In the imperial study, the emperor sat behind his desk, his gaze drifting uncertainly towards Yan Yi before asking tentatively, "Lord Yan, perhaps that imperial decree of mine should not have been issued?"
Yan Yi thought: You know yourself it shouldn't have been issued, so why are you asking me? This is just making things difficult.
However, as a loyal subordinate, he had to have the awareness of one. There were certain words he absolutely would not utter, lest he draw trouble upon himself.
Seeing Yan Yi staring at the ground, offering him only the top of his head, the emperor knew he had truly made a mistake.
As a qualified emperor, the most basic thing he could not lose was the hearts of the people.
Especially, he could not chill the hearts of the soldiers on the northern frontier.
With this thought, he first cursed the Minister of War in his mind, and then turned to Yan Yi for advice.
"Lord Yan, is there any way for me to rectify this?"
Yan Yi thought: Now you remember to rectify it? What were you doing in the first place?
Yan Yi had, countless times, considered that if the person in power were not the emperor, they would have been beaten to death several times over.
The emperor was unaware that his most loyal subject was contemplating how badly he would be beaten if he weren't the emperor.
Yan Yi even imagined what it would be like if the emperor were beaten with a black eye... would it be described as flamboyant, or simply a sight for sore eyes?
Thinking of the humorous aspect, the stern lines of his brows lowered even further.
Seeing Yan Yi remain submissive and silent, the emperor could only continue to seek his counsel, "Lord Yan, I...?"
But he had always been in a position of high authority, and the words "how should I act" were still something he was unwilling to utter.
Yan Yi, who was as familiar with the emperor's thoughts as his own stomach lining, immediately interjected, "Your Majesty, a loan."
"A loan?" The emperor’s teeth ached when he thought of the sum on the loan document. "I never imagined that the soldiers on the northern frontier would owe Meng Qingping so much grain in just a few years."
Yan Yi strongly disagreed with the emperor's statement.
"Your Majesty, this grain is not owed by the soldiers on the northern frontier to Meng Qingping. It should be said that the soldiers on the northern frontier owe it on behalf of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War."
The emperor thought: Why does that sound so awkward?
"In the cold winter, the soldiers on the northern frontier go hungry and without winter clothing. How can they resist foreign invasion?"
The emperor was speechless, his gaze once again becoming erratic.
"And what have the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War been doing? Repeatedly delaying the grain and winter clothing for the soldiers on the northern frontier."
"General Liu and Commander Qi were truly at their wit's end, which is why they went to the Meng family to borrow grain," Yan Yi continued, fearing the emperor would make excuses for those scoundrels. "I went to Liaodong in winter. It can be described as ice-cold. If we think about it simply, in such extreme weather, without food and without warm clothing, let alone fighting, survival itself would be a problem."
"Over the years, the Meng family has lent all the grain they could spare, after keeping enough for their own consumption the following year, to the soldiers on the northern frontier."
The emperor moved his lips, but did not know what to say.
Fearing that the emperor might try to cover for the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, Yan Yi offered a cunning suggestion.
"Why doesn't Your Majesty summon all the officials, high and low, from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, and make them wear only thin clothes, and eat only one meal a day, the morning meal? We can ask for the results after three days."
"Is this feasible?" The emperor felt this was a bit excessive.
"Your Majesty is already being very merciful. At this time of year, flowers are blooming and grass is green. It is incomparably better than the soldiers on the northern frontier enduring the biting wind without winter clothes in the heavy snow."
"It would not be an exaggeration to say it's the difference between heaven and earth."
The emperor frowned. He felt as if Yan Yi was implying that he was not a benevolent ruler, and that there was evidence to support it.
Yet, the evidence was such that he himself was too ashamed to look at it directly.
Perhaps, he could try what Yan Yi suggested.
As the thought arose in the emperor's mind, he felt it was increasingly feasible.
The next day, in the imperial court, from the emperor down to the ministers and even the eunuchs, everyone wore thin clothes and stood in the great hall.
Yan Yi passed by the hall and saw those old fellows with faces as sour as opened privy lids.
He inwardly cursed, "They should really be sent to the northern frontier when winter arrives, to let them taste the feeling of the north wind cutting their faces like knives."
These old fellows really needed to be taught a lesson. If they didn't feel the pain themselves, how would they understand the hardships of the border garrisons?
The emperor had also made up his mind to regain his dignity from the Meng family, grandfather and grandson.
He did not allow the civil and military officials to disperse even at noon, continuing to lead them in discussing state affairs, without preparing lunch.
It was past noon, and the civil and military officials present were all a bit bewildered. If court had not yet ended at this hour, the eunuchs from the imperial kitchen would have long since delivered delicious food.
Why was it different today?
A question mark formed in the minds of the civil and military officials. They thought perhaps the emperor, being forgetful, had forgotten about the meal.
Someone, seeing that the emperor himself hadn't eaten, wanted to flatter him.
However, seeing that no one else was bringing it up, he dared not step forward.
After all, the emperor's mood had been very bad for the past couple of days, his face as long as Changbai Mountain.
It was better to remain quiet and not run into the emperor's line of fire.
Most of the court officials consoled themselves, thinking it was forgotten. They wouldn't dare remind His Majesty. They could endure it. It wasn't a big deal to miss one meal.
However, by the end of the afternoon, the emperor still had no intention of ending the court session, nor had anyone sent food. Many of the elder ministers could no longer bear it.
Cold sweats broke out on their bodies, and their stomachs rumbled in protest.
The emperor was also trying his best to endure. He felt so hungry that he could eat a pot of bird's nest porridge.
But as the Son of Heaven, he absolutely could not lose his composure in front of his ministers.
Similarly, the ministers dared not lose their decorum in front of the emperor, for fear of losing their heads.
Yan Yi had passed by three times today on his way out. Seeing the emperor and his officials struggling, he was inwardly delighted.
He even muttered under his breath, "This is truly a day of joy."
The emperor was quite resilient. He persisted until the middle of the afternoon, when dizziness and weakness overwhelmed him.
An observant old eunuch nearby, seeing the emperor's pale face, immediately shouted loudly, "Dismiss court!"
Then he instructed a young eunuch to carry the emperor on his back back to the sleeping quarters.
After a flurry of activity, imperial physicians were summoned. It was only after consuming two bowls of bird's nest porridge that the emperor felt he had come back to life.
After the imperial physicians left, the emperor leaned on the dragon couch and reflected.
"Your Majesty, shall this servant send someone to the imperial kitchen again...?"
Before the old eunuch could finish speaking, the emperor waved his hand to interrupt him.
"Go and summon Lord Yan."
"Yes."
With a glance from the old eunuch, the small eunuch waiting at the palace gate stepped back a few paces and turned to go find him.
Yan Yi had already had his lunch and was waiting for this moment with his teacup. Upon receiving the summons from the small eunuch, he did not dare to delay and strode towards the emperor's sleeping quarters.
The small eunuch, bowing, followed closely behind him.
As they passed the small garden outside the emperor's sleeping quarters, Yan Yi was even in the mood to glance at it today.