Chapter 496

Throne The first batch of ransom money given by Nan Yan as agreed arrived in Shangjing, and was counted by the Ministry of Revenue and deposited into the national treasury.

The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue calculated the names of the generals and soldiers who died in the war, the names of their meritorious deeds, etc., and handed them over to the emperor for review. After consultation with all officials, they were awarded and the relief silver was distributed.

The morning court on May 29th was solemn and dignified, very different from usual days.

Gao He unfolded the bright yellow scroll and read the imperial decree aloud.

"The safety of Da Zhao depends entirely on the protection of the generals and soldiers. The relief silver for the generals and soldiers who died in the war must not be embezzled, and must be sent to their families without any loss..."

This time, Da Zhao was attacked from both north and south, and more than 200,000 generals and soldiers died in the war. The amount of relief silver distributed was huge, which could easily arouse the thoughts of those with evil intentions.

In order to prevent corruption among officials, the emperor discussed with his ministers and sent trusted people to various places to supervise and inspect. He also issued an edict to all places, asking the people to monitor and report corruption. Anyone who was corrupt would be severely punished.

After dealing with the generals who died in battle, the next step was to reward the generals who made contributions.

"…Marquis Jing'an's wife sacrificed her life for the country. She is a well-deserved heroine. She is rewarded with 1,000 taels of gold and 12 boxes of jewels and silks."

"Marquis Jing'an is brave and loyal. He made great contributions to the victory of the border war. He is rewarded with 100,000 taels of silver and his title is extended to the next generation."

"Crown Prince Yu Cheng is both wise and brave. He has worked hard for the border war and made great achievements. I am very pleased. He is rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold and 18 boxes of jewels and silks."

"Prince Jing Yu Zheng is a man of great talent and strategy. He made great contributions in the battle of Yicheng. He is specially named Prince Jing and rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold and a red-lettered iron scroll."

"Princess Jing is righteous and virtuous. She is truly a role model for women in the world. She is bestowed with an imperial edict to show the world that she is worthy. She is also rewarded with fifty bolts of brocade, ten boxes of jewels, and a set of oriental pearl headwear."

"The commander-in-chief of the palace, Zhou Boxu, is of unparalleled wisdom and courage. He killed the second prince of Nanyan, Xiao Lin, and made outstanding contributions to the battle of Yicheng . He is rewarded with 100,000 taels of silver and a red-lettered iron scroll.

" "The position of empress is vacant. Looking at the harem, only Concubine Yugui is virtuous and intelligent, so she is made empress." "The Eastern Palace

has no master, so Xie Wanruo, the daughter of Prime Minister Xie, is dignified and virtuous, outstanding, and respectful and self-disciplined. She is named the Crown Princess."

Gao He read out the words one by one, and all the officials in the court shouted in unison.

"Your Majesty is wise."

After reading out the awards, Gao He took another scroll from the eunuch, unfolded it, and continued to read aloud.

This time the content was about the merchants in Shangjing.

When the border war broke out, the merchants in Shangjing, under the call and leadership of Jiang Shu and Jiang's father, made a lot of contributions to the court.

Now that Dazhao is stable, the emperor has not forgotten them, and ordered a five-year reduction in commercial taxes for Jiang Ji, and a three-year reduction for the rest of the merchants.

As soon as this decree came out, the merchants in Shangjing were excited.

And after seeing the rest of the notices, the people of the whole city were excited.

Dazhao had experienced more than a year of disasters and hardships, and finally ushered in prosperity and peace.

When Yu Cheng returned to the East Palace, the imperial edict to appoint the Crown Princess also arrived.

Xie Wanruo knelt on the ground, accepted the decree and thanked the emperor.

After the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict left, Xie Wanruo and Yu Cheng entered the inner room.

Yu Cheng took off his court clothes, and Xie Wanruo brought him his casual clothes to wear.

"Why are you unhappy, Your Highness?" Xie Wanruo asked, observing Yu Cheng's expression.

Yu Cheng sighed, "A general's success is built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. Our honors are all earned by sacrificing our lives."

After returning to Shangjing, Yu Cheng often dreamed of the border battlefield, and he would wake up in a sweat every time.

Xie Wanruo accompanied him every night and understood that Yu Cheng had a heart disease.

Not only that, after Yu Cheng came back from the border, he developed a fear of cold, and would cough uncontrollably when the cold wind choked his throat.

It is almost June now, and ordinary people feel that the weather is too hot. According to the rules of previous years, ice cubes need to be placed in the house to dispel the heat.

But this year, because Yu Cheng is afraid of the cold, not a single iceberg was allowed in the house.

"It's not your fault that other countries are watching closely," Xie Wanruo comforted him softly.

Yu Cheng said nothing, but went to lie down on the couch.

After several months at the border, Yu Cheng's body was overly exhausted, and his body was much weaker than before. He got tired easily and always wanted to lie down.

Xie Wanruo walked over and gently massaged Yu Cheng to relax him.

The room was quiet and comfortable. Yu Cheng looked at Xie Wanruo's beautiful and soft profile, and thought to himself, "The lotus flowers in Mochou Lake should be in bloom."

Xie Wanruo was slightly startled: "It should be about time."

Yu Cheng stared at her and said, "Wanruo, do you want to live by Mochou Lake, enjoy the lotus in summer and the snow in winter?"

Xie Wanruo looked up at Yu Cheng and asked in surprise, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

Yu Cheng reached out and held her hand, and said in a tired tone, "You know my health now. It's not as good as before. I can't work day and night like before. And I'm tired of the turmoil in the court. I just want to find a secluded place to accompany you day and year after year to make up for the loss of these years."

Does he mean that he doesn't want to be the emperor anymore?

Xie Wanruo was shocked after hearing this and didn't speak for a long time.

Seeing this, Yu Cheng's eyes dimmed, and he said with a little disappointment: "Are you unwilling?"

Xie Wanruo came back to her senses, frowned and shook her head and said: "I was just thinking, what should I do with Haolin and the court?"

Yu Cheng said: "There are hundreds of officials and King Jing in the court, it doesn't matter whether I am there or not. As for Haolin, he has reached the age to enter school, and he can be taught by Master Zhou."

It turned out that he had thought about it a long time ago.

Xie Wanruo said slowly: "Your Highness is tired, it's okay to want to rest. It's just that it's easy to leave the court, but it's difficult to go back to the court."

"Then don't go back." Yu Cheng didn't think twice.

Xie Wanruo's face changed, and she trembled and said: "Your Highness wants to give up the position of prince?"

"No."

Xie Wanruo was confused and looked at Yu Cheng with confusion.

Yu Cheng took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and told her everything.

Yesterday, the emperor summoned Yu Cheng and Yu Zheng to his study to discuss the throne with them.

Although the emperor was in good health, he was exhausted after years of managing state affairs and had the intention to abdicate. He planned to go to the palace to enjoy his old age in a year or two.

Yu Cheng was the crown prince, so he should succeed the emperor when he abdicated.

But Yu Cheng had experienced so many things and was not in good health, so he had no intention of succeeding.

If he doesn't take the throne, who can get it?

The emperor looked at Yu Zheng.

Yu Zheng immediately made his attitude clear, he just wanted to be a wise king.

The emperor frowned and glared at the two of them and said, "Is my throne a hot potato? Neither of you wants it. You are tired at such a young age and want to be idle and lazy, what should I do?"

Yu Cheng and Yu Zheng suddenly had an idea and said at the same time, "Father is in good health and has a good way of governing the country. He is a wise ruler who has never been seen before. He should continue to govern Dazhao."

"Nonsense!" The emperor threw a few memorials at them in annoyance.

"What about a hundred years after I die!"

Yu Cheng didn't say anything, and Yu Zheng followed suit and said, "Hao Lin will have grown up by then."

Yu Hao Lin is five years old this year. In another ten years, he will be able to get involved in government affairs, and at the age of eighteen, he will be able to rule the country himself.

"You have thought it through." The emperor stared at Yu Zheng with stern eyes.

Yu Zheng said calmly: "It is the duty of a son to share the worries of my father."

What a great way to share his worries!

The emperor was so angry that he was fuming, but he could do nothing.

He knew that Yu Zheng had no intention of becoming the emperor, and he had never thought of forcing him.

After all, Yu Cheng was kind, wise, and virtuous, and was capable of such a great task.

But the emperor did not expect that after Yu Cheng came back from the border, he did not want to succeed to the throne.

In this way, the emperor's plan to abdicate and enjoy a leisurely life was dashed.

He had to carry this hot potato on his shoulders.