Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 790

Chapter 785, I’m not willing to do anything

“Willing to Do Anything!”

Qi Bodu threw a personal letter from Gu Hang to him, along with the Eastern Universe’s declaration, onto the table during an internal meeting of the Imperial Central Government.

At the same large conference table, the four prime ministers of the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Taxation, the Ministry of Military Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice, along with their vice-prime ministers, and other prominent figures from Qi Bodu’s political faction, gathered together.

Now, these powerful figures in the outside world all lowered their heads in silence, listening to the prime minister above them roaring and venting his emotions.

They had generally read Gu Hang’s letter and the Eastern Universe’s declaration, and they understood the situation.

They fully understood Qi Bodu’s anger.

Gu Hang’s personal letter was particularly infuriating.

“To His Excellency, Prime Minister Qi Bodu of the Empire:

In gratitude for your continued concern for the affairs of the Alliance, on behalf of the 7,109 worlds of the Alliance, I hereby present to the Holy See of Terra our glorious victory in suppressing the rebellion on Liguang Star and destroying the rebel chapter, the Swords of Liguang. Enclosed is 822 recovered gene-seeds. Preliminary inspections have shown no contamination issues and they can be assigned to the Imperial Space Marines’ management department. Once these are inspected, they will surely be able to assist you in establishing a new chapter.

I have heard about the unrest in the Eastern Universe.

Chairman Yin Bashim’s fate is regrettable, but I honestly say that his actions in the Eastern Universe never demonstrated the Emperor’s mercy. He brought too much disaster to the Eastern Universe and was ultimately overthrown by the people of the Eastern Universe. It was truly his own fault.

I must point out that the unrest in the Eastern Universe could have been avoided.

I have previously reported this to my High Lord representative, Sir Jon Curtis. I have expressed my opinion that before the riots broke out, my representative should have proposed to the Supreme Council that Chairman Yinbarshim stop his hostile actions against the Alliance in the Eastern Space Region, so as to prevent the Eastern Space Region from suffering unnecessary economic losses in this unreasonable confrontation.

But Mr. Jon Curtis did not express my opinion accurately.

This makes me a little confused.

I still remember that we talked about it fifteen years ago. You can appoint a candidate at will as the representative of my High Lord’s power in Holy Terra. He should listen to your teachings and act according to your ideas. Your will is my will.

This has never changed, and I still think so.

But we also talked about that this representative should be loyal to the Emperor, fair, idealistic, and beneficial to the development of the Alliance and the relationship between the Empire.

Unfortunately, in these fifteen years, I have become more and more dissatisfied with his work . This is becoming increasingly invisible.

Therefore, I had to activate the jurisdiction granted to the High Lords by Article VII-9 of the “Convention of the Imperial Supreme Council” – three days ago, I temporarily froze Mr. Jon Curtis’s High Lord voting rights until he completed a forty-day soul confession ceremony.

In the communication records between Mr. Curtis and Chairman Yin Bashim last month, he mentioned those drunken words about “exchanging the star zone famine data for the Black Ming Fortress repair quota”. I have instructed the mechanical priest to engrave it into the servo skull of the penitent. I believe it will be enough to support the entire repentance course before the fire of repentance is extinguished.

At the same time, considering that the Eastern Universe is in urgent need of stability, so that the unrest does not affect the current imperial tax, I request to temporarily exercise the power of the High Lord in the Eastern Frontier of the Empire, supervise and handle the situation in the Eastern Universe, ensure a smooth transition of power, and ensure the current imperial tax in this universe. At the same time, strive for the Empire in the next ten years. National tax revenue can achieve long-term growth.

It’s gratifying that the Alliance fleet successfully intercepted the remnants of the Yinbashim who were attempting to defect. In the attached list of spoils, you might be interested in the Netherworld-class transport carrying spiritual crystals worth 15 billion tax coins—these should have been tax payments, but the navigation records indicate their destination is the private collection of a prominent noble.

Of course, I fully understand that the Qi family needs time to recalibrate the transmission system. Therefore, I boldly propose that this transport continue on its course without entering the review phase.

Of course, you, so selfless as to authorize me to conduct a thorough investigation.

I will carry out your will.

Furthermore, I hope to receive the nominations for the new representative as soon as possible, before Mr. Jon Curtis concludes his confession, so as not to hinder your work. “

Your loyal companion,

Gu Hang”

…

After reading this letter, how could Qi Bodu not be furious?

The words were polite, but each and every incident pierced Qi Bodu’s heart.

Everyone knows what happened to the Sword of Light.

Just like that, a loyal chapter was annihilated. The Empire hadn’t even bothered to confront the Alliance yet, yet Gu Hang declared it a “glorious victory.” By labeling them a rebel chapter, who was he slapping in the face? With

822 gene-seeds before him, was he handing over the spoils, or displaying the “corpses” before the victims to show off his power? At least, in Qi Bodu’s eyes, it was the latter.

Gu Hang blamed Zu Yinbashim for his incompetence in the Eastern Space Domain, saying his demise was his own fault. So who pushed Yinbashim into this position?

Qi Bodu himself.

Qi Bodu’s maternal grandmother was Yinbashim. While Zu Yinbashim and Qi Bodu were distantly related, Zu Yinbashim could have flattered Qi Bodu by calling him “cousin.”

The Yinbashim family had always been one of Qi Bodu’s supporters.

For Gu Hang to kill the future star of such a family like that, and then to hypocritically claim “regret” was truly outrageous!

Not to mention, the following content was truly significant.

Gu Hang had simply frozen Jon Curtis’s representation rights, severely undermining the political agreement he had made with Qi Bodu fifteen years prior when Gu Hang assumed the High Leader presidency.

Fortunately, it was merely a freeze, not a cancellation. The forty-day penance ceremony, though uncomfortable and embarrassing, quickly passed. Furthermore, while Mr. Curtis would be humiliated and unable to continue as a representative, Gu Hang had also given Qi Bodu the right to nominate the next representative, allowing him to submit the list to Gu Hang for formality, and the appointment would still be made by Qi Bodu.

This suggested no falling-out had taken place.

However, the mention of transport ships and the Qi family in the middle of the discussion once again raised suspicions. This was

especially true in light of the recent turmoil in Imperial politics: the “Lingze Star Trade List,” which listed numerous participants in arbitrage trade based on Imperial taxes between the Alliance and the Empire.

While this normal arbitrage trade was detrimental to the Imperial Central Taxation Department, it was impossible to stop it because taxes were legal. The Alliance ultimately paid the full tax. The goods they brought to Lingze Star weren’t taxed in the first place. They just did business here, and the Alliance made a profit, then paid the tax. Who could tell?

Before delivery to the Imperial tax collectors, the goods belonged to the Alliance and could be traded however they pleased, as long as the sufficient amount of goods or tax currency was paid upon delivery.

However, after delivery, these goods became part of the Imperial tax. At this point, using these goods or tax currency, which had become Imperial tax, for arbitrage trading is no longer legal or illicit.

Even if the goods were exchanged, the value of the goods delivered would still be in full. However, the nature of the trade would be distorted. Furthermore,

the goods delivered back might not necessarily be in full, and even if they were, the quality might not be up to standard.

This is known as gray arbitrage trade.

And it has nothing to do with the Alliance.

Gray trade occurs on Imperial taxes, which are paid after the Alliance completes the transaction. The Alliance is naturally not responsible for this.

Theoretically, this could even be done on Holy Terra without even having to take place on Lingze.

However, doing it on Holy Terra would be too conspicuous. On Lingze, the large-scale flow of funds and goods disguised as normal arbitrage trade is kept more secret.

A few weeks ago, a wave of public opinion on Holy Terra suddenly erupted regarding gray arbitrage trade, meticulously identifying the families, forces, and individuals involved. While

no evidence was provided, the discussion was remarkably consistent with the actual situation.

This included the Qi family.

Qi Bodu himself was aware of this, but he turned a blind eye.

Not only were his family members profiting, but he himself was also making money.

Although he held the title of Prime Minister of the Empire, the Empire’s money was not his.

Not only was it misappropriated for personal use, but even its use for Imperial affairs was not something he could truly decide on his own. Investing more funds and resources in a desired direction requires struggle and political balancing. Not only does he have to balance external forces, but he also has to balance the various factions within his own faction. He can force his way through, which is fine, given his power, but it comes at the cost of political prestige. Excessive use of this money might lead to less respect.

However, if it’s his own money, there’s no such problem; he can spend it however he wants.

However, this is shady, even illegal, income. Operating in secret is one thing, but exposure is another.

Granted, no one in the public opinion field has produced conclusive evidence, allowing those involved in the shady arbitrage trade to suppress the public opinion over time. However, there’s no doubt that the initiators of this public opinion, who can portray the matter so accurately, likely possess solid evidence. If it were to be

exposed, it would be a major event.

Qi Bodu certainly wouldn’t be forced out of office because of this, but it would undoubtedly become a weapon exploited by the opposing factions, leading to his humiliation and even a heavy price to pay. That’s all perfectly reasonable.

Add to that the 15 billion in goods Gu Hang mentioned, which should have been the Eastern Realm’s imperial taxes, but were instead sent to the Qi family’s warehouses under Yin Bashim’s manipulation. This isn’t just some gray area, but a straight-up treasonous act of stealing imperial taxes. Even

Qi Bo could suppress it without significant damage.

What is the Alliance trying to do with all this?

Do they think they can threaten me?

Gu Hang is simply playing with fire!

Does he know that the Alliance can exist with such impunity only because of me, the great Prime Minister, who supports them?

There are countless people out there who want to crush the Alliance and reap the spoils!

Now, Gu Hang, you dare to defy me and threaten me, just because there’s a rumor in the Imperial Center that the Alliance is raising taxes?

Outrageous!

Qi Bo was so angry he almost exploded!

“Prime Minister, I think…”

After a long silence, it was Gallardo who spoke first.

However, just as he started to speak, Qi Bodu stopped him:

“Shut up!”

Everyone knew that Gallardo had a good relationship with Gu Hang. If he said anything at this moment, wouldn’t it be particularly biased towards the alliance?

Gallardo firmly shut his mouth.

But his expression was not particularly serious.

He believed that there were some things that others would say even if he didn’t say them.

Qi Bodu called on him: “Luo Xi, you speak first.”

Luo Xi coughed twice, his face solemn.

“The most urgent task is to deal with the affairs of the Eastern Universe first.”

“The new chairman of the Eastern Universe must be determined as soon as possible. We must not allow the current situation of being controlled by the alliance for a long time to continue. Gu Hang and that Cui Ru’s letter of notification sound good, but every day that things are delayed, the alliance’s influence on the Eastern Universe through the economy and culture, and the power of the high lords that Gu Hang blatantly stole, will deepen their control over the Eastern Universe.”

“The organization is already considering the relevant list of appointments and accompanying personnel, and it will be ready soon. We will have a series of requirements for officials who will take office in the Eastern Universe. We must learn from the experience of Yin Bashim’s previous failure. The struggle with the alliance requires more wisdom and skills, and we cannot act rashly…”

“Stop!”

Luo Xi immediately shut his mouth.

“Saying such clichés in front of me?”

Luo Xi shook her head vigorously: “No, no…”

“Is this the only measure I want? This measure is not worth mentioning compared to the shame that the alliance has brought to the central government of the empire! I am so disappointed, are you indulging the alliance?”

“Uh… we can also reprimand Gu Hang for his atrocities against the Sword of Light Regiment and report the matter to the Infinite Regiment…”

“Okay, okay.” Qi Bodu waved his hand in disappointment and pointed to another person, “Xu Fuzhen, you say it.”

The female Prime Minister of the Taxation Department, who was named, straightened her clothes and seemed to have been prepared: “We can make tax demands on the provisional government of the Eastern Universe, requiring it to guarantee that it can transport tax amounts no less than the past standards. At the same time, we can put more pressure on the alliance and ask them to pay 3 trillion in taxes, which is 500 billion more than the previous requirement of 2.5 trillion, as punitive taxes.”

The disappointment in Qi Bodu’s eyes became even stronger.

“A trillion a year to sell the Eastern Universe to the Alliance? Xu Fuzhen, the threat from the Alliance is imminent, yet you’re still only concerned with the money?”

(End of Chapter)