diymy Chapter 15 The lives of the people of Qin are more important than silver!
Chapter 15 The lives of the people of Qin are more important than silver!
"Prime Minister," Su Wenyuan, the Minister of Rites beside him, whispered, "Will His Majesty really come?"
Su Wenyuan was the father of Consort Shu. He was about fifty years old and had a refined appearance, but at this moment his brows were furrowed.
Although he also hoped that His Majesty would be diligent in governing, he, as a father, inevitably had concerns because his daughter was favored in the harem.
Li Si said in a deep voice, "If you don't come, this old minister will not get up today."
Minister of War Wang Ben sneered, "If His Majesty truly does not come, this humble general will kneel alongside the Prime Minister!"
Wang Ben came from a military family; his grandfather Wang Jian and father Wang Ben were both famous generals of the Qin Dynasty.
He was only forty years old, in the prime of his life, and even his military uniform couldn't hide the chilling aura he had developed on the battlefield.
He disapproved most of all of His Majesty's neglect of state affairs.
While the soldiers on the border are fighting bloody battles, His Majesty is indulging in pleasure in the deep palace. How can this be fair to the soldiers?
Minister of Revenue Zhang Yannian smiled wryly: "Gentlemen, be careful what you say..."
He was in charge of the money and knew the state of the national treasury best.
Although His Majesty has neglected state affairs, strangely enough, the national treasury has become more abundant in the past six months than it was during the reign of the late Emperor.
Taxes were reduced, corrupt officials decreased, trade routes were unimpeded, and even the losses from canal transport, which used to be the biggest headache, decreased by 30%.
This puzzled him a lot.
It's as if... there's an unseen hand pulling everything together from the shadows?
But he dared not say it.
Lu Mingyuan, the Minister of Works and Wanfei's father, knelt slightly behind, head bowed and silent.
His daughter's favor with the emperor led to his exceptional promotion from Vice Minister of Works to Minister, which already drew criticism.
In this situation, he'd better pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Time passes little by little.
As the sun rises higher, the early summer sunlight is already quite scorching.
Many elderly and frail officials began to sway precariously, their official robes soaked with sweat.
Li Si remained kneeling upright, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, yet he did not move an inch.
At that very moment—
"His Majesty has arrived!"
A palace maid's clear voice announced something from afar.
All the officials were invigorated!
Li Si suddenly looked up and saw the side gate of the Golden Palace slowly open, and two teams of golden-armored guards filed out and lined up on both sides.
Immediately afterwards, a figure in black stepped over the high threshold and appeared in the morning light.
Qin Mu has arrived.
He was not wearing a crown today, but simply tied his hair up, and his black dragon robe made his figure appear even more upright.
Sunlight shone on him, making the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered in gold thread on his robe look lifelike, as if it were about to take flight at any moment.
He walked at a leisurely pace, his expression languid, even... carrying a hint of sleepiness.
But for some reason, when his gaze swept over the officials in front of the hall, everyone felt an invisible pressure.
That was the innate majesty of an emperor.
Li Si was the first to kowtow: "Your Majesty, we respectfully welcome you! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
More than a hundred officials shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
Qin Mu walked to the imperial steps, looking down at the kneeling officials, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Get up, all of you. Kneeling in this heat, aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The officials stood up one after another, and many of them staggered.
My legs were numb from kneeling for so long.
Qin Mu turned and walked into the Golden Palace, followed closely by his officials.
........
The interior of the hall was solemn and dignified.
Nine golden pillars with coiled dragons support the dome, and the ground is paved with shiny black jade bricks. On the high platform to the north, the dragon throne shines brightly in the morning light.
The memorials for today were already laid out on the emperor's desk.
A thick stack, almost half a person's height.
Qin Mu sat down on the dragon throne, his posture casual, one hand supporting his chin, his gaze lazily sweeping over the people below.
The officials stood on both sides according to their rank.
Civil officials were on the left and military officials on the right; they wore purple robes, scarlet robes, and blue robes, their colors clearly distinguishable.
Li Si stood at the head of the civil officials, while Wang Ben stood at the head of the military officials.
The two men, one solemn and the other resolute, formed a stark contrast.
"Speak," Qin Mu said, his voice echoing in the empty hall, "What important matter requires my presence?"
Li Si stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we risked our lives to request Your Majesty to attend court today because there are three important matters that require Your Majesty's wise decision."
"Oh? Which three items?"
"First, the Western Liang invaded the border."
Li Si said in a deep voice, "Three days ago, Liu Meng, a general of the Western Liang Khanate, led 50,000 cavalry to invade our western border and captured three cities in succession. Although General Lü Bu led his army to meet them, the Western Liang's attack this time was fierce and it was probably not an ordinary raid. The Ministry of War has mobilized reinforcements, but the allocation of food and weapons still requires Your Majesty's decree."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow: "Lu Bu can't stop him?"
Wang Ben stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, General Lü is the bravest of the three armies, but the Western Liang has 50,000 iron cavalry this time, and Liu Meng is cunning in his tactics. The western border garrison only has 80,000 troops, scattered in various cities, and it is difficult to assemble them in a hurry. If the war expands, I am afraid we will have to transfer troops from the northern border or the central army.”
"The Northern Territory?" Qin Mu asked with a half-smile. "Can you even move Xu Longxiang's 300,000-strong army?"
That's a subtle question.
The atmosphere in the hall froze.
Li Si and Wang Ben exchanged a glance, both noticing the seriousness in each other's eyes.
Xu Longxiang commands 300,000 troops to guard the northern border. This is the strongest military force in the Great Qin Dynasty, and also... its most sensitive presence.
"Logically speaking, the Northern Army should be under the command of the Ministry of War."
Wang Ben carefully considered his words, "However, the Northern Army has been under the command of the Xu family for many years, and the soldiers only recognize the Xu family's banner. If we need to mobilize them, we need General Xu's cooperation."
"Then let him cooperate," Qin Mu said calmly. "Issue my decree, ordering Xu Longxiang to lead 50,000 troops to reinforce the western border. The Ministry of Revenue will allocate the provisions, and they must set off within ten days."
"Your Majesty—" Li Si said urgently, "Although there is no war in the north for the time being, the Northern Barbarians are watching us closely. If we withdraw 50,000 elite troops, the northern defense line may be vulnerable. Moreover, General Xu, he..."
"What's wrong with him?" Qin Mu looked up.
Li Si took a deep breath: "General Xu just left the capital and returned to the northern border yesterday. If we issue an order to mobilize troops now, it may cause resentment."
This was said in a tactful way, but the meaning was clear.
You just accepted a beautiful woman offered to you, and now you want to mobilize her troops? That's not appropriate, is it?
Qin Mu smiled: "Is the Prime Minister worried that Xu Longxiang will disobey the imperial decree?"
"Your subject dares not!" Li Si quickly bowed. "General Xu is loyal to the country and will certainly not disobey the imperial decree. However... I fear it will discourage the soldiers."
"That depends on Xu Longxiang's choice," Qin Mu said casually. "Those who are loyal to the country will naturally obey. Those with disloyal intentions..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone in the hall felt a chill.
Is His Majesty's statement... a warning to the Xu family?
Li Si was shocked and looked up at the young emperor on the dragon throne.
Qin Mu remained as languid as ever, but the cold glint in his deep eyes startled even Li Si, a veteran of three dynasties.
Could it be... that His Majesty is not as simple as he appears?
"And the second thing?" Qin Mu asked.
Li Si composed himself and continued:
"Secondly, there is the risk of flooding in the Jiangnan region. This year's plum rains arrived early, and the Yangtze River water level has exceeded the warning level. The dikes in Jiangning, Yangzhou, and Suzhou have been in disrepair for years and are at risk of breaching. The Ministry of Works has drafted a repair plan, which requires an allocation of three million taels of silver and the mobilization of 50,000 laborers."
He looked at Lu Mingyuan, the Minister of Works.
Lu Mingyuan quickly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have calculated that three million taels is the minimum budget. To thoroughly reinforce the dikes of the three prefectures, five million taels are needed. But... the national treasury is probably..."
Minister of Revenue Zhang Yannian stepped forward with a wry smile:
"Your Majesty, the national treasury currently has eight million taels of silver. Of these, four million taels have been allocated to the Ministry of War for military expenses, one million taels for officials' salaries, and the remaining three million taels are needed to maintain the operation of the court. If all of it is allocated to the Ministry of Works, the court will not be able to sustain its expenditures in the second half of the year."
Qin Mu tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne: "Jiangnan is a land of plenty, a major source of tax revenue. If the dikes were to truly breach, the losses would be far more than ten million. What does the Prime Minister think?"
Li Si pondered for a moment: "We can allocate two million taels for emergency use first. The remaining funds can be raised from wealthy merchants in Jiangnan or by issuing national bonds..."
"No need for that."
Qin Mu waved his hand, "Allocate three million taels from the imperial treasury to make up the five million. The dikes in Jiangnan must be repaired, and they must be repaired to be strong enough to withstand a once-in-a-century flood."
Internal money? !
The officials were in uproar!
The imperial treasury was the emperor's private treasury, separate from the national treasury.
Throughout history, emperors have regarded the imperial treasury as their private property and have never been willing to use it lightly.
During the reign of the late emperor, the national treasury was empty, and the officials earnestly requested that the imperial treasury be used for disaster relief, but the late emperor only allocated 500,000 taels.
His Majesty actually allocated three million taels of silver in one go?!
Li Si stared at Qin Mu in shock: "Your Majesty, the imperial treasury..."
"My money is my decision," Qin Mu said calmly. "The people of Jiangnan are subjects of the Great Qin, and their lives are more important than silver."
These words, though spoken in a plain tone, carried immense weight.
Many officials in the hall had tears in their eyes.
Officials, especially those from the Jiangnan region, were so excited that they trembled all over.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Li Si was the first to kneel down, his voice choked with emotion. "On behalf of the people of Jiangnan, I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness!"
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" All the officials knelt down.