Chapter 32

"Mr. Su jests..."

Su Qiao sneered.

"Your Highness, I am not jesting."

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen slowly raised his head, fixed his gaze on Su Qiao, and asked,

"Mr. Su, is our Great Ming not currently in the Hongwu Prosperous Age? Are you suggesting that in today's Great Ming, there are still people who cannot fill their bellies?"

Hearing this, Su Qiao could not help but smile.

"Does Your Highness truly believe that everyone under heaven can currently fill their bellies?"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen stated with ironclad certainty,

"If there are still people under heaven going hungry, then how can this be called a prosperous age?"

Su Qiao slowly lifted the carriage window curtain and said indifferently,

"Does Your Highness think that these people outside the window have full bellies?"

Following Su Qiao's words, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen quietly looked out the carriage window.

It took only a single glance.

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen froze completely on the spot.

Outside the carriage window, a crowd of beggars in tattered clothes had already gathered.

Many of them stared at Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen's carriage with eyes glowing green like wolves.

Su Qiao casually picked up a tray of pastries from the carriage and threw it, tray and all, out the window.

In an instant.

These beggars boiled over like livestock fighting for food.

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen stood frozen on the spot.

For a long time, he remained silent.

"This, this..."

Su Qiao stared intently at Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen and said,

"This is the prosperous age praised by the entire court of civil and military officials!"

"This is the prosperous age Your Highness has been longing for!"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen excitedly slapped the table and cursed,

"Someone must be deceiving Imperial Grandfather! Why does Mr. Su not speak plainly about this matter before Imperial Grandfather?!"

Hearing Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen's words, Su Qiao could not help but snicker twice.

"Does Your Highness truly think that a matter like this could be hidden from His Majesty?"

"Has Your Highness forgotten that His Majesty back then was one of them?"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen collapsed onto the carriage seat.

"Mr. Su, are you saying that Imperial Grandfather knows all of this?"

Su Qiao pointed at the porridge shed in the distance and smiled,

"His Majesty naturally knows; otherwise, does Your Highness think these porridge sheds were set up out of the kindness of those lords in the Secretariat?"

"They distribute porridge once daily merely to keep these beggars alive!"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen stared intently at Su Qiao and asked,

"Merely to keep them alive? Then how can this be called a prosperous age?"

Su Qiao helplessly shrugged his shoulders and then said,

"Has Your Highness ever considered one question?"

"Is this not, in fact, the prosperous age that everyone throughout history has longed for?"

Su Qiao's words struck Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen's chest like a heavy hammer.

Yet Su Qiao's voice did not stop.

He continued indifferently from the side,

"Since ancient times, a so-called prosperous age has never been more than ensuring that most people under heaven do not starve to death, and nothing more!"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and said,

"In recent years, our Great Ming has engaged in too many campaigns."

"Imperial Grandfather's greatest flaw is placing too much weight on the military generals, leaving the world no room to recuperate..."

Hearing this, Su Qiao could not help but laugh even harder.

"Your Highness, what nonsense are you speaking?"

"Do you think that a few wars fought by the Great Ming could consume all the grain of the common people?"

"Do you think the true parasites of our Great Ming are the steppes to the north?"

"Wrong!"

"The true parasites are not the Tartars on the steppes."

"On the contrary, they are Mr. Huang, Mr. Qi, and others whom Your Highness holds dear!"

"Which of their households does not possess thousands of acres of fertile land?"

"Does Your Highness truly believe they are convinced by Your Highness's benevolence and kindness?"

"Quite the opposite!"

"It is because they know Your Highness is weak!"

"Because they know that once Your Highness ascends the throne, you will be at their mercy!"

"Whereas if it were the Prince of Yan, not only would he not be at their mercy, but he would instead manipulate them at will!"

"Does Your Highness understand the reasoning behind this?"

Su Qiao stared fixedly at Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen.

Outside the carriage, the two young eunuchs driving it wished they could rush in right now and clamp their hands over Su Qiao's mouth.

Please, rest a while!

Is this something we are allowed to hear?!

35. Chongzhen Awakens!

Just as Su Qiao was leading Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Yunwen on a tour of Jin Ling's "slums,"

in another parallel spacetime,

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian was playing chess with his father-in-law, Zhou Kui, inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

All attendants nearby had already been dismissed.

At that very moment,

Luo Luo Yangxing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, walked up into the hall on his own initiative.

He whispered a few words into Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian's ear.

The chess piece in Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian's hand clattered onto the board.

When he looked again at this "father-in-law" before him,

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian's face showed nothing but loathing.

"Father-in-law, the Liaodong front lacks pay..."

The moment Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian spoke,

Zhou Kui's expression changed instantly.

He immediately rose to his feet, clasped his hands, and said to Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian,

"Your Majesty, rest assured. As the Son of Heaven's father-in-law, I naturally share the fate of the state. I am willing to contribute my entire family fortune of five thousand taels to fully aid the Liaodong military supplies!"

"If that is not enough, I will go back immediately and put the residence bestowed by Your Majesty up for sale!"

"And as for my carriage, for the sake of the situation in Liaodong, what harm is there if I walk to court every day?"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian watched Zhou Kui quietly and asked,

"Is it truly the case, as Father-in-law says, that you will contribute your entire family fortune to aid Liaodong?"

Questioned by Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian, Zhou Kui felt somewhat guilty and stammered,

"Of-of course it is true!"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian suddenly slapped the chessboard and shouted loudly,

"Luo Luo Yangxing, did you hear that! Duke Zhou contributes five hundred thousand taels in military pay and one hundred thousand dan in grain!"