Xuan Yuanpeng's words were so clear that Xuan Yuanyu finally understood and exclaimed in shock, "You mean some officials have embezzled disaster relief grain? How dare they!"
From Kyoto to Nakakage, there weren't many high-ranking officials along the way, mostly low-ranking clerks, yet these people dared to do it!!!
Seeing Xuan Yuan Yu's shocked expression, and thinking about what he had done, Xuan Yuan Peng felt nauseous: "It's because you didn't investigate or ask questions, and you have no experience in disaster relief, that they dared to do it! You even ended up being one of them yourself. With you setting an example for them, how could they not dare to do it!"
"Father!" Xuan Yuan Yu looked up in shock, staring at Xuan Yuan Peng in disbelief.
I never expected that my father would find out about this. He had hidden it so well, how could my father have known?
Seeing Xuan Yuan Yu's astonished expression, Xuan Yuan Peng sneered disdainfully: "You think I don't know what you've done? Actually, I know everything!"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yu immediately crawled to Xuanyuan Peng's feet and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Father, I was momentarily bewitched and did something foolish. I will return all the silver I embezzled. Please forgive me this time, Father, since this is my first offense!"
When the first batch of disaster relief grain arrived, it was far from enough for Zhongjing's disaster relief efforts, and he didn't even consider that possibility. Later, when Zhongjing was short of grain and the price of grain skyrocketed, he finally got the idea.
He lied to his father, saying that the grain for disaster relief was insufficient, and asked his father to open the granaries again. In reality, although it was not enough, there was no need to open the granaries again, and it would not require 10,000 dan of grain.
He resold all the grain sent from the capital the second time at a high price, and none of it was used for the people of Zhongjing. The people still didn't have enough to eat, and because he had tasted the sweetness of selling grain at high prices, he sent a third memorial back. The emperor opened the granaries three times to distribute grain, and on the last occasion, he kept half of the grain for the people of Zhongjing, while the other half ended up in his own pocket.
He originally thought he was the biggest beneficiary of Zhongjing's disaster relief efforts, since he had exchanged half of the grain for silver, making a fortune as a result. However, he never expected that the disaster relief grain would be exploited at every level from Kyoto to Zhongjing.
Damn it, those petty officials are so audacious that they dare to embezzle disaster relief grain! They've got some nerve!
Seeing that he was pleading for mercy but showed no remorse, Xuanyuan Peng said with disappointment, "Do you still think you did better than Xuanyuan Zhan? The reason I didn't expose you before was because you were eager to make a name for yourself during your first disaster relief mission, and I couldn't bear to discourage you. But you only think you can do everything well and keep comparing yourself to Xuanyuan Zhan! To be honest, you are far inferior to him! If he were the one going to Zhongjing for disaster relief, he would not allow his officials to embezzle the disaster relief grain, nor would he embezzle it himself. He would definitely put the interests of the people first."
Hearing Xuan Yuanpeng repeatedly mention Xuan Yuanzhan, Xuan Yuanyu's aggrieved mood resurfaced: "Since Father Emperor was willing to tolerate his son before, why is he unwilling now?"
It's all because Xuanyuan Zhan returned to the capital. He favored Xuanyuan Zhan, which is why he disliked him and was no longer willing to tolerate him. It's all because of Xuanyuan Zhan!
Xuanyuan Yu became more and more aggrieved as he spoke: "Even if I made some oversights in the disaster relief efforts in Zhongjing, as long as Father Emperor guides me, I will never make the same mistake again. Why won't Father Emperor give me the time and opportunity to grow!"
Seeing that he still had the nerve to say such things, Xuanyuan Peng was instantly enraged and roared at his son's incompetence, "Haven't I given you enough time? From childhood to adulthood, I've been grooming you as the crown prince, but what have you done? You haven't done a single task assigned to you perfectly. On the other hand, Xuanyuan Zhan has solved so many difficult problems for me in the six months since he entered the court. It's not that I didn't give you and the Second Prince the opportunity to solve those problems, but you don't have the talent. So it's not that I didn't give you the opportunity to grow, it's that no matter how much you grow, you can't compare to Xuanyuan Zhan!"
Hearing him repeatedly mention Xuan Yuanzhan, Xuan Yuanyu became anxious: "Xuan Yuanzhan! Xuan Yuanzhan! You only have Xuan Yuanzhan in your heart! If it weren't for that Bai family, if you didn't love Xuan Yuanzhan because of her, would Xuan Yuanzhan still be so good to you?"
He couldn't see what was so good about Xuan Yuanzhan; he was clearly biased!
Seeing Xuan Yuan Yu's flushed and jealous expression, Xuan Yuan Peng was too lazy to argue with him. He lowered his voice and tried to reason with him: "It's not that I want to praise Xuan Yuan Zhan. He went to his fiefdom when he was seven years old. Xiangnan suffered from floods every year, the land was barren, and the people suffered from floods and famines. They were miserable. But he managed to control the floods in Xiangnan in less than five years, freeing the people of Xiangnan from poverty and famine. Do you know how much tax Xiangnan pays every year? It's comparable to half of the capital city!"
Xuanyuan Yu frowned suddenly, seemingly surprised that Xuanyuan Zhan paid so much tax every year.
Half of Kyoto?
It should be noted that the tax revenue of the capital city is equivalent to 30% of the tax revenue of the entire Eastern Chu, yet the impoverished Xiangnan can pay half of the capital city's tax revenue.
Xuanyuan Yu was shocked not only by Xuanyuan Zhan's foolish act of handing over all the taxes from his fiefdom, but also by Xuanyuan Zhan's ability to make a barren Xiangnan have half the tax revenue of the capital city. What did that mean?
No matter how jealous he was, or how unwilling he was to admit it, Xuanyuan Zhan's talent in governing his fiefdom was truly remarkable.
Speaking of Xuanyuan Zhan's governance abilities, Xuanyuan Peng couldn't hide his pride: "What kind of place is Xiangnan? The taxes he pays every year are more than ten times those of other border regions! And that's his own fiefdom. He could have easily refused to pay, but he still paid it all. If it were you, could you do it?"
That's why he's always liked Xuan Yuanzhan!
It wasn't just because he loved Zhong Ya'er and extended that affection to Xuan Yuanzhan. Of course, that was undeniably part of the reason as well.
But his unwavering determination to pass the throne to Xuanyuan Zhan was not solely due to this reason.
Xuanyuan Zhan's ability to govern Xiangnan so well demonstrates his talent for governance. Whenever faced with difficulties, he quickly devises solutions; he can even process a backlog of memorials in half a day, showcasing his exceptional strategic acumen. The successful diversion of water from the south to the north in Xiangnan not only proves his competence but also demonstrates his concern for the people, his early consideration for their needs, and his benevolent heart. Furthermore, his three brothers bullied him more than once; most people wouldn't have shown them mercy, but Xuanyuan Zhan possessed such magnanimity.
Xuanyuan Zhan is talented, resourceful, benevolent, and magnanimous; he is definitely a man of imperial talent!
How could he not love such a son!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
