Chapter 5: Precise Control
The so-called awakening and the so-called sleep-talking had, of course, all been arranged by Ning Chen.
It was all done so that the Empress Dowager would accept his change.
Ning Chen knew full well that his transformation could not be concealed forever, but before the Empress Dowager’s birthday, he had to make her let down her guard.
Otherwise, she might truly strike at him in advance.
So he had to use the method of boiling a frog in warm water, letting the Empress Dowager accept his change while still remaining careless toward him.
His purpose in putting Fan Dayou in charge of disaster relief was the same.
He knew very well that his intention to win people’s hearts would certainly not escape the eyes of the Empress Dowager and the others.
Yet he had deliberately chosen a foolish method that, in everyone’s eyes, seemed designed to ruin Fan Dayou.
Because no one believed the old pedant Fan Dayou could handle this relief effort well.
That alone was enough to make the Empress Dowager and the others think he was merely a stupid little boy, not worth warning against.
As events proved, he had made the right move; at the very least, the Empress Dowager had smoothly allowed him to leave the palace.
So next, what he had to do was help Fan Dayou manage the relief effort properly while everyone waited to laugh at him, and thus gain Fan Dayou’s support.
Early the next morning, Ning Chen, accompanied by Xiao Anzi and protected by several imperial guards, left the palace in disguise.
The carriage rolled through the bustling streets of the capital. But as soon as it passed beyond the city gates, the scene before him made Ning Chen frown.
Beside the gray city walls, in front of a crude porridge tent, stretched a line of refugees so long it vanished into the distance. Men and women, young and old alike, were gaunt and yellow-faced, all skin and bones.
Not far away, soldiers were carrying away the bodies of refugees who had died of sickness or starvation. The stench of death did nothing to diminish the desperate hunger of the disaster victims for a bowl of thin gruel.
Elsewhere, some people were putting up more tents, while physicians were treating the sick.
Ning Chen went straight to the porridge station and saw that the gruel was thick and steaming hot.
It had to be said that Fan Dayou truly was a good official.
Yet Ning Chen still frowned. “Where is your Lord Fan?”
The person in charge of distributing porridge was sore from overwork and had no patience to deal with a nine-year-old brat. He merely shot him a dirty look.
Seeing this, Xiao Anzi flashed a waist token. The moment the man saw it, he dropped to his knees. “I-I don’t know. Lord Fan has had us busy since yesterday. He was still here half an hour ago, but now I don’t know where he has gone...”
Xiao Anzi was about to press him further, but Ning Chen stopped him. “I know where he’s gone. If I’m not mistaken, he should be at the Ministry of Revenue right now.”
The group immediately headed there. As expected, the moment Ning Chen revealed his identity and entered the ministry’s gates, he heard a familiar voice:
“Zhao Siwen, you old dog, if you don’t hand over the remaining one hundred thousand taels today, then I’m not leaving...”
Ning Chen helplessly shook his head and strode in quickly.
When the two saw Ning Chen, they hurriedly bowed.
Before either could speak, Ning Chen widened his innocent eyes and asked curiously, “What is going on with you two ministers? Why are you arguing?”
Fan Dayou spoke first. “Your Majesty, yesterday in court, the Empress Dowager had already ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate two hundred thousand taels for me to use in disaster relief. Yet the ministry only produced one hundred thousand yesterday...”
“With tens of thousands of refugees to feed, shelters to erect, illnesses to treat, corpses to handle, and epidemics to prevent, how can one hundred thousand taels possibly be enough?”
Zhao Siwen said angrily, “Didn’t I say I would give you the remaining one hundred thousand later? Why are you in such a hurry?”
“How can I not be anxious? Every day, many refugees are dying of hunger and disease. Those are living human lives! And now more and more refugees are flooding into the capital. We must have more money to expand the relief effort, or even more people will die!” Fan Dayou said furiously.
Zhao Siwen showed no restraint at all. “Fan Dayou, you may slander this official, and I can overlook it. But as the Minister of Revenue, I must weigh the advantages and disadvantages, consider the overall situation, and ensure every coin is spent well!”
“The national treasury has only so much silver. If all of it is given to you for disaster relief and the Empress Dowager’s birthday is poorly handled, can you bear the responsibility?”
“Tell me, are the refugees more important, or is the Empress Dowager’s birthday more important?”
Faced with Zhao Siwen’s challenge, Fan Dayou answered without hesitation in rage, “The people are above heaven, of course it is—”
Before he could finish, Ning Chen suddenly cut him off. “Of course Mother Empress’s birthday is more important!”
As soon as these words were spoken, both men froze.
Fan Dayou’s mouth fell slightly open. The way he looked at Ning Chen was filled with disappointment, and it was obvious he was barely suppressing his fury.
Zhao Siwen quickly recovered. “Your Majesty is wise. I have already explained the matter of the money to him, and as for the other one hundred thousand, I will hand it over later...”
Ning Chen interrupted, “It is already Mother Empress’s deep benevolence toward the people to allocate one hundred thousand taels from her birthday budget. The remaining one hundred thousand need not be taken out. But there is one thing: you must ensure that Mother Empress’s birthday is properly handled. There must be no stinginess where money should be spent!”
Zhao Siwen froze again, staring blankly at the little emperor before him. He had not expected Ning Chen not only to refuse to side with Fan Dayou, but to support him so strongly instead.
His confidence grew even more. With smug satisfaction, he glanced at Fan Dayou, then bowed to Ning Chen. “Yes, this subject obeys!”
Fan Dayou was utterly enraged. Zhao Siwen had originally been trying to wriggle out of paying the remaining one hundred thousand taels, but now this foolish little emperor had opened his mouth and simply waived it away.
A clever woman cannot make meal without rice.
It was he who had handed this disaster-relief matter to him. At first, he had even thought this little emperor genuinely wanted to help him and give him a chance to prove himself.
But now it seemed this little emperor was beyond saving.
At that thought, he was both humiliated and furious, and he actually swept his sleeves and stormed off.
Seeing this, Ning Chen said coldly, “Stop. Did I allow you to leave?”
Fan Dayou said angrily, “I am no longer serving in this office. If I want to go, I will go!”
Ning Chen said icily, “How insolent. The land under heaven belongs to the sovereign.”
“Even if you resign, you are still a subject of Great Ning, and still my subject!”
Fan Dayou was completely stunned. He turned back to look at Ning Chen, whose height barely reached his chest, and for a moment did not know how to refute him.
The scene made Zhao Siwen burst into laughter nearby. In his heart he sneered: So the grand censor, who lives by his tongue, cannot even outtalk a nine-year-old child now, hahaha...
Ning Chen did not care and continued, “I have come under the Empress Dowager’s decree to supervise your disaster relief. Now immediately take me to inspect it!”
Fan Dayou said, “What relief is there left to manage? There is no money. How am I supposed to do disaster relief?”
Ning Chen said nothing. He glanced at Xiao Anzi, then turned and left.
Fan Dayou was just about to say something else when Xiao Anzi directly ordered two imperial guards to shove him into the carriage.
“What are you doing? Let go of me, let go!”
“You brat, you tyrant...”
“I should never have pleaded for you in the great hall back then. I should have let the Empress Dowager depose you, you tyrant, tyrant...”
Watching them leave, Zhao Siwen could not help but laugh aloud. “An old fossil and a useless little brat. When this matter is botched, just wait and see how miserable you look!”
“No, I’d better hurry and tell the Empress Dowager about this, haha...”
With that, Zhao Siwen hurried off toward the palace.
The carriage once again headed beyond the city.
Inside, there were only Ning Chen and Fan Dayou.
Looking at Fan Dayou on the opposite side, so angry he looked like a frog, Ning Chen could not help but laugh.
“What are you laughing at, tyrant? If you want to kill me, then kill me!” Fan Dayou said indignantly, turning his head away with his chin raised, his neck flushed red with fury.
Ning Chen suppressed his laughter and fixed him with a serious look. Lowering his voice, he said, “If you truly want to die, I can oblige you.”
“But you should know very well that if you die, no one will care about those refugees.”
“So tell me, do you still want to resign? Do you still want to die?”
Fan Dayou was suddenly stunned, entirely speechless.
Seeing this, Ning Chen smiled. He knew his words had already struck Fan Dayou where it hurt.
To handle this kind of old pedant, one had to refuse to follow convention.
So he shouted again, “Stop the carriage!”
The carriage came to a halt. Ning Chen said, “Get lost. I won’t kill you, and I’ll even satisfy you. From this moment on, you are no longer the Left Censor-in-Chief, and you need not handle the disaster relief anymore!”
Fan Dayou was dumbfounded, his gaze fixed in turmoil on Ning Chen.
“Someone, drag him down for me. I do not wish to see this hypocrite who seeks fame under false pretenses!”
The moment Ning Chen finished speaking, Xiao Anzi came to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and prepared to drag Fan Dayou out.
“Wait!”
Fan Dayou suddenly shouted, “Tyrant, this office I will never hold again, not even if you kill me!”
“But you must wait until I finish the disaster relief and settle those homeless refugees!”
“No matter what the relief results are, after that, you may kill me, flay me, do as you please!”
Ning Chen secretly laughed in his heart, yet his expression remained stern. “Have you thought this through?”
“Of course I have!” Fan Dayou wore an air of lofty righteousness.
Ning Chen’s face once again took on the innocent smile of a nine-year-old child. With his big eyes wide open, he looked at Fan Dayou and said, “I can agree to that. But from this point on, in all matters concerning disaster relief, you must listen to me!”
Fan Dayou froze again. “Li-listen to you? Y-you, a nine-year-old child, know what about disaster relief...”
Before he could finish, Ning Chen’s bright, naive smile suddenly turned horribly sinister.
“Do you want to get lost right now?”
Fan Dayou froze, then swallowed his indignation and fell silent...