Liu Zhiheng felt a chill run down his spine. "The imperial family is the most ruthless! Luckily, I sent all the boys away."
The two didn't say anything more and went about their business.
Jiayin coaxed her grandmother to sleep early and then went into her online space.
Only here, surrounded by supplies, can she feel a sense of security.
She touched the boxes that were transported back from the south, in particular, over and over again.
If this thing were taken out, it would surely cause an earthquake and shock the world.
Therefore, she must always keep it under control and will never use it unless absolutely necessary or at the last minute.
Compared to high-yield grains, the appearance of this thing would drive those in power even more mad...
The next day, at the small court assembly, Li Lao Er was not supposed to attend, but he happened to stand in the queue.
One official, puzzled, asked, "Why has Lord Marquis come today? Isn't he busy outside the city?"
Li Lao Er smiled innocently and replied, "It is indeed busy outside the city. After all, there are over ten thousand refugees who need to be resettled, and I am also overwhelmed. But there is no other way. There is another important matter that needs His Majesty's decision."
Those around them didn't want to ask any more questions, so they kept quiet.
When the emperor arrived at court, he did see Li Lao Er, but he did not greet him warmly as usual, and pretended not to see him.
But Li Lao Er didn't want to make a wasted trip, so after finishing the important political affairs, he stepped forward, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
The Emperor frowned and glanced at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince quickly responded, "Lord Li, has there been any disturbance among the refugees outside the city?"
"Your Highness, the refugees outside the city are all well, but my family is not doing so well." Li Lao Er said with a bitter face, "When the first batch of military rations for the Northern Expeditionary Army was destroyed, and we couldn't raise any more in time, it was our family that guaranteed the supply and borrowed grain from various families in Xindu, which allowed us to quickly replenish the supplies and prevent the soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army from killing barbarians on an empty stomach."
"But now that the northern expedition has been victorious, people are coming to our door demanding our food debts!"
"His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince know that our family only has a piece of broken gold beach, which does not produce grain. Even if we break bones and sell blood, we still cannot repay the debt."
"Therefore, I can only report this to Your Majesty and the Crown Prince and ask them to make a decision."
This isn't a decision-making process; it's clearly a debt collection and credit-grabbing tactic.
The emperor looked displeased, but the officials, both high and low, were even more puzzled.
In accordance with the Li family's past practices, they often took the initiative to share the burdens of Tianwu and the Emperor, and never sought personal credit.
Even if everyone praises you, you should still say a few words of humility.
What's going on today?
They actually took the initiative to collect the debt, and even went so far as to confront the Emperor!
It was as if they were afraid everyone would forget that their family had acted as guarantors for the imperial court to borrow grain from abroad!
But no matter how confused they were, no one dared to show it on their faces.
Pretending to be mute at this time is the wisest way to save your life!
The Crown Prince glanced between the trembling Li Lao Er and the Emperor before speaking up to defuse the situation.
"Lord Li, your family stepped forward to save the court and the Northern Expeditionary Army from danger, and my father and I remember it. However, the court was in turmoil, with the Empress Dowagers wielding power one after another, and then the Empress passed away, so we couldn't attend to it for the time being."
"You may step aside for now. We will discuss this matter with the senior officials of the Six Ministries before making any further decisions."
Li Lao Er quickly expressed his gratitude and then quietly withdrew.
The hall fell silent for a moment, as no one dared to speak because of the emperor's cold expression.
The Crown Prince nodded to Chief Eunuch Yi, who understood and immediately called out, "Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!"
Everyone quickly knelt down and saw the Emperor and Crown Prince off.
Under the blazing sun, the group slowly made their way outside.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, everyone kept their distance from Li Lao Er.
Li Lao Er seemed oblivious to everything. Upon reaching the palace gate, he bowed to the crowd, boarded his carriage, and departed.
Everyone had mixed feelings. Finally, one of them couldn't hold back any longer and said, "What's gotten into Li Lao Er? Why is he actually coming to the Emperor to collect debts at this time!"
But some people said something fair: "It's only right to ask for repayment! They did lend grain to the Northern Expeditionary Army and helped the court out of its predicament! Now that they want the grain back, it's only right for them to ask the court for help."
"After all, the Northern Expeditionary Army belongs to the imperial court. The expedition is for the safety of Tianwu, not for the Li family!"
Regardless of the various opinions and differing viewpoints held by the public.
In the Imperial Study, the Emperor had already drunk two cups of tea with a dark expression.
The crown prince tentatively advised, "Father, that batch of military rations has indeed been overdue for a long time. Now that the Taiping Granary is open, why don't we return that batch of grain?"
The Emperor slammed down his teacup and replied, "The Northern Expeditionary Army is now under the Ye family's control, and not a single one of them is loyal to me! They're taking the credit for recovering the lost territories, while I'm left to deal with the military provisions! Hmph, what a clever scheme!"
A dark glint flashed in the Crown Prince's lowered eyes; he wanted to say something, but ultimately held back.
Perhaps realizing that his words were unfair, the emperor changed the subject.
"You should consult with the Ministry of Rites about the matter of praying for rain."
Praying for rain?
The crown prince raised his head, hesitatingly asking, "Father, the rumors circulating outside are not credible. You wouldn't..."
The Emperor waved his hand, refusing to give a direct answer, and said only, "You should check the records first, try not to waste the people's money, but make it as grand as possible. As for the rest... we can discuss it later."
The crown prince had no choice but to agree and then left.
Chief Steward Yi was standing guard outside the door when he saw the Crown Prince walk out with a bad expression, and he was quite surprised.
Although the crown prince grew up among commoners, he was extremely shrewd and never showed his emotions on his face.
What is the purpose of this situation today?
The Crown Prince didn't even greet Chief Eunuch Yi, and only stopped when he reached Xilong Pavilion.
Eunuch Feng followed along, his brow beaded with sweat from running. Before he could wipe it away, the Crown Prince ordered, "Go and fetch a bowl of ice cream."
"Yes, yes!" Eunuch Feng hurriedly went to the imperial kitchen.
Soon, the ice cream with peach jam was placed on the prince's table.
The prince scooped up a spoonful, and frowned as soon as he ate it.
Eunuch Feng tentatively asked, "Your Highness, is it a matter of taste?"
The prince threw down his spoon and said, "Nothing is right! The peach jam is too sweet, and the ice cream isn't creamy enough. It's not even half as good as Baiyunjian!"
Eunuch Feng shrank back, not daring to speak.
Because the Emperor and the Crown Prince liked it, the imperial chef spent a long time figuring out how to make this ice cream, and he believed it was almost as good as the one in Baiyunjian.
He even secretly ate one on the way back.
He really couldn't taste the difference!
The prince seemed lost in thought, and only after the ice cream had melted halfway did he finally chase Eunuch Feng out.
Eunuch Feng carried the ice cream bowl out the door, breathed a sigh of relief, then rewarded the ice cream to the little eunuch and began to ponder.
Unfortunately, he racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what was wrong with the Crown Prince.
At this moment, he began to envy Chief Eunuch Yi. He was so comfortable serving the Emperor, but for him, serving a young Crown Prince was so difficult!
Sure enough, comparing goods will make you throw them away, and comparing people will drive you crazy!
Today's update is here!
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