Chapter 7 The Honest Man "Chu Mu" is about to fart
Shen Zhao followed the civil and military officials into the hall.
This was her first time entering the Golden Palace.
He glanced around and saw that the emperor had not arrived yet, but the palace was still quite lively.
A few ministers turned their heads and muttered something in low voices.
Suddenly she was bumped by someone.
It’s really the best.
The man elbowed him directly in the chest.
A heavy blow.
"General Chu, you must express your stance later no matter what. We are all military commanders, and we are fighting for our own interests. Don't be silent like you were at the morning court yesterday.
We warriors are not as good at speaking as their civil officials, but you kept silent and let them take away the little money in the national treasury.
"You're building a poetry academy today, a college tomorrow, and you spend all day reciting sour poems and enjoying yourself. If you don't think about yourself, you should also think about the soldiers under your command."
Chen Zhao glanced at the man, Xie Yuheng, the third son of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
At the age of fourteen, he ran to the border to join the army without telling anyone, and after five years, he made a name for himself.
He was supposed to stay at the border to guard it, but the Duke of Zhenguo cried and sent him back to Kyoto in front of the old emperor.
He held a military post of moderate importance in the Kyoto military camp, and was only able to attend the morning court.
This was also a special arrangement made by the Duke of Zhenguo at the request of the Emperor.
Shen Zhao murmured “hmm” in a low voice.
Xie Yuheng saw Chu Mu's half-dead reaction again.
I know there’s no show today.
In order to avoid him, the old man pretended to be sick and did not attend the morning court today, and his three brothers all took sick leave and stayed at home.
Among the top military generals in the court, one is guarding the border, another is driving away the Japanese pirates in the sea, and the other is General Chu in front of him who is frugal with words and not good at speaking.
It seems that the court's plan to allocate more military pay to these warriors and provide winter cotton clothes for the soldiers in Kyoto has been dashed.
I'll probably have to wear last year's stiff cotton-padded clothes again during the winter.
Those soldiers who stayed in Kyoto suffered the most.
Whoever says that the emperor's feet are fragrant will be slapped in the face by him.
The emperor and all the civil and military officials saw them training in the barracks all day long and not having to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.
He wished that they could be self-sufficient and even reduced their three meals a day to two.
The monthly military pay is pitifully low compared to the other two armies, less than half of theirs.
I give the subsidy to my family, but I have no money to reward myself. I’m so worried.
"The Emperor has arrived..."
Following a drooping voice, all the ministers knelt down one after another.
A chorus of voices rang out: "Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you."
Shen Zhao followed suit.
In order to avoid making mistakes, she tried to behave herself as much as possible and kept silent if possible.
Anyway, Chu Mu is a quiet person.
However, Shen Zhao still stole a glance at the emperor.
The last time she saw the emperor was five years ago, and now the emperor has a hint of old age between his eyebrows.
Maybe it's because he's getting older, he looks much calmer.
You can't tell at all that this is a ruthless man who killed five of his royal brothers to ascend to the throne.
A minister stood up and first said some flowery words, and then got to the point.
"Your Majesty, I believe the military pay of the soldiers in the capital should be reduced.
Firstly, there is no urgent war now, so they don't need to go to the battlefield to fight. They can be self-sufficient besides training.
Secondly, the harvest this year was poor, and the Emperor has mercifully reduced the people's taxes. The treasury is strained, so I ask the Emperor to prioritize important matters and reduce the military pay of the officers and soldiers in the capital."
Shen Zhao frowned when he heard this.
As far as she knew, the court had just allocated a sum of money to build a new poetry academy on the outskirts of the city.
How can it be justified to have money to build a poetry academy for pleasure, but no money to pay the soldiers' salaries?
Xie Yuheng couldn't stand anymore.
He walked out of the team and said anxiously:
"Your Majesty, the military pay must not be reduced any further. The soldiers are still waiting for their livelihoods, and their families are still waiting for them to support them.
If we cut it further, it will really chill the hearts of the soldiers.”
Another civil official stood up and said, "General Xie, your words are wrong. How could the emperor chill the hearts of the soldiers?
At the beginning of last month, the court allocated 100,000 taels to be sent to the border to reward the soldiers. At the end of last month, the court allocated 100,000 taels to Linhai to reward the soldiers for repelling the Japanese pirates.
The officers and soldiers in the capital have nothing to do every day, nothing more than enjoying themselves in the barracks. If the court continues to support these useless people, it will only chill the hearts of the other two armies. I second the proposal to reduce the military pay of the officers and soldiers in the capital."
"I second the motion."
"I second the motion."
There were voices of seconding one after another.
Those who stood up were from the Crown Prince's party and the Third Prince's party.
Chen Zhao sighed, thinking how unpopular Chu Mu was. It was rare for the two princes who stayed in Kyoto to be so unanimous in their attitude towards him.
Xie Yuheng was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead, and he kept winking at Chen Zhao.
He no longer wanted the court to allocate military pay to make cotton clothes for them, he just hoped to ensure that the soldiers could have enough food and clothing.
No, it's half full.
Xie Yuheng saw that Shen Zhao was like a wooden stake, standing there unmoved.
I wanted to go up and kick him twice.
Just when he decided to go all out and fight this group of stinky literati.
But then a voice was heard.
"I protest."
Shen Zhao stood up.
Her father and brother were both military generals, and the man who spoke at the beginning had a grudge against her.
That man was Pang Qingyun, the Prince's tutor, and it was he who caused his father and brother to be exiled.
At the beginning, my father was unwilling to take sides and was framed by the prince's party.
Now Chu Mu is unwilling to take sides and is being strongly suppressed by the Crown Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction in Kyoto City.
Everyone was shocked. They had never expected that Chu Mu, who was not mentioned by the emperor and did not express his opinion at the morning court, would stand up to protest.
No matter what the ministers said just now, the old emperor did not move.
Seeing Chu Mu come out to protest, he instantly became energetic.
"Why are you protesting, Lord Chu?"
Shen Zhao bowed respectfully to the old emperor with a pious attitude.
"Because someone bullied me and peed and pooped on top of me, of course I have to protest."
"Who dares to pee or shit on your head?" the old emperor asked with great interest.
If for no other reason, I just want to hear what this taciturn guy has to say.
Chen Zhao stretched out his hand: "He, he, he and he..."
He pointed out the Grand Tutor Pang Qingyun and the civil officials who had just seconded the proposal.
"They bully me."
Grand Tutor Pang Qingyun immediately said, "General Chu, when have we ever bullied you? The reduction in military pay for the soldiers in the capital is for the benefit of the people of the world."
"You're talking nonsense! You're just taking advantage of me because I'm being quiet. You're a scholar, full of talk about morality, but I haven't seen you do much good for the people."
"Last time, it was you who suggested that the soldiers in Kyoto should eat only two meals a day instead of three, and that the money saved be used to benefit the country and the people, right?"
In everyone's eyes, Chu Mu is a taciturn person who rarely argues with others, let alone speak such a long paragraph.
However, everyone thought that Chu Mu said such words because he was forced into a corner, and he couldn't say anything more.
Pang Qingyun looked at the old emperor with a sad face.
"Your Majesty, General Chu is slandering me. I am a scholar, and I have never heard anyone call me a fart, such an insulting term. I am devoted to the people, and yet General Chu is questioning me for not caring about them. How can this be justified?"
Instead, it was I who suggested that the soldiers of Kyoto be self-sufficient and the money saved be used for the welfare of the people, which annoyed General Chu.
He said, "I'm doing this for your own good," and looked at Chu Mu with a kindly words of advice: "General Chu, as a general, you should care about the people of the world. You can't let the people suffer for your own selfish desires. The reduction of your military pay is not to bully you, but to benefit the people and make General Chu famous in front of the people of the world. How can General Chu misinterpret our painstaking efforts like this?"
Chen Zhao gave Pang Qingyun a meaningful smile. The old man still thought she was the blockhead like Chu Mu.
With a thud, he knelt down in front of the old emperor, pinched his thigh hard, and said with tears and snot:
After you provide the great god cat to eat raw pickled body swap, the general tore his white moonlight
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