What man would have the patience to waste words on a little brat lusting after his own wife? He only looked at Gu Huaiyu and asked, “Your Lordship hasn’t asked what this official’s request was?”
Gu Huaiyu had long since become accustomed to the issues within the prefectures.
Even the Ningzhou Provincial Army under Yan Zheng had their pay embezzled by Army Overseers, let alone other regions.
He now understood why the term “Convict-soldier” was so prevalent—if a man couldn’t even fill his belly, it would be a miracle if he didn’t turn to theft and robbery.
“Hm? What is your request?”
He was certain this degenerate wouldn’t dare say anything scandalous in public.
Pei Jingyi glanced at the curtain leading to the back hall, then stared directly at Gu Huaiyu without the slightest hint of modesty. “Just now in the back hall, the red fruit Your Lordship bestowed upon me was truly fresh, sweet, and juicy. It was so red and succulent.”
“!”
Gu Huaiyu’s eyes widened instinctively.
Shen Jun’s gaze flickered between the two of them. He asked abruptly, “What fruit is it that could leave General Pei so captivated?”
Pei Jingyi kept his eyes fixed on Gu Huaiyu, his tongue slowly tracing the seam of his lips as if savoring an incomparable delicacy. “I shall never forget that taste as long as I live. I beg Your Lordship to bestow it upon me daily, so that I may satisfy my appetite.”
Gu Huaiyu’s face was as cold as frost, with only the faint blush on the tips of his ears betraying his current humiliation and anger. His voice, however, remained steady. “Why bring such a trivial matter to the hall?”
Pei Jingyi’s posture was wild and unrestrained, and his smile was equally bold—the typical manner of a blunt military man. “I was only afraid that I might not get to eat it in the future.”
Gu Huaiyu lifted his teacup, his wide sleeve masking his face like a cloud. “Hm. This Chancellor grants it.”
Shen Jun narrowed his eyes, contemplating for a moment before saying, “Since Your Lordship has shown such grace, I wonder if I might be fortunate enough to taste the flavor of this red fruit as well?”
Though Wei Qingya didn’t understand the underlying meaning, he immediately joined in the fun. “This official would also like a taste!”
Fortunately, Xie Shaoling was currently immersed in the military ledgers of the prefectures and didn’t join the conversation.
Otherwise, Gu Huaiyu truly would have stormed out in a fit of pique. He slowly took a small sip of tea, his sleeve hiding the flush on his face.
Pei Jingyi’s smile faded, and he arched an eyebrow. “You two wouldn’t be able to stomach it. This fruit has a fiery nature; I’m afraid no one but a man of my constitution could handle it.”
Gu Huaiyu couldn’t bear to listen to this blatant filth any longer. He slammed his teacup onto the desk with a heavy thud. “It is merely fruit, a seasonal delicacy sent from Lingnan.”
“Since everyone wishes to try it, after the meeting is adjourned, this Chancellor shall reward you all with a few each as a refreshment.”
With that said, Shen Jun naturally had nothing more to say. He gave Pei Jingyi a deep look, then cupped his hands. “We thank Your Lordship for his grace.”
The officials in the hall followed suit, and the atmosphere finally returned to normal.
Gu Huaiyu exhaled softly. Pei Jingyi’s antics had managed to dispel some of the gloom in his heart.
He had overcome far more difficult hurdles than this. Currently, the problem was simply that there wasn’t enough money.
If one wanted a wolf to guard the house, one had to feed it first.
Since entering the court, the primary problem he faced every day was a lack of funds.
Previously, there was that bastard Emperor Rui who spent money like water, leaving the imperial court drowning in debt.
Now that the bastard was dead, the money problem remained a deep-seated issue. He had hoped Wei Qingya’s two point eight million taels would solve the immediate crisis, but it now seemed that they were still stretched thin.
He closed his eyes and made a decisive command. “By order of this Chancellor—”
“Effective immediately, the authority of the fifteen regional circuits to recruit soldiers is revoked. All Provincial Armies are to be brought under the direct jurisdiction of the imperial court. All grain, pay, and armor shall be provided according to the standards of the Imperial Guard.”
The moment these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the hall shifted.
Gu Huaiyu had said many earth-shattering things today, but this was undoubtedly the most shocking.
By incorporating the regional Provincial Armies into the Imperial Guard’s ranks, the court would suddenly gain nearly a million troops. This meant providing pay and grain for a million men.
Nie Jin had once posted the Ministry of Revenue’s ledgers outside the Court of Judicial Review. Though the officials present hadn’t seen them all, the fact that Emperor Rui spent money like water while the Ministry couldn’t even pay salaries was enough to show that the national treasury was empty.
Wei Qingya, who always loved to smile, could no longer find his grin. The faster the numbers turned in his head, the more he realized that this staggering military expenditure would consume sixty percent of Great Chen’s annual tax revenue.
The Minister of War didn’t dare cross Gu Huaiyu, but he couldn’t help but stand up, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. “Your Lordship… this… I’m afraid this is inappropriate?”
Only Pei Jingyi’s gaze remained deep as he watched Gu Huaiyu’s silhouette.
Gu Huaiyu was actually calm now. He walked toward the sand table, lifting the hem of his scarlet python-patterned sleeve to reveal a slender, snow-white arm that many in the hall couldn’t tear their eyes away from.
“Who said the treasury is empty?”
He suddenly leaned over, his fingertips plucking the black flag representing Great Chen and thrusting it firmly into the heart of Eastern Liao. “Isn’t this our purse?”
The moment the flag pierced the sand table, the officials present couldn’t help but gasp.
