[The Great Yong Dynasty, with a legacy spanning thousands of years and six diligent emperors.]
[The national treasury was abundant, and the country's strength was formidable, truly a scene of a prosperous era.]
[Millions of taels of silver were nothing to the Great Yong Dynasty's treasury.]
[But all the ministers present knew.]
[This precedent of distributing money couldn't be set!]
[The court had always been the one collecting money for thousands of years, and now, suddenly, they were supposed to give it away?]
[How was that possible?]
[Moreover, tax exemption itself was not appropriate.]
[Exempting for a year was already considerable, but you, going for three years right off the bat.]
[What would the court eat during those three years?]
[How would the entire dynasty operate without money?]
[These were all issues that needed consideration!]
[Amidst the ministers' heated discussions, Ye Yu remained unfazed.]
[Instead, he looked delightedly at the Finance Minister.]
[Only half a year's taxes, you say?]
[Then change it, give each person three taels of silver.]
[If we're going to distribute, we should do it joyfully!]
[Upon hearing this, the Finance Minister instantly lost his breath.]
[He collapsed in the grand hall.]
[The surrounding ministers immediately began to revive him.]
[More ministers, however, knelt on the ground.]
[They started pleading with Ye Yu to retract the decree. Even some of those who had already submitted to him did the same.]
[The reason was simple.]
[Exempting taxes for three years, plus giving each person three taels of silver, this would undoubtedly cause a huge impact on the dynasty's treasury.]
[This couldn't be done!]
[Ye Yu's loyal follower, Sun Longhai, also looked distressed.]
[He stood there, unsure of what to do.]
[From any angle, this decree was absolutely unreasonable.]
[But Ye Yu had just ascended the throne and needed support.]
[So, choosing between frank advice and unwavering loyalty was a dilemma.]
[Just as Sun Longhai was feeling conflicted, he suddenly received Ye Yu's transmitted thought.]
[Begin the battle, Prime Minister Sun!]
[Hearing this, Sun Longhai's face immediately turned red. He was indeed of first rank, but not the prime minister.]
[The position of prime minister was the highest a civil servant could attain!]
[It was every civil official's dream.]
[Being addressed as Prime Minister Sun was more than a title; it was a promise.]
[In that case, what else was there to say?]
[The emperor's words were always right, even if they weren't!]
[Let's fight!]
[Sun Longhai stepped forward and abruptly turned, facing the ministers!]
[He began his fervent defense.]
[In his excitement, he even started throwing punches.]
[The court was in chaos, a scene of utter bedlam.]
[Ye Yu didn't intervene at all.]
[He only cared about the outcome.]
[The process didn't matter!]
[The next day, Ye Yu's decree was announced throughout the entire dynasty.]
[Three years of tax exemption, and three taels of silver per person, to be delivered to everyone.]
[Any region where the people did not receive their silver and tax exemption notice, the local officials would be executed without question.]
[After this decree was implemented, the entire nation rejoiced.]
[All the common people couldn't help but praise, believing they had welcomed a benevolent ruler.]
[But the ministers sighed one after another.]
[They thought the Great Yong Dynasty might decline because of this.]
[There was only one exception.]
[The newly appointed prime minister, Sun Longhai.]
[He still had several unhealed scratches on his face. These were the scars from the scuffle in court.]
[At first, Sun Longhai was very distressed, fearing he would be disfigured.]
[But when he saw the prime minister's black robe placed before him, all his worries and grievances vanished instantly.]
[Sun Longhai's eyes turned red as he made a silent vow.]
[From now on, he would be Ye Yu's loyal dog. Honor and dignity meant nothing.]
[Sun Longhai would steadfastly support any of Ye Yu's decisions and fight for them.]
[If he couldn't win with words, he would resort to cursing, and if cursing didn't work, he would fight!]
[Meanwhile, in the palace.]
[Ye Yu was very happy.]
[This money distribution had nearly emptied the treasury of almost two years' worth of taxes.]
[But the rewards were equally enormous.]
[Ye Yu directly stepped into the early stage of the Integration realm, with faint signs of breaking through the mid-stage of Integration realm.]
[Indeed, the larger the amount of money squandered, the faster his cultivation improved.]
[Ye Yu had come to love being the emperor.]
[However, the treasury funds were not enough for him to squander his way to ascension.]
[He needed to find a way to get more money!]
[After much contemplation, he summoned Sun Longhai to the palace overnight.]
[There was a night-long discussion between the ruler and his minister.]
[On his third court session.]
[Ye Yu began a new plan.]
[Preparing for war, and two months later, they would invade the Great Xia Dynasty.]
[As soon as this was announced, the ministers immediately objected.]
[The Great Yong Dynasty and the Great Xia Dynasty were neighboring countries. They had been at war repeatedly before.]
[Both countries' national strengths had suffered significant losses.]
[Ever since the ceasefire treaty was signed a thousand years ago, the two countries had coexisted peacefully for a millennium.]
[Starting a war now, without any reason, would be unjustifiable!]
[Ye Yu gestured slightly.]
[Sun Longhai immediately pulled out the map of the Northern Desolate Continent.]
[Ye Yu pointed to the human empires on the map.]
[He said: I don't just want to attack the Great Xia, I also want to attack the Great Liao and Shanghuai!]
[Until we achieve unification and incorporate all these nations into the Great Yong Dynasty's territory. They must either submit or be destroyed.]
[As for the reason, I will give you one right now!]
[How can I allow others to snore and sleep on the other side of my couch?]
[In an instant, everyone present was stunned.]
[They knew Ye Yu's actions were often crazy, but they didn't expect him to be this insane.]
[To swallow the entire Northern Desolate Continent?]
[The Finance Minister stepped forward, trembling.]
[Mustering all his strength, he said, Your Majesty, the treasury is empty, we have no money for war!]
[Ye Yu sneered: It's precisely because we have no money that we need to fight! If we had money, I wouldn't bother with this effort.]
[If we win against the Great Xia Dynasty, their silver, spirit stones, mines, and resources will all be ours.]
[By then, I'll have you counting money until your hands cramp!]
[The ministers listened, and hissed; what His Majesty said, seemed quite reasonable.]
[As long as they won, the men would become slaves, the women would work, and they would seize all resources, naturally, they would have money.]
[But something still felt off!]
[The Finance Minister pointed out the key issue, Your Majesty, what if we don't win?]
["If we don't win, I'll confiscate all your family properties and use that money for compensation!"]
[The Finance Minister spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted again.]