The First Family of the Red Mansion

Chapter 38 Emperor Anping's Unease

"Master Xu, the gentry of Jiangnan are going to have to pay a heavy price this time. Shouldn't we take this opportunity to help them out?"

"If the power of the civil officials continues to decline, when Father Emperor passes away and I ascend the throne, Wu Xun's power will be unstoppable!"

News of the fire in the capital spread throughout the court and the country the next day, and the Crown Prince immediately summoned his advisors for consultation.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!"

Master Xu hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"This whole incident was caused by the Donglin Party and some military officers in Shenjing colluding with the Jurchens."

"This involves not only the gentry and military officers of Jiangnan, but also the eunuchs."

"Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it has been a great taboo for eunuchs to collude with foreign officials. This time, the actions of this group have touched His Majesty's sore spot."

"If Your Highness pleads for those people this time, it will surely anger His Majesty, and he may even suspect that Your Highness was involved."

"Your Highness, you are now an adult!"

Xu Shi looked at the Crown Prince thoughtfully, then immediately dismissed his doubts.

If that's the case, then I'll have to consider my future options.

"Teacher Xu has misunderstood!"

Although the Crown Prince was still somewhat naive, he had dealt with those old foxes in the court since childhood, so how could he not have noticed the suspicion in Xu Shi's eyes?

"Although I also want to realize my ambitions as soon as possible, I would never do something as beastly as that."

"The relationships within the Great Zhou court are complex and intertwined. Without Father Emperor's protection, I would be unable to handle the current situation effectively."

"While the fire in Shenjing burned away some of the shady dealings hidden in the shadows, it also created new problems."

"The Donglin Party in Jiangnan is not a concern, but the Great Zhou must give an explanation to those vassal states and the various tribes in the tributary states."

"But the mastermind, the Jurchen, is not so easy to deal with. Although they are extremely subservient to the Great Zhou on the surface, their strength should not be underestimated."

"Nearly 50,000 Jurchen cavalry are no weaker than the previous Oirat tribes."

"Moreover, the red-haired barbarians lost one of their chief envoys this time, so they will definitely make some moves along the southeast coast."

"But the Great Zhou has just finished its western expedition and no longer has the funds and supplies to launch a large-scale war."

"With only the Liaodong garrison troops, the Liaodong troops under the Prince of Dongping, and the weak navy of the Great Zhou, it will be difficult to cope with the crisis that is about to unfold."

"Professor Xu, how should we proceed given this situation?"

The prince looked earnestly at Master Xu and humbly asked for his guidance.

Through this experience, he realized that even though he was an adult, he was still immature.

If he were to face the current situation on his own, he would be at a loss, which only strengthened his resolve to secretly develop his power behind his father's back.

"No rush. That position will be mine sooner or later. Let Father smooth out those rough edges first, so that I can make a big splash in the future."

The prince clenched his fists, which were hidden in his sleeves, and kept reminding himself.

"Your Highness, apart from the Liaodong Jurchens, the rest of the people who were involved in the fire in the capital were mostly from the Jiangnan Donglin Party and the Zhejiang Party."

"These people were basically supported by southern maritime merchants and salt merchants, and the shipping bureau and salt administration will inevitably be implicated..."

"Does Master Xu want me to get involved?" The Crown Prince's heart trembled.

The customs duties of the Shipping Administration, the salt tax of the Salt Administration, the commercial tax, and the land tax were the four main taxes of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If I could get involved in two of them, I wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.

But the thought of his father, the emperor, made the crown prince feel discouraged again.

Like military power, financial power was also a taboo for Emperor Anping; he would kill anyone who dared to touch it.

Let alone a crown prince like him, even when his father had just ascended the throne, his power was not yet secure.

One of Emperor Taizong's brothers, relying on his seniority and the fact that the princess was from a gentry family in Jiangnan, extended his influence into the shipping bureau.

This enraged the newly enthroned emperor, who, without even bothering to reclaim the military power, joined forces with Duke Rong, Jia Daishan, to deal with that man.

If an elder is willing to kill, how much more so would a junior like myself be willing to do so?

"Has Your Highness figured it out?" Seeing that the Crown Prince had regained his senses, Master Xu nodded.

"The Salt Administration and the Shipping Administration are His Majesty's purse strings; no one dares to touch them."

"What we need to do next is to continue to expand our advantage in the court."

"The Shipping Administration and the Salt Administration will inevitably be implicated this time. His Majesty will certainly send his trusted ministers south to reorganize the Salt Administration and the Shipping Administration."

"When someone leaves, there will be a vacancy. We just need to fill the vacant positions."

The crown prince nodded upon hearing this.

Most of the Crown Prince's confidants were scholars from the north. Regardless of how the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty treated other civil and military officials, they always adopted a supportive attitude towards the civil officials from the north.

If we don't quickly support the civil officials in the north, how can we balance the north and south?

"Moreover, what Your Highness needs to do most right now is to plead for the Third Prince during the court assembly!"

"Third brother?" The crown prince asked, puzzled. "Could he have been involved in last night's events?"

"Whether he has one or not is not important. What is important is that his principal wife comes from the Gao family of the Donglin Party and is also His Highness's younger brother."

"He will surely be impeached by various forces in the court today."

"Your Highness, although the Third Prince used to covet your position, after last night's events, he is no longer a threat to you."

"What Your Highness needs to do is to show His Majesty and the court officials a crown prince who is friendly and respectful to his brothers."

"This will reduce His Majesty's and his courtiers' wariness of Your Highness," Master Xu said with a smile.

"Moreover, His Highness also needs assistance. As long as the Third Prince's principal wife is still Lady Gao, then she will pose no threat to His Highness, and her influence in Jiangnan will not disappear."

"I know what to do!" The Crown Prince took a deep breath, hesitated for a while, and then replied.

"It's good that Your Highness understands!" Xu Shi nodded. "I'll take my leave now!"

……

"...Liu Hu is hereby appointed as a First-Class Imperial Bodyguard with Sword, by Imperial Decree!"

After Dai Quan finished dealing with matters in Shenjing City, Liu Hu immediately handed over the military power of the Nine Gates to Emperor Anping.

But before he could even catch his breath after returning home, Emperor Anping assigned him another task.

"A first-rank imperial bodyguard with a sword—that's a third-rank official!"

His previous rank as a deputy commander was only a fourth-grade military officer, but this time he was promoted two ranks directly.

Although he was just a guard, it was not a position that just anyone could hold.

Although Liu Hu was somewhat bewildered by the appointment, he still obediently accepted the order.

Emperor Anping is currently in a state of paranoia, as the relatives of his trusted eunuchs have all been bribed by foreign tribes, making him feel insecure.

The only person in the entire court who could be trusted and who had no ties with other forces was Liu Hu, who had just returned to the capital.

Moreover, Liu Hu discovered this himself, so let him protect my safety before the western expeditionary army returns.

Besides, given Liu Hu's martial prowess, unless he is surrounded and shot by a large army, no one should be able to threaten his safety.

"General Liu, His Majesty intends to have you temporarily serve in the palace until your official appointment is granted."

Although these words sounded somewhat awkward, Liu Hu understood what Emperor Anping meant.

"Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch!" Liu Hu said politely, handing over a few silver notes without hesitation.

"Cat, since His Majesty has given you a mission, go ahead and do not worry about things at home."

Because of the commotion last night, Lady Liu also knew that something big had happened in the imperial court.

On this street, at the latest, two high-ranking officials had their homes raided.

Although she was worried about her son's safety, she also knew what she had seen and heard during this period of time.

Now, her son's affairs are no longer something a woman like her can control.

Since that's the case, it's better to take good care of the house for the cat so he can feel more at ease outside.

"Mother, I don't have anything to do going out these days!"

"When I'm not around, I'll try my best to deflect anyone who comes to my door."

Before leaving, Liu Hu reminded Liu Shi that he was afraid she might be easily swayed by others if she softened her heart.

"Mother understands!" Liu said with a reluctant expression. "I was thinking of taking advantage of the New Year to see if I could go back home to burn some money for your father and the others and repair their graves. It seems that they will have to suffer for a while in the afterlife."

"Dai Quan, put last night's matter aside for now. Clean up the gnarled corners in the palace for me."

"The lessons of the Ming Dynasty are still fresh in my mind; I have no intention of repeating the mistakes of the former Ming emperors!"

"I deserve to die for causing Your Majesty such worry!"

"This time, I will definitely wipe those ghosts and demons from the palace!"

"Go down!"

Listening to the conversation inside, Liu Hu finally understood why Emperor Anping had given him this task.

Emperor Anping was afraid this time!

After Dai Quan came out of the hall, he saw Liu Hu standing with a knife in his hand, but he didn't bother to greet him and left in a hurry.

Last night's events, thanks to the involvement of various parties, at least saved his life.

If anything else goes wrong in the palace, he won't be so lucky this time!

"Liu Hu!"

"Your subject is here!"

Emperor Anping looked extremely haggard. After what happened last night, he felt that even his palace was no longer safe, and he couldn't sleep soundly.

Upon seeing Liu Hu, Emperor Anping's expression visibly relaxed.

As long as Liu Hu is by his side, those ghosts and monsters cannot get close to him.

Even if he's secretly up to something, does he really think he's emperor for nothing?

"Take a few men and come with me to court!"

"yes!"

"Your Majesty, we respectfully wish you good health!"

Liu Hu, clad in armor and holding a sword, stood behind Emperor Anping, watching the entire court of officials bow to him, finding it quite novel.

There was no kowtow or shout of "Long live the Emperor!"; the officials simply bowed in greeting.

"Everything on TV is a lie!" Liu Hu couldn't help but mutter to himself upon seeing this.

"Your Majesty, the Jianzhou Jurchens are audacious and reckless, daring to collude with court officials to commit murder and arson in the capital. I beseech Your Majesty to send troops to punish them!"

As soon as the court assembly began, a military officer immediately stood up and spoke out indignantly.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't! The western expeditionary army has not yet returned, and the Western Regions have not been pacified. If war breaks out again, it may shake the very foundations of the state!"

The civil official was not to be outdone and immediately retorted: "The Jianzhou Jurchens acted recklessly, but the masterminds of the arson, Chu Ying and Er, have already been captured."

"Simply punish them publicly, issue an imperial edict reprimanding their leader and demanding compensation for the losses!"

"If we continue to wage war, where will the money and provisions come from?"

"The national treasury is now so full of money that rats could starve to death because of the western expedition."

"The Jianzhou Jurchens have an army of 50,000. To defeat them, we need at least 80,000 troops. Including the defenses in other places, we need to prepare provisions for at least 100,000 people."

"Without several years of recuperation, the imperial court cannot afford such a large-scale military campaign."

The Minister of Revenue also stepped forward to plead poverty.

It's not that we're complaining about being poor; the Great Zhou Dynasty is genuinely poor right now.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the granaries have enough grain to supply a million people; that's assuming no war breaks out.

If war were to break out, an army of 100,000 would require at least 500,000 laborers, and with the losses incurred on the road, this amount of food and supplies would not last long.

Moreover, there were post-war rewards and pensions, which amounted to an enormous expense.

The imperial court has been emptied of funds for the western expedition, so how can it afford to send more money and supplies to conquer the Jianzhou Jurchens?

"snort!"

"If we don't teach the Jianzhou Jurchens a lesson this time, then the surrounding powers will think we're easy to bully. What if they rebel together? Are we just going to keep watching?"

A military officer looked at the civil officials with disdain and asked.

"That's sophistry! The Great Zhou has just annihilated the Oirat Mongols. Everyone knows we are at the height of our military power. Who would dare to rebel against the Great Zhou?"

The Minister of Revenue was so angry that he trembled and pointed at the military officer, asking in a shaky voice.

These scoundrels only know how to take money from him. They don't even realize that money doesn't just fall from the sky. Where would they get so much money to squander?

"The Jianzhou Jurchens dared to do it, and they've already started killing and burning in the capital!"

Niu Cheng, the deputy commander of the Beijing garrison, stepped forward and spoke.

To be honest, the biggest beneficiaries of last night's fire were those from the founding lineage, since they had taken countless grains from the Yong'an granary for decades since the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When the Great Zhou Dynasty was first established, the entire north was a desolate wasteland.

Emperor Taizu then decided to establish the capital in Luoyang, and the Grand Canal did not return to its original course at that time.

Those who followed the founding emperor in conquering the country had no choice but to follow him north to the Yellow River and Luo River basins.

At that time, transporting grain from the south to Heluo by land would have been incredibly costly, especially since they were just starting out and didn't have much accumulated wealth.

Emperor Taizu had no choice but to allow them to borrow grain from the Yong'an granary of the imperial court to get through that period.

Over time, the powerful and wealthy in Shenjing followed suit and made it a common practice to take grain from Yong'an Granary, which then became a mess.

Last night's fire completely burned away that messy account.

The founding generation certainly benefited the most last night, but we cannot just stand by and watch the civil officials obstruct their opportunity to make contributions.

At this time, the western expeditionary army had not yet returned, and the garrison troops in Liaodong and the troops of the Prince of Dongping were no match for the Jianzhou Jurchens.

The Jiangnan Grand Camp is tasked with guarding the vital Jiangnan region of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so wouldn't that present an opportunity for the Capital Camp?

Seeing Jia Daishan, also a member of the founding lineage, achieve new merits, and wondering how many more generations the Jia family's wealth could continue, it's impossible for other members of the founding lineage not to have their own thoughts.

"Your Majesty! I request that the capital garrison be mobilized to reduce the Jianzhou Jurchens to dust, thus enhancing the prestige of our Great Zhou and intimidating the surrounding barbarians!"

"I second that!" Jia Daihua, the commander of the Beijing garrison, immediately stepped forward and echoed.

"We second that proposal!"

Military officers holding positions in the Beijing Garrison also stepped forward.