On the day of the Little New Year, good news finally came from Jinzhou. The imperial army fought with the Jinzhou rebels in Gaoping. After several days of fierce fighting, the Jinzhou rebels were defeated and fled. The imperial army won a great victory in this battle and took the opportunity to recapture five cities. After that, the troops were divided, one part changed positions on the spot, one part pursued the enemy, and one part stayed on the spot to restore local production and life and settle accounts with the rebels. When the news reached the capital, the whole city cheered. The palace was decorated with lights and everyone was in high spirits. In the Taiji Palace, the eunuchs and palace maids, led by the eunuch Qiu Defu, knelt down together to congratulate Emperor Taixing. "Your Majesty, may you have great fortune!" "The Holy Lord is alive!" Emperor Taixing was very proud and laughed heartily. The Jinzhou rebels who had troubled him for almost a year were finally destroyed. He could have a good New Year this year. Next, let's see who dares to use the matter of the Jinzhou rebels to criticize his decision to practice Taoism and seek immortality.
After laughing, Emperor Taixing said: "Marquis Pingjiang has made great contributions in this battle. I know that the affairs of the world still depend on these old guys. If you ask the people in the court to reason, they can talk for three days and three nights without repeating themselves. But if you ask them to do something practical, it's really impossible. But the court can't do without them." "On this happy day, your majesty, don't ruin your good mood for insignificant people," Qiu Defu bowed and served beside him, whispering to persuade. Emperor Taixing sneered, "I don't want to ruin my good mood, but the court officials just won't let me go. Wait and see, a minister will come to the palace to plead for me soon. Order the two prime ministers to gather the important officials in the court to discuss the merits for Marquis Pingjiang. This battle was all due to Marquis Pingjiang's effective dispatch and command. He wiped out the Jinzhou rebels in one fell swoop, calmed the court's worries, and calmed the uneasy people's hearts in the world. I decided to reward Marquis Pingjiang heavily. Let the court's right-hand men discuss on this basis how to divide the merits." "Yes!" After receiving the order, Qiu Defu personally rushed to the duty room to inform the important officials. "Your Majesty is most concerned about the merit evaluation of Marquis Pingjiang. Please pay more attention to it, and don't let people's hearts be chilled." "The merit evaluation is simple, it's nothing more than promotion. The court has its own standards and precedents for how to evaluate. The key lies in the reward. Just now, we did a preliminary calculation and found that at least one million taels of reward are needed, otherwise it will be difficult to convince those soldiers. If the reward is not in place, Eunuch Qiu should understand that Jinzhou can't withstand a second disaster!" "That's right! In the past few years, Jinzhou has been destroyed by those rebels. How many families have been destroyed and have nothing. If there is another war disaster, it will be worse. Therefore, the merit evaluation of Marquis Pingjiang can be delayed, but the reward of the soldiers must be It must be in place as soon as possible. " "However, the court has limited financial resources, and the silver vault of the Ministry of Revenue is so empty that rats can run away. The only remaining 300,000 taels have been used. The salaries of officials in the capital have been in arrears for more than half a year. The New Year is coming soon, so we have to give some money to everyone so that everyone can have money for the New Year. Therefore, I am afraid that Eunuch Qiu will have to find a way to persuade His Majesty to use the treasury for the reward. " "Your Majesty has spent a huge sum of 3 million taels to build the Taiji Palace this year alone, not including the expenses of repairing the garden. It should not be a problem to draw out 1 million taels to reward the soldiers. I hope Eunuch Qiu will not refuse this matter. " Qiu Defu's face turned the color of pig liver. He just came to convey His Majesty's order, but he was roasted on the fire by the ministers. Really... These court officials are really good at taking advantage of every opportunity. They ask for money as soon as they catch him, and they will find ways to make him take money out of the old emperor's purse. He doesn't have three heads and six arms, and he doesn't have so many heads for the old emperor to chop off. Everyone knows that the old emperor is getting greedier and greedier as he gets older. Anyone who dares to take money out of his purse is equivalent to a traitor. Now, even if His Royal Highness wants to get some good things from the inner treasury to exchange for money, he is regarded as a thief by the old emperor, who wants to kill him on the spot. For money, there is no father-son relationship at all. Coupled with the struggle for power, the old emperor has already thought of abolishing the prince. Although the old emperor has never revealed this thought. However, who is Qiu Defu? He has served the old emperor for 20 to 30 years and is the longest serving old man. No one in the world knows the old emperor's inner thoughts better than him. However, he can't say it, not even a little hint or reminder. Once there is a disturbance in the court, the old emperor will be the first to deal with him.
He can't directly reject these ministers, each of whom is in a high position and has power. If they don't look at the monk's face, they will look at the Buddha's face. Everyone will continue to get along and cooperate in the future. He could only smile bitterly, "Please don't make things difficult for me. I can only say that I will do my best and try to mention it to Your Majesty. However, you can't pin your hopes on me alone. It's about the reward of soldiers. This is the consensus of the court and the practice of the army. Please report it to your majesty in detail." "Your Majesty, there is Eunuch Nai Qiu in front of you. We will report it to your majesty in detail. I wonder when your majesty will summon us? I have something to say in person." "Please inform Eunuch Qiu that we want to see your majesty." "Your Majesty is happy today and has ordered the furnace to refine the elixir. He is making preparations before practicing. If you want to see him, you have to wait a little longer. Maybe your majesty will be free to summon you tomorrow." The ministers were disappointed when they heard this. They became more and more dissatisfied with the old emperor. Some even cursed the old emperor in their hearts for being incompetent and unworthy of being a monarch. He had no time to deal with state affairs, but he had time to hang out with Taoists. He had no money to reward his soldiers, but he had enough money to build palaces and gardens. He was extremely stupid. What is even more infuriating is that the old emperor is still energetic and healthy at such an old age, with no signs of dying. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been the Crown Prince for thirty years, and he is still a Crown Prince even in middle age. Not to mention that the Crown Prince can't wait, the ministers can't wait any longer. They can't wait for the Crown Prince to inherit the throne and start a new court structure. Eunuch Qiu left the duty room, with a lot of lawsuits on his mind, and hurried back to Taiji Palace. As expected, Taiji Palace was already filled with smoke. Emperor Taixing sat on the futon, meditating quietly. He meditated in the incense and candles, seeking the way to longevity. Eunuch Qiu quietly stepped forward, waved his hand, and dismissed the eunuchs who were waiting. From now on, he will be the only one serving His Majesty. The old emperor didn't open his eyes, but he knew he was back, so he asked, "How is it?" Eunuch Qiu lowered his voice and whispered, "Your Majesty, the ministers have received the order and are following the old rules to reward the Marquis of Pingjiang. In addition, the ministers ask Your Majesty, where should the soldiers' rewards come from?" "Is the Ministry of Revenue out of money?" Emperor Taixing's tone was slightly dissatisfied. A group of incompetent court officials bothered him with such a small matter. Eunuch Qiu pondered for a while and said, "The Ministry of Revenue only has 300,000 taels left, which will be allocated to officials in Beijing to make up for the salaries owed before, so that everyone can at least have money to buy meat for the New Year." "Everyone knows that we have to eat meat during the New Year, so don't I have to eat meat?" Emperor Taixing suddenly scolded angrily.