Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 363 Elder Yan will find a solution
After standing there for a while, waiting for no response from the emperor, Gao Hong held his breath and quietly retreated.

Halfway there, the emperor suddenly asked, "The other day I asked you how much money the Yan family had, and what was your answer?"

Gao Hongdun remained where he was for a long time before turning around.

Seeing that the emperor was staring directly at him, he immediately knelt down and slapped his own mouth: "I deserve to die! I really know nothing about the Yan family's wealth! I was lying before, please forgive me, Your Majesty! But this time, the Yan family reported it themselves, so I dare not speak recklessly!"

The emperor withdrew his gaze and stared gloomily ahead.

Gao Hong knelt for a while, his teeth chattering. When he looked up and saw that the emperor had not continued to reprimand him, he said, "I am really not as capable as Grand Commandant Shen. Not only is he so clear about the crimes committed by the Yan family, but he is also so clear about the amount of the imperial family's annual allowance they withheld. He must have put in a lot of effort in the Ministry of Revenue."

"I dare not overstep my authority; I have no way of knowing what happens inside the homes of officials."

The emperor narrowed his eyes: "Are you telling me that Shen Bo overstepped his authority and interfered in the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue?"

"How dare I?" Gao Hong looked up. "After all, Grand Commandant Shen was standing up for His Highness the Crown Prince. In an emergency, he acted expediently. Even if there were some oversteps, it is understandable."

The emperor snorted coldly, gently shaking the medicine in his hand: "What a convenient excuse! You're not only implying that Shen Bo is interfering in the Ministry of Revenue, but you're also accusing him of colluding with the Crown Prince."

"Your Majesty, please understand! I had no such intention!" Gao Hong cried out, bowing his head.

The emperor walked up to him and suddenly kicked him in the chest.

Gao Hong collapsed to the ground with a thud! Terrified, his face turned completely pale, and he crawled on the ground, crying out, "Your Majesty!"

"You're colluding with the Yan family, do you think I don't know?"

"...I'm innocent!"

"Shut up!"

The emperor rebuked him angrily.

Gao Hong's tearful plea was immediately swallowed back down his throat.

The emperor lowered his eyes: "I'll ask you again, just how many crimes has the Yan family committed?"

Gao Hong's teeth chattered: "I, I only know that the spittoon the Yan family keeps in the corner of the courtyard is made of mutton-fat jade, and the chopsticks and spoons used by Grand Secretary Yan and Yan Shu are made of pure gold... I've also heard that the Yan family owns hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land and countless shops in towns all over the north and south..."

He took a breath and looked at the emperor, then said, "Once at the Yan family, I heard their steward complain that the money in the storeroom had gotten moldy... That's all there is, and I have absolutely no way of seeing their account books!"

"I'm asking you, besides embezzlement, what else has the Yan family done?"

Gao Hong stammered, "I...I spend all my time in the inner palace and know nothing of what is happening in the outer court!"

The emperor stared at him without saying a word.

He then knelt on the ground and cried, "I'll go check right away!"

The emperor returned to his bedside, picked up the medicine bowl again, and looked as calm as if his previous rage had never existed.

"Send word to He Ping."

Gao Hong paused for a moment, then got up: "Yes!..."

The emperor gazed at the ground for a long time before finally putting the bitter medicine into his mouth.

A gust of wind rushed in, turning over the pages of paper that were being pressed down by the golden unicorn in front of them.

The paper was covered with words.

"Your Majesty, Minister Lu requests an audience."

Before He Ping arrived, Huangmenlang went inside to report.

The emperor picked up a folded document from the side and covered the papers with it: "Let him in." Lu Jie arrived outside the Qianqing Palace and just passed by Gao Hong.

His gaze swept over Gao Hong's still bloodless face, then he slowly walked towards the palace gate.

Through the palace gate, half of the emperor's shadow could be seen. He paused briefly, then went in: "Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"What is it?" the emperor asked, glancing sideways.

"The Ministry of Revenue has several memorials that urgently need to be approved. I could not find anyone in charge in the Grand Secretariat, so I had no choice but to come and pay my respects to Your Majesty." Lu Jie handed over the memorials.

The emperor opened it and glanced at it twice, then looked at him sideways and said, "I remember that you and Grand Commandant Shen are related by marriage."

Lu Jie looked down at the ground: "I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's care for my daughter. It was His Majesty who arranged my marriage with Grand Commandant Shen."

"So? How was this marriage arranged by me?"

Lu Jie looked up with difficulty: "Your Excellency may not think much of me. I have never even stepped foot in the gates of the Grand Commandant's mansion. People all over the capital are talking behind my back that Grand Commandant Shen dislikes my daughter."

"The resentment is quite strong." The emperor withdrew his gaze, then looked at the man's arms, and leaned forward slightly to pull out a half-exposed memorial. "The Grand Canal?"

"...Exactly!"

Lu Jie quickly replied, "The autumn harvest is about to begin in the south. This is a report sent from the Grand Canal. Thanks to the Emperor's great grace, the weather has been favorable this year, resulting in a bumper harvest. It is expected that there will be many more cargo ships than last year."

"I went to the cabinet to request permission to plan traffic restrictions in advance, but unfortunately there was no one in charge. So I prepared a memorial on my own in preparation for the situation, and I am here to present it to Your Majesty to see if it is appropriate?"

After the emperor finished reading, he said, "Well done." He glanced at him, then looked at his bulging arms and asked, "What else?"

Lu Jie took out his document: "The Northwest military pay has not yet been distributed this year, and we have received several requests from them. Since I took over as Minister of Revenue, I have already made arrangements, but I was afraid that Hu Yucheng would need it urgently, so I postponed the distribution to the twelfth lunar month."

"In addition, there is a memorial concerning the procurement of bricks and stones for the construction of the imperial mausoleum. I have also dared to propose a strategy."

"These are not my duties, but I have taken the liberty of doing them. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

The emperor examined each document one by one, his tightly furrowed brows subtly twitching. "I propose sending Grand Commandant Shen on an inspection tour of the Northwest, and while he's there, oversee the construction of the imperial mausoleum?"

Lu Jie smiled ingratiatingly: "Grand Commandant, you have been back in the capital for over a year and have not left the city. It is time for you to go and take a look at the Northwest."

The Emperor said, "This trip will take at least a month or two. Once you leave the capital, you'll have to temporarily hand over your affairs to others. Are you doing this to get revenge on the Yan family?"

Lu Jie said solemnly, "I have only acted impartially and would never have shown any favoritism. Besides, the Yan family has committed such a serious crime, and I have not been involved in it in the slightest. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

The emperor gave a light hum: "I know!" He closed the memorial, stared ahead for a long time, and then suddenly asked him: "How long do you think the war in the southeast will last?"

Lu Jie's hunched posture froze in mid-air, then he quickly regained his senses: "If it goes quickly, it will take a year or two; if it goes slowly, it's hard to say."

"What if there were sufficient military funds?"

Lu Jie murmured, “The battle that Grand Commandant Shen fought back then lasted fourteen years. Hu Yucheng’s side is fighting pirates and Japanese pirates. The enemy’s troops are not as numerous as those in the Northwest, but they are very cunning. If we give them enough money and wait for them to train a group of strong naval forces to fight back, it will probably take four or five years.”

The emperor stroked the rim of the bowl: "Four or five years ago, I don't even know if I was still alive then."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jie knelt down again with a thud: "Your Majesty, what makes you say such a thing?!"

The emperor handed all the documents back to him: "All the funds that should be allocated for the Caohe River, the southeast, and the construction of the imperial mausoleum should be allocated as required. Have Hu Yucheng rush to fight in the southeast. As for the military pay in the northwest, have Shen Bo personally escort it. Listen to you, and order him to inspect the imperial mausoleum along the way."

Lu Jie shouted "Yes," then looked up and asked, "May I ask about such a large sum of money..."

"Grand Secretary Yan will find a way to help me."

The emperor said calmly.

Lu Jie then loudly accepted the imperial decree once more!