A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 18 Interrogation
Lightning flashed faintly on the horizon, a rumble of thunder swept across the rooftops, and fine raindrops fell, like silkworms devouring mulberry leaves or a gentle breeze rustling through bamboo.

It was the annual autumn rains that were unavoidable in Guanzhong.

At this time, the autumn harvest was just completed, the grain was stored in the granary, and sowing was not yet scheduled. The gentle drizzle from heaven was truly wonderful.

"Dr. Zhong, it's slippery in the rain, walk slowly!" Zhou Yangyou shouted from a distance.

Zhuang Zhu looked at the imperial envoys who had all returned, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, but he smiled and said, "They're back! It's good that they're back!"

Suo Zhong and Jian Xuan remained silent.

Even the most foolish person would realize at this point that they had been manipulated by the Grand Master of the Palace. On one side was His Majesty, and on the other was the Grand Marshal. A loyal minister cannot serve two equally. They were already cruel officials, and their already bad reputation had been further damaged.

The historian's pen is as sharp as iron, and these two men, destined to be infamous for eternity, were filled with despair. They waited only to report the embezzlement by the Northern Army before resigning and returning to their hometowns, never to serve in office again.

Zhuang Zhu stretched out his hands and helped Suo Zhong and Jian Xuan, who were bowing, to his left and right. "You are meritorious officials, there is no need for such formalities. Come, follow me into the palace to pay your respects."

The words "meritorious official" were so grating to their ears. Although they were cruel officials, they were not the kind of people who would exchange their posthumous fame for their posthumous achievements. Faced with Zhuang Zhu's enticement, they did not move. Suo Zhong and Jian Xuan forced themselves to pay their respects. "Grand Master, we are not feeling well. We seem to have caught a cold. We are afraid that seeing Your Majesty would disturb your health. The account books can be brought to the palace. We will leave it at that."

Full of remorse, Zhuangzhu subconsciously let go of her hand. Suozhong and Jianxuan bowed again, turned around and walked out of the silk canopy, getting soaked in the rain, and disappeared at the end of the street.

"Shameless thing!"

Zhou Yang spat at the two backs and took Zhuang Zhu's hand, saying, "Doctor Zhong, without them, the generals of the Northern Army wouldn't have been able to escape either."

Zhuang Zhu looked at Zhou Yangyou and knew that he was a simple person, a petty person who had lost all interest in conversation. "His Majesty is waiting. Let's go."

Shiqu Pavilion.

From the time the Han Dynasty was established and Chang'an was designed and built as the capital, Chancellor Xiao He oversaw the construction of the Tianlu Pavilion and Shiqu Pavilion in the Weiyang Palace.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozu, the "law against possessing books" from the Qin Dynasty was continued, prohibiting the private possession of books.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaohui, the "law against possessing books" was abolished in order to collect and organize books.

Even now, His Majesty is even more proactive in collecting and organizing books, ordering Chancellor Gongsun Hong to "widely open up channels for book donations, establish policies for book collection, and appoint officials to copy books," and "even the legends of various philosophers are all placed in the imperial archives."

It can be said that Tianlu Pavilion was the library of the Han Empire, while Shiqu Pavilion was the archive of the Han Empire.

Liu Che obtained the construction plans for Chang'an.

For over seventy years, Chang'an has remained unchanged, or rather, the imperial palace has remained unchanged, with the construction of Weiyang and Changle Palaces remaining the same. As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he was no longer satisfied with this.

When Zhuang Zhu and Zhou Yang arrived at Shiqu Pavilion, Liu Che was engrossed in the construction plan of the imperial city that he had drawn.

"Your Majesty, you are working tirelessly for the country again. You should rest and relax."

Zhuang Zhu's eyes merely swept across the construction plan, and the names, locations, and sizes of the four palaces—"Jianzhang Palace," "Gui Palace," "Bei Palace," and "Mingguang Palace"—immediately came to mind.

Besides his photographic memory, Zhuang Zhu's greatest strength is mental arithmetic. If he succeeds in completing the Four Palaces, it will cost at least several million gold coins.

The empire levied taxes for several years, or even many years.

Such extravagant and wasteful construction would never be approved by the outer court or the inner court.

"Zhuang Zhu, you've come at the perfect time."

Liu Che tapped his finger on the large map spread out on the jade table. "Look, Chang'an is such a big city, yet it's empty and there's nothing to see or enjoy. What do you think of this design?"

"Excellent! Your Majesty truly possesses ingenious ideas. The flying pavilions and carriage roads connect the four palaces, link the Weiyang and Changle Palaces, and connect the inside and outside of Chang'an City. No one in the world can match it," Zhuang Zhu praised generously. "Let's begin construction immediately. How about you supervise the construction?"

"May I ask Your Majesty, how much gold do the four palaces require?"

"The figure of one million is roughly correct."

"Your Majesty, please explain."

"The craftsman calculated it to be three million gold coins." Liu Che frowned slightly, clearly displeased with Zhuang Zhu's questioning.

Zhuang Zhu disregarded all that and said, "Your Majesty, after deducting the military expenses of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the salaries of officials, and numerous other expenditures, the national treasury has less than one million taels of gold available. How can that be enough?"

The big man is very rich.

In particular, Emperors Xiaowen and Xiaojing ruled with great prosperity. When Your Majesty ascended the throne, the amount of money and grain was so great that even the ropes used to string the coins together rotted.

However, after Your Majesty ascended the throne, especially after the death of Empress Dowager Dou, Your Majesty personally took power and waged wars every year for more than ten years, often with armies of 100,000 or even hundreds of thousands of men and horses. Even the most solid foundation could not withstand the strain of the war.

To this day, the amount of money His Majesty can freely spend is less than one million taels of silver from the imperial treasury, unless the northern expedition is suspended and peace is negotiated with the Xiongnu, which is impossible, and neither Emperor Liu Che nor his minister Zhuang Zhu would even mention it.

Liu Che laughed heartily, "What's so difficult about money? Would you like to see my clothes?"

"This? What kind of silk is this?" Zhuang Zhu stared at His Majesty's clothes in surprise.

It's not a dragon robe, nor is it elaborate embroidery. On the satin surface, there are butterflies, bees, and even more petals fluttering down!

Such silk fabric is clearly suitable for evening wear.

“This morning, Qi merchant Dongguo Xianyang and Nanyang merchant Kong Jin presented this silk to me. You may take ten bolts with you when you return. Coincidentally, they brought me a large sum of money, 300,000 gold coins a year, and 3 million gold coins in ten years. I intend to build four palaces in ten years. What do you think?” Liu Che said proudly.

Zhuang Zhu asked warily, "Are Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin seeking official positions?"

"No, it's about offering advice."

"What's the plan?"

"This is a matter of great importance, and there will be public opinion on it. It is not appropriate to speak of it now," Liu Che said with a shake of his head and a smile.

That policy proposal was beneficial to the country.

"Your Majesty, merchants are a group of people who will not get up early without profit. I think we should think more carefully about this matter," Zhuang Zhu advised.

Liu Che smiled and said, "I know, you need not worry. There is no need to mention this matter again. Did you understand the situation with the Northern Army this time you entered the palace?"

"Your Majesty, the matter of the Northern Army has been clarified. The generals were corrupt, embezzling salaries and benefits, and corruption was rampant. In just over half a year, a deficit of 10,000 taels of silver had been incurred. However, there has been a response that His Highness the Crown Prince will provide funds to cover this deficit," Zhuang Zhu said respectfully.

"Your Highness, where did the money come from?" Liu Che asked in confusion.

The money of the empress, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and other relatives of the emperor might have been enough to scrape together a few thousand taels of gold, but ten thousand taels was absolutely impossible.

"I don't know."

"Go check."

Liu Che's good mood suddenly vanished, his face turned ashen, and he said in a cold tone, "No matter what reason the Northern Army gives for making up for the deficit, let the Imperial Censor question them. Also, let the Embroidered-Robe Envoy find out the source of the Crown Prince's money."

What does a crown prince who has soldiers, money, and popular support, and who resembles his father, want to do?
(End of this chapter)