Chapter 567 Court Turmoil
"Lord Shen, please tell me what happened?"
Xiao Yuanshan spoke in a tone that was neither too harsh nor too soft, and looked toward the Minister of Revenue.
Minister of Revenue Shen stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, it is not that I am unwilling to allocate funds, but that the Ministry of Revenue has no funds left to allocate."
"You're talking nonsense! How could there be no money to allocate? Do you not know how much money the Duke of Chi brought back a while ago? What is not enough?" Minister of Works Wang immediately flew into a rage.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanshan looked back at Chi Heng with an ambiguous expression.
Chi Heng pretended not to see it and remained drowsy.
If it weren't for the fact that he had few people in the court and that he wouldn't know the current situation without coming, Chi Heng wouldn't have wanted to come at all.
Minister of Revenue Shen glanced at Xiao Yuanshan and then said, "The things that Duke Chi brought back went into the national treasury, not the Ministry of Revenue. His Majesty is seriously ill and unconscious. How could I, as the Minister of Revenue, dare to open the national treasury without authorization? Furthermore, the floods in Jiangnan destroyed the dikes. It was your Ministry of Works that built the dikes, which were faulty and unable to control the floods. Minister Wang should think about how to apologize to His Majesty."
"You, you're simply being unreasonable! That dike has been under construction for over fifty years. It was completed during the reign of Emperor Taizu. This year, Jiangnan has experienced a year of disaster, with torrential rains lasting for many days. It's understandable that some parts have been damaged. What does that have to do with my Ministry of Works? Furthermore, not to mention that the Ministry of Works is responsible for the disaster relief funds for the Great Wilderness, I haven't seen it, Lord Shen. His Majesty previously issued an edict ordering us to cooperate with the Great Wilderness Pacification Commissioner. Now that the Pacification Commissioner is requesting disaster relief funds, you keep making excuses. What are you trying to achieve?"
"Lord Wang, don't think you're safe just because you didn't repair it. You can't escape the charge of negligence. If you had repaired it earlier, you could have avoided disaster!" Lord Shen said, frowning to himself. "As for the Great Wilderness, hasn't the Pacification Commissioner already requested grain from neighboring prefectures? The Ministry of Revenue has no silver to allocate right now. Even if Lord Wang forces me, I can't conjure up any silver. Unless..."
He paused, then added, "Unless we consult the Emperor, we risk disturbing His Majesty's presence."
Upon hearing this, Lord Xie, who had been listless, perked up his ears and finally caught the key point. He stepped forward and clasped his hands, saying, "His Majesty is seriously ill now. You must not disturb him. Therefore, we can only ask Your Highness to make a decision."
"Yes, Your Highness, please provide a plan."
"Lord Xie's words are reasonable."
In the imperial court, nearly half of the high-ranking officials echoed this sentiment.
The rest were either people with personal grudges against Xiao Yuanshan or descendants of the major families from back then.
Minister of Works Wang listened, his brows furrowed deeply. He looked questioningly at Minister Wang Yong, who had remained silent at the head of the table.
Wang Yong nodded almost imperceptibly. The next second, the Minister of Revenue said in a cold voice, "Your Highness has his own decisions, but you surnamed Shen, don't think we're all fools. You keep crying poverty, saying you have no money, but we've seen your Ministry of Revenue's silver flowing into the Imperial Mausoleum like water. Who knows if you're lining your own pockets!"
"Lord Wang, are you making baseless accusations?"
Lord Shen's face turned ashen: "The repair of the imperial mausoleum has always been of paramount importance, concerning the lifeline of the nation. Moreover, someone has reported that the Empress Dowager's sleeping quarters are leaking. How come your Ministry of Works keeps saying you're too busy, while my Ministry of Revenue personally sent people to repair it, yet you slander me like this? What, does Lord Wang think that the imperial mausoleum shouldn't be repaired?"
As soon as these words were spoken, every single adult around them echoed them.
Obviously, no one dared to say that the restoration of the imperial tombs should be put on hold and disaster relief should be prioritized.
Lord Wang clenched his fists and couldn't help but glance at the Regent in front of him.
The Grand Empress Dowager is the Regent's mother and also his Achilles' heel; even mentioning her might displease him.
Taking a deep breath, Lord Wang puffed out his chest and said, "The imperial mausoleum should be repaired, but it shouldn't cost too much money, right? When His Majesty was seriously ill before, he instructed that 'the people should be the foundation.' Have you all forgotten that? Our dynasty has always governed the country with benevolence. If His Majesty knew this now, he would definitely put the matter of the imperial mausoleum on hold for the time being and allocate the money to the disaster area first."
In fact, everyone knew this, but at this moment no one dared to step forward and speak, and they all silently watched the prince's expression.
"Lord Wang, you are mistaken! The repair of the imperial mausoleum is a matter of national importance. If the very foundation of the nation is damaged, can Lord Wang bear the responsibility?" Marquis Xie coldly retorted.
At this moment, Xiao Yuanshan's gaze fell on Grand Secretary Zhang, who then slowly said, "The relief funds for disasters must not be lacking, and the imperial tombs should naturally be repaired as well. In my opinion, the funds allocated for the imperial tombs should be divided into two parts: one part should be sent to the Great Wilderness for disaster relief, and the other part should be sent to Jiangnan. In this way, it can be considered a blessing from the imperial family to the people. A truly admirable story."
Lord Wang, however, seemed to have made up his mind and suddenly said, "It's alright to postpone the imperial mausoleum. It's not the rainy season now, but we can't delay dealing with the disaster victims. Why don't we just bestow all our blessings upon the people? Once we get through the disaster, we'll surely have money after collecting taxes, and then we can carry out a major renovation of the imperial mausoleum to show our respect for the imperial benevolence."
Upon hearing this, everyone around gasped in shock.
For a moment, everyone looked towards Xiao Yuanshan.
The atmosphere around them seemed to freeze instantly. Xiao Yuanshan squinted and looked over, meeting Lord Wang's unwavering and fearless face. He then chuckled softly.
"What Lord Wang said makes sense. However, since His Majesty is seriously ill, I will make a decision today. Send men to open the national treasury and provide disaster relief."
The moment those words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.
Even Lord Wang was stunned for a moment.
Wang Yong, Chi Heng, General Wan, and the others frowned and looked at Xiao Yuanshan.
Xiao Yuanshan frowned slightly and sighed: "I will not let the people be displaced. Men, go and open the national treasury to provide disaster relief. If the Emperor blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone."
"Your Highness is a great blessing to the country and its people. With you here, it is truly a blessing for Dajing."
"Yes! Your Highness cares deeply for the people; you are truly a blessing to them."
"Exactly, exactly."
Just as everyone was offering their compliments and echoing their sentiments, a voice, neither too loud nor too soft, suddenly rang out.
"The Regent is really very busy."
Upon hearing that familiar sound, everyone looked up towards the imperial court in a daze.
The emperor, who was rumored to be seriously ill, was slowly being helped into the main hall by a woman.
He sat on the dragon throne, tall and upright, with a calm expression.
The entire hall of ministers fell silent the moment he stepped onto the steps.
It was the chief eunuch who was announcing the arrival who first came to his senses, shouting in a trembling voice, "The Emperor has arrived! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
It took everyone a moment to come to their senses, and they knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"
Even Xiao Yuanshan was stunned at this moment.
He stared at the emperor's face for a long time, then squinted and shifted his gaze to Jiang Nuanzhi, who was standing in front of the emperor.
Jiang Nuanzhi could see it clearly; it was a killing intent that felt almost tangible. But there was nothing she could do but stand there, like a wooden stake.
The Emperor, however, seemed quite pleased with the reactions of his courtiers. He settled comfortably in his wheelchair and casually waved his hand, saying, "My dear ministers, please rise. What's wrong? I've been receiving excellent medical care lately, and my health has improved considerably. Aren't you all happy about this?"
My brain has been completely fried these past couple of days; I've been writing and deleting, deleting and writing. The detailed outline only came together today, and I'll be back to normal updates for you all tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)
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