Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Hu Ying shuddered in fright and quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Oirat barbarians are ignorant of etiquette. However, all corners of the world look up to the might of the Great Ming Dynasty. If we turn them away in the dead of winter or fail to entertain them properly, we risk incurring the ridicule of foreign nations."

"What's worse, if we anger Esen and ignite war on the border, it will result in widespread suffering and death. Therefore, I believe that we should demonstrate the benevolence of the Celestial Empire and bestow generous gifts to appease them."

This argument about spending money to buy peace and being willing to suffer for the sake of saving face might have worked in the past.

But Hu Ying clearly underestimated the emperor's obsession with money and grain.

Zhu Qizhen had carried sandbags and eaten coarse bread that stung his throat in the Western Garden. He knew better than anyone how hard-won a grain of rice or a tael of silver was.

Why should he give away the fine wines, meats, and silks from the national treasury to a group of barbarians on the grasslands for nothing?

That was even more painful for him than cutting off his own flesh.

"The grace of the Celestial Empire?"

Zhu Qizhen suddenly stood up from the dragon throne, strode to the edge of the steps, and looked down at the assembled officials.

"The people of our Great Ming Dynasty toil and pay taxes to replenish the national treasury, build dikes, and support the soldiers guarding the borders! Not to feed those greedy barbarians from those foreign lands!"

Zhu Qizhen flicked his sleeves and shouted sternly.

"Hu Ying, go tell that Angke guy. Have the officials from the Imperial Household Department inspect the two thousand horses they brought. If they are top-quality horses, the court will reward them at market price."

"If they are elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, calculate the price directly based on the cost of mules and horses pulling carts! Not a single penny more is allowed!"

Hu Ying's face turned ashen, and he repeatedly kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, this...this violates ancestral rules! When foreign countries pay tribute, they are always generously rewarded, regardless of the quality of the goods..."

"The rules were set by me!"

Zhu Qizhen's eyes were wide open, his killing intent decisive.

"As for the three thousand envoys, the Ministry of Rites is only responsible for receiving the chief and deputy envoys and their entourage of one hundred people. The remaining two thousand nine hundred are all their private servants and accompanying merchants. The Ming Dynasty has no such rule as to support idle people for them!"

"They want to enter the city? Fine. They can pay for their own lodging at an inn and their own rice and noodles. But if they dare to engage in forced buying and selling or cause trouble in the capital, let the Five Cities Garrison arrest them and throw them into the Shuntian Prefecture jail!"

All the officials in the court gasped in shock.

The Emperor is not receiving foreign envoys; he is treating a bunch of thugs who have come to collect debts!

If such a merciless and meticulous imperial edict were to be issued, wouldn't the Oirat delegation be thrown into an uproar on the spot?

"His Majesty!"

Minister of War Yu Qian stepped out of the ranks, his expression solemn.

"Although the Oirat delegation is suspected of extortion, if they are treated so harshly, Angke will certainly not be satisfied. If they cause a disturbance outside the city, it may lead to a rebellion."

"Esen has a large army and is powerful enough that if he uses this as a pretext to launch an attack on the border, the soldiers of the nine border regions, though brave, will inevitably face a fierce battle."

Zhu Qizhen frowned.

Although he was stingy, he was not unaware of what was important.

The Jiubian military settlements have just been reorganized, and the border troops are now resting and recuperating.

If a full-scale war were to break out with the Oirat at this moment, the military expenditure would far exceed the cost of feeding three thousand people.

Just as the emperor and his ministers were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere in the hall was heavy.

Gu Yannian, who had been holding a tablet and standing at the head of the court officials, stepped out of the queue unhurriedly.

His moon-white fox-fur cloak remained spotless in the wind and snow, giving him an air of detached tranquility.

"Your humble servant has something to report."

Gu Yannian's tone was calm and gentle, like jade.

When Zhu Qizhen saw the Grand Tutor step forward, his violent aura immediately subsided by three points, and his tone softened.

"What good plan does Prime Minister Gu have?"

Gu Yannian bowed slightly, his deep gaze sweeping over the swirling snowflakes.

"If the Oirat envoys have come from afar, it would indeed be unbecoming of the Ming Dynasty to deny them even a decent meal. However, His Majesty's compassion for the people and his unwillingness to squander the national treasury is also a wise move."

A deep, unfathomable smile appeared on Gu Yannian's lips.

"Your Majesty, I believe that since Angke has brought three thousand strong and capable men, this is a gift from Heaven to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty never supports idlers, but as long as one is willing to work, one will naturally have wine and meat."

Zhu Qizhen was taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"What does the Grand Tutor mean?"

Gu Yannian turned to face the assembled officials, his voice clearly audible in the wind and snow.

"The Ministry of Works reported a few days ago that coal consumption at Xishan Coal Mine has surged since the beginning of winter, and the mine is worried about a labor shortage, which is slowing down the mining progress."

"In addition, the snow on the city walls in various parts of the capital needs to be cleared, and the ice on the moat also needs to be broken to get water."

Gu Yannian shook the plain folding fan in his hand and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Your Majesty may issue an edict to divide the meals at the guild hall into three grades. The top grade meal will include chicken, duck, fish, and meat; the middle grade meal will consist of vegetarian dishes with white flour steamed buns; and the bottom grade meal will only include some coarse grains and vegetable scraps."

"Apart from the chief and deputy envoys, the rest of the three thousand Oirat people could go to the West Mountain coal mine to dig coal if they wanted a high-class meal, and go to the city wall to sweep snow or break ice in the moat if they wanted a mid-range meal."

"If I just lie in the inn all day doing nothing..."

Gu Yannian lowered his eyelids slightly, his tone revealing an undeniable coldness.

"Then they deserve only the lowest-class meals; it would be a great favor if they didn't starve. In this way, it would both demonstrate the fairness of the Ming Dynasty's distribution according to labor and save the Ministry of Works money from recruiting laborers. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

As the wind and snow raged outside Fengtian Gate, the officials felt a cold sweat seep down their backs.

It's too cruel.

Let those unruly horse-taming men from the Oirat grasslands go to the dark mines of the Western Hills to dig coal.

Go out into the freezing cold to sweep snow and chisel ice?

This is hardly a welcoming mission; it's clearly treating these three thousand barbarians as free indentured laborers for the Ming Dynasty!

Such a ruthless and cunning scheme could only be conceived by the chief minister, Gu, who was in charge of the nation's finances.

Who would have thought of that?

Zhu Qizhen sat on the dragon throne, his eyes widening.

In that instant, he seemed to see mountains of coal being transformed into gleaming silver flowing into his private treasury.

We can use the barbarians' labor to mine the Ming Dynasty's coal, saving the national treasury money, and we don't have to listen to their noisy complaints.

This is an unprecedented and ingenious plan!

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhu Qizhen couldn't help but burst into laughter, slapping the table in admiration.

"Grand Tutor's plan is absolutely brilliant!"

The young emperor was so excited that his face flushed.

"That's settled! The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works, make the arrangements immediately! Issue an edict to the Five City Garrison Commands and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, ordering them to deploy heavy troops to guard the Western Hills and all city walls. If they dare to cause trouble and refuse to work, then as Prime Minister Gu said, give them nothing but dishwater to drink every meal!"

"The Ming Dynasty's grain supply is not for idlers who eat for free!"

After the court session ended, Gu Yannian's bizarre policy of "using work as relief" to welcome guests quickly spread throughout the capital city, accompanied by the wind and snow.