Chapter 542 On the Eve of the Storm
The Admiral understood what Prince Yu meant, which was to ask them to protect themselves.
He was extremely anxious: "Your Highness..." Are you going to just sit there and wait for death?
Before the Admiral could finish his words, Prince Yu interrupted, "No need to say more." His eyes were cold, "You must not act on your own. I have already made arrangements. Just wait and see the results."
What Emperor Jing'an liked about the Third Prince was his kindness towards the people.
Since the Third Prince cared so much about the people and wanted to improve their lives in order to win their hearts, he would lend a helping hand and let him offer more good agricultural advice to Emperor Jing'an.
Originally, the Admiral wanted to persuade him further, but seeing that Prince Yu had made up his mind, he said nothing more and quickly left Prince Yu's mansion.
Prince Yu looked at the admiral's back as he left, called his followers and gave them a few instructions.
He has always been cautious and never takes chances.
-
Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
Emperor Jing'an and the third prince were sitting in the inner hall, discussing matters concerning people's livelihood.
"Father, last year, the Great Zhou suffered a famine, and the people had no harvest. It was only thanks to your wise governance that the people were saved from starvation. However, as a result, the imperial court was faced with a food shortage," the Third Prince said with a look of sorrow. "After much reflection, I believe the fundamental reason is that the grain production was low, and the taxes paid by the people were also low, leaving the treasury insufficiently stocked."
"If the people increase their grain production, not only will they pay more taxes, but they will also have surplus food. Even if a famine strikes in the future, the court won't be burdened too heavily, and neighboring countries won't be covetous of the Great Zhou because of its food shortages."
"After I came up with this idea, I took the initiative to discuss some solutions with officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. If we want to increase grain production, we mainly need to improve agricultural tools, water conservancy, and land management."
Having said that, the Third Prince handed a stack of unbound rice paper to Emperor Jing'an as if he was presenting a treasure.
"Father, please give me some advice."
Emperor Jing'an looked at the Third Prince's expectant expression and couldn't help but laugh. "It's amazing that you're so thoughtful." At this point, he couldn't help but mention something else: "You proposed a few composting methods earlier. I had people test them out, and they're quite effective."
The next moment, when Emperor Jing'an thought about why the third prince knew the method of composting, the smile on his face disappeared completely.
Because Gong Li Ke withheld the Third Prince's food, clothing, and other expenses, the Third Prince's eunuchs asked someone to buy vegetable seeds and reclaimed a piece of wasteland to grow vegetables. In order to make the vegetables grow better, the Third Prince and the eunuchs racked their brains and thought of ways to apply fertilizer.
Perhaps because there were more types of vegetables to grow, the Third Prince actually figured out that the yield of vegetables grown in different places would be different.
So he summoned officials related to agricultural policy, raised this example, and received a reply from the officials that the output of crops is indeed closely related to the time, place and materials.
It's just that they haven't studied it thoroughly yet, so it hasn't been promoted among the public yet.
It was this point that made Emperor Jing'an more certain that he had not chosen the wrong person. The third prince had suffered a lot, and his life was no different from that of ordinary people. He also knew how to seek welfare for the people.
Emperor Jing'an read it carefully and found that it only involved farming techniques, agricultural tool improvements, water conservancy improvements, and the diversity of fertilizers.
After looking at them one by one, he nodded with satisfaction.
When Emperor Jing'an turned to the next page and saw the proposal for the land system, he couldn't help but frown: "Private land ownership will infringe on the interests of officials and major gentry. Not only will it be difficult to implement, but it will also bring you trouble in the future."
The Third Prince said dejectedly, "I am not very knowledgeable and didn't think of these drawbacks. I was only concerned about ensuring that the people had land to farm. Fortunately, my father was far-sighted and looked after me."
At this point, the Third Prince pursed his lips and smiled, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. "I wish to stay with you, Father, and learn from you how to bring the greatest benefit to the people without causing unrest at court."
Without waiting for Emperor Jing'an to reply, he hurriedly said, "After I have improved all these agricultural policies under your guidance, I will return to my own residence and study hard with the masters."
Emperor Jing'an looked at the Third Prince, whose eyes were filled with admiration, as if he wanted to get close to him but was afraid of being rejected. He said, "This is just this once, and it won't happen again."
His children had never been so close to him before and only had awe of him.
The Third Prince seemed to have not expected that Emperor Jing'an would agree. He was so happy that he lost himself in joy and moved to sit next to Emperor Jing'an. "Your Majesty, I know that your father is the best. He is no different from any other father in the world."
Emperor Jing'an was coaxed into laughing by the Third Prince. He looked at the Third Prince who was sitting beside him and being affectionate with him with a smile in his eyes. The majesty that was imbued with power disappeared, leaving only gentleness.
The third prince breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Emperor Jing'an was not displeased with his actions.
Emperor Jing'an was a benevolent emperor. Because Princess Yizhen saved him, he doted on Zhao Yi, which clearly shows that he valued relationships. A person who values relationships would certainly want his children to admire and be close to him.
At this time, the eunuch's voice sounded outside the palace: "Your Majesty, Lord Lin from the cabinet requests an audience."
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince sat back in his original seat.
Emperor Jing'an frowned slightly, wondering why the cabinet members came to see him at this time.
Emperor Jing'an, not knowing what he was thinking of, said, "Send Master Lin into the palace."
Lord Lin held a memorial in his hand and handed it to Emperor Jing'an. "Your Majesty, while I was processing the memorials, I came across this. This matter is of great importance, so I dare not delay. I am sending it to you immediately for your decision."
Emperor Jing'an took the memorial and opened it. It read: "Prince Yu was stripped of his power at the morning court and, upon returning home, summoned Lord Tan, the governor of the Beijing garrison. I believe Prince Yu is plotting treason and implore Your Majesty to make a decision on this matter."
He didn't believe that the king was currently planning a rebellion.
However, in order to prevent any trouble from happening, he had to purge Prince Yu's close ministers to avoid situations where fathers and sons would kill each other, or brothers would kill each other in the future.
After all, there is only one throne, and it can only be given to one of the sons, so it is impossible to treat it equally.
One gives power, the other can only give wealth.
If he still gave power to each of his sons after establishing the crown prince, he would be feeding each other's ambitions and laying hidden dangers for the crown prince.
Emperor Jing'an said coldly, "Draft an edict. The commander of the Three Thousand Battalion, Military Officer Tan Rui, has deserted his post without permission. His authority is to be immediately dismissed."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
