Zhang Jun nodded seriously, and Liu Ziyu also nodded.

But at this moment, Minister Lin Jingmo, who had been silent all this time, also spoke up: "Did the emperor hint that he wanted to rob the rich and help the poor?"

The rest of the people were startled at first, and then became solemn.

“It’s very simple.”

Although several people seemed to understand instantly, Minister Lin still responded softly and explained a little. "The country wants to march north. The expedition requires not only expanding the army, but also refining weapons, training soldiers, and storing food and money... All of these, in the final analysis, cost money and materials. But the country's finances are there now. If we want to do something, we'll probably have to work hard to open up some new sources of income to keep up. To open up new sources of income, the people have already reached the limit. According to the government's temper, they will never oppress the lowest people at this time. We can only look for the rich to get some money and food... So, is this what the government means?"

The room was silent.

After a long time, Qu Duan sneered: "I think that what Minister Lin said is more clever... Isn't it robbing the rich to help the poor? Moreover, if the emperor really wants to say something that he can only hint at, then robbing the rich to help the poor is more appropriate."

"In fact, what Commander Qu said before is also very reasonable." Lin Jingmo looked at him solemnly. "If we want to march north, it is not only a matter of expanding our combat power and storing food and grass, but also of making the inside and outside of the country one, and the top and the bottom of the country one... At this time, it is necessary to discard the old and establish the new, and even make some arrangements for the two saints, the descendants of the Nanyang emperors, and the Queen Mother of Yangzhou when necessary."

Zhang Jun, Qu Duan, Lu Zhi, and others all nodded seriously almost at the same time... Liu Ziyu hesitated for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"But if you put it this way, aren't you thinking too much?" After reluctantly nodding, Liu Ziyu suddenly raised his eyebrows. "It's just a storybook, after all, it's a good story. Even if the emperor has some thoughts in it, why would he use so many metaphors? In fact, some people say that the emperor's temperament is still a bit eccentric. He just wanted to make up a story of going to Liangshan on a snowy night to mock the deposed minister and vent his anger. Maybe he has no other intentions?"

"In fact, I have thought about it." Qu Duan also laughed while pinching the storybook on his knees. "It is possible that the emperor himself does not know what "Water Margin" is about, or the real story is still to come... We are just guessing."

"Having said that, the things I talked about today are all serious matters that we should pay attention to." Zhang Jun shook his head. "The so-called abandoning the old and establishing the new behind the officials forcing the people to rebel, the expansion of the army behind the heroes gathering together, and the opening up of financial resources behind robbing the rich to help the poor are all urgent tasks of the country... As important officials of the country, we can't not do it just because there is no such idea in the book! We must share the worries of the government and accomplish great things!"

Lin Jingmo's heart moved again, and finally after waiting for the others to nod, he said: "In fact, on the way to the Prime Minister's Mansion today, because of the question asked by the nephew in the front hall, this humble official has been thinking about it."

The other four came to watch together.

Minister Lin was not in a hurry and said calmly: "The matter is simple. My nephew asked me that as an official of a department and one of the most important officials in the world, I could have been independent. Why did I come here to meet with the prime minister and others, even though I was suspected of forming a faction? I replied that since the emperor had given such a clear hint, he wanted us to put aside these superficial differences and find out his intentions. Therefore, at this time, there is no need to worry about the suspicion of forming a faction."

Everyone in the room was excited, and Lin Jingmo continued to speak frankly: "At that time, I had an idea, and when Commander Qu came in and said those words, I was even more excited. When we discussed this, we had a direct guess... That was the emperor's original intention. It might not be aimed at a certain thing, but more to use the sensitive background of "Water Margin" to make all of us court officials who were promoted by the emperor alert and mobilize, so as to work together for the country's Northern Expedition, instead of doing those messy and pretentious gestures before!"

At this point, the important officials present had already been convinced, and Minister Lin also looked around and said in the end: "The Water Margin itself may have a specific reference, or it may not, but once this book was thrown out, the court, which had been stagnant for a long time and had caused many inappropriate things, immediately started to roll back and regain its vitality, which is worth it in itself!"