At this moment, due to the old God of War's speech, the opinions of the people present were no longer so unified.
Many had already realized that the reform of land tax was inevitable, and even if they opposed it together, it would be of no avail.
The Empress raised her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said to Chu Chen, "Prime Minister Chu, what they said is also true. What if the wrong person is arrested?"
Chu Chen nodded and said, "If the wrong person is arrested, the accuser will compensate the accused with silver or land."
"Or the court will step in to vindicate them, in any case, their reputation and status before being accused should be restored as much as possible."
"Of course, the most important thing is to severely punish those who make false accusations. Only with clear rewards and punishments can one advance and retreat with propriety."
The Empress nodded and looked at the officials.
"My dear ministers, what do you think of Prime Minister Chu's proposal?"
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances and nodded.
Wang Zhe, the Minister of Justice, said, "Your Majesty, this method is good."
Meng Yuan, the Minister of Works, also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, doing so is good, but the losses of those who own land should still be compensated."
"They own a large amount of land, and after all, it was obtained through their own abilities. They did not steal or rob, so why should they suffer losses?"
Xie An, the Minister of War, also stepped forward and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, as the saying goes, where there are rewards, there are punishments."
"Since we are going to deal with those who conceal population and land, we should reward those who abide by the law and pay taxes."
Chu Chen couldn't help but smile.
The fact that these people said this meant that their intentions were quite clear. They were willing to accept the increase in land tax, and they had no objection to encouraging accusations and arresting first, then trying.
However, they wanted some benefits to compensate for these losses.
Chu Chen had already thought of this and was waiting for someone to bring it up.
The officials echoed the Minister of War Xie An's opinion. The tax increase was the general trend. Now that the Empress was powerful and Prime Minister Chu was in his prime, their opinions were clear. No matter how much the officials opposed, they could not stop it. It was better to seize the opportunity to ask for some benefits and turn the page.
The Empress was also very troubled by the officials' demands.
"My dear ministers, you must understand that our Yunyue Kingdom has just seen the light after clearing the fog in the past two years, and is in a stage of recuperation."
"This time, we are forced to ask you to give up your interests, and this is for the long-term peace and stability of Yunyue Kingdom."
"If we were to compensate you with benefits from other places, wouldn't that be shifting the burden back to the common people?"
"Whether it's the common people or you officials and landlords, one party's interests will inevitably be harmed."
"If we were to exploit the common people again to give you benefits, wouldn't that be returning to the old path?"
The officials present frowned.
If this were the case, wouldn't it mean they had lost a large amount of benefits for nothing?
Although this amount of benefit was nothing to them personally.
But they could throw these benefits away like garbage, but they absolutely could not allow others to snatch them away!
For a moment, the ministers became somewhat agitated, appearing as if they were about to rush forward and offer their advice.
"Your Majesty, I believe it is not impossible."
Chu Chen suddenly stepped forward.
Upon hearing Chu Chen's voice, the Empress thought she had misheard.
Did Chu Chen really intend to cede benefits to these people?
If that were the case, wouldn't all his previous strategies be in vain?
Thinking of this, a shadow of gloom appeared on the Empress's face.
"Prime Minister Chu, what do you mean? Tell me."
The Empress's voice was somewhat cold, but she herself did not realize it.
Chu Chen was startled.
What was wrong with the Empress? Was she angry?
He hadn't finished speaking yet.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I mean, I have a way to compensate for their so-called losses."
Hearing this, the officials' eyes widened, and they exchanged winks.
Was Chu Chen telling the truth? Could he be joking with them?
If Chu Chen really ceded benefits to them and compensated for their losses, wouldn't his efforts during this period be in vain?
The Empress was also speechless, but since Chu Chen had already spoken, she could only go along with him.
"Tell me, what method do you have? These losses of theirs are not a small sum. How can they be compensated?"
Chu Chen nodded and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have already planned it."
"In the near future, our Yunyue Kingdom will be prosperous and strong, and we will naturally conquer other nations and dominate the world."
"At that time, our Yunyue Kingdom will conquer vast territories, and much of that land will become ownerless."
"Such land can be auctioned in the name of the court, and officials can participate preferentially."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes widened.
Every sentence Chu Chen spoke conveyed a tremendous amount of information.
Yunyue Kingdom was indeed becoming stronger, but other countries were also powerful. Yunyue Kingdom actually wanted to conquer other nations?
They looked at Chu Chen, hoping he was joking.
However, Chu Chen said very seriously, "Your Majesty, although the nations of the world are at peace with each other."
"But the day of mutual conquest will eventually come. If our Yunyue Kingdom wants to survive in the long run, the only way is to continuously become stronger."
"Even if we don't conquer other countries, they will eventually come to conquer us."
"Rather than being passively beaten, it is better to strike first."
"The saying goes that universal peace requires a unified nation. Otherwise, for their own interests, the various countries will inevitably fight each other, and there will be no peace."
After Chu Chen finished speaking, everyone was still digesting his words.
The officials had not expected that Chu Chen would have such ambitions.
Which of the nations of the world was not a great and powerful nation? Yunyue Kingdom was inferior to Chu Kingdom in terms of territory, and inferior to the Xiongnu in terms of fierce national character.
As for other countries, they were on par with Yunyue Kingdom. Why was Chu Chen so sure that he could conquer other nations?
Even the Empress was shocked by Chu Chen's ambition.
She had not expected Chu Chen to have aspirations beyond the borders, which was far beyond her expectations.
Originally, the Empress had been thinking of ways to find an opportunity to frame Chu Chen and get rid of him.
But now, it seemed that there was no need to do so. Chu Chen himself was finding ways to dig his own grave.
"Prime Minister Chu is indeed ambitious. However, conquering other nations will not be so easy. Moreover, the Xiongnu have already set their sights on us this time."
"If we make any move, the Xiongnu are likely to inform other countries immediately."