As soon as the attendant finished speaking in fear, Meng Cheng realized that his reaction was a bit too extreme. He raised his hand, rubbed his eyes with his palm, exhaled deeply, and sat down again.
　　Many low-ranking civil servants in the palace were terrified and dared not speak. They were very confused in their hearts-how could the new emperor, who was known for his kindness and gentleness, have such a capricious and violent temper? Or was he worthy of being the only legitimate son of Emperor Mingde, even if he was still young, he was still a young tiger and should not be underestimated?
　　Not only were these small officials suspicious, but even Wen Haolan was shocked. He first looked at Minister Xu, and seeing that Minister Xu also frowned and did not smile, he guessed that this might have nothing to do with Minister Xu, but Zheng Junzhi's own business.
　　This is strange. Before this person was promoted to a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, he was just a mere chief. After all, no matter how big the identity is, it is impossible for him to see the emperor, who is the current emperor. Wen Haolan also heard the rumors among the famous families in the capital, and among the famous families and royal relatives, there is no one like Zheng Junzhi.
　　The scene became very subtle.
　　Zheng Yuheng still bowed and saluted, with a loose figure and crane bones, and his eyebrows were lowered, but he did not show any fear or panic because of the emperor's angry words, but just waited for instructions calmly, and he looked like an ancient gentleman.
　　Wen Haolan admired him more and more, but also became more and more confused.
　　Meng Cheng sat on the throne quietly for a while, his fingertips pressed on the memorial, and it took him a long time to sort out his emotions. He looked at Zheng Yuheng expressionlessly: "Junzhi, what a good name."
　　Zheng Yuheng said: "Your Majesty is too kind."
　　Meng Cheng raised his voice: "Who named you?"
　　"My..." He paused, "An important person around me."
　　The little emperor was in a better mood, and it was not a wise choice to anger him at this time, and it would be a waste of the Queen Mother's calculations and plans, which would not be worth the loss. Therefore, Zheng Yuheng could only hide his identity in his heart and did not utter a word.
　　Meng Cheng snorted, and seeing that he was not too rampant, he just said coldly: "What do you mean by Chengwulang? It's really unfair to you."
　　Zheng Yuheng said humbly and docilely: "It's not unfair. I am stubborn and stupid, and I have no qualifications. I feel uneasy in this position."
　　He actually answered seriously. Meng Cheng's anger rose again. He picked up the memorial on the table, clapped his hands irritably again and again, and said, "Minister Wen recommended you to me because he wanted to promote you. Don't talk nonsense. Say what you should say, otherwise I will punish you."
　　"Yes." Zheng Yuheng responded. He gathered his words and then said, "According to the settlement of the accounts of the Ministry of Finance, plus the joint review and reconciliation of the Ministry of Revenue at the end of the year, the amount said to be used at the beginning of the year was not enough. By the end of the year, the overspending was 2 million taels. Part of it was for the disaster relief in Fuzhou this year. The local granaries were not enough, and the grain and silver released by the Ministry of Granaries to quell the famine accounted for about half of it. The other part was for the cost of General Geng's suppression of the water bandits. According to the number of troops dispatched at that time, the distance, and the number of days for the suppression of the bandits, "The cost of the northern expedition
　　will be doubled..." He paused for a moment and added, "The longer the journey, the more difficult it will be to supply. At that time, the money and manpower required to transport food and grass will increase exponentially. According to the current taxes and national strength, if we send troops at the turn of spring and summer, we will have to return at the end of autumn at most, and we can only fight for six months at most."
　　Meng Cheng didn't expect that he could actually have a say. He looked at him strangely for a few breaths, turned what he said over and over in his heart, chewed it between his teeth and thought about it thoroughly, and propped up his chin and said, "Six months..."
　　"The territory of the Great Yin is vast. From the capital to the northernmost part, several top-quality horses will die." Zheng Yuheng said, "These are old sayings. Your Majesty, I am only responsible for checking and calculating."
　　Meng Cheng glanced at him and felt that he might have heard these words from his mother's side. He could stand here today, and his mother must have acquiesced, or even helped him, so it would be more reasonable and easier to treat him as his mother's eyes and mouthpiece in the previous dynasty.
　　Thinking of this, Meng Cheng was no longer angry. He said, "...what if six months have passed?"
　　Zheng Yuheng said, "It will hurt people and waste money."
　　Meng Cheng said, "No one can guarantee a quick victory. Even if you are a victorious general or a martial god, you can't issue such a military order. This is a battle of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a different place. If it only takes six months...if the enemy defends the city and refuses to come out, and you can't attack, it's reasonable to fight for one or two years."
　　Zheng Yuheng said calmly, "One or two years is fine. But if you can't eat three meals a day, there will be rebels. If the war lasts for two years, taxes must be increased. Under the harsh policies and heavy taxes, even if the emperor is in Kyoto, he must be careful about whether there are knife-wielding rebels around him. Excessive war will lead to frequent civil strife."
　　"Zheng Junzhi!"
　　"Zheng Chengwu!"
　　Wen Haolan and Xu Shangshu called him almost at the same time. It's just that the former called him by name, and the latter called him by his position.
　　His words were sharp, cold and merciless, just short of telling Meng Cheng "If you want the assassin to aim at your head, just go ahead and hit him." This was really unpleasant to hear, and he might even be punished. Not
　　to mention the Ministry of Revenue, even in the six departments, in the court and the public, no one would speak like this. Even the ministers who disobeyed the new emperor were waving the banner entrusted by the previous emperor. How could the writings of the Four Books and Five Classics raise such a young man with a knife in his mouth?
　　Zheng Yuheng immediately lowered his head, raised his hand and pleaded guilty, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my rash words."
　　Meng Cheng stared at him and said, "I want to punish you, but you are still standing here alive. What you said is already pleasant to hear."
　　Zheng Yuheng nodded secretly in his heart.
　　"I am the Son of Heaven. I will not bother with you." Meng Cheng emphasized, "I understand what you mean." Zheng
　　Yuheng looked at him and praised him hypocritically, "Your Majesty is truly a saint..."
　　"Shut up." Meng Cheng interrupted him, "Step down."
　　Zheng Yuheng stepped back neatly, from under Meng Cheng's nose, all the way to the end of the Shenying Hall, and sat down at the last seat without changing his expression.
　　Seeing him retreat to a place where he could not see, Meng Cheng did not know for a moment whether he was out of mind or was still thinking about him. He covered his lips and coughed twice, took a big sip of tea, and then said to Minister Xu: "In your opinion, if we send troops, from Kyoto to Fengzhou in the northernmost part, and then deploy the battle line after crossing Feilongchuan, the issue of transporting grain and grass..."
　　Minister Xu said: "The supply route is a bit too long."
　　"I know." Meng Cheng said, "If 300,000 troops are mobilized, the total number of logistics personnel will be 500,000. Before the army moves, grain and grass must be transported first, and officials from the court must be sent to transport them. The Ministry of Revenue is full of people who know the accounts, granaries, and expenses like the back of their hands. Can there be capable officials to eliminate the worries?"
　　Minister Xu was silent for a long time, and said: "The last case of embezzlement of military pay involved the involvement of grain transport officers. I am afraid that there will be more people involved in this northern expedition."
　　This was said but it was as if he had not said anything. Meng Cheng knew what he was hinting at - Xu Shangshu meant that corruption should be eradicated while being capable, which was like not giving the donkey grass to eat but making it work. When no one dared to take action on the military pay, it was probably only a handful of officials in the court who would volunteer to be responsible for logistics and escorting food and grass.
　　If the war is won, it is the credit of General Wu Chen. Even if you work hard and get up early and sleep late, you will not get much reward. But if you fail in this difficult task, you will be beheaded. Even
　　if Meng Cheng wants to appoint and select officials from the Ministry of Revenue for such a job, Minister Xu cannot accept it. Even if he forcefully recommends him or asks His Majesty to appoint him, if he catches a cold or breaks his leg before he is appointed, can the court still force him to take office with a limp? There are
　　people who are honest and willing to work hard. Minister Wei Que is one of them. But he was almost killed when he came back from Fuzhou last time. Now he just had a child. Even if you want to take advantage of him, you can't just take advantage of him.
　　These words turned around in Meng Cheng's mind, and he couldn't say a word for a long time. He read the joint petition requesting the dispatch of troops again and again, and could only say to the people in the Ministry of Revenue: "... Think about it again, I will think about it again..."
　　...
　　When the emperor was discussing matters in the front court, Dong Lingjiu also had a petition submitted by Jiang Yunhe, the commander of the Qilin Guard.
　　This was submitted by the Shenwu Army and some Hanlin Academy Hanlin. The first half was the same as the one in Meng Cheng's hand, but it was a joint petition requesting to sweep the northern border, save the herdsmen from the danger of being robbed and robbed, and eliminate the contempt and humiliation of the Great Yin by foreign countries, and to show its power to the world. The second half was the impassioned speeches of several Hanlins. Judging from the names of the signatures, they were all very young, talking about the cause of eternal fame, the opportunity to dominate the eight directions, and the world inside and outside dare not follow... All these things were both impassioned and empty.
　　The lip service and agitation and boasting were very powerful.
　　Dong Lingjiu looked at it and pretended not to see it. He only replied to the part about the Shenwu Army. After replying, he picked up the pen and asked at the end: "Do you think that articles with colorful and elegant writing can shake the world? If you have a memorial, you can submit it immediately. There is no need to associate with the name of Hanlin, or use exaggerated words and flashy words without substance."
　　This was a bit impolite.
　　The female historian who copied the memorial jumped her eyelids and looked at the Queen Mother's face. Seeing that she was calm and showed no joy or anger, she immediately bowed her head and copied it respectfully.
　　Dong Lingjiu put down his pen, held the cat in his arms and stroked it for a while, and asked: "Has the emperor left the court?"
　　Ruixue, who was standing by, had just returned from the previous province and replied: "I am discussing matters with the officials of the Ministry of Revenue in the Shenying Hall."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded first, then remembered where Zheng Yuheng was, frowned and said: "Has everyone in the Ministry of Revenue gone?"
　　Ruixue said: "Yes, all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue who can be used in Beijing have gone."
　　Dong Lingjiu was silent for a moment, and then asked her: "You just... did you ask Xuan Jingyun, the emperor didn't say who to behead or who to behead?"
　　Ruixue was stunned, and said in confusion: "To report to you truthfully... Everything in the Shenying Hall is normal."
　　Dong Lingjiu slowly drank a sip of tea and murmured: "I can't tell, is this improvement..."
　　The author has something to say:
　　Xiao Zheng is not very obedient by nature, but he is very docile on the surface. (Except for the good wife in his destiny)
　　He is not suitable for fighting in the officialdom (he also doesn't like bureaucratic style), but he is suitable for doing practical things in a straightforward manner. Capable and poisonous.
　　But the little emperor is actually very obedient by nature. The only naughty part is the problem of cultivating his status, position and power.