The Prodigal Son

Hearing Gong Nanxing's shameless words, Gao Yi felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He quickly remembered.

Qin Yu seemed to have said something similar yesterday!

Just thinking about it almost made Gao Yi break down.

It's not that he's petty.

I was truly forced into this situation by these shameless people.

They only cared about spending money lavishly, and didn't care at all where the money came from!

The Ministry of Revenue became the biggest sucker!

No, we must nip this unhealthy trend in the bud!

Otherwise, everyone will use these words to shut him up, and he will be driven to his death by these people sooner or later!

After a moment of contemplation, Gao Yi said in a deep voice, "Today, before His Majesty, I will speak frankly with you all!"

"The Ministry of Revenue is not your purse strings. Since the imperial court has already made a budget, it won't be easily changed!"

"If there's not enough money, look for problems within each department; save where you can, squeeze out every last penny!"

"Anyone who wants to talk big and take money from the Ministry of Revenue will only get two words out of them: None!"

"Anyone who believes they can conjure money and provisions at will to satisfy any request from any department shall immediately abdicate and yield their position!"

Gao Yi's gaze swept over the assembled officials one by one, and he made his point clear.

Upon hearing Gao Yi's words, the assembled officials fell silent.

They were all officials in the same court, so they naturally knew about Gao Yi's difficulties.

However, what can be done when he, as prime minister, also holds the position of minister of revenue?

When the various departments need money and supplies, who else can they turn to if not him?

"Yes, Minister Gao is right!"

Zhao Luan nodded slightly, but then suddenly changed the subject, "However, since Prime Minister Gao also holds the position of Minister of Revenue, he must find a way to replenish the national treasury! If our dynasty goes to war with the Northern Qi, it could very well last for several years, and the national treasury cannot function without money and provisions!"

Hearing Zhao Luan's words, Gao Yi couldn't help but lower his eyelids.

What does Your Majesty mean by this?

Is he implying that he will take the opportunity to bring up the matter of reforming the salt administration?

With the fall of Zhubei City, the imperial army has been forced to retreat to Zhenzhou.

Is it inappropriate to vigorously rectify the salt industry at this time?

After a brief moment of thought, Gao Yi tentatively said, "While reviewing the account books from recent years, this old minister has also discovered some problems, some of which are quite serious. This old minister is currently working on them and intends to present them to Your Majesty after the court session begins."

"Is that so?"

Zhao Luan frowned slightly. "Are you finished tidying up?"

Gao Yi replied, "Most of it has been sorted out, but a small portion still needs further confirmation."

"Then let's confirm it as soon as possible!"

Zhao Luan said in a deep voice, "The imperial court is currently facing a financial crisis, so any problems must be identified! Those that need to be investigated must be investigated, and those that need to be rectified must be rectified!"

"yes!"

Gao Yi accepted the order, already understanding its meaning.

Zhao Luan is indeed about to begin to address the issue of salt administration!

Zhao Luan nodded to Gao Yi for a moment, then rose and said, "I have some personal matters to attend to, my beloved ministers, please return! Regarding the war in Shuozhou, if any of you have any good suggestions, please feel free to present them to me at any time! In these turbulent times, I hope to join hands with you all to overcome the difficulties and preserve the foundation of our Great Ning!"

"yes!"

Everyone accepted the order and took their leave, but Qin Yu did not move.

The courtiers were not surprised at all by this.

He was a court physician.

It was his duty to serve Zhao Luan.

After all the officials had left, Zhao Luan ordered someone to invite Ning Huang and Zhao Po, who had already arrived, in.

Zhao Luan approached the two men. "With the fall of Zhubei City, the fall of Shuozhou is inevitable. I urge you both to travel to the Northwest and join Xue Chengdao to defend against the formidable enemy! Tuoba Liuyun is stationed in the Northern Qi army, so please take care!"

As she spoke, Zhao Luan bowed to the two of them again.

"Your Majesty, please don't do this."

Zhao Po quickly used a wisp of his true energy to support Zhao Luan, saying, "As subjects of the Great Ning, we are deeply grateful for the Emperor's favor and should naturally serve the Great Ning!"

"Yes!" Ning Huang nodded slightly, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. "I've been wanting to meet Tuoba Liuyun for a while now!"

Seeing Zhao Luan's attitude towards the two of them, Qin Yu couldn't help but feel secretly envious.

This is the prestige of a grandmaster!

So what if she's an empress?

Shouldn't we still treat grandmasters with respect?

Damn it, I wish I were a grandmaster too!

"Thank you both!"

Zhao Luan's gaze then fell on Ning Huang. "I know that Grandmaster Ning and Tuoba Liuyun have a long-standing feud, but on the battlefield, I urge Grandmaster Ning to prioritize the overall situation and his own safety! My Great Ning Grandmaster only has the three of you left. Even losing just one of you would be a huge loss for my Great Ning!"

Ning Huang suppressed his fighting spirit and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know my limits!"

Zhao Luan took the imperial edict from Shangguan Youyi and handed it to Zhao Po. "Please take this opportunity to deliver the edict to Xue Chengdao and Luo Yu, the garrison commander of Iron Wall City. Also, convey my oral message to Xue Chengdao: I will not interfere in any affairs of other tribes. When retreating to Zhenzhou, prioritize the overall situation and do your best to protect the people!"

"As you command!"

Zhao Po accepted the imperial edict.

Ning Huang looked at Qin Yu, "His Majesty won't allow this boy to come with us to the Northwest?"

"Need not."

Zhao Luan gently shook his head, "I believe in Lord Xue!"

"Too!"

Ning Huang didn't say much more, "Time is of the essence, so we'll take our leave now!"

"good!"

Zhao Luan nodded slightly, "Thank you both!"

"Your Majesty is too kind!"

The two gave Zhao Luan a brief bow and quickly left.

Watching the two leave, Qin Yu couldn't help but show a look of envy.

Turning back, Qin Yu looked at Zhao Luan and joked, "If I ever become a Grandmaster, will Your Majesty treat me with such courtesy?"

"you?"

Zhao Luan raised an eyebrow and snorted, "With your obnoxious attitude, let alone whether you can become a grandmaster, even if you do become a grandmaster, or even the number one expert in the world, I'll still want to slap you!"

Qin Yu was displeased. "Isn't Your Majesty showing discrimination?"

"So what if I treat you differently?"

Zhao Luan glared at him fiercely, "I'm in a really bad mood right now. I don't know why, but I just want to beat you up to vent my anger!"

asshole!

Look at that smug look on his face!

Do you still want to be polite to him?

Besides, did he think he was being polite to these two simply because they were grandmasters?

These two were once honored guests of the late emperor, often sharing drinks and conversation with him.

To some extent, both of them were her elders.

"Then let's forget about it!"

Qin Yu, with a playful grin, immediately changed the subject, "Let me tell Your Majesty some serious business!"

"Speak!"

As Zhao Luan spoke, he returned to his seat at the imperial desk.

Qin Yu's joking expression faded. "Your Majesty has still decided to reorganize the salt administration?"

"Um!"

Zhao Luan nodded slightly, "We should act now. If we keep dragging this out, who knows how long it will drag on!"

What Qin Yu said earlier did indeed make some sense.

Reforming the salt administration can lull the Northern Qi and Yan states into a false sense of security!

Qin Yu was not surprised by this result.

Indeed, it's time to act!

Fearing both the wolf in front and the tiger behind, the problems with the salt administration will only get worse, and the salt administration in Minjiang will also be affected.

"So what's the situation with the Shi family now?"

Qin Yu asked again.