Ye Ziāan just returned from the court, his face filled with joy.
"Did something good happen?"
"Of course, there is good news!" Ye Ziāan said, "The pirates in Shandong have been wiped out, the northern nomadic ethnic groups have been subdued by the Great Zhou iron cavalry, and thereās urgent news that Jiangsu has stabilized as well."
"That is indeed good news, but can Linhao come back?" Yang Chuxia wondered. If he could come back, she would send a message to Funan, asking Yunyun and them to return to the Capital City, and quickly arrange for the two to marry. This kind of thing shouldnāt be delayed.
"Iām afraid he canāt come back," Ye Ziāan whispered. "Cousin sent a secret message, asking him to lead troops to the south to suppress the bandits."
"The south is in chaos too?"
"Yes, it has been chaotic all along. Prince Le has instigated rebellions in several places in the Great Zhou. Linhao is leading people to suppress banditry and rebellion throughout the Great Zhou, and Great Qi has taken the opportunity of Great Zhouās internal chaos to occupy several of Great Zhouās cities. The generals defending the border have been killed, and the situation is urgent. So, after Uncle quelled the rebellion in Jiangsu, he intended to head south to suppress the rebellion. Unfortunately, upon receiving news of Great Qiās invasion, Uncle went directly to the border between Great Zhou and Great Qi."
"Is that all the good news you mentioned?"
That can hardly be called good news; Great Qi is still at war.
"Of course, itās good news. At least a few places have stabilized. Consider it a congratulatory gift for Cousinās ascension to the throne."
"When is the enthronement ceremony held?"
"The tenth of April!" Ye Ziāan curled his lips. "Itās a good day chosen by the Ministry of Rites."
"Since thatās the case, Iāll also give him a grand gift for his enthronement." Yang Chuxia held a ledger, checking things off. "Ming Lan, pack these things up, and take them all to the pawnshop tomorrow."
"What are you up to?" Ye Ziāan glanced at the things on the table, which seemed like they werenāt from the house.
"Canāt you see Iām sorting out the gifts people have given? Theyāre all items and quite valuable."
They were all things like jade ruyi, gold ruyi, jade Buddha, which couldnāt be eaten or used.
"Today, Cousin even asked, havenāt you always refused to accept gifts? Why did you decide to accept them this time?"
"Why, is he also concerned whether I accept gifts or not?"
"Not really; I guess heās just curious."
Not just Baili Yan, even he himself was curious.
"Iāll be honest with you," Yang Chuxia laughed slyly. "I plan to get these things to the pawnshop and sell them all, then use the silver to buy grain and fodder to send to the border."
"I estimate that the Emperorās ascension will come with a lot of rewards for ministers and consorts, and coupled with last yearās grain warehouse fire, thereās disaster relief to be done, and refugees to settle, the national treasury is in a pinch. Who knows how long this war between Great Qi and Great Zhou will last. If it drags on, the supply of grain and fodder may not be sufficient. I thought about it; the officials in the Capital City are the wealthiest, but earlier this year, everyone already donated once. Asking them to donate again would definitely not work, so why not have them contribute in this way?"
"Well said!" Ye Ziāan couldnāt help but admire, "If Cousin knew, he would definitely be grateful to you. Solving his urgent needs."
Today in the Imperial Study, Baili Yan was still worrying about the lack of silver in the treasury, while the army desperately needed grain and fodder.
When the Grand Emperor was in power, he spent extravagantly, giving ministers and consorts rewards of gold, silver, and jewels by the chest, which left the treasury quite empty. By the time of Prince Le, he directly swallowed more than half of its contents.
Now, even though Prince Le is dead, those things havenāt been found, and the treasury is tight.