Zhang Rong's victorious return greatly boosted morale in The Filature of the Song.

There was no other way; natural barriers instilled a sense of security unmatched by anything else, especially for the common people and clueless bureaucrats.

And frankly, sometimes you couldn't blame them for their ignorance or blind faith. It was mainly because the Song Dynasty's army had never been reliable. Compared to the army, they preferred to trust a river or a pass. As for why the army was unreliable, well, that was a long story… Some things are hard to disentangle, to determine cause and effect. Who knows whether the repeated diversions of the Yellow River weakened the army, or whether the army's utter feebleness led to the repeated diversions.

However, no matter what, the highest echelons should have a clear idea: the strength of a nation lies in virtue, not just natural defenses.

Of course, what this "virtue" referred to was probably still up for debate… Or rather, if everyone were truly of one mind, The Filature of the Song would have colonized the Lion Country long ago. Why else would they, after more than a century of nationhood, not have recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, instead finding themselves temporarily elated over the control of the central Yellow River near the capital?

Back to the present, regardless of what this "virtue" meant, and no matter what consequences this attack might bring, neither the Emperor Zhao Jiu, nor the few reliable prime ministers and senior officials, generally tried to stop the excitement within the court and among the people, because the people really needed this sense of security to comfort themselves.

Moreover, this sense of security could bring real silver and gold.

The new year was only ten days or so away, and after that would be the fourth year of Jianyan, which meant that the Jingkang Incident was about to reach its glorious third anniversary… Not that such a debacle was worth celebrating annually, but rather that after so long, the complex human heart was both weary of war, yearning for stability, and yet accustomed to war, accustomed to turmoil.

Therefore, although the Yellow River front was still fraught with tension, and although large numbers of openly rebellious insurgents continued to occupy the backward regions of southern Jingxiang and northern Guangnan (the most direct internal wound caused by the Jingkang Incident, which could not be dealt with in the short term), the economies in various regions were gradually recovering, and the overall blood loss caused by the Jingkang Incident was clearly healing.

The most obvious sign was that the refugees who had fled south were gradually integrating into the local communities, merchants were once again active in various places, and tax revenues in various places south of the Huai River were beginning to rebound significantly.

At this time, the recapture of the Yellow River as a strategic dividing line (or at least that's how it could be promoted) was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the recovery of industry, commerce, and agricultural production.

The prime ministers certainly didn't know what a shot in the arm was, but they understood the general idea.

However, faced with such a decisive victory, and with the supposed welcome expectations for the recovery of agriculture, industry, and commerce, the court first fell into a year-end financial crisis.

The reason, of course, wasn't excessive spending on the sudden offensive.

In fact, everyone could guess more or less… that distant water couldn't quench an immediate thirst. The strategic significance of this battle was beyond doubt, but what about the rewards?

Moreover, due to the previous special status of Liangshan Marsh, when the court was establishing the Imperial Guard organization and increasing taxes in the southeast and Jingxiang regions, there had never been a share for the Imperial Guard Navy.

But now that such a great victory had been achieved, whether for proper rewards or to consolidate this army urgently on the Yellow River, let alone grain, where would the money and silk come from?

And if this force wasn't quickly reorganized and incorporated into the court's finances, even the people of Tokyo would be unhappy.

"Could we print some Jiaozi?"

After all, he was an experienced official. At the political discussion in the Wende Hall that day, when this hole was just mentioned, Prime Minister Xu Jingheng came prepared and directly proposed a feasible solution. "Following the example of the former Yizhou Jiaozi Bureau, we should establish a Jiaozi Bureau in Tokyo…"

Jiaozi was paper money, and the Song Dynasty's Jiaozi was the world's earliest widely used paper money, and a very successful one at that. It was a model that had made it into the history books, and Zhao Jiu, sitting on the throne, certainly knew that.

However, upon hearing this, the Emperor first nodded instinctively, but after some thought, he slowly shook his head:

"When Zhao Kai reformed the finances of the southwest in Bazhong, I specifically inquired about the matter of Yizhou Jiaozi. Therefore, I know that issuing Jiaozi requires a reserve fund and a credible guarantor. Back then, the Yizhou Jiaozi Bureau used 360,000 strings of cash as a reserve fund and issued one million strings of Jiaozi. Moreover, at that time, it was still a time of peace, the court was stable, and the people were at peace. In addition, there were more than a dozen wealthy merchants from Sichuan who jointly provided credit, which is why it was successful. Now, since Tokyo lacks money and is near the front line, where will the reserve fund come from? And where will the peace of mind come from? How much can be issued? If, for the sake of these several hundred thousand or one or two million strings of cash, we futilely destroy the credibility of the court's Jiaozi, it would be more harmful than beneficial."

"A little is better than nothing." Xu Jingheng had obviously considered this issue. "The military salaries of the Imperial Guard Central Army around Tokyo and the salaries of the court officials are all currently in the Ministry of Revenue's treasury east of Tokyo City. Why not use this money as a reserve fund and issue several hundred thousand strings of Jiaozi first?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, Wang Yuan, the commander of the Imperial Guard, reluctantly braced himself and asked, "Prime Minister Xu, with all due respect, even so, there wouldn't be enough time to print the Jiaozi, would there?"

"My meaning is to divide the military salaries of the Imperial Guard Central Army and the salaries of the officials into three parts. First, take out two parts and give them to the Imperial Guard Navy as rewards and salaries, and provide the Imperial Guard Central Army and the officials with normal supplies, so that we can get through this New Year." In the highest-level meeting in the main hall, Xu Jingheng didn't bother to hide anything. "Then, use the remaining part as a reserve fund to issue Jiaozi, and try to raise several hundred thousand strings of liquid cash to connect with the subsequent transfer of financial resources."

The hall became even quieter.

In fact, when Xu Jingheng said that he would use this money to issue Jiaozi, the atmosphere among those present was already a little off.

Because everyone knew that the problem wasn't how to use these little tricks to achieve financial smoothness, but rather that since there was a financial loophole, and since the money of the Imperial Guard Central Army and the officials was going to be used to issue Jiaozi, it was destined that someone would have to receive Jiaozi!

And now, with the Imperial Guard Navy having just made a great contribution and being the object of the court's efforts to win over, it wouldn't be easy to issue this Jiaozi to them. Therefore, there was a destined result to this matter… whether it was giving them three in the morning and four in the evening, or four in the morning and three in the evening, whether it was to have a good New Year or a good Lantern Festival, it would always be the Imperial Guard Central Army and the central officials who would receive this Jiaozi.

However, Jiaozi was, after all, Jiaozi, not real money. Even with so-called credibility and precedents, it was destined to have an exchange discount in this day and age.

Moreover, the current situation was, after all, a special wartime situation. If something went wrong on the front line, the foundation would be broken, and it wouldn't be impossible for the credibility to collapse and the Jiaozi to become blank paper.

In a word, this was to cut the flesh of the Imperial Guard Central Army and the central bureaucrats to fill this hole.

And this was the fundamental reason why Wang Yuan, as a half-empty high-level official, still braced himself and discussed with the prime minister. In name, he was the commander of the Imperial Guard, but in reality, his core power was the logistics of the part of the Imperial Guard Central Army stationed near Tokyo that was directly controlled by Emperor Zhao, namely the logistics of the Wang De and Wang Yan units.

How could he not be anxious when it came to his final core power, his political life?

But the problem was, what was the use of being anxious?

"When reorganizing before, the various units of the Imperial Guard Central Army were greatly reduced in size, and there have already been voices of dissatisfaction." In the silence, Wang Yuan first said something inexplicable, and then reluctantly asked again, "How many percent of the Jiaozi will the Imperial Guard Central Army and the central officials receive respectively?"

"The distribution will be fair according to the proportion." Xu Jingheng answered simply and flawlessly. "Not only here in the center, but the officials in Henan will also have to receive some Jiaozi… If they're dissatisfied, then they're dissatisfied."

Wang Yuan was completely silent, and even Qu Duan, who had wanted to speak several times, ultimately didn't say anything.

In fact, it wasn't just Qu Duan.

You should know that when the court discussed military and political affairs, although it was only a few prime ministers, some relevant senior officials from the Department of State Affairs, the Privy Council, the Imperial Academy, and the Censorate were present… for example, only the Vice Censor-in-chief and the two Palace Censors were qualified to be listed in the Censorate… but in total, there were twenty or thirty people.

But these people were all silent.

Of course, everyone had something to say, but could they turn real gold and silver into reality near Tokyo City in a short period of time?

Moreover, in terms of such a small imperial court meeting, it was nothing more than the Emperor, the Department of State Affairs, and the Privy Council, with the Censorate just banging the gong on the side.

And now, with Prime Minister Xu's statement and Prime Minister Lü's silence, it was considered the decision of the Department of State Affairs. Prime Ministers Wang and Chen from the Privy Council saw Wang Yuan come up to inquire and ultimately be blocked by Prime Minister Xu, so they also seemed to give up the desire to discuss and prepared to accept their fate.

At this time, in terms of position, even if someone wanted to stir up trouble, they would have to wait for the Emperor to express his opinion.

"How much is lacking in the end?" Zhao Jiu, sitting on the throne, pondered for a long time and finally spoke, but he seemed reluctant.

"If we have 300,000 strings, we can get through this sufficiently." Xu Jingheng continued to answer calmly.

"Three hundred thousand strings…" Zhao Jiu hesitated for a long time. "Can't we find a way to raise some? Even real objects will do. Jiaozi will really shake the morale of the army."

As soon as he said this, Xu Jingheng hadn't answered yet, and many officials below hadn't changed their minds. The Vice Censor-in-chief, Li Guang, suddenly stepped forward seriously and refuted him to his face: "Your Majesty, this is a great mistake! The country is in turmoil, and we have already tried our best to support 200,000 Imperial Guard soldiers. The people's livelihood is also mostly unbearable. How can we exhaust the pond to catch the fish again?"

Zhao Jiu's expression didn't change, and he just prepared to endure it.

However, Li Guang didn't care and, seeing that Emperor Zhao didn't want to answer, his words became even more intense:

"Does Your Majesty think that supporting these soldiers only requires the money and grain to be delivered effectively? Little does he know that military affairs are complicated and involve extremely heavy burdens, and the consumption of the people's strength is also extremely heavy. I have examined the memorials from various places, the orders of the Privy Council and the Department of State Affairs, and the records are clear… For example, in the places of Han Shizhong, Zhang Jun, Yue Fei, etc., if they want to build military equipment, the court will ask for craftsmen from various places behind them, and demand that iron mines in various places be mined more quickly, and as a result, the more iron mines are mined, the less iron the people in various places have. After searching for craftsmen, it is even impossible for the people to find someone to mend their pots!"

Zhao Jiu remained silent.

"Then, these three places also used the pretext of defending against the autumn after the autumn, demanding that various places transport cowhide and cow tendons to serve as military resources, and for this one thing, a total of six or seven thousand cowhides were sent from various places before and after. Also, because Your Majesty and the Department of State Affairs have strict orders, some prefectures and counties actually privately forced the people to slaughter cattle in order to ensure the accurate delivery of military resources…" The more Zhao Jiu remained silent, the more Li Guang kept talking. "Also, the departure and garrison of the army, let alone the lax military discipline in various places and the abuse of the people, even Yue Fei's Imperial Guard Front Army has slightly better military discipline, how can it really not disturb the people? Doesn't the army need livestock to advance? Before, when the Liangshan Marsh navy went to the Yellow River, tens of thousands of people had to dig ditches and break bridges. Doesn't the garrison of the army occupy the people's land? Such things as fodder are not worth much money in the books, but how can they be supplied when they are concentrated in one place? Isn't it still the people who have to raise it themselves!"

Zhao Jiu still didn't say anything, and he had no expression either.

At this point, Li Guang, who had poured out his heart in one breath, finally calmed down a little… and then secretly felt frustrated.

Speaking of which, after Li Gang was dismissed as prime minister, Li Guang, as the natural leader of this faction, also served as the Vice Censor-in-chief, but he always couldn't control his temper. If Li Gang used to "despise" Emperor Zhao in a habitual condescending manner, then now Li Guang always couldn't help but "insist on his position" in front of the Emperor from the bottom up.

Not only that, but Li Jing, Li Gang's third younger brother, was also young and had learned the bad temper of these two people, and often spoke with passion and excitement.

It can only be said that no wonder these people were close friends and brothers.

However, unlike Li Gang, who no one dared to persuade back then, here with Li Guang, when his stubbornness came up, the civil and military officials in the hall might not dare to get involved, but in private, there were still many people who would advise him a little. And Li Guang Li Tai himself was somewhat different from Li Gang Li Boji. He himself was willing to listen to advice and realized the existence of this problem, knowing that the Emperor's authority had now been established, and there was no benefit in being so overbearing… But that was just his personality, as long as he entered the hall, with countless civil and military officials on both sides and the Emperor in front of him, he just couldn't help it.

"Your Majesty."

After blaming himself in his heart for a moment, Li Guang reluctantly put away that tone and continued to speak sincerely. "I'm not criticizing anything. In the current situation, it's indeed necessary to give priority to supporting the army. I fully agree with the establishment of the Imperial Guard before and the maintenance of the navy now. I just want to remind Your Majesty that the affairs of the world are not so simple, and you can't just look at the surface of everything. The Jingkang Incident before, the war last year and the year before, and now the need to support the armies in various places, the people of Henan have long been exhausted. At this time, 300,000 strings of cash is not much, just a temporary lack of transfer, and the money and grain from the south will be sent after the spring plowing, so we can get through it in the end. But it's not a small amount either. If we forcibly demand it in Henan, I'm afraid it will make the people suffer unspeakably, and then it will be unsustainable."

When he said this, there was finally a stir in the hall, and it was obvious that some people wanted to express their approval and some people wanted to express their opposition, and the Prime Minister, Lü Haowen, who had been silent all the time, was also preparing to speak at the right time to ease the atmosphere.

"What Minister Li said is very true."

However, at this time, Zhao Jiu, who was sitting in the throne, finally spoke, but it was somewhat unexpected to some people in the hall. "I am still somewhat naive about the matter of raising soldiers, but the overall situation is like this, so I can only advise everyone to tolerate it for the sake of the country."

Naive, from "Zhuangzi," is a good word, but when Emperor Zhao used it here, although it had the meaning of covering up, it also had a tendency to admit his mistake.

Therefore, not only was Li Guang slightly stunned, but the originally restless hall suddenly became quiet.

"I have a few words about this matter." Zhao Jiu continued slowly. "First, Zhang Rong and his troops have made great contributions, and it is absolutely impossible to give them only a flag as a reward. These 300,000 strings must be given, and they must be given as soon as possible, extremely quickly, and in sufficient quantity. There must be no negligence or lack, otherwise, don't blame anyone if it leads to a military mutiny, let alone the court's credibility."

These were words that had already been discussed, so there was no speech in the hall.

"Second, the Imperial Guard Central Army has no military achievements this time, and it is not good to change their military salaries without authorization, let alone thinking about borrowing from the other handsome ministers. Otherwise, the little credibility that the court has managed to build in the army will still have problems."

At this time, the hall suddenly became chaotic, because listening to what Emperor Zhao meant, it seemed that he wanted to do everything possible to pay the soldiers, but he wanted all the officials in the court to use Jiaozi instead?!

Logically speaking, as civil servants and national ministers, it seemed that they should share the worries of the country.

But the problem was that the officials in Tokyo City and Henan were not just these high officials in the hall, but also many low-ranking officials. If these 300,000 strings, even in Jiaozi, were all borne by everyone, wouldn't some people really have to drink the northwest wind in this cold winter?

Moreover, even among the people in the hall, there were really poor people, okay?

How could this be tolerated?

"Third," Zhao Jiu preempted the crowd and continued to speak loudly. "All the ministers, not to mention those who followed me in wandering and drifting, but only those who were usually employed, have experienced several wars, and they are undoubtedly loyal and cautious ministers, but they have only been allowed to receive half their salaries all the time… Now the country is only in temporary difficulty, not as poor as before. If we let them fill this hole again, then I will really be without conscience."

The atmosphere in the hall was like a tide, sometimes surging and sometimes falling.

"Fourth, as Censor Li Zhongcheng has advised, the people are exhausted and the strength of the people is empty… I was already depressed about the last tax increase. How can I take food from the people's mouths again this time?"

As soon as he said this, the reactions of the people in the hall were different. Some people were obviously somewhat puzzled, while others couldn't help but sneer in their hearts… This Emperor was saying so nicely, but in the end, didn't he still want to use Prime Minister Xu's method of first borrowing, then issuing Jiaozi, and then everyone sharing the Jiaozi equally?

After going around for a long time, other than saying a bunch of nice words, making himself seem like he was for the country and sympathizing with the people, he was useless.

"Prime Minister Wang, you should sort out what Censor Li Zhongcheng presented today and send it to the handsome ministers of each region; and then Prime Ministers Lü and Xu, you two should reorganize the Jiaozi matter, make preparations, but don't issue it until the very end… That's all for today, I'll go and try to think of a way." Zhao Jiu continued, but as soon as he finished speaking, he immediately turned around and left the hall without stopping.

It can only be said that, as everyone thought, the difficulty of real gold and silver was there, and Emperor Zhao could only agree to the Jiaozi matter in the end, but he just added a little reminder to the handsome ministers.

And in the end, the Emperor left in such a hurry, which was somewhat like an escape.

There was no word on the spot, and the people called each other and left in groups.

After all, although the court's difficulties were indeed troublesome, they were only a small illness, a kind of happy trouble under a great victory. Not to mention the overall situation, even for the finances, it was only a temporary difficulty. And now, the end of the year was approaching, and Tokyo City had taken advantage of the great victory to open the city, slowly repairing bridges and filling ditches while gradually becoming lively again.

Nothing could stop the New Year.

Today's affairs may just be a few topics of conversation at the New Year's table.

Leaving aside the others, the Palace Censor, Wan Qixie, left the court, first returned to his home, closed the door and sat for half a day, and then greeted his old wife, who had only recently entered the capital, and sent a servant to deliver a letter to the mansion of his "very close elder" Wang Shuzhan, saying that he wanted to see the Emperor Zhao's uncle, Wang Shuzhan's relative, today, and then he went out alone on a donkey.

However, this guy actually first went to find Qu Duan, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, who was alone in Tokyo City. Seeing Qu Duan agree in person and ride out on that iron elephant, which was now famous in East Asia, the two of them went to Wang Shuzhan's place, his "very close elder."

Wang Shuzhan's family was a wealthy family in Shezhou.

After the situation in Tokyo stabilized, on the one hand, the officials who fled from the north and those who were born in poverty were penniless, and on the other hand, the wealthy officials from the south, especially those from south of the Huai River, had not lost a bit of their wealth… And Wan Qixie, who was a red man in front of the Emperor and had recently been promoted to such a noble position as Palace Censor, was unwilling to embezzle at will, so if he wanted to eat and drink and enjoy life, he often came here.

As for Qu Duan… after this person passed the imperial examination, he rarely spoke out and caused trouble in the court, so many people mistakenly thought that he had changed his temper. He was also favored by the Emperor, so he was often deliberately courted. However, this guy, when he left the Emperor's presence, still had a foul mouth and refused to change his ways, which made people embarrassed.

For example, here with Wang Shuzhan, he had actually pointed fingers at him several times, saying that Wang Shuzhan was bent on seeking private gain and only regarded being an official as being an official, and that his son, Wang Ruohai, only regarded the "Petition to Establish Descendants of the Zhao Clan" during the Jingkang as the basis for his promotion, and had no other achievements, and that even that book was probably just a forgery stolen from Qin Hui, Ma Shen, and Zhang Shuye, etc…

After several times, even someone like Wang Shuzhan didn't dare to provoke this person anymore.

And during the New Year, Wan Qixie actually specially called over this Qu Da, who was capable in both literature and martial arts. What was he thinking?

Sure enough, when they entered the door, the Wang family and his son, as well as the Wang family's relatives who had been specially invited, Zhao Shi㒟 and his son, were very happy to see Wan Qixie, but when they saw Qu Da, their faces changed one after another. However, both families were concerned about their reputation, and they couldn't kick people out during the New Year, so they could only bite the bullet and start the banquet.

Among the people in Wang's mansion, only Hu Hongxiu, who was basically living with his father-in-law, maintained his composure… This was because Qu Duan only said that he was talking about war on paper and wasn't so heartless.

Everyone was seated, with the Grand Minister and Wang's old man sitting at the top on the left and right, Wan Qixie and Qu Duan sitting on the left, and the three unrelated brothers-in-law, Zhao Bufan, Wang Ruohai, and Hu Hongxiu, sitting on the right. There was no one directly below… This was a standard close family banquet, but the atmosphere was particularly strange.

Fortunately, there was Wan Qixie, this Palace Censor, who spoke casually and was able to please everyone. He first raised his glass to congratulate the court on its victory, then wished the two elders present longevity, and then talked about the future situation and the future prospects of the younger generation, which finally made the atmosphere of the banquet gradually rise.

After three rounds of wine and saving the day three or five times, Wan Qixie suddenly said approximately what happened at today's small court meeting, attracting the attention of the old politicians from the Zhao and Wang families, who were of high status but not qualified to participate.

"It's hard for His Majesty!"

After Wan Qixie said this, he first set the tone himself. "If today's discussion were to be spread out, people who don't know the situation might say that His Majesty only says nice things and is useless and that it still falls to others to make up for the deficit. But how can you and I not know that His Majesty is so frugal, not a bit of extra money and grain has been transferred to the Yanfu Palace, and the tributes from various places have also been abolished. Even the dignity of the two concubines depends entirely on the help of their families… In terms of making up for the deficit, His Majesty has already first supplemented it by being penniless himself."

Hearing this, before the Zhao and Wang families could exclaim, Qu Duan frowned again. "Brother Yuanzhong, I can understand that you are speaking for His Majesty, but how can the discussion in the hall be brought here? How many of these people are qualified to participate in important military and state affairs? If things are spread out and a storm is caused by the Jiaozi, wouldn't that be our fault?"

Leaving aside the younger generation, Emperor Zhao's uncle and Wang Shuzhan, these respected relatives, were immediately blushing, but they were really too embarrassed to refute.

"Qu Da, you are judging a gentleman by your own petty standards." How could Wan Qixie be afraid of Qu Duan when others were afraid of him? He immediately put on a straight face and refuted again. "Emperor Zhao's uncle is here. He is a meritorious statesman and a prominent member of the imperial family. He should know the whole story. And someone like Uncle Wang, who is a moral model, will think about the country even if he knows. How can he spread it privately?"

"Knowing people's faces but not their hearts, maybe someone will know that Jiaozi is going to be issued and take the opportunity to lend money and hoard money, and be unkind for wealth?" Qu Duan blurted out.

But with just this one sentence, he lowered his head to drink and eat, and didn't say any more. Many people at the table wanted to get angry, but they didn't know whether they should get angry or not.

Coming back to his senses, it was Zhao Shi㒟, Emperor Zhao's uncle, who was respected and more tolerant. He stroked his beard and smiled bitterly, expressing his position on the spot. "His Majesty is frugal, and even somewhat harsh on himself. I know all about it. But to me, this matter of 300,000 strings of cash is just a small matter and doesn't matter to the overall positive situation… And His Majesty is brave and martial, and he has always had his own decisions, so I think he doesn't need my old minister to get involved… During the New Year, let's just have fun."

Wang Shuzhan nodded slightly and was about to raise his glass in agreement.

But at this time, Qu Duan raised his head again and said coldly, "As a member of the imperial family, every bit of your body is supported by the people, and even if His Majesty doesn't use you, don't you want to repay the country? While the Emperor is still working hard for the country, and the soldiers fighting to the death in the front are still using Jiaozi to offset their military salaries, you, the imperial family, are here using the people's blood and sweat to hold banquets! As the saying goes, 'Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, corpses of the frozen lie.' That's talking about you, but you say it as if you've been wronged. You've been wronged? What does the Emperor count for? What do we count for, who are fighting to the death for the country?"

Not to mention everyone at the table, even the servants serving on the side had long been stunned, holding the hot towel there in a daze. And Emperor Zhao's uncle felt his chest pounding and his throat tightening from the moment he heard "the people's blood and sweat." He wanted to scold but didn't know what words to use, and he didn't know where to start refuting for a moment, so he was blushing all over his face.

As the saying goes, if the father is humiliated, the son should die. Zhao Bufan, the eldest son of Emperor Zhao's uncle, was the first to react when he saw his father being humiliated, and then he stood up angrily, pointed his finger at him, and wanted to scold him.

Qu Duan was still not afraid, and without waiting for the other party to speak, he just stared at the young imperial family member who stood up opposite him again. "What are you doing here pretending?! I'm telling you, it's a good thing you don't have a weapon in your hand, otherwise you'd be dead by now… I can just flip the table over, knock you down, and then go to the candlestick next to you and stick it into your throat, so that your father can send his white-haired son to the black-haired person… Who gave you, a good-for-nothing imperial family member who only knows how to drink and eat meat, the courage to be fierce in front of a battle-hardened general like me?"

Zhao Bufan still wanted to express his position, but Wang Shuzhan had already called his son Wang Ruohai and his son-in-law Hu Hongxiu to come forward and hold him down, plus a few servants, and finally dragged this son-in-law out.

Seeing Zhao Bufan being dragged out, Wang Shuzhan turned around and comforted Emperor Zhao's uncle, and then drove away the remaining two maids. Only then did he turn his head to look at Wan Qixie, who had been silent for a long time and was just eating chicken feet with his head down, with a hint of complaint in his words. "Yuanzhong, what are you thinking tonight… What's the matter between us? Why not be direct?"

Hearing this, Wan Qixie put down the chicken feet, calmly took the hot towel that the servant had just put down from the table, wiped his hands and mouth, and then smiled. "Those who know me are Uncle Wang! Uncle Wang, since the alchemist incident ruined your future, you've always just been an idle official. Have you ever thought about regaining the Emperor's favor, going to get a future, and serving the country? Even Emperor Zhao's uncle, after hearing Qu Da's words today, have you ever thought about trying your best to contribute to the country during this turbulent time, and not being a wine bag and rice bag that makes people laugh at?"

"What's your plan?" Wang Shuzhan was momentarily moved.

But Qu Duan didn't let Wan Qixie go either. "I knew you had bad intentions when you invited me today… Others say you're a loyal and cautious person, but I know you're a villain."

So what if he had bad intentions? So what if he was a villain?

Wan Qixie sneered in his heart, but he looked dignified on his face. "Qu Da, I'm just sharing the worries of the country!"

Qu Duan snorted at this but didn't bother to argue with this person. Emperor Zhao's old uncle heard this and looked slightly serious.

Wan Qixie didn't care and just slowly said something. "Actually, when His Majesty heard the number of 300,000 strings in the hall today, he asked if we could raise it… At that time, Censor Li just thought that His Majesty wanted to increase miscellaneous taxes again, so he hurriedly advised against it, but I've been with His Majesty for a long time, so I know that His Majesty's meaning is definitely not to levy taxes on the people."

Although Qu Duan's temper was too extreme, he was, after all, "capable in both literature and martial arts," so he was slightly moved in his heart. "Are you saying that His Majesty wants to raise money from the big wealthy families… But if so, why didn't he mention it in the hall?"

Why? Of course, because His Majesty knew clearly in his heart that these people would never be willing to be "raised" easily and didn't want to speak out openly! Without visible benefits, who would be willing to be "raised" for no reason?

Unless Emperor Zhao left a signature and came to borrow money specifically.

Wan Qixie sneered even more in his heart, and his face became even more dignified. "That's because during the Jingkang, the court searched the city to raise money for reparations. His Majesty didn't want the scholars and people to panic because of this…"

Wang Shuzhan was also moved, but he hesitated.

"However, His Majesty is too cautious!" Wan Qixie continued to speak with a dignified tone. "How much was it at that time, five million taels of gold and fifty million taels of silver, but today it's only 300,000 strings; and at that time, the country was poor and defeated, it was money to buy the country's life, but now it's just a temporary tightness. In my opinion, among the wealthy families who have returned to the city, there are already forty or fifty well-known rich people, and there are also some officials who are registered south of the Huai River and have wealthy families. If this group of people gets together, they will have 300,000 strings! Not to mention, now that the wealthy families dare to spend the New Year in the capital, which one of them isn't loyal and devoted to the country? Who wouldn't be willing to contribute this few thousand strings of cash and goods? Uncle Wang…"

"I am naturally willing!" Wang Shuzhan, who hadn't even sat down, blurted out. "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, I had my family specially bring 10,000 strings over from Huaian for spending, but the military control and lockdown of the city later resulted in it not moving at all… I'll offer it to His Majesty!"

How foolish!

Wan Qixie looked down on this recognized uncle even more in his heart, but he still clapped his hands and praised, "Uncle, this is a great event and can be said to be sharing the worries of the country. But in my opinion, there are still some shortcomings…"

Wang Shuzhan was slightly stunned and then listened attentively.

"First, whether it's a contribution or a loan, it can't be a public contribution or a public loan, but it should be a private contribution or a private loan, at least pretending to be a private loan or a private contribution. Otherwise, it will make it difficult for poor colleagues and embarrass His Majesty." Wan Qixie said solemnly. At this time, even Qu Duan and Emperor Zhao's uncle were listening attentively. "Second, the court is only temporarily unable to turn around and doesn't really need people to contribute. What I mean is that if we