Chapter 82 Reconciliation
Zhuang Wan lay in the rocking chair by the waterside pavilion, thinking for a long time before she came up with a rough plan. First, she would smooth things over with Pei Xingju, then she would use both reason and emotion to talk him out of breaking up.
She did what she said and borrowed the kitchen of the palace that day, intending to make some pastries for Pei Xingju.
Over here, Pei Xingju was discussing matters with his colleagues in Mingxiao Palace.
Although the imperial court had moved to the temporary palace, the burden of worrying about things remained the same as when they were in the capital. The most pressing task was to attack the Japanese pirates, and a dispute arose over whether the court should allocate funds to purchase military rations locally or have the rations delivered from the imperial warehouses.
The Hou Party believed that it would be more convenient to allocate money from the court to purchase grain nearby, but the Qingliu Party did not trust the Hou Party and was worried that they would interfere. The money from the court might be embezzled by corrupt officials before it even reached Minzhou, and by then, the war that could have ended in two or three months would probably drag on for a year or two.
"Who benefits from a prolonged war?" The Qingliu Party snorted disdainfully, "Of course, whoever manages the money benefits!"
The Ministry of Revenue was in the hands of Duke Xin, and he almost pointed at Duke Xin's nose and scolded him.
Duke Xin's face darkened, but he was too lazy to argue with the elders of three dynasties, so he turned to ask Pei Xingju in an ambiguous tone.
"What do you think, Master Pei?"
Pei Xingju said calmly, "Lord Shen and Lord Feng are both right. If we allocate money from the court, the amount will be huge and will inevitably be embezzled by many levels of corruption. However, if we allocate grain from the court's granary, the journey to Minzhou is long and the transportation will be time-consuming and laborious, and the supplies along the way will also be a huge expense. How about this? I have an idea that will satisfy both parties."
Everyone looked at him, and Pei Xingju said, "The court has issued an order to borrow grain for the war from the granaries of Minzhou and the surrounding provinces. Apart from other places, Yizhou to the west is known as the world's granary, with a considerable amount of grain stored every year. We are lending it to the court for the war. Fortunately, the autumn harvest is less than two months away, so it won't affect our livelihoods."
The Qing Party asked, "Master Pei's idea is good, but the reserve grain of each state has been borrowed. Who will replenish it next year?"
Pei Xingju: "Of course it's the imperial court that's paying for the war. The states are paying for the grain, and that's how we can deduct it from next year's taxes."
While this idea seemed fair and just, it effectively cut off the Hou Party's financial resources. Borrowing grain from various states and using it to offset the tax burden the following year, what else could they possibly earn?
Originally, the purpose of this war was to plunder the Houdang faction, and they had hoped to reduce losses by manipulating the process. Well, Pei Xingju said that they would not plunder the faction anymore, but to plunder from other places.
But Pei Xingju has plucked out the hair in other places, so won’t the Hou party be left with nothing next year?
Of course they refused to do so and unanimously opposed Pei Xingju's idea.
However, the Qingliu Party strongly supported the idea, actively working to prevent the Hou Party from gaining control. Thus, a war of words ensued between the two sides. The Qingliu Party consisted of well-read scholars, quoting from classics and citing scriptures with ease, and most of them were censors. These censors usually cursed people, so they found it easy to criticize the Hou Party.
After the showdown, the Hou Clan was savagely criticized. Even the personal morality of Lord Yang's eighty-year-old father who still took a concubine was exposed, and Lord Yang was scolded so much that he could not lift his head and his face flushed red.
The atmosphere in the palace was extremely tense, and the head eunuch was secretly debating whether to ask the emperor to smooth things over. At this time, someone quietly brought in a plate of cakes.
This pastry is truly delightful, filled with mung bean paste and shaped like a plum blossom, with osmanthus flowers sprinkled on top to embellish the stamens. It's soft, sticky, and refreshing, and looks delicious.
He quietly walked to Pei Xingju's side and said, "Master Pei, this was sent by Miss Zhuang, and she also left a message."
Pei Xingju raised his eyes and asked, "What are you talking about?"
The eunuch said, "Miss Zhuang asked Master Pei to savor it calmly."
Savor it quietly...
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingju's heart was filled with sweetness. She wanted him to be calm and taste it, which simply meant that he should not be angry and calm down.
This plate of cakes was sent by her to make peace.
He looked at the cakes on the plate. Each green plum blossom cake was small and delicate, showing the utmost care and effort. Gradually, his heart softened.
She was sensible enough to realize her mistakes.
He thought.
Just as he was about to raise his hand to take a piece to eat, the fat Lord Yang from the Ministry of Personnel took the lead in extending his hand.
He smiled and said, "We've been discussing this all morning. I'm hungry. I'd like to try a piece. Do you mind?"
Pei Xingju smiled: "Please."
Lord Yang took a piece.
With his start, the others followed suit. Perhaps they didn't realize the pastries were meant for Pei Xingju, and thought the eunuchs were sending them to fill their stomachs out of fear they might be hungry. So, without hesitation, they each reached out, sharing a piece.
There were only seven or eight pieces in a plate of pastries, but by the time I finished, there wasn't a single piece left.
Pei Xingju stared at the empty plate, his mood suddenly sour. He turned to Duke Xin, who was eating pastries, and said, "Since no one can come to a conclusion, why not let the emperor make the decision? What do you think, Duke Xin?"
“.......”
Duke Xin suddenly felt that the pastry in his mouth tasted bland.
This idea was proposed by Pei Xingju, and Pei Xingju is the emperor's man. How can the emperor make the decision?
Perhaps it was because everyone's tempers had subsided after eating the pastries, or perhaps it was something else, but the atmosphere in the hall began to warm up. The Hou faction was furious at being scolded, while the Qingliu faction was smug, saying, "Master Pei is right. The Emperor is the ruler of the country. What's the point of us arguing here? Of course, we have to listen to the Emperor."
The Hou Party still wanted to fight, but when they saw the Qingliu Party standing with their hands on their hips and looking like they were determined to fight to the end, they shut up in disappointment.
So, after finishing a plate of cakes, everyone dispersed.
Duke Xin walked out the door with a gloomy face, but after walking a few steps, he turned his head and whispered to his attendant, "Go ask the chef who made the cakes today, and hire him back to the mansion."
The attendant touched his head in confusion, thinking that their Duke usually doesn't like to eat cakes, so why is he suddenly concerned about this?
But he didn't dare to ask, and nodded quickly: "Yes, I will ask right away."
.
After saying goodbye to his colleagues, Pei Xingju returned to his residence and slowly stopped writing.
He thought again of the plate of cakes in the hall and felt it was a pity that he didn't get to taste them.
After a moment, he simply put down his pen and asked, "Where is Zhuang Wan?"
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