Inside the inner palace of the capital, in a side hall of the Qian'an Palace.
After several years, the abdicated Emperor's death finally gave Emperor Yuan Yu the energy to dispatch the secret guards who had been in opposition to the abdicated Emperor and could not be mobilized. These secret guards were to investigate the people and matters that he had wanted to investigate in recent years but had always lacked the energy and manpower for.
Recently, the investigation results were finally compiled.
The report was given by the leader of the secret guards.
"Let's start with the Four Princes and Eight Dukes!"
After dismissing everyone else, Emperor Yuan Yu immediately said.
As soon as he finished giving his orders, the leader of the secret guards knelt beside him and, in a quiet but clear voice that Emperor Yuan Yu could hear, summarized his findings.
"Since the Jia family has declined, the remaining six dukedom families are now closer to each other than before, and their contact with the four enfeoffed kings has also increased. However, they only seem to want to maintain their current status and have not shown any signs of rebellion.
Nevertheless, there are still many illegal private dealings.
The specifics are all written in the secret memorial.
Compared to the remaining six dukes, the other four enfeoffed kings are quite restless in private. The Prince of Nan'an, the Prince of Dongping, and the Prince of Xining have been secretly cultivating their own private armies, as well as stockpiling weapons and food. However, we have only found one stockpiling point so far. They likely have other stockpiling points, so we dare not act rashly for now, fearing that we will alert them.
The Prince of Beijing seems to have been frightened by the previous succession struggle.
He has been relatively well-behaved recently, but there are still signs of him spying on the imperial palace. We don't know what his household is planning.
"Continue to monitor them closely, focus only on investigation and recording for now, and do not act against them. Without sufficient evidence, it is truly difficult to take action against these four enfeoffed kings.
Tell me about Ding Yun's situation.
Her capabilities are too great, and the money and grain she holds are absolutely terrifying. Such a person has suddenly appeared, and we cannot trace which family is supporting her. It is truly strange. Have you found any results from the investigation?"
After nodding and giving further instructions, Emperor Yuan Yu asked about the second person he had asked the secret guards to investigate.
The leader of the secret guards, after recalling the intelligence about Ding Yun for a moment, continued,
"Your Majesty, we have only investigated for over four years, nearly five years ago, she suddenly appeared near Jinling City and became associated with Yunxi Nüguan, the abbess of Nanhua Temple outside Jinling City. She also used this connection to obtain household registration.
Before that, we could not find any trace of her.
Later, after in-depth investigation and tracking the source of her grain, we initially suspected that she might be from overseas, as we found that she had managed to import a large amount of grain from overseas in the last two to three years.
We could not find any earlier records, but the grain she possesses could not have appeared out of thin air.
Therefore, we can generally conclude that the previous grain was likely imported through illegal channels by her, with the aim of quickly crushing the major grain merchants and controlling the grain market. However, whether she had any malicious intent in doing so, or whether she was instructed by the court of some overseas country, we have no conclusion yet.
This is because we do not have corresponding forces overseas.
However, we must be vigilant about this possibility.
Beyond that, her large-scale brewing of alcohol and feeding livestock with the dregs, etc., have not revealed any problems. She also dealt with livestock diseases in a timely manner, even more effectively than the imperial court.
Her dealings with the nomadic tribes are also legal.
Furthermore, according to our investigation, many tribes on the grasslands seem to have become addicted to her wine. They are even willing to reduce the breeding of warhorses to raise more cattle and sheep, in order to exchange for more high-proof white liquor. This, in turn, indirectly weakens the strength of the nomadic tribes.
In summary, apart from some doubts about the source of her grain and the fact that her grain reserves seem to be excessively ample, there is nothing inappropriate about her. What is rather strange is that her actions are not like those of an ordinary merchant solely seeking profit. Instead, she seems to be more concerned about whether people will starve. She is more active than the imperial court in disaster relief and reducing grain prices.
She appears almost like a sage."
At any time, a good person is more likely to gain favor, even if there might be internal grumbling about whether the person is foolish, there is still admiration.
Ordinary people might not know much, or the full picture, of Ding Yun's actions. However, the leader of the secret guards, who had thoroughly investigated Ding Yun's actions in recent years, truly felt a sense of admiration for her.
Because he could be certain of Ding Yun's actions.
They had undoubtedly saved tens of thousands of families.
And saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Even the lives of the common people had improved slightly because of her. Measures like guaranteed purchase prices for grain and low-interest seedling loans had protected countless people from bankruptcy during lean years, from selling their children, or their land.
"It seems you have great admiration for her!
Even you speak of her with such respect, even calling her like a sage. It appears she has indeed done remarkably well. However, I always fear that there is no one in this world who is so selfless.
Do you know?
The national treasury is full this year, and the granaries are also full.
If this situation continues for a few more years, then the scene of a prosperous era, where wealth in the capital is immeasurable, riches are rotten and unusable; the grain in the imperial granaries is old and accumulated, overflowing and rotting outside, will reappear in the world.
But I worry, I am afraid!"
Emperor Yuan Yu understood his secret guard leader very well. At this moment, just hearing his tone, he knew that the other party truly admired the actions of that Taoist nun, Ding Yun.
But because the secret guard leader was also his confidant.
He therefore candidly expressed his worries.
"Isn't this a good thing?
Money is so abundant that the ropes used to string it are rotten, and grain is so plentiful that it rots before it can be eaten. Is this not the prosperous era that the common people crave? What do you have to worry about?"
The secret guard leader was somewhat perplexed. Such a prosperous era was not only yearned for by the common people of the world but should also be desired by all rulers. Which ruler would not wish for a great and prosperous era during their reign?
To prove themselves a wise ruler of a prosperous age.
An emperor for all time!
However, Emperor Yuan Yu continued to shake his head with a bitter expression:
"You do not know, you do not understand.
Such a prosperous era is indeed very good, but I seem to have no credit for it, nor have I done anything myself. I feel a bit empty inside, and I feel that this prosperous era is not quite real. In my heart, I want to acknowledge Ding Yun's contribution, but I am also worried that she may have ulterior motives.
And do you not find her too terrifying?
She achieved the prosperous era that so many monarchs longed for, and that my own father worked for decades to achieve, in less than five years. Although I have occasionally helped, I know very well that the help I provided was limited. At most, it made things slightly smoother for her to do what she wanted.
I am even a little afraid of such a person.
And once she stops working, the existing order might collapse in an instant, and the final outcome might even be worse than before. I am afraid, truly afraid."
It is normal for rulers to have more worries. Although Emperor Yuan Yu liked the current outcome very much, what he feared more was that Ding Yun, who had no family and did not seem to intend to leave any descendants, might have an accident, or suddenly disappear. The consequences of that might be far more terrifying than the emperor's death.
Its destructiveness would be even greater than large-scale peasant uprisings.