Of course, such vulgar words cannot come out of the mouth of a king of a country.
Emperor Jianxi's face was gloomy. He took a deep breath and said, "It's good that you have such intentions, but the country has its own laws and the family has its own rules. Cheng Qian has committed an unforgivable crime. If I don't punish her, how can I establish my authority as a monarch and how can I legislate?"
Shangguan Shu's eyebrows were tied into a knot.
What mistake did Zhao Ying make that made Emperor Jianxi hold on to her and punish her?
So... rather than letting Emperor Jianxi punish him, it would be better to let Shangguan Dan handle it...
Shangguan Shu's eyes flashed, and his upper body stood up from the ground.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Since Princess Chengqian has committed an unforgivable crime, she should be dealt with according to the law. I suggest that this case be sent to the Dali Temple for trial!"
Emperor Jianxi raised his eyebrows and looked at Shangguan Shu speechlessly.
Send it to the Dali Temple?
He just wanted to punish Cheng Qian, not to let her die!
Boy, you don’t know what your wife did, do you?
He killed the queen and his mother, and bullied the king and his father!
Any one of them is enough to make Cheng Qian drink a pot of wine!
No, why is this guy in such a hurry?
Isn’t it just kneeling for one night?
He won't let Cheng Qian kneel to death!
When Cheng Qian can no longer hold on and passes out, won’t he have a way to let her go back?
Ask, ask, ask! Why don’t you ask your “wife” outside what she did?
Emperor Jianxi thought that Cheng Qian would probably tell Shangguan Shu the truth when he returned, so he didn't plan to hide it anymore.
"No need to send it to the Dali Temple."
"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"Don't you want to know why I punished Cheng Qian?"
"I tell you!"
Emperor Jianxi sneered and told him in detail how Zhao Ying and Zhao Cong had driven out Empress Xiaomin and had tried every means to hide it from him.
After saying this, Emperor Jianxi felt a little relieved.
Shangguan Shu was unhappy.
His eyes were dull, his thin lips were half-open, and his body was like a rigid stone statue. There was even a rare trace of confusion in his eyes.
Zhao Ying...
Shangguan Shu had always wondered why his five children, each one more mischievous and mischievous than the last, were so gentle, modest, calm, and sensible since childhood.
Cheng Jing asked him to "lie on the ice to catch carp" in winter, Wan'er stuffed a toad into his quilt, Bai Lin put his collection of books in water to wash, and Qi You caught a snake to make him a belt...
Not to mention Yueer...
Now, he finally had the answer.
The long speech that Shangguan Shu had prepared to plead for mercy was obviously wasted.
What else can he say?
No wonder……
No wonder……
Shangguan Shu sympathized with Emperor Jianxi, and his blood boiled immediately. His face froze and he fell silent.
At this time, the Minister of Revenue, Lord Bai, came to see the emperor.
Emperor Jianxi let people in.
Lord Bai saluted Emperor Jianxi and did not forget to greet Shangguan Shu, "The Prince of Zhenguo is here too..."
Lord Bai's eyes were full of gossip when he looked at Shangguan Shu.
Obviously, he was curious about Zhao Ying and the prince all night long.
Shangguan Shu nodded, "Master Bai."
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Lord Bai began to report, "Your Majesty issued an edict this morning allocating two million taels of silver to the 300,000 disaster victims in Lingnan for the purchase of food and resettlement."
Emperor Jianxi frowned, "Yes, what's wrong?"
Lord Bai knelt. "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Two million taels would have been enough to resettle three hundred thousand disaster victims. However... I have learned from the official in charge, His Royal Highness Prince Shou, that the grain-producing areas along the riverbank harvested their crops early this year. Not only has the grain supply been greatly reduced, but the local people along the riverbank have also run out of food and have been forced to resort to second-rate crops like corn and sweet potatoes."
"Several major grain producers took the opportunity to hoard grain, raising prices by more than three times compared to the same period last year!"
"In other words, the food purchased with two million taels is only enough to keep 100,000 disaster victims alive. The other 200,000 are probably..."
"Prince Shou has personally gone to the local officials and gentry to negotiate the purchase of grain."
"How can this be possible!"
Emperor Jianxi was furious, "This bunch of profiteers are profiting from the national crisis!"
He had thought of the problem of rising grain prices earlier and allocated more silver, but he didn't expect that this group of unscrupulous merchants would raise the grain price three times!
After deducting the allocation from the Ministry of Revenue, the money was exploited and embezzled by officials at every level... These two million taels could only support a hundred thousand people, and it was already a great achievement to support eighty thousand people!
Getting angry won't solve the problem. Emperor Jianxi took a deep breath and asked, "How much can the Ministry of Revenue allocate now?"
"Your Majesty, at the end of the year, the Ministry of Revenue collected eight million taels of tax silver from the five southeastern provinces, totaling ten million taels in cash. Two million taels will be used for the disaster victims in Lingnan, two million taels will be used for military pay in the Northwest Camp, and five million taels will be used for..." He glanced at Shangguan Shu, "for the military pay of the southeastern, southwest, and southwestern armies previously commanded by Prince Shangguan."
Emperor Jianxi was so worried that he could kill a fly between his eyebrows.
Maintaining an army costs money, but he feels uneasy when there are fewer soldiers.
And Hyomin also said that if he were to go and fight Japan, or even flatten it... the army would be small in number!
There have been many provocations from foreign tribes around Da Chu, and they are eyeing it covetously.
This army must not be withdrawn!
Emperor Jianxi thought for a while and said, "Let's allocate the remaining one million taels to the disaster victims!"
"As for the rest... I'll think of a solution later, and you go back and think of a solution too!"
"Yes! I will take my leave."
After Lord Bai left, Shangguan Shu said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have a solution..."
…
It's noon.
Zhao Ying finally couldn't hold on any longer, and her frail body fell to the ground. She squinted her eyes to avoid the glaring sunlight, her delicate face pressed against the rough floor tiles, and her breathing became heavier.
"Isn't this my superior aunt?"
Hearing the voice he hadn't heard for a long time, Zhao Ying's body stiffened, then he gritted his teeth, supported himself on the ground with both hands, and raised half of his body.
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