Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Nanshan Thousand Households (The Twenty-third Update)
Even the Civil and Military Officials at court, when making unintentional eye contact with Lin Yi, would respond with a trace of a well-aning smile, a glimpse of kind intentions.
Regardless of which faction they belonged to, whether they were followers of the Fourth Prince or the Sixth Prince, it was always the sa.
And towards their gazes, Lin Yi naturally wouldn’t overly express anything in return, just a kind smile, conveying an expression of being harmless to humans and animals.
Had it not been for the incident that just unfolded, perhaps none of the officials present would have ever imagined that Lin Yi could be so ruthlessly decisive.
And following the dragging away of those two individuals, quietness swiftly returned to the assembly.
All the Civil and Military Officials alike turned their attention to the young Emperor above, with no one voicing anything further.
It was as if nothing had just happened.
This left Lin Yi feeling sowhat helpless; these people truly needed to be pushed, they only behaved when coerced.
Yet, the gazes of these many officials occasionally drifted towards the scroll on the jade desk in front of the young Emperor.
They knew that surely, the scroll did not just contain information about the few Imperial Censors.
They themselves had purchased glass artefacts yesterday, and indeed had spent a considerable amount of money.
Although they greatly regretted their actions now, one fact was undeniable: their information was currently laid out in front of the Emperor.
This undoubtedly hung a sharp blade over each of their heads, inciting a montary fear and trepidation when facing the young Emperor.
This scene was, of course, noticed by the Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince, who secretly cursed in their hearts.
All the bla was on Lin Yi; he was the originator of all this trouble.
However, looking at the court now, as the Emperor’s gaze swept over each person present, witnessing their submissive postures, he couldn’t help but feel extrely pleased with himself.
At the sa ti, he had not forgotten about the main order of business for today. The earlier episode was rely a minor intermission, a simple case of making a feint to the east while attacking in the west.
Now ca the truly important matter.
Seeing that none of the officials had anything to report, the Emperor then cleared his throat and addressed the Civil and Military Officials below:
“Let the earlier matter serve as a warning to all my ministers. One must never do such foolish things again, not only destroying one’s own prospects but also affecting one’s entire family.
Let’s put an end to this matter and refrain from ntioning it any further for now.
Does anyone have any other matters to report?”
Hearing these words, the many officials looked at each other silently, with nobody opening their mouths to say anything.
Even the senior ministers who initially intended to present their reports opted for silence.
After all, who would dare to speak up at this mont? Wouldn’t that just be asking for trouble?
The best course of action today was to play dumb, to stand there and say nothing.
Imagine if soone were to speak out of turn and say sothing displeasing to the Emperor — he could simply slap the ledger and ask, “Where did this money co from?”
Then the outco awaiting them would be no different from Wang Kui’s — dragged out and beheaded.
Seeing this situation, the Emperor was quite satisfied, nodding his head, then he proceeded without waiting for further speech from the officials and continued:
“Since you have nothing to say, no reports to present, then let announce one thing.”
At this, everyone’s expressions perked up in unison, as they all shifted their focus to the Emperor.
Such a situation had only occurred during the ti of the previous Emperor.
Although these n attended court every morning, it was rely a formality.
They would lend an ear to the Emperor’s words but wouldn’t take them to heart.
But today was indeed different; everyone was alert, like primary school students carefully listening to their teacher’s lecture.
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, the Emperor cleared his throat and went on:
“In recent days, a group of refugees poured into the Capital City, as you all know. They are now settled in Nanshan, where crops cannot be cultivated, thus incurring considerable expenses.
Therefore, from now until next year’s autumn harvest, the National Treasury will take responsibility for their food and lodging, ensuring they do not go hungry.
The Ministry of Revenue must keep accurate records and ensure that food is delivered to the outskirts of the Nanshan Base on ti and without fail.”
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue’s face imdiately turned gloomy.
He wanted to ntion the difficulties encountered by the Ministry of Revenue but, recalling the ledger, he decided to keep his mouth shut and remain silent.
After addressing this matter, the Emperor swept his gaze over the crowd once again, then directly announced to everyone:
“Additionally, the situation of these more than 20,000 people in Nanshan is unsafe and poses a hidden danger.
Should any uprisings occur, they would be difficult to handle.
Thus, after careful consideration, I’ve decided to establish the Nanshan Thousand Households Guard Station.
Lin Yi is appointed as the Commander of the Nanshan Thousand Households Guard Station.
The new military establishnt will be selected from among the refugees.
All weaponry and equipnt should be managed by the Nanshan Guards themselves.”
When these words were spoken, the court instantly buzzed with commotion as the officials began to discuss among themselves.
No one expected this move; the Emperor actually planned to create a new military force.
Though it was only a guard station of a thousand households, the significance of this force should not be underestimated.
An army of a thousand soldiers, especially around the Capital City, could yield unexpected effects.
Even more crucially, this new force comprised solely of refugees ant that there would be no intervention from any existing power faction, forming a purely loyal army to the Emperor.
Handled properly, this could beco an army that answers only to the Emperor.
With these words declared, both princes’ expressions turned ashen.
The left and right military might were already under the Emperor’s control, which had made them quite wary, but now he intended to build a new army as well.
This was basically leaving no room for them to maneuver.
Furthermore, even though it was nominally a guard station, who knew how many soldiers this new army would actually contain?
Especially for the Sixth Prince, who looked even more troubled.
His own troops were stationed just outside the city walls.
Now, with the Emperor setting up a new army outside, it unavoidably bred suspicion.
…End of Chapter…
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