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In fact, Zhao Junchen has always been most at ease with the Hubu Yamen. It is not an exaggeration to say that this Yamen is Zhao Junchen's own backyard. [No pop-up novel website]
Over the years, the Ministry of Household Affairs has been run by Zhao Junchen as airtight as an iron barrel. Officials from top to bottom are all close confidants promoted by Zhao Junchen and are loyal to Zhao Junchen.
Some time ago, in order to provoke a hostile fight between Zhao Junchen and Zhou Shangjing, Emperor Deqing transferred Zhou Shangjing's crony Ma Sen to the Ministry of Household Affairs to serve as the left minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and transferred Li Chengru, a subordinate of Zhao Junchen, to the Ministry of Household Affairs. The Ministry of Personnel serves as the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
Ma Sen has been an official for many years, and he is not a good candidate. He has a lot of ability, experience and scheming methods. He also has Zhou Shangjing, the chief minister of the cabinet, as his backer. He can be said to be aggressive. However, after arriving at the Ministry of Household Affairs, it only took a few days, or even Without the need for Zhao Junchen to take action himself, officials from all levels of the Ministry of Revenue united to oust him. Now, although his status in the Ministry of Revenue is respected, he is nothing more than a decoration.
Of course, Li Chengru's treatment in the official department was the same.
However, it can also be seen from this that Zhao Junchen has strong control over the household department and the loyalty of the whole household department to Zhao Junchen.
However, whether one is loyal or not is only one aspect, and whether one is following one's heart or not is another aspect.
Nowadays, Zhao Junchen is no longer the original Zhao Junchen. He is no longer as short-sighted as before, and regards money as life. Instead, he pays more attention to his own reputation, and also pays more attention to future development and safety.
However, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were still as corrupt and bribery as before. Relying on the protection of Zhao Junchen, they repeatedly misappropriated money and food from the Ministry of Revenue and acted more and more unscrupulously.
As a result, the household department suffered a loss of money. When Zhao Junchen wanted to do something serious, he was always a little helpless and even powerless. This was just one aspect.
The most important thing is that as long as these people continue to engage in unscrupulous corruption and bribery. As long as Zhao Junchen still protects these corrupt officials, it will be impossible for Zhao Junchen to improve his reputation and reverse the situation he is facing.
In the final analysis, although everyone in the household department was loyal to Zhao Junchen, they had different thoughts on each other.
Relative to the benefits brought to Zhao Junchen. The harm they brought to Zhao Junchen became more and more eye-catching.
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While thinking secretly, Zhao Junchen shook his head, sighed, and murmured softly: "Everyone in the world says that 'what goes up and what goes down leads to imitation'. Since I returned to Beijing, I have never touched the money in the household department again. I am completely acting like an upright official." Pai, although they never said it clearly, they should have understood that my thoughts have changed, why don't they follow my example? Instead, they become more and more unscrupulous!"
Although Zhao Junchen's voice was soft, it still fell in the ears of Xu Qingyan and Chu Jiayi.
This sentence was still said without any beginning or end, and Xu Qingyan still couldn't understand it; Chu Jiayi, on the other hand, said it. Thinking of Zhao Junchen's behavior these days, he seemed to understand something, and secretly looked at Zhao Junchen's face, thoughtfully.
Just when several people were having different thoughts, there were suddenly several knocks on the door in the study.
Then, I heard Fang Ru's voice.
"Master, can I come in?"
Hearing Fang Ru's arrival, Zhao Junchen's originally depressed mood improved for some reason, and he smiled and said, "Come in."
Fang Ru pushed the door open and entered. In his hand, he was holding a wooden plate, with two plates of snacks placed on the wooden plate.
Her smile and demeanor were as charming and enchanting as ever, but she glanced at Chu Jiayi inadvertently.
"The master has a lot of duties during this period, and he is also tired. I also heard that the master likes osmanthus cake and jujube cake very much in recent days, so I went to the kitchen to make some myself and brought them to relieve the fatigue of the master. Please try it. Is it delicious?"
While talking, Fang Ru walked around the desk, came to Zhao Junchen, put two plates of snacks in Zhao Junchen's hand, then picked up a piece of osmanthus cake with two white and tender green onion fingers, and handed it to Zhao Junchen's mouth.
There were no outsiders in the study at this time. Seeing Fang Ru looking so attached and charming, Zhao Junchen shook his head and laughed. He didn't care, just took the sweet-scented osmanthus cake and put it in his mouth.
After tasting it carefully, Zhao Junchen nodded and said: "Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect you to have such skills, Ru'er. It's much better than the chefs in the house."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Fang Ru smiled happily, as beautiful as a peach blossom, and full of charm.
In fact, in order to make these two plates of dim sum, Fang Ru had been preparing since last night. She had worked hard and put in a lot of effort. She has been busy until now just to win these two compliments from Zhao Junchen.
Although there are only two plates of dim sum in front of Zhao Junchen now, there are no less than two or thirty plates of "failed works" that Fang Ru had discarded in the kitchen.
However, after hearing Zhao Junchen's praise, Fang Ru felt that all her hard work was worth it. Not long ago, she was busy in the kitchen and her face was covered with flour. Now that she thinks about it, it seems to have become a sweet memory.
However, when she was happy, Fang Ru asked softly inadvertently: "It's fine if I like it, but I don't know how my skills compare to Miss Chu."
Hearing what Fang Ru said, Chu Jiayi lowered her head and said, "Madam, the snacks you made by yourself are naturally excellent. How can I dare to compare with you?"
Fang Ru ignored Chu Jiayi's words and just looked at Zhao Junchen with her pretty eyes, waiting for Zhao Junchen's answer.
In fact, Fang Ru regretted it as soon as she said this. Fang Ru had tasted the pastries made by Chu Jiayi herself, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the craftsmanship was as good as that of the royal chef in the palace. Although Fang Ru did not want to admit it, Chu Jiayi's craftsmanship is indeed much better than hers.
However, Fang Ru still wanted to hear Zhao Junchen's answer.
Even if it is a lie.
But Zhao Junchen was worried, but he completely noticed Fang Ru's thoughts, and said honestly without caring: "This can't be compared. Your craftsmanship is pretty good, but Jiayi's pastry-making skills are not as good as those of Lian Gong." Even the imperial chefs in China are incomparable."
Hearing what Zhao Junchen said, Fang Ru's expression flashed with disappointment, and her originally bright eyes also dimmed a bit.
But then, Fang Ru returned to her usual enchanting appearance and did not want to continue to dwell on this topic. She saw Zhao Junchen frowning slightly, as if he was worried about something, so he moved lightly. Walking behind Zhao Junchen, he pressed two jade fingers on Zhao Junchen's temples and rubbed them gently.
"What are you worried about, Master?"
Fang Ru asked softly while massaging Zhao Junchen's head.
Zhao Junchen sat back on the chair, closed his eyes, and enjoyed Fang Ru's massage. At the same time, he raised his hand and waved slightly.
Seeing Zhao Junchen's expression, Xu Qingyan and Chu Jiayi knew that Zhao Junchen wanted to have some private words with Fang Ru, and they were more or less reluctant. However, after all, they could not disobey Zhao Junchen's wishes and left quickly. .
Wait until Xu Qingyan and Chu Jiayi leave. Only Zhao Junchen and Fang Ru were left in the study.
Zhao Junchen didn't speak, just enjoying Fang Ru's massage. Fang Ru didn't urge him, but just massaged Zhao Junchen's head with concentration.
After a long time, Zhao Junchen finally spoke and said slowly: "Hey. I am worried about the situation in the household department."
Fang Ru asked softly: "What happened to Hubu?"
"Nothing happened, as always, and that's what bothered me."
After saying that, Zhao Junchen sighed, and told Fang Ru that the Ministry of Finance could not even get out three to fifty thousand taels of silver, and then sighed: "No matter how embarrassed the Ministry of Finance is, it will not be reduced to what it is now. It seems that the officials up and down the Ministry of Revenue have really been indulged by me. In the past few years, the financial management of the Ministry of Revenue has improved a lot, and I am no longer greedy for the money of the Ministry of Revenue. But after all, there are hundreds of officials watching, so it’s hard to be too obvious. So how can this household have only this little money? Where did the rest go? Wasn’t it because those people were greedy for money? Got it!"
Speaking of which. Zhao Junchen sighed again. Then he said: "In the past, I still counted on these people to help me watch the household stabilize the rear, and I also thought that they were still loyal to me, so I turned a blind eye to their little actions. I don’t pay much attention to it. But now, as I have established my position in the government, what these people do is becoming more and more annoying. For me, it has done more harm than good. As long as these people Still, my plan to turn around my reputation is destined to be nothing more than a mirror image."
Fang Ru listened quietly to Zhao Junchen's complaints and did not interrupt. She just frowned slightly and thought about how to deal with it.
Zhao Junchen continued to complain: "People say that in the officialdom, the most important thing is to work up and down, but how come it can't work here? Since I came back from Lu'an Mansion, have I ever touched the money in the household department again? Such a change, Why can't they understand? Let alone follow suit. Now that I have become the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and have changed the accounting methods of the Ministry of Revenue, these people have become even more unscrupulous. Doesn't this force me to take action against them? !?"
Fang Ru asked: "Sir, do you want to rectify the household department?"
Zhao Junchen said: "With this idea, the household department has indeed become a burden now. Although it is the most loyal, it is always not easy to use. However, I don't know how to rectify it. The household department is rotten to the root. If I want to To rectify it, we have to clean it on a large scale, but if it is such a large-scale cleansing, where will I find people to replace them? Even if I find people to replace them, my loyalty to the Ministry of Revenue will not be assured."
As he said that, Zhao Junchen smiled bitterly and shook his head, and then said: "In the final analysis, the reason why everyone in the household department is loyal to me is because under my protection, they can freely and boldly covet money. If I don't let them covet money anymore, , this loyalty is gone. What's more, this greed is the most addictive, and it can't be changed so easily."
After Fang Ru was silent for a moment, she suddenly said: "Sir, you just mentioned the words of deeds and deeds. Although you have indeed stopped taking money from the Ministry of Household Affairs these days, the actual situation is different from what you said." Thinking a little differently.”
Hearing what Fang Ru said, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but be startled, opened his eyes and asked: "What's going on?"
Fang Ru sighed and said: "Master, these days, you have only focused on the important affairs of the court, but you have ignored the income of the government. Although I have told the master, you never care... Master, do you know , during the New Year period, how much filial piety money did our government receive from the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs?"
"How many?"
"There are a full two hundred and one thousand taels, more than double the amount in previous years." Fang Ru explained: "I didn't think much about it at the time, I just felt that if we refused their filial piety money, they might be They felt uneasy and thought that you were going to abandon them, so they accepted it, but now that I think about it, our doing this actually caused them to misunderstand."
After Zhao Junchen pondered for a moment, he asked: "You mean, although I no longer directly embezzle money from the Ministry of Finance, in the eyes of everyone in the Ministry of Finance, I just changed my approach, but I no longer reach out directly. Instead, they took a share of their greedy money?"
"That's probably it." Fang Ru nodded and said, "After all, your past style... impressed them too much. If you didn't tell them clearly, how could they have thought that you wanted to improve your reputation and stop being greedy?" Got money?"
After a pause, Fang Ru continued: "Besides this, I'm afraid there are other reasons for Yuerongfang."
"Yue Rongfang?"
Zhao Junchen was stunned again and asked in surprise.
Nowadays, although Zhao Junchen has experienced the experience of being an official and has grown a lot in his mental and vision, he is not really a corrupt official after all, and he does not understand the mentality of corrupt officials far as well as Fang Ru.
Therefore, there are many things that Fang Ru still needs to point out in order to understand.
Fang Ru nodded lightly and said: "Most of the money in the household department is used for fixed purposes, and there is not much left for them to be greedy. No matter how much they are greedy, the income is not as good as Yue's." Rongfang's revenue is more than a thousand taels a day. However, after you opened Yuerongfang, sir, you only distributed the shares of Yuerongfang to those officials who had newly joined you, such as Zuo Lanshan and Zhan Shanchang, but They didn't take into account the elderly people in the household department. Those people in the household department know the benefits of Yuerongfang best. Seeing this, they naturally have an idea in their hearts."
"You mean, they are dissatisfied?" Zhao Junchen frowned.
At the beginning, Zhao Junchen had a grudge with the elder Wen Guanliang, and a partisan fight between them was about to break out. In order to win over Wen Guanliang's disciples and make them willing to defect to him, Zhao Junchen threw out the trump card of Yuerongfang shares, which was the last straw. , also gave Zhao Junchen a complete victory over Wen Guanliang.
However, precisely because Zhao Junchen was too trusting and trusting in the household department at that time, he never thought of giving them the shares of Yuerongfang.
Since ancient times, people's minds have always been "worried not about scarcity but inequality", and the same is true for corrupt officials. Thinking about it this way, Zhao Junchen was negligent.
Fang Ru shook her head and said: "They are still loyal to you, and they are not dissatisfied. But almost at the same time, you stopped taking money from the Ministry of Household Affairs. I'm afraid it also caused them to misunderstand. The money was left to them to appease them, and from now on they will only share it. Under such misunderstanding, they thought they understood the master's thoughts, and they acted unscrupulously."
After Zhao Junchen was silent for a moment, he nodded and sighed: "So, you can see clearly. It turns out that everything was because I made them misunderstand..."
Fang Ru smiled and said: "How can I see clearly? It's just that you, sir, only focus on the important affairs of the court, and you haven't thought too much about the little thoughts of the people below."
After a pause, Fang Ru said: "However, since it is not appropriate for the Ministry of Household Affairs to carry out major rectifications now, sir, you must also distribute some other benefits to the top and bottom members of the Ministry of Household Affairs to divert their attention. Let them first I don’t feel that I will suffer losses, and then I make it clear to them that I will never take money from Mohubu again, so that these people can be convinced. If there are still people who have dirty hands and feet in the future, if you punish them again, my master, it will be regarded as a good example."
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ps: First update! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Please go to m.qidian. to read.)
