My Wife is Unbeatable in the Whole World, Touch Me If You Dare!
Chapter 555 - 357: Phoenix's Reminder_2

King Chun looked at the Phoenix holding hands with Li Nuo, his expression somewhat startled.

Another one?

Phoenix saw King Chun and Li Xuanjing, and was a bit at a loss, lowering her head, she softly said: "Greetings, Prince, greetings, Lord Li..."

Li Xuanjing nodded slightly, not saying much.

King Chun sighed lightly, patted Li Nuo on the shoulder, and said: "When you have time, take Li Yun out to see the world, don't let him stay at home all the time..."

Father and King Chun came to see Anning and Jiaren, after they left, Phoenix looked at Li Nuo apprehensively, and asked: "If we are together, will Lord Li not agree? I, I don't need any status..."

Li Nuo held her hand, and said: "He won't, my father isn't as scary as the rumors outside, don't worry."

After returning home, Phoenix went to find Jiaren and Anning, while Li Nuo went alone to the study.

When leaving the Secretariat, he took a dossier containing the court's tax reform content over the years.

These tax reform measures, in themselves, had no issues.

For instance, eliminating harsh taxes, requiring officials and landlords to pay grain equally, removing the tax exemption privileges of officials, and directly increasing their salary as compensation, but the end result was that the officials' salaries went up, but the tax reform was not implemented.

No matter how you look at it, Daxia exhibited all the symptoms of a dynasty in its final stage.

A dynasty with a three-hundred-year history reaching this stage is not unexpected.

In another world, when a dynasty reaches this point, it should be time for a regime change, entering a new historical cycle.

But here, due to the existence of the Martial Path and the Hundred Schools, the power of the state and family is infinitely amplified, and with the gun not in the hands of the people, a bottom-up uprising is naturally impossible.

Changing the dynasty would either come from an internal power struggle or from external invasion.

Li Nuo plans to organize these tax reform contents, based on his own understanding and experience, to formulate a new tax law and implement it when the time is right.

Phoenix walked in from outside, carrying a jade plate, and said: "Have some fruit, it's just sent by Sinong Si today."

Li Nuo had just written a few lines, without looking up, said: "Just leave it there, I'll eat later."

Phoenix walked to his side, saying: "You continue with your work, I'll feed you..."

She peeled the grapes, feeding them to Li Nuo one by one.

Looking at the dossier on the table, she asked curiously: "Is the court planning to implement a new tax law?"

Li Nuo shook his head, saying: "Not for now."

Phoenix asked: "Why?"

Li Nuo briefly explained to her, and Phoenix asked in surprise: "Do they dare to defy the court's law?"

Li Nuo exhaled and said: "In their territories, they are the court, and the local officials listen to them, with many of their people in the court too, if the great families don't nod, the court's taxes cannot be collected."

Phoenix ate a grape herself, saying: "If I were the court, I would have Wang family's officials collect taxes from the Cui family, Cui family's officials collect from the Pei family, and Pei family's officials collect from the Zheng family, let the families fight each other..."

Li Nuo put down his pen, wrapped his arm around her waist, and let her sit on his lap, saying: "The great families are not stupid, how could they fight each other and let the court benefit, even if they don't get along with each other, they unite against the court..."

Phoenix leaned in his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said: "If they can collect taxes, promote them, if not, dismiss them, it would weaken the scholerly families' influence on the court, which would be beneficial to the court..."

Li Nuo continued to shake his head, saying: "That won't work either."

The great families cultivate so many officials for the court, just to have people in the court, they usually assign their cultivated officials to their territories to strengthen local control.

The court has long realized this and would send some unrelated officials.

But those officials, it won't take long for them to be recruited by local families.

If they can't be recruited, they might even face their deadly hands.

As for sending Wang family officials to Cui family territories, and Cui family officials to Pei family territories, the court has done it before, and they even attempted to impose taxes on them, but these people wouldn't make a move on families and landlords, the taxes imposed by the court would ultimately be extracted from the people.

Upon hearing this, Phoenix said without hesitation: "The court doesn't allow extortionate taxes, if they use this to exploit the people, it would be perfect to capture them all and execute them, killing so many corrupt officials will boost your cultivation, right?"

Li Nuo stared blankly at Phoenix, momentarily speechless.

It's no wonder she managed to make the Jade Sound Pavilion the top Music Workshop in Chang'an within just two years, acquiring women from the former first and second Music Workshops.

If these people can collect taxes normally, the reform will succeed, the National Treasury wins big, Li Nuo wins small, boosting Confucian cultivation.

If they exploit the people and collect taxes abnormally, executing them, the National Treasury wins big, Li Nuo wins big, boosting Legalist cultivation.

If they can't collect taxes and are dismissed, although not as much as executing them, it still boosts Legalist cultivation a bit, and Li Nuo still wins small.

No matter the outcome, he won't lose.

Phoenix saw Li Nuo looking at her like this, she lowered her head feeling a bit guilty, and said softly: "Am I, am I too wicked? Actually, I don't want to involve the people, but in these years, with Daxia having internal and external troubles, our Li Family can only survive in chaos by becoming stronger..."