Chapter 121
05/07/23- edited
Shen Yu gave him a glare, "In the end, are you punishing me or punishing His Majesty?"
Shen Yu didn't forget that the last time, he was the one who had to lie in bed for several days afterwards. It was more like he was rewarding Shang Junlin than punishing him.
"Of course, it's punishing Us. Whatever Ah Yu wants to do is fine."
Shang Junlin's voice was as soft as a whisper, with an ambiguous meaning that couldn't be clearly expressed, like a hook that scraped across Shen Yu's heart.
The two of them were very close, and Shen Yu clearly felt the changes in the man's body. He intentionally rubbed against him and saw the man's face change as he wished.
"His Majesty didn't do anything wrong," Shen Yu said intentionally, "why do you need to be punished?"
Seeing that his goal had not been achieved, a hint of disappointment flashed through Shang Junlin's heart. He really wanted to experience Ah Yu's passion and initiative again, but he didn't show it on his face. "If Ah Yu doesn't want to, then there's no need to."
Shen Yu's eyes flickered. He grabbed Shang Junlin's collar, squinting his eyes slightly. "This is something His Majesty requested. Don't regret it later."
"Of course not."
Shang Junlin was delighted.
Shen Yu released his hand and stepped back from the man's embrace. "Let's talk about this later tonight."
Shang Junlin had achieved his goal and didn't mind waiting a little longer. He walked over to the soft couch and sat down, saying, "Ah Yu, do you know how many surprises those princes gave Us?"
"His Majesty is talking about the supplies they sent to Subei?" Shen Yu followed him over and sat down on the other side.
"Yes, they really opened Our eyes. Their possessions are even richer than the national treasury. We're not joking." Shang Junlin knew that these princes were all very wealthy, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to give so much gold and silver just to please Shen Yu. However, he didn't expect they would have so much more than he had imagined.
Not only Shang Junlin, but other officials who received reports from the Ministry of Revenue also gasped in surprise. Without this opportunity, they would never have known that the princes had so much wealth.
"No wonder the emperors of past dynasties have always been wary of the princes."
"Yes, take a look at these. This is just one fiefdom, and it's not inferior to what's in the national treasury. Da Huan has more than just this one fiefdom."
"At that time, His Majesty said that the Princes should also contribute, but who opposed it? They said that the Princes themselves were also in difficulties, and we should not force them. Is having too much money and resources a difficulty?" The Minister of Revenue couldn't help raising his voice.
Having worked together for many years, the officials all knew the Minister of Revenue's temper and were not surprised by this.
"Don't get angry so quickly," the Minister of Public Works patted the Minister of Revenue's shoulder and reminded him, "This is only the first batch of supplies, and what Suibei needs, these alone are not enough."
"You're right. If I had known they had enough money and resources, I would have asked for more. Fortunately, there is still time. His Majesty's method of sending a batch as soon as it is collected is really good."
The others listened and quietly smirked, mourning for the Prince who was being watched by the Minister of Revenue.
The Minister of Revenue sorted out the roster and hurriedly went to prepare for the next phase of material collection. This time, someone had touched the bottom line, and he wouldn't be the Minister of Revenue if he allowed these Princes to not bleed so much in the next batch.
The Princes still didn't know that their belongings had already caught the Minister of Revenue's attention.
"Your Highness, do we really have to send all these things to Suibei?" The steward of the prince's manor looked conflicted.
"If we don't, then what?" The Prince was also helpless. "The court and the people of the world are watching. If we don't do anything, will they not think that we are obstructing His Majesty's efforts? "
Did the Prince want to give away these things? Of course not, who would complain about having too much money?
But their retreat had been blocked long ago. If they didn't give anything, it would be an announcement to the world that they had two hearts toward the Emperor. They had been intimidated by Shang Junlin at the beginning of the year and didn't want to confront him now.
"Your Highness, I have contacted the people I left in the capital They said that if we perform well this time and make His Majesty happy, not only can they let bygones be bygones, but we can also receive rewards from the court. I'm not asking for much, as long as His Majesty doesn't set his sights on me."
He knew very well that anyone targeted by Shang Junlin would not end up well.
Look at the King of Li, how glorious he was before, but now he has been expelled from the royal family. Look at the King of Yue, who is still trapped in the capital. He didn't want anything in his life, he just hoped to live out the rest of his life peacefully.
There are many Princes who share the same idea. They have seen the cruel side of Shang Junlin with their own eyes and know how ruthless he is. Anyone who can survive until now is not stupid. They were not able to compete with Shang Junlin before, let alone face the emperor with his well-established power now.
However, the pain still needs to be felt.
The land was granted to the King of Yue.
Since the King of Yue is not present, the task of raising funds is being handled jointly by the officials sent by the court and the officials of the King of Yue's territory.
There are people sent by Shang Junlin who have already investigated how much power the King of Yue's territory can provide, and the officials sent by the court are well aware of the situation. The final decision will not exceed the capacity of the land and will allow the King of Yue to bleed out his accumulated wealth at once.
The current situation of the King of Yue in the capital is unknown. The officials on his land naturally dare not make any small moves. The whole process is very smooth.
"If the King of Yue knew this news, I wonder what kind of expression he would have," Shen Yu couldn't help but laugh after hearing Shang Junlin's words.
"I'll have someone tell him," Shang Junlin said with a hint of disgust in his tone.
Shen Yu noticed that Shang Junlin is showing more and more emotions in front of him. When he first entered the palace, he almost felt that Shang Junlin was an emotionless king.
"I don't know what they are considering. It's been so long and they haven't made a move. Do they really think that Your Majesty won't take action against the King of Yue?" That's why they had the audacity to let the King of Yue remain in the dungeon.
"It's also possible that they are too busy to take care of themselves. Ah Yu, do you remember those people who spread rumors everywhere? The Court extracted a lot of useful information from them, and destroyed several of their bases hidden in the capital."
"Wasn't it said that those people couldn't provide much information?"
"Indeed, in the beginning, they didn't know much. But later, they caught a small leader from a certain faction in a tea house. Although his status was not high, he knew quite a bit. After being entertained by the Court for a while, he spilled everything he knew."
The Court caught so many people but still got nothing useful. The officials of the Great Court were anxious, and when they finally caught someone who knew something, they used every possible method to extract more information.
Their efforts paid off, and they did manage to get a lot of useful information. Although they have not yet caught the mastermind, it is only a matter of time.
The Minister of Revenue acted quickly and drafted a new donation plan in less than half a day. He did not delay at all and directly requested an audience with the emperor.
The two-person world of Shang Junlin and Shen Yu was interrupted. Shang Junlin was not very happy, but Shen Yu wanted to see what the Minister of Revenue was planning to do, so he suggested that they go together.
The imperial study.
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency," said the Minister of Revenue with a respectful bow to the two of them.
After the donation, the Minister of Revenue had a much better opinion of Shen Yu. His excitement at seeing Shen Yu could not be ignored.
"This is the plan I have drafted for the next step. Your Majesty, Your Excellency, please have a look," the Minister of Revenue presented a document.
Meng Gonggong took the document and placed it on the imperial desk.
Shang Junlin opened it and read it with Shen Yu.
The content of the document was all about the vassal princes. Even Shen Yu, who was accustomed to tricking them, could not help but nod the moment when he finished reading it. The excitement in his eyes could not be concealed.
This was simply asking the vassal princes for things while treading on the bottom line. Even a little bit more would be too much for them to bear.
It was too ruthless.
"As a vassal prince, one enjoys the treatment of the imperial family, so they should do their best to contribute to the imperial family. Besides, they are the Emperor's relatives, and it is normal for them to help the Emperor solve problems and difficulties," the Minister of Revenue spoke a lot, but the central idea was that the vassal princes should contribute money and effort; otherwise, they would be unfair to the people and the imperial family.
Shen Yu didn't know that the Minister of Revenue had such good eloquence.
Shang Junlin tapped his fingers on the table, and his voice was as steady as ever: "Let's discuss it at the court tomorrow."
That meant it was approved. The Minister of Revenue was overjoyed and then looked at Shen Yu expectantly. "Does His Excellency have anything to add?"
"The plan proposed by the minister is already very sound," facing such a look, Shen Yu felt the pressure and couldn't help but tug at Shang Junlin's sleeve.
Shang Junlin chuckled and resolved the situation for Shen Yu. "Alright, you go and prepare for this matter and discuss it with the Prime Minister."
The Minister of Revenue withdrew his gaze somewhat disappointedly. "As you command."
After leaving the palace, the Minister of Revenue went straight to the Prime Minister's estate. The Prime Minister and Jiang Huaiqing were having tea in the courtyard. Upon hearing that the Minister of Revenue had come to visit, the steward brought him in.
Jiang Huaiqing poured a cup of tea and handed it to the Minister of Revenue. "Please, my lord."
The Minister of Revenue was indeed thirsty. He took a sip and finished the drink, saying, "I just went to see His Majesty in the palace. Regarding the matter of further donations, His Majesty asked me to bring it up during tomorrow's morning court."
"So it's been decided so quickly?" The Prime Minister was shocked at how fast the Minister had acted.
"We had some ideas before. Today, we just put the specific amounts in. It wasn't a big deal," the Minister of Revenue explained his thoughts briefly. "That's all."
Although he knew the Minister of Revenue was always surprising in these matters, the Prime Minister still couldn't help but smirk, "Has His Majesty agreed to this method?"
The Minister of Revenue nodded, "I was going to ask if you had anything to add, but unfortunately, you didn't say anything."
The Prime Minister understood that any more input might cause the Prince to revolt. The Minister of Revenue was truly a man of great tact.
---
"Your Majesty, will there be any problems with letting the Minister of Revenue handle this?" Shen Yu sat next to Shang Junlin and rested his chin on his hand.
"He knows how to handle it," Shang Junlin replied without looking up from his work.
"I see. If he didn't have good judgment, he wouldn't have been able to hold his position for so long. I was just worrying too much," Shen Yu yawned. "I'm going to freshen up."
Shang Junlin continued to work on the documents, but his mind was elsewhere. After waiting for a while without seeing Shen Yu return, he put down his brush and went to the inner chamber.
Mu Xi was outside and saw Shang Junlin. She was about to bow, but Shang Junlin stopped him. "No need. Is he inside?"
"He is."
With a confirmed answer, Shang Junlin pushed open the door, and hot steam hit his face. A young man dressed in a red robe, with wet hair falling in front and behind him, walked over barefoot. He was as beautiful as a demon. "Your Majesty, are you here to receive punishment?"
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