Chapter 579 Suspicion
"His Majesty?"
Liang Guangyi was stunned. He had just come out of the palace, and Emperor An had previously left using his illness as an excuse. Why was he suddenly looking for him now?
"Eunuch, why is His Majesty looking for me?" Liang Guangyi asked.
The young eunuch lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty wants to discuss the suppression of the rebellion with the Grand Tutor."
Liang Guangyi's expression became more and more strange.
Emperor An had tried to plot against Xiao Yan tonight, but failed, and he was nearly furious. He went to discuss suppressing the rebellion with him...
Xiao Yan seemed to sense the doubt in Liang Guangyi's expression. He calmly walked over to his side and said, "Your Majesty previously promised to provide relief to the bereaved families of Rongjiang in order to regain public support. Just a few days after the imperial edict was passed down, war broke out in Pingyang County. He must be worried, so he sought out the Grand Tutor for consultation."
What does Emperor An’s headache have to do with him?
Liang Guangyi couldn't help but frown as he looked at Xiao Yan, who turned and left after talking without any context.
Wang Huailu, who had been silent and invisible not far away, suddenly stepped forward and said, "Grand Tutor Liang, Duke Dingguo means that the Ministry of Revenue has run out of money."
Liang Guangyi turned his head sharply, and after recognizing who was in front of him, he said, "What do you mean, Lord Wang?"
Wang Huailu glanced at the young eunuch.
Seeing that he was hesitant, Liang Guangyi asked the young eunuch to wait a moment and pulled Wang Huailu aside: "Master Wang, please speak frankly."
Wang Huailu whispered, "The palace used to be extravagant, with palace renovations every year. Your Majesty was also very generous when rewarding those in the court. Grand Tutor Liang must know this, right?"
"Your Majesty just rebuilt the imperial mausoleum a few years ago, spending a large sum of money. It seems the weather was good and there were no major disasters after the New Year, but in reality, the Ministry of Revenue suffered a poor harvest this year. Add to that the corruption and deficits in the grain tax, and the selfish embezzlement of money by Minister Xi and his men, and the national treasury has long been destitute."
"I have a classmate who works at the Ministry of Revenue. He said that when His Majesty issued an edict to provide relief to the bereaved families of Rongjiang and to build a tomb for the people, the money needed almost completely consumed the entire Ministry of Revenue. Minister Qian was so worried that he had to borrow money everywhere, wishing he could break even one ounce of silver into two."
"Now that war has broken out, how can the Ministry of Revenue come up with money..."
Wang Huailu glanced at the young eunuch standing there and whispered, "Everyone says that this family is extremely wealthy and has a deep foundation. With the current situation at court, Your Majesty can only consult Grand Tutor Liang."
He paused, his voice becoming even quieter.
"I heard that Your Majesty issued an edict to provide relief to the bereaved families of Rongjiang. After learning of the destitute state treasury, Duke Dingguo sent a large sum of gold and silver to the Shezhou area. Many of these were gifts sent to Jiyun Lane by various prefectures in the capital. He exchanged them all, including the palace rewards, and kept nothing."
"Without money in the court, His Majesty's promises will be difficult to fulfill, and chaos will inevitably break out in the South. If Duke Dingguo can seize this opportunity to clean up the mess for His Majesty, he will win the hearts of the people."
"On the other hand, Your Majesty has already lost the support of the people due to the previous case. If he breaks his promise again, the people of the world will definitely criticize him. By then, he will be desperate and will probably have to find someone in the court to save his face..."
Wang Huailu whispered:
"Grand Tutor Liang, His Majesty has summoned you alone this time. If he mentions the matter of suppressing the rebellion, you'd better be careful."
Although he spoke implicitly and did not clearly say that Emperor An summoned him to trick him, Liang Guangyi knew it in his heart. Moreover, when he heard that Xiao Yan had actually taken the gifts sent by various mansions in cash to the South, his face became particularly bad.
However, Liang Guangyi still had some doubts: "How did Lord Wang know about the events in Jiyun Lane?"
Xiao Yan has always been cautious in his actions. Even he has not heard of this matter. How could Wang Huailu know about it?
Wang Huailu said truthfully, "My daughter is good friends with the daughter of Minister Qian. She also met Princess Xiangning in the palace on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Princess Xiangning invited her to her house and study at Rongsheng Academy."
"She overheard some rumors today when she went to Jiyun Lane with the Qian family's daughter. She also praised Princess Xiangning and Duke Dingguo for their righteousness. They weren't as selfish as the rumors said, greedy for money and power."
Liang Guangyi frowned: "Since Miss Wang is on good terms with Princess Xiangning, then what is Lord Wang doing..."
Wang Huailu was silent for a moment before bowing and saying, "More than ten years ago, when I first entered the court, I once offended the Lu family with my outrageous words. At that time, Grand Tutor Liang came to my rescue and praised my outstanding literary talent. That's how I caught the late emperor's eye. Although Grand Tutor Liang may not remember such a trivial incident, I will remember it in my heart."
"In the past, my humble position prevented me from helping the Grand Tutor. Now, I am merely passing on a message. Furthermore, the Duke of Dingguo's dispatch of envoys south was not concealed, otherwise, my daughter, a mere girl in the boudoir, would not have known about it."
"The Ministry of Revenue is short on pensions, and news from the South will naturally spread back to the capital. By then, everyone will know. I simply informed the Grand Tutor of a few things in advance. It's not a big mistake, nor does it violate the friendship between my daughter and Princess Xiangning."
After Wang Huailu finished speaking, he did not say anything more, but bowed slightly and said:
"Grand Tutor Liang has to return to the palace to see the emperor, so I'll take my leave now."
"Master Wang, take care."
Wang Huailu left, but Liang Guangyi couldn't help but think, had he ever helped Wang Huailu? This inconspicuous Hanlin had never had a sense of presence in the court, and he had no memory of what happened more than ten years ago.
However, when the Lu family was at its most prominent in the court, they were indeed extremely domineering. Some new court officials had to avoid the limelight even when facing the Lu family's side branches, and many of them were suppressed by the power of the children of aristocratic families.
Liang Guangyi is a shrewd and thoughtful person. He has never liked the behavior of children from aristocratic families. He has also solved some similar problems in order to restore the reputation of the aristocratic family. If the victim is sensible and polite and willing to settle the matter peacefully, he will give some benefits to appease him.
Could it be that Wang Huailu is one of them?
This thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, and Liang Guangyi then remembered that the Ministry of Revenue had no money.
Thinking of Xiao Yan's half-smile and suggestive words just now, Liang Guangyi frowned. Could it be that Emperor An really wanted to target their family because the national treasury was extremely poor?
"Master Liang, His Majesty is still waiting for you..."
Seeing that Liang Guangyi was reluctant to leave, the young eunuch couldn't help but step forward to remind him.
Liang Guangyi put his hands in his sleeves, feeling more cautious: "Let's go."
…
At the palace gate, Cao Dejiang waited for Xiao Yan to emerge before he became curious. "What did you just say to Liang Guangyi in there? He looked strange. And that Wang Hanlin has always been a loner and rarely socializes. When did he ever get to talk to Liang Guangyi?"
Xiao Yan said calmly, "There aren't any truly eccentric people in this court. It's just that people are divided into groups. Those with low status have to keep quiet and avoid interacting with others."
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