Chapter 187 Madman Madman
For Emperor Xuanwu, this year was a year of great glory.
Although he lost face last year when Yunzhou was in chaos and the Fourth Prince was captured alive, he was able to regain his lost face when the Fifth Prince led his troops and won the award to defeat the Xianbei.
For an emperor with a good reputation, he really wanted to erase all the events of last year and leave only those of this year. The people below knew what the emperor was thinking, so they naturally agreed with what he said.
Another great joyous event was that the most favored concubine in the harem, Concubine Yu, gave birth to a baby boy on the day of the army's triumphant return. The emperor was overjoyed. If he had not still considered Concubine Xu's feelings, Concubine Yu would probably have had to continue to climb up the ladder.
Even though he was not promoted, the emperor's rewards flowed into the Jinxiu Palace like water. The ninth prince, who was not even a hundred days old, replaced the fourth prince and became the emperor's beloved.
The emperor's harem was not empty of princes, but not many of them grew up. The eldest son was the crown prince, the second prince died young and had only one grandson, the third prince died young, and the fourth and fifth princes were not mentioned. Among the sixth, seventh, and eighth princes, only the sickly eighth prince survived, and it was unclear how many days he could live.
In the past, the emperor never felt that he did not have enough sons, but this time the crown prince got into trouble and the fourth prince had an ear cut off. Only then did he suddenly realize that apart from the eighth prince, he had no other sons in the harem.
Now that the ninth prince was born, not only did the harem have one more choice, but the emperor also felt that he was still strong and could continue to create sons. Naturally, he felt different.
At this moment, he was sitting on the dragon throne, looking down at the civil and military officials, and he felt very comfortable in his heart.
The emperor glanced around and paused when he saw the Fourth Prince. He felt a little strange and thought to himself that maybe the boy had figured it out, so he resumed his court session.
The eunuch Li beside him shouted in a sharp voice, a little piercing, "If you have something to say, please come forward. If not, please leave the court."
Just as he finished speaking, the Fourth Prince suddenly stepped out, clasped his hands, and shouted, "Your son has something to report."
The emperor frowned slightly, fearing that he would mention military supplies again. At this time, the prince was still confined in the East Palace to reflect on his mistakes!
But the Fourth Prince had already come forward, so the Emperor could only bite the bullet and ask, "What does Your Majesty have to report?"
The Fourth Prince seemed to completely fail to understand the Emperor's gaze and continued, "I heard that the treasury is empty. I haven't been able to provide compensation to the soldiers who died in the battle of Yunzhou this time. I feel extremely guilty."
When this was mentioned, a trace of embarrassment flashed across the emperor's face. It was obvious that he actually knew about this.
However, upon hearing that it wasn't the Crown Prince's fault, the Emperor heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced at the Minister of Rites and scolded him, "Lord Han, why hasn't this compensation been implemented yet?"
Lord Han secretly groaned in his heart. He really didn't expect that the Fourth Prince would come out and talk about this matter. If it was the Fifth Prince who was loved by the Zhenbei Army after this incident, it would be fine. But everyone knows that the army hates the Fourth Prince to death. Why should he do such a thankless task?
Despite this, Lord Han had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer, "Your Majesty, the compensation is already being processed, but the money from the Ministry of Revenue has not yet arrived, so it will have to be delayed for a while."
Upon hearing this, the emperor nodded and said, "If that's the case, then hurry up and don't let Meng Jiangjun down."
"I obey your order." Lord Han breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter was over.
Who would have thought that the next moment, the Fourth Prince said loudly: "Father, I'm afraid it won't be done in a short time."
"I visited the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue these days and learned that the national treasury was empty due to the war years ago. Now we can't even take out a tael of silver. We have to wait until at least after the autumn harvest, which will take more than half a year." said the Fourth Prince.
The emperor frowned, feeling somewhat displeased. He said with a frown, "If that's the case, then let Minister Xu think of a solution. We can't just keep dragging it out."
"I have a good idea." The fourth prince said with a smile.
The emperor's heart skipped a beat, and he felt something was wrong, but he could only follow up with the question and ask, "Oh, I wonder what's the best way?"
The Fourth Prince sighed deeply and said quietly, "I have been reflecting on my mistakes at home these days. I also took stock of the Fourth Prince's account books and discovered that the mansion actually owes a large sum of money to the national treasury."
Upon hearing this, all the nobles and royal family members in the court felt that something was wrong and were about to speak out to stop him, but the Fourth Prince had already continued.
The Fourth Prince said, "I am incompetent and cannot help my father solve his problems. The only thing I can do is to repay the money. With the money in the national treasury, there will be no worries about not being able to pay the relief. Then, Lord Han will be able to do something about it."
"Of course, I alone cannot afford to pay back the money, but many people owe the national treasury a lot of money. If I pay it all back, it will solve this urgent problem."
The emperor's expression also changed, and he subconsciously looked at his son.
The Fourth Prince just lowered his head, revealing the fake ears he had installed after being injured. The Fourth Prince looked like Concubine Xu in the harem, and now with his head lowered, he looked quite delicate.
Naturally, there were those in the court who objected. The most vocal of the two was Duke Ning, who angrily shouted, "Fourth Prince, you're wrong. You don't need that little bit of money, but we're having a very hard time."
The Fourth Prince, however, was not afraid of the Duke of Ning at all. Everyone knew that no one in his family was good enough, and he was just using the title of Duke for his good looks.
He said leisurely, "Duke Ning, why should you be so anxious? Paying back debts is only natural and it's the same everywhere. Besides, everyone knows that Duke Ning's mansion is awash in luxury. For example, the other day, the Crown Prince spent a thousand taels of silver on a glass lamp!"
"Why, is it that there is money for eating, drinking and having fun, but there is no money left to pay back to the treasury?"
Seeing that the Fourth Prince hadn't shown the slightest bit of respect, Duke Ningguo's face darkened. He knelt down the next moment and shouted, "Your Majesty, you know that all that money was... It's not that I don't want to pay it back, but I'm really short of money. I can't pay it back so much right away. Your Majesty, please understand me."
The emperor also felt that it was unreasonable to urge these royal nobles to pay back the money, especially since the person who owed the most money must be the prince. However, he knew the situation in the Eastern Palace very well and he definitely could not come up with so much money.
Thinking of this, the emperor's eyes changed when he looked at the fourth prince. He frowned and said, "My son, father knows that you are wholeheartedly serving the people, but you nobles also have difficulties. To threaten them like this is unavoidable and would be humiliating."
Seeing that the emperor was on their side, the royal nobles who owed money and didn't want to pay it back immediately knelt on the ground and complained.
The rest looked at each other, not knowing whether it was better to kneel down or to follow the Fourth Prince's wishes.
However, a few clever people secretly thought that this was not good. Since the Fourth Prince dared to raise this matter in court, he must have a perfect plan. Otherwise, how could such a wise man as Minister Xu let him do what he wanted?
Sure enough, the next moment the Fourth Prince shouted with a righteous look on his face: "Father, their suffering is not as great as the suffering of the common people."
"Your Majesty, do you know that Yunzhou is a barren land, bitterly cold? Haven't you seen Zoumachuan, by the edge of the snowy sea, where the vast, yellow sand reaches the sky? In Luntai, on a September night, the wind howls, and the river is filled with stones as big as buckets, scattered all over the ground by the wind."
"The common people were starving and unable to wear warm clothes, yet they still shed their blood for our Great Zhou. They served their country until their death, yet now they have no guarantee of even their posthumous reputation."
"When the Xianbei attacked, those of you who are now kneeling and complaining were probably still at home enjoying wine and meat, blissfully unaware of the hardships of the battlefield. Father, since ancient times, the people have been the most important, the country second, and the emperor the least important. If even the emperor of a country acts like this, how much more so can the ministers of a country?"
"This, this..." The emperor hesitated.
The Fourth Prince, well aware of this man's pride, continued, "Father, I was captured by the enemy in Yunzhou and tragically lost an ear, but I also deeply appreciate the noble character of the Meng Jiang Army. Now, there is a clear way to relieve the national treasury, but you gentlemen are stubbornly refusing to do so. Could it be that you have shown too much favor in the past, and now you have become a pest to the state?"
This crime is really serious. It is like rubbing those people's faces against the stone bricks of the hall.
These nobles also had to save face, so they didn't dare say anything at this time. Some even shouted, "Why is the Fourth Prince doing this? With all these false accusations, aren't you forcing us to die?"
The Fourth Prince sneered, "It's just a matter of eating one less mouthful of meat, drinking one less glass of wine, making one less new piece of clothing, and taking one less concubine. You all have already enjoyed all the splendor and wealth, so now is the time to share your worries."
The Fourth Prince lifted his skirt and knelt, kowtowed three times and cried out, "Father, I beg you, on behalf of the people of the world and the two hundred thousand soldiers of Yunzhou, to demand payment of the silver owed to the national treasury and the early delivery of relief."
The emperor frowned, but the fourth prince kept mentioning his lost ear, and now he was asking for mercy with tears on his face, so he couldn't refuse outright.
The emperor glanced at everyone present and asked, "What do you think, my dear ministers?"
At this time, it was Grand Tutor Zhang who stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is right. Paying back debts is a matter of course."
As soon as Grand Tutor Zhang opened his mouth, the other civil officials all agreed, simply because they usually did not owe much money. After all, you could not borrow money from the national treasury whenever you wanted, and those who borrowed the most money were mostly nobles.
The emperor obviously did not expect that Grand Tutor Zhang would agree to this matter. He subconsciously glanced at the old man.
What the emperor didn't know was that Grand Tutor Zhang had been dissatisfied with the national treasury for a long time. Now that the Fourth Prince was willing to offend the nobles and royal family, he would naturally go along with it. As for the problem on the Crown Prince's side, some silver and money was not a big problem.
At this point, the emperor had no choice but to say, "Forget it, forget it. In this case, please return the money as soon as possible."
After a pause, the emperor continued, "Fourth Prince, since you are the one who brought up this matter, then the decision on collecting the money will be yours."
"Yes, father." The fourth prince agreed directly without any embarrassment on his face.
Among the crowd, Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng smiled at each other, hiding their achievements and fame.
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