TBFCWTE - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Seeing that the empress had no intention at all of dissuading the crown prince, Old Madam Jiang frowned in disapproval.

"Qiu Niang, this is a great matter concerning our descendants. You must advise the crown prince well. A farming-and-studying gentry family like ours has only a few estates and no other income. The household is large and expenses are great, so life is already hard. If this new tax system is implemented, life at home will become even harder."

The empress used the chance to drink tea to hide the cold mockery in her eyes. She was a Jiang daughter and knew better than anyone what life in the Jiang residence was really like.

Moreover, after the Jiang Family produced her as empress, in the first two years, when Emperor Zhengning and He Shu were so poor they could not even find anyone to borrow from and had to find ways to "seize" money, the two still remembered to give her, the empress, face and sent gifts to the Jiang Family every festival.

Once they had more money, the father and child sent even more generous gifts to the Jiang Family.

That is, apart from the customary title Earl of Cheng'en bestowed on the Jiang Family, she as empress had not sought high offices for them, but she had brought them abundant money and goods.

At the same time she let the Jiang Family enjoy enormous hidden benefits. Even if none of them were capable, so long as they kept to their place and did nothing illegal or rule-breaking, it was impossible for the Jiang Family to live in hardship.

Having received such great benefits from her husband and daughter, these people, when trouble came, never thought of supporting her daughter, but ran to her to plead poverty.

Did they take her for a fool?

Besides, He Shu had more than once stressed to the empress the importance of taxation and mentioned certain defects and loopholes in the current tax system.

She had also said that after their family conspired to pass a daughter off as a male and make her crown prince, they must work even harder at their present duties and do things worthy of their identity.

Only thus, if the truth were exposed in the future, would the family have a chance to rely on popular support and offset their offense with merit.

So whenever the empress thought of how her daughter's hard-earned wealth was all poured into improving the people's living environment and economic development, while great clans and large households like the Jiang Family, sitting on vast lands, did everything to evade taxes, her mood turned foul, and she could not be bothered to hide her displeasure.

Her face cold, she set the teacup on the tea table and replied indifferently.

"Mother need not worry so. The Jiang Family is, after all, the crown prince's maternal family. Even for my sake as the crown prince's mother, the crown prince would not stand by and watch you live in hardship."

Seeing that the empress not only refused to help dissuade the crown prince but seemed to have grown estranged from them, the atmosphere in the hall turned heavy. Second Sister-in-law Jiang hurried to smooth things over.

"Your Majesty jests. Thanks to you, His Majesty has shown boundless grace to our Jiang Family, and His Highness has also cared for us. We are endlessly grateful. Mother only spoke out of worry for the younger generation at home."

When trouble came, they saw only their own petty gains and losses, and for that they would drag the crown prince back and rush to get her to stop the emperor and crown prince from doing proper work. Was that how her natal family showed gratitude?

If her daughter were truly a son, and her husband had several more sons, her natal family would not only fail to help her son, but might even cost him the position of crown prince.

Somewhat disheartened, the empress waved her hand.

"None of that matters. The crown prince grew up at His Majesty's side. Though still young, the crown prince has sound views on state affairs and reasons for each decision. As the crown prince's mother, I cannot help with affairs of state, but neither can I interfere. I hope Mother understands."

Old Madam Jiang nodded with a forced smile. "I understand, I understand. Your Majesty has your own difficulties."

She said this to placate, but in her heart she was deeply displeased. Old Madam Jiang could feel that ever since her daughter became empress, she had grown more and more distant from her natal family and from her mother.

Yet precisely because she had borne a daughter who became empress and had a grandson who was crown prince, Old Madam Jiang had lived for years amid constant flattery.

Though the Jiang Family were only newly ennobled earls, those duchesses and madams of ducal houses treated her, the empress's mother, with courtesy and respect.

Having grown used to having the final say outside the palace, Old Madam Jiang was naturally unhappy at losing face before her own daughter.

Second Sister-in-law Jiang knew her mother-in-law was displeased and feared she might, relying on her status, offend the most fortunate lady of the family. She smiled and took over the conversation, changing the subject.

"In two days it will be Fifth Sister-in-law's fortieth birthday. The family plans a small celebration and will invite only close relatives and old friends. Might the Eighth Princess have time to come stay at home for a couple of days?"

At the mention of the Eighth Princess, the empress remembered how Third Miss Jiang had incited her daughter, and she grew even more impatient.

"The Eighth Princess behaved improperly yesterday. I am punishing her with confinement to reflect on her faults. She will not be allowed out for the time being."

Everyone knew the empress had always doted on this younger daughter. Hearing that she had been punished for improper behavior, all three Jiang women were somewhat surprised.

At the same time they thought their cold reception might simply have come at a time when the empress was in a bad mood.

Old Madam Jiang hurried to advise, "The Eighth Princess is young. Even if she made a small mistake, it was unintentional. A few words should be enough. How can Your Majesty punish her so heavily?"

While secretly resolving to keep her several daughters farther from her natal family, the empress replied carelessly.

"The crown prince is heir to the state. It is not for a princess to interfere with the heir's movements or decisions. A presumptuous person who does not know her place deserves heavy punishment; without it, she will not learn."

Second Sister-in-law Jiang felt the empress's words were meant as a warning to them. She lowered her eyes. Third Miss Jiang was her eldest daughter.

Only Old Madam Jiang was oblivious. "That is also because the siblings are close, which made her lose some sense of proportion. As their mother, you truly need not be so strict."

"Everyone has their own place. Even if they are full siblings and closest kin, they must keep to their proper places. If they are not strictly disciplined early, and the Eighth Princess grows up still lacking a sense of propriety, there is no telling what great disaster she might bring on herself and others."

He Shu had been different from others since childhood. The special qualities she displayed were naturally seen by Emperor Zhengning and the empress, her parents in this life.

This peculiarity, explainable only as extraordinary natural gift, made the couple endlessly grateful.

If another daughter had been chosen to play the male and become crown prince, their family's ending would surely have been hard to predict.

So though the empress doted most on her younger daughter, she had never considered why her younger daughter, also a daughter, had not by some twist of fate become crown prince, nor had she thought of cultivating in her younger daughter any ambition for power and position.

In her heart, the only one suited and able to bear the position of crown prince was her third daughter, extraordinary since childhood.

Her greatest regret was also that her third daughter was not a real son, so they would not have to take such great risks to conceal the truth and suffer inconveniences everywhere.

Yet though she spoke of making the Eighth Princess remember and keep her place, she was in fact also warning her natal family to keep their place and not court trouble for themselves or the crown prince.

While the Jiang Family pestered the empress to no avail and received her veiled warnings, Xu Congyi was outside the Ministry of Revenue putting on an energetic "performance."

He had calculated the time. Wearing his third-rank court robes, he personally carried the box of ledgers to the Ministry of Revenue and shouted loudly.

"Minister Ke! Ke Wenqing! Come out here! Come out now!"

After shouting, seeing that the commotion had quickly drawn a large crowd, he opened the ledger in his hand and displayed it to the onlookers.

"I am Xu Congyi, unworthily serving as Crown Prince Steward in the Eastern Palace and managing Eastern Palace affairs. Everyone, come and see! The Ministry of Revenue is going too far!"

"Covering medical expenses for officials at set rates and providing interest-free medical loans for the poor were policies jointly discussed and agreed by the court's ministers."

"Yet when the time came, the Ministry of Revenue refused to pay. It quietly had offices at every level ask the Eastern Palace to cover the money. If I did not expose this shameless conduct today, would the Eastern Palace not be played for a fool?"

The crowd immediately began to discuss. Some stepped forward to look at the ledgers and at once told the others how much money was recorded there.

Soon some began singing the praises of the crown prince, who had paid without making it known, while others attacked the Ministry of Revenue for being too crafty, controlling the state treasury, refusing to spend, and even trying to steal credit for the crown prince's achievements.

After that, some who claimed to be officials and to have enjoyed the court's policy of covering medical expenses expressed particularly genuine gratitude for the emperor's and crown prince's grace and anger at the Ministry of Revenue's shameful conduct.

Ke Wenqing, having received word, quickly walked out of the Ministry of Revenue gate and saw a large crowd gathered before it, pointing at the ministry and praising the crown prince for treating the people with a parent's care and for taking responsibility.

"What is Steward Xu doing? If you have business, come inside and discuss it properly. Why make such an unseemly scene?"

Xu Congyi snorted at him. "I cannot swallow this. Relying on the crown prince's kindness and generosity in allowing prefectural offices to borrow temporarily from Eastern Palace enterprises, you treat Eastern Palace enterprises as your own Ministry of Revenue money house. You have people take money without even a word, and you never return what you borrow!"

At these words, there was another uproar. Ke Wenqing could not voice his grievance. The Ministry of Revenue had indeed used the Eastern Palace's money, but the two sides had long reached a tacit understanding that each took what it needed.

"Steward Xu, heaven and earth can attest to the loyalty of everyone in the Ministry of Revenue to the state and people. Was not every copper drawn from the Eastern Palace spent on public works led by the court?"

Every copper that left the Eastern Palace was strictly supervised, and Xu Congyi knew it. But what he had to do now was build momentum for the crown prince, so he certainly could not let the matter drop.

"Minister Ke, you know as well as I that those are the court's public works, not the Eastern Palace's. Do not give me that nonsense about the court and Eastern Palace being one body. I ask you, in all these years, has the Eastern Palace ever drawn a single copper from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Absolutely not. This was a fact Ke Wenqing and the other Ministry of Revenue officials could not deny.

"The crown prince has not only never drawn money from the Ministry of Revenue but has also strongly supported the Ministry in developing industries. You have resource advantages, and in recent years you have surely earned no less than the Eastern Palace."

Glancing at the astonished reactions of the crowd, Xu Congyi was satisfied, but his voice grew even more righteous as he continued.

"How are you still not satisfied? You keep fixing your eyes on the Eastern Palace to fleece it, and always sneaky about it. If I had not been unable to bear it today and exposed this publicly, were you planning, as in the past, to have the Eastern Palace pay the money while you took all the credit?"

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