After Chu Jinxian and Duan Yinghua left, Chu Jinyao couldn't calm down for a long time.
She remembered that when she was biting herself into reading history books, she read this passage of the Southern Song Dynasty and was indignant while reading it. Qin Yi sat beside her and seemed to be looking at Huainanzi. He would get angry when he saw her reading history books, and laughed at her childishness. When reading this part at that time, how could Chu Jinyao think that one day, she and Qin Yi would be in the same predicament. If they deliberately drag the emperor back to court, then they are bad people in the history books, but if the emperor is brought back... If the emperor is brought back, can the emperor accommodate them? Yue Fei vowed to serve the country with all his heart, and his loyalty need not be repeated, but did Zhao Gou believe it
Chu Jinyao also didn't know which was better to be a bad guy in the history books, or a hero who was praised and praised in the history books but died a long time ago.
This year's winter was extremely cold. Even if the capital was successfully preserved, the people who died in this battle, the collapsed city walls, and the affected houses were still a big burden to the Yan Dynasty, who had just taken a breath. After the war, medicine, wood, pensions, and clothes to keep out the cold are the top priorities, and none of them can be separated from money. If you still count on the treasury at such a time, you will look down on the emperor who is known for his faintness and good looks.
The court, whose skeleton gradually recovered, quarreled all day over money. Qin Yi was able to lead the army to win the battle, but there was really no way to conjure grain and money out of thin air. The grain and forage could be transferred from various warehouses in Tongzhou, but the money needed to rebuild the capital was the money. , from where
Qin Yi set his eyes on these powerful families in the capital. Everyone is close to each other, and no one can deceive anyone. Qin Yi knows the family background of these people, so he forced them to spit out money. Of course, as an example, Qin Yi took the lead in reducing his own expenses, and together with the part that Chu Jinyao saved from the palace, they were charged into the treasury.
When everyone saw the expenses of Qin Yi's back house, they were all speechless. At this time, it was no good to be tough. Share your worries and donate generously.
But Qin Yi flipped through the state treasury's income and expenditure, and then looked at the account book of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and knew that it would not be a long-term solution to shave off his ministers. The palace expenses are too huge.
There is only one person in Qin Yi's house, Chu Jinyao. Chu Jinyao suffered when he was a child, so he is not an extravagant person, so the expenses of the East Palace are nothing to say even after seeing the imperial censor's desk, but correspondingly, under the background of the East Palace , the expenses of the emperor's harem are even more terrifying.
Qin Yi vaguely had an idea in his heart, but the inner court was not under the control of the imperial court, so this matter had to be discussed with Chu Jinyao. Qin Yi unknowingly stayed in the Wenhua Hall for a whole day. When he came out of the Baoxia, he found that the night was dark and snow had already drifted.
The first snow in the 23rd year of Jianxing, in previous years, the courtiers will definitely play to congratulate Ruixue for a prosperous year, but this year the capital has just experienced a war, and there are many wastes and ruins. Such a big snow is not a good thing.
Chu Jinyao heard the movement outside, got up and walked towards the hall door. Qin Yi took off his cape under the service of the eunuch. Chu Jinyao saw the snow on his shoulders and asked, "Is it snowing outside?"
"Yes, it looks like it will last the night."
Chu Jinyao's face became heavy, obviously she also thought of the people outside.
Chu Jinyao had just taken two steps when Qin Yi stopped him: "Don't move, I have cold air outside, you wear less clothes and be careful of catching a cold."
If it was just Chu Jinyao alone, Chu Jinyao would definitely be too lazy to care about him, but now that there are children, Chu Jinyao dare not act rashly, so he had to wait for Qin Yi to warm up in the smoked cage before stepping forward to hold his hand.
"Is it difficult for you to come back so late today?"
"It's okay." Qin Yi said, "The hardest part is over, and the rest is post-war reconstruction. Although the treasury is not working well now, it's not a big problem, beating the courtiers below and collecting taxes with the provinces. , it will always be resolved over time.”
Chu Jinyao couldn't help with the court affairs outside. All she could do was to take care of the Ciqing Palace and the harem, so that Qin Yi would have no worries, and she could relax for a while when she came back at night. The two of them sat on the Luohan bed opposite each other, Chu Jinyao was a little frustrated and a little ashamed: "You have been running around for several days, and you have no time to rest. There are so many things waiting for you outside, but I can't help anything. superior."
Qin Yi laughed when he heard this: "You don't need to do anything, as long as you are here, it is enough."
"You're coaxing me again."
Qin Yi smiled without saying a word. In fact, what he said was true. What do men want when they fight for power outside? It is nothing more than a mansion, beauty and status. With status, there will be more gorgeous houses and more beauties. Now Chu Jinyao is in this palace where he grew up and witnessed his growth and rise and fall. Every time Qin Yi was so angry in Wenhua Palace that he wanted to smash the book on the face of the person below, he only thought that there was a Yong said, Chu Jinyao was waiting for him at the back, how much he could force himself to restrain his temper.
During the most dangerous days of the war, Qin Yi changed his mind several times and wanted to take the opportunity to send Chu Jinyao away, but he finally held back. As Chu Jinyao said, their family is together no matter life or death. Qin Yi did this, and undoubtedly gave the following people a booster. The Crown Princess stayed in the capital, and presumably the capital would be able to hold it, and when the courtier Xungui saw this situation, it was not easy for him to send his family away. If they dare to send them away, Qin Yi will be the first to spare them.
If Chu Jinyao was not there, then the other family members would be missing more or less, and these people would always stick to the capital, but they would never fight against the backwater like they are now.
Chu Jinyao regretted that she couldn't help. In fact, psychological stability was more important than any magic weapon.
"The current situation is not difficult to say, but it is easy to solve the difficulties of the moment, and to solve the difficulties of the future." Qin Yi looked solemn, "Any dynasty has existed for a long time, and it will inevitably accumulate heavy and complicated institutions. And now the expenses of the palace are even more expensive. It's the number one ailment that drains the treasury."
Chu Jinyao understood what Qin Yi meant, and asked earnestly, "Your Highness, can I help you?"
Qin Yi held Chu Jinyao's hand with some guilt: "You are pregnant, so you shouldn't worry about this."
"His Royal Highness, we are husband and wife, how can you say this." Chu Jinyao gave him an irritated look, then looked serious, "Are you going to cut down the expenses of the harem?"
"No amount of throttling is as good as open source. In the same way, if the harem is scaled down again, apart from offending others, how much effect can it have?"
If Chu Jinyao's eyes were enlightened, Qin Yi was very satisfied, and nodded to confirm her guess: "You are right, I intend to lay off the palace staff. The palace maids are only drafted every year and not released, which is unfair to these folk women. , it is also a huge burden on the national treasury. The problem of the internal servants is a bit difficult to solve, but the palace maids are a lot easier to accommodate. You have been working hard during this time, so let’s make a rough list of the palace.”
Thinking of these things, Chu Jinyao nodded in a trance: "It's really something to worry about... But it's okay, there are so many people in Ciqing Palace to help, I won't be tired, and this is doing good and accumulating virtue, Even if our children see it, they must be very willing to help.”
Speaking of the child, Qin Yi looked at Chu Jinyao's slightly bulging abdomen: "Has he been tired of you these days?"
"No, he's very good." Chu Jinyao tried to win over Qin Yi's relationship with the child, and was still thinking about letting the palace maid out of the palace. A palace maid who is too old to enter the palace may harm her by letting her go out hastily, and if it is released too young, it will be troublesome if there are not enough young men in the palace. This matter has to be properly scrutinized, and there can be no arrangements.
Chu Jinyao pondered for a while, and when she came back to her senses, she saw Qin Yi sitting opposite her, watching her quietly and intently. Chu Jinyao was a little embarrassed, but she felt distressed when she saw Qin Yi's obviously thin body. She carefully reached out and rubbed Qin Yi's forehead: "Your Highness, is it troublesome outside? You have lost a lot of weight, so take care of your body."
During this period of time, Chu Jinyao felt deeply sorry for Qin Yi's troubles just by watching Qin Yi go out and return every day. Nowadays, everything is indispensable to him, and he is so tired and sometimes thankless.
"Actually, it's nothing if it's just Wa La, I'm afraid it will rot from the inside." Qin Yi grabbed Chu Jinyao's restless hand, and half sighed, "W La sent a peace book, saying that he is willing to send the emperor back to Beijing, It's just conditional."
"What do they want?"
Qin Yi said the approximate figures, and Chu Jinyao took a deep breath: "They are too bold, they really have to take an inch."
That's right, the capital is facing difficulties in rebuilding. The injured soldiers, the people who are unable to feed themselves in the cold weather, and the imperial court that is riddled with holes are not in urgent need of money, but Oirat even relied on the emperor to come up with such an astronomical sum.
The group training of discord and no tribute left by the ancestral emperor was originally intended to show national prestige, but now it sounds like a joke.
Even more ironic is that this document was written by a Han Chinese.
"Your Highness." Chu Jinyao frowned and thought for a long time, but she couldn't think of any ideas, so she could only ask carefully, "Then what should we do next?"
The best solution is probably for the emperor to commit suicide. This will not only save the face of the Dayan Dynasty, but also maintain the dignity of the emperor, so as not to make the Qin family feel too embarrassed. When the country relaxes in the spring of next year, the expedition will begin. It is the shame of Oara. However, the emperor will commit suicide
Don't even think about it, he won't.
Qin Yi's thoughts turned around, and now he can only sigh: "I also want to find a two-way solution, but there is no such good thing in this world. The people of Wala dare not let him die, but if the court does not take action, the capital will be greatly affected. Some people can't survive this winter."
Chu Jinyao was not surprised to hear this, and even felt a sense of relief. She knew that a prince who could shoot and kill a laughing and rude maid in front of the three armies, a crown prince who could risk himself to penetrate into the enemy's hinterland when the Tartars invaded the border, and a crown prince who could defend the city gate when the whole country was in chaos, how could she ignore it for herself. What about his subjects
Chu Jinyao's eyes were a little wet for some reason, and even her voice was trembling: "Your Highness, did you refuse?"
Qin Yi was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Yes."
They all know that there is a bottomless abyss ahead, a huge trap. As long as Qin Yi nods, the money has the most legitimate name, and no one will say that the prince is not, but once Qin Yi refuses, the emperor will definitely be displeased when he finds out, and the father-son relationship of the Tian family is the most untested.
This choice is actually very simple. After all, after the money is taken out, it is not Qin Yi who suffers. He can even give himself the name of filial piety. But he couldn't go against his conscience, and he didn't deserve to be the emperor.
Knowing it was impossible, they both knew from the very beginning that all their efforts were leading to annihilation.
Oara's confident negotiation was rejected, and they were obviously a little stunned. They also know that they have a big mouth, but who will let the emperor in their hands? Timur never imagined that the emperor was in his hand, and the other side even dared to refuse. Timur was so dissatisfied, not to mention the Oira tribe that suffered heavy losses. Amid the growing anger of the Oara people and the whistling white-haired wind on the grassland, Oara and Yan Chao's saw-saw-like negotiation finally came to an end.
At this time, the New Year has passed, and some people in the capital have already taken down the red lanterns. After negotiating with difficulty, the emperor finally embarked on the long-awaited road to return to the dynasty. The emperor was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Rites and a small part of the army. As soon as he came out of the tribal area of the Oara people, he saw a familiar shadow standing on the snow, no matter how cold the wind was whistling, and he kept staring at the north.
"Qin Ji?" The emperor was very surprised, "Aren't you in Qingyang, why are you here?"
Seeing the emperor, King Su immediately burst into tears, and immediately knelt on the ground regardless of the accumulation of snow: "Father, the escort of my son is late, please forgive me!"
The emperor looked at the person who came, and then looked at the empty snow field behind him, and sighed for some reason: "Forget it, get up."
King Su stood up, and then quickly walked to the emperor's side. Surprise, excitement and heartache were intertwined in one place: "Father, you... have suffered. My son has been unable to sleep at night since he heard the news. After the news of the emperor's brother and Wa La's peace talks, Erchen has been waiting here, fortunately, Erchen has finally waited for you."
When the emperor heard another name from King Su's mouth, he really had mixed feelings for a while, and he sighed: "It's rare that you have such a heart."
The emperor saw King Su's hand at this time. Although these princes were men, their hands were not inferior to women's since they were young. However, now, King Su's hands were full of cracks after being frozen.
King Su didn't seem to notice the sight of the emperor, and he still said with surprise: "Father, the subordinates of Erchen are all in the customs. Erchen will escort you back to Beijing."