The Emperor sighed with distress as soon as Yan Yi arrived, saying, "My minister, I can barely endure half a day. If this were to last three to five days, it would surely take my life."
Yan Yi did not respond. He thought to himself, *Half a day and you can't stand it? What about those frontier soldiers who go hungry year-round? What do you have to say about that?*
But these words could only be recalled in his heart; he could not speak them aloud.
The Emperor, unaware that his most loyal subject repeatedly criticized his lack of benevolence, continued to bargain with Yan Yi, "Minister Yan, could you, could you..."
The Emperor could not bring himself to finish the sentence.
As the supreme ruler, his words were final. How could he go back on his word?
However, recalling the prior feelings of gnawing hunger, dizziness, weakness, and panic, an indescribable fear arose from the depths of his heart.
The imperial physicians had also repeatedly warned that such occurrences could be detrimental to the imperial body.
The Emperor wrestled with his thoughts, his troubled expression evident. Yan Yi's heart grew colder.
The blood shed by the frontier soldiers could not even buy a shred of sincerity from the Emperor and his officials. This was tantamount to making the frontier soldiers bleed and then weep.
*To hell with it! This time, I'll risk my official position to fight for the frontier soldiers.*
The Emperor waited, hoping that his stomach would prompt him to say what he wished to hear, allowing him to proceed smoothly.
But even after the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Yan Yi remained silent.
The Emperor's displeasure grew slightly as he continued to wait.
"..." Just as the Emperor was about to lose patience, Yan Yi finally spoke.
"Your Majesty, if the soldiers in the northern territories are emaciated, stumbling as they walk, and have no warm clothing in the winter, how many of them will be left alive after this winter passes?"
"They..." The Emperor started to say they could continue to borrow grain from the Meng family, but before the words left his mouth, his aged face flushed red.
Yan Yi observed the Emperor closely. Seeing his face redden, he could guess the Emperor's thoughts without even looking.
He suppressed his urge to spew water all over the Emperor.
*Have you no shame? This empire is yours, and you rely on the Meng family to feed your soldiers. Do you want the northern territories to be ruled by Meng, or this empire to be ruled by Meng?*
*Bah, bah, bah! Utterly shameless.*
Another awkward silence ensued, a battle between maintaining dignity and abandoning it.
Yan Yi waited, feeling indignant on behalf of the frontier soldiers and Uncle Meng the Second.
Fortunately, the Emperor ultimately did not discard his aged face. He issued a verbal decree to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, ordering them to promptly repay the IOUs sent by General Liu.
Some were extremely reluctant and tried to stall. They secretly inquired for news from the eunuch who delivered the decree.
The young eunuch, having been instructed by his master, revealed a piece of insider information: "His Majesty has decreed that if the IOUs are not repaid, whoever defaults will be sent to serve in the northern territories for three years, and will not be permitted to be transferred unless they are deemed qualified."
Those who had initially tried to obstruct the process, upon hearing the young eunuch's words, rushed to prepare the grain and cotton for the IOUs as if their behinds were on fire.
Their speed was so remarkable that less than an hour after the young eunuch returned to the palace to report, an official requested an audience with the Emperor, stating that the grain and cotton on the IOUs were ready and seeking the Emperor's review.
The Emperor thought, *My aged face was almost disgraced, yet these scoundrels dared to pull this stunt.*
*Was I too lenient before?*
Yan Yi thought, *If I hadn't staged this show of force, those scumbags wouldn't have so readily coughed up the goods.*
The scumbags were all fully aware of the hardships faced by the northern soldiers, yet they felt no remorse in withholding the grain and winter clothing from the frontier soldiers. They deserved to die, and their deaths would be insufficient punishment.
Clearly, the Emperor and Yan Yi's thoughts were in perfect alignment at this moment.
Yan Yi, however, did nothing, remaining like a perfectly trained wooden post, motionless.
The Emperor thought, *Why is Minister Yan's reaction so sluggish these past two days?*
Yan Yi thought, *I don't want to speak these two days. Otherwise, I might be tempted to strike someone.*
The Emperor: "..."
Yan Yi: "Your Majesty, I request an imperial decree to escort the grain from the IOUs to the northern territories."
The Emperor thought, *Should I agree, or should I agree?*
The Emperor was not foolish. He understood that if this grain were delivered by anyone else to the Second Master Meng, it would be considered a miracle if even half of it reached its destination, implying that person had a conscience.
If those scoundrels were to deliver it, it was likely that two-thirds would be withheld.
Sighing, since he still wished to preserve his aged face, he decided to let Yan Yi go to the northern territories.
For he knew that anyone else could skim off this grain, but Yan Yi would not.
The next day, Yan Yi, leading the grain transport convoy, departed the capital early. Meanwhile, some individuals still wished to cause trouble for the Second Master Meng.
During the morning court, as the old eunuch cleared his throat and announced, "If there is a memorial, present it. If not, the court is dismissed."
A minister, fifth in line among the civil officials, stepped forward.
"I humbly request an audience with Your Majesty, my lord..."
The Emperor, assuming it was a matter of state importance, gestured for him to proceed.
Upon receiving the Emperor's permission, the minister launched into a lengthy oration.
The gist of it was that the Second Master Meng, having received the Emperor's imperial favor, should be grateful for the Emperor's benevolence towards the Meng family. Therefore, the grain on the IOUs should be voluntarily donated to the frontier soldiers.
Furthermore, he proposed that the Meng family should donate a certain amount of grain to the frontier soldiers every year thereafter, to fully repay the imperial grace.
Before the minister could finish, the Emperor's expression changed. If one were to speak of shamelessness, this minister truly took the cake.
This despicable scheme was being framed as imperial favor, a move to force someone to their death.
The Emperor suddenly had an epiphany. It was people like this who had ruined his empire and destroyed the glory of the Great Ming.
What angered him the most was that they dared to harm others in the name of the imperial family. He wished he could strike down this hypocritical villain with a single blow.
The Emperor's anger surged. He wickedly wondered what would happen if Miss Fu the First heard this old man's pronouncements.
Yan Yi had told him about Miss Fu's vindictive nature.
If this old man's words were to reach Miss Fu's ears...
He truly wished to see how Miss Fu would deal with this old man.
The Emperor was now no different from a commoner, his ardent gossipy heart stirring.
Distractedly, he uttered his inner thoughts.
Originally, there was only one voice in the grand hall. That old man was holding forth, speaking eloquently, almost moved to tears by his own words.
He believed himself to be a pillar of the Great Ming, not only solving the Emperor's dilemma but also securing a portion of the military provisions for the frontier soldiers. Most importantly, he had also struck a blow against the Second Master Meng.
It was a perfect plan, killing three birds with one stone.
Thinking about how the Meng family would have to donate so much grain every year, and how, in times of disaster, they would have to go bankrupt to raise military provisions,
Hahaha, thinking of the Meng family's future difficulties brought him joy every day.
Hahaha, he could eat half a bowl more rice today upon returning home.