Chapter Five Hundred and Thirty Nine National Events
Xia Gongming, Song Yu, Jiang Yuanming, and Cai Jun, the four important officials in the court, walked into the study one after another, and immediately bowed to Young Master Liu with respectful expressions.
"I see you, Your Majesty the Emperor. Long live the Emperor."
Liu Mingzhi looked at the four people lined up in front of him, smiled lightly and held up his hands.
"Four dear friends, please take your seats without courtesy."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
When Liu Mingzhi saw Jiang Yuanming and the others walking to the chairs next to them, he raised his eyes and looked at Liu Song who was standing in the door.
"Willow Pine."
"The little one is here."
"Go and make a pot of Jinshan Yunwu immediately and bring it over."
"Yes, I will come back as soon as I go."
After Liu Song retreated from the study, Xia Gongming, the chief minister of the cabinet, looked at Liu Mingzhi, who was sitting at the head, with some confusion in his old but bright eyes.
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask Your Majesty why I summoned you and my three colleagues here now."
When Song Yu and the others heard that Xia Gongming had taken the lead in asking the question, they all looked at Young Master Liu, with a hint of doubt in their eyes.
Liu Mingzhi felt the confusion in the eyes of the four people, and stood up with a smile and walked to his desk.
Liu Dashao leaned over slightly and opened the drawer, took out a few pieces of rice paper filled with text and returned it again.
After sitting on the chair, Liu Mingzhi reached out and handed the rice paper in his hand to Xia Gongming, the chief minister of the cabinet, who was sitting at the bottom of the chair on the left.
"Sir, you guys should read it to each other first. After reading the contents on the paper, you will naturally understand why I summoned you here."
Xia Gongming nodded in surprise, stretched out his hands and respectfully took the rice paper handed to him by Liu Mingzhi.
"Then the old minister will be disrespectful."
"Haha, sir, you're welcome. Let's take a look as soon as possible."
Xia Gongming nodded slightly, held the rice paper in both hands, lowered his head and read the contents above with concentration.
As Xia Gongming read more and more of the contents on the rice paper, his old face gradually changed, from initial doubt, to later caution, and finally to solemnity.
After about half a stick of incense, Xia Gongming took out a long breath and handed the document in his hand to Cai Jun, the Honorable Marquis next to him, with a thoughtful expression.
"Marquis Cai, I have read the above contents. You should also take a look."
Cai Jun, Marquis of Rongwei, had long been aroused by Xia Gongming's changing expressions, and he took the rice paper he handed over without hesitation.
"Okay, I have also taken a look at it."
After receiving the document handed over by Xia Gongming, Rongwei Hou Cai Jun immediately lowered his eyes and examined the contents.
Gradually, Cai Jun's expression also changed, but compared to Xia Gongming's expression, Cai Jun's face showed more excitement.
While Cai Jun was quietly reading the documents, Liu Song quietly walked into the study carrying a tray. He carefully placed the tray in his hand on the desk next to Young Master Liu, and then quietly retreated to Young Master Liu.
The young man stopped behind him.
In the study that was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop, Cai Jun suddenly slapped his palm with the rice paper in his hand, and handed it to Song Yu next to him with an excited expression.
"Song Shangshu, please."
"You're welcome."
After Song Yu took the rice paper and looked through it, he passed it to Jiang Yuanming, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, with the same thoughtful expression.
After a long time, Jiang Yuanming put the rice paper in his hand on the table with a pained look on his face, and looked at Young Master Liu who was about to lift the teapot with a bitter look on his face.
"Your Majesty, the treasury has finally managed to save such a small amount of money! It's not warm yet. You are going to use the army again. Can't we rest for two more years?
The old minister thinks, why don't you think about it again and see if you can get a two-year reprieve?"
When Lao Jiang spoke, he used the same old rhetoric that he used before, except to save money.
Young Master Liu was holding the teapot before he could speak. Cai Jun, the Honorable Marquis next to him, suddenly stood up and patted the table next to him lightly or hard with his hand.
"Old Jiang, Old Jiang, you old bastard is really getting better and better with each passing day. You're already this old, how come you still don't know what your priorities are?
Military warfare has been a major matter for the country since ancient times. Can it be postponed as long as it is postponed?
If the treasury was empty, I would have nothing to say to you. But now that there is money and food in the treasury, and there is still a lot of money and food, why are you still so arrogant and petty?
The 100,000 soldiers of the Second Army have been training hard every day to prepare for so long, and they are just waiting for an expedition of thousands of miles to serve the country. Ah! You said a two-year deferment is just a two-year deferment?
If you are so awesome, you old bastard, why don't you tell the sun to wait for two years before it sets on the mountain?
In this case, wouldn't we be able to live for two more years? Is it you who has the final say?
Forget it, what do you, a scholar with a pen, know? I am too lazy to tell you that much."
Jiang Yuanming looked at Cai Jun who was cursing at him, the corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and he suddenly stood up and slapped the table hard.
"Cai Jun, you old man, you've gone too far.
When I see you on weekdays, I respectfully call you "Old Marquis" because you are several years older than me and because I possess the virtues of a gentleman.
But you can’t take yourself too seriously, right?
As the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs who supervises the world's money and food for His Majesty, what is wrong with me for the sake of the national treasury? What is wrong with me?
Co-author, do you think that the money and food in the treasury is the same as your own, and you can use it however you want?
If you are such a cool old man, why don't you just go to the National Treasury or the Ministry of Internal Affairs to get your salary yourself instead of getting your salary from the Department of Household Affairs?
Oh! By the way, I almost forgot, you can’t be the master of your family’s money.
Looking at the capital, any person with some connections, big or small, doesn’t know that Mr. Cai Hou, your family’s money is all managed by your old sister-in-law!
Tsk, tsk, tsk, I am old, a little confused, and have forgotten such important things.
Marquis Cai, please don’t mind me, my brother and I are as knowledgeable as a literati with a pen!"
"Jiang Yuanming, you old bastard, if I sleep with your mother, you are going too far."
"Cai Jun, you are an old man, you are the one who picked on his mother, okay?"
Young Master Liu poured six cups of tea in a leisurely manner. Looking at Jiang Yuanming who was still greeting each other, Cai Jun and the others snorted hard.
"That's enough, can you two old guys stop and pretend that this is a street in the city?
You two scratch your heads and think about how old you are, and yet you are still scolding each other like shrews. Do you two know how to write the word "disgraceful"? "
When Jiang Yuanming and Cai Jun heard Young Master Liu's scolding, they hurriedly stopped greeting each other and turned around to salute Young Master Liu.
"I know I was wrong, and please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Young Master Liu glared at the two of them angrily, picked up a cup of tea and gently sat back on the chair.
"Okay, okay, if it weren't for the fact that you two are both senior members of the court, I would have to give you a good punishment.
Just the fact that you have behaved badly before you is enough for you to shut yourself up and think about it for three months.
I have already poured the tea for you, each of you can take a cup and sit back."
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty. Long live, long live, long live."
"My lord, King Wuyi, and Minister of Song, please each serve a glass. It would be a pity not to drink the fine Jinshan Yunwu."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the tea."
Liu Mingzhi lowered his head and took a sip of the freshly brewed tea. After savoring the fragrance on his lips and teeth, he raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Yuanming who was already seated.
"Jiang Aiqing."
"The old minister is here."
"As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses are moved, food and grass go first. I ask you, have you prepared all the things I told you before?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, preparations have been made.
In accordance with His Majesty's instructions, the veteran has mobilized 30% of this year's spring tax and 30% of the summer tax on grain and grass from the local prefectures directly to the treasuries of Ganzhou and Suzhou.
Just waiting for your Majesty's order, the treasuries of the two prefectures can open warehouses at any time to mobilize grain and grass to take the lead."
Young Master Liu raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded happily as he looked at Jiang Yuanming.
"Old Jiang, you are worthy of being my humerus minister. You have done a great job in this matter."
"Don't dare, don't dare. Since ancient times, it is the duty of the old ministers to eat the emperor's salary and share the emperor's worries."