Chapter 288: Chapter 208: Leopard Cat for Crown Prince, Golden Canary Hexagram, "Dragon Robe and Phoenix Attitude" Fate Grid

Aside from that, there were no other losses.

Furthermore, this Prince’s status was rather special, as he was the Emperor’s favored candidate for Crown Prince.

He had not yet been formally appointed, but it was essentially a sure thing.

"Prince, what are your thoughts on the matter?"

The first to speak was a refined, middle-aged man in a scarlet robe. He was Yang Jingyu, a Grand Scholar of Wenhua Pavilion and the concurrent Minister of Revenue, as well as one of the key Cabinet Ministers.

Wang He’fu said gravely, "While the benefits of a political marriage would be great, this move would undoubtedly break the traditions of Great Yan. I expect it would lead to public resentment, perhaps even sparking a popular uprising."

Personally, Wang He’fu was against the political marriage.

’My own grandson is poised to become the Crown Prince,’ he thought. ’Why should we give that up for a political marriage with the Demon Country?’

Yang Jingyu sighed. "But if we refuse, Great Yan will have to expend immense manpower and resources to wage an all-out war against the Demon Country. We would have to mobilize the entire nation and enforce conscription. The end result would be the same public unrest, but victory would be uncertain, and the cost is simply too high."

When they first heard the news, everyone had felt the same.

Was there a single minister who wasn’t filled with righteous fury? Did any of them not feel utterly humiliated?

They had all sworn that a political marriage was out of the question and that they must fight the Demon Country to the bitter end.

But once they calmed down and considered the treasury, their expressions could only turn bitter.

’As the Minister of Revenue, only I know the true state of our finances,’ he thought, ’and I remain deeply concerned about the prospect of war.’

The Great Yan National Treasury was currently running a massive deficit; expenditures far outstripped revenue.

The main reason was that Emperor Yong’an had fought too many wars in recent years. Before that, ten years of preparation had culminated in a single, massive battle. Although a victory, it was a pyrrhic one. The only real prize, the Demoness, had managed to escape back to her own country. Then the Holy Emperor had insisted on an expedition to the East Japan Continent. The military expenditures were immense, and even the conquest of a nation couldn’t cover the deficit.

Then came devastating floods, which led to a famine the following year. Fortunately, there were grain reserves, so the famine did not worsen.

Immediately after, rebellions broke out across the land, the Demon Venerable emerged, and the Third Prince, after leading forces to suppress the rebellions, ended up staging his own mutiny.

The Champion Marquis had to be dispatched with his army, incurring another massive expense.

The treasury had yet to recover from these deficits. Today, Great Yan simply could not afford another major war.

Once war broke out—not even counting munitions and provisions—the death of a single elite Great Yan soldier required a payment of a hundred taels of silver. In addition, the soldier’s family was exempted from taxes for three years, and there were other benefits. For example, any male descendants could attend a private school, with the Court subsidizing half the cost.

These were the benefits provided to Great Yan Soldiers, meant to give them peace of mind. If they died in battle, the Court would take care of everything.

Losing tens of thousands of men in a major war was no exaggeration, especially in a siege.

Knowing His Majesty the Emperor’s temperament, if they truly went to war, it would last for several years at a minimum. Casualties would likely number in the hundreds of thousands.

The compensation in silver alone would be in the tens of millions. Including all other expenses, the total would be at least one hundred fifty million taels of silver.

And that wasn’t even counting everything else.

But if they sent a Prince for a political marriage, they would directly avert a loss totaling three to four hundred million taels of silver. Moreover, it would promote trade, potentially earning five to six hundred million taels of silver over ten years. The total benefit, rounding up a bit...

...is a billion taels of silver.

The Great Yan Dynasty’s entire annual revenue is only two hundred million taels of silver. Marrying off a single Prince would bring in the equivalent of five years of national tax revenue.

Is that not a good thing?

To put it another way, forget about the silver. Sacrificing one person in exchange for the lives of a hundred thousand soldiers—that deal is more than worth it.

That, at least, was what Cabinet Minister Yang Jingyu believed.

’The political marriage isn’t a major issue,’ he thought. ’The entire court, both civil and military officials, will agree. Even the Emperor will agree.’

To put it another way, forget about the silver. Sacrificing one person in exchange for the lives of a hundred thousand soldiers—that deal is more than worth it.

One of the two men agreed, and the other disagreed.

The decision would come down to the will of the other Cabinet members.

"My lords, is anyone else in favor of the political marriage?"

Yang Jingyu asked.

The response was surprisingly unanimous.

"As things stand, the benefits of a political marriage outweigh those of starting a war."

"Indeed. Marrying off a Prince can buy us ten years of peace. The only drawback is the loss of some of Great Yan’s prestige and face."

Wang He’fu looked at them, his eyes perfectly calm.

’Lu Mingyuan is not their grandson, nor is he the candidate they’ve invested in,’ he thought. ’So it makes no difference to them who becomes Crown Prince.’

’Of course they’d choose the political marriage.’

’They probably think anyone would be fine as the Crown Prince.’

’If Lu Mingyuan is out of the picture, they can just choose the Eighth Prince, Lu Yunqing.’

’They might even hold Lu Yunqing in slightly higher regard.’

"Prime Minister, what are your thoughts?" Wang He’fu’s gaze shifted to the man in the head seat.

Chief Minister Yuan Xuangang frowned. "You should all vote. I find it difficult to make a decision on this matter myself."

This was, indeed, Yuan Xuangang’s style.

He never committed to a side, preferring to observe the results and the will of the majority before making his choice. It was how he avoided taking the blame.

"And what is the Holy Emperor’s intention?" Wang He’fu pressed.

Chief Minister Yuan Xuangang glanced at him and said coolly, "The Holy Emperor is still considering it. However, taking into account the lack of military funds in the national treasury, he has asked us to present him with a solution."

Hearing that the Holy Emperor had not yet made up his mind, Wang He’fu smiled faintly. "Since the Holy Emperor has asked us to devise a solution, why don’t you all hear me out?"

At his words, everyone in the Cabinet turned to look at him.

Wang He’fu began to speak slowly. "The Great Nether Empress clearly holds the upper hand. She could have pressed her advantage, launched a full-scale invasion of our border, and begun a war to annihilate Great Yan. But she didn’t. Instead, she took a step back and proposed an alliance through marriage. Don’t you all find this move incredibly strange?"

His question was a wake-up call for the other Cabinet Ministers.

"Indeed. What is her true objective?"