"Now the decision rests with the Emperor once more. Let's see if the Emperor will protect the two of us, father and son, this time..."
Cai Jing said this with a bitter expression. In less than two months since his return to the capital, he had fallen to this point. Was he truly getting old?
"Shall we wait and see then?"
Cai Tao tentatively asked.
"I've already told you, your personality will inevitably lead you to suffer greatly..."
After dropping this sentence, Cai Jing slowly walked out of the study again.
The weather in Bianliang was already very dry, and it hadn't snowed for a long time since winter arrived.
This kind of weather was truly life-threatening for an old man like Cai Jing.
Since returning to Bianliang this time, Cai Jing felt that his energy was far from what it used to be.
His condition was even worse than when he was in Luoyang.
Every day, as soon as the sun set, he felt his head swimming.
In the past, he could handle court affairs with ease, but now, even with memorials placed right before his nose, he couldn't see the characters clearly.
Even when his son spoke softly, he couldn't hear what he was saying.
Not to mention, he had to write flattering essays for the Emperor...
Even Cai Jing himself didn't know how long he could hold on in this condition.
"Mr. Yuan, you've found a really good spot here..."
In a small courtyard behind the Imperial Academy, Fan Zheng Guo and Yuan Xing Chi were each soaking in a large wooden tub, chatting in low voices.
"It's not that the place is good, it's that Your Excellency is simply too busy. I heard that after finishing your duties, you still spend every day in the rice paddies. Have you made any progress?"
Yuan Xing Chi said, reaching for a cup of fruit wine for himself.
"Don't mention it. After all this effort, there's still nothing. Han Mo, that brat, instead of doing such beneficial and people-oriented great deeds, insists on diving into the world of fame and profit!"
Fan Zheng Guo said, his anger rising.
Since the last time he witnessed Han Mo's professionalism by the rice paddies, he realized he was nothing more than a makeshift outfit compared to Han Mo.
Even though he was trying his best, such things couldn't be solved overnight.
Even a thousand years later, cultivating true hybrid rice took that elder the better part of his life to achieve some results.
Not to mention now, he had nothing at his disposal, and even the most basic theoretical support was incomplete. It would truly be a miracle if he could achieve anything.
"Your Excellency, I didn't hear anything..."
After a dry cough, Yuan Xing Chi said with a smile.
"What if you did hear? Next time that kid comes to the capital to report for duty, I'll drag him to work in the fields for a few days!"
Yuan Xing Chi couldn't help but chuckle at Fan Zheng Guo's gritting teeth.
"Why don't you impeach him!"
Just when Fan Zheng Guo was most annoyed, Yuan Xing Chi said with a light laugh.
"What are you even here for today? If I impeach him, will he still have a way to live?"
Despite his anger, Fan Zheng Guo knew that Han Mo was currently engaged in another very important matter, otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to Han Mo's request to help him manage the Ministry of Revenue in Bianliang.
"I'm just joking, Your Excellency. I just wanted to ask, with the Lantern Festival approaching next month, and less than a month left, are the rewards and annual stipends for the officials and the Imperial Guards sorted?"
After resettling himself into a more comfortable position, Yuan Xing Chi asked softly.
"The annual stipends for the officials are almost ready at this time, but there's still a significant shortfall for the Imperial Guards... at least more than half of it is missing..."
As the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Fan Zheng Guo could naturally answer these matters with ease.
"May I ask, Your Excellency, how much more copper coin do you lack?"
After hearing him speak, Yuan Xing Chi asked again, without revealing anything.
"The imperial court is a bottomless pit. Who knows how long the war in the north will last? This year's New Year will likely not be a good one..."
Fan Zheng Guo sighed heavily at this point.
If there were no wars, perhaps the imperial treasury could barely cope. But now, wars were raging on both the northern and southern fronts.
The south was slightly better; at least they funded their own military expenses, and the imperial court didn't have to worry about their provisions, only supplementing some weaponry.
But the northern front was entirely different. The entire Northern Expeditionary Army was a bottomless pit.
The food and military pay required each month started at at least two million strings of cash.
Even though Han Mo had sent them a large sum of money through all sorts of means some time ago, it was originally enough to support them for a few months.
But now, with the New Year approaching, the rewards for officials and the Imperial Guards had become a sword hanging over the Ministry of Revenue.
He was already starting to regret why he had agreed to Han Mo's request to take on such a mess.
Was this a matter of lacking copper coins?
The problem now was, if the south couldn't be pacified quickly, the imperial treasury would likely completely collapse by next autumn at the latest.
"Wait, you just asked how much copper coin is lacking?"
Just as Fan Zheng Guo was lost in thought, he suddenly paused, his mind snapping back.
"That's right, that's what I asked!"
"Did that kid find another way to rake in money?"
Fan Zheng Guo immediately reacted and sat up straight.
"Just tell me, before the summer harvest next year, how much copper coin will you still lack?"
Looking at the confident smile on Yuan Xing Chi's face, Fan Zheng Guo's breathing began to quicken.
"For the annual stipends of the officials and the Imperial Guards, there's currently a shortfall of at least four million strings of cash. If the war in the north doesn't stop, at least two million strings of cash in military pay will be needed each month. With at least six months remaining until next spring, that's an additional sixteen million strings of cash. If we add in our extravagant Emperor, it'll be at least twenty million strings of cash as a baseline!"
While still calculating, Fan Zheng Guo's eyes were fixed on Yuan Xing Chi's face, as if wanting to discern something from it.
However, to his disappointment, apart from that inscrutable smile, there was no other expression on Yuan Xing Chi's face.
"If I said that Your Excellency already has a way to help you make a big fortune, would you dare to do it?"