Chapter 591 Contributions

In this meeting, the topic of discussion is “snowstorm”, since the beginning of winter, the temperature has plummeted.

Families that could barely make ends meet by tightening their belts were affected by the cold snap and had to spend more silver to buy additional supplies such as charcoal and cotton clothes.

But for the poor farming families, the yearly income is just a little bit, and they have to tighten their budgets for food and clothing.

Spending money on charcoal and additional cotton clothing meant no silver for rice.

Many poor people did not survive the winter and lost countless numbers of people to starvation.

The court received one after another folders from the local governments, which used the phrase “not a single household was left in ten villages” to describe the horror of the disaster.

The Chancellor of the Da Lisi immediately stepped forward and made a bow:

“Your Majesty, you can ask the Ministry of Revenue to mobilize money and grain to provide relief, the people are short of clothes and food, unable to survive the winter, it will inevitably turn into stragglers to plague the states.

“The people who have been sacked by the vagabonds will also become vagabonds, and if the plague is not quelled as soon as possible, I fear that it will lead to great trouble.”

Before waiting for the Yongxing Emperor to speak, the Minister of the Household came out in a hurry and said in a loud voice:

“Your Majesty, the treasury is empty, we really can’t get any extra money or grain to provide disaster relief, please think twice.”

Every year, the time of disaster relief is a storm that shakes the official hat for him, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue.

Sure enough, the Minister of the Household Department, Du Gaozhong, hastened to come forward to make up for it:

“Your Majesty, I would like to impeach the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue for using his power for personal gain, for being greedy and perverting the law, and for sucking the marrow of the court with his clique, resulting in an empty treasury.”

The Minister of the Household fell to his knees and exclaimed, “I beg for the bones!”

The corners of Emperor Yongxing’s mouth twitched viciously as he looked down on the ministers with an expressionless face.

Party fights party fights!

To this day, it’s still a party fight!

It is your group of readers who only know how to fight within the nest, united with the late emperor, and only then the Dafeng scourge of the people to the end of life ………. Yongxing Emperor clenched his hand that was gathered in his sleeve and smiled gently:

“I said yesterday, the seriousness of the disaster, the court, when the king and the ministers of one heart, to discuss the countermeasures, all the love ministers to stop some it.”

The Minister of the Household and others immediately caved in.

Yongxing Emperor nodded his head in satisfaction and said aloud, “How is the reserve of righteous warehouses everywhere?”

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue said, ”All the warehouses have been opened for disaster relief. It’s just that during the fall harvest, the court fought with the Witch God Cult and was greatly injured. That day, the grain and grass was requisitioned from all over the country. Therefore, there is not enough grain stored in the righteous warehouses around the country.”

Emperor Yongxing thought for a moment and said, “What about the official warehouse?”

When the words fell, all the public officials in the hall looked at each other, and Liu Hong, the right royal historian, came out and said:

“Your Majesty must not, if we are to stabilize the situation everywhere and allow the Xuyi and officials to act normally, the official warehouse must not be moved.”

Boxes were designed for disaster relief in years of famine.

Official warehouses, on the other hand, were for the payment of salaries to officials.

If the official warehouse is moved, and the court cannot pay salaries, then the world will truly be in turmoil.

Yongxing Emperor’s face sank: “Then what good strategy does Liu Aiqing have?”

Liu Hong mused, “The northern demon barbarians still owe the court countless hides, salt, and iron ore, so your majesty can send an emissary to the north to ask for them.”

The Yongxing Emperor’s eyes lit up, and the princes underneath were also talking about it, but then he saw Chief Minister Wang walk out of the formation and bowed:

“This matter shall not be!”

The princes immediately retorted:

“Why not?”

“This official thinks that Lord Liu’s plan is wonderful.”

“Yes, the Demon Barbarians have herds of cattle and sheep with countless furs, just enough to keep out the cold and solve the court’s pressing problems.”

Chief Minister Wang waited patiently for the gentlemen to finish speaking before continuing:

“The oath was drawn up on that day, and it was written by the pen of Xu New Year, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, under the personal supervision of the minister. It was written in black and white that the hides, cattle, and sheep given by the demon barbarians to the Dafeng were to be given after three years of

“Now that the war has subsided for only two months, the demon barbarians are also in a state of disarray, and supplies are in short supply. At this moment to let them fulfill the contract ………”

Chief Minister Wang did not go on, but the princes understood.

This was forcing the Demon Barbarians and Da Bong to turn against each other.

The Yongxing Emperor was a bit annoyed and asked, “What is the good plan of the Chief Counselor?”

Chief Minister Wang sighed in his heart, even if he didn’t turn around, he could feel a burning gaze behind him.

As the chief minister, there were some things he couldn’t avoid, so he said in a deep voice:

“Though the treasury is empty, inside and outside the capital, and even all over the Central Plains, there is an abundance of wealthy merchants, so Your Majesty can call upon the righteous people of the world to make donations.”

Here it comes ……. The hearts of the princes sank.

In fact, many days ago, there were rumors in the capital that His Majesty wanted to call for donations to fill the void in the treasury, and that he wanted to cut the meat out of them.

Yongxing Emperor waited for this moment and smiled:

“This is a marvelous method, and what does the Chief Minister think should be called for.”

Chief Minister Wang said, “It is up to you all to take the lead in making donations, and I would like to donate half of my family’s wealth to help the victims.”

At these words, the gentlemen in the hall were in an uproar.

Several members of the Wang Party and the former Wei Party responded immediately, saying that they would donate half of their family’s wealth to fill the state treasury, as did Chief Minister Wang.

But more ministers took an opposing stance.

“Your Majesty, this matter cannot be.”

“How can we have family money when we have two sleeves and barely get by?”

“Merchants and businessmen are profit-seekers, and asking them to make donations is like cutting their flesh, and is bound to cause an uproar.”

“The state treasury is empty, must not be publicized, let the witch god religion know, fear of military disaster. Internally, it will also let the people know that the court is strong and weak, and then the displaced people will become bandits, and there will be no end to the trouble.”

Upon hearing that the emperor wants to call for donations, Wang Shoufu took the lead in donating half of his family’s wealth, and all the princes responded greatly, with an unparalleled tacit agreement to stand on the same side.

Even if they are usually as powerful as each other.

Emperor Yongxing raised his hand to quell the clamor of the ministers.

Here is the Imperial Study Room, not the Golden Palace, no eunuchs waving whips and scolding.

When the princes were quiet, he looked at the Chancellor of the Grand Lodge and said:

“What is your intention, Mr. Temple Chancellor?”

The princes present are the core of the party, and by taking care of them, you can take care of most of the party.

And the head of the Da Lisi is now the head of the Qi Party, the sole leader, if he nods, the Qi Party can take it, at least most of it.

“Your Majesty!” The Chancellor of the Da Lisi stepped forward and wailed:

“I have been an official for twenty years, conscientious and clean, no ice in the heat, no charcoal in the cold, but just barely getting by.”

He said, shaking his hands and letting his wide sleeves slide down, revealing a pair of hands covered in frostbite.

“I am willing to die for the court. But I pity my wife and children and do not want them to freeze to death on the streets. If Your Majesty insists, I will beg for my bones.”

The old fox ………. Yongxing Emperor’s brain “sudden” pain, hastily waved his hand:

“Not to this, not to this ……..”

If this is really the case, he will become a greedy emperor who forced his officials to make donations, which led to the resignation of his ministers, and his reputation will be stigmatized, and the history books, if any, will make another notation.

Gotta, not much better than the late emperor.

Emperor Yongxing believed that this kind of reader would definitely write this way.

Because they’re the ones being forced to donate.

Emperor Yongxing asked other ministers and encountered different soft nails.

Either crying poor or begging for skeletons.

The young emperor’s face became more and more ugly, riding the tiger, and finally slapped the table.

“This is not good, that is not good, what is the use of the court to keep you? Within three days, I want a foolproof plan. If you can’t come up with one, all of you will get lost!”

“Your Majesty, calm down!”

The princes have knelt down.

………..

The small court meeting ended prematurely due to the Yongxing Emperor’s outburst of rage.

Chief Minister Wang squared his official hat, folded his hands in his sleeves, and walked side by side with Liu Hong, Wei Yuan’s successor, the right imperial governor of the Imperial Household, and the leader of the night watchmen, on the spacious road paved with green stone slabs.

Up ahead is the Noon Gate.

In the distance, there are guards standing guard and forbidden troops patrolling, the gaze of the head minister of Wang, chasing the forbidden troops in boredom, after a moment, withdrew his gaze and slowly said:

“How can His Majesty fight this group of old foxes when he has exposed his weakness of love of fame too obviously?

“Your Majesty is still too young.”

“There is the heart of a strong and practical country, but the level is poor.” Liu Hong did not hide his disdain.

Chief Minister Wang sucked in a mouthful of cold air, his nose freezing red, and faintly said:

“The means are childish, the heart is not deep enough, these can be learned. Replacing the Fourth Prince is no better than him.”

Liu Hong said without a thought, “It’s a pity that Her Highness Huaiqing is a woman.”

Chief Minister Wang laughed coldly: “Erlang’s proposal for the court to call for donations was not given by His Highness Huaiqing. You think I do not know?”

Liu Hong frankly said, “Lord Chief Counselor has a discerning eye.”

“Instead of letting the merchants and merchants alone make donations, she asked His Majesty to mobilize the group of ministers to make donations to show their example, and she had some foresight.”

Chief Minister Wang grunted and his face went cold:

“You tell Huaiqing that in the future, if you want to try your own methods, don’t use my future son-in-law as a gun. His Majesty is destined to lose face over this, and when the time comes, it will not be long before he takes his anger out on Erlang.”

Liu Hong didn’t say anything.

After the two walked side by side for a while, Chief Wang calmed his anger and faintly said:

“The imperial treasury is empty, and the Ministry of Revenue is having trouble keeping up. The reason why His Majesty didn’t move those money and grain is to guard against the rebels in Yunzhou.”

Liu Hong said in a deep voice:

“But if the disaster is allowed to expand, the number of stragglers is growing and plaguing the region, again, this is something the rebels would love to see. Misappropriation of military funds is exactly what the rebels want. Without misappropriation, the rebels are still happy to see it.

“Although I have not dealt with that Xu Pingfeng, I know that this person’s tactics are brilliant and scalp numbing.”

The army is going to mutiny if it can’t pay its paychecks in a war.

But regardless of the disaster, without curbing the rate of growth of the stragglers, the situation will become more and more chaotic, and the consequences of a fire in the backyard will be equally terrible.

“His Highness Huaiqing was also not allowed to think that.” Liu Hong sighed, “I thought that after the late emperor went, the court would usher in a brand new era, who knew it would be a mess.”

Chief Minister Wang looked away, seemingly touched.

After a moment’s interval, he spoke in a deep voice:

“If this plan is feasible, it can indeed solve the pressing problem. But she has overlooked a key point. If you want this group of old foxes, as well as officials from all walks of life, to willingly pay out of their pockets, you need someone who can hold down the fort.

“Throughout the court, Supervisor Zheng counts as one, the late Emperor counts as one, Wei Yuan and I combined count as one, and Xu Qi’an counts as one.

“The Supervisor Zheng doesn’t care about dynastic affairs, the late Emperor and Wei Yuan are both deceased, Xu Qi’an travels the rivers and lakes, I asked Er Lang a while ago, and there’s no news from him so far.”

Liu Hong was shocked in his heart, Wang Shoufu turned out to have long seen through and penetrated this ploy, and when no one was aware of it, he had already secretly probed and pushed it.

………..

Jingxiu Palace.

The Yongxing Emperor arrived in a large chauffeur and, surrounded by eunuchs, entered the Jingxiu Palace.

He paused in the courtyard and took a deep breath, pinching his brow to make his expression less serious and heavy.

The corners of his mouth brought up a slight smile before he crossed the courtyard and stepped over the threshold to see his mother consort and siblings who had been waiting for a long time.

Noble Consort Chen, who had ordered the palace maid to heat up the dishes several times, gently chided:

“Although Your Majesty is in the prime of his spring and fall, he should pay attention to his dragon’s body and not overwork it.”

“Mother consort, don’t worry, Spirit Treasure View has plenty of elixirs that nourish and nourish the body.” Lin An waved her little hand, smiling like a flower:

“Brother Emperor, come and have your meal.”

Emperor Yongxing revealed a smile, sweeping away the depressed atmosphere of the court, and began to eat under the service of the palace maid.

He ate a few bites and then chatted with his mother consort and siblings about parental gossip.

“The other day, I heard from Wizi’er that there was a little girl who came to the Shangshu Room, from Chief Minister Wang’s residence. Changkang accidentally provoked the other party and ended up getting beaten.

“Wizened Child avenged his cousin’s death and was also beaten all over his head.”

“The third son of Emperor Yongxing is ten years old.

Changkang, on the other hand, was the second son of Linan’s sixth brother.

Upon hearing that her grandson had been beaten, Noble Consort Chen’s complexion changed drastically and her willow eyebrows rose, “How did I not know about this matter?”

“I’ve suppressed it.”

“Why?”

Noble Consort Chen said suspiciously, unable to understand what her son was doing.

Yongxing Emperor let out a bitter smile, “That was Xu Qi’an’s youngest sister, fortunately she was sent out of the palace that day, and she didn’t get to read the book.”

Noble Consort Chen was instantly silent.

Unbeknownst to him, Tai Fu escaped.

After eating for a while, Noble Consort Chen saw that Emperor Yongxing was always sullen and softly said:

“Your Majesty, is there something difficult in the court?”

Emperor Yongxing hesitated and sighed feebly:

“The treasury is out of silver, and having just finished the war, the granaries in various places are understocked and unable to provide relief to the victims. So much so that the stragglers rose up in all directions and turned into roving bandits.

“My kingdom is in shambles.”

He shared the frustrations he had encountered with his call for donations.

Yongxing Emperor pinched his brow, “Sitting in this position, I realize how difficult it is. Everyone up and down the court is an enemy.”

Although he has not been on the throne for long, he has already felt the heavy obstacles and the powerlessness of the political order not being his own.

This was something that could not be experienced firsthand when he was a crown prince before.

The atmosphere at the table turned sullen for a moment.

Yongxing Emperor hurriedly said, “There is no need to think about these bad things, mother consort, son servant toasts you.”

After drinking the wine, Emperor Yongxing picked some light topics, trying to make Princess Chen laugh and make the family feast a little more relaxed.

Prosper looked at his older brother in silence, a little sad.

In the past, she felt that her crown prince brother was preoccupied with inheriting the throne, and many of his thoughts and ideas made her uncomfortable.

But time has changed, and after all she’s been through, she’s matured a lot.

The Prince’s brother was so obsessed with the throne, apart from his own desire for the throne, most of the reasons for this lay with their mother and daughter.

Mother Concubine couldn’t raise her head by the Empress, and she was bullied by Huaiqing from time to time, in addition, the Fourth Prince had Wei Yuan’s backing in the dynasty.

The crown prince’s brother just wanted to fight for his reputation, so that mother consort could hold her head up in front of the empress, so that she could flaunt her strength in front of Huaiqing.

………..

After lunch, Lin An took the pretext of taking a walk to eliminate food and went to De Xin Yuan.

Just as he entered Huaiqing’s territory, he saw a handsome and upright young official come out from inside.

Eyes like stars, lips red and teeth white, cheek lines much harder, appear more manly.

“The microcosm has met Your Highness.”

Xu New Year stopped and arched his hand in greeting.

“Why is Lord Xu here?”

Lin An’s amorous and flirtatious peach blossom eyes turned and looked up and down.

Xu New Year said, “I have come to see His Highness Huaiqing to discuss my studies.”

After a pause, he asked, “By the way, has my elder brother sent any letters to His Highness lately?”

Prosperity was deeply resentful at the sound of it, and gave a petulant grunt:

“Who is your elder brother, this palace doesn’t know, don’t stop the road.”

With her skirt flying, she brushed past Xu New Year.

The dog lackey left the capital for more than a month, with no news, clearly not taking her to heart.

All the way straight to the inner courtyard, guided by the palace maid, he came to the inner hall and saw Huaiqing sitting behind the case drinking tea.

“I just met Xu Ruixu outside, what’s he doing here?”

Advent asked.

Usually, those who could be invited into the mansion by the princess were people with extraordinary relationships.

The women are yet to be heard, but the men, if they are men, are basically heartthrobs.

But Lin An knew that Xu New Year was the future son-in-law of the Wang family, and that Chief Wang was her Emperor’s brother’s man.

“Discuss the learning.”

Huaiqing casually made a perfunctory remark and turned to ask, “What are you doing here again.”

She was less than welcoming to Prosperity, a sister who chattered like a sparrow and flew over to peck you in the face if you weren’t paying attention.

Although the battle power was still as crummy as ever, it was now the reign of Emperor Yongxing after all.

Waiking is more or less scrupulous.

Although Lin’an was defeated and unconvinced, he never complained to Emperor Yongxing.

Advent came to the edge of the case, lifted her skirts and sat down, and said:

“Wyvern you have a lot of ideas, ask a question.”

Wyvern gave a cool nod.

Prosper then went over the donations, a light frown on his showy brow:

“What’s your method for getting those old foxes to pay their own way?”

Huaiqing said lightly, “If someone else wants to rob your family’s wealth, do you give it or not?”

Lin An thought for a moment and said, “It depends on who la, if the dog slaves ask me for silver, this palace is given.”

Huaiqing took a sip of tea, “So, it can’t be done by someone who is not close to you. Your emperor’s brother reaches out for money, but of course he can’t come.”

Prosperity thought it made sense and tried, “Bullying?”

Wyking shook his head:

“This is the best way and the stupidest way. The stupidity lies in the fact that it can’t be His Majesty who does it, or else the court will be cursed, and a huge backlash will surely be encountered.

“But there are those who can do it, and the herd can do nothing about it.”

Advent’s eyes lit up, “Who?”

Wyvern was once again disappointed in this sister’s intelligence, and it was boring to play witches with her.

“What do you think of the Supervisor?”

“Can it …….”

“What if it was the number one martial artist of the Dafeng back then, King Zhenbei?”

“May, may I ……”

“Then who is the number one martial artist in Daebong now?”

Prosper finally understood, dawning a realization and slamming his small hand on the tabletop:

“You said dog slave!”

Spinning down his little face, he said in disappointment, “But he’s not in the capital.”

………

PS: Keep coding the next chapter. Suggest to read it tomorrow.