Chapter 70 Beiding Prefecture: A Clash of Titans
In the autumn and winter of the nineteenth year of Shengde, the Crown Prince and his wife led officials from the Ministry of Works northward from the capital of Xia to survey the terrain and draw up plans for the construction of the South-to-North Water Diversion Canal in the following year. However, they encountered refugees fleeing due to drought on the way.
Upon closer investigation, it was discovered that the drought in the three northern prefectures had far exceeded the court's expectations. In order to ensure that the people could have enough to eat and avoid the suffering of displacement, the Crown Prince used the Eastern Palace's private treasury to provide relief to the refugees. Wherever he went, the government strictly investigated the situation of the refugees, and every household received supplies.
The Crown Princess and her concubines distributed alms along the way, and all the refugees could receive hot soup, porridge and cakes. Those who had no home could register their household registration at the local prefectural or county government office. When the river and canal project started the following year, they could participate in the construction of the river. By employing refugees as laborers, they could not only settle down, but also avoid the difficulty of recruiting workers for the river construction project the following year.
The people of the three northern prefectures, all those who had received the Crown Prince's protection and relief, praised his love for the people. When the news reached the capital, it sparked wave after wave of debate and uproar in the court.
"The Crown Prince's original purpose for this trip was to build canals, but the news that came back from the north was mostly about the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the Consort providing relief to the disaster victims. There were quite a few people from the Ministry of Works who accompanied the Crown Prince on this trip. Is the court making such a big fuss just to establish the Crown Prince's authority among the people and to promote his virtuous reputation?"
The person who spoke first was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. The court had already allocated a large sum of money for the construction of the river channel next year, and the Ministry of Revenue was already exhausted in order to maintain the major fixed expenditures at the end of the year. However, as the Crown Prince went north, news of relief efforts along the way kept coming back every day.
This sounds impressive, claiming that all relief funds will come from the Crown Prince's treasury. But how much could the Crown Prince's private treasury possibly hold? Would the Crown Prince really empty his own coffers to provide relief to the people? In the end, it's the Ministry of Revenue that has to foot the bill! If they can't come up with the money, won't His Majesty blame them, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue?
Therefore, as soon as he said this, almost all the officials of the Ministry of Revenue looked rather bad. Immediately, the Right Vice Minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think that although the Left Vice Minister's words are a bit extreme, they are not entirely unreasonable. According to the Crown Prince's method of giving alms, the Eastern Palace Treasury simply cannot support it. However, with the end of the year approaching, the Ministry of Revenue no longer has any extra silver to allocate to the northern prefectures."
“The Ministry of Revenue is truly thinking of the best interests of our Great Xia,” said Vice Minister Zou of the Ministry of Works. As soon as he spoke, everyone in the hall subconsciously looked over. They heard him say, “It is the Ministry of Works that is currently going north to survey and draw maps, and it is the princes of the Eastern Palace who are providing relief to the disaster victims in the north. Little did they know that this would bring such great pressure to the Ministry of Revenue.”
His words were sarcastic, and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue naturally objected. Immediately, a physician said, "Who doesn't know the current relationship between your Ministry of Works and the Crown Prince? For the Ministry of Works to say this is far too biased!"
"Then what is justice?" Vice Minister Zou turned to look at him: "What is the relationship between the Ministry of Works and the Crown Prince? Naturally, it is a relationship of mutual assistance between the emperor and his ministers. I thought that all of you gentlemen heard the imperial edict in the main hall when His Majesty issued the decree ordering the Ministry of Works to assist the Crown Prince in making maps in the north. What, did Lord Liu ask for leave that day?"
Immediately, he stopped looking at the physician whose face had changed drastically, and instead bowed to the person above him, saying, "Your Majesty, regarding the drawing of the river map, Xu Zhiyuan, the assistant director of the Water Department of the Ministry of Works who accompanied the convoy, has been sending back reports every three days. The convoy is currently proceeding according to the original route, and today it should have passed Anqing Prefecture and entered Beiding Prefecture. The Ministry of Works has not neglected the schedule, and we hope Your Majesty will understand."
"Even if the Ministry of Works' affairs are not delayed, does it mean that the relief of the people does not require money? Lord Zou seems to have a plan in mind. I only ask, if the Crown Prince's private treasury runs out in the future, will the Ministry of Works provide the money?"
Vice Minister Zou almost burst out laughing. Wasn't it only natural that each department should have its own responsibilities? Why was the Ministry of Revenue so fixated on this? Just as he was about to retort sarcastically, a clear male voice came from the back row—
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
The emperor glanced in the direction of the corner, then waved his hand and said, "Who is speaking?"
"Your subject is Shen Xun, the Minister of Agriculture and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture."
The emperor had no impression of him, but he was curious about why he dared to stand up and speak at this time, so he granted his request.
"Your Majesty, yesterday the Ministry of Agriculture received over 6,400 shi of rice from Jiangnan Prefecture. This grain was purchased by the Shen family of Jiangnan and the Duke of Chengguo's family, who led the entire clan to acquire some of the unsold rice in Jiangnan. Combined with purchases from the market and production from the Shen family, a total of 6,500 shi of grain was donated to the court. After deducting losses during the journey, the Ministry of Agriculture stored 6,483 shi. The Duke of Chengguo submitted a memorial stating that the Shen family is willing to donate all of this rice to the people of the three prefectures in the northern border to alleviate the suffering of the people from the drought in the north."
These words caused an uproar in the court. Officials from the Ministry of Revenue immediately turned red in the face. Although the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of distributing grain and salaries, it was indeed unclear how much rice and grain the Ministry of Agriculture had. Shen Xun's words were practically a resounding slap in the face to the Ministry of Revenue in court.
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue looked towards the corner, and after recognizing the person, he couldn't help but sneer: "Although the matter of Jiangnan Prefecture's tribute grain falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, once the grain enters the national granary, it is no longer just a matter for the Ministry of Agriculture. Such an important matter, yet not a single person from the Ministry of Agriculture consulted with the Ministry of Revenue. Moreover... Minister Shen, if I remember correctly, you seem to be a member of the Shen family. Standing up at this time to talk about Jiangnan's grain donation, I'm afraid you're not trying to curry favor with the Shen family!"
Shen Xun stood in the corner, almost grinding his teeth to powder. It was true that he came from the Shen family, but from the time of the founding emperor to the present, the Shen family had continued for generations. His family was already a branch of the Jiangnan Shen family. Yet now the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was saying that he came from the main branch of the Shen family.
Feeling somewhat aggrieved, he didn't answer the question but instead asked in return, "I don't understand. The rice was received yesterday evening, and the weighing and storage were completed at midnight. The Ministry of Agriculture and Revenue closed its offices close to midnight yesterday. Does Your Excellency expect us to report this matter to the Ministry of Revenue before the morning court session? Your Excellency seems to have misunderstood the order of procedures. Does the Ministry of Agriculture and Revenue have to obtain the Ministry of Revenue's approval before reporting to His Majesty?"
"Furthermore, the rice was weighed accurately, nearly 6,500 shi (a unit of dry measure). The Shen family contributed the entire clan to the court; isn't that an indisputable fact? If Your Excellency thinks I've misrepresented the amount, you can verify it yourself. The rice is currently in the granary; 6,500 shi are right there. What need does I have to demonstrate loyalty on behalf of the Shen family? And surely, if I hadn't reported this today, would the Duke of Cheng's memorial not have reached His Majesty's desk?"
“My ancestors did indeed come from the Shen family of Jiangnan, but now, my family has long since crossed the fifth degree of kinship with the Shen family. Lord Zuo’s words are an exaggeration of my family’s reputation!”
For a time, the court was at loggerheads, with no one willing to give in, while Shen Yujiao, far away in Beiding Prefecture, was completely unaware of the political turmoil.
"The rice from Jiangnan should be arriving in the capital soon. Once His Majesty approves its transport to the northern border, the people will have food to eat."
On a night with a howling north wind, Shen Yujiao and Chu Rou were warming themselves by the stove. Next to them was a pot of thick soup, which had been simmering and boiling to a milky white color. Pickled cabbage and chili peppers were bubbling in the soup, with specks of oil floating on the surface. When Mu Nan saw that the soup was almost ready, she ladled out two bowls of fish soup from the pot and had Mu Jin and A Jun hand them to their two mistresses.
Shen Yujiao took the soup bowl, and the sour, spicy, and savory aroma of the fish soup went straight to her stomach through her nose, making her mouth water. She scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, and couldn't help but widen her eyes. The fish was tender, the soup was sour, spicy, and fragrant. To cater to their tastes, the spiciness was just right. The fish slices were tender and smooth, and after being simmered for so long, they were very flavorful, with a texture that could be described as melting in your mouth.
"Mu Nan, I didn't know you had this skill!"
Shen Yujiao held the soup bowl with bright eyes. When she looked up at Chu Rou, she saw that Chu Rou's face was also rosy and her eyes were full of smiles. The two looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.
Mu Nan was a little embarrassed by the praise. She waved her hand and said, "It's all thanks to the good fish that Zhu Yu and the others caught today. Although Beiding Prefecture is located in an extremely cold place, the fish that can be caught by breaking the ice are the most delicious. I learned my cooking skills from my mother. She grew up in Sichuan and Chongqing and is most skilled at making fish soup to warm the stomach and dispel cold."
“Your mother’s excellent cooking skills have been passed on,” Shen Yujiao couldn’t help but take another sip. Then she instructed, “Mu Nan, go to the kitchen later and ask them to make a pot of fish soup for the officials of the Ministry of Works. They don’t need to go to the trouble of making it like you have. Just make sure it warms their stomachs.”
"yes."
Mu Nan curtsied in response and turned to walk outside. However, as soon as she opened the door, she was startled by the scene before her—"Your...Your Highness..."
Shen Yujiao paused in her soup-drinking motion, then abruptly looked up towards the door. Upon seeing Jiang Chen standing there with a weary expression, she froze, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Jiang Chen nodded to Mu Nan, then went into the inner room and forced a smile at Shen Yujiao: "Jiaojiao, I'm back."
Seeing that the Crown Princess was still motionless, but her eyes were already filled with tears, and seeing that the Crown Prince was also standing to the side with red eyes, Chu Rou very tactfully put down the soup bowl, bowed to the two of them, and left the room with Mu Jin and A Jun.
“Jiaojiao,” Jiang Chen walked step by step to Shen Yujiao, slowly squatted down to look her in the eye, “I’m back.”
Outside, it was a freezing, dark night, but inside, the room was warm and cozy, lit by candlelight. Fish soup was still bubbling away nearby. The two people sitting and squatting by the stove looked at each other in silence for a long time.
Shen Yujiao stared at the person in front of her for a long time before raising her trembling hand to touch Jiang Chen's face, which was covered with the marks of wind and rain.
Her face, which had been smooth and flawless when she left, was now chapped from the cold wind of the north. Perhaps due to the long journey, she had become very thin, with sunken cheeks and eye sockets, not to mention the dark circles under her eyes and the stubble on her chin.
Shen Yujiao's tears instantly welled up, large drops sliding down her face and dripping onto the hem of her clothes, the edge of her skirt, and Jiang Chen's palm.
"Jiaojiao, don't cry, I'm here."
His voice was hoarse, but still full of tenderness, and the more he spoke like that, the more Shen Yujiao's tears flowed.
All the longing and worry she had felt since they parted ways poured out at this moment. She sobbed and threw herself into Jiang Chen's arms, not caring whether his clothes were dirty or disheveled. All she knew was that Jiang Chen had lost a lot of weight since he left.
"What about the injury?"
These were the first words Shen Yujiao spoke after they met. Jiang Chen immediately froze on the spot, disbelief flashing in his eyes: "You, how did you know?"
"So, you're really hurt, aren't you?"
For countless days and nights, whenever Shen Yujiao closed her eyes, she saw the image of that short sword piercing Jiang Chen's abdomen. Every time she woke up from the nightmare, she would be drenched in a cold sweat, followed by uncontrollable trembling, just like she was now—
Shen Yujiao pressed Jiang Chen down onto the small stool where Chu Rou had just been sitting, and with trembling hands, she unbuttoned his outer robe. As the clothes fell off one by one, Shen Yujiao finally saw the hideous and terrifying wound with her own eyes, and all her worries came true at this moment.
She could no longer control her emotional breakdown. She placed her hand on the scar on Jiang Chen's abdomen, pressed her forehead against Jiang Chen's chest, and cried hysterically, as if the string that had been taut in her heart had finally snapped. The pain was so intense that she could hardly breathe. She cried until she collapsed in Jiang Chen's arms.
As Jiang Chen listened to the painful cries of the person in his arms, it was as if a sharp blade was tearing at his heart and lungs, one cut after another. Huge waves crashed and surged in his chest, stirring up his long-suppressed emotions, and his arms slowly tightened.
Having nearly experienced a separation by death, only when he returned to her side after traversing mountains and rivers did he truly understand how much he loved her.
Jiang Chen slowly closed his reddened eyes and buried his head deeply in Shen Yujiao's hair. The illusion he had witnessed when he was on the verge of death had finally become reality. He had finally... seen his Jiaojiao again.
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