What kind of decision would Han Yunxi make?
If possible, she would demote the Baili Clan to commoners, but she couldn't be willful.
As the empress, she shouldered her responsibilities.
As the head of the military, she shouldered her responsibilities as well.
Moreover, Long Fei Ye had given her the power to decide, which made her even more responsible.
Those who had their eyes on the empress's seat and the head of the military only saw the empress's power and glory. Had they ever considered the price they had to pay to sit by the emperor's side?
The Baili Clan couldn't fall. Once they did, Jiangnan's power would grow even stronger. There'd be unavoidable infighting in the military.
The current balance of power in the imperial court would change as well!
The north was still in turmoil, and all of Cloud Realm Continent was still recovering from the war. It would be unwise to spend too much time and energy on infighting in the imperial court!
Moreover, Baili Yuanlong didn't just control the Baili Clan. He had countless soldiers under his command as well, all of whom were innocent!
Han Yunxi had never thought of destroying the Baili Clan, because she couldn't find anyone more suitable than them to lead the central army, much less control the navy. Another important reason was that only the Bai Li Clan could fight against the Southern Army at the moment.
Rather than destroy them and let the southern armies show off, it was better to … drive a wedge between the two sides!
Just who was it that leaked the secret of the "tableware"? Most likely, the Baili Clan would suspect the Xiao Clan.
She only needed to add fuel to the fire from the shadows to break the alliance between the Baili and Xiao Clan. Once the Baili Clan bore a grudge against the southern armies, it'd save her and Long Fei Ye a lot of trouble in the future.
Of course, even if they didn't destroy the Baili Clan, they'd at least deal them a heavy blow. Only then would they hate the Xiao Clan even more.
"Your Majesty, the crown prince's first birthday is a joyous occasion. It's bad enough to see blood. As chenqie sees it, let's lock up the people involved in the matter in the imperial prisons to await trial. As for how many of the Baili Clan members are accomplices, leave it to the justice courts to investigate. Deal with them as you see fit! "Han Yunxi said seriously.
Long Fei Ye nodded. "Men, take Baili Lixiang away!"
Baili Lixiang didn't resist, but she looked towards the Xiao Clan. Back then, they'd said they'd come together to persuade her, but the Xiao Clan still hadn't stepped forward. They must have been the ones who leaked the secret of the tableware!
What a good Xiao Dong!
He actually dared to go back on his words and frame her and the Baili Clan!
Even if she died, she would drag the Xiao Family down with her! Definitely! She had a lot of evidence in her hands!
Baili Lixiang and Baili Yuanlong were escorted away. Aside from Baili Qiyu and his wife, the rest of the Xiao family didn't dare to leave.
After such a big thing happened, the Emperor and Empress must be in a bad mood. Everyone lowered their heads in fear. No one dared to make a sound. They all hoped that the banquet would end quickly.
However, Han Yunxi sighed with emotion, "Your Majesty, it seems that there are many people outside the palace who are dissatisfied with this concubine. If this concubine doesn't express herself, people might think that this concubine really doesn't care about Northern Li's disaster victims! "
As soon as Han Yunxi spoke, everyone went on guard. Even those who hadn't been afraid of her before and hadn't personally experienced her skills were now afraid.
A few madams had planned to use this occasion to make trouble for Han Yunxi over the red packets. But now, they exchanged glances and shook their heads. They didn't dare act rashly!
The madams decided to let the matter of the red packets go.
Would Han Yunxi let it go as well?
"Heheh, how does the Empress want to express herself?" Long Fei Ye asked.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince received many gifts today. Why don't we auction them off and donate all the proceeds to Northern Li's disaster victims?" Han Yunxi asked seriously.
"Excellent." Long Fei Ye naturally agreed. He cast a glance at Gu from the corner of his eyes and said, "Then let's start from the auction of the Number Seven Teahouse."
Gu didn't have any interest in the battle in the imperial court. He was sitting lazily, waiting for the banquet to end.
He was sleepy, hungry and bored!
But when he heard that Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi wanted to bid for the Number Seven Teahouse, he immediately became spirited and said loudly, "What?"
"Why? Does Prince Yu have an opinion about bidding for the Crown Prince's item?" Long Fei Ye asked.
"Of course there is …" Gu almost said that he had an opinion. Fortunately, Gu Beiyue stopped him in time to remind him that this was a public occasion and he must not be presumptuous.
"Of course not!" Gu immediately changed his words but his gaze was even more bitter and angry.
He actually wanted to auction off the teahouse that he had painstakingly prepared for a year to exchange for silver? Was Long Fei Ye lacking in silver?
He turned back to look at the ministers below and coldly said, "The value of the Number Seven Teahouse is immeasurable. Benwang would like to see what price it can be auctioned for!"
Long Fei Ye said, "The teahouse in the Number Seven Teahouse is deeply in Zhen's heart. From Zhen's point of view, it must be a sky-high price."
Gu was even more bitter as he scolded in his heart, "Long Fei Ye, it is deeply in your heart and you still want to sell it off? Is there a problem with your head? "
Han Yunxi almost laughed out. She just started the auction and Long Fei Ye was able to play it like this. He really was an expert ah!
Long Fei Ye said that the Number Seven Teahouse could be auctioned for a sky-high price. Then, the ministers who bid later would definitely not dare to bid at a low price. Otherwise, they would not give Long Fei Ye any face.
Long Fei Ye also said that the teahouse in the Number Seven Teahouse was deeply in his heart. This meant that he really liked the Number Seven Teahouse. Then, if someone bid for it, would they still dare to keep it for themselves? Wouldn't they continue to offer it?
Moreover, there were already rumors in the imperial court that Long Fei Ye and Gu were not on good terms. Gu could only be conferred the title of Prince because of his relationship with Mu Ling 'er.
In this way, if Gu offered a high price, capable people would definitely compete with Gu to curry favor with Long Fei Ye.
In short, Long Fei Ye was blatantly trying to cheat the ministers of their money!
Would Gu Qishao refuse to bid?
Of course not!
As soon as the auction started, Gu directly said, "Thirty million taels of silver!"
This price shocked everyone so much that they did not dare to open their mouths.
A few years ago, everyone was still very rich. However, after a few years of war, all the consortiums were affected and their strength was not as strong as before.
Tang Li was actually eager to give it a try. He could not wait to help his brother suppress Gu's arrogance. Unfortunately, Ning Jing stopped him.
The people of the Baili family could still afford the price. However, they were all guilty now. Who would dare to be in the limelight?
As for those ordinary ministers, they did not have money. Even if they had money, they would not dare to be so ostentatious. It would be terrible if they were misunderstood as corruption.
Therefore, Long Fei Ye actually wanted to use Gu to cheat the Jiangnan Consortium of their money!
The Jiangnan Consortium was the wealthiest. Long Fei Ye's Kangan Bank had already filled the imperial treasury with money. It could not be compared to the Jiangnan Consortium to support all kinds of expenses.
As for the national treasury, it was far from the Jiangnan Consortium's. It was not an exaggeration to say that the Jiangnan Consortium was as rich as a country.
The Great Qin's current financial situation could be summed up in one sentence. Great Qin's emperor and empress were not poor. Great Qin's nobles were not poor either. However, the national treasury was extremely poor!
The Great Qin's national treasury had its first source of funds. It had taken the silver from Western Zhou, Tianning, Tian An, and Northern Li's national treasuries, as well as the treasury of the central and southern regions.
Although a starving camel was still bigger than a horse, in the past year, there had been reconstruction after the war and Northern Li's disaster relief. All kinds of expenses had been enormous.
In this year, apart from Long Fei Ye, the Ministry of Revenue was probably the busiest.
The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the national treasury. Even if the emperor and empress wanted to use money from the national treasury, they had to go through the proper procedures.
In the past year, all parts of the Great Qin Empire needed money. The central government departments needed money, and all the local officials had come to the Ministry of Revenue to beg for money.
Fortunately, the construction of Yunning Palace and Tian An Imperial Palace had been funded by Long Fei Ye himself. Otherwise, the national treasury would have been empty by now.
Not only in the past year, but also in the next few years, the national treasury would not be sufficient. The Minister of Revenue had calculated that according to the current situation of tax revenue, in the next three years, the national treasury would always be in a situation where its expenditure exceeded its income. Very soon, it would need the private treasury of the royal family to supplement it.
The national treasury's income came from all kinds of taxes, mainly from agriculture and commerce. Agriculture accounted for a large portion of the income. Many merchants could still make use of the war to make a fortune, but agriculture was the industry that had suffered the most. Once war broke out, most of the able-bodied men would be enlisted as soldiers. How many people would be left to farm? Moreover, how many fields had been destroyed in the chaos of war?
In the past year, eighty to ninety percent of the national treasury's silver and grain had come from the southern regions. Almost all of the other regions had given it away.
It was precisely because the southern regions had contributed so much to the national treasury that the powerful officials and soldiers there were the most arrogant and proud of themselves.
Those aristocrats, aristocratic families, and meritorious generals all believed that they had given the Long Fei Ye enough support in the past to let Long Fei Ye have nothing to worry about. Now they had made the greatest contribution to the national treasury, helping other places rebuild after the war and helping Northern Li tide over its difficulties. Thus, the Long Fei Ye should repay them by giving them the greatest power and glory.
But if not for the Long Fei Ye's invasion of the south during Tianning's civil strife, would the central and southern regions have enjoyed so many years of peace?
After all, the central and southern regions were fertile lands with thousands of kilometers of fertile land. Who in the world didn't covet these lands?
If the Long Fei Ye had gone to the western regions or the northern regions during Tianning's civil strife, the central and southern regions would have been the first to fall into chaos!
The Great Qin Empire's national treasury had close ties with the southern regions, but the imperial family's private storehouses were at odds with the southern financial groups!
The imperial family's private storehouse was the imperial family's little storehouse. More accurately, it was the emperor's little storehouse.
Generally speaking, the income of the imperial family's private storehouses came from monopolized industries like silk, tea leaves, salt, and mining. The imperial family's private storehouses spent a lot of money as well. Most of it was used to build palaces, pay for all the expenses of the imperial family, and support their relatives and nobles. For example, duchies and duchies were raised by the royal family for generations.
The Great Qin imperial family's private storehouses were mostly supported by the Long Fei Ye's personal savings. Even now, there wasn't much income.
That was because most of the silk, tea leaves, salt, and mining industries were still in the hands of the southern financial groups. The tax system had yet to be revised …
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