You Have Science, I Have Martial Arts-Chapter 599 - 271: Went Out for a While, Brought Home an Empress

On the fifth of June, Ye Qingzhou held a ceremony in Luoyang to worship heaven and earth, officially ascending the throne as Emperor.

The Divine Calculator Lv Gongming predicted heavy rain on that day, so he wanted to persuade Ye Qingzhou to choose another auspicious day, but was ultimately refused by Ye Qingzhou.

On the day of the enthronement ceremony, dark clouds indeed appeared in the sky, and just as the sudden rain was about to fall, causing panic among the people,

Ye Qingzhou drew his sword to cut the sky, with majestic Sword Qi piercing through the clouds, shaking the heavens. In just an instant, the sun shone brightly, the sky cleared, and the rain stopped. Such Shocking Sword Skills astounded both the dignitaries and the commoners who came to witness.

Everyone knelt down and prostrated, shouting ’Long live the Emperor’. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Subsequently, Ye Qingzhou established the state name as Qi and the era name as Divine Martial.

The reason the state name was chosen as ’Qi’ is due to its implication of ’equality and no disparity under heaven’.

After ascending the throne, Ye Qingzhou’s first decree was to nationalize all the lands, having the government distribute them uniformly. They would be available for lease and cultivation, but free trade would not be allowed.

Land annexation has been a chronic problem throughout history. The landowning class always displays the wickedness of human nature vividly during years of disaster and famine, even creating artificial food shortages for profit by forcing the poor to sell their children.

Because only during a famine can the price of food rise!

Therefore, private land ownership is absolutely the greatest evil in the world. To develop the Martial Dao, population is the most important asset. Ye Qingzhou needed to ensure the people of Great Qi were well-fed and warmly clothed, hence he would not compromise on this matter.

With this decree issued, voices of opposition arose one after another, even in the court, numerous so-called wise ministers and scholars stepped forth to obstruct.

Yet Ye Qingzhou remained unmoved: "The lands of the Noble Families and the Rich were annexed to begin with, so what harm is there in the Court annexing it? My decision is made; this matter is not open to discussion."

After court, Shen Huaimin, the state father, with a troubled face, made a special trip to the palace to find his daughter Shen Jingyi, hoping she would exert her influence.

Shen Jingyi, now graced as the Empress, the mother figure of the nation, yet she was a woman with opinions of her own, and she evidently chose to stand by Ye Qingzhou’s side, instead persuading Shen Huaimin: "Father, His Majesty must have profound intentions with this act. As for wealth, the Shen Family is already as rich as a nation, owning vast pastures in Youzhou, and both my elder brother and Peng brother are heavily used; why hold onto mere farmland then?"

People are greedy, always wanting more and disliking loss.

Shen Huaimin was the same. Through investing in Ye Qingzhou, he had already gained unimaginable great returns, yet now he was reluctant to part with the Shen Family’s fields.

If he was like this, the discontent from the powerful and the aristocracy inside and outside the court was even more uproarious, and even reached the point of boiling over.

On this day, Wang Junfeng, Nie Shixiong, Xu Biyi, Xu Wenshan, and Zhang Shunchen gathered together, talking precisely about the issue of the new policy.

These five were taken as direct disciples by Ye Qingzhou, the highest in cultivation after him, each truly a ’one-man army’, hence called the "Five Tiger Generals" by the world.

’Golden-Winged Tiger’ Wang Junfeng was from a rich family; ’Prairie Fire Tiger’ Nie Shixiong from a military family; ’Jade-Faced Tiger’ Xu Wenshan was from a Noble Family. Among the five tigers, only ’Flying Star Tiger’ Zhang Shunchen and ’Sky Tyrant Tiger’ Xu Biyi came from humble backgrounds and were relatively poor.

Xu Wenshan couldn’t help sighing: "The world has just been pacified, and now chaos will soon arrive; with the introduction of the new policy, the Noble Families and the Rich will certainly not comply peacefully."

Wang Junfeng had a wild and uninhibited personality. Although he came from a rich family in West Ridge, he was a staunch follower of Ye Qingzhou. He was utterly contemptuous towards the Noble Families and the Rich: "Even if the entire world opposes, what of it? The Master’s Divine Skill is unmatched; he alone could sweep across everything. It’s better for us to advise our families against being the mantis trying to stop the chariot."

This remark was clearly aimed at Nie Shixiong and Xu Wenshan, especially Xu Wenshan, who had joined the Heart Martial Sect not long ago, and due to his identity as a Noble Family’s young master, was not yet familiar with Ye Qingzhou’s way of doing things.

"The Master’s decisions are never unachievable; Wenshan, you have great fortune and luck, do not err."

Nie Shixiong also advised Xu Wenshan: "I don’t want the ’Five Tigers’ to become ’Four Tigers’, anyway I plan to personally return to Liaodong to persuade my family to turn over their fields to the government’s redistribution."

Regarding Ye Qingzhou’s new policies, they were not entirely opposed, after all, the chaos of Da Liang stemmed from land annexation.

Although Ye Qingzhou was acting tough by nationalizing the land, in reality, the Rich and Noble Families could still lease land for cultivation through official channels.

The real target was the lands obtained through concealment and illegal means; Ye Qingzhou had no intention of recognizing these illegitimate assets. Whatever the Noble Families and Rich had consumed, they must disgorge.

Xu Wenshan had personally witnessed the combat power of the Divine Martial Army, understanding that the resistance of the world’s Noble Families and the Rich would be futile.

Each reign must have its own officials; Da Liang was gone; the new Great Qi naturally had new rules.

Either accept it, or perish.

"I will return to persuade my family."

Xu Wenshan sighed deeply, feeling a sense of helplessness.

In the following three years, to oppose the new policies, rebels arose in all Fourteen States, as Noble Families and the Rich first sent members disguised as bandits to plunder and cause trouble.

Some Noble Families and Rich even openly rebelled, raising the banner ’How can the ancestral heritage be surrendered?’ to rally ’men of insight’ nationwide against Great Qi’s ’tyranny’.