Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

The banquet given by Emperor Xianfeng would not last long, but it was not short either, more than an hour. The most unbearable thing was that after eating for such a long time, he was not very full and only had a light taste. It was really torture for Liu Ye to kneel there, especially when he saw those old men in their seventies and eighties who had to kowtow to express their gratitude after receiving the meal given by Emperor Xianfeng. I don’t know how these old men’s knees were so strong. Even with Liu Ye’s great physique, he felt his knees sore after enduring such torture!

After returning to the Prince's Mansion, Senggelinqin looked at Liu Ye and said with a smile: "Boy, how do you feel? How does it taste?"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, do you want me to tell you the truth?"

Senggelinqin nodded, and Guo Ye replied: "To be honest, this meal is the most miserable I have ever had in my life. It was really torture. It was not even a meal..."

Senggelinqin smiled and said, "Boy, just be content. When Emperor Qianlong held the Banquet for a Thousand Elders, several of those old ministers were carried out directly, and two were tortured to death. However, even so, it was still the supreme honor for the ministers. Not everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the emperor's banquet..."

Liu Ye was filled with contempt. These people were really cheap. There was nothing he could do. They were truly hopeless. Their heads were full of the idea of ​​the ruler-subject relationship, and there was no way they could be corrected!

Senggelinqin continued, "Okay, it's still early. Let's rest for a while. When it's time to light the lamps, you'll have to go out with me to visit guests."

Liu Ye's heart moved, and he remembered the look in Prince Gong Yixin's eyes. He whispered, "Monk Prince, shall we go to pay our respects to Prince Gong tonight?"

Senggelinqin was startled and asked in surprise, "Boy, how did you know that I was going to take you to see Prince Gong?"

Liu Ye chuckled and said, "Your Highness, I saw Prince Gong glance at you when the Emperor received me. I've offended Prince Zheng. I don't know when this prince will cause trouble for me. You'll be in Tianjin by then, and I won't have any support. Even if Lord Sushun is willing to step forward, I'll have to flatter him. I think Prince Gong and only a few others in the court can keep me safe..."

Senggelinqin sighed and said, "Prince Gong is extremely capable and talented. Sooner or later, he will have the chance to realize his ambitions. However, the Emperor is currently very wary of him. He still has a long way to go. Even so, there are still very few people in the court who don't give him face."

Senggelinqin continued, "You have many things to do when you go in and out of the capital. Once I'm gone, you'll have to go it alone. Remember, you can only trust half of people. The court is too complicated for just anyone to wade through. The Emperor has ordered the Ministry of Works to allocate 400,000 taels of salary to me. I will withhold 40,000 taels and hand it all over to you. Spend it when it's time, don't be reluctant!"

Liu Ye was shocked. Others paid out of their own pockets to honor their superiors, but this prince was different. He actually paid out of his own pocket to support him. Although the money came from military salaries, this friendship was indeed very important.

Liu Ye said quickly, "Your Highness, how can I do this? Four hundred thousand taels of silver were earned by the soldiers through blood and sweat. How can I squander it? How can I face my brothers?"

Senggelinqin shook his head and replied, "Liu Ye, this is how the world is. Don't think of yourself as aloof. Just ask yourself, which official doesn't earn a share of his fortune to leave behind for future generations? Even Zeng Guofan in the south, who prided himself on being incorruptible, can you tell how much his younger brother has gained? Can you tell the difference between what belongs to the younger brother and what belongs to the older brother?"

Liu Ye was silent for a moment. All the officials had become like this. This was the real reason why the Qing Dynasty was in such a state of decline. Think about it, from Huang Taiji to Qianlong, the founding emperors of the Qing Dynasty, which one of them was not a master of civil and military affairs? They had just expanded the Qing Dynasty to this point, building a new country with great difficulty. Now, corruption was rampant, and every official was greedy. As the saying goes, "Ten years as a clean official can earn you 100,000 silver coins!" If this situation did not change, China would continue to sink into a deeper state of decline!

Senggelinqin looked at Liu Ye and said with a wry smile, "Well, you and I are destined to be together. Since you don't want to do this, then all the 400,000 taels of silver will be sent to Tianjin and rewarded to the soldiers. As for the money for this activity, it should be paid from my treasury. I am a prince, and I can still come up with tens of thousands of taels of silver..."

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, I am so grateful to you that I am unable to sleep or eat."

Senggelinqin smiled and said, "Alright, there's no need to act like a child. I absolutely believe that you are more than capable of anything. Just wait until I'm a hundred years old and, for my sake, help me look after those useless descendants. That'll be enough!"

Liu Ye replied, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? You have been so kind to me. Even without these gifts, I would never be ungrateful! By the way, Your Highness, can each of the important officials in the court come up with tens of thousands of taels of silver, or even more?"

Senggelinqin was taken aback and replied, "I'm not too clear about this matter, but the vast majority of people can come up with it. Some even have more than tens of thousands of taels, and there are also many who can come up with hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels. These people may not be very good at doing things, but when it comes to making money, they are absolutely no slouch, ha ha ha!"

Liu Ye whispered, "Your Highness, you said that the country is in a difficult situation right now, with wars raging everywhere and the treasury empty. If we could find a way to get the important officials in the court to give up some money to support the government, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"shut up!"

Senggelinqin's face changed drastically, and he shouted, "Liu Ye, you are confused. How could you do such a thing? If you really do that, I'm afraid you will offend all the important officials in the court! This is not a joke. If you are not careful, you might even be sliced ​​into pieces!"

Liu Ye was genuinely shocked. He looked at Senggelinqin, who was speaking in a stern voice, and stammered, "Your Highness, I was just saying that. Is it really that serious?"

Senggelinqin said angrily, "Who do you think you are? Are all the civil and military officials in the court as impartial and selfless as you, and devoted to the country? That's pure silver! Silver! Blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents. You've offended all the important officials in one go. Who will help you in the future? Who will be close to you? I'm afraid that even if you are powerful, you can still withstand the attacks from everyone."

Liu Ye's heart was pounding. Damn, he was still a little naive. He didn't even see through this. If the monk king hadn't woken him up, he would have really been playing with fire and getting burned!