EBE Chapter 36 Morning Morning (1)
Chapter 36 Morning Morning (1)
Another great meeting.
Qin Wu arrived at the Hall of State Affairs.
He took his seat as regent.
To the great surprise of all the court officials, the Godly Martial King, who never concerned himself with state affairs, actually came to attend the morning court session for the first time ever.
"His Majesty has arrived..."
A notification was issued.
The Emperor of Eastern Qin walked from the left rear and sat down on the dragon throne.
"Long live your majesty."
The court officials all knelt down to pay their respects.
"Everyone is safe."
The majestic voice of the Eastern Qin Emperor rang out.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After the ceremony was over, the Emperor of Eastern Qin looked at Qin Wu.
He was also surprised; he had sent people to notify Qin Wu countless times to attend the morning court session, but Qin Wu ignored them all.
I didn't expect them to come on their own today.
"When there is something to do, we will start to act, but when there is nothing to do, we will retreat."
Yongfu stepped forward.
"Your subject has a report to make."
The Minister of Revenue stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, with the year-end approaching, this year's tax revenue from various regions has already been delivered."
"Compared to previous years, tax revenue has not increased this year; in fact, the tax revenue from the western provinces is lower than in the past."
"I wish to thoroughly investigate the cause."
The Minister of Revenue reported this year's tax revenue to the Emperor of Eastern Qin.
Dongqin has now reached a bottleneck in its development, with tax revenue almost stagnant.
Unless something major happens, tax fluctuations will not change significantly.
However, the tax revenue collected by the western prefectures this year has decreased by 20%.
This is not a small amount.
Two percent is a whopping tens of millions of taels of silver.
Especially along the western coast, which is a salt-producing area of Eastern Qin, such a situation should not have occurred.
The Minister of Revenue dared not conceal such an important matter and could only report it truthfully.
"The western coast is the salt-producing area of our Eastern Qin, yet tax revenue has decreased instead of increased?"
The Emperor of Eastern Qin spoke up to question him.
If we're talking about the wealthiest region in Eastern Qin, it's definitely the western prefectures.
He had stopped pursuing the matter, as tax revenue in the western prefectures had not increased for three consecutive years.
He understood the principle that water that is too clear has no fish.
As long as the people below don't go too far, he turns a blind eye.
It seems these people's appetites are getting bigger and bigger.
"Yes, there has been no growth for three years, and this year it has actually decreased by 20%."
"But there was no explanation whatsoever."
The Minister of Revenue said, forcing himself to speak.
He knew that his memorial to the throne this time would offend many people.
But those people were just too greedy.
The truth will eventually come out.
If he doesn't report it, he'll be the first to suffer when the Emperor of Eastern Qin finds out.
"very good."
"Left Prime Minister, have any major events been reported from the western prefectures?"
The Emperor of Eastern Qin looked at the Left Chancellor.
If there were any reports from below, he and the Right Chancellor would be among the first to know.
The report was then submitted to him at the meeting.
But after so long, he still hadn't received any news.
"Your Majesty, none of the western prefectures have reported any major events."
When the Left Chancellor heard the Minister of Revenue's memorial, he knew that the Emperor of Eastern Qin would question him.
Therefore, they were very calm when they stepped out of the ranks.
And indeed, he did not receive any memorials from the west.
He didn't care at all, as the saying goes, "If it doesn't concern me, I'll stay out of it."
But secretly, someone's back was soaked with sweat.
I thought there wouldn't be any problems, but unexpectedly, problems still occurred.
They had maintained no growth for three consecutive years, and thought that a slight decrease this year would prevent any problems.
But to my surprise, the people below were so greedy that they embezzled a full 20%.
Their original plan was 10%.
Even if an investigation is conducted later, they can find a reason to let the matter drop.
But a mere 20% is not so easy to overlook.
This time, something big is likely to happen.
Qin Wu observed the reactions of the people below from above.
He actually discovered something interesting.
"Your Majesty, what are your thoughts on this? I've heard that your fiefdom is in the west."
Qin Wu smiled and looked down at the wise king.
King Xian was already worried, but he didn't expect Qin Wu to call his name at this time.
The Emperor of Eastern Qin also looked at the Wise King.
His son was very virtuous in his eyes, which is why he was given the title of Wise King.
Because of his young age and inferior strength compared to his elder brother, the Emperor of Eastern Qin granted him a rich fiefdom.
Judging from the Prince Xian's behavior now, this matter is probably related to him.
“Your Highness, I would also like to hear your opinion. After all, your fief is in the west, and you probably know more about that place than anyone else in the entire court.”
The Emperor of Eastern Qin also spoke up to ask.
It was also to give the wise king a chance.
As long as he hands over the embezzled money, he will be given a minor punishment as a warning.
"Father...Father, I am not very clear either. The letter sent down did not mention any major events that have happened recently."
"However, Father, rest assured, I will write a letter immediately after court and ask the officials in the fiefdom to thoroughly investigate this matter and give you an explanation."
The wise king wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.
He was clearly feeling guilty.
The amount of money he has embezzled over the years is definitely no less than 100 million.
It was this wealth that enabled him to rise to prominence so quickly.
In particular, his secret resale of smuggled salt must absolutely not be discovered.
This is a serious crime; even if he were a prince, he wouldn't get away with it.
Once this is exposed, he will be the first person to be eliminated.
There will never be another chance to compete for that position.
"I hope so. Since you've said that, I'll give you time. If you don't give me an explanation before the capital is established, you can forget about your title of prince."
The Emperor of Eastern Qin snorted coldly.
How could the wise king's actions possibly be kept secret from him?
However, he still intended to give the wise king a chance.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly give you an explanation."
The wise king immediately accepted the order.
He wasn't stupid; he knew this wasn't the time to argue.
All he needs to do next is to erase all those traces, and then he won't be afraid of being investigated.
However, he was also cursing the fools below him in his heart for daring to be so bold as to embezzle so much tax revenue.
Isn't this looking for death?
He ordered his subordinates to deduct 10% as a test of the court's bottom line.
If nothing goes wrong this time, they can slowly erode tax revenue in the future.
But the people below actually swallowed 20% of it directly. This wasn't a test; it was a provocation.
He was provoking the imperial court and challenging his father's bottom line.
Moreover, now is the time when Eastern Qin needs money the most. Eastern Qin is secretly preparing for war, and the national treasury is spending money like water.
Making such a big move at this point is like they want to die even faster than expected.
“Your Majesty, sometimes you have to know when to stop. If you go too far, you will regret it.”
Qin Wu spoke again.
However, he didn't finish his sentence.
Everyone already understands what Qin Wu means.
This is a warning to the wise king.
This also tells the wise king that he is being watched.
"What the Divine Martial King said."
The wise king gave an awkward smile, trying his best to make it seem as if he was sincerely willing to learn.
"I will leave the affairs of the western prefectures to Prince Xian. However, I plan to send someone to the west to take a look after the New Year."
"With the continuous growth of the population in Dongqin, the consumption of salt should be increasing. It is impossible for it to remain stagnant for three years."
"It seems that some people in the western prefectures are quite ambitious."
The Emperor of Eastern Qin made the decision with a single word.
Although he had asked the wise prince to give him instructions in advance, he was not prepared to let his subordinates off the hook.
Some people have become too ambitious and need to be dealt with.
To avoid raising a tiger that will become a threat.
This made it even harder for the wise king to remain calm.
Their actions cannot withstand scrutiny.
Moreover, he secretly observed the expressions of the other three princes, and it seemed that the three of them would not miss this opportunity to kick him while he was down.