Following the earthquake in Central China, one major event after another occurred in the imperial court.
The Crown Prince failed to provide adequate disaster relief, so the court issued an edict ordering him to return to the capital.
Originally, construction on some sections of the Grand Canal was suspended, but due to the severe shortage of supplies during the disaster period, coupled with the freezing weather, it was simply not suitable to continue excavation.
Left with no other choice, the imperial court ordered a complete halt to the Grand Canal project.
The Grand Canal project was conceived over a decade ago, and it was the largest project in terms of scope spearheaded by the Chengen Duke's Mansion.
His Majesty can just quit whenever he wants?
The Duke of Chengen was ill for several days because of the death of his great-grandson, but he still struggled to attend court.
He cannot fall. The Crown Prince has not returned, his eldest son An Yuan is not here, and the court cannot function without the Wei family.
"With the Grand Canal project halted, all previous efforts will be wasted. Has Your Majesty considered how much more manpower, material resources, and financial resources it will take to resume construction?"
His Majesty looked indifferently at the sickly Duke Cheng'en, feeling inexplicably pleased.
You've finally gotten sick too?
Haven't you always been good at making fun of me?
He said calmly, "The national treasury is empty, and I cannot cook without rice. If the Duke of Cheng'en is willing to lend me half a year's worth of silver, I will naturally continue. Duke of Cheng'en, are you willing to lend me silver?"
The Duke of Cheng'en was not supposed to look directly at the emperor, but at this moment he couldn't help but look at His Majesty.
Is His Majesty resorting to dishonest means?
Emperor Hui: Yes, I've been driven to shamelessness by your Wei family!
In a fit of anger, the Duke of Cheng'en recklessly declared, "Your Majesty, go and ask around! Who can lend Your Majesty half a year's worth of silver for this project? It requires 500,000 catties of grain a day; in half a year, that's enough to consume a mountain of grain. Who has that much grain?"
His cronies and officials then stepped forward in twos and threes, saying, "The Grand Canal cannot be halted."
"The project cannot be stopped, otherwise all previous efforts will be in vain."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider."
Half of the court officials remained silent, also feeling that stopping the project was absolutely unacceptable, but if they didn't stop, the national treasury would be empty!
This is a truly sad story.
Emperor Hui said quietly, "Don't even mention thinking it over. I think about it all day long. Where does the money come from and where does it go? My beloved ministers have no money, and the national treasury has no money either. So tell me, what should I do?"
"I believe that the court should once again issue a large notice to the households and conduct a bidding process, with an advance payment of six months' worth of silver, which will be considered a loan from the court and repaid in installments over the years. Those who wish to bid should sign a contract with the court."
His Majesty smiled and said, "The court also has a contract with the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion. If the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion can break its contract, can other people's contracts be guaranteed to be fulfilled?"
The Duke of Chengen was speechless after being rebuked, but he sneered inwardly: Ha, such a huge project can be stopped just like that. Aren't you afraid that the people will call you incompetent? What am I afraid of!
Let it stop then. Anyway, the big project is under the Zhou family's control, not the Wei family's.
Therefore, the Duke of Cheng'en said, "Your Majesty is right. In that case, let's stop the Grand Canal project!"
Gu Shaoyu, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "What Lord Chengen said is very true. Let's suspend the Grand Canal project and resume work as soon as possible after the natural disaster is over."
The faction led by the Duke of Chengen had no objections.
Gu Shaoyu said again, "Although it is suspended, the initial construction should not be abandoned. Why don't the Chengen Duke's Mansion return the project to the Ministry of Works first, and the Ministry of Works issue a document as soon as possible, ordering the local government to send people to carry out daily maintenance?"
Cheng En Gong and his gang unanimously agreed.
Handing it over to the Ministry of Works for maintenance by local officials would save the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion from having to bear the costs, which would be a great thing.
His Majesty looked at him suspiciously several times. What was Grand Secretary Gu up to?
As soon as the court session ended, Gu Shaoyu urged the Ministry of Works: "Hand over to the Duke of Cheng'en's residence as soon as possible, and order local officials to send people to maintain order. There must be no delay."
The Minister of Works couldn't understand why the profits went to the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion, but the maintenance during the construction stoppage was to be borne by the imperial court. Why should that be?
The Ministry of Works handed over the work to Wei Shixun with a bitter face, while Wei's gang was overjoyed. The Wei family had the confidence to take over the work if they wanted to, and to hand it over to the imperial court if they didn't!
His Majesty summoned Gu Shaoyu, dismissed everyone else, and asked Gu Shaoyu, "Why did you take on this project at such a difficult time?"
If we still rely on local governments to maintain it, isn't that just spending the imperial court's money?
Emperor Hui became increasingly uneasy and, holding a soft brush, threatened to tap him on the head again: "If you can't give me a proper explanation, I'll use you to fill the Grand Canal!"
Gu Shaoyu said calmly, "Your Majesty, I have a few questions for you. Are you willing to answer them truthfully?"
"Granted."
"Firstly, His Majesty planned this project, which benefits the country and its people, fifteen years ago. When the Duke of Cheng'en took on this project, was it through open bidding?"
"yes."
Have the relevant parties recused themselves from the conflict of interest?
"No." The candidates for the purchase method were all people of the Duke of Cheng'en.
Secondly, is the required funding for the project reasonable?
"After calculation, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works found that the figures were neither the lowest nor the highest, and were within a reasonable range."
"Were there any additional expenses incurred during the implementation?"
"Yes. The actual amount paid was more than ten times the original amount, but there were unavoidable reasons."
Fourth, how many officials are involved in the Grand Canal project?
"The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel... This is a comprehensive project, and all ministries are involved."
"Fifthly, this project employs 500,000 laborers daily. Are they remembering His Majesty's merits or praising the Duke of Cheng'en for his service to the country and the people?"
"......"
"Sixth, Your Majesty, who do you think will benefit the most from the soaring prices of food and other supplies caused by this earthquake?"
While the emperor's close advisors were still there, Emperor Hui's thoughts had already wandered off.
He and the late emperor fought against the Wei family, but they were never able to win. When the late emperor held his hand on his deathbed, he understood everything, even though the emperor didn't say anything.
However, even after half a lifetime, the Wei family remained an uncontrollable force.
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