Chapter 5: I, the Emperor, Will Support You for Life

Jade Hibiscus Palace had been abandoned for years.

Inside the palace, no one had swept for ages. Fallen leaves were piled up, and weeds had overgrown everything.

The bluestone paths from Shen Yuezhuang’s memory were nowhere to be found. She didn’t enter the courtyard. Instead, she sat down on the steps under the eaves, staring blankly at the one plum tree in the yard that grew with untamed vigor.

The night wind moaned. A cold crow cawed mournfully. The door behind her creaked open, and the candlelight from the lantern beside her flickered.

“I knew you’d come here as soon as you entered the Palace. I even brought two jars of osmanthus wine just in case!”

The voice was clear and masculine. In the silent night, a figure in indigo casual clothes strode towards Shen Yuezhuang.

The newcomer was none other than the former Third Prince, now Emperor Rongxing, Li Jianyun!

Shen Yuezhuang was about to stand up when she saw him already sitting down, lifting his robe. So she sat back down heavily.

The man’s well-knuckled hand lifted one jar, popped the seal, and handed it to Shen Yuezhuang. “Here.”

Close up, one could see the faint fatigue on the new Emperor’s face. But his spirits were high. Compared to his youth of forbearance and frustration, the current Emperor was much more confident and vigorous, like a straight bamboo shooting into the sky!

Li Jianyun took a drink. The fragrance of osmanthus spread through the air. He also looked at the plum tree in the yard and sighed softly.

“Back then, Auntie was the previous Emperor’s most beloved youngest daughter. Just tending the plum trees in this Jade Hibiscus Palace required five or six servants. Now…”

“Now this tree is growing much better than it did back then!”

Shen Yuezhuang unceremoniously interrupted the Emperor’s sentimental musings.

She was here, but she didn’t want to talk about matters concerning the owner of the Jade Hibiscus Palace. Li Jianyun knew her sore spot, so he didn’t make small talk. He got straight to the point. “Let’s talk business. The Xiongnu have been making small-scale raids on the Northern Border since this winter. Recently, the scale has been expanding. According to the Garrison General’s report, there’s probably going to be a full-scale war this year.”

Shen Yuezhuang’s brows furrowed.

Liu Yun had said the Emperor’s serious matter was related to her maternal grandfather. But her grandfather was eighty-six this year. Not to mention he was a civil official—even if he were a military officer, it shouldn’t be his turn to go, right?

Shen Yuezhuang frowned and thought for a long time, then said in a heavy tone, “My maternal grandfather is old. My father is guarding the Capital…”

“How about this: Shen Qingjue is still young. Let him go to the front lines. Even if he can’t kill enemies, at least he’s amusing to talk to. He can serve as a mascot!”

Li Jianyun: “…My front lines aren’t so short of a mascot. And can you try to control your excitement about ‘upholding justice despite family ties’ for a second?”

“Ah~” A clear look of disappointment flashed in Shen Yuezhuang’s eyes. “No shortage of cannon fodder either? No special reason. I just think Shen Qingjue is too young and needs some good training.”

“Training so that in his next life, he can be careful not to be your brother?” Li Jianyun felt his temples throbbing.

For Li Jianyun, the throne had not only elevated him to the highest position but had also pushed him into complete isolation.

His mother had died early. His brothers were at each other’s throats. He wasn’t married yet and had no children. Compared to the bloody cruelty of the Ningrong Incident back then, obtaining the throne had been relatively easy for him. But sitting on it was truly lonely…

With no blood relatives by his side, he could only hope that his close friend would provide some comfort.

His close friend did comfort him. At least she made him realize that sometimes blood relatives… were better off not having them.

Shen Yuezhuang was completely confused. “Then what are we going to do?”

“I want to go to war.”

“Then go. They’re already at our doorstep, how can we not?”

“No money.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

“How about this: My maternal grandfather is old. My father is guarding the Capital. Shen Qingjue has his private savings. I can give you a number. I’ll make sure he donates every last cent!”

Li Jianyun felt a headache coming on. “During Grandfather’s reign, the court fought many wars. My father was thrifty, and the years he reigned were relatively stable. But to nurture the people back to life, all the prefectures that had seen war were granted tax exemptions for three years.”

“The national treasury hasn’t been able to cover its expenses. Just last year, we finished paying the back salaries owed to court officials. Now we need to go to war again…” Li Jianyun sighed again. “When you’re poor, you think about old debts. So, at the beginning of the year, I had the Ministry of Revenue compile a list of loans taken by court officials from the national treasury. I was thinking, if I could get this money back, even if the war in the Northern Border starts this month, we could probably scrape together the military supplies.”

The Northern Border had a standing army of fifty thousand. In wartime, surrounding prefectures would dispatch another hundred thousand.

One hundred and fifty thousand men, plus tens of thousands of war horses. Feeding them for a month would require at least one hundred thousand dan of grain. That didn’t even include the cost of weapons, iron, and rope.

And the Emperor said that the amount of money lent out would be enough to support all these people!

Shen Yuezhuang’s expression was one of genuine shock. “The court couldn’t even pay salaries, but it lent out money?”

Her words stabbed straight into the new Emperor’s sore spot.

Li Jianyun took a drink of wine and sighed deeply. “The court has had its prosperous times too.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

She suddenly understood why the Ministry of Revenue had been able to hand over such a huge sum of money intact to the Emperor.

It was hard to say exactly how many years separated Li Jianyun’s “prosperous times” from the present. But as far as she knew, during the late Emperor’s reign, there certainly wasn’t much money. The late Emperor had no money because during Li Jianyun’s grandfather’s time, there had been many disasters and wars.

And Li Jianyun’s grandfather had reigned for fifty-two years. There had been floods and droughts. The Miao tribes in the south, the Xiongnu in the north, pirates in the east…

If there was ever a wealthy time, you’d have to go even further back. But just these two reigns alone accounted for fifty-eight years—nearly a full sexagenary cycle!

Shen Yuezhuang was very skeptical about whether this money could ever be recovered. “Your Majesty, I…”

“Don’t bring up Shen Qingjue!”

The young emperor’s face twisted in pain, like Sun Wukong hearing the Tight-band Spell.

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

“No, I mean, are you sure that the people who owe the money are still alive?”

Li Jianyun looked at Shen Yuezhuang and nodded solemnly. Then he pulled a list from his bosom.

Most of the names on the list were unfamiliar to Shen Yuezhuang. She only recognized one.

Huo Rufang, the current Grand Preceptor. Her maternal grandfather.

An entry appended later: Qianyuan 26th Year, borrowed silver, fifty-three thousand nine hundred and sixty-two taels.

So that was the issue. Huh, even included a precise number down to the last fraction!

Shen Yuezhuang returned the list to the Emperor. “Alright. As soon as I leave the Palace, I’ll tell my maternal grandfather to repay the money. As for Shen Qingjue’s private treasury…”

“It’s not just your maternal grandfather.”

Li Jianyun didn’t take the list. Instead, he continued, “I’ve looked it over. Besides your maternal grandfather, who is your blood relative, many other people on this list have various connections to you. I think you’re the most suitable person to handle the debt collection!”

“Me?!”

Shen Yuezhuang’s tone changed. Her expression was like someone whose backside had just been set on fire. She jumped up from the ground, but accidentally stepped on her cloak. The knot she had tied into a death grip pulled tight around her neck. She quickly crouched down, clutching her strangled neck, her eyes moist.

Ignoring the coughing fit, she held the list up to the candlelight and carefully examined the names. After confirming she didn’t recognize them, she looked at Li Jianyun with an accusing expression. He was still fumbling to untie her cloak.

“These people, cough, cough, aren’t my relatives!”

Don’t make it sound like the national treasury was emptied by loans from her family!

“They’re not your relatives!” Li Jianyun said, a bit amused. His warm fingertips slowly loosened the tight cord at her collar, then retied it into a secure, easy-to-unfasten knot, flashing a row of bright white teeth.

“They’re the patriarchs of those families whose sons have appeared in that story script of yours.”

Li Jianyun stood up, stepping back a little. His broad hand landed on her slender shoulder. “I’ve thought it over carefully. You’re the best person for the job.”

“First, Grand Preceptor Huo is old. If I send someone else to ask for the money, it would inevitably embarrass an elder.”

“Second, you’ve always been used to being lawless. If they refuse to pay, you’re the only one who can handle them.”

“Third, if you have something to do, your father won’t have to worry about finding you a husband every single day.”

“As soon as you pass the preliminary selection, I’ll give you a position in the Ministry of Revenue. You just focus on collecting the debts. Don’t worry. After this is done, the court will pay you a salary. I, the Emperor, will support you for life!”