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Chapter 111 Officials Demanding Salaries! I owe my 'reputation' entirely to you!

Chapter 112 Officials Demanding Salaries! I owe my 'reputation' entirely to you!

Bianjing, outside the palace gate.

More than a hundred officials gathered outside the palace, shivering in the cold wind.

Three or five people huddled together for warmth.

Most of them were officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works, numbering over a hundred.

Snow was still falling from the sky, and these people stood outside the palace gates with their heads exposed.

"Can we get our salary?"

"Alas! We have to get it even if we can't. The year has just passed, and my family is completely out of rice. If the Emperor refuses to pay our wages, my whole family will starve to death."

"Who can argue with that? At the end of the year, I had no choice but to borrow ten taels of silver from a money shop to get through the year. But the imperial court still hasn't paid salaries; wouldn't that mean people would starve to death?"

"These days, after I finish my business trip, I set up a stall on the street to write letters for people and sell some calligraphy and paintings to supplement my family's income."

"6

'

The officials were abuzz with discussion; it turned out they had all come to demand their salaries.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had not paid salaries for a year, and these officials were all working in low-paying departments, so they couldn't make any money.

Some, however, disdain to conform to the corrupt practices of the world, and thus end up living in poverty.

When Yan Fan was in power, although the imperial court did not pay salaries, Yan Fan would privately give officials a sum of money.

It was usually around the end of the year, because the corrupt officials in the court were very powerful, and Yan Fan naturally wanted to win them over.

He then began to win over the officials and constables in those insignificant government offices.

Although the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works had little say in the court, they were extremely useful to Yan Fan.

Whether it was trading with foreign nations or building warships for long-distance trade.

Although the ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works were both officials of the Qingliu faction, their subordinates still needed to eat.

Therefore, although he knew that his subordinates were having an affair with Yan Fan, he turned a blind eye to it.

With Yan Fan gone, the family lost its financial support and faced a famine.

They informed their superiors, but these people all came from prominent families and didn't need a few taels of silver.

The situation has dragged on and on until now, and the officials can no longer sustain it, so they have no choice but to come to the palace to demand their salaries.

The sight today is truly a marvel of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Emperor Xuanwu was naturally aware of what was happening outside, but he had more important matters to attend to today.

The Wanshou Palace has finally been completed. Today, he will move there to devote himself to Taoist cultivation in order to achieve immortality.

"Wang Xi, I'm leaving the officials outside the palace gates to you. Keep them calm and don't let things escalate. Advise them to go home and rest early in this freezing weather, so they don't catch a cold."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will certainly appease the officials outside the palace gates."

Wang Xi realized that Emperor Xuanwu's words did not imply any intention to provide them with salaries.

I understood in my heart how to handle it.

"It's freezing cold outside. If we delay a bit, they should just go home obediently."

Wang Xi looked down at the officials from the city wall and shook his head.

"Even the jailers in the imperial prison know how to make money. You are all so talented, how come you just can't learn it?"

As time passed, the number of officials outside did not decrease; on the contrary, it increased.

It turned out that the news of the officials demanding their salaries and besieging the imperial city had reached the ears of the other officials.

They all rushed over, and the heavy snow could not stop them.

They knew in their hearts that standing there for a day might lead to their death, but if they went back now, they would surely starve to death.

There's not much difference between starving to death and freezing to death.

Wang Xi was drinking and warming himself by the stove in his cell when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Godfather, there are more and more officials outside the palace gates now, I estimate there are about two hundred now."

This man was none other than Chen Yu, Wang Xi's most beloved godson. He was intelligent, quick-witted, and resourceful, and was deeply loved by Wang Xi.

That's why Chen Yu was assigned to keep an eye on things and report to him if anything happens.

Wang Xi was somewhat surprised; there were even more of them now. Had he messed up the task the Emperor had given him?

"Go and persuade those people outside to go back. This is something His Majesty has arranged."

His face held a hint of ruthlessness, and his jaw was clenched.

"Yes, Godfather, I will definitely do my best for you."

After saying that, Chen Yu left Wang Xi's cell.

Wang Xi then left to go to Wanshou Palace to find Emperor Xuanwu.

When Emperor Xuanwu saw Wang Xi arrive, he said in a nonchalant tone, "Come here!"

It turned out that Emperor Xuanwu was also watching everything that was happening outside the palace gates.

Since the officials were already in the wrong for not paying their salaries, Emperor Xuanwu naturally dared not do anything more to them.

That's why Wang Xi was asked to handle the matter, and Wang Xi then passed it on to his godson, Chen Yu.

Heaven Prison.

-

Shen Yan was drinking to warm himself up in his cell.

After he defeated Zeng Yanqiu, the reputation of the Heavenly Prison soared. As for whether the reputation was good or bad, you don't need to worry about that.

The Heavenly Prison already had a bad reputation, and it wasn't afraid of Shen Yan ruining it.

However, it wasn't without its advantages; at least the jailers in the imperial prison stood up straight after leaving.

To say nothing of the distant past, Sun Fugui was cheating at a casino a few days ago and almost had his hand chopped off.

In desperation, he revealed that he was a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison and had delivered meals with Shen Yan, whom he called Brother Shen.

The casino owner made a few inquiries and found it to be true, so he actually released him.

When Shen Yan found out, she glared at him hatefully.

"It's all you who ruined my reputation with your relationships, isn't it?!"

No wonder the jailer often comforted himself, saying that although "prison demon" was an unpleasant name, it was still a resounding one.

Sun Fugui ran in.

"Brother Shen, something terrible has happened?"

Shen Yan looked at him and said sarcastically, "What's the big deal? Which casino arrested you this time?!"

"Brother Shen, don't misunderstand. I'm not that kind of person. I haven't been to a casino since what happened last time."

Shen Yan sneered, "You must be wondering why the casinos won't let you in anymore, and the jailers won't gamble with you either, right? I told them to do it, so you can save some money to support your wife and kids. No need to thank me."

Sun Fugui's expression changed drastically. No wonder he was barred from entering any casinos after that, and even the jailers wouldn't let him gamble.

It seems that it was Brother Shen who gave the order.

"Brother Shen, you're really like a brother to me—please let me play a couple more rounds!"

Shen Yan ignored his rambling nonsense. He didn't have the ability to make the casinos in Bianjing give him face before.

Since the incident with Zeng Yanqiu, his waist token has been more useful than those of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He said calmly, "Speak! What is it?"

"Hey! I almost forgot, it's quite lively outside the palace today!"

"A lively scene?! Could it be that the Emperor is setting off fireworks again?"

Sun Fugui turned deathly pale with fright.

"Brother Shen, you wouldn't dare say that. There were a couple hundred officials gathered outside the palace gates today, begging for money!"

Hearing this, Shen Yan became interested.

"Oh?! Officials are asking for money? Tell me what's going on?"

Sun Fugui told Shen Yan the whole story, and Shen Yan's expression turned somewhat strange after hearing it.

It turns out that the officials and runners in these insignificant government offices were all supported by Yan Fan.

Now that Yan's faction is wiped out, there's naturally no one to distribute money anymore, so it's no wonder there's unrest.

Shen Yan had witnessed this scene far too many times in his previous life.

During holidays and festivals, the construction site gates are always blocked.

He thought to himself, "This strike by officials has a significant impact. They just raided Yan Fan's house not long ago, and now they can't even come up with any money?"

Shen Yan didn't know how much wealth Yan Fan had, but it certainly wasn't little, considering that Liu Chuan had managed to embezzle nearly ten million taels.

There's no reason why Yan Fan, as the prime minister, would be inferior to him.

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