Chapter 120 The Prince Has a Better Plan
The emperor looked solemn.
"Royal brother, this matter is of great importance. Are you really sure?"
The eyes of all the ministers were also focused on Xiao Changheng.
Suddenly someone stepped out and said:
"Your Majesty, the Regent has always been a master of strategy and has never fought a battle without confidence. This is obvious to all. I think that if the Regent is willing to guarantee the princess, this matter can be tried!"
The person who spoke was the Minister of War, who had been silent the whole time.
After he made this statement, several others came forward to second his proposal and support the Regent.
After all, there is really no better way to think of at the moment. The Regent has now taken on the responsibility of military rations, so why should they stop him?
Even the Minister of Revenue, who had always been on the same side as the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Su, stood up to express his support despite the Crown Prince's displeased look.
Xiao Zirui understood what he was thinking. Originally, the Ministry of Revenue had to provide the money for raising food and silver for the war, and he now wished someone would take over this hot potato.
Although some people stood up to support the Regent, Xiao Zirui, Prime Minister Su and others still opposed it. For a time, the Imperial Study was divided into two major camps, and they were at a stalemate.
The emperor felt a headache and slammed the table heavily, shouting:
"Okay, stop arguing!"
Only then did everyone quiet down.
The emperor coughed a few times, waved his hand tiredly, and had made up his mind.
He looked at Xiao Changheng:
"The Regent is the God of War of Daliang, and the Northwest Army is his direct line. I believe he will never treat the Northwest Army's food and grass as a joke!"
"Since my brother is confident that we can transport food and grass from Jing State, I will..."
He was just halfway through his words when he was suddenly interrupted by a voice from the messenger:
"The Queen has arrived—"
Xiao Zirui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was really worried that he would not be able to make it in time.
Ever since the Regent proposed to transport grain from a small country in the south, he secretly ordered his confidant to invite the Queen over, and she finally made it in time.
The emperor looked at the queen who walked in and frowned in confusion:
"I was in the middle of a meeting, why is the Queen here?"
The Queen bowed properly and said solemnly:
"I have heard about the urgent shortage of food for the Northwest Army, and I have come to help Your Majesty."
Although the ministers were a little surprised by her sudden appearance, they obviously had no objection.
Although it is a rule that the harem does not interfere in politics, it is well known that this Queen of Daliang is not subject to this restriction.
This is because the emperor and the empress are a young couple and are very affectionate.
He was just an unknown and invisible prince back then. He had been weak and sickly since childhood, and no faction had any hope for him.
It was only with the support of the queen and her family that he stood out from the complicated court affairs and eventually ascended the throne.
In recent years, the emperor has been bedridden most of the time and sometimes unable to handle state affairs. The queen feels sorry for his hard work and initially just hides behind the scenes to offer advice and help.
But since ten years ago, when the Emperor caught a cold and was seriously ill, Prince Rong took advantage of the situation to plot a rebellion, and the Queen discovered the clues. She acted decisively and took every step carefully, while stabilizing Prince Rong, she contacted his family, arranged the imperial guards, and laid a dragnet.
Finally, when Prince Rong led his men into the palace to force the emperor to abdicate, all the rebels were captured in one fell swoop. From then on, the queen was enthroned, and the emperor also said that Queen Chen was a meritorious official who protected the country, and she was qualified to participate in state affairs, which was not an overstep.
At this moment, the Queen suddenly appeared, and it seemed that there was a way to solve the food problem. All the court officials immediately became alert and were waiting for her next words.
The emperor was also excited:
"Does the Queen have any clever ideas?"
The Queen smiled:
"It's not a brilliant plan, but I have a way to buy enough food."
"Really?" The emperor said in surprise. "Eighty percent of our dynasty's grain comes from the Liangjiang area. This year's floods are severe and there is no harvest in the Liangjiang area. All the grain that can be mobilized in the country has been transferred to the area to provide relief to the victims. Can you really still buy grain?"
Historically, the national treasury was filled with grain in good years, and was used for relief in years of disaster. The amount of surplus grain left in the treasury depended on the severity of the natural disaster.
This year was the year when all the grain in the national treasury was emptied out for disaster relief. Not only that, the grain in the private sector had also been almost harvested, which was why the Emperor and the Ministry of Revenue were so worried.
The Queen nodded and said:
"What I said is absolutely true. The reason is very simple. Although the grain of merchants all over the country was requisitioned for disaster relief, the price sold to the national treasury was only equal to the market price in normal times. However, if the grain is hoarded in the hands of the state, it can be resold at a high price in private."
"Therefore, many merchants were unwilling to sell grain to the imperial court, and often only gave a small amount as a token of appreciation, but the bulk of the grain remained in their own granaries."
The emperor thought about her words and frowned again:
"These private merchants have always had their own policies and countermeasures. Since they have already purchased grain on a large scale, I am afraid that now everyone will say that their warehouses are empty. It is unrealistic to verify it."
"That's exactly what I want to say." The Queen smiled slightly. "My maternal grandfather was kind to a wealthy family in Quzhou in his early years. They have been in contact for many years. That wealthy family now has a large business and is quite prestigious in the Liangjiang area."
"If he is the middleman, those merchants would be willing to sell the grain in the warehouse to the national treasury."
When everyone heard this, they started discussing it and all thought it was feasible.
The emperor also nodded frequently.
Quzhou is located in the area of the Two Rivers. If we can buy enough food from here, the journey time can be shortened by two-thirds compared to the journey from a small country in the central region to the northwest.
"It's just that..." The Queen suddenly paused and changed the subject, "This year's grain harvest is poor, and the price of rice in the market is already ten times higher than usual. If we still buy grain from merchants at the previous purchase price, I'm afraid that even if there is a suitable person to mediate, it won't be possible."
After she said this, everyone fell silent again.
The emperor hesitated and said:
"Then what price do you think the Queen should pay to buy grain from the merchants?"
The Queen hesitated for a moment and said:
"It is wrong to take advantage of natural disasters to speculate on food prices. We certainly cannot really offer a price ten times higher."
"But since we are purchasing grain in the name of the court, if we use tough measures, we may lose the support of the people. So I think we should just purchase grain at three times the normal market price."
"This matter is urgent. If Your Majesty agrees, I will contact that old friend immediately and will be able to gather half a year's worth of food and fodder for the Northwest Army within half a month."
After she said this, the emperor nodded at first, but his face did not look relaxed at all.
"What the Queen said makes sense. If the merchants really have surplus grain, it is reasonable to spend three times the price to buy grain during this extraordinary period."
"It's just that... the treasury is empty. Where can we get so much money to collect grain?"
The Queen and the Prince exchanged glances and smiled slightly:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to donate one thousand taels and reduce my food and clothing expenses to half to pay for the grain collection."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Zirui also said:
"As the crown prince, I should devote all my energy to the country. I am willing to donate 10,000 taels to collect grain!"
The Emperor was very pleased:
"The Queen and the Crown Prince care about the country and should be role models for us!"
After saying this, he turned his sharp eyes to the ministers.
The ministers lowered their heads and sweated slightly.
How did this suddenly turn into a donation to buy military rations? And if it was just a token of appreciation, it would be fine, but the prince donated 10,000 taels at once, and even if the ministers did not donate that much, it would not be too much of a difference.
Wouldn't this cause them to bleed heavily?
When the emperor saw that no one said anything, his expression became gloomy again.
At this moment, Xiao Zirui suddenly spoke:
"As the regent, my uncle should set an example for the court officials. Besides, this is to raise food for the Northwest Army under my uncle's command. I believe my uncle will not disappoint my father, right?"
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