Chapter 259 Finally Let Go (asking for monthly tickets)
Having said that, it is impossible to ask Ying Zheng to reduce his daily expenses.
He became the King of Qin not to bring trouble upon himself. If he was required to be frugal, then Mi Qi would have no need to work as the Shaofu.
Zhao Yuanxi paused, and seeing that Ying Zheng was not unhappy, he knew that the matter was half done, so he asked tentatively, "So, do you want to dismiss some of the concubines?"
Ying Zheng admitted that there were indeed more idle people in his harem, but this did not mean that they could be dismissed. The people in the harem were different from the old nobles of the six countries kept in the palace. They were all his women.
"My Qin State is not so poor as to be unable to support these people. Queen Dowager, do you intend to make me a laughingstock?"
Zhao Yuanxi quickly said, "I am your mother, how could I let others laugh at you!"
Ying Zheng snorted and ignored her attempt to build relationships.
"Duke Huan of Qi released many women from his harem in order to promote proper marriage among the people and increase the number of Qi people. You are simply following his example. How could anyone laugh at you? Instead, some people would praise your kindness."
Zhao Yuanxi read through many books before he found a precedent in history. It just so happened that Duke Huan of Qi was one of the monarchs that Ying Zheng liked very much.
She sighed, "The Qin State has been at war for years, and its population has never flourished. Keeping these women in your harem is just a waste of time and money. But if we dismiss them, only a thousand of them will give birth to at least three or four thousand Qin people. If these three or four thousand Qin people give birth to another generation, there will be tens of thousands of people. With their descendants multiplying, there will be no worries about the prosperity of the Qin State."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng couldn't help but twitch his lips. Thinking back to when he had people pull out a few of the Queen Mother's seeds and the account she had made against him at that time, he suddenly found it a little funny.
"The Queen Mother said all this just to persuade me to let them leave the palace."
"This will benefit both you and them." It's a win-win situation, a win-win situation for everyone. Zhao Yuanxi couldn't think of any reason why Ying Zheng would refuse.
"If I disagree, what will you do?"
"Then there's nothing I can do."
Anyway, she had already done what she should have done. If Ying Zheng didn't agree, she couldn't put a knife to his neck and force him.
Ying Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly, "Is the Queen Mother doing this for me, or for those women?"
This life-threatening question of choosing between two options immediately set off alarm bells in Zhao Yuanxi's brain.
She said seriously, "Of course, this is for the good of the Great Qin. Streamlining the harem expenses will allow the treasury to have more money to support the soldiers on the front lines. These women staying in the harem are draining the national strength of the Great Qin. But if we send them away, to gather mulberry leaves, raise silkworms, weave cloth, and farm, they will actually strengthen the national strength of the Great Qin."
This answer is indeed what the Queen Mother would say.
However, Ying Zheng was still somewhat dissatisfied. The Queen Mother was able to travel outside for those Zhao people and come here to give advice on behalf of the concubines in the harem. These things seemed to be to relieve his worries, but in fact, she was still worrying about these people.
It must be said that Ying Zheng felt a little jealous. Wasn't he worthy of the Queen Mother's extra attention? Some of the words were indeed said to make him happy!
"You're not really unwilling, are you? Are you really not going to reconsider? I can have the Prime Minister write a few more articles praising you. I guarantee that your benevolent rule will spread throughout the kingdoms. Then, the wise men of the six kingdoms will all come to you. Who else in the world can compare to you?"
"Are you sure he won't ruin my reputation?"
"Don't say that! Ling Yin's article still has many merits! It's so interesting! If you don't like it, I can ask Zhang Cang to find someone to write a few serious ones!"
"It's up to you. I can let some people out, but only those who have been in the palace for many years but have never been favored."
Ying Zheng finally relented. The Queen Mother had already calculated the account clearly enough. The Qin treasury had indeed been much more abundant in the past two years due to consecutive years of bumper harvests, but this did not mean that he should continue to spend money on these people.
"How many years is it to be out of favor? You ascended the throne at fourteen and married at eighteen. The longest time for those in the harem has been seven years."
"Then let's use these seven years as the standard."
Zhao Yuanxi curled his lips. This guy was reluctant to part with his concubines after all. However, the first batch of people who entered the palace were only twenty-four or twenty-five years old now. The age was just right and it would not delay them from finding another home.
"Including the palace maids?"
Ying Zheng frowned slightly, staring intently at Zhao Yuanxi, and said in a calm voice, "Most of those palace maids were born into slavery or captives, not from good families. If we release them, wouldn't that be treating the laws of the Great Qin as a joke?"
"Prisoners have sentences that will eventually expire. Besides, they haven't committed capital crimes. Most of them are burdened by their families. Are they just going to die in the palace?"
"Besides, doesn't the Qin State have a redemption system? If their labor earnings can cover the ransom, then they should be given a chance to be pardoned."
Ying Zheng chuckled suddenly, "You do know something about Qin law."
That is, she didn't read the books in vain these days!
Ying Zheng leaned back and sat lazily on the throne, saying with a half-smile, "But you know, even if they work hard all their lives, they can never make up for this amount of money."
If it were so easy to redeem a crime, there wouldn't be so many prisoners. Except for those with special skills, or those who obtained titles by beheading enemies, or those who were extremely wealthy, ordinary people simply could not meet the requirements for redemption.
"You just need to say yes. As for whether the requirements can be met, this is something they need to work hard on." It's not a problem if you don't have the key to open the door, but you're afraid that the door doesn't exist.
"I never said no."
"But if you don't speak up, no one will dare to take responsibility for this matter."
Once you enter the palace, there is no reason to leave. From the moment those palace maids step into the palace walls, they are destined to be trapped here for the rest of their lives.
"Okay, I will leave this matter to Lu Le."
Now that Lu Le is mainly responsible for the affairs within the palace, it is appropriate for him to handle this matter.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Zhao Yuanxi was in a good mood, "Then I'll go back first!"
Ying Zheng scoffed at the Queen Mother's perfunctory attitude, "You're used to throwing things away after use."
He didn't even perform for a moment longer.
Zhao Yuanxi laughed dryly twice, "What are you talking about? I'm just afraid of wasting your time!"
"How about I dine with you tonight? No, I'll cook you a feast myself. Just order whatever you want!"
Seeing the Queen Mother's flattering look, Ying Zheng smiled and said, "You said it, I didn't force you!"
"No, cooking for Zheng'er can't be considered forced! If you want, I will cook for you every day!"
Bah—Zhao Yuanxi regretted it the moment he said it, especially when he saw Ying Zheng thinking about the feasibility, he regretted it even more!
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