Chapter Fifty-Four: Grain and Fodder

  "The young lady from the Li family, whom I have also met, has a very strong personality, but if you say she can do something like this...". As he spoke, the Minister of War, Qian Yi, stole a glance at the people in front of him and quickly lowered his gaze. He was already old and had enough experience, but he knew that his own abilities and prestige were not sufficient to take charge of the entire department. He had already planned to retire and return to his hometown to enjoy his later years, but things happened to be convenient, and a few years ago, Zhong Cong had messed up, causing a big stir in the imperial court. It seemed like everyone wanted to jump out and trample on the unfortunate former Minister of War, Zhong Cong. In the end, Zhong Cong was demoted to Lingnan, and at his age, it was unlikely that he would be able to return to the central government again. As for what happened next, Qian Yi, who had experienced many things in his official career, could still guess some of the underlying mysteries. The several princes were competing for the position of crown prince, and naturally, they would not miss this opportunity to place their own people in the Ministry of War. This was originally none of his business, but an imperial edict came down, and the title of Minister of War fell on his head.

  In this way, how could he not understand the emperor's mind and prepare to become a wooden puppet? In fact, it was as he expected. In recent years, most of the power of the Ministry of War had been transferred to the Imperial Secretariat, which was personally controlled by the two chief officials. The Minister of War had almost become a mere figurehead, and all major and minor matters required the seal of the two chief officials to be decided. Being an official had lost its flavor.

  At this time, Emperor Zhengde Li Ye's face did not show any expression, he just stared at him with a solemn gaze. He originally thought that after hearing the news from Qingyang, the dragon would be overjoyed, but now it was greatly different from what he had imagined. The emperor didn't have any joyful expression, and seemed to have some anger, making him think more, but his thoughts were not as sharp as Yang Wang's, and he couldn't guess the emperor's mind. However, having served in the Ministry of War for many years, he was not timid when analyzing the situation objectively.

  He shook his head slightly and spoke more cautiously, "The military report was sent from Pingliang to the capital. Such a big thing shouldn't be fake. As for the details, His Highness the Crown Prince has already set out to rush to Qingyang. I estimate that in a few days, there will also be military reports arriving one after another..."

  Yang felt that at this moment, his eyes flashed, and he seemed to be saying casually: "The rebellion in Qingyang was entirely due to the lack of food in the army. It is said that it was a military mutiny, but in fact, the responsibility lies with Chen Heng and others. As long as the grain and grass arrive, the rebellion can be quelled immediately. The girl from the Li family led the grain-protecting army, and it's not impossible to pacify the rebellion..."

  Yang felt a pause, and the dim light in his eyes deepened. He continued, "I reviewed the Ministry of Revenue's case files last night and found that before the heavy snow at the beginning of the year, Lingnan sent a batch of grain and fodder to the north. It is estimated that they were delayed on the road due to the heavy snow. Now that the snow has melted, if they haven't turned back, it will only take them a few days to arrive in Qingyang. With this batch of grain and fodder, the soldiers in Qingyang may not necessarily be planning to rebel or riot. In this case, Qingyang should also be worry-free."

  After hearing this, Emperor Zhengde Li Zhe first stunned for a moment, then his face sank and asked: "How much grain and fodder is there in this batch?"

  "It's written on the file that there are only a little over 10,000 stones, although it's not much, but it can also alleviate the urgent need for Qingyang."

  Li Ye listened, a wave of blush had already flashed across his face, Qian Yi on the side was already sweating, but Wang Dao Cun seemed to have known this news long ago, and there was no hint of surprise on his face.

  Especially Qian Yi, whose body was uneasy and moved a few times. Yang Gan's words seemed casual, but the meaning behind them was unfathomable. He had been in the Ministry of War for the longest time and understood the crux of the matter as soon as he heard it. The grain from Lingnan had always been transported through the Han River, flowing downstream, then through the Grand Canal to the Wei River, and finally arrived at Chang'an. After that, it was distributed by the Ministry of Revenue. Last winter... it seemed like they were still directly sending it to the front lines... The Ministry of Revenue was also in charge of the Crown Prince for a long time, and he had heard that the ministry's duties were chaotic. Now, with the emergence of such a big mistake as Qingyang, there were suspicious signs of grain and grass... This water was too deep, and thinking about it made him uneasy. He had already made up his mind not to speak out on this matter, and in any case, he couldn't get involved. Who knows, once he got involved, it might be a disaster that would destroy him.

  Li Ye stood up, walked back and forth in the pavilion a couple of times, feeling annoyed. The beautiful spring scenery before his eyes seemed to have lost its charm. He tried to calm himself down, turned around and said in a deep voice: "Qian Ai Qing, at this time, the Ministry of War cannot be without someone in charge, you go back first, as soon as there is military news, present it to me immediately. Today, we just chatted about some trivial matters, I am very happy that Qingyang can be safe and sound... Qian Gong, do you understand my meaning?"

  This speech was extremely disorganized, but the tone was heavy. Qian Yi didn't understand the meaning behind it, and with a sudden tightening of his heart, he knelt down on the ground, his voice loud enough to startle even himself, "Your humble minister understands, please be at ease, Your Majesty..."

  Looking at Qian Yi's somewhat floating quick steps leaving, Li Ye let out a long sigh, and when he turned his head back, his eyes were already calm as water, with a warm smile: "Today I wanted to take you guys out for some relaxation, didn't expect so many things would happen, come, now, we won't talk about national affairs, otherwise wouldn't it be a waste of this beautiful spring day?"

  Seeing the two wanting to speak, Li Ye waved his hand and said, "Recently, I heard that Yang Qing's daughter, who is famous in the capital, has organized another pear garden gathering, where they freely discuss national affairs without restriction. It's quite a sensation among the talented scholars. Hehe, with the addition of Li family's daughter, the women of Xiqin are truly remarkable..."

  Yang Gan listened, and a faint smile of complacency also appeared on his face. However, he immediately bowed his head and said: "You are all still children, what do you know about national affairs? It's all because the old ministers have spoiled her that she is so young and always thinks about useless things, which are of no use to the country or the family, just making a fuss."

  Wang Daocun smiled and said, "Nonsense? This is not necessarily the case. If my several useless grandsons had a bit of talent like Qian'er, I would be satisfied. Qian'er has been known as a talented girl since childhood, and now she has a similar style to Yang Guifei in her youth. I've also heard that this girl's words are sharp, her thoughts are quick-witted, and her temperament is calm and collected. Whoever marries such a wife will truly bring honor to their family."

  "What's the matter? How is your family's Zhi'er doing? This child's behavior and speech are still quite polite, but his temperament is a bit weak. Some time ago, he also participated in the Pear Garden gathering, and when he returned home, he couldn't stop praising your family's maid, saying how great she was... That little heart of his is not hard to guess, if Yang Xiang has intentions..."

  Li Ye's face also showed a relaxed smile, "Oh, this is indeed a beautiful thing, if the two of you want to become relatives by marriage, I am willing..."

  Yang Gan shook his head and smiled wryly, saying: "Your Majesty, you handle a million things every day, can't you see that Wang Xuezheng has some ulterior motives? His family's Wang Zhi passed the imperial examination last year and was supposed to be appointed as an official outside the capital. He should have set out in early winter, but was delayed by the heavy snow. Now he's afraid that his own grandson will not be taken care of when he goes out, so he wants to find a servant girl to take care of him. My granddaughter has been the apple of her parents' eye since she was young, what hardships has she ever suffered?"

  If I were to agree to this marriage here, the young lady would have to endure the hardships of travel, being exposed to wind and sun, and even after returning home, she would still be scolded to death. Moreover, the young lady is still young and has a strong temperament, if Your Majesty really decrees it with golden words, I wouldn't be able to live in peace once I return home.

  Your Majesty, you don't know yet? The other day, Wang Xuezeng also mentioned this matter to Li Geng, the participant in government affairs, wanting to take someone's granddaughter away to be a cow and horse. Li Geng probably thought about it at the time and said he would think about it again. What do you think happened? Li Geng's wife is famous in the capital... That night, she drove Li Geng out, and his face was even slapped, and he entered the government affairs hall with a covered face. It just so happened that I saw him, and he muttered something about mosquitoes landing on his face and being slapped by himself, making his face red all over. Think about it, in this cold weather, where would there be mosquitoes? Li Geng is an honest man who can't even tell a lie, and his skin is thin, so I didn't ask him any further questions.

  It was only later that I heard it was Wang Xuezheng who had harmed someone. You say this matter is a mess...

  Li Ye heard Yang Gan say this, and had already laughed so hard he was doubled over, pointing at Wang Dao Cun who was already bright red in the face and couldn't speak.

  (Hurry up? Ah Cao is also anxious, but these few chapters are a bit difficult to write, can't help it, just have to come slowly, don't mind everyone...)