The emperor did not mind his ministers arguing in front of him; on the contrary, many good ideas were born from these arguments.

Only when the situation became very tense, on the verge of deterioration and going off-topic, did the emperor speak. His voice was pleasant and his words were pleasant, making him seem unlike a tyrant. He also praised the ministers, instantly easing the tense atmosphere and making the ministers even more grateful to the emperor.

While feeling grateful to the emperor, they also cursed him in their hearts. For example, Liu Yanzong disliked Xu Churen and always felt that many of his officials were corrupt, like termites gnawing away at the empire every day.

Xu Churen also disliked Liu Yanzong, always feeling that this guy was too idle and liked to show off in front of the emperor, always looking for something to make himself feel important.

Zhao Huan quickly steered the conversation back on track and asked, "Qin Hui, what do you think?"

The emperor had already asked Qin Hui in private, and asking him again now clearly meant: Qin Hui, you give me an effective and comprehensive summary.

Qin Hui stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that what Minister Xu, Minister Tang, and Imperial Censor Liu said is all reasonable. Indeed, as Minister Xu said, the new policies should be implemented in the southeast first. Those who do not implement them should be punished. To prevent the southeast from deceiving the court and delaying the process, as Imperial Censor Liu said, Your Majesty can use the pretext of rampant piracy to send Han Shizhong to Hangzhou to garrison the area. Also, since the south has lost 50,000 shi of winter grain this year, the Imperial City Guard and the Censorate can be sent to Hangzhou to jointly investigate and handle the matter, ensuring that everything is done impartially. At the same time, as Minister Tang said, Your Majesty can issue tax reduction policies for Jiangnan West Circuit, Jinghu Circuit, and Chengdu Prefecture Circuit. Since the people’s livelihood in these areas is quite good, local officials should be rewarded and promoted, and local gentry and powerful families should be ennobled. After the southeast is dealt with, then Jiangnan West Circuit, Jinghu Circuit, and Chengdu Prefecture can be dealt with.”

Zhao Huan thought to himself: Damn Qin Hui, you manage to offend neither side!

The emperor looked at his ministers and said, "See? Once everyone argues, the solution comes out!"

The emperor was impatient; there was a food shortage! The south had a large amount of grain, and if the south wasn't conquered, the new policies would soon collapse!