Chapter 2709: An Act of Generosity
Chapter 2709: Chapter 2709: An Act of Generosity
"This is the Head of the Ye Family, isn’t it? How are you concerned about the livelihood of the Northern Lands?"
She deliberately picked out the Head of the Ye Family, who was eagerly trying to assert himself before her and Qian Jiyun. Fortunately, the Emperor had already discovered that this Head of the Ye Family had close connections with the Retired Emperor.
"I..."
The Head of the Ye Family opened his mouth, but could not express his troubles.
"In response to Prince An, I am preparing to donate money to the Ministry of Revenue to provide some assistance to the Northern Lands."
What else could he do? Under the watchful eyes of the other Family Heads, even if he had to cough up old blood, he had to show his stance. Otherwise, whether the Ye Family would continue to exist in the future was uncertain.
After all, even the Retired Emperor seems to have vanished, so how could they dare?
"Is that so?"
An Jiuyue looked at him, her gaze revealing nothing.
"The Head of the Ye Family is thoughtful. On behalf of the people of the Northern Lands, I thank the Head of the Ye Family for his generous act," she said.
"Haha, haha, Prince An is too kind. These are, these are things within my duty and do not warrant thanks." The Head of the Ye Family gleefully accepted An Jiuyue’s words, grinning like a fool.
"Hmm."
An Jiuyue nodded slightly.
"How much is the Head of the Ye Family intending to donate?" she asked.
This, the Head of the Ye Family hadn’t really thought through, but he believed that he wouldn’t donate too much—just enough to show some gesture.
He thought to himself, after all, the donation was going to the Ministry of Revenue and not directly through these two princes here. By then, if everyone donates a similar amount, the two princes wouldn’t just find trouble with them.
Moreover, isn’t it true that the law does not punish the masses?
"I..."
"Steward, how much has the Prince Zhan Residence donated for the Northern Lands?" Just as the Head of the Ye Family was about to say some perfunctory words, Qian Jiyun raised his eyes and looked at the steward beside him and asked a question.
"In response to the Master, when news of the Northern Lands reached the capital, the Prince Zhan Residence had already donated two hundred thousand taels of money," the steward respectfully replied.
This was indeed the truth. The Prince Zhan Residence really had directly donated money to the Ministry of Revenue. For years, aside from daily expenses, the residence also donated a portion of money to the national treasury.
This was all at the behest of Prince Zhan.
"Only two hundred thousand taels?"
An Jiuyue’s face instantly showed some disdain upon hearing this.
"Jiyun, is the Prince Zhan Residence very poor?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
Qian Jiyun’s gaze turned sharp as he looked at the steward.
Hit by his prince’s gaze, the steward’s skin instantly tightened on his back, hastily explaining.
"Master, Master, it’s not like that. That two hundred thousand taels were merely donated to the people of the Northern Lands. In previous years, regardless of whether major events occurred in the nation, the residence would send over one million taels of money to the palace, to be added to the national treasury, without change."
"Now that’s more like it."
Upon hearing this, An Jiuyue nodded, expressing no further opinion.
"This time, those over two million taels, I plan to deliver to the Emperor. Additionally, the grains previously stored in the Northern Lands should be sufficient for the people there for a year. It should be adequate.
If not, the Emperor would just need to find a way to gather more. One wonders how much he could gather?"
As she spoke, her gaze seemed to linger inconspicuously over the Noble Clan Patriarchs. It was quite apparent that if they didn’t show some sincerity, life wouldn’t be that easy.
"Yes, the Emperor will take care of the rest, so you need not worry about those," Qian Jiyun said, proffering the pastries before her.
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