Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

After finishing his water, Luo An sat back on the bed and studied how to open the box. He ran his hidden sword along all the patterns, but the box remained unmoved.

Luo An, who considered himself to have enough composure, gradually became restless. He closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

The box wasn't heavy, at least not as heavy as it looked. It didn't make a sound when shaken, and the sound wasn't crisp when tapped.

It wasn't an empty box; there was something inside. It wasn't gold or silver jewelry, nor was it a box full of books. So what could it be?

If the late emperor truly had something for him, why would he have made it so complicated? And if it's so complicated, how did Xu Sheng know the key was a hidden sword?

Or, he could write a letter to the Four Precepts brothers to deliver to Xu Sheng and ask how to open the box.

Forget it, I'll just use an axe to split the box open. It's made of wood after all, and no matter how hard it is, it can't be as tough as an axe.

It would be a shame to break such a nice box. Let me think about it some more; I must have missed something.

Eunuch Wei stood by the bedside and waited and waited. When Luo An's stomach rumbled, he immediately said, "Your Highness, it's time to eat."

Luo An hadn't eaten lunch and was really hungry. He left his dormitory and went to the dining room, where he saw Xu Chengyao and Xu Chengyou already sitting at the table waiting.

The eunuch who was in charge of serving the food placed the dishes on the table: stir-fried water spinach, stir-fried chives, stir-fried cabbage, egg drop soup, plus the two chicken legs that Xu Chengyou had left over from the food he had packed back.

If it weren't for the two familiar large chicken legs on the table, Luo An would have thought he was hallucinating from overthinking: that even dogs wouldn't eat them, yet they were being served to them.

No wonder Tiger was wailing and howling that there was no food in the Southern Yue palace. As someone who could eat two pounds of meat in one meal, this kind of food was equivalent to having nothing at all in his eyes.

Luo An and Nian Yao both misunderstood Hu Zi. There were no "divine chicken legs" at all; they were just two chicken legs specially made for the little princess by the imperial kitchen.

Luo An asked, "Is this how you treat your guests?"

Xu Chengyao went to school in the morning, took care of his younger sister at noon, and arranged for people to distribute memorials in the Taiji Hall in the afternoon. He was starving. He buried his head in his rice, not even looking up, and replied, "Aren't you the Crown Prince?"

With the Emperor absent, the Crown Prince is the true ruler of the palace; there's no need for guests.

Luo Andao said, "Summon the Imperial Kitchen."

The head cook was around thirty years old, dignified and elegant, possessing the air of a wealthy family's matriarch. She knelt gracefully, her smile gentle, and said unhurriedly, "Your subject Zheng Chu greets Your Highness."

Luo An said, "Get up and speak."

Zheng Chu was not intimidated by his cold face, and always had a faint smile on his face: "Your Highness, the Imperial Kitchen has no source of income, and the procurement funds are allocated by the Imperial Household Department."

As of today, the Ministry of the Interior has delayed the disbursement of funds by five days, and further delays are expected. The Imperial Food Bureau has extremely limited reserves, which, based on current meal standards, are estimated to last only half a month.

"Your Highness, Lord Yin from the Imperial Household Department is waiting outside. Would Your Highness like to summon him?"

Seeing that Luo An remained silent, Eunuch Wei raised his voice and said, "Lord Xuan Yin."

Yin Shi, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, was about fifty years old with gray hair. He knelt down with a worried expression, holding account books in his hands: "Your Highness, most of the funds of the Imperial Household Department come from the Ministry of Revenue's appropriations, and a small part comes from the imperial estates, salt tax and other miscellaneous income."

After the emperor ascended the throne, he gradually distributed imperial estates to landless people. Now the Imperial Household Department is completely dependent on the Ministry of Revenue for survival, but the Ministry of Revenue did not allocate any money to the Imperial Household Department this month.

The Imperial Household Department manages all expenditures inside and outside the palace, and money is needed everywhere. Originally, the Imperial Household Department had set aside three months' worth of expenses, but since Her Majesty left the palace yesterday, I naturally had to prepare travel expenses for her.

"A poor family needs a rich road." It's alright for us to be poor in the palace, but Her Majesty is pregnant and has a young child; we can't let them go hungry. I've been calculating every penny I've collected from the Imperial Household Department these past few days, and it's still not enough to pay this month's allowance.

Most of the palace servants in Nanyue came from poor families, and their families relied on them for monthly allowances. In addition to their monthly allowances, I also had to set aside money for firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and keep some for unforeseen circumstances.

Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; I truly have the will but not the ability… Your Highness…”

Eunuch Wei took the account books and placed them in front of Luo An, when he heard an announcement: "Minister Fu of the Ministry of Revenue and Minister Wu of the Ministry of War request an audience."

Minister of Revenue Fu Rao and Minister of War Wu Buqu knelt beside Yin Shi and spoke at the same time: "Your Highness!"

Fearing the two would start arguing, Eunuch Wei hurriedly said, "Lord Fu, please speak first."

Fu Rao pointed at Zhan Buqu, filled with righteous indignation: "Your Highness, it's not that the Ministry of Revenue didn't allocate funds, it's that Lord Wu led his troops to take away all the money and wealth, leaving us with not a single penny."

Fortunately, I had the foresight to pay the officials' salaries early last month. Otherwise, I would be sleeping in constant fear that my colleagues would block the Ministry of Revenue's office.

Wu Buqu felt wronged and hurriedly retorted, "Your Highness, it wasn't me, it was the Prince. The Prince said that if it weren't for the soldiers charging ahead to protect our country, we would all be prisoners. We can't let the soldiers on the front lines suffer poverty."

The soldiers' pay, provisions, weapons, and clothing are all huge expenses, and I must provide them in full every month as required by the Prince. When Lord Fu told me he had no money, the Prince ordered me to lead troops to the Ministry of Revenue's treasury to move some.

Speaking of salaries, all officials in other departments received their salaries last month, except for those in the Ministry of War, whose salaries are still owed. The older officials have savings and can barely make ends meet, but the younger, less privileged officials in the Ministry of War have elderly parents and young children to support, and they rely on their monthly salaries to help their families.

Fu Rao distanced himself from the matter: "Lord Wu, all the silver has been taken by you, including the Ministry of War's salary. The Ministry of War is concerned about the soldiers on the front lines, and would rather delay their own salaries than delay the front lines. Such magnanimity is truly admirable."

Wu Buqu said, “Your Highness, although I am the Minister, Your Highness is the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies. I dare not disobey Your Highness’s orders. In order to protect the soldiers on the front lines, I have offended all the officials in the court. Your Highness, I request to resign from the position of Minister and retire to my hometown.”

A man in his forties, retiring and returning to his hometown?

Fu Rao seemed to have been awakened by Wu Buqu's words and began to talk about his family affairs:

"My family has been the only son in three generations, and I had three daughters before I finally had a son. I understand the saying that a doting mother can spoil her son, so I have kept my son by my side since he was a child and disciplined him strictly for fear that he would go astray. He is also a good man, and after serving as an official for several years, he has a good reputation for being honest and upright."

Last time I advised Your Majesty that the large pay raises and heavy rewards for soldiers at the front would increase the burden on the people. A few days later, my son, who has always been law-abiding, was falsely accused of accepting bribes and imprisoned.

In the end, the emperor saw through the misunderstanding and released my son. He was released, but he lost his official position, his reputation was ruined, the arranged marriage fell through, and my elderly mother fell ill as a result.

"Your Highness, I have served the country for over twenty years, and my energy is not what it used to be. I request to resign from my position as Minister so that I may stay home to care for my mother and teach my young son. I beg Your Highness's permission."

Yin Shi, not to be outdone, said: "Your Highness, I am the oldest, and lately my eyesight has been failing and my mind has become muddled. I am no longer suitable to continue to manage the Imperial Household Department. I request that Your Highness find someone else to take over the position of chief steward."