Chapter 925: Chapter 205: The Ji Surname (Part 2)

Even if there truly is someone who dares,

then speak out and stand up,

let’s see how Lord Jingnan will deal with that discontented general!

The Yan Emperor sitting at the head of the table remained silent, merely sipping the residual tea leaves between his lips.

"Sixth Brother, what do you mean by this?"

Ji Chengjue smiled and said:

"Second Brother, Lord Pingye once saved my life; consider it as me repaying this debt, alright?"

"Matters of great national importance cannot be used to repay personal favors!" the Crown Prince rebuked.

Ji Chengjue nodded, stood up, and saluted the Crown Prince,

saying:

"In response to Your Highness the Crown Prince, the military funds for each division in Jin land are divided into three parts: one from the court, one from Ying Capital City, and one self-raised.

In the first half of the year, the funds sent from Ying Capital City to the Snow Sea Pass were also fully allocated."

This was something Lord Jingnan had originally promised to Zheng Fan.

"Sixth Brother, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I mean to say, Your Highness, is that the logistics of military supplies are a matter of great national importance, with significant implications, and the funds distributed from Ying Capital City are allocated by the commander of the Eastern Expedition, Lord Jingnan himself.

The affairs of the military aren’t child’s play; they are not about opening warehouses to distribute grain for disaster relief, emphasizing equal entitlement and shared grace from the lord.

The local garrison, their stationing areas differ, their responsibilities differ, their adversaries differ, how can they be viewed the same?

The Snow Sea Pass guards against the wild people to the north and defends against the Chu State to the south. With just one pass holding the line, it stabilizes the Eastern Jin situation for our great Yan. If the military supplies are lacking, and funds insufficient, should the wild people rise again, and the Chu people invade once more, must our great Yan fight another Eastern Expedition War?

Your Highness,

if you don’t understand military affairs,

then refrain from meddling too much in military matters."

"You say I don’t understand warfare, then what about you, Sixth Brother, do you mean to say you understand warfare?"

"I do not understand warfare."

"Then you..."

"But I don’t speak much."

"..." the Crown Prince.

I don’t understand warfare, but I don’t go on and on.

"The distribution I made basically followed the military supplies allocation issued by Ying Capital City, and since Lord Jingnan thought that the Snow Sea Pass needed full allocation, then I followed Lord Jingnan’s intention.

If Your Highness the Crown Prince believes you understand the Jin land situation and military affairs better than Lord Jingnan,

then please instruct,

I dare not disobey!"

"You..." the Crown Prince.

"Enough."

The Yan Emperor spoke.

The Crown Prince and Ji Chengjue knelt together.

"I kept you both behind, not to hear you bicker."

"Your son understands his fault."

"Your son understands his fault."

The Yan Emperor reached out, picked up a memorandum, a memorandum about ticket numbers that Ji Chengjue had submitted a few days ago.

The Yan Emperor had read it; his original intention was to discuss the rules in the memorandum privately with these two sons.

But the Yan Emperor eventually put the memorandum down again,

saying:

"Leave."

"Your son takes leave."

"Your son takes leave."

The brothers left the Imperial Study. As they passed the small pond in the imperial garden, the Crown Prince said:

"If anything is still lacking for the wedding, let me know."

"Thank you, Second Brother, nothing is lacking."

Because,

there really is nothing at all.

A royal marriage is a major event; according to past practice, a minister would be appointed to take the lead in organizing it.

For example, at the Crown Prince’s last marriage, the Yan Emperor assigned Prime Minister Zhao Jiulang to be in charge; whereas the marriage between the Eldest Prince and the barbarian princess, though low-key, was nominally led by the Minister of Rites.

However, when it came to my turn, it was an assistant minister from the Ministry of Rites who was responsible, named Chen, who had connections with powerful families, so although he was not purged, he was relegated to a minor post early on.

For a prince’s marriage, both the state treasury and the royal private vault should provide funds for expenses.

Compared to the expenses discussed for the Crown Prince’s last marriage, the funding for my marriage is less than ten percent; indeed, not even five percent.

Meanwhile, the prince’s residence is effectively a communal dormitory for the princes before marriage.

The Eldest Prince has already been granted a residence in Yanjing, near the palace, and the Crown Prince has taken residence in the East Palace.

But for me,

even though the wedding date has been set, no mention of a residence has come up yet. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

No matter the size or condition, or location, there still has not been any word.

If Lord Zheng were here and knew of this, he would surely make a joke at Chengjue’s expense for getting married and still living in a factory dormitory with his wife and children.

So, when the Crown Prince, in the guise of an elder brother, asked what was lacking, Ji Chengjue replied that nothing was lacking.

Sometimes,

when you have nothing, you lack nothing.

"The younger brother has grown up and started a family, so he should be more mature."

"I understand."

After the brothers exchanged a few lukewarm words, the Crown Prince returned to his East Palace, while Ji Chengjue exited through the South Gate and boarded a carriage personally driven by Master Zhang.

The carriage swayed, casting shadows.

Seated in the carriage, Ji Chengjue picked up a towel that had been prepared in advance and carefully wiped his face.

"Today, the Crown Prince brought up the issue of funds for Snow Sea Pass in front of father." Ji Chengjue said, throwing the towel into the basin.

"Master, the Crown Prince is too impatient; by personally raising this issue, he might be overstepping a bit."

As the Crown Prince, as the head of the East Palace, if he personally engages with every task, what use are those ministers and followers allied with him?

Coming out to lead the charge might seem straightforward and direct, but in reality, it loses the dignity of an heir apparent.