Chapter 103: A second Wei Zhongxian
In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Zhu Youxiao was reviewing memorials and attending to state affairs.
As winter approached, the Imperial Court had more and more matters to handle.
Preparing for freezing weather and snow disasters alone was a major problem.
Although martial arts flourished in this world, not everyone was a martial artist. Ordinary people still made up the majority.
Moreover, although Ming ranked among the Divine Land's six great dynasties, its national strength was not particularly formidable. Its people's lives could only be called passable, still far from "prosperous."
If some natural disaster struck on top of that, it only piled snow upon the frost of their already impoverished lives.
The money the Imperial Court spent on disaster relief alone each year was an enormous sum. The treasury had long been spending beyond its income, unable to bear the burden.
Fortunately, the treasure the West Depot had brought back from the Great White Upper Kingdom last time was worth two years of Ming's tax revenue, greatly easing that pressure.
At least for the next few years, the Imperial Court would no longer have to worry about disaster relief.
This also made Zhu Youxiao extremely pleased with Yu Huatian.
In addition, Yu Huatian had handled his recent assignments very capably. The Imperial Court's prestige had now soared, the martial artists of Jianghu had become much better behaved, and the number of cases caused by them this month had plummeted off a cliff.
Seeing the Imperial Court's prestige rise ever higher and Ming's situation grow ever more stable naturally made Zhu Youxiao very happy.
But a few days earlier, his royal uncle Zhu Wushi had entered the palace to speak with him, warning him to be careful lest Yu Huatian become the next Wei