Chapter 138: You want both. What a nice thought
"How could this happen! The grain transport convoy was so close to the Imperial Capital, yet it was still robbed by bandits!"
"These bandits are so arrogant that they even dare to rob the imperial army's food and fodder. This is clearly a slap in the face of the imperial court!"
"Your Majesty, please give the order to suppress the bandits immediately!"
The ministers who supported the Regent were shocked and angry, and they all made their own suggestions.
Prime Minister Su exchanged glances with the Crown Prince and said loudly:
"Let's not talk about whether the food and grass were robbed by bandits. The regent has issued a military order, but now he has failed to bring the food and grass back on time. Shouldn't the prince give an explanation to His Majesty and the civil and military officials in the court?"
As soon as he said this, all the court officials fell silent for a moment.
Then, a minister who supported the prince echoed:
"That's right. The most important thing now is that the Regent failed to complete the military order!"
"The Regent should give an explanation!"
"Your Majesty, please deal with this impartially!"
The ministers who supported the Regent were not happy and said angrily:
"This incident was clearly caused by banditry, how can the regent be blamed entirely?"
"There are bandits so arrogant within a hundred miles of the Imperial Capital. It is clearly the fault of the Capital Military Department. The Regent should not be held responsible for this!"
The prince's group immediately responded:
"In the beginning, we opposed going to Jingguo to transfer grain because the journey was long and there were many variables, so it was impossible to complete! It was the Regent who insisted that he could do it and even issued a military order, so Your Majesty agreed. How can you now treat the military order as if it didn't exist just because of the bandit problem?"
"That's right! Since the Regent has promised to return with food and fodder on time, he should have calculated the dangers along the way and taken precautions in advance!"
"If you didn't do it, you didn't do it. Do you think you can avoid responsibility by using the banditry as an excuse?"
The emperor was annoyed by the noise and slammed the table:
"That's enough! Cough, cough, cough..."
He coughed anxiously and angrily, which frightened everyone. They stopped arguing and asked His Majesty to take care of his health.
The emperor coughed several times before he recovered and looked at Xiao Zirui tiredly:
"What does the prince think about this?"
Xiao Zirui had not participated in the debate until he was called out, then he stood up and sighed:
"Although I did not approve of your uncle's going to Jingguo to transfer grain, he insisted on signing a military order as a guarantee. In fact, I have always hoped that your uncle can succeed. After all, this matter is related to whether the Northwest Army can defend the border!"
"But I didn't expect that the emperor's uncle would still make mistakes due to his stubbornness!"
"I think that since there is a military order in place, we should follow it. Otherwise, how can we explain to the world if the royal family breaks its promise?"
Prime Minister Su immediately stood up to support:
"I second the motion! Your Majesty, please issue an order immediately, requiring the Regent to hand over his military orders and be confined to his residence for six months!"
"We second the motion!" Several important ministers stood up and said in unison.
"I think that's inappropriate!"
Qi Shiliang, the Minister of War, objected loudly: "The Northwest Army's grain supply should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. The Regent took on this responsibility for the sake of the country and the people. How can he be the only one to bear it if something goes wrong?"
"What's more, the barbarians on the northwest border are ready to make a move. The Regent is the God of War of Daliang. If his military token is confiscated and he is confined to his house because of this trivial matter, what if the enemy invades the border?"
The Minister of Revenue gritted his teeth, but knowing he was in the wrong, he could only shrink his neck and act like a quail.
Xiao Zirui snorted coldly:
"Without food and grass, what's the point of being called the God of War! If we continue like this, the 100,000-strong army in the northwest will have no choice but to retreat before the barbarians can attack us! By then, more than 30 cities in the northwest will all be at the mercy of the barbarians!"
"Minister Qi, if it really comes to this, can you take responsibility?"
The Minister of War choked and stopped talking.
But the generals who supported the regent were not happy and stood up immediately:
"The prince is so aggressive, do you have any food?"
"What's the point of talking so much when there's no food or fodder! After all, the Lord Regent has made many military achievements, all of which were won through hard work!"
"I'm a rough man, and I think whoever wants to hold the prince accountable should first solve the problem of food and grass! Otherwise, why do you do nothing but blame the people who do things?"
Xiao Zirui smiled preparedly:
"You all have a point! I was just about to say that!"
Then he turned to the Emperor and said:
"Father, do you still remember that day when I proposed to raise funds to buy grain from the wealthy merchants in the two states of Jiangnan?"
"Later, because the regent signed a military petition, the original plan to raise 200,000 dan of grain to purchase grain was reduced to 50,000 dan to prepare for emergencies."
The emperor nodded.
All the court officials present were aware of this matter. After all, the treasury was empty and there was no money to buy military rations. As a result, at the emperor's call, even the harem donated silver to buy food. Everyone contributed more or less.
Xiao Zirui glanced at the expressionless Regent and Yun Qingqing who had been silent beside him, and curled his lips in secret satisfaction.
"Father, please forgive me. I was worried that the Regent would not be able to complete the task of transferring grain, so I took the initiative to change the purchase of 50,000 dan of grain to 200,000 dan!"
The emperor was shocked:
"Really? If there really is 200,000 dan of grain, you have done a great deed this time!"
Xiao Zirui smiled and said:
"The food has been transported to the outside of the palace. Father can check it at any time!"
"It's just..." He changed the subject, "Originally, there was still some money left over from the donations to buy 50,000 dan of grain to fill the national treasury, but it's not enough to buy these 200,000 dan. I borrowed a lot of money but it's still not enough. I still have a debt of 100,000 taels..."
The emperor waved his hand:
"The Northwest Army's food supply is extremely urgent. You did the right thing! The money you advanced and the outstanding debts will all be recorded in the Ministry of Revenue's account!"
Many ministers secretly exchanged glances and sighed in their hearts, wondering where the Ministry of Revenue would get the money. They were afraid that it would call on all officials to donate again.
But when it came to the military situation in the Northwest, they did not dare to raise any objections.
Xiao Zirui then said:
"Father, have you forgotten that the Regent Princess promised that as long as I buy the grain back, she will pay for all the grain purchases!"
When the ministers heard about this, they immediately praised the Regent Princess for her great benevolence and righteousness and her devotion to the country. They placed her on a high pedestal, fearing that she would go back on her word.
After all, someone has paid the money, so they don’t have to donate any more money.
The emperor suddenly remembered after this reminder:
"It is true, Princess Regent, do you still count what you said that day?"
Before Yun Qingqing could speak, Xiao Zirui rushed to say:
"I believe that as the Princess Regent, she will not go back on her word, right? Otherwise, if the world knows about it, wouldn't the royal family be laughed at?"
Yun Qingqing glanced at him:
"Your Highness, there is no need to provoke me. Since I have said it, I will definitely do it."
Xiao Zirui suppressed the gleam in his eyes and felt proud.
He rushed to say those words just now in order to make Yun Qingqing admit the debt in public first, so as to prevent her from using it as a bargaining chip to exonerate the Regent!
He gave Prime Minister Su a look, and Prime Minister Su immediately brought up the matter of filing a military complaint again.
"Princess, your majesty is righteous, but a military petition is not a child's letter. I believe that the princess will not use silver to threaten the emperor and will not pursue the crime of dereliction of duty by the regent, right?"
Yun Qingqing sneered. This meant that they wanted her to pay money and take away the power of the regent at the same time. What a beautiful calculation!
Seeing the two groups quarreling again, the emperor frowned and said coldly:
"That's enough! Shut up, everyone!"
Only then did everyone calm down.
The emperor looked at Xiao Changheng and sighed:
"My dear brother, I know that you have worked hard all the way, but after all, you have signed a military order, and I cannot go back on my word in front of all the civil and military officials..."
"Your Majesty, wait a minute!" Yun Qingqing interrupted him, "The military order issued by the prince states that today is the deadline, which means that as long as today has not passed, it will not be considered overdue!"
The emperor paused, nodded and said:
"That's exactly the truth."
Xiao Zirui snorted coldly:
"What's the point of delaying it until tomorrow? Can he conjure food out of thin air?"
Yun Qingqing looked at him steadily and suddenly smiled:
"Then don't bother your Highness. I have another matter to confirm."
She turned to the Emperor and said:
"Your Majesty, this year the two rivers were flooded and the grain harvest was almost wiped out. Even the largest merchants could not store much grain."
"The prince said that he bought 200,000 dan of grain from a wealthy merchant. I really can't believe it!"
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