"Minister of War, how much is a cotton coat?" Emperor Wu of Xia asked patiently.
"Your Majesty, according to the market price, the unit price is about one or two taels of silver per piece."
The Minister of War tried to make his expression look more natural. The Emperor was in the palace every day and certainly wouldn't leave. How could he possibly check the market price of every single item?
"Then how many items can you buy with the 100,000 taels of silver I gave you last time?" Emperor Wu of Xia asked again.
"Of course it's 100,000 pieces, Your Majesty. But it's still not enough. Many soldiers haven't put on cotton clothes yet." The Minister of War continued.
"Okay, I'll check the market price. How many pieces can I buy with one tael of silver? Also, I'll check to see if the soldiers' cotton-padded jackets are made of real cotton."
Emperor Wu of Xia sneered, "If I find that there is something wrong with the cotton clothes, or that the market price is wrong, I will let you know the consequences of lying to me!"
"Come here, check it out now! Also, bring me the cotton-padded clothes that the Minister of War distributed to the soldiers."
Emperor Wu of Xia hugged his daughter and was so angry that he couldn't sleep well all night. If it weren't for Wanwan, he really would have been kept in the dark about so many things.
That night, the Minister of War was not allowed to go home and was directly placed in a temporary dungeon in the palace.
The next day, Emperor Wu of Xia came in person. This time, the messenger came back with two or three cotton coats taken off from the soldiers, and a book on the market price he had inquired about the day before. He was surprised by what he saw.
"Judging from the market price, even if this is the highest standard, one tael of silver is enough to buy ten pieces of clothing."
Emperor Wu of Xia looked at the price list and said, "If it's a lower quality item, it would basically be enough to buy twenty pieces. I want to see what the cotton clothes you are distributing to the soldiers look like. Come, cut them open."
The Minister of War was so guilty that beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on his forehead. This was simply terrifying.
I don’t know who leaked the news, and why the emperor personally investigated the matter.
When the cotton coat was cut open, everyone was stunned. In the imperial study, rags flew all over the sky.
The market price for such cotton clothes was one ounce of silver, which could buy at least fifty of them. That was the lowest price on the price list, the kind used to deceive people.
"Minister of War!"
Emperor Wu of Xia slammed the table and asked, "Anything else to say?"
"Your Majesty, your humble servant...your humble servant...your humble servant will let your subordinates go..."
The Minister of War didn't even know how to argue at this moment. He didn't return home last night, and it was said that the emperor had sent troops to surround the Minister's Mansion.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please calm down. This humble servant..."
He tried to argue, but Emperor Wu of Xia clenched his fists. At that moment, a rage erupted in the imperial study. He couldn't help but kick the Minister of War to the ground.
"The soldiers are shivering in the cold winter, hungry and cold! And you, taking the silver, are tyrannical and domineering in the capital. This is how my subjects behave!"
Xia Mochen closed his eyes, shaking with anger. "Come here! The Minister of Revenue is corrupt and deceiving the emperor. His crimes are unforgivable! Take him out of the Meridian Gate and behead him immediately! Confiscate his property, exterminate his clan, and exile his family thousands of miles away!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, and my death is not a pity. But Your Majesty, the people in my clan and my family are innocent." The Minister of War hugged the emperor's legs, but the next second, he was kicked to the ground.
Emperor Wu of Xia turned around, stared at the dragon throne behind him, and listened to the Minister of War's cry for help, and his heart was instantly in turmoil.
"Daddy...what's wrong with you?"
Wanwan looked at her father and for the first time, she felt so sorry for him. It seemed that, apart from the time she was born, this was the only time she had seen him so angry.
Emperor Wu of Xia held Wanwan in his arms, his face still heavy with sorrow. "Wanwan, since I was as young as you, your royal grandfather has taught me to be a good king. I suddenly feel that being a good king is too difficult."
"There's no such thing as a good king in this world, Dad. Even if everyone praises you, there are still people who say you're not good. Kings are human too, and even gods can make mistakes."
[No matter how good a policy is, it is relative. Nothing is absolute. Governing a country well requires an inordinate amount of energy.]
[Alas, my poor father. This throne must be poisonous. Why does it seem so difficult for you to be the emperor?]
"It's okay, Dad. Don't be sad, it might be a good thing. You probably don't know that the Minister of Revenue has a fortune worth over 30 million taels of silver hidden away in his home. Hehe, that's almost as much as our national treasury, maybe even more."
"Dad, it's okay. This should be a good thing." Wanwan thought of a thousand words to comfort her dad in her heart, but she didn't say them in the end.
However, Emperor Wu of Xia, who could hear Wanwan's thoughts, had already known about this matter for a long time.
More than 30 million taels of silver?
It's so scary!
Emperor Wu of Xia suddenly felt as if a burst of wealth had struck him. Forget it, forget it, he was no longer angry.
Suddenly I was thinking, how should I spend this money?
The soldiers' food, clothing, and other necessities must be given top priority. This can be solved with money from the national treasury.
The extra money can be used to build bridges and roads, and of course, print books so that more children can go to school.
The imperial court is still short of people now. Only when national education is improved can all this be achieved.
Also, regarding the issue of national employment, we need to create more jobs so that the people can become prosperous.
"Daddy, what are you calculating?"
Wanwan looked at his father in shock as he was writing and drawing on a piece of white paper. He had no idea what he was writing, just a string of numbers.
"I'm practicing arithmetic. Do you want to try?"
Emperor Wu of Xia glanced at Wanwan and said, "By the way, Wanwan, do you think...are there any corrupt officials in our court?"
Emperor Wu of Xia was sweating in his heart and quickly changed the subject. It would be interesting if Wanwan knew that she was thinking about how to spend the money right after the talent was dragged out.
It was speechless. When Wanwan was still very young, he was already investigating when he carried him to court.
However, at that time, the Minister of War was on sick leave for a period of time, so the matter was delayed. Unexpectedly, the Minister of War was a corrupt official.
But it has been so long and no one has noticed. Hard work pays off. Wanwan must always stay by her side. Otherwise, if she is not careful, she will miss something.
Now that the child is older, we can directly guide him in this way without having to check one by one.
"I think there are no more."
Wanwan smiled and said, "But people's hearts are hidden, so it's hard to tell. It's normal to encounter corrupt officials. In fact, sometimes they don't want to be corrupt, but are mainly forced to do so."
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