Chapter 884 887. Method

The people in the former dynasty and the harem were all uneasy about this wealth. Several concubines had even gone to the emperor emeritus to complain and complained about how difficult it was for the princes to build their own palaces.

Although the court officials submitted a series of applications to the Ministry of Revenue, most of them were rejected by Gu Wenheng.

These people never give up and come up with new projects every day.

At first, Gu Wenheng was patient enough to explain to them what was against the rules, but later he got tired of it and picked out a few typical examples and reported them to the emperor.

In front of all the court officials, Gu Wenheng could show no mercy at all.

Hua Zhang also knew the trick behind this and reprimanded a few of them, and these people gradually calmed down.

But the palace was not peaceful. The retired emperor was ill and took refuge in his own bedroom, so the concubines went to the empress dowager to make trouble.

"Empress Dowager, it is really unfair for the retired emperor to do this. Several princes have moved out of the palace to set up residences, but the few farms allocated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs cannot support them at all. How can they gain a foothold in the capital?" Seeing that the other concubines did not speak, Concubine Xu snorted coldly, stood up and asked.

After someone started talking, everyone stopped being cowardly, and Concubine Liu followed suit, saying, "This dignified prince lives worse than the officials below. If this gets out to others, it will be a joke in the royal family.

The dignity of this prince represents the dignity of the royal family."

Concubine Xu, "Even if the common people divide their family property, other sons will not be left behind except the eldest son.

The emperor’s private vaults are open, and we sisters are not greedy. We just hope that the emperor can let a little slip through his fingers and give it to those poor princes..."

"How dare you," Empress Dowager Zhou slammed the table, "Are you complaining to me about the injustice of the Emperor?"

"..." All the concubines shrank their necks. In the early years, they had suffered too much at the hands of Queen Mother Zhou. They still felt a little timid when they thought about it now.

They are already quite old. If they are punished to run in the back garden again, not only will they lose their dignity among the younger generations, but how will they maintain their authority in the palace in the future?

"The emperor opened his private treasury to use the money for the people.

You are here to avenge the grievances of a few princes, do you want them to compete with the people for profit?"

Empress Dowager Zhou looked at them coldly. Over the years, these people had been obedient to her in words but not in heart, and often caused trouble for her.

She gave a small punishment and let these things go. She thought that now that the prince had ascended the throne and the throne was secured, these people should have quieted down. However, she did not expect that the same thing would happen again today.

This time, several concubines in the harem who had children were all present, and it was obvious that this was a plan beforehand.

"Your Highness, this is wrong," Concubine Xu said confidently, "We just want to see the Grand Emperor, and we beg the Queen Mother to grant us this."

Queen Mother Zhou took a sip of tea, calmed herself for a moment, and then said slowly, "It's not easy to see the Grand Emperor. Just go and ask for an audience. What's the point of coming to me to talk about it?"

“But the Grand Emperor is not here…” Concubine He covered her mouth instantly and was also met with angry glares from her other sisters.

Queen Mother Zhou said, "There's really no other way. How about you go and beg a few more times?"

"Empress Dowager, the Grand Emperor has summoned you before," said Concubine Xu. "Please, for the princes also call you mother, please help them to speak up and let them come to the palace to thank you."

Queen Mother Zhou laughed and said, "Concubine Xu is wrong. They not only have Queen Mother Ai, but also several other Queen Mothers."

She would rather the emperor disperse all his private vaults than let these people get away with it.

"You princes have been born into aristocratic families. Even if your life is difficult, it can't be harder than that of the common people in the world, right?

The Emperor Tai Huang cares about the people of the world and plans to use his private treasury to consolidate the government and appease the people. This is a matter of benefit to the country and the people. Even if you don't support it, you should not cause trouble for the Emperor Tai Huang at this time.

Do you think what I said makes sense?"

Concubine Xu clenched the handkerchief in her hand and cursed in her heart, "You are good at making sarcastic remarks, but the one who benefits is your son who has become the emperor."

But he smiled and said, "What the Queen Mother said makes sense, it is we who are stupid.

I heard that the Emperor’s several private vaults have so many items in them that it takes a lot of effort to clean them up.

After all, this is our own royal storehouse. It is a bit against the rules to let an outsider like Lord Gu take care of it. The princes are also free, so why not let them help out?"

Empress Dowager Zhou said, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. If the concubines want to find jobs for the princes, they should go to the emperor or the queen.

We ladies in the harem should stick to our duties to avoid being impeached by the court officials."

Her reminder was not out of kindness, but because she didn't want to cause trouble for her son.

"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, you are worrying too much. We are just suggesting it. After all, it is easier to use outsiders than to use your own family members." Seeing that the Queen Mother Zhou did not respond, Concubine Chen, who had been leading the group nearby, became a little anxious.

Influenced by her father's family, Chen Ziyan's original position as a concubine was changed to a concubine, and the Sixth Prince was also affected.

If he cannot find a job, when the emperor dies, who will respect him even if he has the status of a prince?

Queen Mother Zhou, "Concubine Chen, you may say this in this palace, but you cannot act like this outside.

Lord Gu has developed his own set of principles in his official career over the years, otherwise he would not have been favored by the Emperor and the Holy Lord and entrusted with important tasks.

All the princes should wait patiently, the Grand Emperor and His Majesty will not forget them."

Seeing that the concubines and granddaughters wanted to say more, Dowager Zhou put down her teacup and didn't want to deal with them anymore.

It seems that the custom of paying respects on the first and fifteenth day of every month should be changed. Now that the Emperor Taihuang is in poor health, as concubines in the harem, we should do our best to copy some scriptures and pray for him.

When all the concubines returned peacefully to their own palaces, the empress dowager issued an imperial decree, ordering all palaces to cultivate themselves for three months and copy scriptures to pray for the emperor.

When Hua Shunming heard the noise in the harem, he just smiled and didn't take it seriously.

The women in the harem would always create some trouble every now and then, and he had long been accustomed to it.

He is now in the warehouse, looking at the treasures he has accumulated. After a period of sorting, they have been classified and are waiting for him to give orders.

"My dear Minister Gu, you have worked hard these days," Hua Shunming nodded in appreciation. Only Gu Wenheng could make him feel at ease and hand over so many valuable things to him.

Gu Wenheng, "This is what I should do."

Hua Shunming, "All of my wealth is thanks to Lord Gu, I never thought that after all these twists and turns, I would have to rely on you to handle it.

You mentioned before that it's not that easy to sell these items. I wonder if you have a suitable solution after so many days?"

Gu Wenheng listened quietly, and then replied, "Reporting to the Emperor, I haven't thought of it yet. However, there are so many ministers in the court. If everyone brainstorms together, they will definitely be able to think of it."

Hua Shunming, "... your wife had set up a shop in Lucheng before, buying these imported goods..."

(End of this chapter)