Chapter 163: Great victory

On the day of the Little New Year, good news finally came from Jinzhou.

The imperial army and the Jinzhou rebels fought a great battle at Gaoping. After several days of fierce fighting, the Jinzhou rebels were no match and fled in defeat. The imperial army won a great victory in this battle and took the opportunity to recover five cities.

Afterward, they divided their forces: some replaced the defense on the spot, some pursued the tail, and some stationed themselves on the spot to restore local production and life and liquidate the rebels.

When the news reached the capital, the whole city cheered.

The palace was even more decorated with lanterns and colored streamers, and everyone was full of joy.

Inside the Taiji Palace, the eunuchs and palace maids, led by the great eunuch Qiu Defu, knelt together to congratulate Emperor Taixing.

"May Your Majesty's fortune be as boundless as the heavens!"

"The Holy Lord is in the world!"

Emperor Taixing was full of ambition and laughed heartily. The Jinzhou rebels, who had troubled him for nearly a year, could finally be considered wiped out. He could have a good New Year this year.

Next, let's see who else dares to use the Jinzhou rebels to criticize his decision to cultivate the Dao and seek longevity.

After laughing, Emperor Taixing said, "Marquis Pingjiang has great merit in this battle. I knew that when it comes to the affairs of the world, we still have to rely on these old fellows to exert effort. As for the people in the imperial court, if you let them talk about principles, they can talk for three days and three nights without repeating. If you let them do some practical work, they are truly incompetent. Yet, the imperial court cannot do without them."

"On such a joyous day, Your Majesty should not spoil your good mood for the sake of irrelevant people," Qiu Defu bowed and served on the side, persuading him in a low voice.

Emperor Taixing sneered, "I don't want to spoil my good mood, but the court officials refuse to let me off. Just wait and see; in a while, there will be officials entering the palace to state their cases. Give the order to have the two Prime Ministers gather the important officials of the court to discuss the merits for Marquis Pingjiang. This battle was entirely due to Marquis Pingjiang's effective coordination and proper command, which wiped out the Jinzhou rebels in one fell swoop, pacified the court's heart-trouble, and pacified the restless hearts of the world. I have decided to reward Marquis Pingjiang heavily. Let the pillars of the imperial court discuss how to reward him on this basis."

"Understood!"

Qiu Defu received the order and personally rushed to the duty room to notify the important officials.

"What His Majesty cares about most is the discussion of Marquis Pingjiang's merits; I ask all the lords to put in more effort, and you must not chill people's hearts."

"Discussing merit is simple; it is nothing more than granting promotions and titles. As for how to evaluate it, the imperial court has its own standards and precedents to follow. The key lies in the reward silver. Just now, we made a preliminary calculation; we need at least one million taels of reward silver, otherwise, it will be difficult to convince that bunch of soldiers. If the reward silver is not in place, Eunuch Qiu should understand that the Jinzhou region cannot withstand a second disaster!"

"Exactly! In the past few years, Jinzhou has been devastated by those rebels into barren land, and countless families have been broken and left with nothing. If they encounter another military disaster, it will be adding frost to snow. Therefore, the discussion of Marquis Pingjiang's merits can be slowed down, but the soldiers' reward money must be in place as soon as possible."

"However, the imperial court's financial resources are limited, and the Ministry of Revenue's silver treasury is so empty that mice could run in it. The remaining thirty thousand taels already have a use; the salaries of the capital officials have been in arrears for more than half a year, and the New Year is coming soon. We have to pay some money so that everyone has money to spend for the New Year. Therefore, regarding the reward money, I am afraid Eunuch Qiu still needs to find a way to persuade His Majesty to pay it from the inner treasury."

"His Majesty built the Taiji Palace, and just this year alone, he spent a huge sum of three million taels, not including the expenses for repairing the gardens. Withdrawing one million taels to reward the soldiers who fought in the battle should not be a problem. Regarding this matter, I hope Eunuch Qiu will not refuse."

Qiu Defu's face turned the color of a pig's liver; he had only come to convey His Majesty's order, but he was roasted on the fire by the officials.

Truly...

These imperial court officials truly know how to take advantage of every opportunity. Every time they open their mouths, it's about money, and every time they catch him, they try every possible way to make him take money from the old Emperor's purse.

He doesn't have three heads and six arms, and there aren't that many heads for the old Emperor to chop off.

Everyone in the world knows that the old Emperor becomes more greedy for money as he gets older. Anyone who dares to take money from his purse is equivalent to a rebel. Nowadays, even the Crown Prince wants to get some good things from the inner treasury to exchange for money, but he is regarded as a thief by the old Emperor, who wishes he could kill him on the spot. For the sake of money, there is no longer any father-son affection. Added to the struggle for power, the old Emperor has already developed the idea of deposing the Crown Prince.

Although the old Emperor has never revealed this thought.

However, who is Qiu Defu? He has served by the old Emperor's side for twenty or thirty years and is the oldest person who has served by the old Emperor's side. No one in this world understands the old Emperor's inner thoughts better than him.

It's just that he cannot say it, and he cannot even give the slightest hint or reminder.

Once there is any disturbance in the court, the old Emperor will be the first to deal with him.

He cannot directly refuse these officials; they are all in high positions and have great power. Whether he looks at the monk's face or the Buddha's face, everyone will continue to get along and cooperate in the future.

He could only respond with a bitter smile, "I ask you all not to make things difficult for this humble servant. This humble servant can only say I will do my best and find a way to mention it before His Majesty. However, you all cannot pin your hopes on this humble servant alone. Regarding the rewards for the soldiers, this is a consensus of the imperial court and a convention in the army. I ask you all to submit a memorial to detail this matter."

"Before His Majesty, we have to rely on Eunuch Qiu. We will naturally submit a memorial to discuss it in detail with His Majesty. I wonder when His Majesty will grant an audience? This official has some words that need to be stated face-to-face."

"I trouble Eunuch Qiu to report it; we wish to see His Majesty."

"His Majesty is happy today and has already ordered the furnace to be opened for alchemy, and is currently making preparations before cultivation. If you all wish to see the Emperor, you will have to wait a while. Perhaps His Majesty will have time to grant you an audience tomorrow."

Hearing this, the officials felt great disappointment. They became increasingly dissatisfied with the old Emperor.

Some even cursed the old Emperor in their hearts for being muddled and unworthy of being a ruler.

He has no time to deal with the major affairs of the country, but he has time to hang out with Daoist priests. He has no money to reward the soldiers who fought in the battle, but he has money to build palaces and gardens on a large scale.

Muddled to the extreme.

What is even more infuriating is that the old Emperor is quite old, yet he is still full of spirit and healthy, without any sign of dying.

The Crown Prince has been the Crown Prince for thirty years, and he is middle-aged, yet he is still only a Crown Prince.

Let alone the Crown Prince who can't wait, even these officials can't wait. They are already impatient to let the Crown Prince inherit the throne and start a new court pattern.

Eunuch Qiu left the duty room, his head full of lawsuits, and rushed back to the Taiji Palace.

Sure enough, the Taiji Palace was already filled with smoke.

Emperor Taixing sat on a meditation cushion, calming his heart and meditating. Amidst the incense candles, he meditated, seeking the Great Dao of longevity.

Eunuch Qiu stepped forward quietly and waved his hand to dismiss the small eunuchs who were serving. From now on, it was enough for him to serve before His Majesty alone.

The old Emperor did not open his eyes, but he knew he had returned and asked, "How is it?"

Eunuch Qiu lowered his voice and whispered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the officials have received the order and are following the old convention to discuss merits for Marquis Pingjiang. In addition, the officials ask Your Majesty where the reward money for the soldiers should be raised from?"

"Does the Ministry of Revenue have no money?" Emperor Taixing's tone was slightly dissatisfied; a group of incompetent court officials, and they still have to bother him with such a small matter.

Eunuch Qiu pondered and said, "The Ministry of Revenue only has thirty thousand taels left, which is to be allocated to the officials in the capital 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 they have to eat meat for the New Year; does that mean I don't need to eat meat?" Emperor Taixing suddenly scolded in a rage. ===== CHAPTER 164 =====