Chapter 276 You Have Quite the Audacity
“First of all, the money was deposited by the people, and there would be risks if it were used in large quantities.” Seeing the emperor’s brow furrow slightly, Prince An continued, “Your subject believes that we should wait until the Duke of Chu has completed the reforms for half a year before conducting an accounting review of all the money shops, so as to know how much silver is in circulation in the money shops and how much the court has taken out for use, so that there will be no risks.”
The emperor nodded. "You're right, continue."
Prince An: "Although the court can use money from banks, it is still a loan, so the borrowed silver must have a reasonable channel for its use."
The emperor nodded again and asked, "What kind of channel do you consider reasonable?"
Prince An pondered for a moment, "There are channels that can generate monetary income. As for the specific channels, I still need to investigate."
The emperor smiled and said, "Indeed, we need to investigate this carefully. After all, it's borrowing money from the people, and we have to return it. Please continue."
“Yes,” said Prince An, “the money has been used where it can generate profits. In a few years, the national treasury will be even fuller, and then we can expand our military and expand our territory.”
The phrase "expanding territory" reignited the emperor's somewhat dejected spirit. He sat up straight, pondering the word over and over in his mind, even wanting to burst into laughter three times.
Expand our territory!
Which emperor wouldn't want to expand the country's territory during his reign?
"Excellent!" the emperor praised loudly, a smile on his face. But when his gaze fell on Prince An, the smile on his face slowly faded.
He hadn't expected that among his remaining sons, the most outstanding would be the one he had abandoned so early on. He felt uneasy, both because of his misjudgment and because of the mistake he made back then.
He picked up his cup and took a sip of tea to conceal his true feelings. After putting the cup down, he remained silent for a while before saying, "Your Uncle Prince Rui's research on firearms has made great progress. He has never served in the army and doesn't understand the battlefield. Go with him to the camp outside the capital and talk to the soldiers there to see what kind of firearms are more suitable for the battlefield."
"Yes." Prince An stood up and bowed to the emperor, his heart filled with indescribable excitement.
The emperor's words, though seemingly simple, gave him the opportunity to make contact with the camp outside the capital and the Marquis of Cheng'en. Moreover, with Prince Rui providing cover, he wouldn't stand out.
This was an opportunity given to him by the emperor.
"We must continue to keep an eye on Lingnan," the emperor added.
"yes."
The emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "Next month, we will hold a selection of consorts. Let the Empress Dowager choose a princess for you."
Upon hearing this, Prince An's heart tightened, and he stood up, saying, "Your subject..."
"Are you really going to refuse?" the emperor interrupted him, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
Prince An fell silent. He knew all too well how important a princess from a powerful family was to him. But he knew his own heart, and he knew he couldn't reveal the name of the woman he loved at this moment.
But he was unwilling to compromise like this. After a moment of silence, he knelt before the emperor and said, "Your subject does not wish to take a concubine now."
The emperor stared sharply at Prince An. This son was so intelligent; he should have understood his meaning. But he hadn't expected him to refuse. Didn't he know the benefits a powerful in-law family would bring him?
At this moment, Prince An said, "Your subject has himself and does not need others."
........
The room was silent. The emperor's sharp gaze remained fixed on the person kneeling on the ground. But the person kneeling stood ramrod straight, his gaze resolute, showing no sign of yielding.
After a while, the emperor chuckled and said, "You have quite the nerve."
Prince An remained silent, not because he was bold, but because he refused to compromise with fate.
"Rise," the emperor said. "I want to see how far you can go on your own."
You could hear the emperor's displeasure and slight sarcasm in his voice.
"Thank you, Father Emperor." Prince An rose and bowed respectfully again, but the Emperor waved his hand impatiently, "Go back."
"Yes." Prince An bowed and left. The emperor sat there in silence for a long time before asking, "Does he have someone else in his heart?"
Besides the emperor, only Zhao Fuquan was in the room, so the question was obviously directed at him. Zhao Fuquan thought for a moment and said, "This...this servant doesn't know."
"Hmph!" The emperor snorted heavily. "If he refuses to marry a concubine for the sake of a woman, it would be unwise of him."
Zhao Fuquan thought about the performance of the princes today, and after a moment of contemplation, said, "His Highness Prince An may also not want to be restrained."
The emperor paused upon hearing this, then a hint of unease crossed his face. He had been greatly aided by the Empress's maternal family, the Marquis of Chengen, in his ascension to the throne, but later, the murder of his second son with the Empress brought him both heartache and relief.
Marquis Chengen controls the military camp in the outskirts of the capital, and his family is a long-established and powerful family in the capital. He fears that if the second prince inherits the throne, the power of Marquis Chengen's family will become so great that it will threaten the imperial authority. But now it seems that Marquis Chengen's family is loyal.
Thinking of the Empress, the Emperor sighed. He and the Empress had been married since childhood, and their affection was naturally extraordinary. However, ever since their son was murdered, it was as if a wall had separated them. No matter how much he wanted to salvage the relationship, the Empress remained indifferent to him.
The emperor sighed again and said, "Yesterday, the Western Regions sent a lot of jade artifacts as tribute, didn't they?"
“Yes,” Zhao Fuquan said, “the Ministry of Revenue sent over the account books yesterday.”
"Send the account books to the Empress and let her choose some," the Emperor said.
"yes."
Zhao Fuquan went out and instructed someone to take the account books to the Empress's palace, while the Emperor picked up the memorials and continued reviewing them. As an emperor, he could not afford to be sentimental.
...
The Empress was somewhat puzzled when she saw the eunuch delivering the account books. She examined them carefully, then asked the eunuch, "Has His Majesty had his evening meal?"
"Not yet," the young eunuch replied dutifully.
Seeing this, the nanny beside the Empress went over and slipped a purse into his hand. Then the little eunuch said, "Today, His Majesty first summoned the Duke of Chu and several ministers. After the ministers left, His Majesty summoned several princes."
"Were all the princes summoned?" the Empress asked.
The young eunuch replied, "Yes, all the princes have been summoned, except for the sixth prince, who was the last to be summoned."
The Empress remained silent after hearing this, and the nanny immediately had someone escort the young eunuch away. After he left, the Empress gave a heavy snort, "He's testing the successor, isn't he?"
After saying this, her face showed deep sorrow. Seeing this, the nanny quickly advised, "Your Highness, we must look forward."
"If I were heartless, none of his sons would live," the empress said through gritted teeth.
The old woman sighed and said, "The Marquis is worried about you."
The Empress wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, closed them, and leaned back on the couch. If it weren't for her family, she wouldn't have made it this far.
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