flstandardbreds Chapter 377 This battle was profitable
Chapter 377 This battle was profitable
With the military officer taking the lead, the others followed suit and applauded. For a moment, thunderous applause filled the hall and lasted for a long time.
"The village lord's father is truly righteous!"
"Yes, he is truly a loyal and righteous man!"
The entire court praised him, and the Emperor himself wore a satisfied smile. With the father of Lady Wenfu leading the way, he believed the national treasury would soon be much fuller!
As the applause in the main hall slowly subsided, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward, approaching Xia Yu with a very kind and amiable smile, and politely asked Xia Yu...
"I wonder how much silver the village head's father plans to donate?"
His words immediately drew everyone's attention. All eyes were now fixed on Xia Yu.
"Two hundred thousand taels," Xia Yu replied respectfully in the direction of the Emperor.
"Hiss!" Xia Yu heard the sound of everyone around her gasping.
Two hundred thousand taels of silver! Who said that the Wenfu family were just unsophisticated peasants from the village? How many peasants could donate two hundred thousand taels of silver to the imperial court in one go? If that were the case, many people would probably be willing to be peasants!
Of course, the noble families in the court had accumulated wealth over the years and were not short of gold and silver. Even so, they would not be willing to donate 200,000 taels of silver to the court.
"Good, good. Zhang Youtie of Zhangjia Village is a model of loyalty and righteousness for our dynasty. He is hereby granted the title of Baron of Pingyang County and a mansion in the capital."
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the court was in an uproar, as the emperor's decree was too unexpected.
Xia Yu never expected that donating silver would actually bring her father a title. Suppressing her excitement, her legs trembling, she respectfully knelt on the ground to express her gratitude on behalf of her father.
"On behalf of my father, I thank Your Majesty for your great favor. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Get up! I know that your Zhang family are loyal to the emperor and love the country, and can relieve my worries."
"Your Majesty, I am no match for the Baron of Pingyang, but I am willing to donate two thousand taels of silver for the future pensions of soldiers who died in battle," said Minister Du of the Ministry of War, stepping forward to address the Emperor.
"Very well, Minister Du is also someone who can relieve my worries."
After the Emperor said this, what else could the ministers standing below not understand?
"Your Majesty, I am willing to contribute two thousand taels of silver to the army," said Minister Cao of the Ministry of Rites.
"Excellent! You are truly my pillar of strength!"
"Your Majesty, this humble subject is willing to offer two thousand taels."
"Very well, you are a minister of the state!"
"..."
Xia Yu looked at the Emperor's gentle smile as he addressed the ministers, each offering a word of praise. She felt an urge to laugh, but she was about to burst out laughing herself.
At this moment, besides the Emperor, the happiest person in the hall was none other than the Minister of Revenue, who was essentially the Emperor's purse. Officials frequently came to the Ministry of Revenue to borrow silver for short-term needs; some repaid promptly, while others delayed repayment for a long time. This was a perfect opportunity to collect those outstanding debts. If you didn't repay the silver, your donated silver would be used to cover the debt.
The officials from the Ministry of Revenue, quick-witted and resourceful, somehow managed to bring out a table, a chair, and writing materials, and began conducting official business right there in the hall.
"Lord Cao, you wish to donate two thousand taels of silver, is that right? Let me register your name first, so as not to miss it. You can send the silver to the Ministry of Revenue later. If you don't have time, our staff from the Ministry of Revenue can come to your residence to collect it." The Minister of Revenue pulled Lord Cao from the Ministry of Rites aside, smilingly inviting him to the table. He only let him leave after he saw his name and the amount of silver he donated registered in the register.
"Everyone, don't rush. Let's line up and register one by one. I make sure no one's name is missed."
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, talking to the officials who came forward, and occasionally glancing at the situation at the Ministry of Revenue, his expression very satisfied.
After the court session ended, the Minister of Revenue took the registration list to the Emperor's study and asked the Emperor to review it.
The Emperor first looked at the numbers on the last page, which totaled 132,500 taels.
"Hmm, not bad. Well done, my dear ministers, you are all pillars of the Great Emperor!" The Emperor looked at each name one by one and nodded in satisfaction.
The first thing Xia Yu did after leaving the palace was to ask someone to send a message to Zhangjia Village as soon as possible, so that her father wouldn't be unaware of what was going on when the imperial decree arrived.
Of course, this matter was still handled by Shen Jingheng's people; Xia Yu herself had no one else to rely on besides Shijiu and Daniu.
However, with Prince Lip's delegation gone, Xia Yu had nothing much to do in the capital. In the past few days, she had received over a dozen invitations to enjoy flowers and tea. But she found dealing with those young ladies of the capital too troublesome, and besides, the weather had been unbearably hot lately, so she wanted to return to Zhangjia Village as soon as possible to escape the heat in the mountains.
Her fourth uncle, Zhang Chengwen, went back with her; his appointment letter had arrived. He was to become the Vice Prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture, a sixth-rank official. According to the appointment letter, he could still stay at home for a while before taking a boat south to Yangzhou Prefecture.
Before leaving, Xia Yu accompanied the Grand Tutor into the palace again, and then left with a pile of rewards. The news that Zhang Youtie had transformed from a commoner into a baron by donating 200,000 taels of silver to the court had already spread throughout Da Huai.
Many wealthy merchants also spontaneously donated money to the imperial court to comfort the soldiers. As a result, within just a few days, memorials from local governments poured into the emperor's court like snowflakes. By the time Xia Yu left the palace, the donations from wealthy households and gentry had totaled over seven million taels of silver.
But even the largest donations amounted to only seventy or eighty thousand taels; no one else donated two hundred thousand taels like Xia Yu's family. The Emperor couldn't possibly bestow titles upon all of them. Finally, the top fifty donors nationwide were selected, and each family was awarded a plaque inscribed "Family of Loyalty and Righteousness," personally stamped with the Emperor's seal. These plaques were then delivered to the donors' homes by local officials, a gesture of honor.
For a time, joy filled the entire Dahuai region. The army was delighted, as the donations from these wealthy families ensured their pay for the next two years. The families of the soldiers who received compensation silver were lessened by the financial and land they now possessed. Those who received plaques as awards were overjoyed; for them, donating only tens of thousands of taels of silver to receive such an honor bestowed by the Emperor himself was well worth it.
The Emperor was overjoyed and, in his study, praised Wenfu Township Lord to Shen Jingheng.
"Wenfu truly is a woman of great fortune! Not only did she facilitate diplomatic relations with the Duchy of Mos, but she also exposed the Japanese spies. If it weren't for learning of Japan's plans from those spies, I wouldn't have even considered attacking them. Who knew this battle would go so smoothly? Not only did we capture all those Japanese wolves, but they'll also have to pay tribute to us every year. The Ministry of Revenue has already calculated it; we've made a huge profit from this battle. Hahaha, Lady Wenfu, she is truly a lucky star for our Great Huai!"
After saying that, he looked at Shen Jingheng, who was sitting there simply smiling and agreeing without saying anything else.
"I think Wenfu is about to come of age, and I should find her a good match. It's a pity that there's a big age gap between her and the First Prince, otherwise she could easily become a prince's consort in the palace," the Emperor sighed with regret.
"Minister Shen, which of the court officials' sons do you think is a good match for Wenfu?"