Chapter 939

By the time Pan Yun came out of the Ministry of Works with an excited face, the imperial clansmen had already been crying to the Emperor for three days.

After Empress Wang had spoken with the old Wang Feis, she only cut two people; the rest entered the palace as usual.

Zhu Qiyu was utterly fed up.

If not for the fact that the people from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau said the National Preceptor was making a divine artifact at the Ministry of Works, and that people from both the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Ministry of War's Weapons Workshop had gone, he would have sought the National Preceptor's counsel long ago.

But if the crying went on any longer, he couldn't stand it either.

Yu Qian and the other Grand Secretaries, however, felt it was all an act — let them cry if they wanted to cry.

Chen Xun even said: "If Your Majesty cannot bear to see them cry, today this minister can have a crying contest with them!"

They want the Ministry of Revenue to put up money to build the Huai'an Haigang? Not a chance in hell!

Chen Xun had already been reinstated to his original post, and was once again Minister of Revenue.

Not content with crying on his own, he grabbed Yu Qian and Cao Nai, saying: "This minister requests the two of you to lend your strength — let us all cry together!"

The imperial clansmen who had just retreated to the side hall to rest seemed to have heard Chen Xun's shout, and burst into loud wailing, their voices faintly drifting over: "Great Ancestor~~ please open your eyes and look — where in this realm does the surname Zhu still reign~~"

"Grand Ancestor, you suffered so much back then because of the Feudal Lords Reduction, and now he doesn't reduce the feudal lords, but he simply won't feed us~~"

Zhu Qiyu: "……"

He couldn't help but slam the table: "Is this still a place for handling state affairs? It's practically turned into a vegetable market!"

Pan Yun came bounding over with a spool of wire and a light bulb, heard the wailing drifting from the side hall, turned on her heel, stuffed the things into her sleeve, and with a slam pushed open the side hall door.

Cheng Jing was leading the eunuchs in serving tea and pouring water for the Wang Yes, and when he saw Pan Yun appear at the doorway bathed in radiant light, tears nearly sprang to his eyes, and he immediately howled with excitement: "National Preceptor—"

Pan Yun glanced at him, stepped inside, swept her gaze over the red-eyed Wang Yes, and asked: "What are you crying about?"

The Wang Yes glared at her, displeased.

Everyone knew that the Emperor had originally been sitting on the memorial to build a port in Zhejiang without issuing it, because he hadn't decided whether the final port should be placed in Huai'an Prefecture or Ningbo Prefecture. Yet no sooner had Pan Yun entered the palace than the Emperor issued an edict to Zhejiang — if anyone said Pan Yun had nothing to do with it, no one would believe it.

The Wang Yes said nothing, but Chen Xun had already hurried out of the main hall, rushed into the side hall, and in front of them complained to Pan Yun: "National Preceptor, the imperial Wang Yes want to build a grand Haigang near the Dragon-Rising Land, but the national treasury is empty, so His Majesty did not agree."

"Hmph, is the treasury really out of money, or has it been diverted to other uses? This realm bears the surname Zhu, not Chen, not Pan. There are still many fellow villagers in old Fengyang, and life is hard there — what's wrong with building them a port and giving them a livelihood?"

Pan Yun said: "The Great Ancestor decreed that imperial clansmen may not leave their fief without an imperial edict. There are indeed many imperial clansmen in Fengyang and Nanjing, but without an order, they simply cannot go to Huai'an Prefecture. What does building a Haigang in Huai'an have to do with them?"

"How does it not? If the Huai'an Haigang thrives, they can also do some business. Even if they can't go themselves, naturally the Zhang Guanshis in their households can handle it."

Pan Yun said with a cold laugh: "The Great Ancestor decreed that imperial clansmen may not engage in commerce."

The imperial Wang Yes choked a little, and couldn't help muttering in low voices: "We aren't engaging in commerce ourselves — it's the Zhang Guanshis in our households who are doing business."

"Don't the profits from the Zhang Guanshis' operations belong to you?" Pan Yun snorted: "The Zhou Wang line, close kin of the Son of Heaven, has medical skills and excels at making medicinal pills, yet he has never dared to run a medicinal materials business — the pharmacies under his name are mostly for public charity. And you lot have gall — you've set your sights directly on maritime trade."

The imperial Wang Yes said nothing.

Pan Yun turned and went straight to the main hall, tossing back: "Please a few Wang Yes over to discuss matters."

Pan Yun cupped her fist in salute to the Emperor and said: "Your Majesty, this poor Daoist has been traveling through various cities during this period — Kaifeng, Nanjing, and Fengyang have all been visited. There are quite a few imperial clansmen in these three places. Among them, the earliest batch of collateral branches has already been passed down to Fengguo Zhongwei, and they can only draw a small salary from the government office each month. But as you know, the national treasury is empty, and local finances are also somewhat strained. Yet imperial clansmen keep producing too many children, generation after generation. The salary silver given to imperial clansmen in Kaifeng each month is entirely in treasure notes, with rice stipends halved — life is very difficult."

Chen Xun's heart tightened, and he quickly said: "They still have land. The fief lands originally granted have long been converted into permanent estate fields — even the smallest has at least twenty mu. Add to that the fact that they don't have to pay taxes or render corvée labor, and their lives are well-off."

Pan Yun said: "These imperial clansmen have been spoiled since childhood — they don't have the strength to truss a chicken. How many of them can settle down to farm? Most of the land they received has already been sold off. Their households are destitute, and the children they bear grow up short of clothing and food from infancy, only managing to get one full meal by hanging around the schoolhouse."

Old Zhu certainly never imagined that the schoolhouse he opened for imperial clansmen — free tuition, and to give them more time to study and peace of mind to learn, he had the schoolhouse provide a lunch — would become the only chance for the lowest-ranking imperial clansmen to get a full meal.

But the imperial clansmen's schoolhouse only allowed them to study until age eighteen; after eighteen, they were all turned out.

So they could only freeload meals until age eighteen.

Chen Xun swallowed hard and hurriedly looked at Yu Qian and Cao Nai — say something to help me, will you?

With so many imperial clansmen, do they really have to improve their treatment?

Kill him and stuff him into the national treasury!

And the old Wang Yes who had rushed in, their faces alight with excitement, hurriedly chimed in: "Yes, yes, Your Majesty, the imperial clansmen's lives are hard. Some of those branched off early have already become collateral lines, with reduced titles and stipends — now they don't even have money to buy cotton clothes for a year."

Zhu Qiyu looked at Pan Yun: "What is the National Preceptor's meaning?"

"Building the Huai'an Haigang would only fatten a few powerful, influential, and wealthy imperial Wang Yes — what use is that?" Pan Yun said: "The lowest-ranking imperial clansmen number in the tens of thousands. Benefiting them is what truly benefits."

The imperial Wang Yes' smiling faces froze.

Yu Qian looked up at Pan Yun, his brow slightly furrowed, and spoke up to interrupt her: "National Preceptor, this matter should still be considered at length."

The result of considering at length was to avoid the imperial clansmen — they went into the study to quietly discuss it.

Pan Yun said to Yu Qian: "Yu my lord, this poor Daoist knows your concerns, and this poor Daoist also agrees with your concerns. When the Great Ancestor, the August Emperor, established this law, it was precisely out of your concerns. But times have changed."

Pan Yun said: "The Great Ancestor, the August Emperor, never imagined that imperial clansmen could be so prolific, nor did he imagine that by raising them, they would truly be raised into pigs that only know how to eat and drink."

Zhu Qiyu, standing to one side, flushed slightly.

Pan Yun said meaningfully: "Imperial clansmen are also people, also subjects of our Great Ming. Their numbers are large enough now — Yu my lord should no longer treat them differently."

Yu Qian's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately turned to Zhu Qiyu and said: "What the National Preceptor says is reasonable. Imperial clansmen who have already lost their titles are indeed no different from common subjects and should no longer be treated differently."

Cao Nai said thoughtfully: "The number of imperial clansmen is gradually increasing, and they all rely on local finances, which are also very strained. They truly should be given more ways to make a living — if so, the lives of local commoners can also be a bit easier."