Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 196 You are talking nonsense!

Tang Ling looked down at the city wall and nodded to Yan Chuan.

Yan Chuan sighed and swung his knife to cut the noose around Feng Yi's neck: "You're lucky."

Feng Yi was freed. He knelt at the foot of the city wall, raised his head and cried out, "Dad! I am willing to die for the sake of righteousness! I am willing to sacrifice my life for justice! How can I, a man of seven feet tall, endure humiliation and live in disgrace for my family and country!"

Tang Ling glanced at Doctor Feng, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said with a smile, "It seems your son hasn't figured it out yet."

"Master Tang! Master Tang! My child is stupid, please don't bother with him."

"Hey, Doctor Feng, it's not that I want to be picky, but your son is too disrespectful to our prince, and he's unwilling to accept your father's painstaking efforts. So I'll step in and teach your son a lesson on your behalf."

Tang Ling walked down the city wall and stood in front of Feng Yi in front of all the onlookers and those who were invited. She waved her hand and asked Yan Chuan and his men to step back a foot.

"Master Feng is a hero, and he values ​​loyalty and righteousness above filial piety and brotherhood, and even more than his own life. How about Master Feng discuss these two things with me?"

Feng Yi stared at Tang Ling, unable to discern the vicious intent beneath his gentle smile. Tang Ling had already intended to dismember him, so why didn't she kill him? Just because his father pleaded for mercy?

"Loyalty has been interpreted in ancient times as respect, from the heart, and in the middle voice. It can also be interpreted as being upright, doing one's best without deceiving others. If you interpret this word as doing one's best, do you agree, Master Feng?"

"Of course it is. As a minister, I serve the people with all my heart and soul, serving the king and the country."

"Then, what does the word righteousness mean?"

"Righteousness refers to the principles that are appropriate for the world."

"Okay." Tang Ling clapped her hands and smiled. She pulled a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Feng Yi. "Master Feng, please read this letter to everyone."

Feng Yi frowned. Didn't they just want him to argue about loyalty and righteousness? Why did they ask him to read the letter again?

"What exactly do you want to do?"

"Young Master Feng just said that as a minister, you should serve the people wholeheartedly, serving the emperor and the country wholeheartedly. I sincerely admire that. However, the rulers of Qi are now foolish, incompetent, mediocre, and lacking in integrity. They don't care about the people's fundamental needs, don't think about governing the country safely, and don't want the country to prosper. I would like to ask, Young Master Feng, how can you be loyal to them? Will your loyalty mean that the people of Qi suffer for it?"

"What are you talking nonsense about?!"

"Am I talking nonsense? Then why don't you read General Xu's handwritten letter to everyone?"

Feng Yi held the letter in his hand, his heart pounding. Tang Ling's words were convincing and did not sound like nonsense, but seeing him so calm made him more frightened than if a knife was on Feng Yi's own neck.

"You must be trying to play some tricks! I won't fall for your trick!" Feng Yi threw the letter to the ground.

Tang Ling didn't pick up the letter on the ground. Instead, she glanced at the citizens of Bashan City who were gathering around her. The smile on her lips faded slightly, and she put her hands behind her back and stomped slowly for two steps.

"I don't have any tricks here. It doesn't matter whether you read the letter or not. I'll just tell you something that everyone knows."

Many people around were whispering, but they shut up the moment Tang Ling glanced at them. For some reason, this handsome and weak-looking young man had an aura that could awe people.

"In recent years, Bashan has been experiencing drought and little rain, and the city's water sources have dried up. General Xu has repeatedly petitioned the King of Qi for funds to dig a canal to bring water into the city. I only heard this from hearsay, and I wonder if it's true."

"……yes……"

"Yes."

Some people among the people have responded to Tang Ling's question.

"Then, has your monarch approved the funds?"

"This……"

Tang Ling continued, "It's not just Bashan. Luzhou and Xianzhou have also suffered from a severe drought for three years. You all know about this, right? Xianzhou isn't far from Bashan. Have any refugees made their way to Qinzhou or Bashan?"

"……that……"

"I...I fled here from Xianzhou two years ago."

Tang Ling looked at the middle-aged man in the crowd and asked, "You came here two years ago. The drought is over now, so why don't you go back?"

"...The drought is over...Last year I wanted to go home, but when I ran into my fellow townspeople, I learned that the prefecture government had reclaimed all the farmland and sold it to wealthy families. If I wanted to go back and farm, I had to first pay a tax to the prefecture government, then rent the land from the wealthy families. They also added a two-li tax every year...Where would we get all that money?!"

"Oh, this is killing me!"

Feng Yi felt disgusted by these words, but he still insisted: "It was the Xianzhou government office that caused chaos in the local area. Such corrupt officials are unforgivable! The emperor was simply deceived by these treacherous officials!"

"A wise ruler listens to all sides, but a foolish ruler only believes one side. How can you be a wise ruler if you are so blind?" Tang Ling cut Feng Yi off with this remark, then asked, "Then, Master Feng, do you know how much the taxes in Bashan have increased compared to ten years ago?"

"...this...I..."

Feng Yi didn't need to think of any words to say, as the people around him answered for him first: "The salt tax has been rising every year! Compared to ten years ago, it has increased by more than 30%!"

"The price of trade permits also increases every year."

"Since six years ago, every household with servants has been required to pay a poll tax. And if a son doesn't want to join the army, he or she must pay an additional annual military rations!"

"My family's fields are barren and can't cover the annual tax burden. My eldest son was sentenced to three years of forced labor and his crops were taken away!"

Tang Ling glanced at Feng Yi and asked the common people, "Is the corvée labor this lady is talking about for the construction of the royal villa?"

"Yes, yes! Exactly!"

Tang Ling turned to Feng Yi and said, "Your Majesty is extremely extravagant. He has turned a blind eye to years of severe drought and has no regard for the livelihoods of the people. For his own enjoyment, he wants to emulate Zhou Guoyu's Mountain Resort and create a thousand lakes. Could it be that he is being forced by treacherous ministers?"

Feng Yi stared at Tang Ling in a daze, speechless.

"Old Prime Minister Zhao Bochen strongly opposed the construction of the villa, but unfortunately, he angered your Majesty, who ordered him to retire and return home. Prime Minister Zhao was willing to die to prove his will, but this was kept secret. No one knew about it, and you all just assumed that Prime Minister Zhao died of illness at home."

"This, this, this... you're talking nonsense!"

Tang Ling glanced at the letter on the ground: "It's General Xu's letter, you might as well take a look at it yourself."

Feng Yi hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but picked up the letter to read it. It would have been fine if he didn't read it, but after a quick glance, he collapsed to the ground. Even though he didn't say what was written in the letter, the people around him could see it clearly. Seeing his pale face, they knew that Tang Ling was right.

"An ancient saying goes, 'The way to be a ruler is to first preserve the people.' If you sacrifice the people to serve yourself, it's like cutting off your own flesh to feed your stomach; your stomach is full, but your body is dead. If the people desire peace, but forced labor continues; if the people are destitute, but extravagant pursuits continue, then the country will decline, and the ruler will be foolish and cunning, and will inevitably lead to danger and destruction."

Tang Ling's voice was not loud, but it was deafening. Feng Yi slumped on the ground, chest hunched and head lowered, and had no words to refute.

"Master Feng, I have one last question for you. Can one doctor at your Renxin Hall see ten patients a day?"

Feng Yi was stunned by Tang Ling's sudden question and looked up at him blankly.