Chapter 65: The first release happens to be a carrier of power...
Zhao Changning was not surprised and had prepared himself mentally in advance.
However, to her surprise, Zhou Hai got angry again this time, but he was supporting her.
There was nothing wrong with what Zhou Hai said. Now the treasury was empty and the court was poor. Even paying the officials' salaries was insufficient to cover expenses. So many people had been laid off in the palace. If they didn't increase revenue now, they might not be able to pay the salaries. Let's see who will cry in the end.
"Your Majesty, please write down all the names of those who disagree. When the Ministry of Revenue allocates funds for salary payments, skip over them..."
These words were so offensive that someone started scolding him immediately.
"We're both officials in Dayong, loyal to our country. Is it wrong to discuss everything in detail and repeatedly? You start by threatening me with my salary. Isn't that too vicious?"
"That's right. Everyone relies on salary and the emperor's grace to make a living, but you are so capable..."
Zhou Hai was scolded so badly that he huddled aside and dared not say a word.
However, this was not what surprised Zhao Changning the most. What surprised her the most was that not everyone made a fuss about her identity as a woman. It seemed that they had become accustomed to her existence. Some people were analyzing rationally, while others were trying to take advantage of the situation. More people were pessimistic about sea transportation.
Including the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.
Zhou Min, the Minister of Works and one of the cabinet elders, said, "The warships built by the Ministry of Works should only be used in war, and must not be used by merchants for profit. If war breaks out, without warships, wouldn't the navy be blind?"
Sun Zhidao, the Minister of War and one of the cabinet elders, said, "The same applies to the Ministry of War's warships. They absolutely cannot be used as merchant ships. There is no such precedent."
Zhou Yun and the others in the hall argued until their mouths were dry, and finally they stood up calmly.
"Your Majesty, maritime transport is a waste of money and labor. Putting aside the question of whether we can earn back the money, the preparations that must be made in advance are accompanied by various risks. If they go to waste, the consequences will be disastrous. Not to mention the high cost of warships. Whether they will be profitable or not when used as merchant ships is still debatable. More importantly, the Maritime Customs has been operating in this way for many years. If there is a sudden change, what official positions should be added? This will also be a considerable expense. In addition..."
Since Zhao Changning had no right to speak at the court meeting, he could only shut up and listen to their quarrel, feeling very annoyed.
The emperor did not have so many rules. He only had one thing on his mind now, which was that the treasury had no money. As for other things, he didn't care much.
If it weren't for other money-making matters, they would be firmly controlled by corrupt officials and we wouldn't be able to intervene for the time being, for fear that if we weren't careful, there would be widespread public resentment and people would suffer.
Besides, he had said long ago that the world was changing and these old men could no longer keep up.
He turned to look at Zhao Changning and said gently, "Nu Shu Ling, after hearing so much, what are your thoughts?"
Zhao Changning knelt down and saluted, and after receiving the signal, she walked down the imperial steps and headed towards the center of the court she had longed for.
The blood in her body began to boil again, her scalp felt numb, and her hands and feet felt weak as if she was drunk.
After so long, she finally stood in this long-dreamed-of place, officially standing together with these officials, although she was met with disapproving gazes.
"The Prime Minister said that sea transportation is a waste of money and labor, but Changning disagrees. I still remember when the late emperor was alive, the entire court opposed the construction of the Nanjing Canal, everyone yelling at the top of their lungs, "No, no, no!" But what about now? That canal, only twenty miles long, has carried countless ships from Dayong in just a few years? A canal that can carry 400 tons of cargo at a time."
She turned her head and looked around the crowd. "This, the Grand Canal Governor Yu should know best. How much benefit has that canal brought to Dayong? I still remember that when Lord Sun's son built his mansion, he specially transported timber from the canal."
Upon hearing this, Yu Dewei glanced at the emperor, then nodded and said briefly, "It is indeed as the female secretary said. Dayong is now inseparable from this canal."
Sun Zhidao scoffed, "What does this have to do with shipping? You are such a sweet-talking woman, don't talk nonsense."
Zhao Changning didn't bother to pay attention to the man and continued, "Of course it is related. Changning wants to say that you gentlemen should take a long-term view. Things that seem difficult now will benefit the country and the people in the future. Besides, the Prime Minister's concerns are really unnecessary. There is no need to increase any official positions. Changning will lead the female officials to take charge of this matter together. No one will be implicated, and no one will be displeased with the female officials."
Sun Zhidao flicked his sleeves and scowled coldly, "How can this be so disrespectful?"
Zhao Changning looked towards the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.
"As for the warships, now that the Japanese threat has subsided, they still need to be maintained, which requires a lot of manpower and resources. Shouldn't this cost be paid for by the national treasury, or by your Ministry of Works or Ministry of War? Besides, I heard that there are too many warships on the sea to fight the Japanese, and each one is made of high-quality wood at a huge price. Some people are even trying to dismantle them, saying that they want to take the good wood back..."
Zhou Min's eyes narrowed as she looked at Zhou Changning coldly, "Nu Shu Ling, you can't say such things carelessly. Do you have any evidence?"
Zhao Changning just wanted to start sea transportation as soon as possible and didn't want to cause any trouble, so he stopped there.
She smiled, her smile intriguing. "I just want a ship. Lord Zhou and Lord Sun, please don't bully me because I'm a woman and don't understand government affairs. And don't bully me because I don't know the navy. When the late emperor was alive, I knew the navy's movements faster and more clearly than you do. It's just a ship. I haven't encroached on anyone's interests. What I did was all for Dayong, without any selfish motives."
Everyone present looked stern. Zhao Changning served the previous emperor until his death and was now serving the new emperor. Her status was extremely special. She knew a lot and was qualified to say this.
Besides, are there really so many warships that we need to dismantle them and get the wood?
When many people heard this, their eyes began to flicker, and they glanced towards the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War. After all, things in the court have always been like this, you fool me and I fool you, and the dismantling of warships has happened before.
When Zhou Hai heard this, he jumped out again. He was very poor recently and was just like the emperor. As long as he could make money, he would agree.
"Great, great! We have to check, we have to check. Has the money from the timber sales been recorded? Ah? How many warships are there now? Are the damaged ones really damaged?"
Gao Yun interrupted him and said in a deep voice, "We're just discussing this now, and nothing has been concluded yet. Why are we the first to start a quarrel? This is the imperial court, not your own backyard. If you have any questions, please submit a memorial to clarify."
Zhao Changning had to give the old man some face, so he lowered his head and did not argue. He stood with them, waiting for the emperor's words.
The emperor was not biased, fearing a real fight would break out, so he simply said, "I don't think there's any hope for today's matter, so why not discuss it tomorrow?"
Zhao Changning also knew that today was just a test, but he still felt very unwilling.
After the court was dismissed, the emperor did not ride in a sedan chair, but walked with Zhao Changning.
"Are you confident about this?"
Zhao Changning nodded firmly. "Of course, Your Majesty, I have no selfish motives, and I don't mean to muddy the waters. Everything else is fine, but I absolutely must have warships. Building them now would be a waste of time, effort, and money."
The emperor also understood. When he heard that it would cost more money, his brows knitted together like mountains. "I trust you. You don't need to worry about the warships."
It seems that this fight is going to continue. Thinking of the twisted logic of those old foxes, he couldn't help shaking his head.
The matter was at a standstill for the time being. Zhao Changning couldn't resist the idea. Why couldn't she agree? Whose interests had she taken advantage of this time?
As she thought about it, she felt a little annoyed and simply left the palace.
Now that she had a carriage, she asked someone to go to Shuier Lane to notify Taiping in advance, and Taiping would come to pick her up in the carriage.
Arriving at Shuier Lane, Zhao Changning ignored everything and had no time to pay attention to the nagging Grandma Xu, so he went straight down to the cellar.
She sat on the pickle jar, looking for the booklet that Hu Gouer left for her. She read it for a long time until she felt dizzy, but after her mind became clear, she was still a little confused for a while.
Back then, she was able to threaten Zhou Hai only because the timing, location, and people were right. Now that so many people are against her, can she threaten everyone?
cannot.
Can she get everyone to support her?
Neither can I.
One cannot fight alone. She cannot escape this court. Even the emperor is calculating and patient. When he hears of a lion hunting, he waits for the perfect opportunity. Why can't she endure? Why can't she wait?
She leaned against the jar, hugged her legs and stared blankly.
Mingxuan hurried down to the cellar and saw Zhao Changning lying on the ground. He didn't know whether he was unconscious or asleep. The candle next to him was about to go out. If he didn't wake up, he would be in danger.
He quickly picked up Zhao Changning, held her in his arms, gently patted her face, and splashed the water he brought down on her face.
"Miss Changning, Miss Changning?"
Zhao Changning opened her eyes dazedly, and after seeing Qingmingxuan's face, her pupils suddenly shrank. The vigilance she had developed over the years had naturally become a habit for her.
She pushed him away, frowning, and said sternly, "Who told you to come down?"
The cellar was dark and Mingxuan didn't see anything, but seeing her packing the books in a panic, he knew that these things must be precious and she didn't want outsiders to see them.
He bowed and clasped his fists in apology, "I'm sorry, Granny Xu asked me to call you, but you didn't respond no matter how I called, so I thought I'd come down to check, and sure enough, you were already lying down. The air in this cellar is turbid, and it's full of pickles. It's unsafe to stay there for too long. I didn't mean to come down here. Don't worry, I didn't see anything. I'm sorry."
Zhao Changning was unhappy and ignored it. He just locked the box buried inside and then walked out of the cellar.
Seeing how dirty she was, Granny Xu quickly bent down and patted her, "Girl, are you okay? How did you get so dirty? Don't stay so long next time..."
"Grandma Xu, can you still do this job?" Zhao Changning said coldly, "I told you that no one else can go down into this cellar except you and me. Let it go this time, but if it happens again, you won't have to stay here with me anymore."
She flicked her sleeves and left, leaving behind Grandma Xu with a dazed look on her face and Mingxuan with complicated eyes.
Zhao Changning asked Yunsheng to drive directly to Gao's house. She didn't want to waste time and communication was the most effective solution.
The Gao family's steward, Ding, is a capable man. He only met Zhao Changning once, and it had been such a long time that he remembered his face.
This time his respect was genuine, and he wore a smile on his face. "My Lord said that the Celestial Lady Scribe might come over these days, so he asked me to come and see her from time to time. I actually ran into her, what a coincidence."
Zhao Changning looked at him and smiled. If she hadn't seen the servant running back to report the news after they entered the alley, she would have almost believed it.
He is indeed from the Prime Minister's family and is truly no ordinary person.
"Does the Prime Minister know that I am coming?"
Steward Ding smiled and said, "Yes, our master has always been very good at predicting things. Please come in, female secretary."
Zhao Changning looked up at the plaque inscribed by the late emperor. It had probably been sprinkled with gold powder again, making it sparkle brightly. He followed a winding path and arrived at Gao Yun's study.
The bamboo at this time is much greener than last time.
When Zhao Changning entered the study, he saw Gao Yun practicing calligraphy. He was wearing a royal blue kesi silk shirt with cloud patterns, which was the imperial tribute fabric from the Maritime Customs last time.
She sneered in her heart, and then took another look. His handwriting was somewhat similar to the emperor's. Thinking of Gao Yun being the prince's tutor, she thought that the emperor must have studied with him. Scholars care most about their teachers.
Gao Yun didn't speak for a long time, but just kept writing.
Zhao Changning sat for a while before she realized that he wanted to use his status as the emperor's former teacher to intimidate her. She sneered in her heart, thinking that now, based on their closeness, she was the most trusted person around the emperor.
She sat there quietly for a while, drinking tea and eating snacks. After a while, she noticed that Gao Yun's hands were shaking from holding the pen for a long time.
"Prime Minister Gao is old, please be careful with your wrist and eyes, don't force yourself."
Gao Yun didn't even raise his head. "Nu Shuling, you don't understand. This is about practicing calligraphy. It's about cultivating your Qi with a calm mind. If you like it, I'll give you a set of four treasures of the study. You can practice when you have nothing to do. After all, you are young and need to cultivate your Qi."
Zhao Changning could hear the sarcasm in his words, which meant that she was young and impatient. She smiled and said, "Then Changning thanks Prime Minister Gao for the gift. I will practice hard when I get back."
Gao Yun put down his pen after hearing that she was flexible. His face was becoming more and more wrinkled, with spots on it, and he could hardly open his eyelids.
"The Nv Shu Ling came to see you about opening a shipping company?"
Zhao Changning was a little surprised when he heard him take the initiative to bring up the topic. He thought he would engage in a long and witty exchange.
"Yes, Prime Minister Gao is highly respected. Changning came to see you, hoping that you could give me some advice so that I can learn from you."
Gao Yun sighed and spoke earnestly, "Your Majesty is young and has not experienced many things. You and I are fooling around together. Opening the sea is not something you can achieve simply by talking. You said you want to make porcelain in Jiangxi. Jiangxi has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times, and has always been known as the granary of the south of the Yangtze River. I don't deny that your porcelain making is profitable, but money can move people's hearts. If everyone makes porcelain, everyone digs the soil to make porcelain, who will farm the land? How much firewood will be consumed to open a kiln? Have you ever calculated it? Are there so many trees on the mountains in Jiangxi? Can they withstand being cut down? If all the trees are cut down, how much fertile land will be destroyed by a heavy rain? Have you considered it?"
Zhao Changning smiled and said, "Prime Minister Gao is right. People move and live, trees move and die. With millions of people in Jiangxi, is there really a shortage of people making porcelain? The trees you mentioned aren't that difficult. I'll have people buy the seeds, and I'll plant them after I cut them down. I don't think any of what you mentioned is a problem. After all, isn't the purpose of life to solve one problem after another?"
After hearing her nonsense, Prime Minister Gao looked unhappy.
"Do you think you're really capable of this? The court isn't as simple as you think. Furthermore, you're a woman. Have you ever thought about what would happen to you if the emperor no longer trusted you?"
Zhao Changning could tell he was trying to persuade her to leave, so she pursed her lips and said solemnly, "I understand everything you said. Unfortunately, I don't have the same opportunity as you to think about whether it's worth it or what my future will be like. I only know that fate has pushed me here, and I must stand here, otherwise my fate will always be an unknown corpse in a mass grave."
She said in a strong voice, "I came to you today to tell you that power is not eternal and is always in flux. For example, between father and son, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, emperor and ministers, nation and people, one rises while the other falls. The reason I can sit here is because today, I happen to be the carrier of power, and I happen to be a woman..."
Gao Yun's expression became solemn, and a strange light flashed in his turbid eyes.
Zhao Changning stood up and asked sincerely, "Sir, if the man standing before you right now was a man who had won the first, second, third, or two places in the imperial examination, would you still deliberately ask these ridiculous questions?"
He underestimated her and always looked at her through the crack of the door.
Gao Yun was speechless for a moment.
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The author has something to say: [heart][heart][heart] Good morning, babies!
Woohoo, power struggles are too cold and too difficult. I won’t write them again next time. Woohoo [burst into tears]
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