Chapter 1315: Whose Food Are We Eating? (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
“Cui Lang’s words are far too frivolous.”
Luan Xin reacted a beat too slow and reached out to block Miao Ne.
Recognizing Miao Ne as You Bao by scent might seem insignificant at first glance; one might simply say Cui Xiong has a good sense of smell and memory. However, nitpicking could also suggest he was frivolous. How frequently and intimately do unmarried men and women need to interact to deeply remember each other's scent?
Even if the two were in love but kept their relationship within the bounds of propriety, it didn't sound like that to outsiders. Luan Xin's expression was not good, and his tone became colder: "The Cui family is a prominent clan in the southwest, so their family education should be quite good. If this happens a second time, I, Luan, will not hesitate to put aside my pride and have a proper talk with your maternal grandfather and your father about this matter."
Cui Xiong's face turned pale.
It seems they didn't expect there would be such a roadblock.
"May I ask how you should address Lord Luan?"
The intelligence from the Cui family contained physical characteristics of several important officials in the Kang Kingdom's court. Even if the portraits were not very recognizable, they could still identify the individuals by their unique literary signatures. Although Luan Xin was the Minister of Personnel, the head of the Six Ministries, his presence was not very prominent.
Rumor has it that this man is gentle, kind, and approachable, one of the few benevolent people among the officials of the Kang Kingdom. I have no grudge against him, nor any connection with him, so why does he seem to have a problem with me the moment we meet?
After thinking it over, the only reason can be "Youbao".
Luan Xin said, "Xi Min is my student."
This answer made Cui Xiong feel dizzy and disoriented.
A teacher for a day is a father for life.
In this day and age, the master-disciple relationship is second only to blood ties. To be disrespectful in front of Luan Xin is no different from directly offending "You Bao's" biological father. Cui Xiong did not argue back, but simply cupped his hands in greeting and said obediently, "Junior Cui Xiong greets Master Luan."
He took advantage of the situation and climbed up the ladder, which made Luan Xin uncomfortable.
"Don't call me that. What relationship do you and I have? How could I, Luan, be qualified for the eldest son of the Cui family to call me 'Master Luan'?" Luan Xin bluntly refused. His tone was steady and unhurried, yet it subtly exerted great psychological pressure on the listener.
At least Cui Xiong's back was covered in sweat, his tension and anxiety completely masked by a calm that had accumulated over time.
He was so nervous that his vision blurred: "I have been engaged to your daughter for several years. Our relationship has always been one of affection and propriety, with no overstepping of boundaries or frivolous or neglectful intentions. She... left without saying goodbye and disappeared for more than two months. I have been thinking of her every moment. I never expected to meet her here so suddenly, and that is why I was so excited that I could not contain my emotions. I beg Lord Luan to investigate."
Luan Xin ignored long passages of speech.
He only cares about one thing.
"The person you are engaged to is from the You family."
Cui Xiong felt like his world was collapsing again and again, and he was completely frozen.
Luan Xin continued, "Is Cui Lang making fun of me? Even though I rarely go out, I know that Xi Min comes from the Miao clan, a small clan in the Northwest, and is from a poor family that has been declining for many years. It is unlikely that she would be engaged to the eldest son of the Cui family."
Go find your fiancée when she goes missing.
Why are you standing here trying to annoy people?
After speaking, Luan Xin waved his sleeve, signaling Miao Ne to follow him. The two walked straight past Cui Xiong without stopping. Cui Xiong bit his lip slightly, his dark, watery eyes pitifully meeting Miao Ne's, who recoiled as if burned. Miao Ne lowered her head, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes, and hurried along as if being chased by wolves and tigers.
Even after completely leaving Cui Xiong's sight, she still had the illusion that someone was staring intently at her back. Coming to her senses, she almost bumped into Luan Xin, who had stopped sometime earlier: "Master Luan?"
Luan Xin said, "Don't be soft-hearted."
Don't be soft-hearted when it comes to men in relationships.
Because they cannot determine whether the other party is genuinely pitiful or feigning it, they use feigning weakness and pitifulness as a weapon to conquer territory.
Luan Xin was almost certain that when Miao Ne said to Cui Xiong, "It's been three years, I still recognize your scent," she was not only moved, but her heart also wavered. Everyone hopes to be unique and irreplaceable to others.
The faint blush on Miao Ne's face slowly faded.
She said, "I know."
The tone sounded quite complicated.
She felt no guilt whatsoever for the nearly three years of deception.
For her, going undercover was just like doing her job; doing her duty was a matter of course, and anything that hindered her from going undercover was a stumbling block.
Cui Xiong is not a stumbling block, but he is also a member of the public.
When it comes to official business, you only need to reflect on your mistakes.
She completed the task perfectly, so why should she feel guilty?
It was Cui Xiong's bad luck to run into her; falling for her was compounding his mistake; and knowing the truth yet not changing his mind was just asking for trouble. However, Miao Ne hadn't expected to run into Cui Xiong again so soon, and she hadn't even sorted out her feelings yet.
Luan Xin reminded her, "You need to be patient."
Miao Ne was puzzled by these words.
Seeing the obvious question in her eyes, Luan Xin slowly said, "Cui Xiong is not truly one of us yet. Before the Southwest is completely brought under the control of the royal court, he represents the Cui family, and the Cui family represents the interests of the gentry in the Southwest. The game is not over yet."
Getting emotionally involved at times like this can easily lead to trouble.
"It would be better to wait until things become clearer before considering other options."
During this time, we can also see what kind of person Cui Xiong really is, whether he is sincere or not, because he can't be without flaws all the time.
"Judging from what Master Luan said, you don't dislike him very much?"
Luan Xin's words just now were anything but polite.
"Why complain? As long as the person you find isn't someone like Gu Wangchao, it doesn't matter if he's called Cui Xiong or Cui Lang, as long as you're satisfied." To be honest, Luan Xin was quite satisfied with Cui Xiong.
This satisfaction was limited to Cui Xiong's family background.
A casual marriage only requires judging the man and woman's faces and bodies; good looks and health are sufficient. It's a matter of impulsiveness, ending when the mood strikes. However, for a more long-term marriage, one must consider the other's family background. The Cui family of the Southwest is wealthy, and Cui Xiong's maternal grandfather, Cui Xiao, also has influence in the court. As the eldest son and grandson of this generation, Cui Xiong is rich, powerful, and prestigious. How much hardship can he save for his descendants?
The talent of one's descendants also depends on luck.
But the heritage of our parents and grandparents is a true heritage.
Luan Xin didn't say these things directly to Miao Ne, but she probably understood. Miao Ne wasn't some naive, sheltered noblewoman. She had the courage to weigh the pros and cons when her studies were going well, decisively dropping out to venture into the world. Her actions were reckless, but you couldn't say she was wrong. Having survived for so many years unscathed, her experience and knowledge must have made dealing with Cui Xiong a piece of cake.
As long as your choices are based on your own interests and future prospects, you won't suffer too much even if you lose out. What's truly worrisome is habitually thinking of others and having an excessive outpouring of sympathy regardless of status or occasion, such as, "He's so pitiful, he can't live without me."
Is the life or death of others more important, or is one's own happiness more important?
Miao Ne touched her nose guiltily and changed the subject away from herself: "Why does Master Luan dislike Gu Yatai so much?"
This disdain was completely undisguised, showing no consideration for the feelings of a colleague. He said this behind Gu Chi's back, and he dared to say it to Gu Chi's face as well. Miao Ne thought that seasoned officials were all smiling tigers; even if they secretly wished to tear someone to pieces, they would still greet them with a smile on the surface. Moreover, Gu Chi was the Censor-in-Chief, the head of the Censorate, whose task was to investigate and punish officials, impeach officials, and uphold discipline. Even the Ministry of Personnel, though the head of the Six Ministries, was under his supervision.
Isn't it bad to offend them so openly?
Luan Xin succinctly replied, "There's a personal grudge."
Miao Ne kept it in mind.
The fact that the head of the Ministry of Personnel and the head of the Censorate had been at odds for so many years suggests a considerable personal grudge. She wasn't surprised that there were personal feuds among the officials of Kangguo, but she was astonished that both of them were still alive after so many years of enmity.
Thinking about this makes my head spin even more.
Cui Xiong's maternal grandfather, Cui Xiao, was in the same camp as the Imperial Censor Gu Chi; the two were so well-coordinated they were practically inseparable. If Miao Ne, as a student of the Minister of Personnel, were to break the ice with Cui Xiong, wouldn't that put her teacher in a difficult position? Miao Ne's mind raced with conflicting thoughts.
The lake of my heart, stirred by Cui Xiong's words, calmed down once again.
Let's put personal feelings aside for now and talk about them later.
Just as Shen Tang had initially predicted, Cui Xiong had other purposes for this trip. Meeting Miao Ne was an unexpected surprise, but he didn't forget his main business because of her. Apart from seeing Shen Tang on the first day, he seemed to have been forgotten by Shen Tang and was not summoned.
He didn't seem annoyed by such cold treatment.
"Although young, he is very composed and seems to have come prepared. If not handled properly, he may suffer a huge loss."
Shen Tang stared intently at Xun Zhen's memorial while rubbing her temples to relieve the throbbing pain. She dreaded seeing any memorial signed by Xun Zhen, or rather, she didn't want to see any memorials from the Ministry of Revenue at all. She knew without even opening them that they were either pleading poverty, hoping for budget cuts next year, urging everyone to tighten their belts, or subtly hinting against asking the Ministry of Revenue for more money.
The budget left by the Ministry of Revenue is very useful and cannot be diverted.
Besides the Ministry of Revenue, the next category of reports came from military officers.
The compensation for fallen soldiers, the awards for meritorious officers, and so on... The most pressing demand is that the military budget be increased next year. And the last point is the most important! It's a foregone conclusion that Kangguo will annex the entire southwest. Various places need to set up military command posts, recruit soldiers, and train elite troops. They need to spend money. The military expenditure should at least double, right?
How could the Ministry of Revenue reject such a small and normal request?
Is the national treasury out of money?
The grievances can be expressed through words.
They felt wronged, but the Ministry of Revenue felt even more wronged. It wasn't like the national treasury could just use money however it wanted. In such a vast country as Kang, it wasn't just the military generals who needed money; how many places were starving? The money was limited, and the Ministry of Revenue's duty was to ensure that everyone could barely eat their fill, not to let one side be full while everyone else starved.
The military officers had objections again.
How come they have so many spoils of war?
Isn't all of this money?
To everyone's surprise, the Ministry of Revenue stammered and dodged the question, rambling on about everything but money. The two groups engaged in a fierce verbal battle, using language that even Shen Tang found eye-opening. This caused her considerable distress; she had been suffering from insomnia for several nights in a row, torn between her two beloved children.
Shen Tang felt a throbbing pain in her temples.
If only there were a second Ji Moqiu in this world.
“Where would he get the ability?” Shen Tang’s brows furrowed with worry, which made Miao Ne feel a tightness in her chest and also made her resent Cui Xiong. “Our lord has been conquering the four borders for many years. Now that the monarch and his ministers are of one mind and everything is going smoothly, isn’t this the height of his power?”
Shen Tang: "..."
She looked at Miao Ne with a half-smile, a helpless expression on her face.
Miao Ne was stared at by her for a few seconds before she suddenly realized what was happening.
Having followed the former King of Qi for too long, constantly finding new ways to flatter him, she had unknowingly developed a habit of speaking only in obsequious flattery. Everyone wants to hear nice words, but if someone becomes carried away by praise and becomes arrogant, that's blatant praise that leads to their downfall. Miao Ne was at a loss for how to handle the situation when Shen Tang suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek: "Your lips are coated with honey, aren't they?"
Miao's voice was barely audible: "These are my heartfelt words."
The situation is indeed very favorable right now.
It would be too easy for her to touch the Cui family. She wouldn't even need a large army; a single troop could bury the entire clan. What concerns, what fears, what weighing of pros and cons?
The ruler needs noble families; the vast royal court cannot function safely without them. Only then do the noble families have bargaining power.
The Cui family clearly doesn't have that many bargaining chips yet.
Having insufficient chips means being vulnerable to being slaughtered.
How could Cui Xiong bite a piece of meat off her mouth?
Isn't this a complete fantasy?
Shen Tang said, "It's money, it's tax."
Kangguo is currently in dire need of money.
Shen Tang rubbed his throbbing forehead and sighed, "Whether it's a powerful family or a warlord clan, why can they mobilize so many troops at will? There's a saying that goes, 'Whoever feeds you is your mother.' Whoever pays for the troops has the power."
Private troops are only small-scale operations, with a scale of hundreds or thousands, which can only allow them to dominate in a small area. However, if the stage is expanded further and further, and the opponent's military strength reaches the scale of "tens of thousands", then such private troops are not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
“Previously, the southwest region was in chaos, and the tax categories in various places were unclear. Nine out of ten were losing money, and the tenth was losing money year after year. Let alone bringing them under the control of the royal court, they would cry to the royal court every year about natural disasters and man-made calamities, and beg for exemption from paying taxes. Guess how much of it was real and how much was fake?” The collected taxes were roughly divided into two parts: one part was handed over to the royal court, and the other part was kept to maintain governance.
The retention rate is getting higher and higher.
How much of this is not reflected in the accounts?
Wang Ting didn't want to suffer a loss, so he simply reduced some expenses.
"Soldiers will fight for whomever feeds them."
When the proportion of soldiers remaining in local areas is too high—high enough to support an army—the soldiers will naturally be fed by the local population and follow generals or high-ranking local officials. These officials often come from powerful local families, and by firmly controlling this link, they can profit from it. One link leads to another, each interconnected.
To operate on this part is to directly sever someone's major artery.
The awkward situation is that the deficit in the southwest is too large, and Kangguo's current finances are also unhealthy. If the royal court were to reduce the local retention ratio, that would be fine; the royal court would cover the local deficits. With a higher retention ratio, the annual proportion remitted to the royal court would be lower, allowing local areas to cover their own profits and losses. This would greatly reduce the royal court's short-term pressure and would not affect subsequent military plans in the central region.
What is the cost?
The price was that Shen Tang would lose complete control of the Southwest.
On the surface, she is a queen, but behind the scenes, there are countless local tyrants.
The local government troops will also become alienated from her.
The southwestern territory is too vast for the royal court to oversee every corner. They might not even realize the roof beams and pillars are crumbling until termites have fallen from the sky. While Shen Tang is at the height of his power, they might not dare to act too openly, but what about when Shen Tang grows old or abdicates? Even tigers have their moments of weakness.
The development of Kangguo over the years shows that given enough time, prosperity is inevitable, far better than its current state of devastation. Furthermore, the royal court currently holds a firm grip on the most vital sectors of Kangguo's economy.
This is clearly contrary to the interests of the group behind the Cui family.
Nobody wants to be fed, obeyed and then starved. Dancing in chains, their fate is not their own.
|ω`)
It suddenly occurred to me that Tangmei's startup project has been losing money for over a decade; it's a bottomless pit where she's constantly losing money...
(End of this chapter)
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