we’re serious.”
“Ah!! Right. Killing a chicken to scare monkeys?”
“That’s correct.”
“So, who should we kill?”
“Don’t you already know who to kill? You said a ringleader of this mess, and you mentioned the name.”
“I do?”
“Yes.”
“Then who?”
“Te Langpu. Please send an order to kill this man immediately before he ruins his majesty’s empire any further.”
“!!!”
The proposal was audacious and bold. Had she killed Te Langpu, she might have upset many officials in Ye, including Sima Fang or Lu Zhi, who had been working together for years. Moreover, Te Langpu had been contributing a lot to Tong’s domestic stability. Backlashes and dire consequences would surely await them if they really push this plan through.
“No, no!! Bad idea! Executing him will make our officers revolt!! Do you remember that I said we don’t have proof?”
“Hahaha, your majesty. You’re still too naïve. Who said anything about killing him directly?”
“Oh?”
“We have a few loose cannons. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce are still around, right?”
“Huh!?”
“We’ll summon both of them here, and we’ll make them do it for us. If they can’t, we can just frame them.”
“Bah! No! Framing is impossible. Whenever a clan member dies, the killer’s name will show up in our clan notification. Have you checked the two names with red strikethrough? Hua Shi and He Xing?”
Zhuge Liang checked them as Dong Bai advised. Sure enough, he found the names of the murderers, Gongsun Du and Sun Fang.
He squinted his eyes at Sun Fang’s name, ‘If I remember correctly, Hua Shi was Zhang Tong’s first wife… Interesting. I didn’t know that Sun Fang and Zhang Tong has this kind of grudge.’
Dong Bai was still also reluctant of killing Te Langpu, “Anyway, it’s a bad idea. I don’t think we should kill Te Langpu without proof and provoke another civil war.”
“There’s no need to be afraid, your majesty. You are an immortal with great strength. His majesty and the prime consort are also stronger than all of our generals. Once they come out from their secluded cultivation, they will take care of the rebels.”
“…”
“Honestly, we don’t even need Zhou Yu or Sun Ce. You can simply accuse Te Langpu of treason and kill him outright. That way, the court officials have to think twice before they do something stupid under your watch.”
“Ugh!”
Dong Bai had a dilemma. She could wait for Tong or Medusa to come out and deal with these troublemakers themselves. But if it took years to break through, Te Langpu and other nobles might steal the all cities and territories for themselves.
Still, she did not trust this capitalist fatso that started all of this mess. Personally, Dong Bai wanted him dead.
“Good. I’ll kill him!”
Zhuge Liang revealed a faint smile, “Very well. I shall draft your new edict.”
.
.
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December, 199 AD
At the throne room, Dong Bai summoned all officials and used her authority to announce a shocking proclamation.
“Te Langpu has committed treason against the Han Dynasty by distributing land deeds without the emperor’s consent. This action leads to embezzlement and corruption throughout the land! He and his 3 generations are to be arrested and executed while all deeds are to be confiscated back to the royal court!”
As she had expected, Lu Zhi stood up for Te Langpu and protested right away.
“Your majesty, please quell your anger. What Prime Minister Te did was to stabilize Han’s foundation. Our officers had worked hard for uniting the land under one banner, and they deserve some reward. Giving lands as rewards are the common practice of our ancestors.”
Sima Fang stood up to support Lu Zhi, “Indeed. Your majesty, I understand your anxiety. I know that bestowing properties and land deeds aren’t something you’re familiar with, but this is the only way to ensure that your retainers will be happy working under your banners. Furthermore, all nobles with landowners will have to pay extra taxes to us. You can delegate the tasks we do to them without a cost, and we can still receive the same tax rate.”
Dong Bai yelled at them, “Aren’t both of you landlords, too!? Te Langpu must have bribed you with Ye’s properties, right!? That’s why you are so supporting his action!”
Lu Zhi shook his head, “No, your majesty. We do have some of Ye’s farmland as our clan’s territory, but that is to relieve the government from the centralized management. The war is over, the government has no need to withhold their resources for wartime anymore. You can delegate some of your farmlands to your officers as a reward, so they have to take care of that tedious harvest and tax collecting for you. Not only the court’s workload will decrease, but you can also enjoy the same taxes you get from the harvest.”
Sima Fang added, “Your majesty, if you are worried about the production rate and harvest rate, we can employ a guarantee system. For example, all noble clans with land deeds have to provide a fixed rate of harvest. Or else, their lands will be confiscated. Also, if you’re worried about the harsh treatment of the local nobles, we can enforce the police to arrest the nobles who violate orders.”
Hearing the advice from the experts, Dong Bai’s anger subsided. She was more relaxed and relieved that they meant no harm.
On the other hand, Zhuge Liang glanced at these two elite ministers with his cold eyes.
‘Hmm. This can be a tough nut to crack. Those two’s suggestion is solid, and this stupid empress won’t dare to kill Te Langpu. Well, I can start with these two first.’
Zhuge Liang did not press on with his idea. Instead, he hid behind other officers as usual.
Dong Bai believed in Sima Fang and Lu Zhi. Although she did not like Te Langpu, she conceded and allowed them to prove themselves.
“I’ll withdraw my order. But bear in mind, I want to see your new “system” at work next year. If the harvest result is less than what we used to have, I’ll confiscate everything back to the central government!”
Sima Fang and Lu Zhi acknowledged the warning. After the meeting, they sent their words to their clan members and other noble clans, reminding them that they had to contribute taxes and harvest to the central government. If they failed, their lands would be taken back.
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The wrath of Dong Bai almost destroyed Tong’s country, but the judgment day was postponed. However, many minor officials spread the news among their colleagues, which soon reached the ears of outsiders.
Noble clans and greedy merchants panicked when they heard that Dong Bai aimed to confiscate their bought lands back had they not contributed enough harvests.
Te Langpu immediately sent secret letters to all of his colleagues, telling them to boost their production rate, or their new assets would be seized.
Wang Yun, the current governor of Nanpi, had obtained 30% of Nanpi’s farmlands from Te Langpu distribution. When he heard about the contribution order, this governor sweated bullets.
“I thought I could enjoy my retirement in peace! Why are they asking for more taxes when I gave them everything I had!?”
Wang Yun was one of the many, who was dissatisfied with the sudden development. He had planned that he would use the harvest the local taxes to raise his clan power by bribing the local policemen to join his noble house.
But Lu Zhi and Sima Fang’s project ruined his plan.
“Dong Bai, Lu Zhi, and Sima Fang… I need to kill these idiots!!”
“I knew it!! Dong Zhuo’s descendants are no good!! Zhang Tong is a devil!! He is not a good emperor!! This dynasty is also ruled by a tyrant!!”
“I shall save the Han Dynasty!!”
