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In this world, everything will be controversial because of people's different ideas and positions.
Some people like sweet, some like salty; some respect Confucianism, some worship Buddhism; some think slimness is good-looking, some think plumpness is attractive...
If both sides argue, each has its own reasons and no one can convince the other.
But there is only one thing that most people will agree with, and that is - having money is better than having no money!
Of course, there are a very small number of people who pride themselves on being aloof and maverick, and regard money as a nuisance. They get headaches when they smell the smell of copper. Some people even admit that their biggest pain is because they have too much money... but that is also because they have too much money. Because they are not short of money, the poor do not dislike those who have more money.
When we get to the temple, this view becomes even more consistent.
The dignity and operation of the court, the emperor's great achievements, the embezzlement of corrupt officials, the realization of ambitions of honest officials, the salaries of soldiers to support their families, the rule and relief of the people - these things all require money!
Regardless of class, position, or idea, everyone in the government and opposition parties has their eyes fixed on the money in the treasury, hoping that they can carve up more.
Seeing that the New Year is approaching and Emperor Deqing's birthday is also at this time, the court will need more money. If there is no money, I am afraid that both the government and the public will be completely in chaos!
Now, when they heard that the money and food in the treasury had been exhausted, everyone was shocked and panicked.
For a time, there was a constant buzz of discussion in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which gave Emperor Deqing an even more headache!
"Quiet! In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in front of me, as a member of the imperial court, you are so out of character, like a village woman, how can you behave like this?!"
With a hint of shame and anger, Emperor Deqing shouted loudly to stop the chaos among the officials.
Then, Emperor Deqing's expression remained calm, but his eyes were as fierce as a hungry wolf. He turned his gaze to Ma Sen again and asked: "Shilang Ma, what does this memorial of yours... mean? I will soon We have to transfer 1.95 million silver from private funds to the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Revenue has also managed to collect hundreds of thousands of dan of surplus food. Why do you say that the treasury has no money and food?"
Ma Sen helplessly replied: "Your Majesty, although there is a lot of money and food in the accounts of the Ministry of Accounts, it is just on the books! All the 1.95 million taels of silver you lent to the Ministry of Accounts must be used for The salary and rice exchanged by officials and princes must not be misappropriated. Hundreds of thousands of stones, grain and grass must be transported to the front line as soon as possible, and they cannot be used elsewhere!
But the expenditures of the imperial court were never just official salaries and frontline military expenditures. The trivial expenditures of all aspects also added up to a large amount! Especially as the new year is approaching and Your Majesty's birthday is coming soon, the trivial expenditures will become even greater. All the yamen and local officials in the capital have complained to the Ministry of Household Affairs for money, and the reasons are very good...
The Ministry of Industry wants to dredge the river urgently, the Ministry of War wants to expand the military camps and craftsmen's households, the Metropolitan Procuratorate wants to repair the Yamen, the Ministry of Rites needs to prepare for the heaven-sacrifice ceremony at the end of the year, and the Imperial College also has to use a sum of money to reward those who judge the best as usual. Supervisors and even the supervisors in the inner court are asking for money to prepare for His Majesty's birthday. As for local officials, there are even more reasons to cry for poverty...
There are so many offers that the Ministry of Finance cannot refuse, otherwise it will cause all kinds of trouble and chaos, but the Ministry of Finance really can’t get out the money! Therefore, I sincerely request your Majesty... to lend another 1.5 million taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue! "
After hearing Ma Sen's explanation, Emperor Deqing's brows became more and more frowned.
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From these words, Emperor Deqing got a lot of important information.
For example, Ma Sen explained in detail the current difficulties of each yamen and the reasons for asking for money. It seemed too verbose, but in fact it was to win the support of the officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and use the power of each major yamen to jointly ask Deqing. The emperor pressed.
For another example, the Hubu Yamen prefers not to make a big deal out of this year's New Year celebrations and the emperor's birthday. All expenditures should be restrained and saved as much as possible.
For another example, because Emperor Deqing lent money to the Hu Bu this time, the Hu Bu had become greedy and set his sights on Emperor Deqing's internal money, and wanted to turn this situation into a It’s customary!
These circumstances made Emperor Deqing both unhappy and secretly wary!
Emperor Deqing's promotion of Zhao Junchen to the cabinet to assist the administration was actually a means of evasion. While allowing Zhao Junchen to participate in the court's decision-making, it also weakened Zhao Junchen's actual power, in order to regain Zhao Junchen's control over the court's finances.
However, Emperor Deqing suddenly discovered that after he finally weakened Zhao Junchen's control over Hubu, Hubu had become domineering and out of control!
I think back when Zhao Junchen was in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he was always sensible and obedient, and he was the best at figuring out Emperor Deqing's wishes. How could he ever take advantage of the difficulties in the treasury to put pressure on Emperor Deqing?
Zhao Junchen has always been willing to satisfy Emperor Deqing's great achievements. The annual New Year celebrations and Deqing's birthday are all extravagant and extravagant, making Emperor Deqing look good! Especially this year, we also encountered the great joy of victory at the border and regaining our homeland. It can be said that it is a triple blessing. How can it be a low-key celebration and a small matter?
As for the Ministry of Finance’s focus on Emperor Deqing’s private money, it cannot be underestimated. Since the Ming Dynasty, the battle between the Ministry of Finance’s treasury and the emperor’s internal funds has been continuous. When the ministerial power is stronger than the imperial power, the officials will do everything possible to move the money from the emperor's internal treasury to the imperial treasury. If the imperial power is stronger than the ministerial power, the emperor will try every means to move the money from the treasury to the imperial court. Internal money. 520
In the past, when Zhao Junchen was managing the treasury, although he did not transfer the money from the treasury to Emperor Deqing's internal funds, he occasionally used the money from the treasury to handle some private matters for Emperor Deqing, which also gave Emperor Deqing a lot of money in disguise. What's the benefit? Why do we have to borrow money from Emperor Deqing's internal funds as often as today?
What should we do if the Ministry of Revenue keeps saying that it is short of money and refuses to pay back the money to Emperor Deqing? What should we do if the Ministry of Revenue will habitually focus on Emperor Deqing's internal funds every time he encounters a shortage of money in the future?
For Emperor Deqing, these are important issues of principle!
Moreover, what made Emperor Deqing even more angry and helpless was that the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs were not only greedy, but also stupid and incompetent!
When Zhao Junchen was in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the turnover of money and food in the treasury was always smooth, and Emperor Deqing never had such a headache as he does today. Even if he encountered a shortage of money or food, Zhao Junchen could always find a way to solve it. , there is no need for Emperor Deqing to worry too much.
But since Zhao Junchen resigned as Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, in just one month, the treasury has already encountered two big troubles! If this situation continued, Emperor Deqing felt that even if he was not made sick by the incompetence and stupidity of the Ministry of Revenue officials, he would surely be worried and lose his life because the treasury ran out of money and food!
Thinking of this, Emperor Deqing couldn't help but secretly began to miss Zhao Junchen.
In fact, at this moment, not only Emperor Deqing missed Zhao Junchen in his heart, but also all the officials in the court began to miss Zhao Junchen.
In the past, when Zhao Junchen was in charge of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he would leave some broth for others when he ate meat. Now, no one can even chew the meat bones, let alone drink the broth.
For a moment, all the monarchs and ministers in the Hall of Supreme Harmony had the same idea!
"How great it would be if Zhao Junchen was still in charge of the household department at this time!"
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All kinds of thoughts flashed through Emperor Deqing's mind.
But soon, Emperor Deqing had restrained all his thoughts and focused on the trouble in front of him.
"The national treasury has run out of money and food. Why didn't we see any signs of it in the past few days? And why did it wait until today for me and the officials to receive the news? Didn't the Ministry of Revenue make any advance preparations?"
Emperor Deqing asked again with a serious expression.
Emperor Deqing had a vague feeling that this matter was not simple.
Ma Sen replied with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, I have already said it at the beginning, all this is because of the urgent water transportation! The Ministry of Revenue has never been worried about the gradual depletion of money and food from the national treasury, just because this autumn taxes in various places will be It has been collected into the national treasury, and then the national treasury will be much richer in money and food. But who would have thought that just a few days ago, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was blocked, and the autumn tax money and food from various places could not be transported to the capital, but households The department’s money and food supplies have been depleted, and each government office has repeatedly urged the Ministry of Household Affairs to ask for money and food supplies. I have no choice but to ask His Majesty for help!”
"Is there another problem with water transportation?" Emperor Deqing's brows tightened, but there was not much surprise in his expression.
After all, the Grand Canal in Beijing is subject to minor blockages every year, and major blockages every two or three years. The Ministry of Industry and local governments along the canal work together to work hard to dredge the river at this time every year, which also enriches their pockets. .
Emperor Deqing turned his attention to Chen Dongxiang, Minister of Industry, and asked: "Chen Shangshu, do you know about water transportation?"
Chen Dongxiang said with an innocent face: "Your Majesty, this time the water transportation blockage is very sudden. I only received the news a few days ago, and I am also preparing manpower and mobilizing the governments along the coast to carry out an emergency river fortification... However, all of this requires money. Yesterday, I personally went to the Ministry of Finance to ask for a sum of money to use for water transportation, but the Ministry of Finance couldn't get out even one tael of silver. The Ministry of Works is also a clever woman who can't make a living without rice. "
After hearing Chen Dongxiang's explanation, Emperor Deqing's face darkened slightly, but he also fell silent.
Autumn taxes from various places could not be transported into the national treasury due to water transportation congestion, and the national treasury was short of money to dredge rivers because autumn taxes from various places could not enter the treasury. This matter had become an endless loop, and Emperor Deqing was helpless for a while.
At this time, Zhou Shangjing, who had always been low-key, suddenly came out and said: "Your Majesty, I believe that at this time, the only way to solve this current dilemma is to win over Zhao Gechen and make him return to the temple urgently!"
When Emperor Deqing heard Zhou Shangjing's recommendation, his eyes lit up at first, but he soon hesitated again.
The current predicament of the imperial court is already an endless loop, and a clever method of "making something out of nothing" is necessary to resolve this situation.
"Creating something out of nothing" is extremely difficult. Does Zhao Junchen have such a method?
A large number of facts in the past have proven that Zhao Junchen really has this magical method!
However, the key question is, is Emperor Deqing willing to let Zhao Junchen take charge of the court's finances again? Also, is Zhao Junchen, who has always resigned due to illness since returning to Beijing, willing to come back at this time?
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