Liu Jin invited Zhang Yong into the house with a smile.
"Speak frankly, Your Excellency." Zhang Yong remained unmoved, merely glancing indifferently at the room.
A variety of delicacies were laid out on the banquet table, and several scantily clad women were singing and dancing lightly.
Liu Jin's smile froze.
Zhang Yong really showed no respect.
Liu Jin still didn't give up on winning over Zhang Yong:
"In ancient times, Cao Mengde discussed heroes over wine; today, let's drink and chat together."
The 12th Battalion is the elite force in the capital. If Zhang Yong doesn't open the door, it will be extremely difficult for Liu Jin to control the capital's army.
Zhang Yong remained expressionless, his tone carrying a subtle hint of sarcasm.
"Has Minister Liu forgotten his esteemed teacher, Li Guang?"
The smile on Liu Jin's face gradually disappeared, and he sneered a few times: "It seems that Eunuch Zhang is not willing to give us face?"
Zhang Yong seemed not to have heard him, and said casually:
"Li Guang died a peaceful death, without bringing disaster upon his family and friends."
"Minister Liu, I hope you have the same good fortune as your respected teacher."
Liu Jin gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes, and a sinister glint flashed in them.
Nowadays, there are only a handful of people in the entire capital who dare not take him seriously.
His master, Li Guang, was forced to commit suicide after his attempt to seize power failed.
Zhang Yong was clearly cursing him to die a horrible death.
The key point is that these words hit him right where it hurts.
The more money he collects, the more people he gains allegiance to, but also the more people he offends.
The more anxious and uneasy he felt, the more he felt like he was sitting on a volcano, not knowing when his good days would end.
The more panicked he became, the more he wanted to grasp onto something so that his immense power wouldn't ultimately turn out to be nothing but an illusion.
Liu Jin gave a forced smile, his voice carrying a hidden meaning and a subtle threat:
"Then let's take Eunuch Zhang's auspicious words as a sign."
If you can't win over someone like Zhang Yong, then the only option is to eliminate him.
The game had already begun, and Liu Jin had offended far too many people. Even if he wanted to call a halt to save himself, it wouldn't make any difference.
Liu Jin watched Zhang Yong's retreating figure, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
When did he begin down this path of no return?
Did it begin this year with the emperor refusing to hold court, or with last year's massive acceptance of bribes to exonerate officials?
Or perhaps it started with the downfall of the cabinet and the removal of Grand Secretaries Su Jian and Xie Qian?
For some reason, he felt a little envious of Zhang Yong, and even a little jealous.
Zhang Yong has a way out; he still has options.
Why was Zhang Yong able to withstand the test and remain calm in the face of both honor and disgrace, while he was blinded by the sudden power?
...
The Imperial Study.
Lu Xingjian's expression was calm, but his voice was cold:
"The disaster situation in Jiangnan is severe. My ministers, please discuss how to handle this."
The cabinet ministers, the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Minister of Revenue looked at each other, but none of them spoke.
No one expected that the Emperor would suddenly decide to restart the Imperial Study meeting.
They were all caught off guard.
Grand Secretary Li Dongqian coughed a few times.
All eyes turned to him.
Li Dongqian reluctantly began to speak:
"Your Majesty, I am in poor health and suffering from a chronic illness. The cabinet is not a place for recuperation. I humbly request Your Majesty to consider my advanced age and, if it is truly unavoidable, to relieve me of my duties and grant me retirement."
The Imperial Study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The emperor wants everyone to come up with an attitude and a plan, and you come up here begging to retire. Are you challenging the emperor?
What's more, there was an unwritten rule in the Great Liang Dynasty that all ministers had a tradition of requesting to retire.
Everyone submitted memorials requesting to retire.
If one request doesn't work, you ask two or three more.
When Emperor Xianzong first ascended the throne, he would try to persuade the emperor to stay, ultimately resulting in a scenario where the civil officials successfully forced the emperor to resign.
During the reign of the late emperor, a large number of memorials requesting retirement were ultimately rejected.
But no one dared to do that in front of the emperor.
The Emperor has done this before, dismissing two Grand Secretaries at the same time.
He is not afraid of being threatened.
Everyone has worked hard to get to their current positions, and very few of them are willing to resign and go home.
Lu Xingjian wasn't angry; he simply remained silent for a few moments before gently comforting her:
"My dear minister, you are a respected elder of many dynasties, with a high reputation. I have entrusted you with this post for several years to assist in the management of the universe. If you are ill, I will order the imperial physicians to treat you carefully. There is no need for you to refuse."
The ministers all secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at Liu Jin out of the corner of their eyes.
Now, government affairs are entirely controlled by Liu Jin, the "Nine Thousand Years Old," and the cabinet is practically a mere formality.
Chief Minister Li's tactic of "retreating to advance" immediately revealed the Emperor's intentions.
Li Dongqian bowed deeply in gratitude.
Lu Xingjian glanced indifferently at the assembled ministers: "Do any of you ministers have any special circumstances? If not, let's continue discussing disaster relief."
Seeing that no one spoke, Gu Zuo, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward:
"The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue previously submitted a memorial suggesting that the counties in Huguang and Henan that were severely affected by the disaster should suspend all non-urgent projects and miscellaneous corvée labor in order to ease the burden on the people, and that each prefecture should be ordered to provide money, grain and emergency military supplies for disaster relief."
“The famine in Fengyang, Huai’an, Yanglu and other places is severe. After repeated petitions from the local officials, the Ministry of Revenue suggested that 100,000 taels of silver be sent to provide relief, 300,000 taels of grain be allocated from the granaries of various garrisons in Nanjing for relief, and an additional 150,000 taels of silver be allocated to supplement the outstanding 150,000 taels of silver to be sent to the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing to be used as monthly rations for the officers and soldiers.”
Lu Xingjian glanced at the silent Liu Jin and asked in a low voice:
"Liu Jin, what do you think?"
Liu Jin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stepped forward to reply.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the famine in Jiangnan is not as severe as the rumors suggest. Rather, it is the powerful and wealthy families in Jiangnan who are colluding to hoard goods and drive up prices, which has caused the price of grain to be extremely high, making it difficult for the poor to survive."
"The urgent task is to crack down on powerful and wealthy families, not to transport silver for disaster relief."
The emperor loved silver so much, how could he possibly be willing to take out the newly deposited silver for disaster relief?
The Emperor's request for a reply was merely to have him refute Gu Zuo's suggestion.
Liu Jin pondered with confidence.
Lu Xingjian's forehead veins throbbed.
He picked up a secret letter and threw it in front of Liu Jin.
"The case of killing and cooking a child in Huai'an was caused by a couple who had no rice to cook, so they strangled and cooked the neighbor's little girl to fill their stomachs."
"Is this what you mean by the famine not being serious?"
Liu Jin picked up the secret letter, looked at it, and wrote down the name on it—Cheng Wen.
A shadow crossed his eyes.
No wonder the Emperor suddenly became concerned about the famine in Jiangnan; it turns out someone had informed him of the situation.
...
When Lu Xingjian returned to Kunning Palace, it was already dark. Su Wanwan was already asleep, with only a lamp left on by her bedside.
After washing up, he got into bed, pulled Su Wanwan into his arms, kissed her, and lazily complained:
"Playing mind games with court officials is more tiring than training the army all day."
Su Wanwan was already asleep when he woke her up, and she wasn't in a good mood.
He patiently asked, "Has the disaster relief been taken care of?"
"Yes, I have sent the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue over there, and ordered him to ensure that the people benefit from the good policies."
Su Wanwan said "Oh" and didn't say anything more, then closed her eyes and continued to sleep.
Lu Xingjian wouldn't have it, so he lowered his head and bit her ear: "I'm so obedient and well-behaved, don't you even praise me?"
Su Wanwan opened her eyes again, utterly speechless:
"This is something you're supposed to do anyway, why do you need praise?"
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