"Fifty thousand taels?!"
Everyone was surprised. Su Xian's estimate of 500,000 taels was a full 200,000 taels more than their estimate of 300,000 taels! It's really hard to accept.
Yan Dashan first said: "It's not that the general doesn't believe the Taiwei, it's just that the tax amount estimated by the Taiwei... is really too large. Let me digest it first."
Princess Lanling had already known that Su Xian's estimated figure was 500,000 taels, but she did not ask in detail at the time, so she asked casually: "I wonder how the Taiwei made the estimate?"
The Queen sat high on the throne and looked at Su Xian with piercing eyes. There was a mix of surprise and doubt on her face. Out of her trust in Su Xian, she subconsciously asked: "Does Su Aiqing really mean what she said?"
"His Majesty."
Su Xian took a step forward, bowed and said, "Fifty thousand taels is just my hunch, and there is no evidence to support it. I hope your Majesty will atone for his sins."
The queen was stunned for a moment, the surprise on her face gradually disappeared, and she felt a little disappointed. She thought Su Xian could tell her something to make her happy.
As a result, the estimate of 500,000 taels was just Su Xian's wild guess.
The Queen quickly regained her mood. The tax of 300,000 taels was actually in line with her expectations. She smiled kindly and said, "What is Su Aiqing guilty of? Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Su Xian retreated to his original position.
Princess Lanling and Yan Dashan looked at each other and shook their heads secretly.
It seems that the first month's tax payment from Ping'an City should be around 300,000 taels.
"Dear ladies, I summoned you and others today. In addition to discussing the specific amount of tax money, there is another matter. I believe you have guessed it," the Queen said again.
Lan Ling asked tentatively: "Is what your Majesty said about expanding the Longwu Army?"
"That's right." The queen nodded, with a smile on her lips, looked at Su Xian and asked: "With these three hundred thousand taels, how many more officers and soldiers can we expand to the Longwu Army? How many more weapons, stomachs, and food can we purchase?"
Su Xian turned sideways and pointed at Dashan: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, there are successive generations of people who have learned the Tao, and there are specialties in the arts. It is the mighty Duke who knows better about this matter."
The Queen nodded slowly and focused her gaze on Yan Dashan: "General Yan, please tell me."
Yan Dashan had already planned this, and stepped forward to open his mouth, but at this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the imperial study: "Your Majesty..."
As soon as Yan Dashan's words came to his lips, they were interrupted and swallowed back into his stomach.
The queen's expression changed, and Long Yan was furious, scolding: "How dare you, who is making noise outside?"
"Your Majesty, atone for your sins." A young eunuch quickly walked in, knelt on the ground, raised his hands above his head, and panted: "Eight hundred miles urgent... Youzhou..."
Only then did everyone realize that the eunuch's hand held high above his head was holding a cylindrical tube with a seal saying "Eight Hundred Miles Expedited" on it.
"Um?"
The queen didn't care about getting angry and hurriedly handed over the urgent report.
Nangong Wan'er accepted the order, took the bamboo tube from the eunuch and handed it to the queen.
The eyes of Su Xian, Princess Lanling, and Yan Dashan also followed the bamboo tube and turned to the Queen's hand... Is this another urgent report from Youzhou? Another eight hundred mile expedited service?
What’s the content this time?
Su Xian and others were full of questions.
They had a consensus that this urgent report should not be related to Ping'an City. After all, they had just received a memorial related to Ping'an City, and it was impossible to receive two letters on the same day.
Could it be that there are other problems in Youzhou?
Su Xian couldn't help but frown. If something happened to Youzhou, it must be related to the Liao Kingdom. Although the Liao Kingdom was controlled by Nalan Festival, no one could guarantee that no accident would happen.
While Su Xian and others were thinking wildly, the Queen had already pulled out the emergency report and read it on the spot.
Su Xian stared at her expression closely.
The imperial study room was eerily quiet at the moment.
Suddenly, Su Xian noticed that the Queen's brows frowned slightly!
No, he also felt a chill in his heart. It seemed like the situation was not good.
The expressions of Princess Lanling and Yan Dashan also changed slightly, and the unknown future is worrying...
Not long after, the Queen finished reading the emergency report and looked up at Su Xian and the others. Although her brows had relaxed, her expression did not change at all, making it impossible to guess what her mood was now.
Then, the queen looked at Su Xian emphatically, with a strange look in her eyes.
What does it mean?
Su Xian, Lan Ling and others were all confused.
"Hahahahaha..."
Just when Su Xian couldn't hold himself any longer and was about to ask, the Queen suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed heartily, the sound shaking the roof of the house, so joyful.
"Why did your Majesty suddenly laugh?" Princess Lanling couldn't hold it back.
"It seems that a great event has happened in Youzhou." Su Xian guessed.
The Queen's hearty laughter gradually stopped, and the joyful smile on her face was almost gone. She still held the urgent report in her hand, looked at Su Xian and said solemnly:
"Su Aiqing deserves to be called Su Aiqing, hahahaha, is Su Aiqing's mouth made of gold?"
"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
Su Xian was confused and didn't understand what the queen meant.
The curvature of the corner of the Queen's mouth never dissipated. Seeing that Su Xian didn't understand, she handed over the urgent report in her hand and said with a smile: "Su Aiqing, my dear mother, and General Yan, you will understand after taking a look at this."
Nangong Wan'er quickly forwarded the urgent report to Su Xian.
"I obey the order."
Su Xian took it, unfolded it, and started reading.
Princess Lanling and Yan Dashan approached each other, and the three of them watched together.
After a while, the expressions of the three people changed at the same time.
However, Su Xian's expression changed slightly, while Princess Lanling and Yan Dashan's expression changed drastically. In addition, the two of them exclaimed in extreme astonishment:
"Six hundred thousand one thousand and eight two-four-six centimeters?!"
"That's right, it's 600,000 taels!" The Queen smiled from ear to ear and said, "Our estimated tax amount is 300,000 taels, while Su Aiqing's estimate is 500,000 taels."
"It turned out that our estimate was more than doubled! It seems that Su Aiqing is more accurate, hahahahahaha, that's why I just said that Su Aiqing's mouth is made of gold, and she speaks with gold!"
"Congratulations to your majesty, congratulations to your majesty for winning 600,000 taels of tax silver!" Su Xian and the other three bowed at the same time with a smile.
"Well, no need to be polite, this is everyone's contribution, please get up." The Queen said with a hearty smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The queen sat back on the dragon chair, but the dragon chair seemed to have grown thorns, and she felt uncomfortable sitting upright, so she stood up, walked to Su Xian and the other three, and said:
"The six hundred thousand taels of tax money was something I didn't expect before."
"But, I hope there will be more accidents like this, hahaha..."
"The memorial said that 600,000 taels of tax money will arrive in Beijing soon. In addition to the 300,000 taels allocated to the Longwu Army, there are still 300,000 taels left."
"How to spend these three hundred thousand taels? Do you have any suggestions?"
Su Xian glanced at Lan Ling and Yan Dashan, and said at the same time: "But it's up to His Majesty's Holy Judgment!"
The Queen nodded slowly, tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said:
"Let's do this. We will allocate another twenty-five taels to the Longwu Army to further expand the scale of the Longwu Army. As for the remaining one hundred thousand taels, we will keep it in the treasury for emergencies."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
After the three of them paid their respects, Su Xian said again:
"Your Majesty, this is only the tax revenue of Ping An City in the first month. It will be collected every month thereafter. Although it is impossible to get 600,000 taels every month, I think three to four hundred thousand taels are indispensable."
After hearing this, the Queen paused for a moment, then looked sad and sighed: "Hey, yes, how should we spend so much money in the future?"
Su Xian added: "In addition to Ping'an City, Kaihai Trading will also have a lot of revenue in a few months. In addition, there will be cooperation with Nanchen..."
The Queen couldn't help but be ecstatic, clapped her hands heavily, and said with a smile:
"Yes, yes, eh, just thinking about it makes me worried. Since last year, our country has been hit by natural and man-made disasters frequently, and the national treasury is also extremely empty. I wish I could break one tael of silver into two taels and use it."
"It's better now. The imperial court has so much income. Not to mention the shortfall of the past two years, there is still a surplus. Hahaha, I am very relieved!"
"I have decided."
The Queen suddenly looked solemn, looked at Su Xian and the others and said seriously:
"I want to announce this matter to the world. The focus is on the expansion of the Longwu Army. The Longwu Army is the elite division of our dynasty. As long as it is expanded to a certain number, it will definitely scare Xiaoxiao, and no enemy in the open or covert will dare to tamper!"
"On the day when the 600,000 taels of tax money arrive in Beijing, I will have a banquet for all the ministers in the palace, hold a great court meeting, and issue a general amnesty to the world so that the people of the world will know about it!"
"Your Majesty is wise."
"..."
The Queen was very happy and ordered a banquet in honor of Su Xian, Princess Lanling and Yan Dashan.
The four monarchs and ministers chatted while eating.
The first thing to talk about is the expansion of Longwu Army.
The current number of Longwu Army is 10,000. According to the Queen's original plan, after receiving the 300,000 taels of tax money, all of it will be allocated to Longwu Army to expand to 30,000.
Now, the Queen is planning to allocate 500,000 taels to Long Wujun.
In addition, she also thought that Ping An City will have tax revenue every month, as well as opening up sea trade, cooperation with Nanchen, etc., and Daliang will not be short of money in the future.
Therefore, after careful consideration, the Queen directly expanded the Longwu Army to a full strength of 50,000 men!
After Dashan has finished training these 50,000 soldiers, they can be organized into the "Longwu Left Army", and then continue to expand the "Longwu Right Army" of 50,000 people.
Long Wu's left and right armies each numbered 50,000, which added up to a scale of 100,000.
The elites built with 100,000 heavy dollars are enough to protect the Liang Dynasty from any provocation by hostile forces!
After talking about the expansion of the Longwu Army, the Queen and her ministers talked about the great court meeting on the day when the 600,000 taels of tax money entered Beijing...
Suddenly, the Queen looked at Su Xian and asked: "Su Aiqing, I wonder how the opening of the sea for trade is progressing? Are there any difficulties? If so, Su Aiqing can raise it at any time."
Su Xian replied:
"Your Majesty, from the current point of view, there seems to be no problem. However, after much thought, I decided to go to Haizhou in person to see with my own eyes the progress of building sea-going ships."
"It's okay to go and have a look. When is Su Aiqing going to leave?"
"I will leave after the court meeting in a few days."
"Okay! Before Su Aiqing sets off, I will give you the titles of 'Henan Province Deposed Envoy' and 'Henan Province Marching Chief' to facilitate Su Aiqing's convenience."
"Then I will thank Your Majesty in advance!"
"..."
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, it was several days later.
Good news came last night. The tax money for the first month of Ping An City's reopening, totaling 600,000 taels, will arrive in Beijing today!
Early this morning, the Queen indeed ordered the convening of a great court meeting, at which she planned to issue a general amnesty and other benevolent policies. At noon, she would also hold a grand banquet for all ministers in the palace.
As soon as the news came out, the whole city was excited.
In a corner of Shendu, on a crowded street, in an open-air tea stall, a peddler unloading his load was sitting down to take a break and drink tea.
Seeing that the tea guests around him were all discussing today's court meeting, this guy wiped his mouth and said loudly:
"Since last year, our country has been hit by natural and man-made disasters one after another. The country's treasury is empty, and people's livelihood is in decline. Oh, the past cannot be looked back on!"
"However, I have His Majesty's virtuous character at the top and the Taiwei at the bottom who can do both. Whether our government will finally be in peace and prosperity, these 600,000 taels of tax money are an important turning point!"
The salesman's words won unanimous applause from the tea guests.
However, what no one noticed was that among the crowd, there were one or two people who were indifferent, or even had disgust in their eyes, and said in their hearts:
"What are you arrogant about? Isn't it just six hundred thousand taels of tax money? Is it worthy of a big fanfare?"
…
Imperial City.
Vientiane Shrine, main hall.
This hall is very large and can accommodate hundreds of people attending court at the same time.
In the main hall at this moment, the Queen has not yet arrived.
The civil and military ministers gathered together and talked animatedly with each other, talking about the 600,000 taels of tax money.
Su Xian, Princess Lanling, Yan Dashan, and six ministers gathered together. They were the largest circle in the hall.
Many people are jealous and want to blend in, but they don't dare to be bold.
Liu Shizhong and the neutral faction also formed a circle, and they also integrated into the harmonious and joyful atmosphere in the hall.
Qian Zhongshu and a few other princelings were completely alien. They stood silently in a corner of the hall, bowing their heads, motionless...
East Palace.
The prince is still under lockdown, otherwise he would definitely attend today's court meeting.
However, it was okay to be grounded, because he did not want to participate in such a court meeting.
The reason is very simple. The success of Su Xian and Lan Ling will undoubtedly greatly strengthen the power of Long Wu Army, and Long Wu Army will inevitably move towards Lan Ling!
"It's just one wrong step, one wrong step after another!"
The prince was depressed and could only drink to drown his sorrows. While he was talking, he had already drank a glass of strong wine.
"Your Highness."
The Crown Princess came over after hearing the news, shook her head and advised: "Strong alcohol is harmful to the body, Your Highness should drink less."
"My beloved, I'm here just in time, let me have a few drinks with you." The prince was already a little drunk, so he forcibly pulled the princess to the table, poured a large glass and handed it over.
"Then I will have a few drinks with His Highness." The Crown Princess did not resist and drank the whole drink in one gulp.
"Okay!" The prince smiled heartily, picked up the pot and served the two of them, then his face darkened and he said with a bitter smile: "Back then, I should have listened to my beloved concubine's advice and won Su Xian over at all costs."
"It's a pity that I couldn't let go of that damn face, so I made one wrong step and another... Hey, dear concubine, come on, come on, have another drink."
After drinking another glass of wine, the Crown Princess looked rosy and advised: "The matter has come to this, and it is useless to talk about it anymore. Your Highness should think carefully about the future."
"What can I do to change this situation? It's useless to even think about it!" The prince shook his head.
"No, I have an idea that may help His Highness to come back to life." A glint flashed in the Crown Princess's eyes.
