Chapter 12: Regretting Too Late — It was practically like the sky falling. The butler thought…
“The Sovereign takes the people as the foundation. The Qingniu war has just been extinguished, and the people are suffering. Special Edict: The funds originally allocated for the repair of My mausoleum shall all be used for reconstruction in the north. This act is not for My private virtue, but to comply with the public justice of the world. All ministers are to coordinate and handle this immediately.”
Emperors throughout history had a tradition of building their tombs from the moment they ascended the throne.
Ying Xi had once saved even the expenses of keeping actors in the Imperial Music Office, but he hadn’t touched this sum of silver yet.
Ying Xi knew he might not live very long. His country was gone; what tomb would a ruler of a fallen nation build?
Therefore, this money was essentially found money.
Use it if you can!
whatever the sun and moon shine upon can be used by Me!
Ying Xi made up his mind.
But while Ying Xi could think this way, the officials below were completely unaware.
The Emperor didn’t even want his own dignity anymore, instead coming to restore production and prepare for spring plowing. It was truly shocking to the world.
The Minister of Revenue dared not accept the decree even if he died: “This subject deserves ten thousand deaths! Even if this subject has to smash pots and sell iron, pawning my own fields and house, I cannot touch the silver for Your Majesty’s Imperial Mausoleum. Please withdraw the order, Your Majesty!”
What a joke. Who knew if the Emperor was just making a gesture?
If this money was really spent, and instead he became a thorn in the Emperor’s eye for misreading the Sacred Heart, the loss would outweigh the gain.
The Minister of Revenue once again firmly refused.
But after making his decision, Ying Xi had already tossed that memorial aside and arranged the next matter.
The Emperor’s silence represented irresistible authority, even a laziness to waste more words.
Only then did the Minister of Revenue sluggishly realize: The Emperor was serious.
The Minister of Revenue stared wide-eyed.
Then, the Minister of Revenue bowed and slowly shuffled to Ying Xi, picking up the edict from the corner of the table. He felt the paper was heavy as lead and hurriedly left the hall to execute it.
The second edict was still asking for money.
The area north of the river adjacent to Li Yilong’s army needed to raise its defense level and requested military funds.
In his past life, when Su Xueyi dealt with this problem, Ying Xi remembered he had proposed a theory of great value.
If the military funds spent by the court could bring equal or even more losses to the other party, then this expense was valuable.
At that time, before Ying Xi had time to consider too much, Su Xueyi and his entire family vanished.
In this life, Ying Xi decided to allocate funds as needed. Having just saved a sum to spend on this, it wasn’t a loss, and the National Treasury could afford it. So he approved it, letting the relevant officials take the money and do the work.
The third difficult problem was to pay the Ministry of Works craftsmen immediately.
It was also a considerable amount of silver. Where would the money come from?
Ying Xi thought for a moment, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, feeling there was another place where a huge sum could really be saved.
Ying Xi hooked his finger to summon Yu Jing, whispering instructions to him. As Yu Jing listened, his eyebrows raised higher and higher, controlling his expression as he nodded.
“Yes, yes, this slave understands the decree.”
Yu Jing busily said to the Minister of Works, “Please follow this slave to the storehouse to withdraw the silver, my Lord.”
The Emperor gave money decisively, yet behaved slightly strangely.
Although the Minister of Works was puzzled, getting money was better than anything. He cupped his hands to thank grace and left.
Afterward, Ying Xi quickly handled several other matters. Each item was clear and logically handled appropriately.
Under the Emperor’s personal supervision, all matters in the Department of State Affairs were naturally handled immediately.
Su Xueyi was not on the scene; the officials relied on their own abilities to vie for the spotlight.
They were usually suppressed hard by Su Xueyi, but in all fairness, who didn’t want to perform in front of the Emperor?
Once the filter on Su Xueyi was broken, Su Xueyi’s personality flaws were revealed!
Ying Xi rewarded several ministers on the spot who worked diligently and performed excellently. This attracted more officials to fight for victory, creating healthy competition. The operation of the Department of State Affairs became smoother than before.
At this moment, Sweet Tub popped up muttering: “Stay away from Scum Gongs, cherish life.”
Ying Xi: “?”
The tip of the wolf-hair brush hovered two or three inches above the paper. Ying Xi paused.
The young general under Xie Qianli was still kneeling on one knee in the corner.
Without the Emperor’s decree, the young general dared not rise.
And because he had just spoken treasonous words, calming down and thinking about it, he indeed might have driven a wedge between the ruler and his subject, bringing a fatal disaster to the new Duke of Ying!
The young general still urgently wanted the posthumous title, but he didn’t want to kill Xie Qianli.
So he stayed motionless, daring not raise any further objections, hoping that the obedience shown now would offset those bastard words just now.
The more he behaved, the more he observed, the more he belatedly realized Ying Xi was terrifying.
An Emperor who might not even have a tomb after death was ruthless to himself; to whom could he possibly not be ruthless!?
The warm yellow light cast from the window behind the main seat shone on Ying Xi’s brown hair and deep grey eyes.
The Emperor was so cold that even his skin, hair color, and eye color were light. looking so heartless—who could he possibly care about!?
The majesty of the teenage Emperor on the seat was as biting as a knife.
His imposing manner was comparable to General Xie, who had experienced hundreds of battles at a young age, perhaps even superior.
The young general dared not peek anymore, lowering his head to shrink his presence as much as possible.
He knelt until one leg went numb. The people in the Department of State Affairs had all been sent away by Ying Xi. It was nearing noon, and the hall was brightly lit.
Only then did the Emperor slowly put down the brush.
Compared to the noisy Department of State Affairs just now, it was now exceptionally quiet.
Quiet enough to hear the rustling sound of wind blowing leaves outside the great hall.
The brush handle clicked against the brush rest, making a clear and faint sound, like knocking on one’s soul.
Ying Xi cast his gaze toward the military officer: “What is your name?”
“Lian… Lian Qing,” the young general stammered.
Where was Lian Qing’s energy from when he angrily rebuked Feng Yong for inaction just now?
He wasn’t smart, possessing only hot blood. He couldn’t guess the Emperor’s mind, so he could only admit his mistake and shoulder the responsibility first: “This General implores Your Majesty to forgive his sin!”
“Where is the sin?”
“This General should not have been impulsive, contradicting the Prime Minister and affecting the officials’ work!”
Ying Xi looked at him with deep grey eyes.
Lian Qing suddenly felt guilty. He stopped avoiding the heavy to dwell on the light and went for broke: “This General should not have misunderstood… misunderstood that Your Majesty wanted to harm the former Duke of Ying, deliberately delaying the former Duke of Ying’s burial.”
The topic Lian Qing spoke of was sensitive; his scalp was about to explode from tension. The truth that disaster comes from the mouth was revealed in his behavior. He lowered his head so much his face was completely invisible.
Lian Qing heard the Emperor speak above his head:
“Rumors are always infinitely exaggerated by imagination. Three men make a tiger; I do not blame you.”
Lian Qing suddenly raised his eyes.
He happened to see the Emperor handing the paper he just finished writing to him. Lian Qing hurriedly stood up and staggered to receive it.
On it was the posthumous title the Emperor personally drafted for the Duke of Ying: Zhongwu (Loyal and Martial).
Loyal minister and hero, martially outstanding.
It was a high praise for the former Duke of Ying, Xie Ji’s character and achievements.
Lian Qing held that thin sheet of rice paper with both hands, yet felt he couldn’t hold it steady; his fingertips were trembling.
He naturally didn’t know this was the Emperor’s manipulative technique of leaving him hanging to vent anger, then giving the Xie residence a sweet date.
A warrior’s mind is simple.
Lian Qing intuitively and subjectively thought the Emperor wrote a good hand. Although this posthumous title had been waited for a long time, receiving one personally drafted and bestowed by the Emperor was a good thing worth the wait. It was worth it.
Lian Qing said excitedly, “This General thanks Your Majesty on behalf of the Duke of Ying. This General will report to the Duke of Ying to carve the stele and bury him.”
“Wait a moment,” Ying Xi said.
Lian Qing raised his brows, looking at the Emperor with slight confusion.
“What other instructions does Your Majesty have?” Lian Qing asked.
Ying Xi paused for a moment, lightly opening his lips: “Pass a message to Xie Qianli. On the day of the former Duke of Ying’s burial, I will go to see him off.”
The posthumous title was given, but regarding the delay of the Duke of Ying’s burial, the court was indeed in the wrong.
Xie Qianli was still useful. The Duke of Ying’s troops were still a sharp sword in his hand. Ying Xi should appease him; currently, he didn’t want this sword to hurt himself.
“Your Majesty… wants to attend the Duke of Ying’s funeral?” The brows Lian Qing raised became brighter. He dared not be sure, so he confirmed it again.
Ying Xi nodded.
Lian Qing said excitedly, “Yes! Yes! This General will definitely convey it! Definitely convey the message!”
Lian Qing immediately got up and trotted out of the Department of State Affairs.
System Notification: Charm +500
“?”
He still didn’t understand why the Charm points only increased with Lian Qing.
Did he not make the other decisions well?
Regarding the Dating System’s evaluation criteria, another layer of doubt covered Ying Xi’s mind.
At this time, Yu Jing returned from his errand and invited Ying Xi back to Weiyang Palace for lunch.
Yu Jing’s little apprentice followed suit, imitating him, wanting to help Ying Xi up from the dragon chair. But this action was rejected by the Emperor’s wave of a hand; the Emperor didn’t quite like it.
Yu Jing smiled and said, “Slave took the Minister of Works to withdraw the money. When he actually received the silver, the Minister was so excited his hands were shaking.”
“The Minister asked this slave, where did the National Treasury find spare silver?”
“This slave revealed a tiny bit to him,” Yu Jing said. “It scared him so much he didn’t dare take it, but this slave insisted that this was Your Majesty’s reward for those who work hard. The Minister of Works couldn’t refuse and took it away.”
Ying Xi slowly nodded, standing up on his own, standing very upright.
Yu Jing weighed his words and whispered with a smile, “That Su Xueyi didn’t know what was good for him. Your Majesty gave all the silver originally allocated for his preferential treatment to those who serve the court with all their hearts. When Prime Minister Su finds out, he will definitely regret it too late.”
Yu Jing’s words were dangerous: Had Prime Minister Su lost the Sacred Heart or not?
The Grand Superintendent held his heart in suspense observing the Emperor.
Seeing the Emperor’s expression remain unchanged, a layer of cold sweat seeped out of Yu Jing.
Then the corners of the Emperor’s mouth relaxed, lifting slightly upward. Only then did Yu Jing’s three souls and seven spirits return to their places, confirming he had bet correctly.
—Exactly. He had said, with His Majesty’s dragon prestige, could he tolerate Su Xueyi offending him multiple times?
The Grand Superintendent saw the situation clearly and became firmer in his stance.
Ying Xi said, “Let’s return to Weiyang Palace.”
“Yes.” Yu Jing followed at a moderate distance.
At noon, the procession returned to the palace. Passing through the solemn and flat passage, the Department of State Affairs grew further and further away.
A black falcon, originally perched on a high branch of a willow tree at the Department of State Affairs, with an iron ring on its claw, flapped its wings as Ying Xi left, gliding away proudly.
The eagle flies to the heavens.
The sharp cry of the falcon tore through the sky, casting a shadow. The black shadow quickly swept over the Prime Minister’s residence, startling the thrushes in the Prime Minister’s residence into flapping their wings—
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
“Chirp chirp chirp!”
The thrushes’ wingtips fluttered in panic inside the gold wire cage. The cage shook, and the butler, Su Fu, hurriedly held the birdcage down.
“Oh my ancestors, don’t move, don’t move. The Eldest Young Master is reading, the Eldest Young Miss just fell asleep…”
The courtyard of the Right Prime Minister’s residence was full of spring.
But the restless noise in the cage broke the silence, still waking the little girl on the sleeping couch. The little girl shuddered, hurriedly shrinking into the corner of the couch.
Her eyes were full of fear!
“Fire… Yin Yin is scared… Mother, where are you…”
The little girl hugged her knees with both hands in terror.
In an instant, her face was pale, as if immersed in a terrifying scene only she could see. She was uneasy staying on the couch; she wanted to flee for her life.
— “Yin Yin wants to save Big Brother, where is Brother?”
“Right here,” Su Xueyi said. Putting down the book with his right hand, he patted Su Yin’s head. “Sleep. There is no fire. Yin Yin is very safe.”
The skin of that hand was a cold-toned jade white, the finger bones long and vigorous.
The owner of the hand had a face handsome beyond description. If one had to describe it, his appearance would make people involuntarily hold their breath for a moment.
Su Yin quieted down immediately, tightly clutching Su Xueyi’s sleeve. Before long, she fell asleep again.
Su Xueyi covered his eight-year-old sister with a velvet blanket. The tenderness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the arrogance exuding from his bones.
Su Xueyi stood up and said languidly, “Go bring a zither. Staying in the Department of State Affairs recently has been boring; I composed a tune casually.”
The butler naturally knew their Young Master was learned and proficient, skilled in music as well.
But the butler still reminded him, “Young Master, you are currently on sick leave from the court. If the sound of the zither spreads outside the residence, I fear people will criticize you for deceiving the Sovereign.”
Su Xueyi didn’t care.
Su Xueyi thought of the Emperor at this moment and said indifferently, “His Majesty usually puts on an act of respecting scholars; he certainly won’t haggle over these details with this Prime Minister.”
He looked at his sleeping sister, Su Yin, again and associated: “The treasures bestowed by the palace are lackluster, but a few supplements are indeed good things.”
Su Xueyi said, “Since this Prime Minister claimed illness this time, the little Emperor will inevitably painstakingly bestow many rewards again. You all divide the food; keep the supplements for Yin Yin.”
“But…”
The butler’s face was a bit awkward; he hesitated to speak.
Su Xueyi frowned slightly, his voice magnificent: “Why are you stammering?”
Su Xueyi laughed and said loudly, “Could it be that he issued a decree sending someone to personally watch this Prime Minister enjoy them?”
The butler’s face became even uglier.
Su Xueyi shook his head more and more: “What exactly is the matter? Could it be the sky is falling?”
It was practically like the sky falling. The butler thought, How do I express to the Eldest Young Master the fact that he might have lost the Sacred Heart?
The butler said melancholically, “Young Master, His Majesty didn’t bestow any rewards at all, nor did he send anyone to see you.”
Su Xueyi: “……”
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