Tiger Guards

Chapter 91 Stability Priority
"Your Majesty, Yang Ziqi has sent the Right Wise King a memorial."

Liu Xie fell asleep due to exhaustion. The voice of Shi Shi, the attendant on duty at night, came but failed to wake Liu Xie up.

Fu Shou, still restless with a preoccupied mind, rose upon hearing the noise, and donned her new outer robe. As soon as she left her chambers, she said to the palace attendant on duty who had come to announce the news, "Bring me the memorial. I will go and help His Majesty rise."

"only."

The two palace servants on duty responded softly and turned to go outside the courtyard to get the memorial.

Fu Shou returned to the bedroom and woke Liu Xie up, put a warm brocade robe on him, and brought a candlestick closer.

At this time, the palace maid brought the memorial. Liu Xie was dozing off while reading it.

Fu Shou was taking Liu Xie's shoes and socks, but Liu Xie was so angry that he threw the memorial to the ground, jumped up from the bed, and stomped on the memorial with his bare feet. He stomped on it seven or eight times in a row until he was tired, staring with his eyes wide open, gasping for breath, and his body trembling.

The brocade robe on his body slipped off, and Fu Shou hurriedly took it and put it on him: "Your Majesty, calm down. Why are you like this?"

Liu Xie's teeth were chattering, and he pointed at the memorial on the ground and was unable to speak.

Fu Shou helped him sit down before turning around to pick up the memorial.

She came to the second candlestick and read, her eyes wide. "Gold brick chamber? Twenty-eight money vaults?"

She couldn't believe the words she saw. Her family married a princess, and although they received many rewards during the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, they had never filled up a cellar.

Is this the accumulation and foundation of the Wei family during the Han Dynasty over three hundred years?
Liu Xie moved to the edge of the couch and covered his chest: "It hurts..."

"His Majesty?"

Fu Shou took the silk quilt and wrapped it around Liu Xie. Liu Xie burst into tears and choked up, "How could this happen? Is it just the Wei family, or is it the same in every family?"

At this moment, he even suspected that the Fu family had accumulated a lot of wealth through similar means.

"I don't know."

Fu Shou also felt her hands were a little cold. The wealth of the Wei family had exceeded the imagination and understanding of her as the queen of the current dynasty.

Emperor Lingdi spent about 100 million yuan to marry Empress Song.

Qubei estimated based on the piles of Wuzhu coins that the Wei family had hidden no less than 300 million coins.

Three hundred million coins, at the official exchange rate, is thirty thousand gold.

This does not include the unimaginable gold brick secret room. A gold cake as big as the bottom of a bowl is only one gold, so this gold brick must be worth at least a hundred gold.

Gold and Wuzhu coins were used in the Han area and were also recognized by the Xiongnu.

Since the chaotic times, copper coins have been in short supply everywhere. People have difficulty measuring prices and have resorted to bartering.

Liu Xie felt his body gradually warm up. A palace maid approached the bedroom door and said, "Your Majesty, the Grand Chamberlain has come to report that the ministers are meeting in the front hall and wish to invite Your Majesty."

“They want money.”

Liu Xie grabbed Fu Shou's hand with great force due to his urgency, but Fu Shou tried to hold back.

Liu Xie whispered, "This money will bring disaster."

The county troops and clan bandits had not yet been reorganized. Now that the imperial court had great fortune and acquired this huge wealth, whether it was recruiting Xiongnu volunteers, instigating the rebellion in Guanzhong, or doing anything else, it would be like adding fuel to the fire.

Fu Shou sensed Liu Xie's fear and asked, "Your Majesty, are you worried that Zhao Ji will refuse to hand it over?"

The memorial was sent by Qubei alone. What was Zhao Ji's attitude towards it?

If he only dealt with Qu Bei on the surface, if a fight broke out tonight, Zhao Ji would have so much money in his hands that the county soldiers and clan bandits would turn against him at any time.

"I do not know."

Liu Xie calmed down and said, "Change my clothes for me and see what the ministers think first."

Perhaps Qu Bei had underestimated the wealth of the Wei family. Things like the gold brick secret room could be large or small.

Gold can be used to buy anything wherever there is commercial activity, including mercenaries.

Li Jue and Guo Si were also short of gold and five-zhu coins; they could use them to appease their officers and soldiers, or to hire Xiongnu and Qiang troops.

It was discovered by the Huns, and they would not keep it secret for the court.

If these Huns are not dealt with properly, more Huns will be attracted.

The Wuzhu coins were heavy and inconvenient to transport, but the gold brick secret room was worthy of the invasion of the Xiongnu coalition forces.

In the side hall of the county government's front office, the ministers had already completed their preliminary discussions, and most of them looked excited.

The court is short of money now. Everything will be easy if it has money.

Even the emperor no longer needs to diet and save money.

"Your Majesty has arrived~!"

The only remaining eunuch, wearing a newly crafted black gauze scarf (Quefeiguan), stepped to the front of the hall and sang aloud. The Quefeiguan featured prominent earflaps that covered both ears, like a square, half-covered black gauze helmet. Scarves dangled down on either side, partially obscuring his face and revealing only his eyes, nose, lips, and chin.

By not listening too much and not looking around too randomly, you can avoid right and wrong.

Today, the ministers are all wearing brand new brocade robes, black with dark patterns, and some are also black silk fabrics with other patterns.

Only Taiwei Yang Biao and Weiwei Zhou Zhong were military officers. They wore crimson clothes and large military crowns with black and brown feathers on both sides.

Judging from the attire and hats of the nobles, everything began to develop in a positive direction.

Liu Xie stepped forward and took the main seat. The ministers saluted and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, we are honored to see you."

"No gift."

Liu Xie looked around, taking in the expressions of the ministers. He asked, "Lord Ziqi, how can you be sure that what Qu Bei said about you is true? Without Zhao Ji's corroboration, how can you believe it?"

"Your Majesty, if it were someone else, I wouldn't trust them rashly. But if it's the Wei family, I think they are 70% credible."

Yang Qi bowed and said, "I have questioned the male members of the Wei family in prison, and it has been confirmed."

Liu Xie nodded and asked, "What did Zhao Ji say?"

"I believe Zhao Zhonglang must have known about this. Without him, how could the Xiongnu be so submissive? It's only because he was worried about the deep-rooted power of the Wei clan that Zhao Zhonglang didn't submit the petition."

Yang Qi raised his head and said, "I sincerely ask Your Majesty to select a good minister to lead the affairs of the Minister of Agriculture."

Most of the Nine Ministers were incomplete, and during the eastward migration, the Nine Ministers' level of guards were insufficient, and they either died in battle with their subordinates, or died of starvation or disease.

There are mainly two types of officials who can survive. The older ones generally have higher status and better treatment; or they have good physical fitness and can make it all the way.

Seeing that the Three Dukes seemed ready to recommend someone, Liu Xie asked, "What do you think of the Counselor Zhao Yuanming? He is a veteran of three dynasties, having served in various prefectures and counties and having made outstanding contributions. With Zhao Yuanming's presence, Zhao Ji will certainly provide full assistance."

Minister of Works Zhang Xi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Zhao Yuanming is in command of the troops outside, so it is inconvenient to replace him. I believe that the Imperial Court Assistant Minister Zhong Yuanchang is a strict and upright person. He has also served as an envoy many times and is familiar with the Tiger Guards and the Xiongnu. We can let Zhong Yuanchang take charge of the Ministry of Agriculture. Once the situation stabilizes, we can choose a suitable person."

Zhong Yao has enough qualifications and reputation, but it would be a bit inadequate for him to be directly promoted to Minister of Agriculture to take over such a huge fortune.

Taiwei Yang Biao had another choice: "Your Majesty, if Zhao Yuanming is unable to take the position of Grand Minister of Agriculture, we might consider appointing Zhao Zimao, a councilor, to take charge of the Grand Minister of Agriculture's office. Zhao Zimao and Zhao Ji are from the same clan, which would be helpful in mediating."

Yang Biao turned to look at Zhang Xi and said, "Zhong Yuanchang is often harsh and rude. Although he is flexible, his words inevitably anger the Hu Ben and Xiongnu volunteers. Zhao Zimao is close to the border county and can appease the Xiongnu volunteers and prevent them from causing chaos."

Seeing these two groups fighting for financial dominance, which used to be a tough job that offended the people of Hedong, has now become a hot topic.

Liu Xie favored Yang Biao and asked Zhang Xi, "Can the Minister of Works guarantee that Zhong Yuanchang can successfully pacify the Xiongnu and the Tiger Guards?"

Zhang Xi hesitated and saw Yang Biao looking at him sideways; the Chief Censor Yang Zhong, who was sitting alone on the side, was grinning and sneering.

The attendant Yang Qi, who was sitting beside the emperor, had a blank expression on his face, as if he also wanted to see his embarrassment.

Zhang Xi thought for a moment, then said, "Zhao Ji, the General of the Imperial Guards, is loyal to the court. How could he cause rebellion? I believe Zhong Yuanchang can accomplish his mission."

Yang Biao said to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, the wealth of the Wei family is the wealth of Hedong. Zhao Ji understands the great principles, but the Tiger Guards are untrained and may cause trouble. We must be careful. How about summoning Zhao Ji and Qu Bei to the court tomorrow and questioning them in person?"

"I think it is not possible."

Wei Wei Zhou Zhong retorted: "The Hu Ben troops are currently holding the Xiongnu back. If we summon Zhao Ji to the court, and the Xiongnu rebel, what will happen if the Hu Ben troops seize the opportunity to mutiniate?"

He bowed to Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, I think you can send an important official to make a decision on the spot. Don't delay, or else things will change!"

This also fits Yang Qi's thoughts. He doesn't care whether Zhong Yao or Zhao Rui is promoted to the position of Nine Ministers. The most important thing now is not even to get this huge fortune, but how to maintain the stability of Huben and the Xiongnu.

However, the loss of officials was quite large, and his three cousins were from the same lineage, and ultimately from the same family, so Yang Biao could just express his stance.

He was the Minister of the Interior, and it was not convenient for him to express his opinion unless the emperor asked.

Yang Zhong was the Chief Censor. Since there was no Assistant Censor now, Yang Zhong’s main responsibility was to maintain order in the meeting.

So Yang Qi went to see the Minister of the Court Liu Ai, who had served as the magistrate of Shaanxi and was close to Yang.

Liu Ai bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is to estimate the amount of gold hidden and reward the Tiger Guards and Xiongnu volunteers."

Check the amount immediately and then divide the money.

The Hu Ben and Xiongnu volunteers were easy to deal with, and each of them could be satisfied with a few tens of thousands of coins.

The difficult ones are Zhao Ji and Qu Bei. It is not easy to reward Zhao Ji for his previous merits, and it is similar for Qu Bei. It is impossible to give Qu Bei the title of county marquis or prince.

Liu Xie's eyes fell on Yang Qi: "I'll have to trouble Master Ziqi to go there late at night."

"I accept your order."

Yang Qi agreed and said, "I request that Minister Pei Mao accompany me."

"allow."

(End of this chapter)