Chapter 256: Tearing Upwards
"Your Highness, what you said is not reasonable..."
"You are right, you are right! You are right, but why do you owe me so much military pay?"
"Your Highness, Prince Qi, you must prioritize the overall situation!"
"That makes sense! This is what I used to think, which is why even putting all my wealth into it wasn't enough, and I still owed a lot of debts!
"Master Zhou, since you feel the same way, why don't you sell your property to support me? Your family is a wealthy one after all, and I know you must have saved some money!"
"... Your Majesty, your family has been upright for generations and has never accumulated any wealth. I am ashamed."
The doctor of the Ministry of Revenue also covered his face and retreated, and then the deputy minister followed behind the minister and argued with the King of Qi.
"Your Highness, Prince Qi, you..."
"Yes, that's me! I'm the type who wouldn't give you my life even if you asked for money. What do you want?!"
"Are you planning to rob me alive?"
"Old Wang, please don't accuse me so casually. Who did I rob? I'm almost twenty years old now. Everyone knows that I, Li Laosi, am notorious for being a coward and taking abuse. Otherwise, how could you have defaulted on my military pay for so many years?"
"...Let's not talk about the past for now, we're talking about the present!"
"Why don't you mention the past? You didn't even pay me back for the past, and you still have the nerve to talk to me about the present? What is the present? I have nothing even if I talk to the sky!"
The fierce confrontation between the two sides successfully amused all the civil and military officials in the court, and also successfully made the emperor and the prince very angry.
This shabby thing of theirs was thrown to the Li family in public. Both Old Li and Little Li expressed their unwillingness to accept it.
The emperor gave the prince a look, and the prince, understanding what was happening, stepped forward to block his brother. He first turned his head and glared at the bastard, then turned to the ministers with a fake smile and spoke in an official tone.
"Everyone, calm down. The truth lies in the loudness of the voice. Why get so excited? If there's anything, we can discuss it slowly. Political affairs can't be settled overnight. Everyone, please remain calm."
When the crown prince speaks, the Ministry of Revenue dares not disobey him.
Minister Chu gave a look, and even though Minister Wang was unwilling, he had no choice but to retreat to the train with his men. So the head of the Ministry of Revenue stood at the front and spoke himself.
"Your Highness, it's not that we're being pushy, it's simply that Your Highness the Prince of Qi's actions are simply against the rules! If the other princes follow suit, wouldn't there be another major chaos?
Family affairs, national affairs, world affairs, the king has no private affairs under his sleeves! I know that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is favored, but I am the Minister of Revenue of Dayu. I dare to swear to heaven that I have no intention of targeting His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi, but today, the Ministry of Revenue will sue His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi!
"His private acceptance of compensation is completely against the rules and etiquette. Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, please reconsider!"
Anyway, as the Minister of Revenue, he had to sort out all matters related to money in front of the emperor to avoid making any big mistakes and failing to complete his mission in the future.
The prince nodded with a wise smile.
"I know that Minister Chu's concerns are justified, and of course I also know that all the ministers in the Ministry of Revenue are dedicated to the public.
But…”
The crown prince smiled as if in the spring breeze.
"Then legal principles are nothing more than human feelings, right?
We are far away in the capital, and we only know that the King of Qi was impatient and led his army to war without waiting for the imperial order. But do you have any idea how critical the situation was at that time?
The prince took out two more memorials from his sleeve and handed them to the prime minister and the Duke of Lingguo, who were standing side by side at the front of the civil and military officials.
"Lord Ji and Lord Jiang, please take a look first, then pass it around so all the Lords can have a look."
While the ministers were looking through the memorials, the prince explained in a deep voice.
"These two memorials were submitted to the capital by Qiao Yuwu, the garrison commander of Dongling Prefecture, and Liu Yitong, the Imperial Salt Inspector. Both men, from different positions as civil officials and military commanders, recounted the same incident.
Some time ago, Dongling Prefecture was almost destroyed!
If the King of Qi had not led his troops to turn the tide, and if the prince had not guarded the country's borders and successfully fought back, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"
He had been feeling rather awkward towards his brother, having ignored him since the court session. But now, seeing him protecting him as usual, Li Chengxiu's anger subsided a little. So, he sneaked up to his brother, awkwardly clenched his fists, and coughed a few times.
"Ahem, it was my wife who turned the tide, not me..."
"Shut up!"
The prince didn't even turn his head, but raised his leg and kicked back, making Li Laosi growl in anger.
"Li Laosan, you kicked my calf!"
"I did it on purpose!"
Too lazy to bother with his stupid brother anymore, the prince kept a gentle smile on his face, looking at the civil and military officials in the court with a smile that seemed very easy to talk to.
"My dear ministers of the Ministry of Revenue, please take a closer look at the bill attached to Liu Yitong's memorial.
"Calculate the extent of Dongling Prefecture's losses. Will the compensation the Prince of Qi has requested be enough after distributing it all? If not, how much more will the Ministry of Revenue plan to give him?"
Li Laosan is indeed the elder brother, as he is more astute and calculating than his younger brother. Not only did he successfully rescue the person, but he was also able to get some more back if he was careless.
The Minister of Revenue looked at the memorial in his hand. Even though he was unwilling, he knew that Censor Liu would definitely not get on that broken ship of Prince Qi's Mansion, and he would definitely not help to forge it.
but,
"Even if His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi's fiefdom has suffered heavy losses right now, it's only temporary. They still have snowflake salt, oil, and medicinal fields. They'll be able to recover in the future..."
"Lord Wang, you also said it would be in the future. Shouldn't the court give them some time to catch their breath and recuperate properly?"
The prince's tone was gentle, even smiling, but with just a few words, he was able to make the Minister of Revenue helpless. The Minister of Revenue sighed inwardly and shook his head at his officials.
So the Ministry of Revenue quieted down.
They were already extremely poor, and they were so shameless as to try to get a little money from His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi. Who else was going to give him more money?
impossible!
Can't add anything at all.
After the Ministry of Revenue, which had not gained any advantage, remained silent, the Ministry of Rites jumped out.
Minister Liu held a tablet in his hand, looking righteous and awe-inspiring.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the account between the Prince of Qi and the Ministry of Revenue can be put aside for now. However, I would like to ask Your Highness the Prince of Qi why you would act so perversely and defy the ancestral laws and etiquette."
Such a huge pot was poured down on him, making Li Chengxiu's head buzz. The key point was that he didn't quite understand what was said.
"No, Lao Liu, please explain clearly. What did you say I did just now?"
Minister Liu had a serious expression on his face, as if the other party had done something unforgivable, and there was a hint of grief in the corners of his eyes and brows.
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