Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 516 Your Majesty, the people's hearts are usable.
Marquis Ji Liang of Xichang conducted a self-examination of documents.

Net Worth List:

Nine hundred thousand taels of gold, awarded as the first merit for the great victory at Cangyun Gorge in the tenth year of Yuankang, which defeated the main force of the Wei Kingdom's Canglang Cavalry. Verified by the Ministry of War.

The precious weapon, the Mountain-Splitting Spear, was seized in the fifteenth year of the Yuankang era during the suppression of the Black Dragon Island, a major pirate in the East China Sea. It was recorded by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

Five Nine-Turn Dragon Elephant Pills were specially bestowed by His Majesty after repelling the beast tide in the Southern Wilderness in the twenty-first year of the Yuan Kang era, to help one break through to the Free and Unfettered Grandmaster realm.

The Ji family sold their ancestral Qixia Mountain Villa for 12 million taels of silver to Yuyuan Trading Company, and used the proceeds to purchase 3,000 catties of meteorite iron to forge the keel of warships for the Eastern Territory Navy.

Note: For seven generations, the Ji clan guarded the eastern coastal border. All clan property was used to purchase military equipment and warhorses, and clan rules stipulated that no spoils obtained through military achievements should be put into the treasury.

……

Zhou Mingyuan, the military advisor in charge of grain supply in the eastern border region, conducted a self-examination of his documents.

Asset details:

Forty-five hundred thousand taels of silver, in the seventeenth year of the Yuankang era, ensured the supply of provisions for a million-strong army during the Battle of Beigu River, and was specially awarded by the Ministry of Personnel as a meritorious official.

The Confucian treasure, a jade ruler, was presented as a gift by Tu Mu'ao, the headmaster of Baili Academy, to thank him for his contribution to improving the military rations transport formation.

The Zhou family sold thirteen rice shops in Donglin City for 2.7 million taels of silver to Yuyuan Trading Company and purchased one hundred sets of Xuan Turtle Shells to equip the grain supervision guards.

Note: Zhou, a lowly clerk, was in charge of the grain supply route in the eastern border for twenty years. All the profits he made were invested in improving military supplies. His ancestors taught that those who raised grain should consider it a success if the soldiers were well-fed.

……

Lu Wenqian, Registrar of the Eastern Maritime Affairs Bureau, conducted a self-examination of documents.

Composition of net worth:

Six hundred thousand taels of silver were awarded to the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War in the nineteenth year of the Yuankang era for drawing a map of the Thousand Islands to aid in the suppression of Japanese pirates.

The second-grade Spirit Inkstone, Whale Wave Ink Sea, was personally bestowed by His Majesty after the secret text of the Southern Wilderness Sea Clan was deciphered, and was engraved with the seal of a pillar of maritime affairs.

Property sold: Two shipyards belonging to the Lu family in Linhai were sold to Yuyuan Trading Company for four million taels of silver in exchange for a water-dividing and wave-stabilizing array to improve the speed of warships.

Note: The Lu family has been responsible for drafting maritime documents for generations. Every warship in the Eastern Navy has a "Naval Warfare Manual" revised by Lu. The family does not own land or employ servants.

……

Self-examination document of Wei Yanting, the military commander of Zhenhai Camp in the eastern border region.

Composition of net worth:

One million three hundred thousand taels of silver, eight hundred thousand taels of silver as a reward from the imperial court for the bloody battle at Tianlang Pass, and five hundred thousand taels of silver in recognition of merits in pacifying the rebellion in the eastern border.

The armor, Xuanlin armor, was obtained in the eighteenth year of the Yuankang era when the army rushed to the aid of Beigu River and defeated the Northern Yan cavalry. It was identified by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau as a third-grade spirit armor.

Three bottles of Dragon-Tiger Bone-Tempering Pills were specially bestowed by the Ministry of War in the twentieth year of the Yuankang era after the suppression of the Thousand Island Pirates and the slaying of seven bandit leaders at the Innate Realm.

The Wei family ancestral home in Linhai City was sold for 600,000 taels of silver to Yuyuan Trading Company in exchange for ten South China Sea mermaid pearls to aid in their cultivation and breakthrough.

Note: The Wei family guarded the coastal frontier for three generations. All the official titles and ranks of the family members were obtained through military merits. They did not own any land or shops.

……

Xue Chengye, the commander of the Eastern Border Changlin Guard, conducted a self-examination of documents.

Net Worth List:

Two hundred thousand taels of gold; in the nineteenth year of the Yuankang era, he led a light cavalry on a raid of three thousand li to destroy the granaries of the Northern Yan; His Majesty personally approved the reward.

The Rubao Pozhen Pen, a gift from Yuanchen Academy, is a token of gratitude to Xue for his meritorious service in slaying the Zhao rebels.

He sold off his property, the Xue family shipyard in Donglin Port, for 950,000 taels of silver and transferred it to Yuyuan Trading Company to purchase the meteorite iron halberd Duanlang.

Note: Xue rose from a lowly soldier to a commander, leading from the front in all twenty-nine battles. His family tradition dictated that military merit should not be obtained through non-combat means.

……

Cui Mingyuan, the prefect of Guangling County in the eastern region, conducted a self-examination of documents.

Asset details:

Eight hundred thousand taels of silver were awarded to the meritorious official who defended the city for one hundred days and repelled the combined forces of Qi and Zhao in the sixteenth year of the Yuankang era. The Ministry of Personnel approved the award for this meritorious service.

The third-grade spirit sword, Azure Frost, was used to wipe out the evil cultivators' lair in Langya County. After being seized, it was approved by the Zhen Tian Si (Heavenly Guard) for retention.

He sold his thousand-acre mulberry orchard south of Guangling City for 450,000 taels of silver to Yuyuan Trading Company in exchange for the Purple Qi Chaoyuan Pill to help his offspring break through to the Innate Realm.

Note: The Cui family had been in charge of the army for generations, and their residences in the city were military mansions bestowed by the imperial court; they did not purchase private property.

……

Officials in the eastern region were required to post their self-inspection documents at the Donghua Gate by the Ministry of Rites.

The pavilion on the top of Donghua Gate.

Wang Anzhi, the Minister of Rites, remained calm, while Cao Yue, the Imperial Censor, sat upright to one side.

Below them stood dozens of indignant censors.

"Your Excellency, do these officials in the Eastern Territory think the people of the world are fools?" "Yes, the sale of their properties is clearly documented. It's obvious that they were hastily sold off after their self-inspection, and the prices were reduced by at least 50%."

"Lord Cao Yue, this humble servant requests to lodge a petition with the Emperor, ordering a thorough investigation of the Yu Yuan Trading Company—"

The attic was in chaos and noise, but Cao Yue's expression remained unchanged as he watched the two clerks below the city posting documents.

The people gradually gathered in front of the document.

Minister Wang Anzhi waved his hand lightly and said calmly, "If they dare to report this sale, they're not afraid of being investigated."

He looked out of the hall and said, "Let's hear what the people outside Donghua Gate have to say first."

He raised his hand and pointed, and a faint, righteous power of Confucianism and Taoism condensed, allowing the discussions below the city to be clearly heard in the pavilion.

At this moment, not only on the city wall pavilions, but also on the main hall of the Qianyang Palace in the imperial city, a light screen flowed, reflecting the scene outside the Donghua Gate.

Emperor Yuankang sat upright, with Sima Qingguang, the Minister of Rites, and others below him who had been staying in the palace for several days.

A voice came from within the light screen.

"Look at this document from the Marquis of Xichang! The million taels of gold were all earned through bloody battles, and countless enemy heads are stained on that Broken Mountain Spear!"

The man in rough clothes and shorts slapped the wall bricks, his voice booming so loudly that those around him turned to look: "This is what it means to bring honor to one's ancestors! A hundred times better than those pretentious, pedantic scholars!"

A pedantic scholar.

Whether it was the civil officials in the Qianyang Hall or the censors at the Donghua Gate, their lips twitched.

They knew the people were cursing them behind their backs, but to be cursed so openly was still shameful.

In the crowd in front of Donghua Gate, an old man with white hair pointed tremblingly at Wei Yanting's entry, his cloudy eyes gleaming: "My grandson is also working in Zhenhai Camp! Last month's letter said he killed three pirates. Once he has accumulated enough merits to exchange for the reward money, we can build a new tiled house!"

His withered, twig-like hand gripped the arm of the boy beside him tightly: "You'll join the army next spring too!"

Several wandering knights crowded in front of the document, marveling at it.

The young man with the sword kicked his companion: "Did you see Commander Xue's formation-breaking pen? Those bookworms from Yuan Chen Academy practically delivered it to our doorstep! If you ask me, cutting down ten enemy generals is more effective than writing ten cartloads of strategy essays!"

The surrounding area erupted in thunderous laughter, and someone tossed a wine flask into the air, the amber liquid drawing a scorching arc in the winter sun.

bookworm.

In the Qianyang Palace, Emperor Yuankang smiled.

On the city wall of Donghua Gate, the faces of the imperial censors twitched.

"Prefect Cui sold those thousand acres of mulberry orchards with great success!" A merchant dressed in silk clapped his hands and laughed, the jade pendant at his waist jingling with each movement. "Using 450,000 taels of silver to exchange for Purple Qi Pills to help my son break through to the Innate Realm, that's the spirit of a military family!"

"Unlike those parasites in the inner city, who hoard their ancestral property until it's moldy and still refuse to let go!"

These words made the faces of the officials in the attic and those who had quietly come to inquire feel ashamed.

Suddenly, a child's innocent voice pierced through the noise: "Mother, when I grow up, I want to draw sea charts like Registrar Lu!"

The little boy, with his hair in a topknot, rode on his father's shoulders, waving the newly bought wooden warship: "Giddy up! Giddy up! When I sail this great ship and wipe out the pirates, His Majesty will reward me with a sea of ​​whales and ink-black waves!"

The surrounding crowd cheered, and the old man selling sugar paintings immediately poured out a steaming warship, which he then handed to the child.

As dusk settled, the vermilion seal on the document appeared even more scarlet under the torchlight.

The porter, squatting by the wall, finished his last gulp of strong liquor and said hoarsely to his companion, "My cousin slew a demon tiger in Qingtianzhou and sent back half a piece of merit jade last month... After the New Year, we'll also go to the Ministry of War to register as recruits!"

The firelight danced in his eyes, and in a daze, it transformed into the smoke of battle on the battlefield.

The hustle and bustle that once filled the city walls and pavilions had now subsided.

The censors had complicated expressions and remained silent with their heads down.

They thought the people would resent these Eastern Border officials for their wealth, which often amounted to tens or hundreds of millions, but they didn't expect that what the people saw was military merit.

They thought the people would compare these wealthy officials with the incorruptible censors, but to their surprise, the people called them pedantic scholars.

Cao Yue was able to rise through the ranks to become the Imperial Censor based on his clean background, so why are they being criticized?

Inside the Qianyang Palace, the officials exchanged glances, their expressions shifting.

Popular support.

In many cases, the will of the people can be swayed by the imperial court.

But there are also many times when public opinion can influence the court.

"Your Majesty, the people's hearts are with us."

Sima Qingguang, the Minister of Personnel, bowed deeply in respect.

The others followed suit and bowed.

Emperor Yuankang nodded, raised his hand to dispel the light screen in the hall, and said calmly, "Prince Xuan Anzhi and Cao Yue."

(End of this chapter)