When Jia Lian heard the Emperor's words, he knew that the Emperor had dug a small pit for him to tease him, so he bowed and flattered him.
"Hahahaha…Jia Lian, outsiders say that you're a fool who doesn't recognize anyone and only knows how to offend people.
But now, it seems to me that you are a cunning person who flatters others.”
Jia Lian's words made the Emperor and Liu Wen laugh out loud. Liu Wen laughed because he felt that Jia Lian's words were interesting.
The Emperor laughed because Jia Lian's words had hit the bottom of his heart.
He had heard a lot of flattery, but this was the first time he had heard something like Jia Lian's ingenuity.
As the ruler of the world, he was very happy that his words and actions were for the sake of the country.
"Lord Jia, based on your words today, everyone in the world has misjudged you.”
Liu Wen smiled as he took over the Emperor's words and praised Jia Lian.
Although Jia Lian's words were full of flattery, he didn't think much of it.
He only felt that Jia Lian was a smooth person.
If someone else were to say this now, he would definitely despise them and think that they were bootlickers.
But Jia Lian was different, because Jia Lian was a righteous person who would step forward when the country was in trouble, even if he had to bear the world's infamy.
For Jia Lian, there was nothing but admiration.
He was not like those bootlicking officials who made him feel uncomfortable no matter how he looked at them.
As Jia Lian listened to the Emperor's scolding and Liu Wen's words, he smiled and did not reply.
"Minister Jia, if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't be able to bear to eat an egg now.
Now that the court's predicament has been resolved, I can still send a few eggs to the imperial kitchen every three to five days.”
After the Emperor smiled, he said to Jia Lian with a sigh.
Jia Lian, who was feeling embarrassed, was stunned when he heard the Emperor's words. He thought to himself that the most powerful man in the Great Jin couldn't even bear to eat eggs. How poor was this country?
Liu Wen also looked at the Emperor in surprise, not understanding why the Emperor would be so thrifty.
"Sage, your body is your own. Only by taking care of your body can you handle more state affairs and lead our Great Jin to prosperity.
If you don't want to save, then don't save. An egg is only a few coins. Ordinary people can't bear to eat it. Why is His Majesty so thrifty?”
"Young ladies like me eat a few eggs every day.
Eggs were not as expensive as cheap meat. We still have to eat."
Jia Lian could not help but open his mouth to persuade the Emperor.
His daughter, Niuniu, was served an egg and the nanny's milk every morning.
At noon, he had a chicken cake with some vegetables.
At night, after eating and drinking enough chicken cake and egg pancakes, Wang Xifeng coaxed her to sleep, and then Nanny carried her to sleep.
"Minister Jia, are you trying to make me happy? How can you buy an egg for a few coins? Aren't these eggs thirty-five taels of silver for one?”
"It is said that this hen may not lay a single egg in its lifetime. This item is as rare as the ox treasure.”
The Emperor had an expression that said," Are you kidding me?"
In his knowledge, he did not care about these things when he was young. Now that he was the head of the family, he realized that eggs were so expensive.
The monthly expenses of the palace alone were more than two hundred thousand taels of silver.
This was what he had gotten in exchange for saving money and delivering babies.
"Saint, have you been deceived? If a hen is fed well and laid an egg every day, even if it doesn't eat well, it would still lay an egg every two or three days!
Although eggs were somewhat nutritious, how could they be compared to a rare item like Niu Bao?”
"If you don't believe me, let's go outside and ask. Although ordinary people usually can't bear to eat it, they will occasionally give it to pregnant women, children, or women who are in confinement.”
When Jia Lian heard the Emperor say that an egg cost 35 taels of silver, he was shocked.
Under Liu Wen's gaze, he told the Emperor with a face full of horror.
Jia Lian didn't immediately understand what it meant, but Liu Wen, who had been an official for a lifetime and had been baptized in the officialdom for decades, naturally realized the seriousness of the problem at the first moment.
It was obvious that there was a problem with the Internal Affairs Bureau.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was responsible for providing for the palace.
The Xue family of Jinling was in charge of providing food for the internal affairs department.
The responsibility of the Xue family in Jinling had always been passed down from their ancestors. Now, Xue Pan was still in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.
As for what kind of person Xue Pan was, he could find out with just a little inquiry…
Like losing a father at a young age, being spoiled by a widowed mother, indulging and spoiling the younger one, being extravagant and arrogant at the age of five. Although he went to school, he only knew a few words. All day long, he only fought cocks and horses and traveled to the mountains and rivers.
Although he was an imperial merchant, he did not know anything about the affairs of the world. He only relied on his grandfather's old friendship. The Ministry of Revenue had a false reputation and received money and grain. The rest of the affairs were handled by the staff and the old family.
Similarly, he was also the tyrant of Jinling, known as the King of Dumbo.
If he did not know and the Emperor found out, not to mention what the Xue family would face, he, the Minister of Revenue, would definitely be guilty of oversight.
"Pa…"
"Indeed!"
Hearing Jia Lian speak so seriously, the Emperor didn't seem to be lying to him. He slapped the table heavily and asked Jia Lian with a cold face.
If that was really the case, then he, the emperor, had been deceived too miserably.
Moreover, she had lied to him for so many years.
If this matter was said to be small, it would be deceiving the emperor. If it was said to be big, it would be deceiving the emperor and treating him as a fool.
"Of course. Who in the world doesn't know that eggs are cheaper than cheap meat (pork)?”
"Don't tell me you really don't know?"
Jia Lian replied to the Emperor with certainty. The moment the words left his mouth, he immediately reacted and looked at the Emperor with a face full of suspicion.
The Emperor's face turned red when he was stared at by Jia Lian's suspicious gaze.
"It seems like it's true. The emperor really can't see the golden tiles and the throne room.”
Seeing the Emperor blush and not speak, Jia Lian sighed in understanding.
Liu Wen was so frightened by Jia Lian's words that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down and shouted for Jia Lian to shut up.
"The emperor can't see the golden tiles and the throne room…Good…Very good!”
The Emperor's face was so dark that water was about to drip out. Once these words were said, it was not difficult for him to understand how deceived he, the Emperor, was.
One had to know that this was an early warning of losing power. If the matter was serious, he would probably not even know that he was being made a figurehead.
When Jia Lian saw the Emperor's expression, he finally woke up, thinking that this was the ancient world of the Dream of the Red Chamber.
He was so bold as to say this in front of the Emperor. Wasn't he complaining that he had worn his head around his neck for too long?
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