Chapter 1967: Wang Chongs Determination! (1/2)

Edited by: Michyrr

”Even though the area is remote, making extraction difficult, it's not a problem. Order the great clans to immediately begin building cement roads toward those three areas. In addition, take twenty million taels of gold and another thirty million obtained with the assistance of the Bureau of Revenue and the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues. Post announcements throughout the county saying that anyone willing to go to these three places to mine for coal will have their travel expenses paid by the court and be given free mining tools. In addition, all of the coal they mine will be theirs and can all be sold to the Imperial Court!”

Wang Chong's eyes had a profound light as he spoke.

Buzz!

Su Shixuan trembled as he raised his head in shock.

Fifty million taels of gold!

And the court would pay travel expenses, give free mining tools, buy any coal that was mined, and allow the people to keep the coal that they didn't want to sell!

This order was certain to send an earthquake through the Great Tang, and countless people would probably rush to those three areas to mine for coal.

Fifty million taels of gold was no small number. Normally, the annual expenses for the Great Tang's army of six hundred thousand soldiers did not exceed ten million taels of gold. This sort of policy had never been implemented in the history of the Great Tang.

No normal person would have the daring to propose such a policy!

”Go!”

Su Shixuan quickly left with the order.

He could already predict how this order would prompt numerous people in the Central Plains to excitedly rush toward that place.

Wang Chong was left alone in the hall, and all fell silent.

A few moments later, Wang Chong moved aside a thick book, revealing a letter.

After glancing at the letter, Wang Chong internally heaved a sigh.

This letter had been sent by a major official in the court, and it recounted matters that had taken place therein. The incident Wang Chong was worried about the most had taken place.

In the space of a few days, the 'Sage Emperor' had withdrawn his decree.

The officiating powers bestowed on Prime Minister Li Linfu, Wang Chong, King Song, and the other officials had been removed, and the 'Sage Emperor' had reappeared in Taihe Palace to preside over government affairs.

Although the 'Sage Emperor' attended court, the Imperial Court was in chaos. In short order, five imperial censors who had opposed the 'Sage Emperor' were removed from their posts and driven out of the court.

In addition, the 'Sage Emperor' had experienced a massive personality shift. Many court officials, eunuchs, maids, and guards that Wang Chong and other major court officials had never heard of were promoted and rewarded.

The 'Sage Emperor' immersed himself in pleasure, even going so far as to promote the parents and brothers of a palace lady simply because he liked her.

Not only that, when a merchant brought a performance troupe into the Imperial Palace and had them perform for the 'Sage Emperor', he was immediately made a Count and allowed to join the Bureau of Personnel as an Auxiliary Assistant Minister.

All of these matters were so absurd that they stirred up indignation both within and without the court.

Promotion of officials in the court required a performance evaluation. If they wanted the job, they needed the appropriate ability and experience. To so casually award official posts would cause no end of trouble and impair the functions of the court.

And this was not all. When the Minister of Personnel noted that the official posts of the Great Tang were limited and it was not possible to promote so many people, the 'Sage Emperor' immediately transferred twenty-some officials of the court to Lingnan.

But come night, he seemed to find this inappropriate and sent them to the border, even though there simply weren't that many empty positions on the border.

Thus, many officials were utterly bewildered.

Never had policies been so frequently changed, and the entire court was in panic.

Wang Chong had already received many letters from current and retired officials asking him to resolve the situation.

In the past, Wang Chong might have stepped forward long ago, getting in touch with King Song and Zhangchou Jianqiong to actively implore the 'Sage Emperor' to change his mind and stop all this from happening. But after finding those lost records and understanding the truth, Wang Chong immediately understood that the situation was more complicated than it seemed.

The true and false Sage Emperor… Third Son Xuan… Which one is the real Sage Emperor? How should I proceed?

Wang Chong looked upward, and his right hand began to unconsciously tap against the armrest of his throne.

Wang Chong had never imagined this development. He had always believed that the 'Sage Emperor' had suffered a backlash from trying to reach the Divine Martial realm, leading to the current situation. It was only now that he realized just how far from the truth this was.

The man at court was no longer the Sage Emperor, but that 'Third Son Xuan'.

This was precisely why his actions appeared so unusual.

Was this what Eunuch Gao was implying when he said that the situation would get worse?

Wang Chong raised his head and muttered.

His mind was a complicated vortex of emotions.

Eunuch Gao undoubtedly knew the truth. This was why he had burned the palace records, and the fire at the Yan Clan was probably for the same reason. It was not certain that Old Master Yan knew about the 'Sage Emperor', but he still chose to cover for this sovereign of the ages.