Chapter 3618: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (37)
Chapter 3618: The Most Favoured Woman in the Inner Palace (37)
Ning Shu had a fair idea of what was happening with the border army. The mountains were high and the emperor was far away. Many of the soldiers were more thorough than a comb when raiding the common people, causing more suffering than even the Rong tribes.
They were experts at internal strife and bullying their own, yet when it came to fighting the Rong, they collapsed like a house of cards. Now, despite the empty treasury, the state had to scrape together money just to keep these people fed.
“We have no money. Since the Rong manage to break through the city walls to plunder us every time, it would be better to trade with them instead. We can provide grain, tea, and silk, but the Rong must provide items of equal value in return.”
There was no point in a war where everyone just died. If they were going to do this, they should engage in economic warfare.
If the Rong wanted goods, they could trade iron ore and coal for them.
It was incredibly difficult to train someone to be excellent, but it was remarkably easy to ruin them. All one had to do was give them everything they wanted.
When the things they used to risk their lives for could now be obtained through trade—tea, silk, exquisite ceramics, and the luxuries of a prosperous nation—they would grow accustomed to them. Once an economic dependency was formed, if they ever stopped being obedient, the state could simply implement economic sanctions.
“Does the dowager empress mean to open trade with the Rong?” Scholar Gu immediately understood her intent. He shook his head and said, “Your Highness, this will not do. If we open the gates for merchants, we invite trouble. Merchants value profit over the nation. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
In the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, the merchants were at the very bottom. Their status was not high at all.
Ning Shu said calmly, “The trade will, of course, be handled by the court. In truth, the emperor’s birthday gift is very simple. It is the establishment of a trading post at the border. The funds, of course, will be pooled by all of you. Since the border army has nothing to do, have them build the post. We will only know if it works if we try it.
“Furthermore, the common people at the border can no longer withstand this devastation, and the soldiers are humans too. We should reduce our losses wherever we can.”
Ning Shu spoke quite bluntly. “The treasury is empty anyway. No matter how much the inner palace pinches pennies or practices austerity, we won’t save enough for the military funds.”
Ning Shu smiled and continued, “If the trading post is successfully built, the emperor will be incredibly moved when he grows up and learns of your efforts. Regardless of whether it succeeds, things cannot possibly get any worse than they are now.”
The officials: …
So, she just wanted them to cough up the money? And call it a birthday gift?
Building a trading post would require a significant amount of money. Moreover, it seemed the dowager empress intended to do this on a large scale. But who would go to the border to supervise the work? Those border soldiers weren’t exactly peaceful. There was a chance the supervisor might never return.
“Your Highness, I fear that even if we build a trading post, it will be chaotic. Prices will be unstable, and the Rong are uncivilized, thuggish people. If they start smashing and looting, the lives of our people cannot be guaranteed.”
Prince Li pointed out the hidden dangers directly. Ning Shu replied, “That is why I am asking you all to come up with a specific set of regulations, prices, and laws for the trading post. As for security, do we not have a border army?”
“Your Highness, this may not be feasible.” Prince Li felt quite helpless. Although a trading post sounded good in theory, implementing it would be extremely difficult.
Ning Shu said with a smile, “The emperor is very much looking forward to his birthday gift. It must be built quickly. The Rong are already starting to get restless, so it must be finished before winter.”
The officials were quite unhappy about having to provide both the money and the labor. Ning Shu said, “How about this? I will contribute my own salary from over the years along with some rare jewelry. My sisters in the inner palace will also contribute to the construction of the post.”
Scholar Gu bowed and said, “This servant shall obey. However, I do not possess much personal wealth.”
“Just contribute according to your ability. Consider it buying a stake in the project,” Ning Shu said. She knew some of the imperial princes and high officials lived very comfortably with vast fortunes, yet they were the first to ask for money from others.
“I hope a plan can be produced quickly. As far as I know, those regions still have resources. Specifically, the rivers beneath the Tianshan Mountains contain high-quality jade. After being polished by the flowing water, it becomes ‘High Mountain Flowing Water’ jade. I hope that one day, those snow-capped mountains will be included in the Great Zhou’s territory.”
Ning Shu stood up and said in a clear voice, “Even the Rong must eventually bow their heads and submit to our nation.”
Ning Shu spoke with great passion. The hearts of the kneeling officials, who were listening to her, were full of sorrow. They were loath to part with their money. It felt like a knife gouging their hearts.
Once court was dismissed, Ning Shu quickly handed the child to Xi’er and shook out her arms. The boy was getting heavier and heavier. In the future, it was going to be exhausting just to hold him.
Ning Shu organized her storehouse, taking out her bank notes and some gold ornaments. Gold could be melted down, but jade jewelry could not.
She gathered the concubines of the inner palace and asked everyone to make a donation, claiming the treasury was so empty that even the mice had left. Hearing that it was for the little emperor’s birthday gift, the concubines were willing to show her some respect, and everyone contributed something.
Fu Min gave a significant amount: a ten-thousand-tael bank note and some jewelry.
“These were all bestowed upon me by the late emperor. Since the treasury is tight, I will contribute them all,” Fu Min said.
Ning Shu nodded. “I thank you on behalf of the people at the border.”
Fu Min gave a shy smile and then returned to her palace. She spent her days cooped up inside without coming out. She likely still hadn’t recovered from the grief of losing her lover.
The matter proceeded in an orderly fashion. The officials who needed to pool money did so, and the great clans made significant donations. Combined with the harem’s contributions, it was just enough to build a trading post.
The problem now was who would supervise the work. The environment at the border was harsh, and if a conflict arose with the military, it was entirely possible the supervisor wouldn’t make it back.
So, who would go?
When Ning Shu asked for volunteers, there was a deathly silence in the court. Ning Shu would have loved to go herself, but that was impossible.
At this point, she still hadn’t found the world origin. It certainly wasn’t in the imperial palace.
The thing everyone feared most was a sudden silence. The officials all kept their heads down. It was bad enough they had to endure the pain of donating money, but now they were being asked to take on such a dangerous mission? The journey was long, and they wouldn’t be back for at least six months or a year.
Finally, Scholar Gu stood up. “This servant is willing to go to the border.”
Scholar Gu was the weakest of the three regents, with no powerful clan to rely on. To gain the respect of the masses, he had to achieve something significant. Besides, the treasury couldn’t produce any silver right now.
Solving the problem this way wasn’t a bad idea, even though he felt the dowager empress was just trying to shift the blame. The court had barely spent any of its own money, yet she wanted to start such a massive project.
“Don’t make it too complicated. As long as it can provide shelter from the wind and rain and accommodate many stalls, it will be fine. In reality, it is just like a marketplace,” Ning Shu stated. “I will dispatch a team of guards to protect you and provide you with an exemption plaque.1A 免死金 means death-exemption plate. It was given by an emperor to a meritorious subject, granting them or their descendants immunity from the death penalty for a certain number of crimes. If you encounter special circumstances, you may execute first and report later. Gather more civilian carpenters and make use of the army as well.”
One trains an army for a thousand days to use them for a single moment. A truly formidable soldier of the nation should be able to kill enemies with a spear and plant rice in the fields.
“This servant understands. I shall see the mission through to the end,” Scholar Gu promised.