I, Am a Living Yama; Empress Advises Me to Stay Calm

The hall fell into a heavy silence, the tension thick. No one had expected Yang Yi to speak so directly, and his words carried the weight of authority, making everyone uneasy.
Li Yifu’s face paled, and he stammered, “Nonsense, how could that be? Yang Yi, don’t you dare slander me!”
Yang Yi’s eyes narrowed, a smile curving his lips that filled Li Yifu with dread.
“Whether you’ve seized land or not, an investigation will reveal the truth.
The land records clearly show the amount of land.”
Everyone was suddenly struck with terror, hearts pounding. They all knew the recorded land in the registry did not match their actual holdings—it was an unspoken rule to hide their true land area.
If investigated, how could they withstand the scrutiny?
The hall was eerily quiet.
Wu Zhao glanced over the crowd and said calmly, “The Single Whip Law and Land Tax Reform must be implemented. I have already assigned Minister Yang to handle this matter fully. Dismissed.”
…
“Minister Li, what should we do now?”
“Yes, Yang Yi has gained power and is now aiming his guns at us. It’s outrageous!”
“He’s ruthless! If he implements this land tax reform, he’ll be cutting off our roots!”
“Indeed! This scoundrel’s strategy is too ruthless!”
The officials’ faces were grim, filled with fear and shock. They hadn’t stood against Yang Yi before, but they had witnessed his mercilessness toward the Qing enemies.
Now, facing him themselves, they felt his suffocating intimidation. Yang Yi was after their lives. Every strategy hit where it hurt most!
Li Yifu looked at the crowd of officials—each held at least a fifth-rank position, all high-ranking court officials. Even beyond the court, they were powerful regional governors. Yet now, every one of them appeared nervous and on edge.
Li Yifu took a deep breath, seeking to calm them down.
“Don’t panic… Yang Yi’s actions are tantamount to opposing the entire gentry and nobility of Great Zhou, as well as seventy percent of the officials. He won’t succeed.
“
, does he think he can survey all the land with just one decree? Even among his own subordinates, how many can claim to be completely clean?
“Unless Yang Yi personally leads the survey and inspects each household one by one, his subordinates won’t work for him wholeheartedly. After all, he’s affecting everyone’s interests!
“And if he’s the only one inspecting, it would take him a lifetime to survey all the land! His so-called single whip law and land tax reform are impossible to implement.
“Policies from above, countermeasures from below—don’t you understand?”
Li Yifu’s words calmed the crowd, his reasoning striking a chord with them. Throughout history, those who opposed the majority of officials in the bureaucracy never succeeded. Even a “living Yama” like Yang Yi would not change that.
“If he wants to oppose the Great Zhou bureaucracy, he really needs to see if he has the ability,” one official remarked with a grin.
“Yes, instead of being a good prime minister, he’s choosing to provoke us. Let’s show him what it means to provoke the wrong people.”
“If someone comes to inspect the land, I’ll have my servants close the door. Do they dare to break in?”
“Hahaha, exactly! I’ll close the door. Do the officials dare to break it down?”
“Right! We may fear Yang Yi, but not his subordinates.”
“Let him investigate! Let’s see who can outlast whom!”
The officials relaxed considerably, mockery filling their voices as they laughed contemptuously. Opposing an entire class is no easy task. Yang Yi’s strategy, they believed, was bound to fail this time.
…
The single whip law and land tax reform were issued by the Secretariat, the first step being to survey the land. All the officials were waiting to see Yang Yi fail. They didn’t think he could succeed.
Another day passed. The ‘report box’ policy was launched as promised, but no one dared submit any evidence. After three to five days, the initially nervous officials began to sneer. It seemed that Yang Yi was bluffing.
So this was the so-called ‘most ruthless strategist of Great Zhou’?
…
“Minister Li, it’s been several days, and Yang Yi hasn’t made a move. It seems he’s failed this time,
”
“Indeed, we thought he had some big plan, but he’s just a paper tiger!”
“
, I was worried for nothing. It seems he’s not so terrifying after all.”
“You were all too timid. How could Yang Yi succeed?”
“So much for the most ruthless strategist of Great Zhou.”
“He’s going to take a big fall this time!”
As they saw Yang Yi’s strategies failing to yield any results, the long-suppressed fear gave way to mocking laughter and contempt.
Li Yifu sneered coldly.
“As long as we hold out, Yang Yi will surely fail. He thinks a few strategies are enough to act arrogantly. This time, we’ll show him what it means to be a frog in a well, overestimating his abilities!”
The officials laughed louder, venting their former fears while expressing disdain for Yang Yi.
…
“Father, do you think Yang Yi has gone mad and turned his blade inward to cleanse Great Zhou?” Zhu Biao asked, puzzled.
“These nobles and gentry are not easy to deal with.”
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his temples. “He’s doing what we wanted to do but couldn’t… The single whip law and land tax reform are excellent policies. But unfortunately, it’s destined to fail this time.”
Zhu Biao nodded. “This is different from dealing with the Qing enemies. His two decrees target seventy percent of the officials in Zhou. Going against the entire bureaucracy—what good can come from that?”
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply. “Internal enemies within the empire are far harder to deal with than those wielding weapons outside. Throughout history, any reform that faced the entire bureaucracy, even with an emperor’s backing, has failed. This time, Yang Yi doesn’t see the whole picture.”
…
“What audacity…” Li Shimin’s eyes flashed with shock.
“I only dared to proceed slowly, even with the compilation of the
; it met with considerable resistance. I didn’t expect this person to propose such a drastic policy as the land tax reform, aiming to cut off his enemies at a single blow. This is too rash—he’s doomed to fail…”
Changsun Wuji and the others nodded in agreement. They still remembered how the Sui Dynasty collapsed. Opposing the nobility had never ended well.
…
“Good, very good, Yang Yi. A bold single whip law and land tax reform,” Liu Che muttered, his gaze darkening with murderous intent.
“If I had a minister as audacious, these parasites of the empire should be ruthlessly exterminated!”
Zhufu Yan, Sang Hongyang, and Zhang Tang exchanged glances as they felt the emperor’s palpable anger.
After a while, Liu Che calmed, stroking his chin with some regret.
“I admire his audacity. But I also know the outcome—reformers throughout history have only met failure…”