novelSusiti Chapter 42 Undercurrents in Yizhou, The Emperor Makes His Move
Chapter 42 Undercurrents in Yizhou, The Emperor Makes His Move
Li Yan's third fold came even faster than the first two.
Less than two days later.
This time, instead of going through the Ministry of Personnel, it was delivered directly to the Imperial Study. An extra line of small characters appeared on the cover: "Your subject humbly requests Your Majesty's decision; this matter concerns the fate of the nation, and we dare not delay."
Liu Shan opened it, read it once, and put it on the corner of the table without approving it.
He then summoned Jiang Wan and asked a seemingly unrelated question: "How much more Shu brocade was sent to Eastern Wu this year compared to last year?"
Jiang Wan paused for a moment, then flipped through the account book he carried with him: "It increased by 30%, to about 40,000 bolts."
"What did Eastern Wu use to exchange for it?"
"Most of them are copper, iron, lacquerware, and sea salt. The policy of exchanging brocade for iron, which His Majesty decided last year, has now become the established rule."
Liu Shan nodded, then asked, "Can the shortfall in tax exemption for the three southern commanderies be covered?"
"The profits from the Shu brocade trade are enough to cover the costs. However..." Jiang Wan hesitated for a moment, "Li Duhu's people have spread rumors that the three-year tax exemption in the south is tantamount to using the taxes of the people of Yizhou to support the barbarians. Several powerful families in Chengdu are quite resentful."
"Who started it?"
"The Fei family of Jianwei Commandery, the Wang family of Guanghan Commandery, and the Zhang family of Shu Commandery are all old acquaintances of Protector Li."
Liu Shan picked up the teacup; this time the tea was hot.
He took a sip but didn't reply.
Jiang Wan waited a moment, then spoke up: "Your Majesty, Protector Li has submitted three memorials in succession, urging us on increasingly. If we do not respond soon, I fear he will take it to the Prime Minister."
"Let him make a scene."
Liu Shan put down his teacup, his tone indifferent.
"Minister Jiang, do me a favor."
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"At the court assembly tomorrow, you will read aloud, item by item, the tax ledgers of the three southern prefectures and the profit details of the Shu brocade trade in front of all the civil and military officials. After you finish reading, ask one question—'With the southern prefectures exempt from taxes, has the court lost money or gained money?'"
Jiang Wan looked up and glanced at Liu Shan.
The seventeen-year-old emperor sat upright behind his desk, his fingers twirling the pen handle absentmindedly. His expression revealed neither joy nor anger.
"Your subject understands."
Jiang Wan bowed and withdrew.
As he walked under the eaves, he mentally reviewed the entire game of chess.
Li Yan urged the transfer of military power, and the gentry of Yizhou echoed his sentiments, using the pretext that "tax exemption in the south harms the interests of Yizhou." But what was the reality? The profits from the Shu brocade trade had already covered the shortfall, and the taxes levied on the people of Yizhou had not increased at all.
This matter was laid out in the imperial court, and all the officials there calculated it clearly.
Li Yan's banner became a joke.
The interesting thing is that Liu Shan didn't read this account himself; it was Jiang Wan who read it.
The emperor would not intervene, thus avoiding offending anyone or taking sides.
Let the numbers speak for themselves.
The next day. Court meeting.
Inside the main hall of Weiyang Palace, civil and military officials stood in two separate rows.
Zhuge Liang sat in the prime minister's seat, gently waving his feather fan, his expression serene.
Li Yan stood second in the right row, his expression normal, with even a hint of certainty on his lips.
He thought the discussion today would focus on the military power of the Governor-General of Yijiang.
The three memorials had been submitted for half a month, but the Imperial Study kept saying "we'll discuss it later." Delaying it until the court assembly suited him perfectly—the officials from the Yizhou gentry filled half the court, making them numerous and powerful.
Liu Shan ascended the throne and, as was customary, asked his ministers to present their reports.
The first few tasks were trivial: repairing bridges and roads, storing the autumn harvest, and reporting news from the border.
When it was Jiang Wan's turn, he stepped forward with a stack of account books and bowed to Liu Shan.
"Your Majesty, I have accounts of the taxes collected from the three prefectures in the south and the trade in Shu brocade, which I request to present to you."
Liu Shan raised his hand: "Read it."
Jiang Wan opened the account book.
The numbers were read out one by one. The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and the logic was extremely clear.
The exemption of taxes in the three southern prefectures reduces the imperial court's revenue; the trade in Shu brocade increases the imperial court's revenue; offsetting the two, how much is the net profit?
Finally, another point was added—after the pacification of the southern region, how much silver money would the cattle, horses, medicinal herbs, and ores that the tribes voluntarily surrendered be worth?
The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Numbers don't lie. The duty-free policy in Nanzhong not only didn't result in a loss, but actually brought a large sum of money to the Shu Han treasury.
Jiang Wan closed the account book and looked up at the assembled officials.
"Fellow colleagues, with the southern regions exempt from taxes for three years, has the imperial court lost or gained anything?"
No one answered.
Li Yan's expression changed.
He hadn't expected Liu Shan to pull this stunt. Instead of directly addressing the issue of military power, he threw the account books into the court.
The officials from the Yizhou gentry were also dumbfounded. They had been following Li Yan's lead for half a month, shouting that "tax exemption would harm the interests of Yizhou," but the accounts showed that the imperial court had made a fortune.
If we keep shouting like this, it won't be honest advice anymore; it will be blatant lying.
Zhuge Liang paused for a moment. He raised his eyes and glanced at Liu Shan on the dragon throne.
Liu Shan was drinking tea with his head down, looking completely indifferent.
Zhuge Liang withdrew his gaze and began to wave his feather fan again.
The curve of the corners of the mouth is so small that it is almost unnoticeable unless you look closely.
The court session has ended.
Li Yan walked out of the main hall, his steps three times faster than usual.
Fei Guan of the Fei clan from Jianwei approached and said in a low voice, "Protector, what should we do? Jiang Wan has shut us all down the moment he opened the tent."
Li Yan ignored him. He went straight to the carriage and lowered the curtain.
He was the only one left in the carriage.
He gripped the hem of his shirt on his knees, his fingers clenched tightly.
Did Jiang Wan not know about that deal beforehand? Yes, he did. He was well aware of the profits from the Shu brocade trade. But he was betting that Liu Shan wouldn't dare to openly break ties in court.
The seventeen-year-old emperor, who has only been on the throne for two years, has an unstable foundation and will likely try to smooth things over.
The results of it?
They didn't even bother to expose him. They just had Jiang Wan recite a bunch of numbers, subtly putting him in a very difficult position.
Moreover, Liu Shan never mentioned military power from beginning to end.
Not a single word was mentioned.
This is even more painful than a direct rejection. If it's rejected, he can still argue. If it's not mentioned, he doesn't even have a target to argue against.
The carriage bumped along the long street. Li Yan lifted a corner of the curtain and gazed at the outline of the palace walls in the distance.
This Liu Shan.
He was a completely different person from the rumored playful and cowardly young emperor.
Inside the Imperial Study.
After the court session ended, Liu Shan did not rush to approve the memorials.
He took the jade pendant fragment from his sleeve and placed it on the table.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the fragments of the character "Liu".
Dong Yun pushed open the door and came in, holding a secret report in his hands.
"Your Majesty, there's been progress on the matter you ordered us to investigate."
Liu Shan looked up.
Dong Yun placed the secret report on the table: "The formula for incense in the palace is indeed only available in three places—the Imperial Pharmacy, the Empress Dowager's bedroom, and..."
He paused.
"Yong'an Palace. When the late emperor was recuperating in Yong'an Palace, the imperial physicians specially prepared a calming incense. The formula was never revealed to outsiders."
"What happened to the old servants of Yong'an Palace?"
"After the late emperor's passing, most of the palace staff of Yong'an Palace were transferred back to Chengdu. Seven retired and returned to their hometowns, and three died of illness. I checked them one by one and found one person—"
Dong Yun took a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.
"The late emperor's close attendant, surnamed Zhou and named Cang, retired in the first year of Jianxing, saying he was going back to his hometown of Fuling. I sent people to Fuling to investigate, but this person never went back to his hometown at all."
"Disappeared into thin air."
"Yes. Moreover, before leaving the palace, this person went in and out of the Imperial Pharmacy and took away a batch of raw materials for calming incense."
Liu Shan stared at the name on the paper.
Zhou Cang.
He recognized the name. When he was a child in Yong'an Palace, this man often served his father at his bedside. He was a man of few words, quick and efficient, and had a very low profile.
He was so inconspicuous that no one would notice him.
"There's one more thing," Dong Yun said in a low voice. "I checked this person's records. His resume before entering the palace only states 'a native of Fuling, entered the palace at the age of sixteen.' Before that, it's all blank."
Liu Shan folded the paper and put it into his sleeve.
"Continue the investigation. Investigate his life before he entered the palace. Investigate to the end."
"Furthermore—" He picked up the jade shard and twirled it between his fingers, "Don't let anyone know about this. Not even the Prime Minister."
Dong Yun was taken aback, then nodded: "Your subject understands."
He left the imperial study and closed the door behind him.
Liu Shan was the only one left in the room.
He placed the jade pendant fragments back on the table, picked up his pen, and wrote four characters on Li Yan's third fold of paper.
"Let's discuss it later."
Before the ink was dry, he picked up the brush again and wrote a few lines on a blank sheet of paper. After finishing, he blew on the ink to dry it, folded the paper, and stuffed it into an envelope.
The seal used to seal the mouth was his private seal.
"Someone come here."
The eunuch pushed the door open and came in.
"This letter is to be delivered to the Prime Minister's residence and given directly to the Prime Minister himself, without passing through any other person."
The eunuch took the letter and hurried away.
The sun is setting in the west.
The light in the imperial study dimmed.
Liu Shan sat in the shadows, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
Let's leave Li Yan hanging for a few more days. When he gets impatient, he'll naturally reveal more flaws.
The clues regarding the masked man have already pointed to Yong'an Palace.
Among the old retainers left by the late emperor, there was a hidden thread. What was connected to the other end of this thread—he had a vague guess, but dared not draw any conclusions.
Some things are more troublesome than power struggles in the imperial court.
It is also more dangerous.
On the table, the character "Liu" on the jade pendant fragment gradually blurred in the twilight.
[End of Chapter]