Chapter 87
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When the court employs the people, every detail must be considered. Everything must be done according to the regulations, not oppressing the people, nor allowing the people to take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.
The Emperor had set a tight deadline for making winter clothes, and the officials in charge of the matter were highly motivated, striving to achieve maximum efficiency.
In warfare, it was not just about soldiers fighting, but also about logistical warfare. Nomadic peoples used dried meat as provisions. They did not need logistics and could launch attacks quickly, which was their advantage. However, with the current situation of locusts rampant and Great Heng’s abundant food supply, their advantage was no longer as significant.
When discussing with his ministers, relying on Great Heng’s current confidence in the treasury and granaries, the Emperor spoke frankly, “I not only want to send winter clothes to the northern borders. Great Heng’s soldiers work hard, but they cannot endure hardships year after year. I want them to have a good year in front of the nomads.”
Ministers bowed and asked, “Your Majesty, what constitutes a good year?”
“Eating well, dressing warmly, having hot meat soup to drink, and delicious flat bread to eat,” the Emperor looked at them, “those wealthy families have sent a hundred thousand ducks to the border, right?”
“The officials from the post station have sent letters saying they are about to reach the northern border,” the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue couldn’t help but smile, “General Xue mentioned in his letter that locusts have been rampant in the north since July, and the situation is very serious by the time he arrived in the north. The locusts will die in the third month of autumn, and by mid-October, they should have entered the locust nymph stage.”
“The hundred thousand ducks were sent on the road in September. Even if they arrive later, they should be able to reach the northern border by the end of this month. By then, it will be just in time for the locust nymph stage. After eating the locusts, they can also add meat for the soldiers,” said the Associate Minister of the Ministry of State Affairs.
“The wealthy families have done well this time,” several ministers laughed and joked, “they finally did a good deed.”
The Emperor smiled, “It saved us a lot of effort, but it’s not enough. With the locust plague now, as long as the food supply in the rear keeps up, the crisis is considered over for the frontline. What I want now is a victory against the nomads.”
“We must make the nomads aware of the strength of the Great Heng,” said the emperor. “They have always taken pride in their military achievements and in their fine horses and cattle. With this locust plague and our army pressing on their borders, it would be a wasted opportunity not to show them how weak they truly are.”
“When they have no food to eat and no winter clothes to wear, our soldiers must eat well, dress well, and have sufficient strength and spirit to deal with the nomadic cavalry,” the Emperor said, “food, winter clothes, meat… It’s the end of the year, and even the common people will have a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner. These soldiers who are fighting for me must also have a good New Year.”
The ministers agreed.
At noon, the Emperor left the ministers in the palace for lunch. The food in the palace was exquisite and delicious, but today there was a dish of bright red and yellow colors that stood out. The Shangshu of the Ministry of War tentatively tasted it, “Hmm, what is this? It tastes good.”
Sweet and sour, with just the right amount of saltiness, it was especially delicious.
Tian Fusheng said, “Lord Zhao, this dish is made of red lantern fruit fried with eggs.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of War asked in surprise, “Red lantern fruit? What is it?”
“The red lantern fruit is a fruit discovered by the magistrate of Huangpu County,” Tian Fusheng said, “this fruit is beautiful in color, small and round, harmless to eat, and whether cooked or boiled, it has a unique flavor.”
After eating too much fish and meat, tomato and egg stir-fry was truly appetizing. Since the Imperial Hospital confirmed that these red lantern fruits were not harmful to the human body, the Emperor put tomatoes on the table. Tomato and egg stir-fry was just the beginning. There were also tomato beef brisket, tomato soup with noodles, sugar-coated tomatoes… he had been eating them for several days.
The ministers were particularly curious about the red lantern fruit. After lunch, the Emperor had the cleaned red lantern fruits brought over for everyone to taste.
The ministers tried it and found the taste to be very peculiar. The juice was sour, but the flesh was sweet. However, the more they ate, the more delicious it seemed. It could be used in cooking or eaten raw. The ministers praised one after another, “Your Majesty, this red lantern fruit is a good thing.”
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but smile, “But even if it’s a good thing, I don’t have much of it here. I just want you all to taste it. When it grows next year, we’ll know how much it can yield per mu.”
The ministers couldn’t help but show a hint of disappointment. As they ate the remaining red lantern fruit, their chewing speed slowed down significantly.
In the afternoon, the ministers returned to their respective yamen. Meanwhile, Gu Yuanbai stayed with the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, changed into his regular clothes, and got into a carriage to leave the palace.
The supremely noble Emperor, accompanied by his entourage, arrived at the market in the capital.
Gu Yuanbai personally inquired about prices from one end of the market to the other, from the price of a single egg to the price of a jin of rabbit fur. His demeanor was outstanding, and even if he wore modest clothes, he still stood out among the people. However, Gu Yuanbai’s tone was gentle and his attitude was friendly. Although the people he questioned were reserved, they were not very fearful.
“If you buy more, sir, our prices will be even cheaper,” a farmer selling his own eggs rubbed his hands and said cautiously, “our eggs are big and good, and they are the cheapest.”
The Emperor looked and nodded, “Old man, if I buy more, how much cheaper will it be?”
“A jin of eggs is considered twelve wen of copper coins,” the farmer said honestly.
The Emperor understood.
As he walked along, he gained a clear understanding of the prices of various items. When he finally sat in the carriage for the return journey with the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue, he remarked, “Outside, eggs cost twelve copper coins per jin, but once they enter the palace, they become one hundred and twenty wen each.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue dared not speak.
“Shouldn’t I be called the Emperor? Even these identical eggs, when they reach my table, become eggs laid by golden chickens,” Gu Yuanbai joked, “I guess I’m not worthy of eating these eggs priced at twelve wen per jin.”
“Your Majesty,” the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue was sweating profusely, “the accounts of the inner court, this…”
“Minister Tang, look at how little time has passed,” Gu Yuanbai shook his head, sighed, and said, “I’ve only cleared the inner court for less than a year, right? But the world is bustling for profit. In less than a year, someone dared to take advantage of me right under my nose.”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue didn’t know what to say at this moment. As the carriage swayed, the sweat behind him had soaked through his clothes.
“Grand Treasurer’s Office, Lesser Treasury. The Grand Treasurer manages the palace’s treasury and finances, and now Minister Tang is well acquainted with the current Grand Treasurer,” Gu Yuanbai said leisurely. “The Lesser Treasury has never had any issues, but the Grand Treasurer’s Office has one problem after another. A recent anti-corruption campaign ended just as the former Grand Treasurer had to take leave due to a family mourning, so he resigned and returned home. The newly appointed Grand Treasurer, apparently unaware of my disposition, has only been in office for less than two months and has already turned regular eggs into golden eggs. Tell me, how can I afford to eat eggs after this?”
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue’s nerves were on edge, both frightened by the word “acquainted” and angry at the Grand Treasurer’s foolish greed.
Does the Grand Treasurer not understand the emperor’s temper and intolerance towards corruption by now?
The carriage came to a stop, Gu Yuanbai patted the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue’s arm, and said with profound meaning, “I heard Minister Tang is considering a marriage proposal for his daughter. A daughter’s marriage is an extremely important matter. Minister Tang, you must think carefully and not make decisions lightly.”
Only then did the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue react to the meaning behind the Emperor’s words.
Recently, the Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue had indeed been hesitating about forming a relationship with the Grand Treasurer. The Emperor’s words today were probably an advance reminder for him not to get too involved with the Grand Treasurer. This was the Emperor’s care for him.
The Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue felt relieved, moved to tears, and bowed deeply, “Your Majesty’s words today are deeply engraved in my heart. I am unable to repay Your Majesty’s grace. Your Majesty’s care for me is beyond words. I only wish I could offer my life for Your Majesty without hesitation.”
Gu Yuanbai nodded, comforted him with a smile, and then let him get off the carriage.
Actually, the Grand Treasurer had been honest since the anti-corruption purge, and it was only recently that he began to show signs of corruption. However, as soon as he made his move, Gu Yuanbai discovered it. It had to be said that he was unlucky.
In the capital, Gu Yuanbai was busy dealing with the Grand Treasurer while closely monitoring the matter of cotton-padded clothes.
Meanwhile, in the northern frontier.
By mid-October, the army that had traveled and camped along the way finally met up with the soldiers in the northern frontier.
General Xue greeted this long line of troops in the strong wind, and also greeted the endless supply carts protected by this troop.
These supply carts were piled up like mountains, one next to the other. On both sides of the vast and desolate plain, refugees who heard the noise emerged from their disaster-stricken homes, staring blankly at these supplies.
As the passing supply carts cast shadows, they covered the people underneath, blocking out the sun and the clouds in the sky.
The soldiers stationed at the border watched these supplies without blinking. General Xue’s exhausted expression suddenly became radiant.
“Do you see it? Do you see it?” the old general was excited, “I told you! I told you His Majesty would definitely send a large amount of grain and fodder! Do you believe it? Do you believe it?”
These soldiers stationed at the border and the refugees saved by General Xue had been eating thin porridge for ten days.
After General Xue arrived in the northern frontier, he had to do everything in his power to help the disaster victims. However, there were too many refugees, and the food he brought was not enough. During the wait for the court to send supplies, rumors spread from somewhere, saying that the court was unwilling to send supplies to the northern frontier.
The soldiers brought by General Xue from the capital to the northern frontier were disdainful of this claim. They were soldiers raised by the Emperor, and they knew best how the Emperor treated his soldiers. But the soldiers who had been stationed in the northern frontier panicked. They had experienced the darkest period, and even though the court had been steadily transporting food to the border this year, providing them with new armor and weapons, they were still afraid. Panic and fear began to spread among them. Hearing about this, General Xue directly arrested the source of the rumors and executed them, temporarily calming down some of the soldiers.
But this group of soldiers still worried. As time went on, they even began to feel desperate.
Then, in the midst of this despair, they received the supplies sent by the court.
The army bringing supplies had approached, but even as they drew closer, the end of those supplies were still not visible. It seemed like there was no end to them.
The soldiers stationed in the northern frontier, who had never left, muttered in confusion, “How can there be so much food…”
The soldiers from the capital were proud and said, “His Majesty cares for us, so of course, he will send us plenty of supplies. You’ve only been eating thin porridge for ten days. I don’t understand why you’re so panicked.”
The soldiers were too busy looking at the supplies to reply. Their eyes were almost unable to turn away.
How many people in their lifetime would ever see so much food?
Anyway, among the soldiers stationed at the border in normal years, not many had ever seen so much food. Unconsciously, these people who had never seen so much food suddenly realized, after being reminded by those around them, they were actually teary-eyed.
Why cry?
The soldiers were puzzled.
They just glanced at the food, looked at it a bit more, and hadn’t even begun to savor its taste, so why were they crying at the sight of so much food?
As they were thinking, they suddenly heard sobbing and wailing from both sides, growing louder and louder. The soldiers turned their heads and saw that the victims gathered by General Xue were huddling together in small groups, crying. These victims, whose faces had been numb just days ago, seemed to find an outlet for their emotions upon seeing so much food. One person’s crying set off a wave of sobs, which couldn’t be stopped.
They have food now, they are saved.
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