After the morning court, the ministers dispersed in twos and threes, but their expressions were a little unnatural.
Without him, although everything went as usual this morning and nothing happened, almost all the ministers felt a sense of uneasiness.
As for the reason, it is because the emperor on the throne seems particularly anxious today.
It should be said that this phenomenon is very rare.
Since the emperor ascended the throne, he has been calm and confident at all times. Even at the Battle of Zijingguan, when the battle on the front line was the most tense, the emperor never panicked at all.
But this morning, although the emperor looked normal, the air pressure beside the old man was always frighteningly low.
Finally, when the court came down, a group of important ministers all stayed behind and began to inquire about each other. However, even the cabinet, which usually had the most contact with the palace, was confused about this.
Until Eunuch Cheng Jing came belatedly and instantly attracted everyone's attention.
"Your Majesty has decreed to summon Wang Wen, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Yu Qian, the Minister of War, Shen Yi, the Minister of Household Affairs, Chen Xun, the Minister of Works, Hu Yi, the Minister of Rites, Chen Yi, the censor of Zuodu, Wang Ao, the first assistant of the cabinet, and Yu Shiyue, the second assistant. See you in the Hua Palace."
As a result, everyone fell silent. The minister whose name was called looked at each other silently and then followed Cheng Jing into the palace.
However, just entering in such a confusion, the elders were also worried. Therefore, on the way, these people looked at each other. In the end, Yu Shiyue had no choice but to take two steps forward and asked .
"Mr. Cheng, I wonder why your Majesty summoned us today?"
When it comes to understanding the emperor, there are naturally more eunuchs in the palace. In addition, Cheng Jing has a good temper. Most of the time, he doesn't hide any information he can reveal.
This time was no exception. After hearing Yu Shiyue's question and seeing the elders on the side, although all of them were not squinting, their ears were actually raised, Cheng Jing hesitated for a moment and then said.
"The night before yesterday, His Majesty suddenly summoned officials from Qintian Prison to meet with him."
Qin Tianjian?
All the ministers were stunned, never expecting that this matter would be related to Qin Tianjian.
Qin Tianjian is responsible for observing astronomy, fixing calendar numbers, fortune telling, predicting steps, and predicting the sun, moon, stars, wind and clouds, and complexion.
This institution seems extremely mysterious, but in fact, in the Confucian system that respects ghosts and gods at a distance, the Qintianjian's role is more important in the revision of the calendar and the study of astronomy and meteorology.
After all, for a farming society, mastering changes in farming season and weather plays a vital role in farming.
Of course, occasionally Qin Tianjian will make predictions and explanations for many mysterious events. Because it involves divination and calculation, sometimes it will be speculated and discussed.
But logically speaking, today's emperor should not be a person who believes in ghosts and gods. Moreover, the current supervisor of Qintian Prison has a trustworthy family background and character, and he is not the kind of person who can confuse the emperor.
So what's going on?
Full of doubts, a group of ministers came to the Wenhua Hall.
"I will see you, Your Majesty!"
"Gentlemen, take a seat..."
After the salute, the emperor gave him a seat as usual. Nothing could be seen in his expression, but a hint of sadness was still keenly noticed by everyone.
"Mr. Shen, how is the current grain storage of the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
As soon as he sat down, without any buffer, the emperor went straight to the point and called Chen Yi's name.
Ah this...
Shen Shangshu blinked and spoke cautiously.
"Your Majesty, the imperial court has spent a lot of money recently. Last year there was a severe drought in Jifu, Shandong, Henan and other places. There was famine in Daming, Shunde, Guangping, Baoding, Chuzhou, Taiyuan and Datong. The income of the imperial court dropped sharply."
"In addition to providing disaster relief, subsidizing the officers and soldiers, building large canals, His Royal Highness the Prince came out of the cabinet to redeem military camps..."
Although he knew that he had to keep it in check, as Shen Shangshu was accustomed to, he started making calculations as soon as he opened his mouth.
To be honest, it is really difficult for him to be the Minister of Household Affairs.
The civil war had already consumed a lot of financial and material resources, leaving the national treasury extremely empty. Then there was another big battle. The emperor was merciful, and the compensation for the dead officers and soldiers was not allowed to be delayed in the slightest. Large canals had to be built, and large canals had to be built. Disaster relief.
It costs money to renovate the Nangong Palace for the emperor, it costs money to draft the emperor, and it costs money for the prince to leave the cabinet. Last time the emperor ascended the throne, it was okay. Considering the foundation of the national treasury, too many taxes were not exempted, but later, as the treasury relaxed a little , the prince came out of the cabinet, and with a stroke of his pen, the emperor exempted the seven prefectures from taxes, including those affected by drought last year.
Then there was the rectification of the army and the mobilization of the Ministry of Household Affairs to pay for the redemption. One after another, everything was important and important. The whole process of Shen Shangshu became bigger and bigger day by day.
Otherwise, how could his dignified Minister of Household Affairs, one of the Seven Qings, be so shameless as to ask the emperor for money every day? Does he not want to lose face?
There is no way!
However, as Shen Shangshu was talking, he felt something was wrong in the atmosphere. When he looked up, he saw that the emperor's eyes were stern, without the usual gentleness.
"cough……"
After all, Chen Yi is a man who has been in officialdom for a long time. Seeing that the situation was not good, he immediately changed the subject and said.
"However, except for the disaster-stricken areas last year, taxes in other places were normal. In addition, after the mutual trade was opened, border commercial taxes flowed into the national treasury."
"Today, there are still about 18.9 million shi of grain in the treasury, 91,000 bolts of silk, 24,000 jins of silk, 125,630 jins of cotton, and 144,000 jins of cloth. Thousands of horses.”
"In addition, there are more than 1.3 million taels of silver left that can be mobilized. Grain storage in Changping warehouses in various places still needs statistics..."
As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Mr. Shen's professional qualities are of course excellent, and he can know the specific situation of the treasury at his fingertips.
However, according to common sense, it is not easy to list the size of the national treasury one by one in front of the courtiers.
Otherwise, he would be greeted by the gazes from all around Shen Shangshu.
That's it?
The huge treasury, the majestic Ming Dynasty, only this little thing in the treasury?
A group of elders looked at Shen Yi with doubts on their faces. They even secretly guessed in their hearts that the annual income of the treasury would not be hacked by this old guy Shen Yi.
This is a typical example of just seeing the scenery of Hubu but not seeing the troubles in Hubu.
In fact, if you really want to say it, the current situation of the treasury is almost the same as when the civil war just ended.
But don’t forget, over the past year or so, with the support of the Ministry of Household Affairs, so many major events have been done. Moreover, just some time ago, a large number of distinguished families donated their land registers to the Ministry of Household Affairs. He is also responsible for paying for the redemption of silver. If this expenditure is also taken into account, the whole court has been fighting another big war for more than a year.
Under such circumstances, it is already very difficult for the Ministry of Household Affairs to maintain a basic balance of revenue and expenditure.
Of course, the books are still very ugly, but this is the limit that Shen Shangshu can do every day, playing around, digging around, showing off his old face, and trying his best.
Therefore, facing the questioning eyes of these elders, Shen Shangshu straightened his back and stared back without any weakness. In the position of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, it is necessary to say that everything is complete, everything is perfect, and no mistakes are made. , Shen Yi certainly cannot guarantee this.
However, he dared to say that with so many people present, no one sitting in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Finance could do better than him.
He believed that the emperor above him knew this best!
However, just when he raised his head, hoping to get support from the emperor, he saw that the emperor also frowned, took out a document from his hand, and murmured to himself.
"Not enough... not enough..."
What?
Isn't this enough?
There was a trace of resentment in Shen Shangshu's eyes, and dark clouds silently floated above his head.
However, at this time, Zhu Qiyu had no time to pay attention to him and said directly.
"I need more detailed account books!"
"Within three days, based on the materials on hand, the Ministry of Revenue will sort out the amount of grain and silver stored in Changping warehouses in various places in addition to the national treasury, and submit it to me!"
"yes!"
Feeling the urgency in the emperor's tone, although Shen Yi still couldn't figure out what happened, he knew the seriousness of the situation and immediately put all the little emotions in his mind behind and solemnly accepted the order.
This scene, in the eyes of other ministers, naturally made them feel even more. They vaguely felt that something big was about to happen.
However, before they could ask questions, the emperor had already turned his head from Hu Bu, looked at Chen Xun beside him, and asked.
"Mr. Chen, how many projects are currently under construction by the Ministry of Industry?"
Compared to Chen Yi, Chen Xun was a little more prepared.
Of course, this was not because he was better than Shen Yi, it was entirely because having Shen Yi in front of him allowed him to figure out something.
When the emperor entered the house, he first asked the Ministry of Household Affairs. Although he didn't know what happened specifically, it must be related to the court's expenditure.
In this case, then, several major areas that require money will inevitably need to be adjusted. As for various projects, the Ministry of Industry is the leader. After the Ministry of Household Affairs, he will definitely be asked next.
Therefore, after thinking for a while, Chen Xun handed over his hand.
"Back to Your Majesty, the most important project currently at hand by the Ministry of Industry and the most expensive in terms of money, food and manpower is the repair and reconstruction of the border passes. At present, the repairs of important passes such as Datong, Xuanfu, Zijingguan and other important passes have been basically completed."
"Daomaguan and other places were severely damaged and almost needed to be rebuilt, so the construction period was slightly delayed. However, the construction was basically completed. Nearly half of the project has been completed. However, it will take about half a year to fully repair it."
"As for the small passes that were not too seriously damaged, because they have to be given priority, they are only under preparation and waiting for the Ministry of Finance to allocate funds before repairing them."
"In addition, there are the new palaces built by His Majesty in Beijing, and the reconstruction of the palaces that were damaged by fires in Qingzhou, Qifu and other places last year. Then there are the follow-up reinforcements of the canal, and the dredging of water transportation... …”
"I came here today in a hurry, so it is difficult to list them all. Please give me some time to explain the specific situation. I will give you a reply after I return to the Ministry of Industry to clarify!"
Hubu's life is difficult, but who doesn't have a difficult life?
The civil war affected all aspects, and the border issues alone were enough for the Ministry of Works to be busy. After this big battle, the reconstruction and repair of various passes has not ended yet.
In addition, the Ministry of Industry has built a large canal and is also responsible for the renovation of palaces and palaces. The preparations for the construction of the palace are also busy and chaotic.
That's it, there's still a lot of things waiting to be done...
However, Chen Shangshu obviously felt that he was smarter than Shen Shangshu. After he finished speaking, he smacked his lips. That means, look, we answered very appropriately.
However, I was not happy for a moment, and then I heard the emperor's instructions, saying.
"In addition to the progress of each phase of the project, the memorial that was sent back should also include projects that can be temporarily delayed or have not yet started. Regarding the reconstruction of various border passes, the Ministry of Industry has also called in people to adjust the strategy. The project should be reduced to the parts that can be reduced as much as possible. If it is a less important pass, or a pass that is still usable and not seriously damaged, it will be temporarily suspended depending on the situation."
"As for the palace..."
Zhu Qiyu rubbed his forehead and felt a little difficult.
But in the end, he still waved his hand and said.
"The construction of the Royal Palace has also been temporarily postponed. After Prince Yin and his son arrive in Beijing, let them go to the Tenth Prince's Palace first!"
"yes……"
Chen Shangshu actually took a while to digest the long list of instructions before he spoke slowly.
This look made Chen Yi on the side very happy.
Let you, an old boy, show off!
Don’t you think about it, when the craftsmen were restructured, if it hadn’t been for the support of the Ministry of Revenue and the allocation of silver, the Ministry of Works would have gathered enough craftsmen to repair the city passes at the border. This would also mock him for not being meticulous enough in his work.
Is the world news coming?
Although the task given by the emperor to the Ministry of Revenue is onerous, it is nothing more than to find out the treasury and the foundation of each place as soon as possible. If you work overtime, it can always be completed.
However, what the Ministry of Industry has to do is not that simple.
There are so many projects, including large and small border passes, the follow-up construction of large canals, and the dredging of water transportation. Although the emperor said that he would adjust the strategy and stop the urgent projects.
But which ones are not urgent? Especially the border. If repairs are not made that should be repaired, and the pirates take advantage of the loopholes, who will be responsible?
This is where the real time is tight and the task is heavy, and moreover, no mistakes can be made.
Chen Xun, you old guy, just wait for your hair to fall out!
With a slight snort, Shen Shangshu turned his head, but began to wonder in his heart what kind of thing happened that made the emperor suddenly start to tighten the expenditure of the court.
Correct
Could it be said that war has broken out again on the border or in Yunnan and Guizhou, and a war is about to begin?
Otherwise, Shen Shangshu could not think of any reason for the emperor to make such a sudden change.
Of course, this was also the doubt of many ministers present.
Seeing that the emperor had asked the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works, he finally took a breath, and all the elders looked at each other.
In the end, Hu Hu, the old minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward and asked.
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask this question. Your Majesty has urgently summoned ministers and others to enter the palace to take stock of the cash and grain stocks of the Ministry of Household Affairs. He also wants to stop many projects built by the Ministry of Strike Force and reduce the expenditure of the court. But what urgent matters have arisen?"
