Chapter 206 The main point is a scam (1 update)

The fifth prince rubbed his fingers. The weather was getting colder and colder. Even with a charcoal basin, his fingers couldn't stand using an abacus every day.

"Your Highness, don't forget that you are still a member of the Ministry of Revenue! At the end of the year, there are all kinds of taxes and expenditures, which all need to be calculated and accounted for. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue now wish they could live in the government office and never leave."

The fifth prince stretched out his hands in front of Lu Zexu, "Your Highness, look! Look! My fingers are so rubbed out from using an abacus! But even so, the accounts can never be fully calculated!"

He clasped his hands together and looked at Lu Zexu expectantly, "Your Highness, I see that you are in good health, you should go back to the Ministry of Revenue to be on duty tomorrow. One more person means more strength!"

Lu Zexu immediately remembered the first time he went to the Ministry of Revenue and was given those account books to calculate. They were so thick and stacked so high that Lu Zexu shrank into the armchair and almost said, "Don't come over here. I don't want to work anymore."

Little did he know that before Lu Zexu could even open his mouth to refuse, the eldest prince Lu Ze'an spoke up, "The imperial physician has said that the sixth brother is in poor health and cannot work hard. He needs to rest. Since the Ministry of Revenue is so busy, you shouldn't come. If you had come here, they would have calculated several accounts!"

The fifth prince was so angry that his head was smoking, "Brother, you have never been in the Ministry of Revenue, how do you know the situation in our Ministry of Revenue?"

"It's usually very busy, and now it's the end of the year and we have to close the accounts. I wish I had eight hands! That's not all, the Ministry of War is still causing trouble for us at this time!"

"We haven't even finished settling our accounts, and you're already urging us to pay the military pay! How can we handle it?"

Lu Ze'an got anxious when he heard this, because he was the main force that needed the military pay!

"If you can't handle it, why don't you do it earlier? You know that the army has to be allocated military pay at this time every year, but you don't make preparations in advance and make me urge you!" "

Not to mention the camps near the capital, the generals guarding the border are all waiting for the military pay to eat! The winter is extremely cold, even in the capital, and it's even more bitter and cold at the border. If they are cut off from military supplies, once a war breaks out at the border, how can you expect those generals to resist the enemy?"

The eldest prince was so anxious about the military pay these past two days that he had blisters at the corners of his mouth.

This winter is colder than in previous years. Every winter, the Da Cang would invade the border city of Daliang in small groups, burning, killing, looting, and doing whatever they wanted.

At this time, the generals guarding the border should drive these bandits out. If the border troops are not well paid at this time, wouldn’t that give the Da Cang an opportunity to take advantage of it?

But the Ministry of Revenue was making excuses and opposed his proposals every morning, saying that the Ministry of Revenue was doing accounting. As a result, the eldest prince had to quarrel with the Minister of Revenue every morning.

But his verbal skills were not even one ten-thousandth of his martial arts skills, and he always lost the argument, which made him very angry.

Now that the fifth prince mentioned this matter, didn’t he vent all his anger on the fifth prince?

The fifth prince felt aggrieved as well, "Although what you said makes sense, this is only my first year in the Ministry of Revenue. The one in control of the Ministry is the Shangshu, and what I say doesn't count!" "

Besides, the military pay cannot be paid until the accounting is completed."

The eldest prince: "You--"

Seeing that the eldest prince was about to draw his sword in anger, Lu Zexu immediately stepped forward to mediate in case of bloodshed, "Come on, eat meat, don't waste such a delicious hot pot base!"

Lu Zexu used a serving chopstick to dip two slices of very thin mutton into each of the two men.

Seeing that both of them sat down to eat hot pot again, Lu Zexu continued, "Brother, you see, arguing with the Minister of Revenue every day in the morning court is not a solution to the problem. Since the Minister means to allocate military pay after the calculation, then you can help with the calculation!"

Lu Ze'an frowned: "I am from the Ministry of War. How can I interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue? It would be strange if the Vice Minister of Revenue is willing to do so?"

The little prince raised his hand and patted his shoulder, and said earnestly, "Brother, we need to open our minds and not be too limited!"

The eldest prince blinked. Why did this feeling and this tone sound so familiar?

"The Minister of Revenue doesn't want you to get involved in the Ministry of Revenue, but as Fifth Brother's brother, you see how hard Fifth Brother works every day, getting up early and working late, his fingers are worn out by the abacus beads, and he is so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat!"

"You care about your brother, so you help him count a few accounts. What can the Minister of Revenue say?"

Lu Zexu said confidently, "No matter how senior the Minister of Revenue is, he dare not stop his brother from caring for and helping his brother in front of the civil and military officials of the whole court. Otherwise, my father will spit on him without anyone else!"

Lu Ze'an's eyes lit up and he nodded continuously, "That's true!"

He thought more. If he helped with the accounting and recording, he could also understand part of the real situation of the Ministry of Revenue, including how much money was allocated to other departments. Then he could compare it with the military pay. If it was too little, he could make reasonable and well-founded suggestions.

Lu Ze'an thought this was a really good idea!

Seeing this, Lu Zexu began to fool the fifth prince again, "Didn't you say that there were too many accounts to calculate? Big brother's abacus is also very good. One more person means more strength, right?"

Finally, he had a helper. The fifth prince didn't care who it was. Now as long as there was a living person who could help, it would be fine!

The fifth prince was very sensible and filled the eldest prince's glass with wine himself, then raised his glass to toast, "Big brother, thank you for the hard work in the next few days."

The eldest prince liked such straightforwardness. He drank it down generously, "I will live in your house directly, is that ok?"

The sooner it is done, the sooner the military pay can be issued!

"No problem, of course no problem!" The fifth prince wished he could do more, so that he could be more relaxed.

Seeing that the two of them had also reached a mutual aid team, Lu Zexu raised the corners of his lips, very satisfied, and stroked the panda cub happily.

Finally, all the work was pushed out, and he didn't have to work.

Very good, very good.

He was just feeling happy when he heard the third prince who was forcibly assigned to the mud-mixing team speak, "We are so busy, but Your Highness seems to be very idle? As the crown prince of a country, isn't this inappropriate?"

Lu Zexu held one of the panda cub's paws, shook it at him, and said innocently, "I don't want to be a prince, so what do I need to be so suitable for?"

The third prince was stunned. How could he forget that his brother, the prince, was a weirdo?

But Lu Zexu still felt that it was not over yet. He urged him angrily, "Third brother, you are too slow. You are a prince now. If you take one more step forward, you will be the crown prince! Try harder!"

Third prince: "..."