Chapter 819 The Lion Opens His Mouth
Mingde Hall is where the emperor handles state affairs. Different from the Council Hall where the emperor holds court in the morning, Mingde Hall is smaller and not far from the Imperial Study. On weekdays, after court, the emperor would usually summon court officials to these two places.
Even though it was not his first time entering the Mingde Hall, Liang Guangyi still felt unhappy when he saw a young girl of about ten years old sitting in the place where the emperor used to discuss government affairs with his ministers and handle government affairs.
There was a time when even Queen Lu could not set foot in this place, but now the man in front of him can come and go freely.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Her Majesty the Queen." Liang Guangyi saluted.
Tang Ning looked up at Liang Guangyi, who was over fifty years old, in the palace. Ever since that day when they parted ways unpleasantly over the Ministry of Justice, the Right Prime Minister had been extremely cold towards her. She summoned him to the palace to discuss government affairs several times, but he always made excuses on the grounds of being ill, and he was even more indifferent to the criticisms against her in the court.
"No need to be polite."
After Tang Ning asked him to stand up, she leaned back in her chair and said, "How come Prime Minister Liang has time to come to the palace to see me today? Is he feeling better now?"
Liang Guangyi was silent for a moment. He naturally knew that what he had done a few days ago had offended the Queen, but who could have imagined that just a few days later, he would ask the Queen for something.
Without the arrogance he had that day, Liang Guangyi simply lowered his head and said respectfully, "I am old and my health has been failing. Fortunately, the Empress has cared about me, and I am much better now."
Tang Ning hummed: "That's good."
The windows around the hall are all covered with Ming paper. On rare sunny days, the sunlight coming in makes the entire Mingde Hall bright.
After Tang Ning replied, she took a book and started reading. She had no intention of continuing to speak, nor did she take the initiative to ask Liang Guangyi what he wanted to do by asking to see her. Liang Guangyi stood there awkwardly, and the hall was unusually quiet for a while.
The pages of the book turned from time to time, which made Liang Guangyi feel anxious.
Seeing the queen's cold expression, Liang Guangyi knew that he might not be able to wait for her to speak.
"Empress." Liang Guangyi could only speak for himself. "Although I was ill a few days ago, I also heard about the affairs of the court. The matter of the Ministry of Justice was caused by my own arbitrariness. I thought it was just the reckless behavior of the subordinates, but I didn't know that the corruption inside was so serious."
He first took the initiative to give in and admitted his mistake that day before continuing.
"Your Majesty's intention to investigate is excellent, and the Ministry of Justice should indeed hold those responsible accountable. However, this morning I heard that Western Xinjiang has also been in turmoil. They took advantage of Your Majesty's attack on Southern Qi to secretly attack the Munan Pass, nearly causing its fall. They also looted the grain being transported from the capital to the south and killed the transporting officials."
Tang Ning closed the book in her hand and looked up at him: "I just received the news not long ago. I didn't expect that even though Prime Minister Liang is not in court, he is still as well-informed as ever."
Liang Guangyi seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her words and said seriously, "The Ministry of Revenue didn't have much food and fodder previously. The simultaneous wars between the north and the south have already stretched them to the limit. Now, with the rebellion of the various tribes in the western border, if the food and fodder can't be delivered fast enough to sustain the war, I'm afraid we won't be able to continue."
Tang Ning raised an eyebrow: "So?"
Liang Guangyi: "I know someone who owns a granary in Anji. He is willing to donate 200,000 dan of grain to the court to temporarily ease the pressure on Munan Pass."
Tang Ning looked at him steadily and chuckled after a moment.
"When the court was short of food, Minister Qian was so worried that his hair turned white. He spent every day trying to find ways to raise food. Your Majesty even used his private treasury to purchase food from all over the country, just to ensure that the soldiers on the front lines would not go hungry. Since Prime Minister Liang knew such a wealthy family, why didn't he tell the court earlier?"
Liang Guangyi remained calm, "This old minister and that man are only acquaintances, not close friends. The border war raged this time, and he heard that the court was short of food, so he took the initiative to come to me."
Seeing that Tang Ning was unmoved, Liang Guangyi said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, you know that during wartime, food prices skyrocket. Not only is the treasury already out of money, but even if there was silver, it would be difficult to buy this much food right now."
"Besides, with the North and South at war, many places are already in panic. If grain prices cannot be stabilized, the people may rebel. If the Empress can obtain these 200,000 dan of grain, it will be enough to feed the soldiers on the border and calm the people's hearts."
Tang Ning: "What Prime Minister Liang said makes sense, but I'm afraid this grain isn't given to the court for free, right?"
Seeing her words soften, Liang Guangyi quickly said, "He has a nephew who works for the Ministry of Justice and is implicated in the case uncovered this time. The people in the Privy Council were personally trained by Your Majesty, and sooner or later, they'll probably find out about him. He begs this old minister to intercede with Your Majesty, asking Her Majesty to show mercy and let the Ministry of Justice go. He's willing to donate 200,000 dan of grain to the court for free."
Tang Ning smiled and said, "Let the Ministry of Justice go?"
Liang Guangyi lowered his eyes. "Right now, the North-South war is more pressing. We can always revisit the Ministry of Justice's affairs later, but it's hard to find the grain if we miss it. Your Majesty's goal of a thorough investigation has been achieved. It's a warning to the enemy. Those remaining in the Ministry of Justice will surely not dare to cause trouble again."
Tang Ning put down the book in his hand and leaned back in his chair: "What Prime Minister Liang said makes some sense. The war is more important."
Liang Guangyi felt relieved, but before the corners of his mouth could even rise, they froze in place.
"But Prime Minister Liang may not know that this investigation by the Ministry of Justice will be of even greater benefit to the court. Over one million taels of dirty silver have been found on officials below the fifth rank alone, not to mention the gold, silver, jewelry, calligraphy, paintings, and antiques confiscated from their mansions."
"These are just lower-ranking officials. We don't know how many higher-ranking ones there are."
Tang Ning sighed and said, "Fighting at the border isn't just about food and fodder. Swords, armor, horses, and military expenses all require money. The Prime Minister also knows that our treasury is empty. If the Ministry of Justice can fill this money, it will be enough to cover the military expenses."
"I do want these 200,000 dan of grain, but compared to the amount of corruption the Ministry of Justice has already uncovered, these 200,000 dan are far from enough. So, I would like to ask Prime Minister Liang to tell that person that if I don't double the amount of silver to replenish the national treasury, I will not accept these grains."
"But let him rest assured. The people in the Privy Council were trained by His Majesty himself, and they would never wrongly accuse a good person."
Liang Guangyi's eyelids twitched. Looking at the queen who had an innocent face and was particularly sincere, he felt a surge of anger in his heart.
Although he was not from the Ministry of Justice and could not find out the inside story of the Privy Council, he absolutely did not believe that the people who were found now could confiscate more than one million taels of silver. The person in charge of the Ministry of Justice who had found tens of thousands of taels of silver before was an exception. In addition to the money obtained through corruption, half of his money was mixed with the interest earned from loan sharking.
As a minister, Guo Changming was doing business with others that was risking his life, and he only got one-third of the profit. Over the years, he only earned a little over 100,000 taels.
The queen clearly knew why he came, and she opened her mouth wide at the lion from the aristocratic family.
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