How could my childhood sweetheart be the current empress?

The most important thing is that once Dayan agreed to the Western Regions Kingdom’s request, wouldn’t it be making concessions to the barbarians of the Western Regions? Where would the dignity of such a great country be?

At this time, an old man finally couldn't help it, and stood out from the civil service team with his gray beard shaking, and said to the prime minister:

"The Prime Minister is in a high position, but he doesn't know that the barbarians in the Western Regions are all greedy. If you give up one step, they will want one foot. If you give up one foot, they will want ten feet. If this continues, they will want the whole goose."

Hearing these words, Xu Chengling couldn't help but smile, looking at the old man in front of him and retorted:

"That's wrong. Our Dayan Dynasty has a vast territory, is prosperous, and has a strong army. Why should we fear the covetousness of the Western Regions? The Western Regions have come thousands of miles to pay tribute and present a great gift to Dayan. How can Dayan refuse a gift from a guest?"

With just one sentence from Xu Chengling, the relationship between the Western Regions and the Dayan Dynasty was clearly defined: Dayan was the host, and the Western Regions was just the guest.

This relationship is very important, not because Dayan made concessions to the Western Regions, but because Dayan, as the host, accepted the gift from the Western Regions, which demonstrated the magnanimity of a great country.

Canaan smiled slightly and became more interested in the young prime minister in front of him.

Xu Chengling walked around the court, facing the civil and military officials, and said generously with his young face:

"As the saying goes, where there is a country, there is a home. Where there are people, there is a country. The foundation of a country lies in its people. As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The rulers of every dynasty change, but only the people are eternal. Whoever complies with the will of the people complies with the will of heaven."

As he spoke, Xu Chengling looked at the Western Regions envoy beside him and addressed these words to her.

Because of famine in the Western Regions, the Western Regions abandoned the people on these lands and abandoned the foundation of a country.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. These eight words struck deep into Canaan's heart.

All the civil and military officials in the court were stunned. They didn't expect there would be such a saying. The prime minister's words made sense.

Only Yan Qiaoling behind the curtain smiled slightly. He was indeed the man she liked, and he had not forgotten the promise he had made to her to create a country where people could live and work in peace and contentment.

Xu Lang's thoughts completely touched her heart.

At this time, Xu Chengling looked at the Western Region envoy beside him and said with a smile:

"On behalf of His Majesty, I would like to thank the Western Regions for returning our people to Dayan. Dayan will take back the land that the late emperor lent us sooner or later. I hope that this land will not become a wasteland by then. If there are people from the Western Regions on it, we will not abandon them."

Xu Chengling's words conveyed Dayan's determination and tolerance. Dayan will take back this land sooner or later.

Even if this land was replaced by people from the Western Regions, Dayan would gladly accept it.

With just a few brief words, he revealed the vision of a great country. The vision suddenly became larger. In comparison, the vision of the Western Regions seemed much smaller.

Canaan blinked her beautiful eyes slightly and looked at the young prime minister in front of her.

After hearing what he said, Canaan couldn't help but feel a little admiration for this man from Dayan.

Listening to him, it felt like their Western Regions country was at a moral disadvantage.

But she was not so easily fooled. No matter how eloquent the other party was, the victims' problems were still not solved.

"Prime Minister, this is a matter of state, and your Majesty should make the decision on your own."

At this time, Prince Jing stood up, bowed to His Majesty and said.

Obviously, such an important matter should be decided by His Majesty.

"Yes, it should be decided by His Majesty."

A group of military officers stood up and agreed with Prince Jing's proposal.

All the ministers simultaneously looked up at the court. His Majesty had been silent since a while ago, just watching everyone's discussion from above.

Xu Chengling shrugged helplessly. It was really tiring to lead this group of people out for fun.

This is a large amount of free labor, so we might as well go with the flow and take in these disaster victims.

Yan Qiaoling looked at Xu Chengling below. He was indeed her Xu Lang. They thought exactly the same thing.

She thought that if her sister were alive, she would definitely take in these disaster victims.

"Prime Minister, since you agree to accept these disaster victims, you must have a way to resettle them. You might as well tell us so that the ministers can be convinced."

Yan Qiaoling smiled and said to Xu Chengling who was not far away from her.

She believed that if it was her Xu Lang, he would definitely find a way to solve this problem.

After the empress finished speaking, all the ministers turned their eyes to the young prime minister, wanting to see if there was really a way to solve the problem.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Xu Chengling was not afraid of the stage, but showed a confident look, walked forward, and said to the empress above:

"I have a way to kill two birds with one stone. Not only can it solve the problem of disaster relief food for the victims, but it can also solve another important national issue of Dayan and save national fiscal expenditure."

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Xu Chengling said calmly:

"This method is to provide work instead of relief."

“Credit for work?”

It was the first time that everyone heard this word, and they all froze in place.

Even Canaan, who was standing by, was very interested. What kind of policy could solve two problems at the same time?

Seeing that everyone was puzzled, Xu Chengling was not in a hurry and slowly explained to everyone:

"Work-for-relief, to put it simply, means working in exchange for disaster relief food."

"The canal area of ​​Dayan is flooded all year round. Your Majesty's construction of water conservancy is a great feat that will benefit future generations, but it is labor-intensive and costly, and progress is slow."

"In that case, we might as well set aside an area near the canal to house the disaster victims and let them build the canal. They can work in exchange for food, which is the most important thing to them. This will not only save a lot of financial expenses, but also speed up the construction of the canal, killing two birds with one stone."

Xu Chengling slowly explained the policy to everyone, and after he finished speaking he couldn't help but put his hands on his waist.

Oh my god, it's so tiring to lead this group of people. They don't even understand such a simple policy.

Forget it, he was just talking casually anyway. If the empress disagrees, it’s all bullshit.

It's because this empress is too weak. She can't lead the team and is tired. Let's destroy her quickly.

"Ah..."

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, Yan Jixue sneezed for no apparent reason.

Who is scolding me again?

Chapter 25: Ten heads are not enough

After listening to Xu Chengling's explanation, all the ministers were stunned. They didn't expect that there would be such a method.

According to the work-for-relief policy proposed by the prime minister, these disaster victims became the new labor force.

"Wonderful, wonderful."

Canaan, who was standing aside, frowned slightly and thought carefully for a while. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this method was simply ingenious.

Whether it is the displaced disaster victims or the construction of the canal, these are headaches that need to be solved by the geese.

The beauty of the method proposed by Xu Chengling lies in using problems to solve problems, thus solving two problems at the same time.

Canaan secretly wrote down this method. Now that famine has occurred in various parts of the Western Regions, this method can greatly reduce the burden on the Western Regions.

She couldn't help but raise her beautiful eyes and look carefully at the young prime minister in front of her again. Who could believe that such a clever method could be thought of by a young man.

Wow, it would be great if the Western Regions could also have such a young and promising prime minister.

And he looks just like me. I love this kind of guy. I really want to abduct him!

Thinking of this, Canaan could no longer hold back. The aloof personality he had built up with great difficulty was collapsing step by step.

If the Queen of Dayan knew that she was planning to poach people, she would probably be so angry that she would die.

According to Canaan's idea, since there is such a good policy that benefits the country and the people, it should naturally be implemented as soon as possible to benefit the people.

At this time, Yan Qiaoling, who was sitting behind the tent, imitated her sister's tone, looked at the civil and military officials in the court, and asked:

"I think the method proposed by the Prime Minister is good. What do you think?"

Nonsense, how could the method proposed by Xu Lang not work? She agreed with it wholeheartedly.

But the process still needs to be followed. She needs to ask for the opinions of the ministers first and then make a decision. Doesn't this show that she, as the empress, is fair and just?

In the court, everyone looked at each other, and everyone had an idea in their minds.

They have been in the court for so many years, so they are very clear about some principles.

Since both the Prime Minister and the Empress have spoken, the matter is basically settled.

What? You dare to oppose the Prime Minister and the Empress in the court. Do you want to save your life?

But the ministers were also very confused. In the past, the prime minister always opposed the empress. No matter what the empress said, the prime minister would oppose it.

This also led to the inability to implement many policies proposed by the empress, and the conflicts between the monarch and his subjects became serious. The empress even wanted to kill the prime minister.

But the prime minister holds real power after all, and it would be difficult to get rid of him without a careful plan and a legitimate position.

They thought it was strange, but they couldn't explain why.

It felt like the Empress and the Prime Minister were playing a mixed doubles game, with the two singing in unison and cooperating in perfect harmony.

At this time, in the team of civil servants, two old men whispered to each other, nodded to each other, and stood up at the same time.

"Your Majesty, I think this matter needs to be discussed. Although the policy proposed by the Prime Minister is good, there are still many inconsiderate aspects. Not everyone can be competent in building a canal. It requires special training and assessment before one can participate in the construction of the canal."

The old man who spoke was the Minister of Works and the main person in charge of building the canal.

"What the Minister of Industry said makes sense. It is difficult to relocate these disaster victims, and resettling them is a huge financial expense. I think it is better not to finalize this matter too early. I hope Your Majesty will think twice."

The old man who spoke next was the Minister of Revenue, and he was in charge of the disaster relief grain matters.

Two old ministers who were quite prestigious in the court expressed their opposition to the policies proposed by the prime minister.

"I also agree with the two ministers' opinions. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."

Another group of civil servants stood up and expressed their agreement.

Xu Chengling looked at the two ministers and shrugged. He knew that this policy would not be so easy to implement.

Whether it is the issue of disaster relief food or the issue of building a canal, the interests of too many people are involved.

If these two problems are solved so easily, it will definitely affect many people's cake.

Just look at the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works who voiced the loudest opposition. They are the main responsible persons. Once the policy of work-for-relief is implemented, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works will be the most affected.

Watching this scene in the court, Canaan watched the show from the side. It was obviously such a good policy, but someone came out to oppose it.

It seems that the Dayan people are not completely united, which may be good news for the Western Regions.

Anyway, the Western Regions countries are happy to see this kind of internal friction.

Canaan was just watching the show, secretly hoping that they would start fighting right away.

On the other side, Yan Qiaoling, who was sitting on the dragon throne, frowned slightly, looking a little unhappy.

A bunch of old guys couldn't even come up with a solution. Now that her Xu Lang has come up with a solution, these old guys are barking like dogs again, not taking her, the empress, seriously at all.

Yan Qiaoling resisted the urge to drag the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Works out and behead them, and a smile appeared on her lips, but there was no smile in her eyes.

Looking at the two ministers and the ministers who opposed them, she smiled and said:

"You two ministers are right. It just so happens that I have a few accounts to settle with you two ministers."

As she spoke, Yan Qiaoling took the records handed over by her confidant. These were left by her sister, and they clearly recorded various bad debts.

Among these bad debts, the one with the most was the Prime Minister, but it didn’t matter, she had burned them all.

"Minister of Works, you were in charge of the project to renovate Qinghan Palace, but the cost seems to be a bit off, and there is a shortfall of more than 50,000 taels of silver. Do you have any clue about this bad debt? Otherwise, I will ask the Tianshi Department to check it for you?"

"This……"

When the Minister of Works heard about this bad debt, he broke out in a cold sweat. He had clearly already taken care of the people below him, so why did the emperor know about this bad debt?

Yan Qiaoling narrowed her eyes, looked at the Minister of Revenue beside her, and said calmly:

"Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, two years ago, the central granary distributed 50,000 shi of relief grain to the disaster area, but in the end only 30,000 shi reached the victims, and a lot of it was mixed with sand. What's going on?"

The Minister of Revenue suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and looked a little flustered. This happened two years ago, and he concealed the matter at that time. He didn't expect that the emperor knew about it.

The two ministers looked at each other, and saw a hint of panic in each other's expressions. According to the law of Dayan, corruption and bribery would result in the death penalty.

At the same time, Yan Qiaoling looked at the other officials who stood up and read out the bad debts of the projects they were responsible for one by one. These officials were so scared that they knelt on the ground and begged for mercy.

It started, and the empress began to put pressure on the officials.

Xu Chengling, who was watching the show on the side, was amused. Wow, it turned out that the empress had so much evidence in her hands.

Wait, Xu Chengling seemed to have thought of something, his expression changed, and he suddenly became panicked.