Chapter 14 But This Emperor Worries for Cousin

Chapter 14: But My Heart Aches for My Cousin

West Garden, Jade Terrace.

Yan Weichu leaned back in his chair, head tilted, listening to Junior Grand Secretary Lin Tongfu, Minister of Revenue, drone on.

"This drought affects five prefectures and twenty-eight counties in total, including Dongchang, Jizuo, and Qingxu in Jizhou, as well as Zhangwei and Kaifeng in Yuzhou. Half a month ago, the Ministry of Revenue already allocated three hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver to these prefectures and counties, but there is still a shortfall of about eight hundred thousand taels. However, the national treasury currently holds less than six hundred thousand taels..."

"Less than six hundred thousand? Why is there not even six hundred thousand taels left?" Yan Weichu frowned, cutting him off. "Didn't we just collect the summer taxes? Where did the money go? What happened to it?"

Lin Tongfu explained, "This summer, floods frequently occurred across Jiangnan. Many riverbanks burst, and numerous areas saw complete crop failure. The Empress Dowager previously issued an edict exempting the disaster-stricken areas from two seasons of taxes, so the summer tax revenue was less than sixty percent of previous years and has not yet been fully collected. Moreover, the border troops were just paid, taking the majority of the funds. Additionally, the construction of Biyi Garden has incurred massive expenditures..."

"Enough, I understand," Yan Weichu quickly interjected. Authorizing the border troops' pay was his own decision, but the Jiangnan floods occurred before he took full control of the government, so he wasn’t particularly aware of the details.

As he pondered solutions, someone stepped forward and declared loudly, "Your Majesty, as long as treacherous officials remain in court, disasters will multiply across the land, and the people will suffer. This is a heavenly warning—it cannot be ignored. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider and not act against heaven’s will!"

Yan Weichu lifted his eyes coldly. This self-righteous individual was also a member of the Grand Secretariat. They had been discussing relief efforts, and now he was dragging in baseless talk about heavenly warnings.

The man seemed entirely unaware of Yan Weichu’s displeasure and continued passionately, "The Book of History says, 'Heaven’s favor is not constant; it rewards the good with hundredfold blessings and punishes the wicked with hundredfold calamities.' Now, treacherous officials hold power, leading to chaos in court and suffering among the people..."

"Are you saying that I am an incompetent ruler, indulging treacherous ministers to disrupt the court, so heaven is punishing the people?" Yan Weichu’s voice turned cold.

The man defended himself, "I did not mean that, only—"

"If that’s not what you meant, then what did you mean?" Yan Weichu’s eyes frosted over. He detested these pedantic scholars who quoted classics and nitpicked words only to make veiled accusations. "Aren’t you saying that these natural disasters are due to my lack of virtue? That my failures have brought suffering to the world? Should I issue an edict of self-accusation as you suggest? By your logic, which emperor of Dajing did not face natural disasters during their reign? So, all our ancestors were incompetent rulers? When the late emperor first ascended the throne, the capital was struck by a major earthquake, with tens of thousands dead or injured—was that because the late emperor was immoral and unworthy?"

"I dare not!" The old man likely hadn’t expected Yan Weichu to bring up the ancestors and knelt in fear. "I would never dare slander the late emperor or previous sovereigns..."

The late emperor had highly valued civil officials like them. Their lives had been far more comfortable back then—how could he possibly say the late emperor was immoral?

Yan Weichu smiled mockingly. "You wouldn’t dare slander the late emperor or previous sovereigns—you only want to slander me."

The kneeling man broke into a cold sweat, kowtowing repeatedly with "bang bang" sounds. "Your Majesty, spare me! I dare not! I truly never meant that!"

The others kept their heads down, remaining silent. They had watched the argument unfold and now stayed out of it—no one would foolishly invite trouble at such a time.

Yan Weichu ignored the man and turned to Liu Zhu. "Lord Liu, what do you think? How should we address the relief efforts given the treasury’s shortfall?"

Liu Zhu thought for a moment and replied, "I propose allocating four hundred thousand taels from the treasury and ordering all nearby prefectures and counties to open their granaries to relieve the immediate crisis. The autumn grain collection has already begun—we can divert the millet transported from Liaodong to the capital and temporarily intercept grain shipments along the canal for relief purposes."

Lin Tongfu shot Liu Zhu a subtle glare, which Yan Weichu caught out of the corner of his eye. He smiled inwardly but paid it no mind.

Lin Tongfu had held the position of Junior Grand Secretary for many years, always overshadowed by Zhang Jiong. Although he had joined Zhang Jiong in pressuring the throne, he was shrewd. When Zhang Jiong led the mass resignation protest, Lin Tongfu stayed, waiting to take over as Chief Grand Secretary.

Unfortunately, Yan Weichu did not grant his wish and instead promoted the previously low-profile Liu Zhu. How could Lin Tongfu accept this?

But Yan Weichu, as emperor, enjoyed watching the conflict. Fight, fight—the more, the better!

Yan Weichu nodded. "Then let it be done as Lord Liu says. Also, halt the construction of Biyi Garden. We can save that expense."

The Minister of Works hurriedly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, construction of Biyi Garden began the year before last and has already cost millions in silver. Stopping now would waste all previous efforts..."

Yan Weichu had no patience for this. "I’m not saying we abandon it entirely. There’s already the Yuquan Villa nearby—there’s no need for an additional garden. I’m not that indulgent. Divide Biyi Garden into plots and sell them off by auction. Meritorious ministers and court officials—whoever has the money can bid. I permit you to build your own gardens. Consider it helping me in this emergency—I will remember your contributions."

He left unsaid: After all, every one of you is richer than I am.

The study finally fell quiet. Yan Weichu asked Liu Zhu directly, "I intend to raise business tax rates to replenish the treasury. What do you think?"

Liu Zhu wasn’t surprised—he had long known this Young Emperor was not one to follow conventions. "How much does Your Majesty intend to raise it?"

Yan Weichu said, "The current business tax is 1/30. Those merchants are making fortunes and paying far too little. At least 2/5. The specifics need further calculation, but small-scale vendors struggling to make ends meet are exempt."

Liu Zhu cautioned him, "This will likely face significant opposition. Those wealthy merchants have powerful backers..."

"I know," Yan Weichu said dismissively. "I suspect it’s not just backers—it’s my own key ministers themselves. If I cut into their profits, the entire court might unite against me."

Liu Zhu didn’t try to dissuade him. "If Your Majesty is determined, it can be done."

"Oh?" Yan Weichu found this intriguing. Had this old rogue changed his tune? "You’re right. I have a good dog that I've trained—when the time is ripe, I’ll set him loose. There’s no rush for now. First, help me formulate a concrete plan."

Liu Zhu accepted the order without objection.

Yan Weichu was pleased with his newfound compliance and asked another question. "One more thing. Earlier, we discussed border troops’ army provisions. I’ve been reviewing old accounts from the Ministry of Revenue and found that since my accession, the annual military provisions allocated from the treasury have remained roughly the same as during the late emperor’s reign. Yet, foreign campaigns have been more frequent than in the past two or three decades combined. Why is that?"

Liu Zhu, who oversaw the Ministry of War, was the right person to ask. He paused before answering truthfully, "The late emperor valued civil officials over military ones, particularly distrusting Duke of Zhenguo and other border region generals. The Grand Secretariat and Six Ministries suppressed military achievements, and delayed pay was common. Even when funds were allocated, by the time they passed from the treasury to the Ministry of Revenue, then to the Ministry of War, and finally to the border regions, less than twenty percent actually reached the troops. Under such conditions, even repelling barbarian invasions was difficult, let alone launching campaigns.

"It wasn’t until the late emperor passed away, the Prince Regent took power, and the Empress Dowager held court from behind the screen that things improved. At least half of the funds allocated from the treasury reached the troops. That allowed the old Duke of Zhenguo and Marquis of Dingbei to launch the northern expedition and wipe out the Wuerhun tribe in one campaign."

Yan Weichu had already guessed as much and pressed further, "With insufficient army provisions, didn’t the border troops rebel?"

"Not everyone dared to rebel," Liu Zhu said. "As long as the upper officers benefited and didn’t rebel, they could suppress those below. Moreover, military households could barely support themselves through tilling land, though it was hard."

Yan Weichu asked, "Did those lower-ranking military families really have enough to eat?"

Liu Zhu fell silent again. Unwilling to deceive the emperor, he chose not to answer.

Yan Weichu dismissed him as well. Shortly after, he issued a verbal order: "Send for Marquis of Dingbei. I have questions for him."

*

Xie Xiao was led into the emperor’s chambers, stopping before the pearl curtain dividing the inner and outer rooms to pay his respects.

After a moment of silence, Yan Weichu’s voice came from within. "Today, I met with the ministers to discuss the severe drought in Jizhou and Yuzhou. Earlier this summer, the south suffered floods, and now the north is struck by drought. Some say it’s my fault as emperor. What do you think, cousin? Is it truly my fault? Am I such a foolish ruler that I’ve provoked heaven’s wrath and people’s resentment?"

Xie Xiao detected the Young Emperor’s resentment and grievance and comforted him, "Your Majesty need not heed such baseless talk. The ways of heaven are profound, and yin and yang have their seasons. Natural changes are beyond human intervention."

"Really?" Yan Weichu sounded uncertain. "But what they say seems reasonable. 'If there is blame among the myriad regions, it lies with me alone.' Even if I’ve done nothing, am I still at fault?"

Xie Xiao disagreed. "This realm belongs to Your Majesty, but not to Your Majesty alone. If Your Majesty is at fault, then all officials share the blame. To place the fault solely on Your Majesty is to evade their own responsibilities."

Yan Weichu was surprised. "Are these words sincere, cousin?"

Xie Xiao affirmed, "Naturally."

Yan Weichu finally smiled. "Cousin, if you said this in front of those pedantic scholars, they’d jump up and accuse you of spreading heresy."

Xie Xiao remained composed. "Your Majesty jests. I merely speak the truth."

Yan Weichu was satisfied and moved on to another topic. "When you were at the border regions, was it always the case that military provisions were siphoned off by officials at every level?"

Xie Xiao seemed caught off guard by the question and chose his words carefully. "If Your Majesty asks, I can only say that 'water that's too clear has no fish.' As long as it wasn't taken too far, it has always been this way."

Yan Weichu understood. "Are you saying that whether border troops or local garrisons, this has been the practice for over a century? The corruption is too deep, too customary. If I investigate, I might leave the court completely empty with no one left to govern?"

Xie Xiao said, "Your Majesty has only recently assumed personal rule. There’s no need to act hastily on many matters."

Yan Weichu sounded quite pleased: "Cousin, are you thinking of me?"

Xie Xiao replied calmly: "If that's how Your Majesty sees it, then yes."

Yan Weichu then complained to him: "Must you be so distant with me? Why can't you just agree with what I say?"

Xie Xiao lowered his head and changed his answer: "Yes."

"..." Yan Weichu sighed helplessly and returned to the matter at hand. "Lord Liu told me that those low-ranking military households barely manage to be self-sufficient through farming. Is that true?"

Xie Xiao's expression darkened slightly as he answered: "Just barely."

Yan Weichu pressed: "How 'barely' are we talking?"

Xie Xiao hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Barely enough to not starve."

Yan Weichu sighed softly: "So all these years, while your Xie family guarded the three border strongholds, you still managed to win battles despite insufficient military pay and having to rely on the farming by military households. That truly is remarkable.

"Cousin, you've worked hard."

Yan Weichu meant this from the heart.

Xie Xiao remained as composed and humble as ever: "I serve by Your Majesty's command. It is only right."

Watching the figure retreat beyond the beaded curtain, Yan Weichu stopped using his formal voice and sighed to Zhao Anfu beside him: "Zhao Anfu, my cousin shows no concern for me, but what can I do? My heart aches for him."

Zhao Anfu suggested: "Your Majesty, why not use your position as the heir to get closer to the Marquis?"

Yan Weichu thought it made sense: "Have Shun Xi deliver a calling card to the Marquis's residence. I will pay a visit to avoid my cousin suffering any hardships right under my nose without my knowledge."

Zhao Anfu acknowledged: "...Yes."

Xie Xiao returned to his residence and immediately summoned one of his close aides, instructing: "Go to Jizhou at once. We must speed up that matter we discussed."

After quickly explaining the task, he frowned and added: "Never mind, set out in a couple of days instead. Stay clear of the Imperial Guards' watch. Be careful and make sure nothing gets out."

The trusted aide accepted the orders and left.

Xie Xiao felt weary. The emperor's words sounded like testing him, and coupled with the Imperial Guards' sudden raid on the Su family to investigate, he couldn't help being suspicious.

Uncertain how much the emperor knew about past events, he knew the matter was grave and could bring disaster. He had to proceed with caution.

The steward entered, bringing a calling card just received by the gatehouse, said to be delivered by a servant from the Count of Anding's residence.

Hearing "Count of Anding's residence," Xie Xiao paused, recalling the heir who'd matched him on the polo field that day. Although he had ultimately won, the young lord had left quite an impression.

Coming back to himself, he took the red card from the visiting box.

In the evening, Shun Xi returned and cautiously presented the response card Xie Xiao had sent to the Count of Anding's residence half an hour earlier—a card declining the visit.

On it, Xie Xiao claimed he was unwell and unable to receive guests, ending with the polite phrase: "I ask for your understanding and hope to meet another time."

Yan Weichu's expression fell.

When Xie Xiao came this morning, there was no sign of any discomfort.

It was likely just an excuse to avoid receiving him.

... He had wasted his pity on this clueless cousin of his.

Author's Note:

The Young Emperor declared: Cousin, you're so unromantic!