Tianqi frowned.
His eyes looked back and forth at the two important ministers in front of him several times, and finally he said: "Since the Ministry of Revenue cannot provide money and food, in my opinion, let Liu Thief live a little longer. When the next tax collection comes, I will It’s not too late to send troops.”
He was unwilling to use money from his internal funds to fill the hole in the household department.
"Your Majesty, once the Liu thieves take action against Juyong Pass, they will threaten the safety of the capital. I believe that the Liu thieves entrenched in Xuanda should be eradicated as soon as possible." Gu Bingqian emphasized the threat of the Liu thieves again.
Tianqi said: "Liu Thief has not made any other moves since he occupied Xuanda. The cabinet can continue to recruit him and find ways to appease him so that he can focus on recruiting and buy time for the court."
After speaking, he picked up the tureen beside him and took a sip of tea.
"I obey the order." Gu Bingqian looked helpless.
Tianqi then said to Li Qiyuan from the Ministry of Revenue: "Li Aiqing, I will give you time to collect the money and food needed for the army, but I don't want to see that the Ministry of Revenue still cannot come up with money and food next time."
"I obey the order." Li Qiyuan bowed towards Tianqi and saluted.
Tianqi put the building in his hand aside and said in a calm tone: "Okay, I'm tired too, you all should step back! And Gu Aiqing, the cabinet will hurry up to recruit Liu thief. If Liu thief cannot be recruited, Then start with the people around Liu Thief. As long as they are willing to defect to the imperial court, I can appoint them as guerrillas or generals. I heard that Liu Thief has a military advisor named Zhao who is also a scholar. If he is willing to surrender, I can make them He is a county magistrate."
"I have taken note of it." Gu Bingqian bowed slightly.
At this time, Tianqi waved his hand, indicating that they could retreat.
Gu Bingqian and Li Qiyuan bowed to Tianqi respectively before leaving Qianqing Palace together.
After walking out of Qianqing Palace, Gu Bingqian raised his sleeves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Mr. Gu Ge is relieved this time." Li Qiyuan on the side suddenly said this in a sinister tone.
Gu Bingqian put down his sleeves, frowned slightly, and said, "What does Li Shangshu mean by this? What should I worry about? Li Shangshu should spend more energy on money and food, and think about how to make the household department full. It won’t be like this time where we can’t even raise the money and food needed for the army to suppress the bandits.”
"I can't get the money and food for the army to suppress the bandits. Isn't that exactly what Mr. Gu Ge wants? Mr. Gu Ge should be happy." Li Qiyuan sneered.
"Nonsense."
Gu Bingqian flicked his sleeves and said in a cold voice, "When did I expect that the Ministry of Revenue would not be able to collect money and food? So I would send out a large army to declare a great quelling the rebellion. Or should I propose to the Holy One? If it were not for the fact that the Ministry of Household Affairs could not come up with money and food, I would have How can I be ridiculed by you here?"
"Who in the court doesn't know that both Han Ge Lao and Zhu Ge Lao fell into Datong's Liu thief. If it weren't for Liu thief, Gu Ge Lao might not have taken the position of chief minister so quickly. Now the court does not have to deal with Xuanda. With troops, Guge's old chief assistant position will naturally be secure." Li Qiyuan sneered and stepped forward.
Gu Bingqian, who stood still, looked pale and uncertain.
He had known for a long time that the Ministry of Revenue could no longer provide the money and food for the army to counter the rebellion, so he kept inciting the army to fight against Xuanda in front of Tianqi.
Because he knew that as long as the Ministry of Revenue could not come up with money and food, it would be impossible for this large army to go to Xuanda to quell the rebellion. Naturally, there was no need to worry about the possibility of defeat, thus implicating him as the chief assistant.
What's more important is that the Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with money and food to quell the rebellion. The problem arises with the Ministry of Revenue. Even if he, the chief assistant, has a heavy responsibility, it will not be too heavy. On the contrary, he can prove to Tianqi that he, the chief assistant, works hard.
From the beginning, everything went in the direction he expected, stopping Tianqi from using troops against Xuanda and keeping his position as chief assistant.
The only bad thing is that he offended Li Qiyuan, the Minister of Household Affairs.
Let Li Qiyuan bear the responsibility that should have been his first assistant.
Seeing Li Qiyuan's back gradually walking away, Gu Bingqian narrowed his eyes slightly.
If the Hubu needed someone to take the blame for the time being, he would have thought of getting Li Qiyuan out of the Hubu.
"Mr. Ge, Eunuch Wei invites you."
At some point, a young eunuch suddenly appeared next to Gu Bingqian.
Gu Bingqian turned around, glanced at the unfamiliar little eunuch in front of him, and asked, "What does Eunuch Wei want from me?"
"Young one doesn't know either. Eunuch Wei just sent the young one to guard outside Qianqing Palace. When he sees you coming out of Qianqing Palace, he will take you there." The young eunuch said humbly.
Gu Bingqian thought that he would rely on Wei Zhongxian a lot in the future, so he nodded and said, "Please, little father-in-law, please lead the way."
"Young man can't afford to be your father-in-law. Mr. Ge, please come with me." The little eunuch was happy to be called father-in-law by his chief assistant.
The two of them walked one behind the other towards the place where Wei Zhongxian usually lived in the palace.
"My little father-in-law looks strange!" Gu Bingqian asked curiously as he walked away.
The young eunuch turned around and smiled and said: "The young eunuch used to serve the concubine in the palace, but was taken under the supervision of Eunuch Wei not long ago. That's why the elder feels unfamiliar."
"If you can stay with Eunuch Wei, it seems that your young father-in-law has a bright future!" Gu Bingqian praised him with a smile.
This time the little eunuch's face became even happier, but he said humbly: "I usually just run errands for Eunuch Wei and do some small things."
"Being able to do some small things for Eunuch Wei shows that Eunuch Wei trusts you, my young father-in-law. It seems that it won't be long before your young father-in-law is put in a more important position." Gu Bingqian said his kind words without any money.
The little eunuch who was leading the way was so happy that he couldn't open his mouth from ear to ear.
If you want to get ahead in the palace, you have to lose to several big eunuchs in the palace. The most powerful eunuch in the palace right now is Wei Zhongxian. Now that he is working beside Wei Zhongxian, he also feels that he will definitely be important in the future and occupy a position in the palace. a place.
After walking for a while, we came to a low house.
"Master Ge is here. Eunuch Wei is inside. Please come in, Master Ge!" The little eunuch stopped outside the door of a house.
Gu Bingqian raised his head and glanced at the room in front of him. He had been here once before and knew that this was Wei Zhongxian's residence in the palace, so he stepped in.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Wei Zhongxian sitting in the master's seat.
"Sir Wei." Gu Bingqian cupped his hand.
Wei Zhongxian threw down the leftover fruit core in his hand and said with a smile: "Mr. Gu Ge, please take a seat. Come and serve tea."
A young eunuch came in with freshly brewed hot tea.
Gu Bingqian took the hot tea, put it aside, looked at Wei Zhongxian and said, "I don't know, my father-in-law is anxious to find me, but what's the matter?"
"Drink tea first. This is specially prepared for Mr. Gu Ge. Usually only the queen and concubines in the palace can drink it." Wei Zhongxian raised his finger and pointed to the tea on the table.
