Chapter 454

The topic of discussion for this minor court meeting was the "snow disaster". Since the beginning of winter, the temperature had plummeted.

Families that could barely survive by tightening their belts were affected by the cold wave and had no choice but to spend more money on charcoal, cotton-padded clothes, and other supplies.

But for poor farmers, their annual income was so little, and they had to save up for their food and clothing expenses.

Spending money on charcoal and clothes meant that they had no money to buy rice.

Many of the poor people did not survive the winter, and they lost countless people in hunger and cold.

The imperial court received memorials from local officials one after another. The memorials described the horror of the disaster as "not a single family was left alive in ten villages".

The Dali Monastery prime minister immediately stepped out and bowed.

"Your Majesty, you can ask the Ministry of Revenue to mobilize money and food for disaster relief. The people lack food and clothing and cannot survive the winter. They will definitely become refugees and bring disaster to the various provinces …"

"The people who are robbed by the refugees will also become refugees. If the disaster is not settled as soon as possible, it will be a disaster."

Before the Yongxing Emperor could speak, the Ministry of Revenue Minister stepped out in a panic and said loudly,

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty. We really can't take out extra money for disaster relief. Please reconsider, Your Majesty."

Every year, the time of disaster relief was a storm that would shake his position as the Minister of Revenue.

Sure enough, the Ministry of Revenue Minister quickly stepped out to add insult to injury.

"Your Majesty, I want to accuse the Ministry of Revenue Minister of abusing his power for personal gain, taking bribes and bending the law. He and his henchmen are sucking the marrow of the imperial court, causing the national treasury to be empty."

The Ministry of Revenue Minister knelt and said loudly, "I beg for the bones!"

The Yongxing Emperor's mouth twitched as he looked down at the officials expressionlessly.

Party struggle! Party struggle!

To this day, it is still a party struggle!

It is you scholars who only know how to fight among yourselves. You joined forces with the former emperor and caused Daibun to suffer … The Yongxing Emperor clenched his fists in his sleeves and smiled gently.

"As I said yesterday, the disaster is serious. Everyone in the imperial court should be of one mind and discuss countermeasures together. Dear ministers, please calm down."

The Ministry of Revenue Minister and the others immediately stopped.

The Yongxing Emperor nodded in satisfaction and said loudly, "How are the warehouses in various places?"

The Ministry of Revenue Minister said, "They have all been opened for disaster relief. However, during the autumn harvest, the imperial court fought with the Witchcraft Sect and suffered a great loss. That day, rations were gathered from various places. Therefore, the warehouses are insufficient. "

The Yongxing Emperor thought and said, "What about the official warehouses?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the officials in the hall looked at each other. The Left Imperial Censor Liu Hong stepped forward and said,

"Your Majesty, you can't. If you want to stabilize the situation in various places and let the petty officials and officials act normally, you can't touch the official warehouses."

The official warehouses were specially used for disaster relief during the years of famine.

The official granaries were used to pay the salaries of the officials.

If the imperial court was unable to pay the salaries of the officials, then the world would truly be in chaos.

Yongxing Emperor's face darkened, "Then what good plan does Official Liu have?"

Liu Hong muttered, "The demons and barbarians in the north still owe the imperial court countless furs, salt, and iron ores. Your Majesty can send an envoy to the north to ask for them."

Yongxing Emperor's eyes lit up, and the officials below were also discussing. Grand Secretary Wang walked out of the formation, bowed and said,

"This cannot!"

The ministers immediately retorted.

"Why not?"

"I think that Lord Liu's plan is brilliant."

"Yes, the Demon Barbarians have flocks of cattle and sheep. They have countless furs which can protect them from the cold and solve the urgent problem of the imperial court."

Wang Shoufu waited patiently for the ministers to finish before continuing.

"On that day, the oath was drawn up by Hanlin Academy's Shu Jishi Xu Xinnian, and I personally supervised it. It was written in black and white that the Demon Barbarians would give Daibun furs, cattle and sheep three years later.

"Now that the war has subsided for less than two months, the Demon Barbarians have many things to do and are short of resources. If we want them to fulfill the contract now … "

Grand Secretary Wang didn't continue, but the dukes understood.

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

The Yongxing Emperor was a little annoyed and asked, "What good plan does the Prime Minister have?"

Wang Shoufu sighed in his heart. Even if he did not turn back, he could feel the burning gazes behind him.

As the Prime Minister, there were some things that he could not avoid, so he said in a deep voice,

"Although the national treasury is empty, there are rich people both inside and outside the capital, and even in the Central Plains. Your Majesty can call on the people of the world to donate."

Here it comes … The ministers' hearts sank.

In fact, there were rumors in the capital that the Emperor wanted to call for donations to fill the empty national treasury and cut off their flesh.

The Yongxing Emperor was waiting for this moment and laughed.

"This is a brilliant idea. How does the Prime Minister think we should call for donations?"

Wang Shoufu said, "The ministers should take the lead in making donations. I am willing to donate half of my wealth to help the victims of the disaster."

As soon as this was said, the ministers in the hall were in an uproar.

Several members of the Royal Faction and the former Wei Faction immediately responded and expressed that they would donate half of their wealth to fill the national treasury like Wang Shoufu.

But more ministers took a stance against it.

"Your Majesty, this cannot be done."

"We are uncorrupted and barely get by. Where will our wealth come from?"

"Merchants pursue profits. Asking them to donate is like cutting off their flesh. It will definitely cause an uproar."

"The national treasury is empty and must not be announced. If the Witchcraft Cult finds out, there will be a military disaster. Internally, let the people know that the Imperial Court is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. When the time comes, the refugees will become bandits and there will be endless disasters. "

Upon hearing that the Emperor wanted to call for donations, Wang Shoufu took the lead in donating half of his wealth. The ministers reacted strongly and stood on the same side with tacit understanding.

Even if they were usually incompatible like fire and water.

The Yongxing Emperor raised his hand and calmed the ministers down.

This was the Imperial Study, not the Throne Room. There were no eunuchs scolding them.

After waiting for the ministers to calm down, he looked at the Dali Monastery prime minister and said,

"Prime Minister, what do you think?"

The ministers present were all core members of the parties. If he could handle them, he could handle most of the other parties.

The Dali Monastery prime minister was now the leader of the Qi Faction. If he agreed, the Qi Faction could be taken over, at least half of it.

"Your Majesty!" The Dali Monastery prime minister stepped out and said sadly,

"I have been an official for twenty years. I have been conscientious and uncorrupted. There is no ice in the hot summer and no charcoal in the cold winter. I just barely get by."

As he spoke, he shook his hands and let the wide sleeves fall, revealing a pair of hands full of frostbite.

"I am willing to sacrifice my life for the Imperial Court, even until my death. But I pity my wife and children. I don't want them to freeze to death on the streets. If Your Majesty insists, I beg for their bones. "

"Old fox …" The Yongxing Emperor felt a sudden pain in his head. He quickly waved his hands and said,

"It's not that, it's not that …"

If he really did that, he would become a greedy Emperor who forced officials to donate and caused the ministers to resign. His reputation would be ruined and it would be recorded in the history books.

Well, he would not be any better than the former Emperor.

The Yongxing Emperor believed that such a scholar would definitely write that.

Because they were the ones who were forced to donate.

The Yongxing Emperor asked the other ministers and was met with different kinds of soft rebuffs.

They either cried poverty or begged for their bones.

The young Emperor's expression became more and more unpleasant. He was in a dilemma and finally slammed the table.

"You can't do this, you can't do that. What's the point of the Imperial Court supporting you? Within three days, I want a foolproof plan. If you can't, all of you can get lost! "

"Your Majesty, please calm down!"

The ministers all knelt down.

…

The Little Imperial Court ended prematurely because of the Yongxing Emperor's anger.

Wang Shoufu adjusted his official hat and put his hands in his sleeves. He walked side by side on the wide road paved with bluestone with Wei Yuan's successor, the Right Imperial Censor and the leader of the night watchmen, Liu Hong.

The Meridian Gate was just ahead.

In the distance, there were guards and imperial guards patrolling. Wang Shoufu's eyes followed the imperial guards in boredom. After a while, he retracted his gaze and said slowly,

"Your Majesty, your weakness of loving your reputation is too obvious. How can you fight against these old foxes?

"Your Majesty is still too young."

"You have the heart to strengthen the country, but you are not good enough." Liu Hong did not hide his disdain.

Wang Shoufu took a deep breath. His nose was red from the cold. He said calmly,

"His methods are immature and his schemes are not deep enough. These can all be learned. If it were the Fourth Prince, he would not be any better. "

Liu Hong said thoughtlessly, "It's a pity that Princess Huaiqing is a woman."

Grand Secretary Wang sneered, "Wasn't it His Highness Huai Qing who came up with the idea of Second Lang proposing the Imperial Court to call for donations? You think I don't know? "

Liu Hong said calmly, "The Grand Secretary has a sharp eye."

"She did not ask the merchants to donate alone, but asked His Majesty to ask the officials to donate as an example. She has some foresight."

Wang Shoufu snorted and his face turned cold.

"Tell Huaiqing that if she wants to try her own methods in the future, don't use my future son-in-law as a tool. His Majesty is bound to lose face because of this. At that time, he will take his anger out on Second Lang. "

Liu Hong did not say anything.

The two walked side by side for a while. Wang Shoufu calmed his anger and said calmly,

"The court's treasury is empty. The Ministry of Revenue is unable to continue. His Majesty did not use the money and provisions to guard against the rebel army in Yunzhou. "

Liu Hong said in a deep voice,

"But if the disaster is allowed to spread, the number of refugees will increase day by day. This is also what the rebel army is happy to see. Misappropriating military resources is exactly what the rebel army wants. Not misappropriating, the rebel army is happy to see it.

"Although I have not dealt with that Xu Pingfeng, I know that this person's methods are brilliant. It makes one's scalp tingle."

If there was no payment in war, the army would mutiny.

But if the disaster was ignored and the number of refugees was not curbed, the situation would become more and more chaotic. The consequences of a fire in the backyard were equally terrible.

"Your Highness Huai Qing shouldn't take it too seriously." Liu Hong sighed, "I thought that after the death of the former Emperor, the court would usher in a new era. Who knew that it would be a mess."

Wang Shoufu looked into the distance and seemed to be moved.

After a while, he said in a deep voice,

"If this plan is feasible, it can indeed solve the urgent situation. But she neglected a key point. To make this group of sly old foxes and officials of all levels willing to pay for it, she needed someone who could live in the town.

"Looking at the court, the Supervisor counts as one, the former Emperor counts as another, Wei Yuan and I count as one, and Xu Qi'an counts as another.

"The Supervisor does not care about the court. The former Emperor and Wei Yuan are old friends. Xu Qi'an is traveling in Jianghu. I asked Erlang a while ago, but there is still no news of him."

Liu Hong was shocked. It turned out that Wang Shoufu had already seen through this plan. When no one noticed, he had already secretly inquired about it.

…

Jingxiu Palace.

The Yongxing Emperor arrived in a carriage. Surrounded by eunuchs, he entered Jingxiu Palace.

He stopped in the courtyard and took a deep breath. He pinched his eyebrows to make his expression less serious.

With a slight smile, he crossed the courtyard and stepped over the threshold. He saw his mother and sister who had been waiting for a long time.

Imperial Concubine Chen, who had ordered the maids to heat the dishes several times, scolded softly,

"Your Majesty, although you are in the prime of your life, you still need to pay attention to your dragon body. Don't overwork yourself."

"Mother, don't worry. There are many elixirs to nourish the body in the Lingbao Temple." Lin An waved his hand and smiled like a flower.

"Brother Emperor, come and eat."

The Yongxing Emperor smiled and swept away the gloomy atmosphere in the court. He began to eat with the help of the maids.

He ate a few mouthfuls and then started to chat with his lady mother and younger sister about the daily affairs of the family.

"A few days ago, I heard from Zhi 'er that a little girl from Wang Shoufu's mansion came to the Shang Study. Chang Kang accidentally provoked the other party and ended up getting beaten up.

"Zhi 'er avenged my cousin, but he was also beaten until his head was full of bumps."

Zhi 'er was the third son of the Yongxing Emperor. He was ten years old this year.

Chang Kang was the second son of the Sixth Brother of Lin An.

Imperial Concubine Chen's expression changed when she heard that her grandson was beaten. She frowned and said, "Why didn't I know about this?"

"I suppressed it."

"Why?"

Imperial Concubine Chen was puzzled. She couldn't understand her son's action.

The Yongxing Emperor smiled bitterly and said, "She was Xu Qi 'an's younger sister. Fortunately, she was sent out of the palace that day and didn't go to school."

Imperial Concubine Chen immediately fell silent.

Little did they know that the Grand Tutor had escaped a calamity.

After eating for a while, Imperial Concubine Chen saw that the Yongxing Emperor was still depressed. She said softly,

"Your Majesty, is there a problem in the court?"

The Yongxing Emperor hesitated and sighed helplessly.

"The national treasury is out of money and the war has just ended. The granaries in various places are not enough to provide relief to the victims. As a result, the refugees have turned into bandits.

"My country is in a mess."

He also told her about the setbacks he encountered in calling for donations.

The Yongxing Emperor pinched his eyebrows and said, "I only know how difficult it is when I sit in this position. Everyone in the court is my enemy. "

Although he hadn't been enthroned for long, he could already feel the layers of obstacles, as well as the helplessness of not being able to follow his orders.

This was something he couldn't experience when he was the Crown Prince.

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became heavy.

The Yongxing Emperor hurriedly said, "Don't think about these bad things. Mother, I propose a toast to you."

After drinking, the Yongxing Emperor picked some light topics to try to make Imperial Concubine Chen laugh and make the family dinner more relaxed.

Lin An looked at her brother silently and felt a little sad.

In the past, she felt that her brother was obsessed with inheriting the throne. Many ideas and concepts made her uncomfortable.

But as time passed, she also matured a lot after experiencing so many things.

Her brother was so obsessed with the throne. In addition to his desire for the throne, most of the reason was because of her and her mother.

Her mother was suppressed by the Empress and she was often bullied by Huaiqing. In addition, the Fourth Prince had Wei Yuan's support in the court.

Her brother just wanted to make her mother proud in front of the Empress and let her show off in front of Huaiqing.

…

After lunch, Lin An went to Dexin Garden in the name of taking a walk to aid digestion.

As soon as she entered Huaiqing's territory, she saw a handsome young official coming out.

His eyes were like stars, red lips and white teeth. The lines of his cheeks were much firmer, making him look more masculine.

"This official greets Your Highness."

Xu Xinnian stopped and cupped his hands.

"Why is your excellency Xu here?"

Lin An's amorous and charming peach blossom eyes turned and looked up and down.

Xu Xinnian said, "This official is looking for Her Highness Huaiqing to discuss knowledge."

After a pause, he asked, "By the way, has my eldest brother sent a letter to Your Highness recently?"

When Lin An heard this, she was very resentful. She snorted,

"I don't know who your eldest brother is. Don't block the way."

Her dress fluttered as she brushed past Xu Xinnian.

The dog servant had left the capital for more than a month without any news. Obviously, he didn't take her seriously.

She went all the way to the inner courtyard. Under the guidance of a palace maid, she came to the inner hall and saw Huaiqing sitting behind the table and drinking tea.

"I met Xu Ci outside just now. What is he doing here?"

Lin An asked.

Generally speaking, those who could be invited into the mansion by the princess were people who had an extraordinary relationship.

Putting aside the women, the men were basically all trusted aides.

But Lin An knew that Xu Xinnian was the future son-in-law of the Wang family, and Wang Shoufu was her emperor brother's man.

"To discuss knowledge."

Huaiqing said perfunctorily and asked, "What are you doing here again?"

She didn't welcome Lin An very much. This younger sister chattered like a sparrow. If you didn't pay attention, she would fly over and peck you in the face.

Although her combat power was still as bad as ever, she was now the Yongxing Emperor.

Huaiqing would be a little afraid.

Although Lin An was not convinced of her defeat, she never complained to the Yongxing Emperor.

Lin An came to the table, lifted her skirt and sat down, saying,

"Huaiqing, you have a lot of ideas. Let me ask you a question."

Huaiqing nodded coldly.

Lin An told her about the donation and frowned slightly.

"Do you have any way to make those old foxes pay out of their own pockets?"

Huaiqing said lightly, "If others want to rob your family's money, will you give it or not?"

Lin An thought for a moment and said, "It depends on who it is. If the dog servant asks me for money, I will give it."

Huaiqing took a sip of tea. "So, it can't be done unless it's someone close to you. If your emperor brother asks for money, of course, he can't get it. "

Lin An felt that it made sense and tentatively asked, "Threaten?"

Huaiqing shook her head.

"This is the best way and the stupidest way. The stupidest thing is that it can't be done by His Majesty. Otherwise, the court will scold him and he will definitely suffer a huge backlash.

"But someone can do it, and the officials can't do anything about it."

Lin An's eyes lit up. "Who?"

Huaiqing was disappointed with the wisdom of this younger sister again. It was really boring to argue with her.

"What do you think of the Supervisor?"

"It's okay …"

"What if it's the King of Zhenbei, the First Warrior of Daibun?"

"Yes, it's okay …"

"Then who is the First Warrior of Daibun now?"

Lin An finally understood and suddenly realized. She patted the table with her little hand.

"You mean the dog servant!"

Then her little face fell and she said disappointedly, "But he is not in the capital."