The time had reached the second half of the night, and after going to bed to rest, Xi Yan, who was very tired, couldn't sleep for a long time.

There was another sound of thunder in the sky. Immediately afterward, the torrential rain poured down. The rain continued until the next morning.

At the end of the day, Xi Yan put on a cloak and went to court with Xi Yuanshan.

Xi Yuanshan rode in the car, Xi Yan rode a horse, Meng Qingyao felt sorry for his son, and wanted to ask Xi Yan to ride together, but Xi Yuanshan said coldly: "As a young man, can't you even stand this little suffering, like something." ”

Xi Yan knew that his father was still angry with himself about the matter of Shuishui and Xi Qing, and he couldn't say anything, so he only smiled lightly at his mother and went out in the rain.

Outside the Taiji Palace, all the civil and military officials have arrived.

The hour had come, but the emperor had not yet appeared. Most of the officials were not qualified to go to court in the palace, and they were all soaked by the heavy rain.

Xi Yuanshan and Xi Yan had just arrived on the front foot, and Qi An and Qi Zejun, the head of the Qi family, also came to the Taiji Hall on the back foot. Like Xi Yuanshan, Qi Zejun left Qi An behind and went into the palace to take shelter from the rain.

Xi Yan and Qi An looked at each other and smiled bitterly, came to the corridor of the side hall side by side, and found a place where no one took shelter from the rain.

"Hang my son outside the temple in the rain, and run in to warm up, there is such a father...... I am truly blessed from my previous life. Qi An looked at his father's back and couldn't help but complain.

"Then you can go in," Xi Yan pouted ill-willedly, "By the way, before the palace guards drive you out, take a look at the Shenglong on the pillar for me to see if it is Master Wu's handiwork......"

"Get out," Qi An opened his mouth and muttered, "The rank is not enough, and you have entered the Golden Palace...... That's going to hit the board. ”

"Now that you know, don't complain."

"Go, go," Qi An waved his hand and changed the subject, "but when it comes to the matter of water...... I still have some resentment for you, you poked such a big basket, and you didn't say a word beforehand. Although everyone has now been reinstated, it is still involved in ......"

"That's why I promised you so many benefits......" Xi Yan interrupted him, "If I don't exchange Lingjiang's salt tax for next year, won't you think I'm too stingy?" ”

"A year's salt tax, Qi deserves it......"

"When you say that you are deserved, you often mean that you are disrespectful."

"You're right," Qi An said very dissatisfied, "so if there is such a thing that makes me feel ashamed in the future, please remember it more." ”

"No more," Xi Yan choked his words in one mouthful, "such a thing...... How can it be said that there is? You want it, I don't want to do it yet. ”

Qi An coughed embarrassedly twice, rolled his eyes, and said, "Now the court is ...... It stands to reason that the Jing family is gone, and Your Majesty should also take this opportunity to suppress our family, but why did Your Majesty lift this page? You said...... What is Your Majesty's mind? ”

Qi An was waiting for Xi Yan to complete the words, but Xi Yan was very faceless, "I don't know, how can you and I speculate?" ”

Qi An was about to say more, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a bright yellow figure slowly appearing in the Taiji Palace, so he had to join the ranks with Xi Yan. As soon as the emperor sat down, the accompanying celebrant eunuch shouted a lengthy "Kneel!" ”

The ministers knelt down at the same time, and the mountain shouted long live.

The majesty of the Son of Heaven was revealed in the sound of the bell-like pilgrimage, and the emperor stood majestically above, accepting the courtiers' bows in peace.

"Zhong Aiqing, who has the book to play." The majestic voice floated out of the hall and reached everyone's ears.

Si Tiantai Si Tianjian took the lead in holding the wat and stepped forward to play: "Your Majesty, the minister watched the sky before the rain last night, and saw the greedy wolf star in the North Palace suddenly shining, faintly overshadowing the purple micro star, I am afraid that it is ominous!" ”

Speaking of ominousness, Si Tianjian hesitated slightly, looked up at the emperor, and didn't dare to say any more. It wasn't until the emperor's head was bowed that Si Tianjian continued: "The greedy wolf star is the main killing, and at the same time, there is also a vision in the northwest of Kui Wood Wolf Star, and I am afraid that the war will start from the northwest!" ”

The emperor groaned slightly and sighed: "Northwest? In the northwest of Dazhao, there are many countries bordering it. Tiele, the Uighurs, the Northern Qin, and the Dog Rong to the north are all eyeing my Great Zhao. When the words fell, the emperor shouted, "He Fangping! ”

In front of the courtiers, a burly military general came out with his fists in response, this person was majestic, it was the hussar general He Fangping.

The Emperor continued: "I have come to ask you, which army should be sent to strengthen the defense of the northwest at this time? ”

He Fangping boasted that he knew everything in the army well, and after only a little thought, he replied confidently: "Back to Your Majesty, the minister thinks that if it is just for deterrence, the left and right leading guards are the most suitable candidates." But if you are preparing for a war, the Ming Ce Army outside the Chongdu Praetorian Guard is the best choice! ”

As soon as He Fangping's words fell, before the emperor could make a decision, Li Zhizhang, the general of the auxiliary state, retorted: "Ridiculous! The left and right leading guards are the guards of the Son of Heaven, how can they be transferred to the northwest!? ”

He Fangping snorted coldly, his disdain overflowing, "General Li's words are wrong, the left and right leading the army guards have been fighting with Gaozu for many years, and their military achievements are brilliant, and their reputation is far and wide, and the border countries are all terrified, so it is only appropriate to send them to deter. ”

Li Zhizhang wanted to argue again, but he heard the emperor say quietly: "Ming Cejun? He Qing, let's talk about it carefully! ”

He Fang bowed in parallel and replied: "The Ming Ce Army is not within the jurisdiction of the Twelve Guards of Chongdu, and even if it is transferred, it will not affect the defense of Gyeonggi. And the Ming Ce army originated in the northwest, with a total of 100,000 soldiers, strong soldiers and horses. So far, most of the officers and men of the Ming Ce Army are still selected from the 168 military mansions in the northwest, and they have advantages in water, soil, and scenery. Therefore, the minister thought that if he wanted to prepare in advance, the Ming Ce Army was the most suitable choice. ”

The emperor seemed to be uncertain, looked around at the ministers, and asked, "What do the ministers think?" ”

Situ He took the lead in holding the wat and stepped forward, bowed down and said: "The minister thinks that the celestial phenomena must not be believed, but they must not be fully believed. If we rush to the northwest to increase troops, I am afraid that it will increase the burden on the national treasury. ”

Immediately afterwards, Xue Zhong, the secretary of the household department, also bowed and said: "The minister seconded the proposal!" Last year I had a great drought in the north, and this year there was too much rain. Coupled with the bursting of the embankment, for two consecutive years, there is almost no harvest along the water! ”

At the mention of the water, the emperor's face became gloomy again, he looked at Xi Yuanshan and asked, "Xi Aiqing, what do you think?" ”

Xi Yuanshan pondered for a moment, and then said leisurely: "Your Majesty, I think that this is probably not the time to use soldiers. The country is safe, the crowd is self-subdued, and those who want to fight outside must first settle inside. ”

At this time, Situ He also said: "The old minister thinks that what the prince and master said is true. Moreover, Da Zhao's military equipment in the northwest was far more than that of other regions, and there was a large army to defend it, so he did not dare to attack rashly if he wanted to destroy the enemy. ”

The emperor nodded slightly, and then said to Qi Zejun: "Crown prince, what do you think?" ”

Qi Zejun smiled and said: "Your Majesty, all the lords have finished saying what the minister wants to say, and the minister also thinks that soldiers cannot be used at this time. Moreover, as far as the minister knows, there have been displaced people in places such as Shuishui. ”

"Outcasts?" The emperor frowned, raised his voice and asked, "Isn't the silver for disaster relief already allocated, how can there still be displaced people?" ”

Situ He explained in a timely manner: "Your Majesty, most of the people are keeping to themselves, and after receiving the relief money, they will reset their family business. But there are still a few Diao people, who think that the silver taels given by the imperial court are too little, and they are wandering around. ”

"Humph!" The emperor snorted coldly, "The local government should also pay attention, not to let these displaced people form a scale, but also must not arouse the anger of the people, how to resettle, how to resettle, we must let the victims survive the winter safely, and next year can also plant crops on time." ”

"Yes," this time it was Xue Zhong, the head of the household department, who bowed and saluted, and said: "It's just that the treasury expenditure this year is too large, but the resettlement of the victims is not saved, and the minister implores Your Majesty to let the southern state capitals pay more taxes." ”

"I'm afraid this is not appropriate," as soon as Xue Zhong's voice fell, Situ He retorted to the old god on the ground, "No matter how big the expenses are this year, but Lord Xue ...... How many silver taels did Jingfu confiscate, is it not enough to fill the deficit in the first half of the year? ”

"This ......" Before Xue Zhong could continue, Xi Yuanshan continued: "Yes, no matter how you calculate it, the revenue of the treasury this year is much larger than the budget, and the increase in taxes will be the people of the southern state capitals. As members of the court, how can we increase the burden on the people? ”

"Lord Situ, Lord Xi, this ......"

The two heads of the family are reasonable, Xue Zhong really can't say it, although the treasury revenue this year is large, but the expenditure is too large, even if the Jing Mansion is confiscated, it is only enough to make up for last year's deficit.

The reason why these two family heads said this is only because Lingjiang in the southwest and several state capitals in the south are the jurisdictions of the Xi family and the Situ family respectively, and if the tax is increased, the silver that falls to the Xi family and the Situ family will be much less. Although the two heads of the family are high-sounding, they are not for the sake of those people at all.

Just when Xue Zhong was in a dilemma, the emperor spoke again.

"Taxes cannot be increased, and the follow-up matters of disaster relief are still up to your household department to find a way." When the Son of Heaven said this, it was the final word.

"Yes, I obey." Xue Zhong's mouth was full of bitterness, but he could only swallow it forcefully.

The emperor looked at the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, and suddenly felt a little bored, and said with a smile: "The ministers have a book to play, and they have no book to retreat." ”

He Fangping looked around and saw that no one had a book to play, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the minister has a book!" His voice was loud and carried through the entire Tai Chi Temple. Although the emperor was a little irritable in his heart, he still listened patiently.

He Fangping made a little plan, and then said: "The minister only thought about it carefully, but he still felt that it was not impossible to send troops to the northwest at this time. ”

As soon as these words came out, not only the emperor, but also many ministers looked at He Fangping. Xi Yan, Qi An and others, who were standing at the bottom, also listened quietly.

I only listened to He Fang's calm voice like a bell, and said in a well-founded manner: "Fang Cai, the reason why you have explained that you cannot send troops is that the state treasury expenditure is too large this year. Kechen thought that in the past two years, although the northern provinces could not make ends meet, the south was smooth and prosperous. If rice from the south can be used to give money to the north, there is no need to allocate additional grain money from the state treasury. However, whether to increase the number of troops or not depends on how His Majesty decides! ”

After speaking, many of the courtiers began to talk to each other. The three heads of the family all secretly thought to themselves, Wenchen was the most reluctant to use troops, and besides, this was just a celestial phenomenon, and there was no report from the border pass, if it was just to increase defense because of this, it would be a bit of a fuss...... He Fangping said this, but he just wanted to make meritorious contributions.

Thinking of this, many people have secretly thrown away their eyes to He Fangping.

It was early in the morning, but nothing was discussed.

The rain gradually weakened, and although it had already fallen, Xi Yan did not return home, but came to the Jinwuwei camp. He still misses the atmosphere in the army.

The sky is clear.

I thought that it had rained heavily early in the morning, and the commander was not in the camp, so the soldiers would not practice anymore, but when Xi Yan came to the martial arts arena, he found that all the soldiers had already begun to practice, their movements were uniform, and their shouts were shocking.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Xi Yan was secretly frightened: if such a team is put on the battlefield, what kind of combat effectiveness will it form. I have to sigh that Wang Zhaoling really manages the army well, but it is a pity that such a general is quite hostile to himself.