In no time, Thirteen's aloof reputation began to circulate among officials of all ranks in the capital, causing them to temporarily abandon their desire to curry favor with him. Look at how he even avoids seeing his own brothers.
The Fourth Prince was very supportive of the Thirteenth Prince's approach and began to visit the cabinet with him every day to help Kangxi manage state affairs.
After learning that the Fourteenth Prince was privately expanding his army in the Northwest using military rations and pay without reporting the names of court officials and was secretly hiding troops, the Thirteenth Prince had been thinking about how to report this to the Kangxi Emperor. The Fourth Prince disagreed with letting the Kangxi Emperor know, because he feared that if the Kangxi Emperor found out, it would be bad for his health.
That day, the two brothers were conducting their daily work at the Southern Fifth Bureau. It was the end of the year, and money was needed everywhere. Military pay alone had a shortfall of five million taels, which the imperial court needed to pay. Then there were the requests for silver from various government offices: repairs needed for damaged government buildings, post stations, and schools; road damage needed repairs; and then there were the annual scholarships allocated by the imperial court. Academies throughout the country were supported by the court, relying on these places to train scholars for the Qing Dynasty, so the annual silver allocation could never be insufficient.
"Everyone says the end of the year is tough! It really is tough! Fourth Brother, I've already checked the remaining silver in the national treasury, and it's not enough to cover expenses!" Thirteen said worriedly. He is now specifically in charge of managing the national treasury's silver expenditures, and Fourth Master is at ease letting him manage the nation's money.
"This situation started in the 57th year of Kangxi's reign, but no one dared to tell Father Emperor!" Fourth Prince said with a frown. The reason he put Thirteenth Prince in charge of the Qing Dynasty's treasury from the start was because he was his trusted brother and would not reveal the fact that the Qing Dynasty's treasury was actually running a deficit.
"Then why didn't you tell Father Emperor?" Thirteen asked Fourth Prince in surprise.
"Father knows, but he hasn't stopped those things. So as your son, I can only do my best to keep the Qing Dynasty running." The Fourth Prince sighed helplessly. "Over the years, the amount Father has spent on the repair of Jingling Mausoleum has exceeded the original estimate by more than three times. In addition, there are frequent floods and snow disasters in various places, and the amount of disaster relief funds allocated is countless."
"Fourth Brother, but on my way back, I found that the disaster situation in many places has not been alleviated. This year's snow is particularly heavy, and roads in many places are blocked. Many people have frozen to death. Does the imperial court know about this?" Thirteen asked.
"Since the beginning of winter this year, there have been continuous reports of snow disasters from various places. A total of three sums of money have been allocated for disaster relief. You came from the southwest, so did you pass through Gansu, Shaanxi, and Ningxia?" Fourth Master asked.
“Exactly. When I passed through there, I found that many places were blocked by heavy snow and deserted. If it weren’t for this old rheumatism in my leg, I would have liked to go in and take a look.” Thirteen said, rubbing his injured leg.
"By the way, did Doctor Liang visit your residence? I haven't had a chance to ask him about your injuries yet!" Fourth Master said.
"He told me that surgery would cure me, but I don't want to be bedridden again. With so many things going on in the court these days, I don't have time to lie in bed," Thirteen said.
"No matter how busy I am, I'll make time to get your leg treated first," Fourth Master said. "Starting tomorrow, don't come anymore. I'll have Doctor Liang come over to treat your leg."
"Fourth Brother, don't rush. My old leg injury is already like this, and the national treasury is empty. It's almost the end of the year, how can I hand over all this mess to you to handle?" Thirteen said anxiously.
"Thirteen, I'll find a way. You go get your leg treated first. The national treasury is empty, and we've been spending more than we earn for years. There must be a way," Fourth Master said.
Thirteen wanted to argue further, but other matters prevented him from doing so. The two brothers worked together in Nanwu, dealing with some year-end matters.
Meanwhile, Lanqin and Zhaojia were also drinking tea and eating snacks together. However, compared to the worries of the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince, the two of them were quite happy. Because it was the end of the year, the hot pot restaurant was doing very well, making a fortune every day.
The two were sitting in Lanqin's main room, with a warm, fragrant cup of milk tea on the table. Lanqin was wearing a casual light blue cotton robe, while Zhaojia was wearing a silver-red robe. She had come specifically to discuss the hot pot base with Lanqin today.
"Wenxiu, you should quickly persuade your thirteenth master to get his injured leg treated as soon as possible, and not delay it. I've already asked Doctor Liang, and he said that the bone wasn't set properly before, and it's misaligned. Now we need to reopen the skin and flesh to set the bone properly," Lanqin said.
After hearing this, Zhao Jia was horrified, because in her opinion, such a treatment method was unheard of, while for Lan Qin, it was just a normal surgical procedure.
“Lanqin, why does that sound so scary? It sounds like Guan Yu scraping his bone to treat his wound,” Zhao Jia said.
“That’s right, that’s exactly what I mean.” Lanqin smiled and patted Zhaojia’s hand. “Don’t worry, Doctor Liang has anesthetic. As long as the Thirteenth Prince takes the anesthetic, he won’t feel any pain.”
"There's such a medicine that, when taken, won't cause pain even if the skin is cut open?" Zhao Jia was even more confused.
“Yes, you need to persuade your thirteenth master as soon as possible. If you don’t get treatment soon, it will only become more and more difficult to treat. Doctor Liang said that the longer it is delayed, the more difficult it will be to treat,” Lanqin said.
Zhao Jia nodded, but she was still hesitant. After all, she had never seen Guan Yu scrape the bone to treat his wound. But when she thought of the scene Lan Qin had just described, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Seeing that Zhao Jia looked uneasy, Lan Qin quickly offered some words of comfort, which finally calmed Zhao Jia's worries.
After Lady Zhaojia returned to Prince Yi's residence, Thirteen also returned.
While the two were having dinner together, Zhao Jia began to urge Thirteen to start treatment immediately. Zhao Jia told Thirteen everything she had heard from Lan Qin, and even went so far as to describe the serious consequences of not seeking treatment.
"Did Fourth Sister-in-law tell you all this?" Thirteen asked Zhao Jia in surprise. At this moment, he was preoccupied with how to balance the national treasury's revenue, and had no mind to treat his injured leg.
"Yes, it was Fourth Sister-in-law who said it." Zhao Jia didn't want to "betray" Lan Qin, but how else could she know these words besides from her?
Thirteen hadn't paid much attention to Lady Zhaojia before, but after this great calamity, he returned and found that Lady Zhaojia had managed the Thirteen's residence so well and had no complaints about him. So he accepted her from the bottom of his heart, and the two of them lived together like glue. Lady Qi, whom he had previously favored, was no longer so fond of him.
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