Chapter 535 - 529_1
Huangfu Jing could not fail to notice Feng Yinan’s reluctance, but it was not his fault for being an Emperor with such shallow patience. Coveting a mere hundred thousand taels of silver, it was truly due to the national treasury’s tight funds. Who could have imagined that he, as an Emperor, would be so poor? When the snow calamity hit, there wasn’t enough silver in the treasury, so he even had to allocate two hundred thousand taels from his privy purse. Furthermore, every single policy benefiting the state and the people at Court required financial support, didn’t they?
It wasn’t just the Princely Heir of Marquis of Zhenbei who thought silver was a good thing; even the Emperor found it hard not to set his sights on it. Besides, hadn’t the Princely Heir stated that the only reason he earned a mere hundred thousand taels of silver was due to insufficient capital? If they shipped several cargoes to the barbaric countries overseas in one go, they would surely make much more. Moreover, there were resources in his national treasury, like the tea leaves and porcelain contributed from all regions, and a part of the Imperial Household Department could be allocated to specifically produce these goods for sale to the barbaric countries overseas. It was indeed a very good avenue for generating revenue. Besides, there was no rule stating that you could only go overseas once a year; it was possible to make two or three trips.
The more Huangfu Jing thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. His gaze towards Feng Yinan grew increasingly fervent, his bright eyes shining like those of a wolf that had spotted meat, creating a great deal of pressure on Feng Yinan. In his heart, he complained, "Your Majesty, could you be a bit more reserved? As the supreme Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, such behavior is truly unbecoming."
"My minister, perhaps you could discuss more about the overseas matters with Us, and what sorts of goods you’ve sent to trade in the barbaric countries?" The Emperor maintained his usual affable and approachable demeanor, smiling kindly at Feng Yinan as he spoke. This intent to chat was also the Emperor’s means of probing for information. It wouldn’t be appropriate to state it openly, but as a minister, one must grasp the Emperor’s intentions. Whatever the Emperor wished to know must be reported in full detail; otherwise, one would not be able to perform well in office. At the very least, to get promoted, one must flatter and serve the Emperor well, and of course, one must also have the ability and means to do so.
Feng Yinan did not want to remain silent; initially, he had spent a lot of thought and silver bribing his way to his current position, and all of that was nothing compared to a single word from the Emperor. If the Emperor chose to favor someone for promotion and wealth, it was naturally taken for granted, and others could only show respect. However, Feng Yinan truly did not understand much about what the Emperor was asking.
His primary responsibility was to facilitate relations between the Court and the maritime trade, ensuring that merchant fleets could sail unobstructed. As for the rest, aside from the goods funded from his private treasury and those purchased from the south, he was not too clear, for he had entrusted everything to Zhao Erhu and did not interfere too much, lest Zhao Erhu would think that he did not trust him. However, Zhao Erhu was meticulous in handling affairs; he kept the purchasing ledgers in perfect order, but Feng Yinan did not plan to show these ledgers to the Emperor. After all, the numbers he declared were not accurate, and even if he were to show the Emperor, it would be after the accounts had been adjusted.
Since he could not provide an answer, Feng Yinan decided to speak honestly, to avoid the Emperor thinking him insincere. After all, the current Emperor was quite sagacious and probably would not blame him. Attempting to display competence by carelessly responding could result in mistrust and annoyance from the Emperor.