Chapter 565: The problem is not the scarcity but the inequality
Wang Yuzhen and Tang Ning hit it off right away, and Zhou Yuchang was also easy to get along with. Perhaps they were all worried about Tang Ning getting together, but after a few jokes, the awkwardness disappeared.
After they entered Jiuxiao Courtyard, Hua Wu and Yue Jian brought in sweet soup and snacks.
Qian Qiyue held the pillow in her arms, resting her chin on it, and brought up what she had said before: "Tang Ning, I always feel that those rumors outside are a bit off. It's like someone is deliberately muddying the waters. You have to remind Xiao Yan to be careful and don't let anyone really plot against him."
"I know." Tang Ning said, stirring the sweet soup with a spoon. "In fact, my brother and I knew about these rumors when they first appeared in the capital. We even knew exactly how the rumors outside changed."
"Since you know, why are you still..." Zhou Yuchang was stunned.
The Fan family and Prince Lu's Mansion may not have good intentions.
Tang Ning smiled and said, "They said they came to congratulate me and my brother. I can't just turn them away. As for the rewards from the palace, I can't refuse them either."
"If we accept those rewards, at most they'll accuse us of greed, saying that Your Majesty is willing to make amends and has repented. But if we refuse, do you believe that within half a day, rumors will spread that my brother has rebellious intentions, saying that he is using the pretext of clearing the He family's name to plot rebellion, and that loyalists will be able to attack the capital in a matter of days?"
Zhou Yuchang opened her mouth and wanted to say that Emperor An would not do that, but she immediately remembered that Emperor An had gone back on his word several times at the banquet in the Heavenly Palace, and later he even wanted to kill Xiao Yan and almost killed her father, General Yin, Cao Gong and others. A few days ago, he fainted while kneeling in the Taimiao.
Zhou Yuchang fell silent for a moment.
Tang Ning saw the strange expressions on the three people's faces and chuckled in understanding: "In fact, these are nothing more than someone trying to flatter my brother and make him fall from grace and lose the support of the people."
"My brother is busy with court affairs, and I don't want to argue with them about these shady tactics. Besides, why not refuse something that's delivered to your door? Instead of pushing it around and making people think you're stingy, it's better to accept it openly and then send it to the charity halls and orphanages in Shezhou in the name of the court and the He family."
At this point, Tang Ning's eyes flashed with cunning:
"Did you know that His Majesty previously issued an order to build a burial mound for all people, and to provide compensation to the families of those who died unjustly in Rongjiang twenty years ago?"
Qian Qiyue nodded: "I know this, my father has been busy with this recently."
"Sister Qian, do you know how much silver His Majesty will spend for this casual reward he promised?"
Qian Qiyue shook her head.
Tang Ning said, "Your Majesty has agreed to base the rewards for the Southern Land on the compensation for soldiers killed in battle. According to the rules set by Taizu, ordinary soldiers who die in battle will receive three pieces of silk, one stone of grain, and fifteen silver coins after their death. A centurion who dies in battle will receive ten pieces of silk, twenty stone of grain, and sixty silver coins."
"The higher the military rank, the greater the compensation required. In order to atone for the negligence of twenty years ago and to compensate those who died unjustly, Your Majesty personally stated in his decree that the reward would be doubled."
"Those who died in Rongjiang that year included over 9,000 civilians who had lived in the city for a long time, hundreds of officials and clerks, over 600 soldiers brought by Crown Prince Li and the He family, over 20 fourth-rank imperial physicians, and over 50 escorting imperial guards."
Zhou Yuchang and Wang Yuzhen were not very good at arithmetic, and were not very sensitive after hearing it, but Qian Qiyue realized that something was wrong and couldn't help but calculate in her mind.
Not counting the officials and clerks, the 600 elite soldiers, the imperial doctors, and the imperial guards who died in Rongjiang, if half of the dead civilians could find their relatives, the court would have to compensate them with more than 100,000 taels of silver in cash, plus food and silk, which would be equivalent to nearly 200,000 taels.
The personal guards who were able to follow the Crown Prince to the south to provide disaster relief were all elite men, and many of them already held official positions, or were even military generals valued by Taizu.
Normally, a general killed in battle would be worth thousands of soldiers' compensation, plus the officials who died in Rongjiang, the accompanying imperial guards, and the twenty or so imperial doctors of high rank...
Qian Qiyue's lips trembled, and she suddenly understood why her father was so irritable with everyone he met these days.
Tang Ning said, "These reliefs are fine, but His Majesty also promised to build a cemetery for all the people. But although the burning of Rongjiang was tragic, weren't the people in other disaster-stricken areas also innocent because of the court's negligence and collusion between officials and bandits? How can we only build one cemetery for all the people?"
"Your Majesty wants to settle old grievances and demonstrate royal grace, so Shezhou, Langzhou, and Raozhou are unavoidable. But have you ever considered what the consequences would be if Your Majesty agreed to build tombs for the people in multiple locations in order to win over the people?"
Qian Qiyue and Zhou Yuchang's expressions changed.
Wang Yuzhen's voice trembled slightly. "The common people tend to follow the crowd. If the relatives of those who died unjustly in those three places see that the court is willing to pay them back, they will definitely ask for rewards and compensation from the court, just like those people in Rongjiang."
"If Your Majesty gives, more than hundreds of thousands of people will die in vain in the three regions. The court simply cannot afford it. But if you don't give..."
What is worrying is not the lack of wealth but the inequality.
If the people from Rongjiang took it, why can't others take it?
At that time, Emperor An would not only fail to win the hearts of the people, but would also become the target of public criticism, and might even cause a big chaos.
Tang Ning glanced at Wang Yuzhen. She had known that this girl was intelligent, but she hadn't expected her to be so quick-witted. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty has showered me with gifts like water. I dare not accept any of them. The Duke Dingguo's Mansion doesn't need those icing on the cake."
"The things that were previously taken back from the palace, except for the calligraphy and paintings, as well as the jade, ceramics, jewelry and curios, have all been exchanged for silver and sent to the southern land one after another."
Her smile was gentle, but the words she said left the three of them stunned.
"The court has cleared the He family's name, and His Majesty has placed great importance on the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion. My brother is grateful to the royal family and is willing to use this money to ask the Crown Prince to help His Majesty clean up the mess in the South. I'm sure His Majesty will be very pleased to know this."
Qian Qiyue, Zhou Yuchang, and Wang Yuzhen: "..."
The corners of the mouths of the three of them twitched slightly.
They didn't know whether Emperor An was pleased or not, but he would definitely be pissed off.
He went to great lengths and used all sorts of means to restore some of his reputation, but ended up doing things that would benefit the Crown Prince and Xiao Yan.
Qian Qiyue muttered, "I knew your Xiao Yan was so smart, how could he suffer any loss? But you shouldn't have told us about this. What if others find out and ruin your plan?"
"I trust you." Tang Ning said with a smile on his face.
Qian Qiyue and Zhou Yuchang were fine, but Wang Yuzhen next to them was stunned.
Meeting Tang Ning's gaze, she quickly sat up straight: "Don't worry, Sister Tang, I will never tell anyone."
She will not let this trust down.
Tang Ning laughed at her cautious expression. "Don't worry about it. I really trust you. And I told you that I wanted to use you to tell Lord Wang that if he gets the chance, he should go before His Majesty and make his voice heard."
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