"Does the Chief Minister know why His Highness asked us to take this photo without a hat? Doesn't wearing an official hat look more solemn and polite?"
Lu Zhenfei, the Minister of Medicine, had just been promoted to this position not long ago, and he didn't know much about the prince's affairs. He could only ask the prince's father-in-law-to-be for advice.
For all major, important and novel matters, Xue Guoguan, the first assistant, will get the prince's advice in advance. His colleagues will not say anything, but they will see it and remember it in their hearts.
At the moment, the prospective son-in-law and the prospective father-in-law wear a pair of trousers and control the affairs of the court. Empress Zhou attends court meetings as a routine every day, and that's it. Most of the rest of the affairs are supervised by the cabinet.
There are only two people in the cabinet, the first assistant and the second assistant. The first assistant is uneducated and has no skills. The second assistant is more or less talented, but in the final analysis, it is the young prince who has to make the final decision on major national affairs.
How to suppress the bandits in the south, how to control the captives in the north, how to increase revenue in Taicang, and how to pacify disasters, these are all things that give all officials a headache.
But as long as the prince speaks, all the thorny difficulties can be easily solved, and the cabinet and the seven ministries will act according to the instructions of the imperial edict.
You can't say that the young prince is inexperienced or incompetent. From the beginning of the supervision of the country to the present, the original intention of all the government orders issued is for the sake of the people, the court, and the country.
The characteristics of government orders are that they are simple, effective, and easy to implement. All law-abiding people in the Ming Empire can receive more or less welfare benefits, big or small.
Even if you want to label him as competing with Min, you can't do it. The Imperial College, businessmen, officials, and even the Beijing camp have all tried, but in the end these people didn't get the results they wanted.
The Gongsheng students could only study honestly, and the merchants did not dare to make mistakes. The disobedient and unclean worms were all sent to the mountains to mine. Except for a small group of people in Beijing who had committed crimes and made meritorious services, they were able to enjoy pardons. , the others were all killed.
After excluding these people from the Jifu area, the people of the imperial court and the capital got a very rare and good development environment. After a short period of twists and turns, the economy was able to develop rapidly under the guidance of the prince.
Businessmen from all walks of life who understand the new rules can enjoy the benefits of the monopoly market. The common people live and work in peace and contentment. The disaster victims also have helpers to make ends meet. The soldiers no longer make trouble because of unpaid wages. The monthly salary of officials has increased significantly.
If it were the emperor who was lying down, he wouldn't be able to do any better than he was doing now.
In terms of qualifications, the young prince is naturally not ranked among the many former emperors.
But when it comes to ability, the young prince could only condescend to the two emperors Taizu and Chengzu.
These are all rumors in the market, and even the court officials are familiar with them.
After experiencing Shenzong, who had not been in court for more than ten years, Guangzong, who passed away just a few years after taking the throne, and Xizong, who loved carpentry work, the people finally met a wise emperor who was considerate of Min's feelings and capable of thunderous means. Of course, It is full of joy.
The same is true for the loyal ministers who look forward to the resurgence of the Ming Dynasty. Lu Zhenfei is one of them, but many things cannot be judged until they have been experienced for a period of time.
For example, this new style of summer clothes with two exposed forearms was originally adopted, but after a lot of verbal battles over the style of the court clothes, it was finally approved.
After all the officials realized the benefits of the new summer clothes, they understood the prince's good intentions, and the matter of cutting nails was exactly the same.
"Lord Lu, His Highness said that the grades of officials will change from time to time in the future based on political achievements and performance. Official hats and official uniforms will also change. Take photos according to the current standards. In the future, one photo can be used multiple times. There is no need to take another photo. It can be used for The Ministry of Accounts saves money."
Xue Guoguan was also confused at the beginning, and a certain prince answered him. In this era, everyone, especially officials, believed that wearing a hat can show one's identity, and taking a photo without a hat was a bit inferior.
If an official needs to take a photo every time his rank changes, it will cost ten taels of silver at a time and involve hundreds of officials. In the future, there will also be minor officials who will also take photos. That stingy Shiwen Li will definitely not do it. Promised.
"What the first assistant said is absolutely true. When you spend money, spend it; when you save it, save it. This is the right way."
Zhong Qian, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, had just finished taking the photo and intervened. In his opinion, since it is an ID photo, it must be clear and the person's appearance can be identified at a glance. Everything else is secondary.
This is a new form of identification, very high-end. This magical photo alone can throw off hundreds of years of history from previous dynasties. According to the Crown Prince, only the Ming Dynasty in the world has mastered this science and technology.
It stands to reason that this is a unique skill. Ten taels of silver per photo is not expensive, but in the future you will need to take photos of all the officials of the Ming Dynasty, so you need to save money from now on.
"Everyone, I am bound by my affairs and have not taken good care of you. I hope you will forgive me!"
Du Yinxi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, was already very busy and took the time to come and greet his colleagues of third rank and above. After all, they all came to their own territory, so this was considered as saying hello, so as not to have to talk about it afterwards.
As the head of the official department, he also serves as a template. Du Yinxi's ID card was the first to be made in the entire Ming Dynasty. Only after seeing his ID card did other colleagues understand what their own would look like.
At this time, Du Yinxi's certificate was placed on the table and in the yard for his colleagues to look at. It became an object like an offering, but it could only be seen, not touched, otherwise it would be touched by thousands of paws. It will be completely spent...
"Zhong Zai, you're welcome. It was Da Situ who paid for this, and Zhong Zai contributed his efforts. It's hard work, Zhong Zai!"
Feng Quan, the Minister of Rites, is very good at talking and being an official. What he says will make people feel comfortable. He, the Minister of Rites, is not only good at giving away money.
Xue Guoguan couldn't help but feel a little stunned after hearing this. These words were supposed to be said by him, but they were all finished by Feng Quan. Fortunately, the prince is his son-in-law, otherwise his position as chief minister would not be guaranteed...
"Uncle Da Zong won the prize. If Da Situ hadn't agreed to fund it, we wouldn't have been able to get the photo!"
Du Yinxi, who knew the ways of officialdom, didn't want to overshadow the guest. In this matter, Baiguan had taken advantage of Li Shiwen, so he naturally wouldn't get carried away after listening to Feng Quan's kind words.
"Tsukazai must not say that. I am only in charge of the household department for the imperial court. When the photos come out, don't be too ugly, otherwise the household department will have to spend an extra ten taels of silver!"
The Ministry of Hubu is in charge of the financial power of the imperial court. Only with the nod of the Minister of Hubu can the imperial court disburse funds. But Li Shiwen was also very clear-headed. How did Taicang's money come from now? The prince didn't get it from him.
As the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, spending money is refreshing. Everyone can do it, but how many people have experienced the pain of having no money in Taicang? After having such a strong comparison, Li Shiwen would cherish the hard-earned money.
The prince has already obtained 25 million taels of silver for the Ministry of Accounts. If other inputs do not go out of the bank, Taicang will receive about 30 million taels this year.
This is only less than ten months of income, and it is after all agricultural taxes in the northern region have been exempted, so it is extremely precious.
As for the source of the money, Li Shiwen, who is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, naturally knows everything about it. This year can be a good year, but what should next year be like? Who can know?
Shanxi merchants and moths have been confiscated, and there will be no such income next year. The imperial court's annual income from the north can only rely on Shandong salt fields and mining in various places.
Judging from this year's financial situation, if the annual income next year is less than 25 million taels of silver, the court's life will definitely not be easy.
No one dares to guarantee that the Ministry of Accounts can still maintain a relatively high amount of income. Even he, the Minister of the Ministry of Accounts, has difficulty in guessing.
The only person Li Shiwen could rely on was the Crown Prince. Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, only the Crown Prince had the ability to turn his hands into clouds and rain.
If the Ministry of Household Affairs can still have an income of 30 million taels next year without increasing taxes on the people, Li Shiwen will completely bow to the prince.
Don't underestimate this amount of money. In order to have an annual income of fifteen million taels, the court had already imposed "three rates" on the people.
If it were doubled on this basis, it would really give the emperor and officials a huge headache. No one would take the initiative to take on such a fatal job, otherwise they would not use the "three-pay" method to increase their income. .
When it comes to tax collection, for officials, especially those from the Ministry of Household Affairs, there is only one word - difficult!
It's hard!
Very difficult!
It’s hard to reach the sky!
This is a common feeling among Ministry of Revenue officials, as well as some local officials.
At present, most of the northern areas of the Ming Dynasty are affected by disasters, and many places are actually unable to collect taxes, even if they are 20 to 30% of the established target.
The imperial court was actually relying on the south to support the north, which was suffering from natural disasters and wars, and barely maintained this dilapidated situation.
According to what the prince said, once the imperial court's finances collapsed, the Ming Empire, which had lasted for more than two hundred years, would come to an end because it would be impossible to mobilize the army without money.
Whether it is resisting the Donglu who frequently knock on the pass, or encircling and suppressing the rogue bandits raging in the Central Plains, without enough troops, it is just a daydream.
To raise an infantry, not counting weapons and equipment, but only accounting for clothing, food and wages, the total cost of raising an infantry for one year would be nearly forty taels in silver.
Supporting an army of 200,000 would cost eight million taels. Including chariots, horses, muskets and other weapons and equipment, it would cost at least ten million taels.
If the imperial court's annual income is only 15 million taels, military expenditures alone will account for two-thirds of the total, and only 5 million taels of silver are available for the remaining part, which will naturally become stretched.
Through years of experience, if the annual income is less than 20 million taels, it is really not enough to do anything.
Under the auspices of the Crown Prince, the current situation has been greatly improved. As the Minister of Household Affairs, Li Shiwen must cherish it.
"I've already prepared the documents, so I don't have to worry about beauty or ugliness!"
Facing Li Shiwen's disguised refusal to pay any more, Du Yinxi didn't hesitate. His ID photo had already been admired by hundreds of officials, so he didn't care about his face.
This is almost the same as having your photo published in the "Jingshi Daily", but as a minister of the Ministry of Personnel, of course, he must set an example in this matter.
If you have to comfort yourself, the photos of many colleagues may not be as good-looking as mine. In the words of the prince, they are "too ugly to be photographed"...
"Tsukazai is quite calm. I haven't seen the photos yet, so I can't help but feel anxious!"
Wang Jiayan, the Minister of the Ministry of War, has also finished taking pictures, and after his ID is ready, he will display it at the Ministry of War and show it to the warriors from around Jifu who came to take pictures, so he is very concerned about the effect of his photos.
"No need to worry, Da Sima. As long as you don't blink or move when taking photos, the photos will be pleasing to the eye!"
Xue Guoguan had taken a photo in the East Palace, but it was just a group photo with his prospective son-in-law and daughter. After taking the photo, he was still in a trance, and he almost forgot about it. Only now did he have some "experienced people" to talk about.
"What the chief assistant said is absolutely true. If you are not honest when taking pictures, you will have to pay an extra ten taels of silver for Da Situ!"
This was a blink of an eye worth ten taels of silver, and even the always kind-hearted Second Assistant Wu Yan couldn't help but start teasing him.
"Hmph, whoever dares to deliberately take more photos will be informed by His Highness tomorrow and asked to pay for it out of his own pocket!"
Li Shiwen would not tolerate someone with ulterior motives. If he dared to blatantly take advantage of even ten taels of silver, he would really suffer.
"I don't dare to wait. With those ten taels of silver, I can have a table of delicious food!"
Zhang Guowei is right. Although everyone present is a first- or second-grade court official with a starting salary of one hundred and eighty taels per month, it does not mean that these ten taels will be wasted for no reason. silver.
"Da Sikong's words are true. I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince will entrust you to open a restaurant in the inner city, specializing in delicacies learned from the immortal world. Ten taels of silver can make you eat very happily!"
This matter has been spread for a long time, and has been confirmed by some participants. Foodies including Feng Quan, the Minister of Rites, are eagerly waiting.
The spotlight of investigating and punishing people for eating and drinking has passed, and now it is not a big problem to go to restaurants to eat and drink. Even if a group of ministers gather together, as long as they don't talk about government affairs casually, it is not considered a marriage.
No matter what was said in detail, whether it was calculated or not, the factory guards everywhere would report the whole story to the Crown Prince, who would then make the final decision.
Even in a high-end restaurant, ten taels of silver can buy six meat dishes and a jar of wine, which is enough to feed four people.
"There will definitely be fine delicacies, and we are in for a treat!"
After everyone has tasted the delicacies in the palace, dining at home will feel boring. When it comes to eating, Zuodu Yushi Zhongqi also has a say.
It is shameful to be extravagant, but for two taels of silver per person, on the weekend, after playing mahjong, it is perfectly fine to go out for a meal with four colleagues who also like to eat and drink.
Days like this are considered enjoyment, but they are much better than before when there were no rest days. Because of this, all the officials recognized the prince's policy of governing the country, and the court would not stop after the emperor's immortal journey.
Since ancient times, it has been "benefit first and then act". This is the rule of officialdom. Zhong Yan and everyone present are well aware of this.
Many of the officials who were able to stay in their positions or even get promoted after a thorough investigation were officials with a clean mind, but these people were also eager to receive the favor of the Holy One.
It was mainly due to the low salary and benefits of officials before. After the improvement, everyone was naturally happy to work for the court.
If the one lying down wakes up and wants to return to his previous state, I'm afraid all the officials will collectively resist...
