That very same man, who once haggled over a few thousand taels of silver, now agreed—without so much as a blink—to Yun Shu's audacious demand of thirty million taels?
How could this possibly make sense?
Minister Yan's blatant double standard had gone too far.
The Eldest Prince turned his head aside in frustration, and before he could even signal to Great General Weiyuan, the general—who had been repeatedly stonewalled by Minister Yan in recent days—could no longer hold back his barbed tone.
"So now we claim the national treasury is still quite full? Strange, because just two days ago, when I came to request military pay from Minister Yan, he swore up and down that the treasury had only so much silver left. Every single coin, he said, had been earned through blood and toil, and unless absolutely necessary, none of us should even think about touching a single copper coin.
Yet now the Crown Princess proposes an academy for the future of Tian Sheng, and suddenly silver is pouring out like water? Are we to believe that a few misaligned ledgers outweigh the prosperity of the entire nation?"
Quarreling over silver was hardly new between Minister Yan and men like General Weiyuan.
Unmoved by the accusations, Minister Yan did not so much as twitch an eyelid. He let out a soft scoff of disdain, then paid no further mind to the discontented gazes behind him. Calm and composed, he stepped forward with his hu tablet and bowed toward Emperor Xuanwu.
"Your Majesty, this humble servant still has matters to report."
"Oh?"
Emperor Xuanwu instinctively sensed that whatever Minister Yan was about to say would certainly relate to Xiao Wu.
Perhaps that would explain his sudden and uncharacteristic generosity in granting thirty million taels.
"Speak."
"I dare not claim credit, Your Majesty. This matter was first raised by the Crown Princess herself…"
As expected, Minister Yan opened by giving full credit to Yun Shu. Only then did he proceed to present the detailed proposal for establishing a bank—a plan he had spent the entire previous night developing in accordance with Yun Shu's general outline. He explained the implementation strategies one by one in front of the entire court.
"Your Majesty, this servant believes the prospects are promising."
"Father Emperor, your son believes otherwise!"
Seeing the hint of surprise and approval flash across Emperor Xuanwu's face, the Eldest Prince panicked. Afraid that Yun Shu might use this opportunity to earn yet another grand merit, he didn't even bother waiting for his allies to speak. He stepped out at once and raised his voice.
"This so-called bank may sound impressive, but in reality, it's merely a fusion of the existing Qian Zhuang and private lending schemes. Not only does this risk competing with the people for profit, it also suggests that the imperial court itself would be issuing interest-bearing loans. That alone is…"
"Eldest Brother speaks wrongly."
Yun Shu's voice came calmly, cutting through his words with a steady poise.
"To begin with, the bank would safeguard the people's silver without charging storage fees. On the contrary, it would even offer interest. For the people of Tian Sheng, this is without doubt a great boon.
As for private lending, the reason it was strictly forbidden is due to its absurdly high interest rates. Loan sharks would intentionally lie about the actual interest, deceive those unfamiliar with lending contracts, and lure them into debt traps. Many were driven into ruin, their families shattered.
However, merchants borrowing funds for business is a normal practice. Even commoners may face moments when borrowing money is their only choice.
In such cases, if the court steps forward and uses a proper, regulated system with fair interest rates to assist the people in their time of need, is this not both beneficial to the state and a mercy to the people?"
"The Crown Princess speaks wisely."
Unwilling to hear more specious arguments from the Eldest Prince, Emperor Xuanwu made his stance clear, instantly stifling anyone else's urge to raise objections.
"The matter of Tian Sheng Academy shall be entrusted to the Crown Princess. The Ministry of Works is to provide full support.
As for the bank, the Ministry of Revenue shall oversee it. Does anyone else have anything to say? If not, court is dismissed."
"…."
No, not a word.
Some might have wished to voice their opposition, but with His Majesty speaking so directly, who among them dared to speak further?
Especially when the Crown Princess had so eloquently elevated the significance of both matters. Who would dare risk sounding like a short-sighted fool or, worse, a traitor to Tian Sheng's future?
Though the establishment of Tian Sheng Academy was now officially on the imperial agenda, building dozens, perhaps even hundreds of academies across the realm was no simple matter.
Hiring workers was not difficult. In these times, many were eager for labor. A recruitment notice in the Capital Weekly would have a long line of applicants in no time.
The real issue was this—who would be responsible for site selection, supervision, and oversight in each region?
Even in her previous lifetime, Yun Shu had seen too many cases where charitable organizations pocketed donations while leaving projects unfinished.
Her goal in founding Tian Sheng Academy was to bring new opportunities to the people, to help Tian Sheng thrive.
Not to hand corrupt officials yet another avenue to siphon off wealth.
She spent the rest of the day in the imperial study with Emperor Xuanwu, discussing measures to prevent such abuses. Afterward, she remained to review and approve memorials until late.
By the time she finally returned to Fengyang Palace, exhaustion weighed heavily upon her shoulders. She was looking forward to a proper rest.
Yet no sooner had she stepped into the courtyard than she heard a familiar voice call out with far too much ease, as if this were his own palace.
"That recipe just now was excellent. This Prince is going to publish a whole cookbook!"
"You sound more like someone asking to be reported to the censor!"
Irritated, Yun Shu stepped over the threshold and gave a sideways glance at Yun Chuhuan, who lay sprawled like a lazy lord with one leg crossed, acting as though he owned the place. She let out a cold snort.
"If you want a buffet, go to Tian Waitian Restaurant. You won't be served here."
"Fifth Sister, you're finally back!"
Hearing her voice, Yun Chuhuan sprang up as if he had been wronged, his eyes lighting up with joy.
Then, just as quickly, his expression turned pitiful.
"I would love to go to Tian Waitian Restaurant! But I don't even have a single copper coin left, and now I'm saddled with yet another massive debt!"
Yun Shu stared at him, speechless.
How many times had he racked up debt again?
"I gave you fifty thousand taels last time. Did you not use that to repay Father Emperor?"
"I did repay him!"
Yun Chuhuan wiped at imaginary tears, full of grievance.
"But Father Emperor was too cruel! Fifth Sister, can you believe it?
Just yesterday, he suddenly came to Yaohua Palace. And while I was napping, he barged into my room and fined me another fifty thousand taels! All because I happened to have the blanket pulled over my head while I slept!"