Of course Cao Qichang would not show weakness. He emphasized:

"Your Highness, the old minister is not relying on his old age, nor is he nostalgic for the power of the prime minister. If His Highness wants to come to court, or even resume early court, the veterans have no objections. However, for military and state affairs, we must rely on the division of labor and cooperation of all ministers and hundreds of officials to work together.

yes."

"Currently, there are natural disasters inside, Turks outside, the Tubo and other khanates are eyeing them, and there are many vassal kings ready to take action. The reason why the old ministers came to give advice rashly is because in the long run, the court will be in chaos, the national power will decline, and the country will be in danger."

He spoke eloquently without caring about the prince's reaction.

This duplicitous and treacherous official said he was good at serving the country and the people, but in fact he framed loyal people, eliminated dissidents, committed smuggling and treason, and used cruel methods to achieve his personal ambitions.

Yuan Zhi was condescending, looking down at the treacherous minister five steps away from Dan Chi, and could only endure it for the time being.

"Cao Aiqing, what you said is not unknown to me. Cruel tactics such as killing people and confiscation of homes are forced and helpless actions, and they are definitely not the purpose of me. The governance of the country is of course inseparable from Cao Aiqing and other ministers, but it requires the unification of political orders."

"Since my dear, you are talking about natural disasters, I do have something to discuss with you. It is the current food shortage. All the surplus food in the national treasury has been exhausted. However, the wealthy businessmen in the capital are hoarding food privately. The common people cannot buy food, which has caused the price of food to skyrocket. I don't know.

My dear, what good advice do you have?"

Yuanzhi is the wisdom of modern people, and this kind of debate will not faze him.

The first half of his words were telling Cao Qichang that killing people and confiscating their homes was a last resort, but he had to use it.

What he particularly emphasized was the need for unification of government orders.

In other words, he was the crown prince and the highest ruler of the Jin Dynasty.

In the second half, he changed his words and threw a ball to his opponent.

He didn't believe that Cao Qichang decided to come to the East Palace. In addition to thanking the third son of Cao, could he just accuse him in court and intensify the conflict?

There is no specific expression of easing the relationship between the two parties, or it can be regarded as a gift.

In fact, the prince's doubts are unnecessary.

Cao Qichang is a master of games. He understands that the battle with the crown prince is a battle for the crown prince and the throne. Although it is cruel and ruthless, both sides should have a bottom line.

The bottom line is that we cannot allow domestic turmoil, exhaustion of national power, and disaster victims to revolt, causing national crisis.

Otherwise, you will have worked hard for more than ten years, and in the end, you will have nothing to draw from the bamboo basket, but you will be making wedding clothes for others.

Cao Qichang would never do this kind of business where he loses money and makes a profit.

Before entering the Qinzheng Hall in the East Palace, he was a little worried that Prince Yuanzhi did not have an overall concept and could not understand it well.

But after several back and forth conversations, Cao Qichang suddenly understood that his worries were actually unnecessary.

"Reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince, related disaster relief matters are being carried out by the Ministry of Household Affairs. The cabinet has also issued a decree, explicitly ordering all levels of state governments to do their best to provide relief and appease the people. As for the grain merchants in the capital who are hoarding and raising prices, in the opinion of veterans, firstly,

A list was published and it was clearly prohibited. Violators would be killed without mercy. Secondly, food was urgently transferred from the south."

On the surface, Cao Qichang was talking eloquently, but in reality he was testing the situation, waiting for the prince's reaction.

Yuan Zhi kept his expression and said frankly:

"Cao Aiqing is right. The first step is to order the household department, together with the secret guards, Qianniu guards, etc., to collect evidence and conduct a general cleanup in the capital against those unscrupulous merchants who deliberately hoard food."

"As for the second measure, Gu's influence is limited. I heard that Cao Aiqing has a good relationship with the Xiao family in Jiangnan. The Jiangnan inspector is a student of Aiqing and is also involved in various aspects of water transportation. I would like to ask the prime minister to come forward to coordinate and solve this urgent need.

.”

The prince made the request straightforwardly without any pretense, which surprised Cao Qichang, but he also appreciated it.

A man can bend and stretch, so what if he sacrifices a little face for the sake of the overall situation?

The prince knows a little bit, but the prince can be taught.

"Prince, please rest assured about this matter. I am willing to go all out and try my best to increase Xiao's power in water transportation. The rice that has arrived at Dongting Lake will be transferred ashore overnight and transported to the grain reserve to alleviate the shortage of food in the disaster area and the capital."

Affection."

Cao Qichang was not pretentious. He agreed wholeheartedly and was very specific, specifically mentioning the water transport to Dongting Lake.

It seemed that he was well prepared and planned to give the prince a reward.

It is also impolite to come and go without reciprocating.

Both sides take a step back, and the sky will be brighter.

"On behalf of the people of the capital and the tens of millions of victims of the disaster, Nagu would like to thank the prime minister in advance." Yuan Zhi stood up, took a step across, and gave Cao Qichang a slight salute.

"Oh, Your Highness, you are such an old minister. Handling government affairs and resolving crises are all matters within the scope of your duties. Why do you need the prince to say thank you?"

Cao Qichang stood up quickly and bowed his head to the end, "If the Crown Prince has no other orders, I will retire now and go to implement the matter of transporting grain to Dongting Lake. We will gather in court tomorrow morning and I will wait for His Highness at the Daming Palace."

"Cao Aiqing please."

Yuan Zhi walked down the jade terrace and sent Cao Qichang to the gate of Qinzheng Hall, then returned to the hall.

"Gao Jin, inform Duke Ji to temporarily cancel the raid plan on Xiao's grain ship anchored on Dongting Lake."

"As ordered." Gao Jin promised in a low voice.

The secret guards have found out that the two giant ships parked on Dongting Lake, as well as other ships, are carrying disaster relief grains transported by Cao Gang Xiao to the capital.

They all received orders from Cao Mansion not to unload the goods into the dock warehouse for the time being.

Yuan Zhi had made two preparations, the second of which was to forcefully board the ship and seize food.

Of course, this will cause a lot of trouble. At least the East Palace has established another strong enemy, the Jiangnan Xiao family and the Caobang, and maybe Jiangnan Prince Ning.

It is said that Cao Qichang walked to the chariot parked outside the yard gate, looked up to the sky and sighed: "The descendants are terrible! I haven't seen you for three days, so you should look at me with admiration."

"Father, why are you sighing?" Dugu Cheng felt that his foster father was a little confused, so he approached and asked in confusion.

Cao Qichang glanced at his adopted son intently and said solemnly: "The current prince who oversees the country is a god-given man. From now on, we must not take him lightly."

After saying that, he jumped onto the chariot without waiting for Dugu Cheng's reaction.

…

The next day, it was dark and bright.

Imperial City, outside the Meridian Gate.

The place is already busy with traffic and crowded with people.

Outside the imperial city, there were no horse-tying stones, and all official and chariots, large and small, were led by guards and queued up in order in the square outside the Meridian Gate.

This is a bit like holding a government meeting in later generations. Officials' drivers would park their official cars in order in the square.

The officials dressed up and entered the venue, while the secretary and driver were waiting in the car.

There is a court meeting every half a month. Courtiers of the fifth rank and above come in sedan chairs or official chariots. There are also military attachés from remote suburban counties who come on horseback.

However, it was indeed inconvenient to ride a horse while wearing long robes and court crowns. When outside the imperial city, he was already disheveled and looked very embarrassed.

Isn’t this just looking for trouble for yourself?
Chapter completed!