The afternoon sun shines brightly on the palace. Few palaces in Ziwei City are so transparent. This is the Qianning Palace. It is different from the comprehensive palace like the Chui Gong Palace. This is a place where Emperor Liu could rest and recuperate. In the past, Emperor Liu rarely set foot there.
However, these days were different. Emperor Liu not only came, but also stayed for several days, pretending to be in meditation, not seeing anyone and not paying attention to worldly affairs, as if he wanted to get rid of the chaos and troubles of the world.
The autumn of the tenth year of Kaibao has arrived, and the heat is gradually fading. In this season that symbolizes harvest, the Han Empire still cannot find peace.
The floods and floods in the Central Plains that occurred once in twenty years were a serious blow to the empire, and its huge and profound impact had already begun to ferment.
The work of reconstruction and aftermath is not easy to do, especially the preparation of money and food. There is no shortage of food for disaster relief and aftermath. There is plenty in the granaries of the imperial court. It is only necessary to allocate manpower and send it to various states according to the plan.
However, disaster relief is not just about food. There is also a large amount of supporting materials that need to be raised, and money plays a key role in this.
After being refused a loan from Emperor Liu, Prime Minister Wang and Shen immediately corrected their mentality and began to "do practical things". The Finance Secretary really wanted to transfer a batch of money, but there was no problem. After spending some time, Shen Yilun quickly raised more than one million yuan.
But this number is a drop in the bucket compared to the dozens of states and counties along the river and the millions of people. No matter how much money you have, it is not impossible to get it, but the price you need to pay must be weighed repeatedly. Some of Wang Pu's words are still very reasonable. The big man's stall is too big, and it is impossible to just wantonly use it for disaster relief. To misappropriate other funds, one question brings up a series of questions. The priorities among them are worth considering.
The imperial court, which brought together the world's elites, would naturally not neglect smart people, especially the financial secretary, who was very calculating. Soon someone came up with a solution and solved the troubles of Wang and Shen.
Liu Xigu, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, suggested that if the internal funds cannot be borrowed, then change the target. It is still the same idea, but the loan targets are changed to the nobles, landlords, and merchants of Xijing.
Especially the merchants, they must have money in their hands. The imperial court cut leeks not once or twice, the most recent time was last year. What's more, borrowing is only a stopgap measure, an emergency measure. When the new quarter's taxes come in, all problems will be solved.
This proposal was quickly approved by Shen Yilun, but Wang Pu did not agree. He seemed to be a bit immoral. In his opinion, the imperial court would not ask for help from a group of merchants. At the same time, this would not put the imperial court at risk. If the financial problems are exposed, how can we save face?
Wang Pu disagreed, so Shen Yilun and Liu Xigu naturally did not dare to implement it. Their concerns were understandable, but the problem had to be solved, and things came to a standstill.
However, as the prime minister of the imperial court, Wang Pu was obviously smart, and his mind was not as rigid as his usual rigid behavior. Just when Shen Yilun was planning to "save" another sum of money from other places, Wang Xianggong's wise brain was opened.
Since it is aimed at merchants, why bother borrowing it? Instead, just raise funds and call on the nobles, bureaucrats, and merchants in the capital to donate enthusiastically, and contribute what they can to the country, the court, and the people in the disaster area...
Being so upright, there is no need to consider repayments, interest, etc., and this is a rule to follow. When Murong Yanchao, the Duke of Luan, repaired Kaifeng and Luoyang, he both held a "fundraising" activity, and the two capitals The merchants are the main targets.
As soon as this idea was opened, everything suddenly became clear. Soon a fund-raising activity among the wealthy groups in the capital began, and was personally presided over by Prime Minister Wang Pu.
How could all the tribes and families not give face to Wang Pu when he came forward? Moreover, Emperor Liu, the biggest tiger skin among the Han Dynasty, was also pulled up as a banner. Even if he knew he was about to bleed, he had to hold his nose to recognize it.
After all, those who donate may not necessarily be remembered, while those who do not donate will definitely stand out. And a donation event that reflects loyalty seems to have evolved into a political donation.
All ministries and departments in Beijing called on subordinate officials to donate money. Under such a background, how dare they not be enthusiastic? Even Wang Pu himself donated a thousand guan, which was not a small amount of money for Wang Pu.
Prime Minister Zhao Pu, who had been waiting quietly to see what happened, stood up on stage at the right time and did two things. One was to tighten his belt and donate a thousand guan, and the other was to limit the number of people donating to North Korea and China to those above the fifth rank. .
Beijing officials are inherently good, but it also depends on their position, grade, and background. For the vast majority of middle- and lower-level officials, life is not as good as it seems on the surface.
Zhao Pu's second move was deeply considerate of his subordinates and won the support of many people, winning the hearts of many officials in one fell swoop.
The fund-raising activity was very lively and the commotion was very loud. Emperor Liu naturally heard about it and even donated 50,000 yuan in his own name. As for Wang Pu and the others, they did not care about the marginal approach of borrowing his power. After all, he himself That said, let them find a way.
The only thing that made Emperor Liu feel slightly unhappy was that none of the donors, whether nobles or wealthy businessmen, had donated more than 50,000 yuan.
It's not that they were dissatisfied with this figure, but the reason they gave was that they did not dare to "go beyond" and they would never dare to exceed Emperor Liu in terms of donation amount.
However, after all, it was just an episode, and the results were gratifying. In just five days, more than 2 million yuan in disaster relief funds were raised in Xijing. Facts have proved that groups such as nobles, landowners, and wealthy businessmen do have money, no matter when.
At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue also sent officials east to Kaifeng to assist the left-behind Lu Yin in carrying out such a donation event in Tokyo. The combined donations from the two capitals will not only completely solve the disaster relief problem, but at least the court's financial dilemma in the aftermath will be alleviated.
By the time autumn came, the third batch of supplies coordinated by the imperial court had already been shipped to the disaster area. Getting things done is the most important thing.
However, before Wang Pu and others could breathe a sigh of relief, a piece of news that seemed more troublesome came again: an epidemic was spreading across the states.
In this regard, the imperial court was well prepared. Even before the end of the rainy season, there were already signs that diseases were common on the flood fighting front lines due to the harsh environment.
In this regard, the imperial court naturally mobilized a large number of medicinal materials and medical officers to prevent the epidemic. However, the local sanitary conditions were still too weak. No matter which link caused the problem, it still did not prevent the final outbreak of the epidemic.
When the news came, the whole court was shocked. Emperor Liu was not too angry this time, but just announced the order in a calm tone. So, after the flood relief efforts in May and June, Dahan began a new round of epidemic relief efforts in July.
Natural disasters kept coming one after another. This scene made Emperor Liu feel like he was reliving yesterday, as if he had returned to the same disastrous early years of Qianyou. How could he be in a good mood?
The country was in disaster, the outer dynasty was uneasy, and the inner court was turbulent, which also annoyed him. With the rapid development of Zhang Dejun, one person and one thing were gradually revealed. Emperor Liu also discovered that the charming Ziwei City The grandeur and beauty seemed to be an illusion created for him.
