Chapter 481

"The Emperor has been on the throne for fifty years, yet you dare to dismiss him with a mere two hundred thousand taels. Absurd!"

Qiu Defu looked heartbroken and incomparably furious.

"Then what amount do you suggest is appropriate? Eunuch Qiu should also consider the difficulties of the Ministry of Revenue. Right now, money is needed everywhere; besides the Emperor's funeral rites, there is the new Emperor's ascension to follow. These are all urgent matters that require spending."

Li Liangcheng had not yet mentioned that, according to custom, the new Emperor's ascension would require a round of rewards. For instance, Marquis Pingjiang, who was commanding troops abroad, certainly had to be rewarded, and one could not treat him shabbily. The high-ranking officials present, every single one of them, would also need to be rewarded. The Three Great Camps would also need some sort of gesture.

As well as the imperial relatives, nobility, and aristocratic families.

A rough calculation showed that, all in all, at least one million taels would need to be prepared.

Spending one million taels in a short time was a tremendous burden on the imperial treasury. Especially since there were wars in both the north and south, and it happened to be the season between harvests, with disaster relief also needing to be prepared.

With a thousand threads to untangle, how could a national policy be decided by a single word from Qiu Defu?

Giving Qiu Defu face was only because he had served the Emperor for many years and was the Grand Eunuch, possibly holding the Emperor's edict in his hands and controlling the Imperial Jade Seal. He shouldn't truly think of himself as a person of consequence.

If the Secretariat turned against him, Qiu Defu would be nothing—just a mere slave. As a slave, he should keep to a slave's duty and not overstep his bounds. By keeping to his duty, things would look better for everyone, and it would be more decent.

Qiu Defu understood Li Liangcheng's implication: either cooperate, or flip the table and let him be a bare-bones Grand Eunuch.

He gritted his teeth and swallowed his full stomach of rage. "Minister Li's words are reasonable. The imperial court is in difficulty; indeed, it is not appropriate to hold a grand ceremony. Let's do this: the Ministry of Revenue will provide one hundred thousand taels, and the inner treasury will provide another one hundred and fifty thousand taels, so that the Emperor may at least depart in a glorious and decent manner. If you still do not agree, this servant will have no choice but to invite the several imperial consorts from the harem, as well as the Grand Ancestor of the Imperial Clan Court, so that we may all have a good chat."

None of the court officials present wanted the Grand Ancestor to appear. Once the Grand Ancestor appeared and intervened, it meant there would be more variables in the new Emperor's enthronement and one more faction competing for power. The more people involved, the more chaotic it would be.

Everyone only wanted to quickly finalize the old Emperor's funeral rites and then seize the time to discuss the successor to the throne. When the Emperor was buried, there could not be no new Emperor to send him off; such a blunder absolutely could not occur, or they would be reviled by all under heaven. When an ordinary family held a funeral, there had to be a male heir to stand at the door and hold up the household; the imperial family surely could not be worse than an ordinary family.

Consequently, Li Liangcheng took the lead and agreed to Qiu Defu's request.

Two hundred and fifty thousand taels to be used for the old Emperor's funeral rites.

Alas, the old Emperor died too suddenly. If it had been a few months later, delayed until the summer grain was in the granaries and the Ministry of Revenue had money, he could certainly have had a glorious funeral.

After all, he was an Emperor who had reigned for fifty years.

With the funeral rites decided, the princes and imperial sons were also notified and rushed to the bedchamber to see the old Emperor one last time. For a time, the room was full of filial sons and virtuous grandsons, their wailing shaking the air.

Afterwards, once the situation was basically under control, arrangements were made for someone to strike the bell and notify all under heaven: the Emperor had passed away!

It was precisely at this moment that Zhao Mingqiao, having finally received the news, led a group of followers and charged into the bedchamber.

"Dead?"

"Haha, finally dead! The Emperor has passed away!"

"Move aside, we must confirm it ourselves."

"Presumptuous! This is the Emperor's bedchamber; how can you lot run wild here?"

"Zhao Mingqiao, keep your people in check. This is the Imperial Palace, and you are a court official; what kind of behavior is this?"

"Zhao Mingqiao, if you dare to defile the Father Emperor's body, this Prince will fight you to the death."

"Zhao Mingqiao, the Father Emperor was killed by you. Your crimes are unforgivable; you deserve to die!"

The princes and imperial sons knew the curtain was slowly rising, and everyone was eager to perform, fearing that if they were one step slow, they would be beaten to the punch and lose the throne.

At this moment, they all aimed their targets at Zhao Mingqiao; this man was a living target, and if they didn't beat him severely, they would be doing a disservice to the opportunity delivered to their door.

"Hahaha... A fortunate event for the nation, a fortunate event for the nation!" Zhao Mingqiao laughed loudly, not taking the threats of others to heart at all. "My lords, princes, and imperial sons, you should thank this official. If not for this official arguing on grounds of reason and raising a cry, how would Heaven know our wishes? After Heaven understood our appeals, it took the Emperor's life, letting the Emperor return to ultimate bliss. Now that the Emperor has passed, you lot finally have the strength to compete. I ask here once more: which prince or imperial son can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the nation? As long as you are willing to stand out and loudly tell everyone you are willing to shoulder the heavy responsibility, I, Zhao Mingqiao, will surely do my utmost to support him in ascending the throne."

The words were extremely inflammatory and seductive.

It had to be said that Zhao Mingqiao had mastered the essence of pyramid schemes, knowing what kind of rhetoric could move hearts and what kind of rhetoric could manipulate the entire scene, becoming the most dazzling person present. Regardless of the Left or Right Prime Minister, or the big shots of the ministries, they all became his foils. Leading the rhythm and controlling the situation, he had already achieved great success.

Thanks to his enlightenment in the Heavenly Prison, he had sublimated his entire being, flying from a small character of the past to a big shot. He was determined to stir up wind and rain in the imperial court. Even if he were to be a stirrer of shit, he would be the most dazzling and thickest stirrer of shit.

"Who dares to stand out?"

"Stand out!"

"Stand out!"

The madmen began to clamor, turning the sorrowful scene into a mobilization meeting.

Qiu Defu wished he could pull Zhao Mingqiao's tendons and peel his skin, subjecting him to death by a thousand cuts.

Li Liangcheng and the others were even more furious, their beards blowing and eyes glaring; they knew that nothing good would come of Zhao Mingqiao's appearance—it was the typical style of a stirrer of shit.

"Zhao Mingqiao, shut your mouth before this official. The Emperor's funeral rites are urgent; what are you trying to do by clamoring in the bedchamber?"

"Who will inherit the throne is not for you to decide."

"What you say is fart; what kind of thing are you? When did it become your turn to call the shots in court politics?"

"Someone, drive this gang of madmen who are disrupting the court's discipline out—drive them all out. Do not allow them to come within a step of the Taiji Palace."

"Simply absurd!"

"Who exactly promoted this Zhao fellow? He is clearly a scourge!"

"My lords, you curse me as a scourge; may I ask, whom have I harmed? Have I ever implemented evil policies to harm the common people under heaven? Have I ever flattered the Emperor, making the Emperor muddle-headed? Have I ever curried favor and helped the tyrant commit evil? Have I ever attacked the nation? Have I ever secretly supported rebels? Have I ever been corrupt? Have I ever framed the loyal and virtuous?

I have done nothing; I only shouted a few truths, and as a result, I was branded with the crime of disrupting the court's discipline! Hahaha... You lot want to add a crime, so why worry about not having an excuse? Or is it that you lot are afraid and have a guilty conscience? The nation is falling day by day precisely because it is controlled by a group of worms like you who fight for power and profit; that is why the situation is getting worse and worse."

Zhao Mingqiao accused them angrily; he was like a warrior, like a lone hero walking alone in the world. His followers looked at his back and felt he was tall. Some who were emotionally agitated already had tears in their eyes!

What is loyal and virtuous? This is the truly loyal and virtuous.

The imperial court is deteriorating day by day precisely because it lacks people like Master Zhao!

"Please execute Li Liangcheng!"

"Please execute Li Liangcheng!"