The substitute prince: Reported the emperor's brother at the beginning

Emperor Wu's face was gloomy, his eyes were cold, and he was about to get angry.

"Your Majesty, I have this memorial."

Emperor Wu looked at a pot-bellied official who stood out from the crowd, the Minister of War Yang Long.

The others looked in the same direction.

Whispering to each other privately.

"Why did he stand up at this time?"

"Minister Yang is the Sixth Prince's father-in-law. He is the only one who speaks out at the critical moment."

"What's the use of saying anything now? Don't get yourself into trouble."

Emperor Wu had no expression on his face and said calmly, "Speak."

Yang Long was stared at by countless people. Under pressure, he said with a serious face, "Your Majesty, Jiangdong is now in disaster. The people are suffering. The court is already unable to make ends meet. As an official of the Great Wu Kingdom, I am ashamed that I cannot share your worries."

"So, this old minister has decided to donate his assets to help Your Majesty, the Great Wu Kingdom, and the people of Jiangdong."

The discussion below suddenly became louder.

What does Yang Long mean by donating money on his own initiative?

The Fourth Prince raised his eyebrows and smiled at the Second Prince beside him, "Second brother, the Sixth Prince is forming a clique, aren't you going to report him?"

The Second Prince said leisurely, "Fourth Brother, please don't talk nonsense. Lord Yang just wants to donate money for the country. Is that wrong?"

The two brothers dislike each other.

The Fourth Prince despised the Second Prince for being as cowardly as a mouse and only daring to hide behind others and use dirty tricks.

The Second Prince despised the Fourth Prince, saying he could only sow discord verbally and was useless.

Emperor Wu's expression softened slightly, and he looked calmly at Yang Long in front of him: "I am very pleased that Yang Aiqing is willing to contribute to the country at this time, but if you ask you to donate even this, wouldn't it be..."

Emperor Wu didn't think Yang Long could offer much, as that little money was not even enough to cover his expenses.

Yang Long suddenly interrupted loudly: "Your Majesty, I am indeed limited in my abilities."

"But my entire Yang family is willing to donate three million taels this time."

"How much?" The Martial Emperor was suddenly shocked and leaned forward subconsciously: "Three million taels?"

The entire court was in an uproar.

What does Yang Long mean? Is he going to end up living like this?

Three million taels?

You really spend a lot of money.

Even the prime minister, who had been sleeping with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Yang Long, who was speaking righteously, in disbelief.

The Prime Minister knew very well what Yang Long, who was at odds with him, was like. He usually had to have the Ministry of War reimburse him for every meal he had, so how could he be willing to spend so much money on donations? What went wrong?

Emperor Wu's expression eased a lot. Although three million taels was a huge difference to the total amount of money needed to cover the disaster, it still played a role.

Who knew that Yang Long’s next sentence would make the whole audience unable to stand.

"Your Majesty, I believe that this disaster in Jiangdong is no longer just a matter for the royal family, but a major event for the entire Great Wu Kingdom. Therefore, I suggest that all court officials actively raise funds."

Everyone in the hall was confused, staring at the serious fat man Yang Long in front of them with unhappy expressions.

Only Emperor Wu looked happy. After a little calculation, he realized that if everyone donated money, the disaster would not be a big problem, and even the national treasury would be full.

"Haha, what Yang Aiqing said..."

"Your Majesty, you can't do that." A minister immediately stood up to object.

This involves one's own interests. Who would be willing to pay for it?

"Your Majesty, if disaster relief requires donations from the entire court, wouldn't it make our Great Wu court appear incompetent?"

Some people oppose it, while others follow suit.

"Your Majesty, Yang Long's actions will make people laugh at the court and Your Majesty."

Emperor Wu paused and looked at Yang Long: "Lord Yang, what do you think?"

Emperor Wu wanted Yang Long, who came up with the idea, to help him fight in the arena.

The corner of Yang Long's mouth twitched. This Martial Emperor is really a piece of shit.

I took the lead and paid for it, but you didn't even help me out at all and pushed me out to fight against a group of people.

Fortunately, he had been prepared and took the initiative to say, "Your Majesty, I believe that the disasters in Jiangdong continue to occur, and the previous disaster relief methods can no longer be used."

"In times of national crisis, officials from all over the court are eager to help, which can show that the emperor and his subjects are united in overcoming difficulties together."

"If there is..." Yang Long said passionately, "Your Majesty, anyone who refuses will be punished by death for treason."

This time, the hat was too big.

"Yang Long, don't lie." The Minister of Rites was the first to object. "I just didn't want Your Majesty to be laughed at. How does that count as collaborating with the enemy?"

Yang Long glanced at him coldly. They were both Shangshu and old rivals for many years. They knew each other very well.

Ignoring him, she continued to face the Emperor: "Your Majesty, the disaster in Jiangdong has affected several states. Many victims have gathered together to cause trouble, occupying the mountains and becoming kings, and some are even besieging cities."

"If it is not resolved soon, it will soon become too big to be eliminated and threaten the foundation of our Great Wu Nation."

After a pause, he continued, "To quell the unrest, we need to reorganize the local military and provide disaster relief, all of which require money and food. Those who are unwilling to contribute to the country now, do they want to wait until the capital is captured to welcome a new master?"

These words were so vicious that all the ministers were at a loss for words.

Emperor Wu also slammed the table with an angry look on his face: "I want to see who wants to wait for that day to surrender and welcome the new master."

Whoever the Emperor looked at immediately lowered their heads.

At this time, who would dare to talk back?

I didn't dare to do it for the sake of face, but in my heart I was gritting my teeth at that fat guy Yang Long. You bastard, you want to donate money, why are you making all of us bleed?

The Prime Minister could no longer sit still and stepped forward to say, "Your Majesty, Lord Yang's actions are for the country and the people. I admire you."

Changing the subject, he said, "As far as I know, Lord Yang's annual salary is only a few thousand taels. How did he come up with three million taels?"

The prime minister also didn't want to pay money. It was too painful. Moreover, paying money would benefit others, which he was unwilling to do.

With the Prime Minister taking the lead, someone immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, how much of Lord Yang's three million taels is hidden from the public?"

"Your Majesty, you must not allow corrupt officials to taint the court. You must conduct a thorough investigation."

Emperor Wu looked at Yang Long in front of him with cold eyes. He knew very well that Yang Long was definitely corrupt.

But now Yang Long must give everyone an explanation.

Yang Long had already thought of a countermeasure: "Your Majesty, I alone cannot provide so much."

"But my Yang family has been engaged in business for generations. I am willing to sell my property and contact the gentry and noble families to contribute money and effort to overcome the difficulties together."

That sounds really nice. How much money does your Yang family have? It must be tens of millions of taels.

The three million taels could be earned back in a few months at most.

Do you have the nerve to talk about selling your property?

Contempt is despise, but Yang Long's excuse is irrefutable.

It’s not easy to have no money, just find a way. There are so many gentry families, just go and ask for it yourself.

But who would be willing to take on something that costs money but brings no benefits?

Emperor Wu was delighted, his face beaming with joy: "Very good, Yang Aiqing has done so much for the country and the people, he must be commended."

"All officials above the fifth rank in the capital will receive a minimum of 100,000 taels each. No delay is allowed."

Many people quickly calculated where they could get the 100,000 taels.