After leaving the imperial study, Li Yaonan felt powerless. The emperor only acted according to his mood, so he didn't care about his ministers. Useless pawns would be abandoned, and the same goes for useless ministers. It was indeed not so easy to cling to the emperor's thigh.
In front of the palace gate, General Lian reprimanded him. Li Yaonan had no way to refute, knowing that General Lian was worried about him. But he had no way out now. He could only follow the emperor's footsteps closely and share his worries. Otherwise, without the emperor's protection, the powerful people in the capital would not let him go easily.
He had no regrets about speaking out today. He knew that his words alone could not shake the position of the Minister of Revenue, but as long as the emperor was dissatisfied, it was only a matter of time before Lord Liao stepped down. Lord Liao was at odds with the Southeast Army, and his move was equivalent to helping General Lian. There are gains and losses in everything. If he tried to smooth things over today, no matter how it was handled in the end, the fact was that there was no money. Whether it was shared equally or the emperor paid from the inner treasury, he would offend more than one person. He was very clear about this account.
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to point the finger at the Minister of Revenue. Facts proved that he was right and the emperor was very satisfied with him.
This is the society of imperial power. Li Yaonan understood very deeply how simple his thoughts were in the past. Every step in the court was thrilling. No wonder many people liked to protect themselves. Wasn't he walking on thin ice step by step
When she got home and saw her husband, her heavy mood eased a little, and she relaxed from the day's fatigue. For the sake of her husband and son, she felt it was worth it. As long as she could endure three years in the Hanlin Academy and pass the examination to become a scholar, she would have the qualifications and her career would be much smoother. His only shortcoming now was that his qualifications were too shallow. If he had been two years later, he was sure that the emperor would not let him stay in the position of editor. However, compared to serving in the imperial court, he preferred to be sent out, as that was a real political achievement, not the illusory favor of the superiors.
"Husband."
"Father."
Two people, one big and one small, had exactly the same expression, staring at him with wide eyes, and their faces clearly said, "I want to hug you."
Li Yaonan smiled softly, picked up his son with one hand and hugged his husband with the other, holding them both in his arms.
Lin Yixuan hurriedly took his son over: "You've been tired all day, Xu'er is very heavy, let me hold him."
Xiao Xu'er pouted in dissatisfaction. He could only see his father at night, and his father had to snatch the space from him.
Lin Yixuan glared at her son, then turned to look at her husband with a smile, and said distressedly: "You must be tired today. The food is ready, you must eat more."
Li Yaonan was in a good mood. How could he not notice his husband's little actions? He just thought they were cute and let him do it. As long as his husband could be worry-free and Xuer could grow up healthily, that would be enough for him in this life.
After dinner, Xiao Xuer hugged his father and acted cute. Unlike when he was little, after he turned one, he liked to stick to Li Yaonan and listen to his father telling him stories. Lin Yixuan would sometimes listen, and then he would write down the stories and compile them into a book to be passed down to his descendants. When Lin's mother found out, she laughed at him.
Li Yaonan played with his son for a while, and Xiaoxuer shouted that he wanted to pee. Lin Yixuan took him out for a while, and when she came back, she saw her husband tiredly leaning on the couch and sleeping soundly. Lin Yixuan patted her son's head, made a gesture to him to be quiet, tiptoed to cover her husband with a quilt, and then carried her son out of the house. Her husband looked pitiful.
Xiao Xu'er was very sensible. When he saw his father fall asleep, he still wanted to hear a story but he was still very obedient and didn't cry or make a fuss. He obediently let his father hold him. His big innocent eyes were clear in black and white: "Dad, will you be free tomorrow?"
Hearing his son's question, Lin Yixuan felt sad and wanted to answer that he was free. However, his husband was already very tired at the yamen, and he would not be willing to let him go home without a good rest. He had already heard about the recent trend in the court, and his husband was now walking on thin ice. How could he bear to let his husband return home still tired
She only hated that she could not help her husband in the court, so she could only find ways to make her husband happy. She knew that her husband liked her to be carefree and liked the warm and peaceful atmosphere at home. He would take care of everything so that her husband would have no worries and would have a quiet place to rest when he was tired.
"Be good, father is tired. I will accompany you when I am free another day."
Little Xu'er pursed his lips and counted on his fingers: "Father has been away from Xu'er for one day, two days, three days... Father has not been with Xu'er for five days."
Lin Yixuan burst out laughing: "Our Xu'er is a good boy. He can count at the age of two. It's amazing."
Xiao Xu'er raised his chin, and his cocky look was quite similar to Li Yaonan: "Xu'er is the best."
Children are easily diverted from the topic, so Lin Yixuan stayed with Xiao Xuer and coaxed him to sleep before returning to the bedroom.
Li Yaonan was already asleep at this time. Lin Yixuan gently twisted the quilt for him and sat quietly beside her husband. She felt so distressed. Her husband frowned and seemed restless even in his sleep. Yesterday, Princess Lian called him and scolded him. It was not a good thing that her husband was too popular recently. But who knew her husband's dilemma? The emperor was unpredictable. What could her husband do? It was all because her husband's words were not strong enough and his foundation was too shallow. If he had the support of the family, others would definitely be a little cautious. The emperor would not be so unscrupulous when he took advantage of him. He was clearly pushing her husband to the forefront.
The next day, when they went to the Hanlin Academy, as expected, everyone looked at Li Yaonan with different eyes, but no one avoided him like the last time. After all, Li Yaonan was now favored by the emperor, but how long this favor could last, everyone had to wait and see.
Li Yaonan knew this very well, but once the arrow has been shot, there is no turning back. He can only move forward bravely and follow the path arranged by the emperor.
"Lord Li, the emperor has summoned you to the imperial study for an audience." Eunuch Wang's shrill voice sounded.
Li Yaonan gave a bitter smile and followed Eunuch Wang under the jealous gazes of his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy. He wondered what the emperor wanted to see him about this time.
Eunuch Wang glanced at him and reminded him, "Lord Liao just asked to see the emperor. Lord Li should be more careful."
Li Yaonan understood instantly. He didn't expect the revenge to come so quickly. He had just tricked Lord Liao yesterday, and today he was ready to retaliate. Li Yaonan was not afraid. As long as he was right everywhere and as long as he was still useful, he believed that the emperor would not punish him for the time being.
After going through layers of notifications, Li Yaonan stepped into the imperial study and knelt down respectfully to pay his respects: "Your Majesty, I am your humble servant."
"Stand up." The emperor said calmly, with little expression on his face, and pointed to the Minister of Finance next to him: "Come and listen to what Lord Liao just said."
"Your humble servant obeys your order." Li Yaonan stood up respectfully, his eyelids slightly drooping, and every move he made was based on the emperor's priority.
Lord Liao smiled coldly, looking down on Li Yaonan's attitude, and said bluntly: "Yunnan's tax revenue has been in arrears for years, and last year only less than 20% was paid. I heard that the third place winner has some ingenious ideas. I wonder if there is a solution?"
Li Yaonan lowered his head and didn't answer. He didn't care about other people's affairs. Even if he had a plan, it would be useless. With his current qualifications, there was no possibility of promotion. So why should he show off? He said calmly, "Lord Liao, I'm sorry. This matter should be consulted with the Governor of Yunnan."
"I thought the third place winner knew everything, but it turns out he is just a nobody."
"I am ashamed." Li Yaonan stood still like a mountain.
Lord Liao looked at the emperor and said, "Since you are ashamed, you should be careful about your words and deeds in the future. I also ask the emperor to understand that the taxes in Yunnan and Guangxi have been in arrears for years, and Shandong and Hubei have suffered disasters one after another. The treasury is empty not because of my wish, but because I am powerless. I am very cautious in every use of money, and I really don't deserve to be known as an incompetent scholar."
Li Yaonan was silent. Lord Liao was trying to save face for himself and restore the emperor's impression at the same time. This was a good move. Li Yaonan glanced at the emperor secretly, and sure enough, the emperor's expression softened.
However, how could Li Yaonan let him succeed? He retorted, "Lord Liao, you are too serious. As a minister, it is my duty to share the emperor's worries. Since you are the Minister of Revenue, you should know the importance of the national treasury. You should not only save money but also increase revenue. If the national treasury has no money, no matter what the reason, you should be responsible. Tax arrears in various places are not an excuse for the treasury to be empty."
The emperor's face darkened. When he heard about increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, he couldn't help but think of Li Yaonan's policy paper, "The way to enrich the country, the way to enrich the country." The emperor looked at Lord Liao, his eyes no longer moved. He was silent for a moment, and finally sighed deeply. Now is not the time yet. The relations in the court are complicated. If reforms are implemented, it will definitely affect the interests of too many people, which is really inappropriate.
Lord Liao's face turned pale. He didn't expect that after just a few words of argument, he was suppressed again by the third place winner. Not only did he fail to save face, but he also made the emperor dissatisfied.
Li Yaonan had a sullen expression. He always believed in the principle of "if you don't kill the snake, you should kill it with a stick". Since he had already offended the Minister of Revenue, he would certainly not be able to turn his enemy into a friend before he had bargaining chips. It would be better to offend him completely. Even if he could not bring him down, he would at least leave a bad impression on the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I spent the whole night thinking about this. The Military Affairs Camp, the Firearms Camp, the Northwest Camp, and the Ministry of Works Construction Factory can each cost more than 3 million taels of silver if we reduce the size of the camp." Lord Liao said hastily.
The emperor smiled and said, "Well, Mr. Liao's family is truly a pillar of the country. I am very pleased."
Li Yaonan lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips curled up slightly. Lord Liao had made a bad move this time. According to his understanding, there must have been a lot of arguments among officials in previous years over the Ministry of Revenue's silver. Now, in just one night, Lord Liao had figured out a solution. Then what had he been doing earlier? The emperor would definitely be dissatisfied with this.
Lord Liao heaved a sigh of relief, and felt a little relieved. It seemed that the emperor still valued him, so he knelt down to thank him: "I am unworthy of your praise, your humble servant is ashamed. I thought about it over and over again before I moved the money. I am not as clever as the third place scholar, and I can't find a way to increase the source of income."
The emperor smiled faintly, but his intention of protecting him was obvious: "He is still young, and you are an important official in the court. Why would you bother with a young boy like him?"
Lord Liao was unwilling to give in and continued to speak: "Yunnan has changed several prefects, and tax revenue has not been raised. Tanhua Lang is young and promising, why not share the emperor's worries."
Li Yaonan quickly calculated the pros and cons in his mind and tried his best to suppress himself so that his emotions would not show. He heard his own calm voice: "I will obey the emperor's decision."
Lord Liao hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "The third place scholar is dedicated to serving the people. Your Majesty, why don't you help him? I also hope that the national treasury will increase its tax revenue."
The emperor had no expression on his face, but his voice was calm and dignified: "Tanhua Lang, what do you think?"
Li Yaonan knelt on the ground: "Your humble servant obeys the emperor's order."
The emperor was satisfied and asked with a smile: "No problem, Tanhua Lang, just speak frankly. If I send you to Yunnan, are you sure you can govern the area?"
"I will do my best." Li Yaonan suppressed his excitement and said firmly. If Lord Liao wanted to kick him out of the capital, he didn't know that this was exactly what he wanted. He had been looking forward to this day for a long time.
The emperor felt a little regretful. He had originally wanted to keep Li Yaonan by his side and train him into a close confidant, but now it seems that it might be better to let him go. After all, the third place winner is too young and does not know how to restrain his edge. If he trains outside for a few years, he will be just right for him to use when he comes back. This will also be an explanation to the nobles in the court. He knows that the third place winner has offended many people recently.
The emperor waved his hand and asked them to leave. Li Yaonan knew that he was going to be sent out. He didn't know what position he would be in, but it was better than living in fear in Beijing. He never thought that the surprise would come so quickly and so abruptly. It was like a blessing from heaven, and it was also a blessing from Lord Liao. He liked this revenge.
Lord Liao snorted coldly and glanced at Li Yaonan with disdain. He was just a young boy, and he dared to fight with him. Let's see how many years he can survive after leaving the capital.
In short, the emperor was satisfied, Li Yaonan was satisfied, and Lord Liao was also satisfied with this trip to the imperial study. All three of them achieved their goals.
The author has something to say: Thank you, I will continue to work hard, and the little gong will be released. o(n_n)o