mtlumby2d Chapter 383: Planning on Lin Ting’s property?
Chapter 383: Planning on Lin Ting’s property?
The virtuous concubine had already made preparations. As soon as Lu Yi opened her mouth, those who supported the virtuous concubine and the seventh prince immediately stood up.
"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince is indeed the most suitable candidate,"
A minister stood up, followed by several others who knelt down.
"Your Majesty, I second the motion..."
"I second the motion..."
"..."
Looking at the ministers in the court, most of those who supported Prince Xiao knelt down. Even without the Zhang family, Concubine Xian was still able to persuade so many people.
However, this time the emperor also realized how many people supported them. It was a taboo for the emperor to have the harem reach out to the court.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Seventh Prince is still too young to maintain the current situation. The Second Prince is a brave warrior with outstanding military achievements, and he is the perfect choice for the crown prince."
The person who spoke was the Minister of War, and the person they favored most was the Second Prince.
"Your Majesty, the Second Prince has protected the people of the border towns and fought bravely for Dongxia. Who could be more suitable than the Second Prince?"
The second prince, Xiao Jingchuan, is not in the capital, but he can still get the support of many ministers, which shows that he has good character.
Faced with these people who threatened to criticize him by using his military achievements, Lu Yi refused to accept it.
"What's the point of just having military achievements? Governing a country doesn't require brute force. Only those who are thoughtful and knowledgeable about government affairs can be crowned as the heir."
"Yes, the political situation is complicated, and it is reasonable for the most capable people to take office..."
"..."
The whole court was in an uproar, and after a long time, no one could be determined as the winner.
Shen Qingzhou stood at the back, and the entire Hanlin Academy did not move. He looked at the emperor again, with his head tilted to one side, as if listening to the quarrel of these ministers, but it seemed that he had blocked his ears.
Cui Taihe couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he walked to the front, bowed, and spoke.
"Your Majesty is in the prime of life, and your body is in good health. Why are you all so anxious? Are you secretly cursing His Majesty?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone stopped arguing. The emperor stopped rubbing his forehead and sat up straight.
Shen Qingzhou's lips curled slightly. Lord Cui hit the nail on the head. They were arguing like this, did they think the emperor would not live long?
Cursing the emperor is a serious crime punishable by the death of nine generations of one's clan. Who would dare to think of this?
All the ministers who were still arguing just now knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, we dare not."
The emperor looked at Cui Taihe with much gentler eyes than when he looked at others.
"Mr. Cui, what do you think of what Mr. Lu and the others have proposed?"
Establishing a crown prince is the foundation of the country. Your Majesty must have his own considerations for delaying the establishment of a crown prince. Cui Taihe is neutral and does not take sides with anyone, so it is not appropriate to speak rashly.
"Your Majesty is in his prime and is beloved by the people. You can wait until the political situation calms down before appointing a crown prince. Right now, the battles at the border are more important."
These words obviously touched the emperor's heart, and he spoke calmly as he looked at the people kneeling down.
"My dear ministers, please stand up. I have just heard you arguing, but there is no conclusion. You all said you wanted to establish a crown prince, and I have taken it to heart.
Whoever is suitable and can protect Dongxia will naturally become the crown prince of our dynasty, so there is no need to rush."
After the emperor finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Chu again: "You are not in a hurry, right, Chu'er?"
The Seventh Prince trembled and knelt down with his fists clasped.
"I am terrified. Your Majesty is still young, and I believe the crown prince should be the one with the most ability. Why should I be so anxious?"
The emperor directly blocked the seventh prince's mouth, so that Concubine Xian, Lu Yi and others could no longer force him today.
"Since that's the case, I'm here to discuss an important matter with you, my dear ministers. The Ministry of Revenue must prepare the food and fodder for the border troops within three days.
Also, the northern part of Dongxia is suffering from drought. I have decided to build several dams in Yunzhou to divert water into the north. Minister Lu will allocate this portion of the silver."
The emperor's words made Lu Yi's face turn pale. Where would the Ministry of Revenue have the money now?
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is preparing to sell all the grain and fodder to Xiluo, and also to provide new clothes for the troops in the border towns.
Furthermore, Your Majesty has stated that tribute will no longer be paid to the West Tower, but rather that it will be sold at a low price. In order to raise enough food, the Ministry of Revenue has run out of money."
Originally, the Ministry of Revenue had enough silver, but the Seventh Prince needed to win over people, so he gave all the silver he could get to the Seventh Prince.
Now the emperor suddenly wants to build a dam, which is a big project and requires a lot of money.
The Seventh Prince also understood that this was a large amount of money, but the more important issue at the moment was to let His Majesty know that the Ministry of Revenue had no money, but he couldn't let him investigate the Ministry of Revenue.
"Father, the grain prepared by the Ministry of Revenue is enough to sell to Xiluo for about a year. In addition, the sudden outbreak of war in the border city has put pressure on our treasury."
Did they really think that the emperor, sitting in the palace, knew nothing? The emperor sneered in his heart, but he still pretended not to know.
"Is the treasury so empty? But building a dam is beneficial to the country and the people, and I cannot give up."
Lu Yi prayed to his ancestors in his heart. With all these things happening at the same time, what should he do? Was he expected to make up for the money?
Even if we sell him, it won't fill such a big hole.
The seventh prince's mind was working quickly. The emperor wanted to build a dam in Yunzhou. If the Ministry of Revenue could not come up with a penny, the matter would not be resolved. He would definitely investigate the Ministry of Revenue thoroughly.
In a short period of time, he and his mother could not find so much silver to deceive his father, so there must be a solution to this problem.
Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly had an idea!
"Father, I have something to report. My dynasty has always maintained that officials should not compete with the people for profit, and officials should not engage in business.
However, Minister Qu and Shen Xiuzhuan's family have businesses all over Dongxia. Which businessman can do that?
It is said that officials should not compete with the people for profit. Now that you have entered the court, you should be loyal ministers, dedicate yourself to our dynasty, build the dam, and win fame and honor for generations to come."
As soon as Xiao Chu finished speaking, Lu Yi immediately agreed as if he had found a life-saving straw.
"That's right. If others accuse officials and businessmen of colluding, how will the people view you two? How will they view Your Majesty?"
The wealth of these two families is more than the treasury of two Dongxia countries. In addition, Shen Qingzhou just took office today, so he will definitely want to please His Majesty, even if he cannot give away all his wealth.
It would also be a good idea to use the money for building the dam.
Shen Qingzhou stood straight. It seemed that the Seventh Prince was still eyeing Lin Ting's wealth. He was really willing to use any shady tricks.
This is the case even before he becomes the crown prince. If he becomes the emperor in the future, everything will be in ruins and Lin Ting and the others' business will definitely be wiped out.
Since ancient times, no wise ruler would have a stain on him. If he did, not only would his business be gone, but he and Qu Yuanxun would no longer be able to stay in the court.
At this moment, Shen Qingzhou and Qu Yuanxun were arguing in their hearts, and at the same time, they secretly decided that Xiao Chu must not sit in that position.
The emperor looked at Shen Qingzhou and Qu Yuanxun. Their family's business was so big that many people were jealous.
"Mr. Qu, Mr. Shen, what do you have to say about the Seventh Prince's words?"
There was a silence in the court, as everyone was looking at Shen Qingzhou and Qu Yuanxun. Although the Seventh Prince's words were forceful, seeing that a minor official lived better than themselves made people feel unbalanced.