Chapter 181 Ministry of Rites
"Sir Su, what brings you here?" As Su Fengzhang stepped into the Ministry of Rites, an official from the Ministry of Rites came out to greet him.
Although Su Fengzhang has not yet taken up a position in the Ministry of Revenue, he was previously chosen by the emperor as the top scholar, and then there was the Xuanwu Ceremony incident. Now he has jumped three levels again. He is in the emperor's favor, so the officials of the Ministry of Rites naturally recognize him.
People from the Ministry of Rites are always tactful. Although they don't know why this person came, they were very polite.
Su Fengzhang bowed and said politely, "Greetings, Lord Liu. It's been a while since we last met, and you're still as radiant as ever."
Lord Liu laughed heartily and said, "I am old, and cannot compare to Lord Su's handsomeness and elegance."
Su Fengzhang didn't beat around the bush and said, "To be honest, I came here today to ask you something."
"No hurry." Lord Liu personally poured him a cup of tea. Although they were equal in rank, one was the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the other the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Liu did not look down on Su Fengzhang just because of his young age. "Lord Su, have a cup of tea to moisten your throat first."
Su Fengzhang could only patiently drink a sip of tea: "Yes, but it would be a waste to give it to me. It's like a cow chewing a peony."
Lord Liu laughed heartily and said, "If Lord Su were still an old cow, there would be no more peonies in this world."
Su Fengzhang listened to his random chatter and brought the topic back to the topic: "Master Liu, you've had your tea. Can I ask you something now?"
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Lord Liu's face, and he smiled and said, "Okay, Lord Su, please ask."
Su Fengzhang then asked, "Lord Liu, His Majesty previously issued an order to reward the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. Why has there been no response yet? Is there some difficulty?"
Lord Liu paused holding the teacup, sighed, and said, "Lord Su, you are young and don't understand how complicated this matter is. The Ministry of Rites only has so many people, and there are so many things to deal with. Not to mention, the rewards for Prince Cheng and Prince Xi are still not being implemented. We must take care of the living first."
Su Fengzhang looked up at him and said with a smile, "Master Liu, I naturally understand these principles, but it has been more than half a month. Could it be that the dead soldiers haven't died yet?"
Seeing that Su Fengzhang still refused to give up, Lord Liu continued, "Lord Su, I'm glad you understand. The Ministry of Rites is also in a difficult situation. His Majesty's words are enough to make us run around."
"Although it is my job, and I have no complaints, but things must be prioritized."
"Which is more important?" Su Fengzhang was already angry. He didn't expect that even though he came in person, the Ministry of Rites still evaded the question.
Lord Liu chuckled, and his meaning was clear.
Su Fengzhang snorted coldly and suddenly said, "Master Liu, why don't we go ask Prince Cheng, Prince Xi, or His Majesty to see which is more important."
Lord Liu was shocked when he heard this. Then he thought that this person dared to accompany Prince Cheng to Yunzhou and even caused a fire to fall from the sky. He was not as harmless as he looked.
Putting away the little thoughts in his heart, Lord Liu quickly begged for mercy: "Lord Su, my good brother, why are you making such a big deal? It's not that I don't want to do this, it's just that it's really difficult to do."
"You said that the silver in the national treasury is something that should be awarded. Even if it is not awarded, it will not be mine, right? This matter is really not something I, Liu, can decide." Lord Liu cried out in injustice.
Su Fengzhang asked again, "Then why has it been delayed? Sir Liu, this is a matter of national importance, and it was personally agreed to by His Majesty. General Meng Kun in Yunzhou City is still waiting. These people have served the country and shed their blood. Do you want to let them down one by one?"
These words already had a threatening tone, and Lord Liu sighed heavily upon seeing this.
Lord Liu glanced at Su Fengzhang, puzzled as to why this humble official, Lord Su, insisted on speaking for those dead people far away in Yunzhou. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lord Su, you and I are both officials in the capital, civil officials. Why do you have to keep harping on this matter?"
Su Fengzhang became even angrier. It turned out that he was not overthinking it, but the Ministry of Rites really intended to delay the implementation of this matter.
He suppressed his anger and said in a cold voice, "Back in Yunzhou, if it weren't for the Yunzhou soldiers who risked their lives to save us, Prince Cheng and I would have perished long ago. Lord Liu, one shouldn't be ungrateful, don't you agree?"
Seeing that he was determined to take charge of the matter, Lord Liu hesitated for a moment. Seeing that no one was around, he whispered, "Lord Su, you're half one of us, so I'll tell you the truth. It's not that the Ministry of Rites is dragging its feet, it's simply that the national treasury is empty and can't afford the money. Are you just giving us a title without any reward? Wouldn't that make us a laughing stock?"
Before Su Fengzhang could say anything, Lord Liu continued, "You're about to go to the Ministry of Revenue. Once you get there, you'll see that the Great Zhou treasury is empty. This past year, there have been wars and lavish rewards. General Meng Kun has also demanded a large sum of pension money. These payments have already emptied the treasury."
"To be honest, the gifts given to the court officials earlier were the last batch. The treasury is now full of hamsters, and we really can't give out anything else."
"If the Ministry of Revenue refuses to provide the silver, what can the Ministry of Rites do? Will the Minister of Rites go to His Majesty and complain? Or will he simply embezzle silver from other places? This is obviously not an option."
"Master Shangshu means that this matter should be delayed for now. Living people can speak, but dead people cannot."
"The issue of the living has been resolved, and the generals who followed him to the capital haven't been mistreated. No one will cause trouble with the court over a few dead people. Once the autumn harvest is harvested this year and the treasury is full, this matter can be resolved."
"We have no other choice. Who wouldn't obey His Majesty's order? But the treasury is really out of money. We can only make these soldiers wait for a year or two. But Lord Su, please rest assured. We will not refuse to pay you. We will just delay it for a while."
If Su Fengzhang was not about to enter the Ministry of Revenue and would soon know the situation of the national treasury, Lord Liu would not dare to say these words to him. After all, this was also a secret of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Su Fengzhang's expression grew uglier as he listened. He frowned and asked, "The Great Zhou has enjoyed good weather and good harvests over the years. Even if the treasury isn't overflowing, it shouldn't be like this, right?"
Lord Liu sighed and said, "Good weather is good, but it also costs a lot."
He pointed to the sky meaningfully, and the meaning behind it was obvious.
Su Fengzhang quickly understood that the Emperor of the Great Zhou was extravagant. In the eyes of the people, although this emperor was absurd, he was not tyrannical, and life was still bearable.
But in the eyes of the court, this man was too generous in giving rewards at every turn, and was too lavish on the harem and civil and military officials. In recent years, the harem had been extensively built, as had the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace and the princes' palaces of several princes. There were also major projects such as the construction of the imperial mausoleum.
It didn't seem like a big deal in the past, but once a war like this happened, the national treasury would be in great trouble. And there had been issues with military pay and supplies before, so the Ministry of Revenue had to fill the gap, which is how things have developed to this point.
Seeing Su Fengzhang's reaction, Lord Liu complained with grievance: "Please understand. Rewarding is a good thing. People in the Ministry of Rites are happy to do this. But the Ministry of Revenue won't give us money. What can we do?"
"We can't keep dragging it on. If we do, the soldiers will lose their morale. How can we defend our country?" Su Fengzhang said.
Lord Liu glanced at him and said, "Lord Su, I'm going to say this: even if this matter were brought to the attention of His Majesty, it would be dropped. After all, no one can conjure up money out of thin air. Or, do you think His Majesty would use his private treasury to provide subsidies?"
When talking about the current emperor, both of them fell silent at the same time.
Their emperor was also a weirdo. In the court, he only wanted to hear nice words and interesting things. He would not be happy to hear anything annoying as soon as it started.
Over time, the officials below followed suit, and all the civil and military officials learned their lesson. They would praise good things and try their best to conceal bad things. After all, even if the matter was brought to the attention of the emperor, it would most likely be left unresolved.
Lord Liu laughed and said, "Lord Su, you are a favorite of Prince Cheng and a talented person favored by the emperor. You should know more about this than I do. This is how it happened, but the logic is different."
He sighed and continued, "Master Su, I have guessed privately that you are here for General Liu Wei, right?"
"How about this? I'll urge the Ministry of Rites to quickly handle General Liu's matter, and it will be done for you in the next few days. As for the others, don't keep pursuing them. It's useless."
Su Fengzhang was even more angry. He came for Liu Wei, but that didn't mean others could be ignored.
Lord Liu continued, "Lord Su, let me speak from the bottom of my heart. Please go to the Ministry of Revenue immediately. If you can help the Ministry of Revenue to enrich the national treasury, it will be more effective than anything else."
This was indeed the truth. Su Fengzhang was furious but helpless. He could only bow and say, "Thank you very much, Master Liu."
As soon as he left, Lord Liu leisurely poured himself a cup of tea, sipped it, and said with a smile, "Su Fengzhang is quite capable, but he's still young and full of energy. He'll have a lot to learn from him in the future."
After stepping out of the Ministry of Rites, Su Fengzhang looked back, his brows still furrowed.
In fact, Lord Liu didn't say some things just now, but his meaning was conveyed.
He was willing to settle Liu Wei's matter first for the sake of Su Fengzhang's face. On the one hand, it was to take care of his face, and on the other hand, he was afraid that he would really cause trouble without caring about the consequences, and then they would all suffer.
But more importantly, most of the soldiers who died on the battlefield were low-level officers, and none of them came from big families. This was related to the fact that the Zhenbei Army had been guarding Yunzhou for many years, and people from powerful families basically would not go here.
It is precisely because they have no support or backing that the Ministry of Rites dared to keep dragging its feet. Otherwise, even if funds were embezzled from other places, the matter would not have been delayed for a year or two.
In the final analysis, what we are competing for is nothing more than power!
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