Chapter 73 - 74: Entering the Mountain
"Please, Holy Emperor, reconsider!" To Hua Shunming’s surprise, the one who spoke was none other than the Old Prime Minister, Liu Donglai.
"Old Prime Minister, are you pleading for him as well?"
"No. Your old servant, however, feels that Lord Kuang should not bear the blame for this crime alone."
"Oh?"
"Lord Kuang may have had his own reasons. Given his status, even if his daughter were to enter the palace, her appointed rank would surely be high."
"Are you suggesting, then, that all the other officials preparing to participate in the selection were also involved?"
Many of the officials prostrated on the floor began to tremble, crying out that they were innocent.
"Holy Emperor, your old servant believes the greatest fault in this matter lies with you."
"How audacious!" Le San’s sharp voice was exceptionally agitated.
"Le San, stand down. I’m rather interested to hear just how this is my fault." A cold sneer touched Hua Shunming’s lips. "Shouldn’t you all be worried about the lives of the refugees shut outside the gates, instead of standing here shifting blame? I’m curious to see what you can possibly say for yourselves today."
"Holy Emperor, do you recall what you said one year ago?" Liu Donglai asked.
"A year ago?" Hua Shunming frowned. "I say a great many things over the course of a year. Who can remember that clearly? Shall I summon the imperial scribe?"
"At the time, you stated that the first to bear a Prince for the Holy Emperor would be named Empress. I wonder if you recall this?"
Hua Shunming glanced at Le San beside him and saw the eunuch give a slight nod. "It seems there was something of the sort, but it was merely a jest. I had already forgotten all about it."
"Holy Emperor, since ancient times, a ruler’s words are never spoken in jest. Even if you spoke unintentionally, many people took you at your word." Liu Donglai closed his eyes. ’A jest... How utterly absurd.’
Hua Shunming couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. Though he had no memory of saying it himself, Le San was his personal attending eunuch. If he had nodded, then it must be true.
"We advised you back then, Holy Emperor, that establishing an Empress at the earliest opportunity is fundamental to the stability of the nation." Liu Donglai didn’t even want to recall the scene of the old ministers kneeling and pleading. The new emperor, in his youthful arrogance, had refused to listen to their counsel.
"It’s just the position of empress! It’s no reason to trifle with the lives of the common people." Hua Shunming, naturally, was unwilling to admit his own mistake. He pointed at the officials prostrated before him. "It is all of you who are too greedy! Not only do you want to be high officials, you want to be my elders! What do you take me for?"
"Holy Emperor, the people outside Dao City await your decree. Will you let them into the city, or shall we find a way to send them back to their places of origin?" At the thought of the people still suffering outside, Liu Donglai no longer wished to argue about whose fault it was. Resolving this a day sooner would be a blessing for them.
Hua Shunming’s finger swept across the officials below before pointing directly at Kuang Yijun. "Kuang Yijun, I am giving you a chance to atone for your crimes. You have five days to properly settle the people outside the gates of Dao City. Otherwise, you can forget about wearing that official’s hat. You can get yourself to the city gates and stand guard!"
"Holy Emperor, your servant cannot do it." Kuang Yijun cried out in his heart. ’The National Treasury is empty, where am I supposed to find a solution? The blame will fall on my head sooner or later anyway, so why should I shoulder this mess?’
"You dare to defy a direct order?" Hua Shunming said, his voice cold as ice.
"Holy Emperor, the National Treasury is empty. We simply cannot produce the silver taels needed to settle the people. Furthermore, the harvests have been poor these past few years, and the regional granaries are not well-stocked. There’s simply no way to provide for so many people." This was another part of the truth they had been desperately trying to conceal.
"How can the National Treasury be out of money?" Hua Shunming couldn’t recall any major expenditures during his years of mourning.
"The National Treasury originally held over a million in Official Silver, but a few days ago, when the border sent an urgent report, you allocated it to them." And it was the majority of it, gone with a single command. What remains is only enough for short-term expenditures.
"You useless dogs!" Hua Shunming was so furious he was practically hopping with rage. "You’re fed such high salaries every year, yet when a crisis strikes, not one of you has a single idea! What is the use of any of you?"
All the officials remained prostrated, their heads pressed to the floor. No one dared to stick their neck out at a time like this.
At the same time, they were all grumbling inwardly. ’The old emperor left you several private treasuries. Why don’t you stop stuffing your own pockets and contribute some of that to the National Treasury?’
Hua Shunming had evidently thought of the private treasuries as well, but that was the Royal Family’s personal fortune. He certainly wasn’t going to touch that.
"I don’t care if you have to rack your brains all day, but you will come up with a solution! Otherwise, I’ll find someone who can."
With that, he flicked his sleeves and departed with his palace maids and eunuchs, leaving the crowd of officials kneeling in his wake.
The officials were left speechless. ’This emperor is as willful as ever. What are we supposed to do now?’
&
By the time everyone woke up the next day, a decision had been made in Bainiao. Each family from every village would decide for themselves: if they were willing to go to the lake Gu Yuan Yu had described, they were to prepare immediately.
Those unwilling to relocate could send a few people along to fetch water and bring it back.
Most people, however, were still worried about the wild beasts deep in the mountains and refused to go.
Gu Dashishi’s face was a grim mask. "I’m not going, and that’s final. If your second brother and the youngest one come back, they won’t be able to find us if we’re gone."
"It’s not like we aren’t leaving people behind. If they show up, someone will tell them where we went," Li Cuicui said, seeing right through him. "You only hurt your hand, not your foot. What’s a little walking going to do to you?
You stubborn old coot, stop making trouble for me from morning till night. You didn’t want to flee the famine with the rest of us either. If we hadn’t forced you, grass would be growing on your grave by now.
Pah! No, that’s not right. You wouldn’t even have a grave. Your corpse would have just been left to rot in the wilderness."
Gu Dashishi was furious but didn’t dare say it aloud, muttering under his breath, "I’m an old man. Can’t you humor me a little? Why must you be so harsh? Are you trying to curse me to death?"
Li Cuicui snorted. "That would require you to act like a decent person first. Let me tell you something: I won’t let one person drag down all our children and grandchildren. Now, hurry up and pack your things. As long as I’m around, I’ll be damned if I let them leave someone behind just to look after you."
Gu Dashishi looked up at his children and grandchildren, only to find them either staring into the distance or looking down to count ants on the ground. The old woman had them all completely cowed; not a single one would dare to stand up for him.
"Sigh..." Gu Dashishi’s voice was heavy with worry. "But these deep mountains, these ancient forests... what if we run into other predators? The old and the young won’t be able to outrun them. Aren’t we just marching in there to serve ourselves up as a meal?
Seventh, I know you didn’t run into anything on your way out, but you were walking in those mountains for days. Did you really not hear any other strange noises?"
Gu Wenheng replied, "Father, whether we hear strange noises or not, what choice do we have? If we don’t go in... does that mean they won’t come out?"