Chapter 86: Lin My Dear, How Long Will You Struggle?

The officials were jealous to the point of madness!

How could Lin Beifan be given another courtyard? Wasn’t the one he lived in already big enough?

It could accommodate over a hundred people, and that was the standard for high-ranking officials of the court!

There was no way he could get a bigger one closer to the imperial palace!

Giving him another courtyard to fill with treasures and rarities was just too much, even for someone favored by the empress!

Don’t you care about hurting the hearts of us old officials?

Lin Beifan was dumbfounded!

You want to give me another courtyard?

This was not a good thing for him!

“Your Majesty, this cannot be!”

“Why not?” The Empress was puzzled. “My dear, you said your courtyard is too small and cannot hold all the treasures and rarities. So I’m giving you another one to solve this problem, isn’t that right?”

“This problem may be solved, but another one has arisen!”

Lin Beifan smiled bitterly. “Your Majesty, my family is small, including myself, there are only four people. Managing the original courtyard is already beyond our capacity! If you add another one, it will be a disaster! Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to withdraw the award!”

“Lin my dear, you are in the wrong!”

“I’m wrong?” Lin Beifan was stunned.

“Of course you are!” The Empress said discontentedly. “Lin my dear, you are now a high-ranking official of the court, and your financial resources are ample. You should hire some people to help manage your estate and not be so frugal! When I suggested that you hire some help before, you refused. Now you’re running into trouble, aren’t you?”

Lin Beifan: “…”

She made perfect sense, but he was speechless!

The officials were so jealous that they wanted to kill Lin Beifan!

The Empress actually advised him to take anything he wanted, to enjoy himself, and not to deprive himself!

Otherwise, she would not be at ease!

This was…

What a great favor!

Why was this corrupt official still enjoying such favor despite committing so many crimes and corruption?

Where is justice? Where is fairness?

Seeing that he couldn’t persuade the Empress, Lin Beifan had to seek outside help. He whispered to the Ministers standing beside him, Gao Tianyao, the Minister of Personnel, and Qian Yuanxin, the Minister of Finance, “Gentlemen, please help me persuade Her Majesty. You are usually very good at that, aren’t you?”

The two ministers’ faces turned cold and they thought, “Are you asking us to persuade her? You’re just showing off!”

They turned away and ignored him. Lin Beifan then turned to other ministers and begged for their help. “Minister Zhao, Minister Wang, you are usually very fair. Her Majesty has given me too much, I cannot accept it. Can you please help me… criticize her?”

Ministers Zhao and Wang’s faces also turned grim. “Are you trying to provoke us?” they thought. “I have never seen anyone as shameless as you!” They also turned away and ignored him.

Lin Beifan looked towards the other side. “Minister Sun, Minister Liu, you have never liked me. This is your chance to shine. Use your eloquence to persuade Her Majesty to retract her decree. If you don’t speak now, it will be too late!”

Ministers Sun and Liu’s faces turned black. “You wretched person!” they thought. “You’re just showing off to us! If we speak, we will be seen as just as shameless as you!”

In the end, after searching for a while, Lin Beifan sadly realized that he could not find anyone to speak ill of him. He was anguished by how positive his relationships had become. “I would rather not have this at all!” he thought.

The Empress sat on her dragon throne, smiling as she watched everything. She had a satisfied expression as she said to Lin Beifan, “Is that enough? How long will you continue to struggle?”

Lin Beifan was sweating profusely as he replied, “Your Majesty, there is no need to reward the courtyard!”

“But your house cannot hold all of it…” The Empress said.

“It’s okay, I can store it in the Palace for now. I will use it when needed,” Lin Beifan replied quickly.

The Empress thought for a moment before nodding and saying, “Alright.”

“Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan exclaimed.

The Empress was extremely pleased with herself. She had rewarded a loyal minister and disgusted the corrupt officials at the same time.

Thrilling!

Refreshing!

If I have the chance, I’ll do it again!

After packing up her mood, the morning court officially begins.

“I have a petition with a basis, and I will withdraw if there is no basis!”

“I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, I have one!” Lin Beifan added an extra petition in his hand and said loudly.

The empress smiled and said, “Lin my dear, what do you have to petition for?”

Lin Beifan said loudly, “Your Majesty! Before, I was ordered to lead students to research on national heavy equipment, and I dare not be lazy! But as the research deepened, the manpower, material resources and financial resources required became more and more, my official salary was limited, and the funds of the Imperial Acay were limited. Therefore, I request Your Majesty to allocate some funding to support the research!”

The empress nodded, “Indeed! How much money do you need, tell me, and I will instruct the Ministry of Revenue to allocate it to you!”

“The funding I need is in the petition, please scrutinize it, Your Majesty!” Lin Beifan said.

“Hand it over!”

After receiving the petition, the empress looked at it carefully.

The more she looked at it, the deeper her frown became, and she couldn’t help but look at Lin Beifan weirdly.

Lin Beifan remained calm and did not divert his gaze.

The empress continued to look through, and by the end, her lips twitched.

She handed over the petition expressionlessly: “Minister Qian, come and look at this petition! Do you think this funding is appropriate?”

“I accept the order!” The Minister of Revenue, Qian Yuanshen, respectfully took over the petition.

As a result, he was worse than the Empress!

The more he looked, the more he trembled, and finally shouted, “Nonsense! How can research on those things require so much money? 5 million funds per year, consecutively for three years! Director Lin, are you trying to embezzle while you have the chance?”

Lin Beifan did have this idea.

Because the money needed for future upgrades would increase more and more, he had to seek more sources of revenue, mainly through opening up sources of revenue.

So, he couldn’t help but focus on the money in the national treasury.

There was so much money in the national treasury, if he didn’t take it, he could only let other corrupt officials take advantage of it.

So, he was going to take it without hesitation!

However, he couldn’t say that out loud.

Lin Beifan smiled bitterly, “Sir Qian, you have misunderstood me! I have always led a clean and honest life, and have always been an upright official. How could I do such a thing that would provoke the wrath of both humans and gods?”

The officials and the empress, their lips twitched at the same time.

Not only have you done it, you’ve done it very ruthlessly!

What’s even more outrageous is that in front of the entire court, you say you are an honest and upright person?

Too shameless, too shameless!

Lin Beifan argued reasonably, “Your Majesty, and everyone present, everything I am researching is a national heavy equipment! There are the steel giant ships that can dominate the major waterways, the air balloons that can carry people to the sky, and the hybrid rice that can solve the food and clothing problems of the people… As long as we produce one, it can quickly enhance the national strength! Is an annual research funding of 5 million too much?”

“If it can really be researched, 5 million is not a lot! But what if it can’t be researched? Then this money will go to waste, and who will make up for that huge hole?”

Finance Minister Qian Yuanshen spread out his hands and said, “You should know that the national treasury is related to the safety of the state, and arrangements have been made in all aspects! If we redirect funds from here, it will affect the use of funds in other areas, and the impact will be huge! Therefore, the amount of this funding is too large, and I cannot approve it!”

Upon hearing this, the officials began to voice their opinions…

“I also cannot approve of it!”

“The amount is too large, our national treasury’s annual income is only a few hundred million, if we allocate 5 million, it will affect all aspects, and we will all have to live frugally!”

“What if there is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster and we need funding?”

“And, I have always felt that what Director Lin is researching is too unrealistic and impossible!”

“So, why waste this money? It’s better to wait until something is actually researched, and then reward them!”

The Empress also couldn’t resist persuading, “Lin my dear, forget about it! Let’s approve a budget of one or two hundred thousand first, and then increase the investment when something is actually researched, how about that?”

Lin Beifan bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I am confident that I can research it! Take the hot air balloon, for example, if I have sufficient funding, I am confident that I can research and develop it to carry people within three months!”

Everyone was stunned. Research a hot air balloon that can carry people within three months? Can it really be done? No one could resist this temptation, especially the ancient people who longed to fly.

The Empress couldn’t wait and asked, “Lin my dear, can you really research it within three months? How much money do you need?”

“I dare not deceive Your Majesty, I really can do it! As for how much money I need…” Lin Beifan smiled slightly and held up two fingers, “Two million should suffice!”

The expressions of the officials twitched. Two million? He said it so casually!

“Two million may be acceptable if a hot air balloon that can carry people is really researched within three months!” said Finance Minister Qian Yuanshen, turning his head to look at Lin Beifan sternly and asking, “But… if it cannot be researched, how will you account for the funds?”

Lin Beifan didn’t hesitate and said, “If it cannot be researched, the funds will be returned to the national treasury with interest! It’s as if I borrowed the money from the national treasury!”

“Good! Remember your words!” Qian Yuanshen turned around and saluted, “Your Majesty, I have no objection!”

“What about the opinions of other officials?”

“I have no objection if Director Lin can really research it as he said within three months, and if he cannot, I agree with returning the funds with interest!” said Minister of Personnel Gao Tianyao.

All the officials followed in unison, “We have no objections!”

The Empress declared, “Okay! Let’s go with the opinions of the officials! Lin Aiqing, step forward to receive the decree, and I command you to research and develop a hot air balloon that can carry people within three months! The necessary funding of 2 million taels of silver can be withdrawn from the national treasury! If it is not achieved in the end, all funds must be returned to the national treasury with interest, and there must be no errors!”

“I will do my best and not let Your Majesty down!” Lin Beifan saluted.