Chapter 993 Are You Threatened?

Watching everyone rushing to donate money, the whole court was envious of the strange silence. Others looked at the few people standing in the center of the hall with cracked expressions.

They are all old hands in the court, who doesn't know who?

There is obviously something fishy~

They really want to ask, are these people threatened? If so, please blink.

They are not mentally prepared for such a thing in the morning.

Some timid people were led by the rhythm and donated money before they figured out what was going on.

It was obviously a big court meeting to discuss state affairs, but it became a charity fundraising meeting in the blink of an eye.

The head of the Sinongqing and others saw that half of the people followed suit and donated money. At the same time, they were shocked and comforted.

So many people were on the list. Fortunately, they stood up in time to leave a good impression on the emperor.

Look at the few behind, don't they bleed with bitter faces?

Regarding the scene in front of them, except Xiaowu and Ma Fuyin who knew the inside story and looked at it calmly, the rest of them looked cautious.

Especially Prime Minister Mu, who thought he was old and blind, raised his sleeves and wiped his eyes. After being shocked, he glanced at the people in the front row and forced himself to calm down.

Among the few people who came out, more than half were from the Mu family. Seeing them scrambling to donate money to the court, they dared to hide such a big thing from him. It was really presumptuous.

Do they also think that they are old, confused, and incapable of great responsibilities?

Otherwise, why don't they consult him and make decisions privately?

Such contempt for his authority is because he is too kind and indulgent to them on weekdays?

Several people met the eyes of the old prime minister and turned their eyes away with guilt.

This is their private matter, and the government holds a handle. If the old prime minister knows, except for being reprimanded, he will definitely not be able to help. No matter how prestigious the old prime minister is, he can't go against the government.

Everyone in the hall has their own thoughts. Bai Xiaowu stood upright, looking like he had nothing to do with it.

Emperor Chengxuan sat on the dragon chair, watching all this, feeling particularly comfortable. He waited for the eunuch to count the donations, totaling 820,000 taels.

"I thank you for your generosity and loyalty to the country. In this case, I will ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate some more silver taels to make up one million taels, all of which will be allocated to the border troops to appease the military spirit."

As expected of the Hanlin scholar he valued, his brain was useful, and he made everyone scramble to pay out money without any effort.

He remembered this credit.

"Long live the emperor."

Everyone thanked him, and when the court meeting was over, Bai Xiaowu was summoned into the Wende Hall by the emperor.

At this time, everyone just wanted to leave as soon as possible, and no one envied Bai Xiaowu.

Wende Hall,

Emperor Chengxuan walked around the hall with his hands behind his back. This was the most enjoyable court meeting since he ascended the throne.

Seeing Xiaowu walking along the corridor, Emperor Chengxuan hurried back to the dragon table and sat down.

"Your Highness,"

"Your Excellency, please excuse me. Please take a seat. You really helped me a lot in today's court meeting. You solved the military expenses of the soldiers. You have made an indelible contribution. But I saw that the Mu family didn't take a single word in this list."

Emperor Chengxuan threw the book on the dragon table, stood up again, paced in the hall, and snorted in his heart.

The Mu family is too arrogant because of their favor.

"I dare not take credit for it. I just mentioned a few words. It's all the merits of the ministers. As for the Mu family, it's not surprising that there has been no movement. The old prime minister is highly respected and may have other ideas."

Xiao Wu bowed and saluted in a calm tone. Every person on the list has shed blood. These people performed well and were able to lead some people. It was a pleasant surprise.

But the Mu family was the only one who didn't donate money. I don't know what the other party's countermeasures are?

There are three or four names of the Mu family on the list. The prime minister, who is from a wealthy family, is extremely cruel in private.

Listening to Xiao Wu's explanation, Emperor Chengxuan sighed,

"As the patriarch of the Mu family, the prime minister allowed his clansmen to act recklessly without restraining them. Perhaps he is really old and his reactions are slow."

During the grand court meeting, he saw the old man staring at everyone in shock, his expression was dull, and his five senses were regressing with age.

"The old prime minister is old and probably hasn't reacted yet. Should we give them some more time? At today's court meeting, Prime Minister Mu should take action soon after understanding the truth."

"Hehe, I hope so."

After all, the four people of the Mu family were involved in the incident. If they didn't express anything at all, it would be worth pondering. The prime minister is an old fox. Since he ascended the throne, he has always treated the Mu family well, which is also a thank you for his support when he first ascended the throne.

But one should not be too greedy. He can sit on the position under his buttocks until he retires at the age of seventy, but he cannot let the position of prime minister be held by the Mu family.

In the entire court, the position of prime minister is of utmost importance and must be handled with caution.

Only a person with great talent can be competent. Prime Minister Mu is well-read and has a broad vision. Although the disciples he recommended are also good, with knowledge and insights, there is only one thing, that is, they lack practical knowledge. What they have learned and talked about are mostly things from books, lacking real life experience.

For example, the needs of the lower-class people, anything related to people's livelihood, he only knows some superficial phenomena, which is too superficial. If he can hone his skills for another ten years, he may be competent.

It is because of this that he rejected the prime minister's recommendation, which made him unhappy.

For a year, the prime minister has been bothering to deal with this matter, which makes him very irritable. As an emperor, he will naturally not compromise on matters related to the court and the country.

Xiao Wu saw that the emperor's expression was not right when he mentioned the Mu family, so he could only wait silently by the side until he walked back to the dragon table and sat down, then he bowed and said,

"Your Majesty, don't worry. Everyone can make a difference. At least the military funds have been collected. When the money is sent, the soldiers in the northwest can spend the winter in peace."

"Indeed... My dear minister is really a wise man. I didn't make a mistake about him."

Emperor Chengxuan came back to his senses, leaned back in his chair, temporarily put the Mu family behind him, and looked at Bai Xiaowu happily.

Seeing his attitude of not being surprised by honor or disgrace, he felt more satisfied.

"Tell me, what reward do you want? I will grant it."

Raising so much military funds for him, if you put forward some practical requirements, he will agree.

"I am ashamed. All the gentlemen are so generous. I only have 100 taels of silver. I am too embarrassed to ask for a reward. Your Majesty, please don't laugh at me for being stingy."

If he gets a reward today, he will be put in a sack when he goes out.

If you are smart, you won't ask for trouble.

Emperor Chengxuan looked at Xiaowu's avoidance and couldn't help laughing. "Little things add up to a lot. The thought is the most important. My dear minister, don't be modest. Well, remember the reward first. When you have more, ask me for it." (End of this chapter)