Chapter 451

Long Yelin hearing him say this, a sudden nameless fire rose in his heart; he grabbed the inkstone on the table and flung it heavily to the ground, shouting: "What do you not dare? What exactly do you not dare? I only want to hear you speak a few sincere words? Is this not allowed? Why do I now want to find someone to talk to and have none?"

Emperor thunderously furious, Zhou Ruizhen's expression remained as calm as an ancient well; he slowly knelt down, picked up the inkstone that Long Yelin had smashed a corner of, and said in a low voice: "Dakang's northwestern seven prefectures have suffered consecutive poor harvests, with no rain or snow for five months; if the situation continues, this spring will surely face severe drought. Southeastern Langya Commandery was hit by a typhoon, seawater poured back into the city, buildings collapsed, casualties among people and livestock countless. In Chengspring civil unrest, nearly a thousand commoners rushed into the prefectural office and clashed with local troops..."

"Enough!" Long Yelin shouted; he wasn't unaware, but simply didn't want to bring these matters up; even if he knew, what could he do? Dakang's current finances simply cannot simultaneously resolve so many issues; Long Yelin would rather choose to escape.

Zhou Ruizhen said: "I almost constantly have to face these matters; Your Majesty has not had a day of peaceful rest, nor am I any different. Having received Your Majesty's favor and been entrusted with heavy responsibility, I, holding a high position, must naturally put the people's sufferings first; it is not that I am growing distant from Your Majesty, but that my energy cannot be divided." Zhou Ruizhen sighed inwardly; since assuming the post of Dakang's Left Minister, Long Yelin has practically placed all the affairs of the Dakang Empire on his shoulders. He had thought that Dakang, with the change of the throne, would bring some fresh atmosphere, but he did not expect Dakang to be like a chronic illness that cannot recover, as before, breath faint. The ministers Long Yelin employs are either busy fawning and flattering, or busy eliminating dissent; truly few devote their energy to governing the state. Relying on one person's strength to overturn the corrupt practices of the entire Dakang court can only be willing but powerless.

Long Yelin said: "I know you've worked hard, but do you know I also suffer? Is Dakang's current state my fault?" Long Yelin pointed toward the direction of Ethereal Mountain: "I took over this mess from his hands; forty-one years, exactly forty-one years, the ancestral foundation has been squandered away in these long years. What is left for me is merely an empty shell, the treasury empty, the people's hearts alienated—how am I to cope? How are you to have me cope?" After venting, his emotions seemed to stabilize somewhat; he slumped in his chair, waved his hand, and said: "Get up and sit down first, then speak."

Zhou Ruizhen rose again, placing the inkstone with a broken corner onto the desk.

Long Yelin sighed and said: "I finally understand why you stopped me from adopting Ji Feihua's proposal back then."

Zhou Ruizhen remained silent, his eyes downcast, his expression extremely solemn.

Long Yelin said: "I have been used by him; all I wanted was the throne, but what he wants is our Long clan's realm."

Zhou Ruizhen still remained silent; all along Long Yelin has shown only his favor and trust toward Ji Feihua, even giving rise to countless rumors, and outwardly Long Yelin has always been extremely protective of Ji Feihua. Even in his presence he has never spoken a bad word about Ji Feihua, so Zhou Ruizhen does not know why the Son of Heaven suddenly said this to him. On the matter of Ji Feihua he must be exceedingly cautious.

Long Yelin said: "I still remember what you told me back then, sir: you urged me to endure another year, and unless absolutely necessary, not to adopt such radical methods. I have been blinded by hatred, thinking my father wanted to kill me; only now do I realize he never issued a kill order against me—the true order came from someone else."

Zhou Ruizhen remained silent.

Long Yelin said: "If I had listened to you and spared the Third Brother's life, perhaps Xichuan would not have rebelled for now; if I had listened to you and delayed my ascension by a year, first stabilizing Dakang's interior, perhaps I would not have lost the people's hearts, and the situation would be much better now." Long Yelin slowly shook his head and said: "It's a pity that I was deceived by that eunuch villain, thinking that upon ascending this throne I could make heaven and earth change colors, make the old appearance of the realm take on a new look, revive Dakang's prestige, and restore the glory of our ancestors; now it seems I was wrong, completely wrong."

Zhou Ruizhen said: "Your Majesty, what exactly do you have in mind?"

Long Yelin gritted his teeth and said: "The first thing I must do is eliminate that eunuch villain!"

Hearing this, Zhou Ruizhen felt alarmed; he rose, first opening the door to look outside, then opening the window to look out, confirming no one was outside, then he closed the door and window and returned to sit beside Long Yelin, lowering his voice: "Your Majesty, Dakang's realm can no longer withstand wind and rain."

Long Yelin looked at Zhou Ruizhen in confusion, his eyes full of doubt: "Beloved minister, what do you mean?"

Zhou Ruizhen sighed and said: "Although I do not understand medicine, I do know that for a person whose life is in danger, the first thing to do is to preserve life, not to treat the illness; only by nurturing the root to restore vital energy can one slowly treat the ailment, and if one recklessly administers strong drugs, it will likely backfire."

Long Yelin said in a low voice: "If the treacherous villain is not removed, the state will have no peace."

Zhou Ruizhen said: "I have an ancestral home in the countryside of Xiezhou that has stood for a hundred years since its construction; the beams and pillars of the main hall have begun to rot from age. I wish to repair the ancestral home and entrust it to a craftsman, who does not rush to replace the rotted pillars and beams, but instead erects wooden supports inside the hall; only after the hall is stable does he gradually replace the rotted pillars and beams. Your Majesty, do you know the reasoning behind this?"

Long Yelin said: "If one rushes to replace the rotted pillars, there is a fear the house may collapse."

Zhou Ruizhen said: "This is only one reason; actually, among these rotted pillars, the degree of decay varies—even the most rotted one can still provide some support within the house; in fact, even if I did not repair this house, it could still stand for a while, perhaps ten or twenty years, without any problem."

Long Yelin slowly nodded, understanding that Zhou Ruizhen's two examples were meant to convey this point, and said in a low voice: "You advise me to keep Hu Buwei, Shi Buhui, and these people, and this is also for that reason, right?"

Zhou Ruizhen said: "Your Majesty, never forget that the foundation of the state lies not in the realm, not in the ministers, but in the people; governing a state is like sailing a ship, the people are the water that carries the boat—water can carry the boat and also capsize it. Even if Dakang's ship is old, if the water flow is gentle and smooth, it can still dock successfully; no matter how sturdy and mighty the ship, huge waves still pose a risk of capsizing, so Your Majesty must never forget to put the people first at all times."

Long Yelin said: "Only when the state is prosperous can the people be at peace; now the treasury is empty, with consecutive poor harvests, how can I regain the people's hearts of Dakang?"

Zhou Ruizhen said: "As the saying goes, even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice; the common folk, starving, will naturally grow resentful. I have been examining Dakang's revenue accounts over these years, and I suspect the accounts I hold are not the true state of Dakang."

Long Yelin's expression suddenly changed: "What do you mean?"

Zhou Ruizhen said: "With Dakang's several-hundred-year foundation, the treasury ought not to be this empty." He did not spell it out, believing the Emperor should understand his meaning.

Long Yelin stared at Zhou Ruizhen's eyes, his gaze showing a hint of astonishment mixed with a touch of delight; before his usurpation, he had only wanted to become Dakang's emperor, but only after actually ascending the throne did he discover that Dakang's treasury emptiness exceeded his imagination. The old man, during his forty-one-year reign, had squandered all the money and grain in the treasury, leaving him merely a mess riddled with holes. No matter how grand one's ambitions, faced with reality one must lower one's head and confront the predicament of having no money to use; Long Yelin also found himself at a loss. His ideas of governance, more often than not, exist in the realm of idealism, but when confronted with reality he immediately sees how vast the gap between ideal and reality is.

Long Yelin lowered his voice and said: "Are you suspecting that Hu Buwei produced merely a false ledger?"

Zhou Ruizhen said: "He shouldn't have that much gall; even if he had served as Minister of Revenue for many years, managing Dakang's finances, he would not dare to pull off such a heaven‑covering deception, and the Retired Emperor would not be so muddle‑headed as to fail to notice such a major matter."

Long Yelin's eyes flashed with a cold, ruthless light; he gritted his teeth and said: "If he truly dared to do this, I will surely confiscate his property and exterminate his clan to quell the hatred in my heart."

Zhou Ruizhen said: "Your Majesty, even if Hu Buwei were exceedingly clever, he could not possibly leave no trace; in recent times I have examined all the accounts from the Retired Emperor's reign, and Hu Buwei's tenure as Minister of Revenue has shown no problems."

Long Yelin said: "Then what did you mean just now?" Zhou Ruizhen's earlier words made Long Yelin feel a surge of delight; deep down, he actually hoped that Hu Buwei had tampered with things during his term, for if the Retired Emperor truly had a secret treasury during his reign, it could alleviate Long Yelin's current predicament.

Zhou Ruizhen said: "Hu Buwei's predecessor as Minister of Revenue, Chu Yuanhai, was investigated for corruption; this case once caused a sensation."

Long Yelin nodded and said: "Not bad; I also remember this matter. Qiu Yuanhai corrupted the law, abused his office to drain the treasury; at that time my father ordered a thorough investigation, and astonishing amounts of property were found in his home—when tallied, it equaled Dakang's treasury income for two years."

Zhou Ruizhen stroked his beard and said: "I recall that alone, the red gold found in Chu Yuanhai's cellar amounted to 180,000 taels, and the silver to three million taels, not to mention other rare treasures."

Long Yelin said: "This man is the first corrupt minister in Dakang since its founding."

Zhou Ruizhen said: "The Retired Emperor flew into a thunderous rage; Chu Yuanhai's entire clan was executed and their confiscated property was all turned over to the treasury."

Long Yelin found it strange, not knowing why Zhou Ruizhen suddenly brought up this matter; the great corruption scandal that shook Dakang had passed nineteen years ago, and during those nineteen years the Retired Emperor had already squandered the seized wealth—what point could there be in bringing it up again?

Zhou Ruizhen said: "As this humble official examined that old case, I made a discovery." (To be continued~^~)