After her rebirth, the empress received a tragic and beautiful script.

Before Chen Yuansi came, Ye Qinghuai looked through a lot of information, including agricultural economics and meteorological records, as well as the annual reports submitted by Yingzhou, trying to analyze the real reasons for the food shortage and the starving people on the road in Qing County.

Precisely because she had looked up the information, she was unable to refute Chen Yuansi at this moment.

As the chief minister of the cabinet who has been immersed in government affairs for more than 40 years, Chen Yuansi can be said to have pointed out the real problems of Qing County.

During the reign of Yan Zhao, Da Jing fought a six-year war with the Western Rong. In the end, the Western Rong was defeated and surrendered, and retreated to Suliang. After that battle, although the Western Rong would harass the border of Da Jing from time to time, it did not cause large-scale wars. Yingzhou, which bordered the Western Rong, ushered in eighty years of peace, and the population also surged. Except for the loss of some able-bodied men due to conscription in the war with the Northern Di during the Longde period, in just eighty years, the population had increased from 600,000 during the reign of Yan Zhao to 3.8 million, second only to Zhongzhou.

But this is the main reason, but not the only reason.

"It is not impossible to feed 410,000 people with the food rations for 350,000 people. Lord Chen, I have seen the grain and grass in and out of several major granaries in Yingzhou. As of the end of last year, there were still 500,000 dan of surplus grain in the Yingzhou granaries. If the arable land in Yingzhou cannot support the current population, then how did it accumulate so much surplus grain in the past few years? Besides, Dajing is rich in all nine states, and the grain production in Zhongzhou exceeded expectations last year, which can also be allocated to Yingzhou for relief." Ye Qinghuai said.

"When one side is in trouble, all sides come to its aid. That's the way it works in normal years. But last year, the Northern Di army invaded our borders, our royal division was defeated at Baishui River, the commander was captured, and the food and grass were lost. Even if there is surplus food, it must be given priority to supply the frontline war instead of using it on these civilians." Chen Yuansi answered calmly, "As for the grain stored in the warehouse, Your Majesty, since you have carefully checked the meteorological records of Yingzhou, you must have carefully checked the tax grain and population of Yingzhou. The tax grain of Yingzhou has hardly changed in the eleven years since the third year of Shunping. In other words, the cultivated land in Yingzhou has basically been developed, and it is difficult to increase grain production by expanding cultivated land. But the population of Yingzhou has increased sharply in the past five years, by more than 63,000, which has directly led to the annual decrease in the reserves of Yingzhou's granaries in recent years."

"The cabinet has discussed the situation of money and grain in the first month of the year. The problem of reduced grain reserves can be compensated by expanding military farms and new tax grain policies." Ye Qinghuai interrupted Chen Yuansi's statement.

"Your Majesty, the promotion of the new policy will take time, and if we want the existing grain reserves to last until the new policy takes effect, we must make some choices." Chen Yuansi paused, looked into Ye Qinghuai's eyes, and slowed down his voice, "Your Majesty, please don't delay the national affairs and military strategies that Your Majesty has decided for a few traitors who don't know how to appreciate the grace of heaven."

Ye Qinghuai looked at Chen Yuansi's dark pupils and was speechless for a moment.

For the first time, she felt pressure from this mature, steady, and tactful cabinet minister. Unlike Gu Shihai's aggressive aura, the pressure from Chen Yuansi made her feel cold in her heart. The old eye sockets seemed to be embedded with two abysses, which buried the heavy and silent history and the complex and difficult to discern human nature, making Ye Qinghuai feel that there was nowhere to hide. The calculations and plans in her heart, as well as the meanness and cowardice that could not be expressed in words, seemed to be laid out in front of Chen Yuansi, becoming a weakness that he could attack at will.

Chen Yuansi understood human nature too well. He knew what Ye Qinghuai cared about most, or he knew what every emperor in history cared about most.

The national policies of adding military farms and tax reform at the beginning of the year were the results of Ye Qinghuai's painstaking efforts. The emperor's determination to fight was obvious to all the court officials. If the emperor suddenly shelved the plan to expand the army because of the shortage of food and grass, it would be tantamount to slapping himself in the face, making those policies prepared and laid out for the war become ridiculous, and the image of the emperor's final say would be destroyed. It would even make those new policies that are still in the works become difficult to implement, and ultimately end up being stillborn.

Chen Yuansi put the two things of opening warehouses to provide disaster relief and supporting the army on both sides of the scale and asked Ye Qinghuai to choose, because he knew that she could not give up the latter.

It was a suffocating, overwhelming pressure.

Ye Qinghuai withdrew her gaze from Chen Yuansi. She sighed silently and said, "What Elder Chen said makes sense. I understand what you mean. This matter is of great importance. I will consider it carefully before issuing an order." Chen Yuansi heard the emperor's concession. He knew that with the emperor's wisdom, he didn't need to say anything more, so he bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I will take my leave."

After Chen Yuansi left, Ye Qinghuai stood there in a daze for a long time before he told Li Baoquan, "Li Baoquan, come with me to Wenyuan Pavilion."
-

The next day, the emperor was not feeling well and suspended his morning court session for the day.

This was the first time the emperor temporarily adjourned court since the beginning of the year.

The emperor suddenly adjourned court during this sensitive period. The court officials all keenly sensed something unusual, and all kinds of gossip spread through the six ministries.

"I heard that His Majesty summoned Elder Chen after the court session yesterday. The two of them discussed behind closed doors in the Qinxian Hall for an hour or two, from 3 p.m. until dark."

"I heard from the eunuch who was in charge of the lamp that His Majesty stayed in Wenyuan Pavilion until three o'clock last night. When he left, he asked someone to bring a cart full of books and annotations back to the palace. I'm afraid he stayed there until the second half of the night, and maybe he didn't sleep all night."

"Your Majesty, what information do you want to check so urgently?"

"Your Majesty kept asking about farming and taxation in Yingzhou during the court session a few days ago. I guess it's related to Yingzhou. The biggest issue in Yingzhou right now is Qing County."

"The rebellion in Qing County has dragged on for many days. It seems that a resolution is coming soon."

"I heard that after Minister Chen met with Your Majesty yesterday, the cabinet sent someone to deliver a memorial to the Jingshou Palace at night. I guess the ministers and Your Majesty are worried about the same thing."

Amid the whispers of these people, Lin Yuxiu walked from the Ministry of Justice to the Cabinet carrying a pile of documents.

In his hand were several laws revised by the Ministry of Justice based on the new military farming and taxation policies. They only needed to be approved by the Cabinet and then handed over to His Majesty for stamping before they could be promulgated and implemented.

When he followed the attendant to the door of the Prime Minister, he rarely heard the voice of Chen Yuansi cursing coming from inside.

"Why are you panicking? If I say His Majesty will issue an order to quell the rebellion, then His Majesty will definitely issue an order to quell the rebellion. Who will bother to investigate these details by then? When will you grow up a little more and let me worry less?" (End of this chapter)