mtl008 Chapter 144 One After Another Takes the Stage
Chapter 144 One After Another Takes the Stage
Palace of Diligent Governance Hall —
In these turbulent times, after the court assembly, smaller meetings were held. Important matters were reported during the court assembly as a formal announcement, but their implementation required back-and-forth negotiations. Emperor Yongxi fell ill due to excessive grief over the passing of Consort Jiang. After the court assembly, he was exhausted, so the Crown Prince, who was in charge of the state, convened important officials in the Hall of Diligent Governance to discuss the details.
"Tax exemption? Yunzhou was exempted last year, how will the national treasury make up for the deficit if it's exempted again this year?"
“Last year, Yunzhou suffered a severe drought, leaving nine out of ten households empty. How can we collect taxes when we can’t even satisfy the needs of this small population?”
"Continue to apportion the burden to other states and counties as before."
"So you're levying taxes on Yongzhou again? Although Yongzhou has good weather and abundant harvests, it can't withstand the annual increase in taxes. The local people are already complaining. Are you trying to incite a popular uprising?!"
……
“After the successive battles at Jiayong Pass and Pingshan Pass, the border garrison is incomplete, so we should recruit soldiers from the surrounding areas.”
"Wow~ You can't possibly reach Liangzhou even if you go any further!"
……
"The Qingzhou army deserves to be commended for their meritorious service in the rescue."
"What a joke! What merit can the Qingzhou army have if they don't contribute?"
……
"This brat is not worth discussing anything with!"
"How dare you, you old scoundrel, bark and howl like that!"
The dozen or so high-ranking officials in the palace, dressed in crimson and purple court robes, were not only powerful figures in Xuan Kingdom, but also the de facto leaders of the powerful families and clans of various prefectures and counties in the court.
Crown Prince Que Jin remained calm and composed after taking his seat at the imperial desk, clearly accustomed to the scene of civil officials arguing amongst themselves. Song Yuan, standing to the side, dutifully recorded the discussions, as he was too inexperienced to participate in policy-making and thus served as a background figure.
The argument escalated until the censor, enraged, took a jade tablet from the nearby antique shelf and was about to throw it when the Grand Secretary grabbed a golden melon from in front of the emperor's desk to smash it.
The Crown Prince's expression finally changed, and Yu Lian, understanding immediately, swiftly grabbed the Grand Secretary: "Lord Wang, calm down!"
The censor was also stopped by Shen Shi, who shouted, "What kind of behavior is this!"
The farce came and went quickly. The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't worth sacrificing his jade tablet for a mere gesture—the national treasury was empty.
Yes, the Crown Prince was very clear that politics was about games and compromises. They always had to appear to have fought hard for their own camp in order to give an account to the forces supporting them. This performance of singing, reciting, acting and fighting made Que Jin understand once again the painstaking efforts of his father to weaken the power of the aristocratic families.
Wang Mao, the Grand Secretary, straightened his clothes and looked at Shen Shi, who seemed indifferent and detached from the matter. He felt that Shen Shi was hypocritical, and that their grudges had been brewing for a long time.
The Wang family is a powerful clan. His father was the prime minister when he was in court. After he retired, the position of prime minister was vacant for a time. The current censor, Jiang Huai, advised the emperor to separate the power of the prime minister, which led to Shen Shi's rise to power and his rivalry with him.
Afterwards, Jiang Huai was assassinated, and the Jiang family declined and turned to rely on the Shen family. Therefore, the current censor Jiang Du was promoted by Shen Shi and has fought many battles for him.
"Does anyone have any further objections? If not, let's begin drafting the document."
Wang Mao glanced at the composed Shen Shizhi, wanting to tear off his hypocritical mask, when suddenly an idea came to him.
"Then we shall do as Lord Shen says."
Seeing that Wang Mao did not object, the others did not say anything more. The Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the commotion was finally over. "My dear ministers, you have worked hard. If there is nothing else, you may leave."
Wang Mao suddenly let out a soft chuckle, and the straight man immediately chimed in, "Why does Your Excellency laugh?"
"It's nothing, I just thought of a rumor circulating in the streets. I wonder if Lord Shen has heard of it?"
Shen Shi didn't even lift his eyelids. "I haven't heard of it."
Wang Mao gave a mocking smile: "I heard that the Shen family produced a prodigy who was both scholarly and martial, and later became a phoenix girl. I wonder if it's true or not. Lord Shen, could you enlighten me?"
The crown prince's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, his uncle was up to no good! He quickly said, "Rumors from the streets are certainly not to be taken seriously..."
"That is indeed true."
The crown prince swallowed hard, then added, "I have also heard that there is a young man of extraordinary talent in a collateral branch of the Shen family..."
"It is indeed my daughter, Shen Qingxi."
"..." Que Jin was completely speechless; he couldn't stop her at all!
"..." Wang Mao was also stumped. This guy doesn't play by the rules!
"pat-"
Song Yuan's pen fell to the ground, but none of the officials in the hall paid any attention. They stared at each other in disbelief, as if they had just swallowed a shocking piece of gossip.