Who put the yellow robe on me?

Just as the two were in a stalemate, the twelfth prince Jiang Zhan suddenly stepped forward and asked in a cold voice: "Now, the soldiers on the front line are fighting outside to defend their country.

"As important officials of the imperial court, you not only fail to consider the soldiers, but instead shirk responsibility in this court. Such behavior will only chill the soldiers' hearts, won't it?"

Upon hearing this, the courtiers in the palace lowered their heads in silence, fearing they would be drawn into this turmoil. Guo Wulie and Cao Shouku's expressions darkened, silently cursing the Twelfth Prince for taking advantage of their misfortune, but they had no way to refute him.

At this moment, the Ninth Prince Jiang Yu frowned slightly and hurriedly stepped out of the group, intending to excuse the Minister of Revenue. He thought to himself that the Ministry of Revenue was his purse and he could not allow any mistakes to happen here.

So, he said in a deep voice, "Father, what the Minister of Revenue said is not unreasonable. The national treasury is currently in a tight spot, and it is truly difficult to raise military rations. Perhaps the Ministry of War can consider other ways to solve this problem."

When Emperor Liang heard the Ninth Prince's words, his brows furrowed, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. He knew in his heart that these words were ostensibly an excuse for the Ministry of Revenue, but in reality they were an attempt to form a clique within the court for personal gain.

Although Emperor Liang had turned a blind eye to this matter before, his anger was hard to contain at this moment.

He suddenly slammed the dragon throne, his voice resounding like thunder: "Shut up! You are important officials of the court, yet you are blaming each other in this hall. What use do I have for you?"

The Emperor's wrath swept over him like a raging storm, and all the ministers in the palace were terrified, falling to their knees, not daring to look up. Minister of War Guo Wulie and Minister of Revenue Cao Shouku were even more terrified, kneeling on the ground in a cold sweat.

"I order you to collect all the food supplies for the soldiers in the Western Regions within three days! If you fail to do so, you will no longer be able to hold the position of Shangshu!" The voice of Emperor Liang was cold and resolute, revealing an unquestionable majesty.

Upon hearing this, Guo Wulie and Cao Shouku turned pale as paper and were in a panic. They had never seen Emperor Liang so angry.

The two men quickly knelt and kowtowed, saying in trembling voices, "Your Majesty, we acknowledge our mistakes and beg for forgiveness. We will gather military provisions as quickly as possible and will not let Your Majesty down!"

However, Emperor Liang's expression remained icy cold. He didn't even glance at the two of them. He turned around, walked down the dragon throne angrily, and left.

Seeing this, Eunuch Zhao shouted loudly: "Dismiss the court!"

After the court session, the Minister of Revenue Cao Shouku looked anxious, as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.

Cao Shouku did not dare to delay and immediately went to the residence of the ninth prince Jiang Yu when it got dark.

As the night deepened, a cool breeze blew, making his robe rustle slightly.

Cao Shouku walked down a dim alley, surrounded by silence, the only sounds being the sounds of footsteps and heartbeats. He silently prayed in his heart, hoping that the Ninth Prince would be able to offer him some advice this time.

Arriving at the Ninth Prince's residence, Cao Shouku knocked on the door cautiously.

A moment later, the door opened and the Ninth Prince Jiang Yu's personal eunuch stood at the door and brought the Minister of Revenue in.

Upon seeing the Ninth Prince in the study, Cao Shouku hurriedly bowed and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is in a very difficult situation right now. I'm afraid Your Majesty will be furious. I... don't know how to respond."

Jiang Yu motioned for him to sit down. The light in the study flickered, illuminating the faces of the two men.

Jiang Yu said slowly, "Don't worry, my Lord Shangshu. Please tell me what you are worried about."

Cao Shouku hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke, "Your Highness, the Twelfth Prince was so aggressive and sharp-tongued in the court this time, clearly well prepared. I suspect... there's a master guiding him behind the scenes."

Jiang Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this and sneered, "Twelfth Brother usually doesn't have much brains in his work, but now he's speaking out in court. It's really unlike him. No need to guess, it must be the Master's Concubine who is secretly helping him with his plans."

Cao Shouku nodded and continued, "Your Highness, I'm more worried. If we can't raise the military funds within three days, His Majesty will be furious. By then, I'm afraid my position will be in jeopardy, and it may even bring trouble to Your Highness."

Jiang Yu snorted coldly and chuckled, "If we really can't raise the military pay, we can drag the Minister of War Guo Wulie into the fold. Since he's the Minister of War, he should bear the corresponding responsibilities."

Cao Shouku was startled upon hearing this, realizing the Ninth Prince was attempting to shift the blame onto the Minister of War. He felt uneasy, but this was the only option left for the time being. He nodded in agreement, but his heart remained filled with uneasiness.

Time flies, and three days passed in a flash.

In the court, Cao Shouku and Guo Wulie stood side by side in the front row. Both of them understood that today would be a turbulent day.

Emperor Liang sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes as sharp as torches as he scanned the ministers in the hall.

He slowly said, "Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, how is your military pay being raised?"

When Cao Shouku heard Emperor Liang's voice, his heart trembled violently.

He knew he had to strike first, so he hurriedly stepped forward, bowed his head, and said, "Your Majesty, the military pay is quite large and is still being raised... Because of the sheer amount, it's difficult to raise it all at once. I beg Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish his words, Cao Shouku felt a surge of anger coming towards him. Emperor Liang suddenly stood up, his face livid, and his voice deafening: "Waste! All waste!"

The roar was like thunder, which made Cao Shouku's legs go weak and he almost fell to the ground.

The Minister of Revenue turned pale, his heart filled with fear and helplessness. The officials in the palace also lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the wrath of Emperor Liang.

Just as the pressure on everyone was growing heavier, the Minister of War, Guo Wulie, suddenly stepped out from the ranks, bowed solemnly to the Emperor Liang, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have already collected the military pay!"

"what?"

This sentence was like a thunderclap, shocking the entire court. All the officials looked sideways at Guo Wulie in astonishment.

Originally, I thought that this matter would be difficult to resolve. Who would have thought that the task that was difficult for the Minister of Revenue could be easily resolved by the Minister of War?

Discussions in the hall gradually arose, and everyone was wondering how Guo Wulie completed this almost impossible task.

When Emperor Liang heard this, his originally furious expression suddenly eased a lot.

His brow relaxed, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, but he still asked cautiously, "Oh? Lord Guo, I want to ask you, is what you said true? Has the military pay really been raised?"

Guo Wulie's expression was resolute, and he replied without hesitation, "I dare not deceive the emperor. The military pay has indeed been raised and will be distributed to the front lines in the Western Regions in three days. It will reach the soldiers soon."

Upon hearing this, the joy on Emperor Liang's face became even greater.

He was about to ask for details when he heard the Minister of Revenue, Cao Shouku, suddenly speak up with a hint of doubt in his voice: "Sir, please do not deceive the emperor. The Ministry of Revenue is struggling to raise such a huge amount of military pay, so how did the Ministry of War do it so easily?"

Cao Shouku's words made the ministers confused again. They couldn't help but wonder how the Minister of War Guo Wulie could raise such a huge amount of military pay in just three days. It was really unbelievable.

Guo Wulie remained calm and replied, "I dare not deceive you, my Lord. The military pay has indeed been raised."

When Emperor Liang saw this, he felt both happy and confused.

He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Lord Guo, since you know that deceiving the emperor is a crime greater than heaven, I just wonder how you managed to raise military funds in three days? I am very curious."

Upon hearing the Emperor Liang's question, Guo Wulie bowed respectfully and then slowly said, "Your Majesty, I am truly incompetent. Without the Sixteenth Prince's help, I am afraid I would not be able to accomplish this task."

"Oh? Chen'er?"

A trace of doubt flashed in the eyes of the Liang Emperor, and he turned to ask Jiang Chen, "Chen'er, what exactly is going on? Did you help the Minister of War pay the military salary? What exactly happened?"