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

Chapter 63 Echoes
The wind outside the palace carried a few snowflakes into the main hall of Chengming Hall, but the officials from both the central and foreign courts inside were clearly not afraid of the cold and obviously liked the snowflakes that were drifting in.

No one dislikes a lively atmosphere; when attending a funeral, people only hope that it will be as grand as possible.

When Zhuang Zhu, the Grand Master of the Palace, was in power, he deliberately sent cruel officials to investigate the Northern Army in order to check the Crown Prince's palace. As a result, the Crown Prince had to eat 10,000 pigs a day and spend 10,000 taels of gold to make up the deficit and resolve the crisis.

But which Han general didn't drink the blood of his soldiers?

The problems that existed in the Northern Army must also exist in the Southern Army, and perhaps even more so. As the Chang'an Guards would not easily go to the battlefield, if the compensation for the fallen soldiers was insufficient, they could only put more effort into embezzling funds. As a result, the corruption in the Southern Army has a long history and is shocking.

Emperors Xiaohui, Empress Lü, Emperor Xiaowen, Emperor Xiaojing, and even Your Majesty the present have all considered investigating the Southern Army, but for well-known reasons, none of them ultimately succeeded.

But things are different today.

His Majesty went to Ganquan Palace. The Crown Prince was in charge of the country and was among the Northern Army. If the Southern Army dared to resist the investigation, the Emperor could use the pretext of rebelling in the city to lead a righteous army to attack Chang'an.

The difference in strength between the Southern Army and the Northern Army was more than just a little.

The Southern Army could not withstand an investigation, and the three generals, Li Guang, Li Gan, and Han Shuo, dared not allow an investigation. So, what reasons and how much money would the Li and Han families use to make up for the military's deficit?
Zhuang Zhu's arrow struck the Li and Han families right between the eyebrows.

The Imperial Censor Mei Gao and the Grand Master of Ceremonies Wuqiu Shouwang were trying to figure out what kind of business the Minister of Agriculture Yan Yi, the Minister of the Imperial Treasury Zhao Yu, and the Crown Prince's palace were having.
Or perhaps, the two have already turned to the Crown Prince's palace?

Zhang Tang, the Minister of Justice, stood there, both excited and surprised. What was going on? Why were the officials in charge of grain administration and the Ministry of the Treasury fighting against the Southern Army first?
"Minister of the Imperial Guard".

"Guanglu Xun" (a high-ranking official in charge of official duties).

"Guanglu Xun Cheng"

Gongsun Hong called on Li Guang, Li Gan, and Han Shuo in turn, and calmly said, "Please provide an explanation."

Explanation?

What does this explain?

They either have to admit to massive embezzlement by the Southern Army and accept a major purge led by the current crown prince, or the Li and Han families have to make up for the deficit.

Ten thousand gold coins!
The Li family was a prominent family in Longxi, and the Han family was a wealthy family with a long history of good fortune. However, to come up with so much money, it would be close to bankruptcy, if not complete ruin.

Is it that a person runs out of money while still alive, or that a person dies before running out of money? One of the most difficult questions in the world was presented to Li Guang.

"There is no corruption in the Southern Army."

Li Guang took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and slowly walked out of the court. "The so-called embezzlement was just a temporary mobilization of 10,000 taels of gold for the Southern Army's preparatory military exercises. The money was intended to be used for legitimate purposes."

"So, the money is still there?"

"exist."

"What about military exercises?"

"The Southern Army took over the defense of Chang'an, and the planned military exercises were cancelled."

"So, the ten thousand taels of gold are useless then?"

"Yes."

One word.

It seemed to have exhausted all of Li Guang's strength.

The family's wealth accumulated over generations, even across changing dynasties, was wiped out in one fell swoop.

Li Gan's face turned ashen. This youngest minister knew the terrible disaster that his reckless attack on the Imperial Household Department had brought upon the Southern Army and his family.

Standing right behind Li Gan was Han Shuo, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, who felt like killing someone. He hadn't done anything or said a word, yet he had inexplicably accumulated tens of millions of dollars in debt.

In the darkness, he seemed to sense the cycle of cause and effect. As the great-grandson of King Xin of Han, the Han family had returned to the Han Dynasty during the reign of Marquis of Gonggao, Han Tui. During the Rebellion of the Seven States, they distinguished themselves among the generals and were able to regain their prominence.

In an effort to eliminate the negative influence of their great-grandfather, the Han family has spent countless sums of money and has barely saved any. After this, they're likely to be so poor they'll be urinating blood.

Gongsun Hong's long white eyebrows twitched. "Then please ask the Minister of the Imperial Guard to hand over the ten thousand taels of gold to the Imperial Treasury after the discussion."

"I obey your orders."

"Grand Minister of Agriculture and Minister of the Imperial Treasury, do you have any objections?"

"No," Yan Yi and Zhao Yu answered in unison. This was something they had agreed upon beforehand.

If Li Gan pretends he never went to Fu'ang Gate, then let's pretend nothing ever happened, and everyone can be fine.

To everyone's surprise, Li Gan actually dared to speak out, even during a court meeting.

It will likely be long before Ganquan Palace learns of this and sends someone to inquire. At that time, the transfer of funds from the national treasury and the Imperial Household Department to the Crown Prince's Palace will no longer be a secret.

Yan and Zhao, who were about to suffer a great misfortune, would certainly not let the Li family off the hook. As for the Han family, it would be a piece of cake.

"Where are you gentlemen?"

"Nothing."

The four high-ranking officials engaged in a battle of wits, which the dukes, marquises, and members of the imperial clan watched with great interest. However, the subsequent events, such as the Grand Master of the Palace changing horses, the Grand Master of Ceremonies' disputes over ethnic minorities, and the Imperial Clan's seating arrangements, became somewhat less interesting.

In the imperial court, arguments and silence do not signify calm. Everyone knows that this is the calm before the storm; the thunder will eventually rumble and the rain will eventually fall.

When Zhang Tang, the Minister of Justice, walked into the center of the hall, everyone thought to themselves, "He's here."

"Nothing is amiss at the Court of Justice."

Zhang Tang's voice was clear and concise, "But there are a few new policies that I would like to ask you gentlemen to discuss."

"speak."

"Firstly, regarding the matter of the white deer offering, Your Majesty, moved by the virtues of our ancestors, has increased the offerings for sacrifices, which can be considered a sign of filial piety and sincerity, however..."

Enjoying the spotlight, Zhang Tang paused slightly before calmly saying, "Many of our dynasty's marquises and nobles have faced difficulties and are unable to bear the burdens, leading to the execution ground at the Wei River where the Prince of Zhongshan, along with his son, Marquis Du Yan, and Marquis Jiu, committed suicide as a testament. Even His Majesty felt remorse and left the palace, entrusting the affairs of state to the young ruler. The current emperor intends to restore order..."

A huge rock falls into a secluded spring.

It splashed up huge waves.

Who is the anti-government?
Who is right?

Wuqiu Shouwang couldn't help but refute, but Mei Gao stopped him and shook his head.

This is the trend.

The White Deer Currency Incident was a mistake by His Majesty... Even officials from both dynasties, for their own benefit, would support Zhang Tang.

Nobody wants to be suddenly kidnapped by His Majesty while enjoying a meal and singing.

"Therefore, it is the Emperor's will to abolish the three items of white deer coins and white gold, in order to pray for His Majesty's blessings and praise his virtues," Zhang Tang said in a clear and loud voice.

For His Majesty's own good?
The ministers, marquises, and members of the imperial family of two dynasties were shocked, but their faces remained calm. Zhang Tang, Zhang Tang, shouldn't His Majesty say thank you to you?

"Gentlemen, does anyone have any objections?" Gongsun Hong broke the silence.

The assembled officials immediately replied, "No."

Mei Gao, Wuqiu Shouwang, and other officials of the central court remained silent, but the consensus had already been reached, so they could only keep quiet.

"Second, the salt and iron monopoly."

Many court officials were taken aback.

Zhang Tang smiled knowingly and continued unhurriedly, "The salt and iron monopoly shall be implemented immediately, and all salt and iron officials shall be re-selected for the convenience of the people..."

Sang Hongyang, the Commandant of Grain Supply, practically jumped out of the court ranks, saying, "No."

"Why not?"

"The officials in charge of salt and iron have already been appointed by imperial decree. In His Majesty's absence, no one can change them."

"Oh?"

Zhang Tang stared coldly at him, pointed outside the main hall, and said, "Is the person the Commandant of Grain Supply was referring to?"

Following the direction of the finger, dozens of people, bound and kneeling on the ground, appeared outside the palace gates. Everyone's hair stood on end. Behind each of them stood a solemn and dignified executioner...

(End of this chapter)