For now, let's put aside what Liu Zhengze had been doing in private. On the surface, with him taking the lead in repaying the silver, quite a sum of debt had been collected in recent days.
The Minister of Revenue even had more energy when coming to the office for roll - call.
Xie Yan was disappointed that he didn't get to see Liu Zhengze make a fool of himself. He sighed and said, "This Liu Zhengze really has some skills. He managed to avoid a big fuss."
He had thought he could see the scene of Liu Zhengze being kicked out when trying to collect debts.
Shaking his head, his robe fluttering, he headed towards Concubine Rou's palace.
At night.
Chen Xuan sat under the lamp and opened the envelope. His expression gradually turned solemn.
Chen Tingfeng stepped in. "Father."
"Have a seat," Chen Xuan said without looking up. After finishing reading the letter, he handed it to his son.
"Do you know anything about Helian Zhen?" Chen Xuan asked.
Helian Zhen was the current ruler of the Xiongnu. He was tall, and those who had seen him said he had a pair of hawk - like eyes, looking extremely fierce.
He was also extremely ferocious in battles. The battle last year when the Xiongnu almost captured a city in the south was led by him.
Chen Tingfeng frowned and thought carefully. "Have you ever confronted him, Father?"
Back then, the old marquis had killed Helian Zhen's father. Later, his uncle briefly took power. Chen Xuan had fought with his uncle and was then recalled to the capital. Not long after, he heard that Helian Zhen had beheaded his uncle under his horse. He had taken power at the age of only fifteen and directly used iron - fisted means to eliminate his opponents.
Those who remained were all loyal to him.
Chen Xuan shook his head. "I only know that he is extremely ruthless. I haven't really looked into other aspects."
If anyone knew him better, it should be General Mao, as he must have confronted Helian Zhen. But... Chen Xuan rubbed his temples in annoyance. "That old Mao is just a reckless man. He only knows the Xiongnu's battle tactics and nothing about Helian Zhen's private means. The other day, a group of Xiongnu almost sneaked in and burned our grain and grass. Fortunately, his adjutant and military advisor were smart, or we would have fallen into their trap."
Chen Tingfeng liked to find out the weaknesses of people when investigating them. After thinking for a while, he said, "I know that he dotes on a concubine named Yanshi. She is a Han woman captured from the border. She is extremely beautiful and is very much loved by him. I heard that he even killed a secondary Yanshi for her."
The concubine Yanshi was the lowest - ranked woman in the Xiongnu royal harem. She could be disposed of at will, just like a low - status concubine in the Central Plains. If she made a mistake, she could be beaten to death without anyone saying a word. But the secondary Yanshi was different. She could be in charge of some specific affairs, equivalent to a secondary wife, with a much higher status than the concubine Yanshi.
But Helian Zhen was not a man who followed the rules. He had even killed his uncle to take power, let alone a secondary Yanshi?
He would dote on whichever woman pleased him.
However, this didn't mean that he was a stupid man addicted to women. His doting was more like the doting on a kitten or a puppy. The woman was specially allowed to live with him, but he didn't let her get involved in other affairs at all.
That was why his chief Yanshi had never come forward to object.
She was just a pet. He might like her today out of novelty, but would he like her forever?
Chen Xuan frowned. "Do you want to start with this woman?"
"No," Chen Tingfeng said calmly. "To be precise, this woman was sent by me."
Chen Xuan: "?"
He covered his chest and stared at his son in shock.
Here it came again, that feeling of being almost scared to death by his son's pre - emptive and secret actions.
"Unfortunately, her skills are still too poor," he said regretfully. "After so long, she hasn't even sent out any useful information. I'm very dissatisfied with her."
This woman had once sold herself to bury her father. Her eyes were full of pity but also ambition. At that time, Chen Tingfeng thought this woman might be useful, so he bought her and had her trained as a half - assassin.
Later, as her face grew more and more beautiful, his original idea of making her a shadow gradually faded.
Such a beautiful face was a waste to be hidden in the dark. It would be better to send her out to gather intelligence. It was a worthy use of her beauty.
Of course, she herself was also willing to do such a thing. Now, she was living quite well in the Xiongnu territory with her good looks.
Maybe she was living too comfortably, so she became slack.
Chen Tingfeng lowered his eyes and thought calmly. Maybe he should send someone to give her a warning, or she would soon forget who her master was.
Since he had set up the chess game and was slowly pushing it forward without any miscalculation, Chen Tingfeng couldn't help but feel a bit bored. "Father, don't worry. The current Xiongnu rulers are just a bunch of idiots. They're not worth mentioning."
What really needed to be worried about was the issue of troops and horses.
The Xiongnu were stupid, but they did have a large number of cattle and sheep, which were well - raised. In battles, their cavalry was the most difficult to deal with.
Now in the court, what was lacking was a top - level general.
General Mao was brave but not very smart. He relied entirely on his adjutant and military advisor to keep his wits about him. But there were always many accidents on the battlefield. The military advisor couldn't be by his side all the time. If something unexpected happened or the military advisor died, the situation would quickly fall apart.
Hearing his son's words, Chen Xuan frowned and thought carefully. "If there is really no one else, then I'll go to fight."
His right hand was disabled, but his left hand was still fine. After practicing with a spear with his left hand every day since spring, although he was not as good as when he used his right hand, he was still 80% proficient. An ordinary person couldn't beat him.
However, Helian Zhen was extremely powerful. If they really confronted each other, it was really hard to say who would win.
"Don't be in a hurry," Chen Tingfeng comforted him. "Aren't we currently solving the problem of grain and grass?"
Chen Xuan was first confused, then suddenly realized. "Was it you who did something about the state treasury?!"
Chen Tingfeng looked at him innocently. "No. Wasn't it the Eldest Princess who exposed it? It has nothing to do with me."
Chen Xuan didn't believe his nonsense at all. He sneered.
Even if he didn't do it himself, he must have played a big part in it.
"Father," after smiling, Chen Tingfeng said seriously. "In at most one month, there will be a lot more silver in the state treasury. At that time, I'll need you to step in. It would be best to convert all this silver into grain and grass and transport it to the north. Even if we can't convert all of it, at least the Ministry of Revenue should take out half of it."
Raising troops and horses cost a lot of money, just like throwing money into a fire. The amount of grain and grass sent last year was just a drop in the bucket. If a war really broke out, that little bit of grain and grass would be used up in half a month. Then what was the point of fighting?
They might as well just lie down and wait to be killed.
"Is this silver obtained legally?" Chen Xuan suddenly asked. This was not a small amount.
Chen Tingfeng smiled faintly. "Whether it's legal or not, once it enters the state treasury, it becomes official silver. The grain and grass bought with official silver won't kill anyone."
As for whether the silver they collected was legal or not, it had nothing to do with him. If it was legal, that would be great. If not, there would surely be a time for reckoning.