One evening, Ye Guixue stayed over at the Shen Residence for dinner and left only after concluding the meal to return to the Duke Residence.
After Ye Guixue had left, Shen Xian commented about him to Su Rong, "Second Young Master Ye has indeed lived up to his reputation in appearance and character. He is genuinely a rare find. I must admit, the Nanchu King has truly put great careful thought into selecting a royal husband for you."
Su Rong nodded, "Well, he is my father after all."
His words amused Shen Xian greatly.
Lady Shen also concurred wholeheartedly, "The boy Guixue is indeed splendid. The fact that you have him and the backing of the Ye Xiang Residence when you go to Nanchu offers us some peace of mind."
Su Rong nodded again.
Before Shen Xian and Lady Shen, Su Xingze did not comment about Ye Guixue at all. Instead, it was on the way back with Su Rong to their accomodation that Su Xingze finally said, "Ye Guixue is indeed commendable."
Su Rong looked at him with surprise. She had thought that he had been telling Ye Guixue all her scandalous antics since childhood to deter Ye Guixue. Yet, she didn’t expect him to be praising someone positively, something he typically wouldn’t do. Zhou Gu was the first, and now Ye Guixue was the second.
"What’s with your eyes?" Su Xingze sighed helplessly, "As your elder brother, I just cannot help but worry about you going to Nanchu alone. Given your nature, it’s only a matter of time before your scandalous behavior is revealed, despite your efforts to hide it. It would be too late if you were to scare him off then."
Laughter bubbled up in Su Rong, "Brother, you worry too much. Ye Guixue won’t."
After all she’s done, including picking mushrooms and roasting wild chickens - if he wanted to despise her, he would have done so long ago.
Even though he was raised in the curt and rigid Ye Family, he had been incredibly tolerant towards her and didn’t mind her eccentric behaviour that was far from the proper conduct of a maiden. She had the vague sense that Ye Guixue seemed to like her free-spirited nature, and believed this wasn’t just her imagination.
Looking at her, Su Xingze seemed somewhat disgusted, "It’s a good thing you’re this confident."
Su Rong: "..."
Who talks like that if not your own brother? If they came from the same mother, such words shouldn’t have been heard.
When Ye Guixue returned to his Duke Residence, the warmth on his face had yet to fade. Looking up at him, Ye Qiuying asked, "Little Uncle, you’ve stayed so late at the Shen Residence. Do all the people there like you a lot?"
Ye Guixue smiled gently, "Yes."
Ye Qiuying was overjoyed, "Little Uncle, you’re the best. There’s no one who wouldn’t like you."
Ye Guixue pat her head affectionately, asking about her day at the Princess Residence. Ye Qiuying enthusiastically reported that Duanhua Princess was really fun, she brought her to play many amusing games. Princess Qingping also liked her very much, she wanted to have her stay over at the Princess Residence, but thinking that her Little Uncle would be returning to Nanchu soon and not knowing when she would see him again, she declined and decided to come back to keep her Little Uncle company.
After listening to her story, Ye Guixue nodded and softly told her, "Your Sister Su Qi says that after she and I return to Nanchu leaving the Capital City, she is thinking of settling you in the Eastern Palace, under the protection of the Crown Prince. Would you be willing?"
Ye Qiuying opened her eyes wide, "Why should the Crown Prince take care of me?"
Although she was very young, she knew that Yan Huisheng, the Crown Prince, was the heir to a country.
"If I leave you in Duke Residence, I won’t feel at ease. But if I take you back, I’m more afraid I won’t be able to protect you." Ye Guixue analyzed the pros and cons to her. Despite being only a four-year-old child, she was very intelligent, and without a mother from a young age, she had to become mature earlier than most.
Ye Qiuying nodded, asked in a small voice, "Uncle, am I a bother? Would I be a burden to the Crown Prince?"
Ye Guixue patted her head lightly, gently reprimanding, "You mustn’t talk about yourself like that, you’re not a nuisance, you’re our family’s precious gem. Your grandparents, your father, and I, we all hope you’re in good hands and unharmed. That’s why we decided to send you to Daliang. After all, in the future, Nanchu will be chaotic. There are swords and injuries everywhere, and we don’t want to lose you. But I am uneasy about you staying at Duke’s Residence, so your sister Su Qi suggested taking you to the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince will surely protect you from harm. Although it will be a bit of a bother to the Crown Prince, it’s not because you are inconvenient, it’s due to the situation. I will also repay the Crown Prince accordingly. As long as the Crown Prince agrees, you just need to live peacefully in the Eastern Palace."
Ye Qiuying nodded, pulling on Ye Guixue’s sleeve, "Uncle, Sister Su Qi is so kind. She even thought of my accommodations for you. She really treats you well too."
Ye Guixue chuckled, tapped her forehead lightly, "Little devil."
In the Imperial Palace, Minister of Revenue Feng Chang was so worried about the national treasury that his hair and beard had turned white, his face contorted like a bitter gourd, "Your Majesty, Old Duke Protector, the national treasury is almost empty."
The Old Duke Protector was annoyed, "Feng Chang, while the treasury is not brimming, it’s not as sparse as you claim. Otherwise, you would have lost your position as the Minister of the Revenue long ago. Stop talking about vague things in front of the Emperor. Do you really want the Emperor to personally come to your department to investigate the treasury’s stock?"
Minister of Revenue Feng Chang immediately knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, Old Duke Protector, the national treasury truly is almost empty. This year alone, Jibei’s General Pingxi’s Residence has requested military pay three times, and Your Majesty has approved each request, totaling up to eight million taels of silver. This doesn’t even account for the regular funds provided by the court to General Pingxi’s Residence. Not to mention the countless natural disasters over the past years. The heavy rains in the south the year before last caused the dams to collapse, resulting in the treasury spending two million taels for disaster relief. Last year’s northern hailstorm and gales caused trees to fall and houses to collapse, costing another million taels in disaster relief efforts. Although this year has been relatively peaceful, the military expenditure across the country is still significant. The national treasury really has no surplus left. I mentioned this when allocating funds to the General Pingxi Residence for the third time, Your Majesty."
Seeing the earnestness shown by the Minister of Revenue, which was almost leading to tears, the Old Duke Protector turned to look at the Emperor.
The Emperor’s face was also extremely gloomy, seemingly taken aback by the current state of the national treasury. Then what shall we fight with?
The Old Duke Protector was upset. He frowned at the Emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, the General Pingxi’s Residence has received an extra eight million in military pay this year? You have approved every one of their requests. How many soldiers does the General Pingxi’s Residence need to maintain to justify such high expenses? Even with my three grandsons in the army, and controlling half of Daliang’s military force, the Duke Protector’s Residence hasn’t demanded as many funds as the General Pingxi’s Residence."
The Emperor was speechless. It was indeed he who approved all of these requests. As for the reason, of course, it was to support the General Pingxi’s Residence. Once the General Pingxi’s Residence rises in power, he would not have to fear the Duke Protector’s Residence. Who would have thought back then that we would be going to war with Dawei?
The Old Duke Protector could clearly see what was going on when the Emperor remained silent. The General Pingxi Residence was the home of the Second Prince, Yan Lin’s wife. It served the dual purpose of suppressing the Crown Prince and reinforcing the palace’s power against the Duke Protector’s Residence. And General Zhang Ping, who knew how to play politics and flatter the Emperor, naturally had no difficulty requesting military payments, did he?
Compared to the abundance of military funds received by General Pingxi’s Residence in recent years, the soldiers under the Duke Protector’s Residence were tightening their belts, scrimping and saving. Even the small army controlled by the Crown Prince’s father-in-law, the Marquis Nanping’s Residence, had generous military funding.
The Old Duke Protector was so angry that his face turned blue. He stood up abruptly, not caring about the Emperor’s gloomy face, and angrily said, "Your Majesty, do you truly believe that without the Duke Protector’s Residence, Daliang will be stable, and the Dragon Throne beneath your buttocks will remain steady? Since the General Pingxi Residence has consumed so much military pay, let General Pingxi lead the charge in this war!"
After speaking, he didn’t care about the Emperor’s expression or thoughts, and angrily left.
The Emperor’s face became even gloomier, but since he knew he was in the wrong, even when the Old Duke Protector spoke such blunt words, he couldn’t allow himself to display his imperial wrath.
Sweat was dripping from Feng Chang’s forehead, soaking his back instantly. He could only think that only the Old Duke Protector would dare to speak to the Emperor in such a manner.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
