HBWnovel Chapter 495: The Imperial Concubine is Pure and Elegant (245)
Chapter 495: The Imperial Concubine is Pure and Elegant (245)
Chapter 495: The Imperial Concubine is Pure and Elegant (Two Hundred and Forty-Five)
Emperor Qi Ping sat on the dragon throne, holding a memorial in his hand, with an indescribably decadent expression.
In recent months, all he received was bad news, and there was not a single good thing in the memorials.
He was already very anxious and uneasy, and it turned out that his son not only did not empathize with him, but also coveted his throne.
He was filled with regret. How could he have let his sons down? Each one of them was so shallow that it was shocking.
Even with the war on the front lines so dire that he could barely hold onto the throne, his second, third, and fifth sons were still vying for the throne. Why didn't they think about it? If the rebels reached the palace, he, the incumbent emperor, would be beheaded. What was the point of his sons fighting for the throne?
His favorite eldest prince and fourth prince died on the battlefield. In addition to being heartbroken, he transferred 300,000 troops back to the border to prepare to encircle and suppress the rebels.
The 300,000-strong army divided into three groups and headed straight for Xicheng. They should have destroyed Qi Yu's rebel army, but in reality, the 300,000-strong army was defeated, 100,000 soldiers were killed, and 200,000 were taken prisoner. For Emperor Qi Ping, such a result was absolutely unacceptable!
As for why this war was such a tragic defeat, it was actually related to the decision made by Emperor Ping of Qi.
War consumes the most money. As the saying goes, "before the troops move, the food and fodder must go first." Emperor Ping of Qi also knew the importance of food and fodder, and ordered the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to prepare them, but there was a fatal problem: there was no money to purchase food and fodder!
The Ministry of Revenue cried poor, and Emperor Ping of Qi felt guilty.
In reality, ever since the bloodbath at the palace and the execution of the young emperor, Emperor Ping of Qi and his children had plundered the wealth of the previous generation of concubines, princes, and princesses. They also sought ways to plunder gold, silver, and jewelry from the national treasury, taking anything valuable. The emperor's private vaults were unable to hold all the treasures, and they even expanded the size of their warehouses. The greed of these superiors temporarily depleted the national treasury.
The court officials repeatedly asked the royal family to increase revenue and reduce expenditure, put the country first, and not destroy the Great Qi for their own selfish desires, but Emperor Ping of Qi always gave a perfunctory response.
As an emperor who only takes in money and never spends it is impossible for him not to amass wealth.
Now the problem of food and fodder needed to be solved urgently. Asking Emperor Qi Ping to return the treasures in the national treasury would be like asking him to die. So Emperor Qi Ping asked the wealthy and powerful families to donate money and materials to support the army.
This bizarre operation made these aristocratic families very dissatisfied with Emperor Qi Ping. It was shameful enough for them to see an emperor plundering the national treasury. Now he was reluctant to return the rare treasures to the national treasury, nor was he willing to take out a sum of money from his private treasury as a demonstration. Instead, he wanted to exploit them. Which of these aristocratic families would be obedient?
The emperor is the biggest corrupt official, so who among the people below is not corrupt? If you ask them to contribute money and effort, then you are their enemy!
They donated everything, but it was only a dozen carts of grain, a dozen carts of firewood, a dozen carts of coarse cloth and other things, which together could not support an army of 300,000.
Emperor Ping was naturally furious and raged at the morning court, but his anger was futile. In the end, he had no choice but to compromise. Heartbroken, he opened his private treasury and took out a cartload of gold to give to the Ministry of Revenue to purchase food, fodder, and weapons. He also required each of his children to donate silver and goods. Emperor Ping also set a certain amount for each aristocratic family and official to donate, based on their wealth.
Each of these noble families is extremely wealthy, but they are all stingy and selfish. This act of forcing donations is undoubtedly angering the public.
In particular, one minister, unwilling to donate a large sum of money, drove out the eunuchs who came to collect the money and gifts. This action angered Emperor Qi Ping, who had him beaten with thirty sticks in front of his house. The minister was so angry that he cursed Emperor Qi Ping and committed suicide by hitting his head against a pillar.
The man was dead, but the matter was not over. Emperor Ping of Qi directly sealed the minister's mansion, put his entire family in prison, and confiscated all the treasures in the mansion into the national treasury.
These court officials had lost hope in Emperor Qi Ping's rule, and they did not consider whether the so-called Crown Prince Qi Yu would succeed in his uprising after the defeat of the 300,000-strong army. They only wanted to vent their anger at being oppressed by Emperor Qi Ping, so they not only donated but also made obstacles behind the scenes, causing various problems with this batch of grain and grass. Every memorial sent to the capital would inexplicably disappear or appear in front of the emperor's desk after a long time.
The 300,000 troops who went to reinforce had a very miserable life. In the end, those who were captured had tears in their eyes when they ate a mouthful of hot food, and they no longer had any loyalty to the court.
The rebels naturally looked at their pig-like opponents with new respect, and every action of Emperor Qi Ping would refresh people's perception of him.
Princess Xicheng deeply detested the uncle who had killed so many of her relatives. She said directly to the man who was looking at the map, "Brother Emperor, let's hurry up and rest, and quickly attack the palace!"