Xu Jiawei was naturally adept at making decisions regarding matters of state, and what he needed to do now was to gradually pass on his experience to Cao Yu.
Therefore, Xu Jiawei would often deliberately let Cao Yu express his views on each matter and the corresponding solutions.
After several attempts, Cao Yu did not disappoint him; at the very least, he had reached a passing grade.
"Dismiss the court!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, we take our leave!" The civil and military officials bowed again and then walked out of the hall in an orderly manner.
After a while, Xu Jiawei also got up and walked towards the palace, with Cao Yu and several members of the Retirement Group following behind.
As they walked, Xu Jiawei said, " Little Yu, one of the ways of an emperor is to balance the relationships between his ministers."
"Emphasizing literature too much won't work, nor will emphasizing martial arts. As the saying goes, some things can backfire when taken to extremes."
Cao Yu nodded and listened quietly to what he had to say. At this moment, Cheng Gang and the others couldn't help but smile.
They exchanged a few glances, but the man wasn't in a hurry and continued walking slowly.
"Your Majesty, why are you siding with those military officers today?" Cheng Gang was a rough man, usually with a carefree and easygoing personality.
There are many things he doesn't think about in detail, so he was somewhat puzzled by Xu Jiawei's actions today.
Xu Jiawei smiled slightly, pointed at Cheng Gang, and the serious expression he had in court was no longer visible on his face.
Xu Jiawei said, " Cheng Gang, you've seen how those civil officials used to suppress military officials, haha!"
Before long, even Liu Kongzhu, Lu Xuanshui, and Xu Tianshui couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Several people didn't hold back in teasing him, " Cheng Gang, I bet you're dozing off every day during court. You didn't see what happened before, tsk tsk, Your Majesty, I think we should reduce Cheng Gang's salary."
Cheng Gang raised an eyebrow. "You old guys are making fun of me from here!"
This is blatant bullying of honest people, it's outrageous!
So what if I took a little extra wine from you guys? Why are you so vengeful, and now you're even kicking me when I'm down?
That's absolutely outrageous!
Cheng Gang quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't listen to the nonsense those three old men are spouting. This salary absolutely cannot be reduced; if it is, I'll be Beifeng next year."
The group chatted as they walked until they reached the palace. They sat down at an empty seat at the round table and resumed their retirement life.
Of course, there would be plenty of wine at the round table. Sometimes Xu Jiawei would succumb to his craving and have a few extra sips, but he wouldn't drink too much, since he needed to take time to handle government affairs, and getting drunk would be problematic.
" He Xukun and bolder, even daring to target military and financial expenditures. I guess he's been sitting in his first-rank official position for too long, and his neck is starting to itch."
In Xu Tianshui's words, they were just asking for trouble, He Xukun was simply tired of living.
Xu Jiawei's expression didn't change much; he simply took a sip of the wine, then looked at Cao Yu and said:
" Little Yu, what do you think?"
Good grief, they're going to test me again.
This gave Cao Yu a somewhat misleading feeling, like he was working with Di Renjie, while he was essentially Yuanfang.
Yuanfang, what do you think?
Of course I watched it sitting down.
"Four years as an honest official, ten thousand taels of silver!"
"I bet this is one of the pigs you raised, brother-in-law?" Cao Yu's words clearly implied that he wanted to fatten them up before slaughtering them.
Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, their innermost thoughts having been touched upon. Xu Jiawei immediately praised him, saying:
"You're quite the shrewd one, aren't you? You managed to guess that."
After all, whenever there is war, the national treasury is strained, or a new emperor takes office, the leader will specifically target these fat pigs.
"Yes, after all, corruption is a problem that can never be stopped, so it's better to guide than to block. Let them grow fat, and when the time comes to crack down, they'll give you a really big surprise."
"So this is the 'pig-raising technique' I want to teach you: sometimes one isn't enough, so raise a few more."
I never expected my brother-in-law to be so cunning. It's true what they say, you can't command an army with a kind heart; he's ruthless in his methods of slaughtering pigs.
After a moment of silence, Xu Jiawei chuckled softly and said:
"This He Xukun are the gifts I'm leaving for you, but I suggest you don't rush into surgery until you've trained another pig."
"I know." This brother-in-law is really generous, but for Cao Yu, it's not worth specifically targeting He Xukun's such a lucrative target.
At this moment, Xu Tianshui, standing to the side, revealed a meaningful smile and said in a low voice:
" Little Yu, don't underestimate He Xukun's wealth. Over the decades, he's amassed more than ten times the entire national treasury's wealth, and he might even be richer than you."
"Holy crap, is this for real?"
Is there anyone in the Star Luo Empire richer than me?
If that's the case, then wouldn't He Xukun be the biggest corrupt official?
Just like Heshen in the Qing Dynasty?
That would be a very serious matter.
At this point, Liu Kongzhu couldn't help but speak up, " He Xukun's ancestors were officials for generations, and their wealth has accumulated over dozens of generations. Think about it carefully."
"That's incredible! This is a veritable gold mine!" Cao Yu exclaimed in shock. If the harvest of one generation wasn't frightening enough, then the harvest of dozens of generations would be terrifying.
This guy might be even more terrifying than Heshen!
What a fat pig!
"Of course! With his wealth, if I had it, I could buy enough fine wine to last several generations."
In any case, Cheng Gang's words always revolved around fine wine.
Therefore, he would exchange most of his salary for royal brews, just to satisfy his craving for alcohol.
After all, he feels uncomfortable if he doesn't drink for a day!
"Then why didn't his ancestors commit any crimes before?" Cao Yu's implication was, why weren't his ancestors punished?
Xu Jiawei explained, "This is because there haven't been any major wars in recent years, and the national treasury isn't strained, so my father and the older generation haven't touched him He Family."
"An imperial war is bound to break out sooner or later in the next few years, which is precisely when money is scarce. It just so happens that the He Family can come in handy at this time."
Cao Yu nodded and replied, "Understood."
It seems Heaven is determined to destroy you He Family. Cao Yu will naturally show no mercy to corrupt officials, especially those who have been corrupt for dozens of generations.
At noon, after a simple lunch, Xu Jiawei took Cao Yu with him to handle imperial affairs.
There are both major and minor matters involved, all of which require Xu Jiawei's personal review and approval before they can be implemented.
Most of the expenses involved money, and with Cao Yu's involvement, Xu Jiawei finally had a rare moment of relaxation.
Several hours later, Cao Yu couldn't help but rub his eyes; the huge pile of files made his eyes hurt.
(End of this chapter)