Chapter 7: Prince Regent
Translator's note: I just realised that I'd been misreading Wei Xiren's name as Wei Sharen the entire time, and went back to fix that in the previous chapters, so if you're wondering "Who on earth is Wei Xiren", that's what happened.
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The Great Li's territory was great, and the common people were uncountable. However, the state treasury had been in debt for many years, and had actually been relying on progressively levying taxes to maintain its operations.
Jiang Changbai had always been within the Prince's residence, and had only known that Emperor Tai was extravagant, but hadn't imagined that the extravagance had actually come to this point. Merely for the semi-annual hunt, five hundred thousand liang of silver was used; it had to be known that one liang of silver was sufficient to cover the expenditures of a common household within Beijing for a year.
Now, the Great Li had only just faced internal disorder, especially the capital to the north, and a not insignificant number of places all needed money for disaster relief. Lin Yingqing, loitering about the Ministry of Revenue, had calculated the accounts for a whole day, and only then had calculated to the conclusion that only four hundred thousand liang of silver could be taken out of the state treasury.
Four hundred thousand liang; it wasn't enough for a single one of Emperor Tai's hunts.
Jiang Changbai's complexion unconsciously chilled; from early on, she hadn't had the mind to pay attention to the other two memorials. Disaster absolutely had to be provided relief for, but how to provide relief, in what way to provide it at this moment, wasn't a solid conclusion.
She suddenly called out for Xun Zhu to come in, and urged her to bring the one in charge of the court eunuchs in for questioning. But before Xun Zhu could exit the hall's door, Song Juguang spoke. "No need to go looking, he and Emperor Tai died together."
"Then call in his disciples and grand disciples; the money within the palace always has to have a destination."
Xun Zhu had only been at the palace for a single day; today was also the first true day she'd waited at Jiang Changbai's side. How could she understand this winding trickery within the palace? And not to mention finding the person in charge of the court eunuchs. For a moment, she was dazed on the spot, having some embarrassment and not knowing what to do.
"And don't you bother her; now, within the palace, there isn't any remaining money," Song Juguang added in a timely manner. "The leader followed along with Emperor Tai to flee south, and when crossing the river, fell halfway into the water. When this minister caught up to him, the seized money was all taken by this minister to serve as soldier's pay and provisions. As for the remainder, there hasn't been a master within the palace for this many days; I'd guess that it was all divided up long ago."
Jiang Changbai fell into silence, and only after a while said to Xun Zhu, "You don't need to remain waiting here, go on out."
So, Xun Zhu, once more without letting out a thread of sound, left, and only the two of them, Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang, remained. "Minister Lin said that the state treasury couldn't have money taken out for disaster relief; how does A Guang see it?"
"Tell him to go borrow it," Song Juguang replied, not in the least bit concerned. "The number of wealthy within the city numerous; out of these ministers and vice ministers, which one doesn't have vast wealth? If he can't manage to borrow this bit of money, then I'd say that he ought not be a minister."
Jiang Changbai thought it over, and then sighed, and said, "Prince Ling's residence still has one hundred thousand liang of silver remaining; tomorrow, during the morning court, I'll make an example, and donate all of it."
The fan in Song Juguang's hand moved, and Lin Yingqing's memorial came into her hand. Only once she'd carefully and attentively looked it over did she say, "This much couldn't be spent." Without waiting for Jiang Changbai's doubtful gaze to fall onto her, Song Juguang explained, "Leading troops from the border to the capital, this minister didn't in fact kill many. Those county and prefecture magistrates didn't have that many soldiers at hand, and as soon as they saw this minister leading troops to surround them, they surrendered. So, the common peoples' lives ought not to have been impacted to heavily; this remaining four hundred thousand liang of silver ought to be enough to provide disaster relief. Yet Minister Lin is renownedly uncorrupt, and, as a minister for so many years, he'd only lived in a small residence within the suburbs, and the number of servants in his household doesn't even pass ten. After court, he returns to his own residence to study, and he's never been seen partaking in life's pleasures."
It seemed as if Jiang Changbai didn't agree fully with Song Juguang's conjecture, and subconsciously made a defence for Lin Yingqing. Actually, the aides and advisors of top officials she'd cultivated while she was a princess lived nearby Lin Yingqing; if it had to be said, during Emperor Tai's time, Lin Yingqing's virtuous name ought to have a degree of credit to her.
"Minister Lin's honest conduct doesn't necessarily indicate that others are the same as him. Bixia, waiting until court tomorrow to make a decision would be better."
"Alright," Jiang Changbai replied softly, nodding slightly. She could see that Song Juguang wasn't willing to discuss this matter any further with her, and so tactfully came to a stop. After all, at this time, she didn't have any people or soldiers at her hand, and was a true puppet emperor. That she could sit in the Yangxin Hall and act on memorials was incredibly lucky; as for other matters, they weren't what she needed to think of right now. So, the two finally had a mind to look at the other two memorials. Of them, one of them was the Ministry of Appointments' Minister Liu Zihe mentioning the vice minister of the Ministry of Appointments having gone missing in the turmoil of the past few days, and recommending that the Hanlin examination's third place candidate from the sixteenth year of Hejing, Ma Yubang, be appointed in the position of the Vice Minister of Appointments.
Jiang Changbai's gaze passed over it, yet within her mind, there was a different, better candidate. So, she folded up Liu Zihe's memorial and dropped it to one side, not minding it. Song Juguang looked over all of this, and the corners of her lips faintly rose into a smile, but she didn't speak, nor cause an obstruction.
However, when Jiang Changbai went to read the final memorial, even if Song Juguang hadn't wanted to speak, she would have had to. The Minister of War's report said that the Western border, and the counties bordering the state of Shejin, had, for a number of days in succession, suffered the harassment of Shejin. A few squadrons of Shejin's soldiers, searching for the lost Princess Heqin, had, in vain, attempted to encroach on the Great Li's territory. But all of them had already been beaten back by the local garrison's might.
Jiang Changbai moved her gaze towards Song Juguang only when she'd almost finished reading it, and said, "A Guang, what do you think?"
"All of it is Bixia's decision."
Who would have thought that what Jiang Changbai had been expecting was was these words of Song Juguang's, and without waiting for her final syllable, she spoke. "Then it would be better for me to send that personal guard Wei Xiren to take along five thousand people to the border to take a route, and have the people of Shejin see my Great Li's might, and cut off their intentions to invade."
On hearing this, Song Juguang stilled slightly, and raised her head, seeing Jiang Changbai gazing at her unblinkingly. So, after thinking, she said, "Bixia, then these five thousand people?"
"In the end, they're your personal guards; allocating them from within your troops would be fine, and deploying them from the Ministry of War would also be; all of it depends on A Guang's desire."
At this, Song Juguang understood Jiang Changbai's meaning, and only remembered Wei Xiren trussing up Xie Qianbing's hands the day before and pressing her against the ground, using this as an excuse to vent her anger. But Jiang Changbai didn't know that, actually, Wei Xiren was a bandit leader that Song Juguang had incorporated into her troops when fighting at the Western border. When she hadn't run into Song Juguang, Wei Xiren usually brought along the people from within her own camp to combat the invaders from Shejin. Afterwards, Song Juguang had brought along soldiers to pacify the Western border, battling such that Shejin bowed before the Great Li, and only at this had Wei Xiren brought along those beneath her to seek shelter with Song Juguang, and, after, when her performance was exceptional, she'd become Song Juguang's personal guard. Wei Xiren was precisely the best candidate for dealing with this matter.
But Song Juguang didn't have the intent to inform Jiang Changbai of this, and only with brief aggrievement, asked, "Is it that Bixia wishes to dispatch the people by this minister's side?"
This candid phrase unexpectedly caused Jiang Changbai to be startled, and she hurriedly shook her head. "A Guang, you know that there isn't anyone at my hand who could be used; those you have confidence in, I have confidence in as well."
Yet Song Juguang hadn't foreseen that Jiang Changbai would say this, and for a bit, she was astonished. But before this was over, Jiang Changbai added, "During morning court tomorrow, I'll change your nominal position of State Preceptor into the practical position of Prime Minister, and also confer on you the position of Prince Regent; when entering the court, you won't need to bow your head and take small steps, and can enter the hall with your jian. A Guang, I know you have no intention to serve as an official, but I'll still ask you to help me."
Jiang Changbai's words were sincere, as if she were truly a regent who was seeking virtue with thirsty eagerness. As for whether or not her innermost thoughts went this way, there was only she herself who was informed. Song Juguang was by and large very satisfied with this speech of Jiang Changbai's, and her expression wasn't anywhere similar to what it had just been. Rising, she was about to kneel and thank the sage's favour,[1] but before she'd stood, she was grasped by Jiang Changbai's hand.
"A Guang, between us, there doesn't need to be this sort of empty ceremonial conduct. When there aren't outsiders, it's fine for us to be like we were as children."
When that disk-like clear moon outside the window had climbed to the centre wasn't known; the fluttering wings of the crows flew away from the eaves. Within the Yangxin Hall, the lit candle flames had finally been extinguished, and beneath the inky screen, Song Juguang's disruptive plain white clothes headed out of the hall, as if a clear droplet of water flowing into the ink, gradually losing any trace.
Early the next day, when the skies hadn't fully brightened, the officials waited within the hall. The bell indicating the fifth night watch period had just passed; Jiang Changbai, wearing a yellow changpao, accompanied by the thin sound of drum music, sat on the Dragon Throne. Xun Zhu's voice, announcing "court is in session", had only just ended when Lin Yingqing knelt before the hall. His words were earnest, haranguing the northern cities and towns' citizenry's lives, an abyss of suffering of deep water and scorching fire, repeatedly knowtowing and requesting in accordance with his memorial that money and provisions be sent to the North to relieve disaster.
"Get on up, this is what We wished to speak of as well," Jiang Changbai said, inhaling deeply, her gaze unceasingly sweeping over the figures of the great ministers at the head. "Minister Lin, how much money did the memorial you sent to me yesterday say was needed for disaster relief."
"Answering Bixia, the necessary money and provisions taken together ought to take eight hundred thousand liang of silver."
"Minister Lin is known far and wide as an honest minister; when We were at the Prince's residence, We heard of your good name; if you say it requires eight hundred thousand liang, then it must require eight hundred thousand liang." Yet, coming to this point, Jiang Changbai altered the thread of discussion, and only stared at Lin Yingqing, who stood before the countless ministers. "Then, tell Us, in our Great Li's treasury, how much money can be taken out now?"
Lin Yingqing fell into silence, and his voice wasn't as spirited as it had been just then. "Right now, the state treasury still has four hundred thousand liang of silver within it."
"Four hundred thousand liang; then, tell us, where will We go to give you the extra four hundred thousand liang that you're looking for?" Jiang Changbai asked sternly, a baseless majestic might emerging from within her words, pressing everyone even further down; within a split second, the hall fell entirely silent, and one would be able to hear if a needle fell.
Suddenly, Liu Zihe took the lead to kneel, kowtowing as he called out, "Bixia, please quell your anger". The others all followed, kneeling down and calling out "long live" countless times, yet there wasn't a single person who declared a solution method.
"Bixia, this minister believes that now, it can only be borrowed," Lin Yingqing said, raising his head from amids all the kneeling ministers, his words neither servile nor overbearing.
"A good suggestion; Lin-daren is worthy of being known as an honest minister."
Yet the immediately following words were actually Song Juguang. Only, looking at Song Juguang, she was still wearing plain white clothing as she strode into from without the hall, but their structure was comprably slightly more formal than the night before. Within her hand was a not a moon-white ivory tablet, but a folding fan with a deep, sandalwood-coloured frame. As she spoke, she walked towards the front of the hall, yet the next moment, she turned around to look towards Liu Zihe, kneeling at the fore. "Liu-daren, I've heard that your residence just bought a theatre group last month, such an extravagant expenditure of money."
Translator's notes:
[1]: 跪谢圣恩 (gui xie sheng en); a literary way of giving thanks.
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