Chapter 80 Resistance
Everything has gone wrong; that's the best way to summarize her recent experiences.
According to the list she received, there were a total of 83 key figures returning south this time, of whom 37 were genuine members of the royal family. Among them, almost half were old and stubborn.
The remaining forty-six people were former officials of the Great Xiao Dynasty, female relatives of the palace, and so on.
Speaking of the women in the palace, Xiao Qing had previously worried that the late emperor's concubines might discover her true identity after arriving in Nanhua City. However, as it turned out, the situation was more optimistic than she had imagined.
Firstly, there weren't many concubines of high rank who were still alive and acknowledged by the late emperor. Even if the Northern Barbarians hadn't invaded Yongxiao Palace, there were still fewer than ten favored concubines who frequently attended the late emperor's side.
Secondly, after the catastrophe of the Northern Barbarian invasion, most of the women in the palace suffered. Some died, some were injured, some fled, and some were divided up as resources such as gold and silver.
So, although after a long period of negotiations, the Southern Xiao demanded the release of hostages from the Northern Barbarians, filling a long list, but in the end, very few palace women were willing to return south with the envoy.
For example, the mother of the young emperor Xiao Qing and the young princess Xiao Yan disappeared.
For example, Fu Mingyi's older sister, Mingfei, is said to be preparing to marry and be bestowed a title upon the third prince of the Northern Barbarians, known as the Mad Lion King, Murdan, and will soon become his Queen Consort.
I wonder what the Grand Tutor thinks.
We've gone off on a tangent.
Xiao Qing rubbed his forehead and closed the register, sighing inwardly.
Where on earth did the Grand Tutor go? This group of people who came back doesn't seem like easy people to serve.
No wonder they said to prepare early. Most of these people are old, weak, sick, or disabled, and those relatives value ancestral rules more than their own eyes.
You should tell them: "My dears, look how much they suffered leading troops into battle, constantly risking their lives, and now they've actually received their lives as a tribute. Look, these remains and ashes are of great significance. They sacrificed themselves for our Great Xiao, so let's make this memorial service for their martial spirits a little more solemn and of a little more refined... that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
This is basically either courting death or seeking out dissenting opinions.
Especially after Xiao Qing met several supposedly highly respected figures in the imperial clan during court, this bad premonition instantly came true.
She wasn't just suspicious; she clearly saw that these old men, who had survived the ordeal, were actually acting quite arrogantly, trying to lecture her in front of so many people in the court!
Oh my god!
If it weren't for the fact that the Grand Tutor wasn't coming back, and instead assigned her such a huge task, would she have to sit there listening to their endless, seemingly caring but actually lecturing nonsense?
Time slowly replayed in her mind, returning to that day in the imperial court when Xiao Qing signaled Wang Xiang to propose the plan of sacrificing the martial spirit.
Wang Xiang had been responding lukewarmly to the "above-standard" plan that she and Yu Zaiting were working on. Xiao Qing could tell that. But since the plan was to be discussed in court, he naturally had to speak first.
Yu Zaiting had previously analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of doing this for Xiao Qing, as well as the most difficult objections she might encounter. Now, she had a better understanding of the situation.
But even if you have a clue, it's useless.
These relatives said a lot, but to Xiao Ting, there was only one thing: act according to the rules.
The Great Depression is over.
This one, at best, can only be called Nan Xiao. Where did they get so many "rules" from?
What was even more troublesome was that, in the court at the time, the civil officials echoed his sentiments, while the military officials harbored resentment, and naturally, the meeting ended on bad terms.
Afterwards, Xiao Qing sincerely asked Wang Xiang for his opinion.
This time, Wang Xiang didn't hold back and only told Xiao Qing two points.
First, it oversteps the bounds, leaving the imperial relatives and ministers bewildered, and even worse, it harms the vested interests of certain individuals.
Secondly, the national treasury does not have enough silver to support it.
Offering sacrifices to one's martial spirit is not just a matter of going through a ritual.
To make this event more solemn, not only must all the preparations for the ceremony be complete, but it also involves honoring and rewarding the fallen generals, providing compensation to their families, and so on.
These things cost money; it's not something you can just say and that's enough.
The entire Yongxiao Palace was occupied by the Northern Barbarians, and a large amount of resources north of the Xiao River also fell into their hands. Now, the maintenance of the palace in Nanhua City, the operation of the court, and so on, mainly rely on the accumulated fiscal revenue of Dingzhou and the surrounding prefectures.
According to Wang Xiang, that was truly spending one tael of silver as if it were two, so it's always best to keep things simple.
Moreover, these people returning from the south need to be taken care of, right? Their relatives and such need to be supported, which will cost a lot of money.
Blah blah blah.
By the end, Xiao had nothing more to say.
"Since the Prime Minister has thought it through so thoroughly, why didn't he say so from the beginning?"
Wang Xiang smiled with narrowed eyes, "Your Majesty is benevolent, how could I bring up such discouraging things from the start? Besides, I also have some hope, thinking that if it can be accomplished, there might be other ways."
"Then why is the Prime Minister speaking now?"
Wang Xiang sighed.
"Lord Yu has probably already informed His Majesty of the various obstacles that will be encountered in implementing this matter. The imperial relatives are among them. Now that His Majesty has seen the attitude of the imperial relatives, even if I say nothing, His Majesty will understand."
"So, are we just going to give up like this?" Xiao Qing was unwilling to accept it. She didn't have the habit of giving up halfway through a task because she was intimidated by difficulties.
Wang Xiang thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should let Lord Yu think of a way. If we can reduce the amount of money used from the national treasury, or find another way to increase revenue, then the imperial relatives will probably not be so opposed."
That's the only way.
Therefore, Xiao Qing summoned Yu Zaiting again.
Yu Zaiting disagreed with his teacher and they had different ideas. Now that he was getting closer to the young emperor, he had less time to communicate with Wang Xiang.
He increasingly felt that his work efficiency seemed to have decreased in his daily work. Some tasks, once assigned, seemed to disappear without a trace, like stones thrown into the sea.
He didn't tell Xiao Qing about this situation, but he knew very well that his master disagreed with his plan and approach, which was a subtle hint to him.
However, he did not want to give in so soon.
Therefore, when Xiao Xiang relayed Wang Xiang's words to him, he said, "Your Majesty, I need to go back and think about it."
Xiao Qing could only nod, and then said, "Lord Yu, as the saying goes, even a clever cook can't cook without rice. If the state treasury is really in such a bad state, then I would rather do something practical for the military officers."
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