EWRN - Chapter 65
Chapter 65: War (V)
No, Huo Jinye couldn't possibly be in trouble!
Waving away the guards, Yan Xi sat alone in the hall and forced herself to calm down.
Judging from how generously Huo Jinyu had lent her fifty thousand private soldiers to reclaim the Northern Kingdom, it was absolutely impossible that he only had that many troops. He might even have a hundred thousand or more private soldiers. In terms of military strength alone, there was no way he could be so easily defeated by the mere Northern Garrison Army!
Before she left, the imperial city of the Great Yuan Kingdom had been perfectly fine. How could the Northern Kingdom's forces so easily penetrate into the heartland of Great Yuan?
Yan Xi began to feel a little annoyed with herself for beheading the Wu Clan Chieftain so quickly; otherwise, she might have been able to find out something. However, Yan Xi would not regret her actions. As long as the Wu Clan Chieftain was not eliminated, she would not have a day of peace in her heart. She quickly pushed this minor matter to the back of her mind.
From her long period of contact with Huo Jinyu, she knew he was definitely not a fool; on the contrary, he was very clever. Moreover, given the degree of discord between Huo Jinyu and Prince Anping—now Emperor Yuanye—if Huo Jinye had captured Huo Jinyu, he would surely have tortured him thoroughly, not simply killed him. Therefore, Yan Xi concluded that Huo Jinyu was still alive. As for why Prince Anping was so eager to announce Huo Jinyu's death to the world, it must be to seize the throne as quickly as possible and ascend to the position of the supreme ruler, right?
Unexpectedly, with her intelligence, Yan Xi had guessed eight or nine-tenths of the truth.
What Yan Xi didn't expect was that Huo Jinyu had not only dusted off her hands and left, but had also left behind a pile of ashes and a complete mess for Huo Jinye.
The Great Yuan Kingdom had suffered a devastating blow in this war. The people of Great Yuan were plunged into deep water and scorching fire, but what they didn't know was that all of this was thanks to their new emperor, Huo Jinye.
A new day had come.
This was the first day of Huo Jinye's reign. The ministers were all prostrated on the ground. Huo Jinye leisurely strolled into the Hall of Imperial Governance. Chief Steward Lu followed behind Huo Jinye, his eyes lowered submissively. After Huo Jinye was seated on the glittering dragon throne, Chief Steward Lu stood beside him with an arrogant expression, perfectly embodying the saying "a dog borrowing its master's might."
"Court is in session!!" Chief Steward Lu shouted in a loud, official-sounding voice.
"Long live Your Majesty, for ten thousand years, for ten thousand times ten thousand years!" The officials, kneeling on the ground with their heads lightly touching the floor, greeted him loudly.
"Beloved ministers, you may rise!" Huo Jinye was truly savoring the thrill of being emperor.
The ministers rose with a rustle of fabric and stood motionless in their places. The court was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"From this day forward, We are your emperor! Haha! If there are any dissenters, don't blame Us for being merciless." With every word, he used the imperial 'We,' feeling utterly delighted.
The ministers said nothing. Their bowed heads and silence already indicated their tacit acceptance of Huo Jinye's status and identity. Besides, with large numbers of Northern Garrison Army soldiers watching over their homes, it was not up to them to decide.
The flamboyant Huo Jinye, sitting on the throne, would never have imagined that the imperial seat he regarded as a treasure—one he would obtain regardless of the cost—was something Huo Jinyu had cast aside like a worn-out shoe, something she didn't care for at all.
The court was utterly silent, but Huo Jinye felt no awkwardness. He greatly enjoyed looking down at the civil and military officials with their heads bowed. He was confident this was a sign of these old ministers submitting to him. He, Huo Jinye, was truly born to be above others. Indeed, only the throne was suitable for him!
Finally, it was Li Wenjie, the Minister of Revenue, who broke the dead silence.
"Reporting to Your Majesty. This subject, Li Wenjie, has a matter to report!" The Minister of Revenue, Li Wenjie, stepped forward, bowed, and reported.
"Hahaha, my good beloved minister, speak whatever is on your mind." Huo Jinye was secretly rubbing his hands together in excitement. Finally, was he, too, going to handle the affairs of the state from this high hall, just like Huo Jinyu? Huo Jinye was incredibly thrilled.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, some days ago, many cities in our Great Yuan Kingdom were ravaged by the people of the Northern Kingdom. Now, many commoners are displaced and have lost their loved ones," Li Wenjie said, then looked up at Huo Jinye's expression. Seeing that Huo Jinye's expression was unchanged, perfectly normal, he felt a surge of indignation in his heart. He knew that this was all Huo Jinye's and Young General Hou's fault! Their Northern Garrison Army had failed to defend the border, abandoning city after city north of the imperial capital as they fled. This led to all the northern cities falling prey to the Northern Kingdom's forces, being plundered and left empty. Many common people, who had worked hard their entire lives, were ruined at Huo Jinye's hands. Li Wenjie didn't consider himself a particularly good official, but he knew he still had a conscience! At this moment, he truly wanted to rush forward and question Huo Jinye: for the sake of fighting for the throne, you've abandoned the people of Great Yuan to such injustice—do you have any conscience at all?!"
Suppressing the anger in his heart and steadying his breath, Minister of Revenue Li Wenjie continued, "Right now, these displaced people need the support of the imperial court!" Li Wenjie's every word was firm and resonant.
"Oh," Huo Jinye replied coolly, somewhat disappointed. He had thought it was some important matter, not the lives and deaths of a bunch of worthless commoners. What did the survival of these peasants have to do with him? "So what should We do? Pray for the worth… the commoners?" Huo Jinye had no idea that every word, every sentence he spoke, was about to make the old ministers below cough up blood in anger.
The old ministers secretly cursed Huo Jinye in their hearts, but their faces remained impassive.
Li Wenjie was also furious, but constrained by his status, he couldn't say much. He could only compose himself, steady his voice, and say gravely, "Your Majesty, this subject believes we can open the national treasury to relieve the people from their suffering!"
The moment Huo Jinye heard "national treasury," he remembered. The accumulated wealth of the Great Yuan Kingdom over thousands of years! It must be a considerable sum. And now, the national treasury of Great Yuan belonged to him! He had been too excited yesterday and had actually forgotten about it. How foolish.
However, this national treasury was his now, Huo Jinye's. Why should he open it to provide relief for the commoners? In Huo Jinye's view, the Great Yuan Kingdom had a large population anyway; a few deaths didn't matter. "Impossible. Why should Our treasury be touched? Just have the local governments open their granaries and distribute grain. Why is there a need to use the national treasury?" The thought of being able to dive into a mountain of gold and silver after court ended suddenly made Huo Jinye incredibly excited. He would not open the national treasury for some worthless commoners! Who knew how much silver that would cost! No, absolutely not!
Li Wenjie and a group of ministers were so angry they nearly ground their teeth to dust. But there was nothing they could do.
Li Wenjie boldly said, "Your Majesty, when the Northern Kingdom's forces invaded, they emptied out the government offices and the homes of the common people. How could the local governments have any surplus grain to relieve the disaster victims?! I implore Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"We implore Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"This subject earnestly begs Your Majesty to reconsider!"
"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!"
The ministers, especially some of the old ones with graying beards and hair, all knelt and pleaded.
Huo Jinye was, after all, a youth in his teens, at a rebellious age. How could he listen to reason? He hadn't been the crown prince or the heir apparent before, so naturally, he had never studied the art of ruling and didn't know how to handle government affairs. Right now, he was just being petulant and stubbornly refused to open the national treasury.
Huo Jinye's eyes darted around. He looked at one of the old ministers and said, "Lord Wen, We have heard that you have a daughter at home who is both beautiful and talented, and is not yet married. I wonder if Lord Wen's daughter would be interested in a position in Our imperial harem?"
The old minister, Lord Wen, who was still kneeling on the ground, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. He immediately shut his mouth, retracting his earlier plea to open the treasury, and hastily stood up to return to the ranks of the ministers.
Huo Jinye's gaze swept over the kneeling ministers one by one. Every one of these ministers had sons or daughters at home, whom they cherished like pearls in their palms. How could they bear to send them into the palace to be a concubine for a brat who was barely more than a child?
Thus, the old ministers all closed their mouths and returned to their ranks one after another.
Huo Jinye smiled smugly, like a fox that had just stolen a fish.
At this moment, Young General Hou, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, finally stepped forward. He first glanced disdainfully at the ministers, then spoke, "The national treasury is precious; there's no reason to open it so easily. Since you ministers are so concerned about the disaster victims, why not dig into your own pockets and pool some silver to help them? Wouldn't you agree, my good emperor?" After speaking, Young General Hou raised an eyebrow at Huo Jinye, his eyes full of mockery.
Only then did Huo Jinye catch on. He slapped his palm on the table and said excitedly, "Since you beloved ministers care so deeply for the disaster victims, then each family shall contribute some silver for their relief! This matter is settled! No objections!"
After speaking, Huo Jinye looked with satisfaction at Young General Hou, who was now standing in a prominent position below. The more he looked, the more pleased he felt. This time, he had successfully seized the throne thanks in large part to Young General Hou's full support. He should show him some appreciation!
"Beloved ministers, listen! Today, We hereby enfeoff Young General Hou as the General of the State! This is to reward his meritorious service!" Huo Jinye slapped the table and announced loudly.
"This subject thanks Your Majesty for your… favor!" Hou Yuwen emphasized the word "favor," his mind racing. From their very first meeting, this emperor, Huo Jinye, had given him subtle hints. Later, when they went to the border together, Huo Jinye had been like warm, fragrant, soft jade in his, Hou Yuwen's, arms. It was an experience Hou Yuwen had never had before. It seemed this emperor had a taste for the "passion of the dragon and the sun." To prevent his own chrysanthemum from being compromised, Hou Yuwen decided to take the initiative and strive to be the one on top!
Huo Jinye: ??? I fucking treat you like a brother, but you want to top me??? Meow meow meow???
Hou Yuwen was promoted in rank and title in an instant. Then he thought, if he could sleep with Huo Jinye in the future, wouldn't he be above one person and above ten thousand? Hou Yuwen chuckled lowly with a "hehehe," frightening the minister beside him.
Watching Hou Yuwen and Huo Jinye singing the same tune in the hall, the officials were truly helpless. Any discerning person could see their relationship was far from simple, though no one's thoughts drifted towards the "passion of the dragon and the sun." However, some ministers were jealous. What kind of dog-shit luck did this Hou Yuwen have to latch onto a big pig's trotter like Huo Jinye!
After the court session was dismissed, Huo Jinye hurried impatiently towards the national treasury. His heart was filled with incomparable excitement and anticipation. He could already imagine the scene of himself rolling around in gold, silver, and jewels! No, that wasn't very elegant. It would be better if he went in by himself in a moment.
Chief Steward Lu still followed behind Huo Jinye with his eyes lowered submissively. The two of them, led by a eunuch, headed for the national treasury.
The imperial palace was quite large. After walking for a while, they finally reached the entrance to the national treasury. Two rows of guards stood watch at the entrance, so tightly packed that not even a fly could get in.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The guards knelt in unison and said loudly.
Huo Jinye paid them no mind and walked straight to the treasury door. A guard stood up and opened the heavy doors of the national treasury for him.
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