Wei You was confused by Yuan Xiu's words. It took him a while to sort them out before he understood. He asked, "Does Your Majesty intend to summon General Wang back to Changsui for a marriage ceremony, using him as a hostage to restrain General Wang?"
"No!"
Yuan Xiu was extremely satisfied with his plan and said smugly, "Wang Ren's wife is in Changsui City, so there's no need for anyone else to restrain her. Wang Yuluan is one of the Four Supreme Junior Generals personally appointed by me, a military general I want to cultivate. How can I keep him in a cage?"
"My purpose in bestowing this marriage is simple: I just thought it would be fun!"
"Wouldn't it be even more fun if it could sow discord between the Wang and Zhao families?"
Hahahaha!!!
Seeing Yuan Xiu laughing wildly, Wei You quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty has a keen understanding of people's hearts and a far-reaching vision. No one in the world can match your strategic thinking!"
"Your Majesty, the Princess's letter has arrived!"
Just as Yuan Xiu and Wei You were immersed in their joy, another eunuch ran in.
Yuan Xiu immediately disregarded everything else and hurried over to take the letter.
Wei You noticed that Yuan Xiu looked relaxed and had a big smile on his face when he read the letter, which meant that the contents of the letter must have been pleasant.
Yuan Xiu folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He then took out three drawings and said, "My elder sister said that after the驸马 (imperial son-in-law) sent me money, he felt that since he only donated money to my Imperial Palace but never actually gave me any gifts, these three drawings are toys he designed for me. Take a look."
Wei You took the blueprints and asked suspiciously, "What is this?"
Yuan Xiu said, "Isn't there a textual annotation on it?"
"seesaw."
"Human-powered carousel".
"Water slide..."
As Wei You watched, his eyes gradually lit up, and he murmured, "The prince consort is truly a genius!"
Yuan Xiu asked, "You think it's good?"
Wei You said, "In short, it's better than the toys I designed! Especially this water slide. The Prince Consort made detailed plans for its expansion, and the slope and length can be designed according to the size of the pool. The weather is about to get hot, and this project is perfect for Your Majesty to enjoy!"
Wei You sighed, "Leaving aside the prince consort's ingenious ideas, his sincerity towards His Majesty is truly rare."
"Hmph!" Yuan Xiu snorted coldly and said, "You think he has no conditions? My elder sister said that the Prince Consort's business has already covered Jingdong County and Shangyang County, but Jingbei County, which is sandwiched in between, has not been touched. Merchants from Jingbei County often come to Yanchuan to find her and the Prince Consort, hoping that the Prince Consort can expand his business there. Before I give his permission, the Prince Consort dares not make a move, so he would like to ask Your Majesty to grant his request."
Wei You pondered for a moment and said, "Jingbei County is in the northeast of Dajing, with Shangyang County to the west, Jingdong County to the east, and Yanchuan region to the south. It has indeed become a vacuum in the Prince Consort's business network."
Yuan Xiu asked, "Do you think we should agree to his request?"
Wei You said in a panic, "This is not something I should say!"
Yuan Xiu took the blueprints back and looked at them carefully for a while. He said, "Forget it. Since it's already a vacuum area, it's no harm to agree to it. With more business in another prefecture, I can get a bigger share. Most importantly, Jingbei Prefecture is bordered by the northern desert. When I establish a new prefecture in the northern desert, it will be easier to provide support if Jingbei Prefecture's economy is better."
As he spoke, Yuan Xiu handed the blueprints to Wei You and said, "Take these and have someone work on them together with your design!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Central platform.
When Wen Hu arrived, the four central ministers were arguing fiercely, and as he had predicted, the four voted in a tie.
The cause was that two prefectures in the northwest of Dajing were suffering from severe drought, and a large number of rioters emerged in both prefectures, showing a tendency to flee to Changsui City.
Although the Ministry of Revenue operated relatively well under Xu Shouli's leadership, the funds were used for other purposes, with the surplus only allocated to disaster relief.
Yuan Li's opinion was to provide disaster relief to Guliang County, because Guliang County was slightly closer to Changsui and could not be disturbed. Tianyong County, on the other hand, was bordered by the three counties of Xinbei to the north and the Great Yue Kingdom to the west. It was a border area, far from the emperor's reach, so the relief could be delayed.
Xu Shouli held a different opinion, believing that disaster relief should be provided to Tianyong County, precisely because Tianyong County was a border region, which made it all the more important.
Chen Changyun supports Yuan Li, while He Yin supports Xu Shouli.
Even after Wen Hu arrived, the four continued arguing.
Yuan Li said, "Guliang County is close to Changsui. If a rioter comes in droves, it will affect the morale of the people of Changsui and the order in the city. Tianyong County is adjacent to the three counties of Xinbei. Even if there is unrest, General Wang can suppress it."
Xu Shouli said, "But has Your Highness considered what the people of Tianyong County will think if we ignore Tianyong County and instead focus on Guliang County? Do they think the Empire has abandoned us? They are bordered by Dayue and the Western Regions to the west. If the rebels have such thoughts, they could very well be inviting trouble! During the reign of the late emperor, how many times did the Western Regions launch surprise attacks in western Dajing?"
"What about Guliang County? They are close to Changsui, and it would be even more dangerous if they rebelled! Are you going to disregard His Majesty's safety?"
"Your Highness is mistaken! Don't label me so arbitrarily! It is precisely because they are close to Changsui that we can better appease them!"
"Appease? How do we appease them?"
"Keep the city gates closed, set up camps and soup kitchens outside the city, and send high-ranking officials to visit and inspect the area. If it really comes to that, it's feasible for the four central ministers to go there in person. As long as we stabilize Tianyong County, we can use Changsui City as an example to inspire other regions and mobilize the entire nation to help Guliang County!"
"We'll go ourselves? What a joke!" Chen Changyun interjected. "Lord Qingdong, disaster relief is your Ministry of Revenue's business. And the fact that the Ministry of Revenue is out of money is also your responsibility. If you want to go, go yourself!"
Xu Shouli said, "I can go by myself, so... Minister Chen agrees with my opinion?"
Chen Changyun was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "I didn't! Don't try to trap me! I still support the Prince; we should prioritize disaster relief in Guliang County!"
Xu Shouli said sternly, "Don't be confused! If we don't help Tianyong County at this time, and the Dayue Kingdom lends a helping hand to the rebels, the people of Tianyong County will become alienated from Dajing!"
Chen Changyun said, "You're talking too far ahead. We need to solve the immediate problem. Besides, the Great Yue Kingdom is dirt poor; where would it get the money to help the rioters in the Great Jing?!"
He Yin walked between Xu Shouli and Chen Changyun, trying to smooth things over, and said, "Gentlemen, the Marquis of Sha County has been here for quite a while. Instead of continuing to argue, why not listen to his opinion?"
Yuan Li looked at Wen Hu and said, "Lord Sha County, you've understood what I'm saying, so why don't you share your thoughts?"
"There's no need for a meeting; I'll just vote directly."
Wen Hu stepped forward, his gaze falling on the map of Dajing. He glanced at Tianyong County and Guliang County in turn, and said, "I cast my vote for His Highness Prince Xin and support disaster relief for Guliang County."
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