Wu Yusheng was about to speak but hesitated several times and said, "Your Majesty, I see that you are weak and thin, and you are very tired. It is better to go back to the palace to rest for a while. After you have recovered your energy, I will come and report in detail."
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Changsheng waved his hand, "Please be concise and concise, and pick out the important points. I have to go see the emperor later."
Seeing that Wu Yusheng was still hesitating, Changsheng showed displeasure, frowning and speechless.
Seeing this, Wu Yusheng did not dare to delay any more, and hurriedly said, "Recently, General Li and others have delivered eight batches of ninety-two carts of baggage to the Ministry of Household Affairs, equivalent to two hundred and twenty-three million yuan in silver. Zhang Zhenzhen used troops in Luoyang, although he raised them himself. However, the daily expenses of the 300,000-strong army were as high as 500,000 taels. Of the silver taels sent by General Li and others, 70% of the silver taels sent by General Li and others were used to purchase military supplies and grain and fodder and sent them to Luoyang, while the remaining ones were used to regulate rivers. Provide disaster relief and maintain people’s livelihood.”
"Don't report good news but not bad news just to appease me. I want to know the specific situation." Changsheng said.
Hearing Chang Sheng's words, Wu Yusheng sighed again. Chang Sheng used to be in charge of the household department and was familiar with people's livelihood matters. There was no way he could fool him. Instead of hesitating and making him resentful, it would be better to tell the truth and let him know what he knew. Thinking of this, he encouraged him. He mustered up the courage to speak up and said, "You also know that in the spring and summer, the imperial court has little tax revenue, but the people's livelihood expenses are quite huge. This summer there was a lot of rain. Because there was not enough silver to control the river and build embankments, there were many embankments on both sides of the river, causing disasters. There were a total of 38 prefectures and counties, and more than six million people were affected by the disaster. Even Shuzhou and Pingzhou were also affected by floods."
Wu Yusheng paused briefly at this point, then continued, "Nothing in people's livelihood can be separated from money and food. The emptiness of the national treasury has made it impossible for the three provinces and six ministries to perform their duties. There are piles of official documents from various states, prefectures and counties asking for money. All bureaus and yamen were overwhelmed. Because they were not receiving salaries, officials at all levels complained and neglected their duties. The people who were affected by the disaster did not receive timely relief, so they rose up one after another and gathered in crowds to cause chaos. The Ministry of Revenue could not even allocate money to mobilize troops to suppress it. "
Wu Yusheng had been observing Changsheng's expression when he spoke. Seeing that although his face was gloomy but not panicked, he continued, "As we all know, there will be a great epidemic after a major disaster. Right now, there are serious diseases and plagues spreading in Jiangnan West Road, Jiangnan East Road, and Shannan East Road. This year's plague is different from previous ones. It is extremely easy to contaminate and extremely difficult to cure. The plague not only kills people, but also delays agricultural work. The roads in the south of the Yangtze River have always been relied on by the imperial court for tax collection. This plague will definitely affect this autumn's tax collection."
Now that he has said this, Wu Yusheng no longer conceals anything, "Zhenzhen Zhang knew that the court was in difficulty, so Luoyang used troops in a hurry, and several battles did not go smoothly. In fact, the failure of the war was not Zhenzhen Zhang's fault, but due to his incompetence and inferiority in his position. To ensure military supplies. In addition, although Long Haotian captured Xichuan, he proclaimed himself king and no longer listened to the court's orders. The court was worried about tigers chasing wolves and eventually raising tigers. Li Maozhen's previous attack on the palace was actually to seize Qingyang, Qingyang Guarding the chokepoint between east and west, if Qingyang is lost, Longyou Road will become an isolated overseas island, and taxes and profits from trade will not be transported to Chang'an."
Wu Yusheng finished speaking in one breath, but Changsheng did not answer. At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and Wu Yusheng asked. It turned out that the eunuchs who came were the eunuchs. They came to deliver food to Changsheng. It turned out that Eunuch Zhou met Changsheng. He was very thin and worried about his health, so he told the people below to bring him food.
The little eunuch brought the food and then left. Wu Yusheng took out the food, bowls and chopsticks from the food box and served Changsheng to eat.
Changsheng took the porridge bowl and then the chopsticks. Seeing that Changsheng was not only haggard, but his hands were as skinny as chicken feet. Wu Yusheng felt sad and blamed himself for crying. Changsheng had just escaped death and should stay in bed to recuperate. I really shouldn't add worries and troubles to him at this time.
Changsheng was worried in his heart and had no appetite at all, but he was too weak. No matter how pure his spiritual energy cultivation was, it could not completely replace his physical strength. At this time, he already felt severe fatigue and felt weak at his feet.
After eating a bowl of porridge and rice, Wu Yusheng took the porridge and rice and wanted to add more rice to him. Changsheng waved his hand to indicate that he would not eat, and then said, "You have done a good job, but it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. The treasury Empty, what can you do?”
Wu Yusheng lowered his head in frustration and remained silent.
Changsheng said again, "When you are rich, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance is the God of Wealth, and everyone will give you a smile. When you have no money, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance is just a punching bag. No official in the various ministries will give you a good look, and you probably won't have a good look during this period either." Don't be wronged, you can go back first, I will go see the emperor."
Wu Yusheng nodded silently and stood still.
Changsheng stood up and walked towards the door. Wu Yusheng hurriedly followed. As Changsheng moved, he said, "The emperor will definitely not let go of these officials who participated in the rebellion. These people have been officials for many years and have many possessions. It is conservatively estimated that after the confiscation of their homes, they will If you can get more than 10 million taels of silver, and after filling the national treasury, you will first have to repay some of the salaries of officials at all levels, and you have to expect them to work, but you can't let them just give up."
Wu Yusheng nodded in agreement. Although Changsheng said it lightly, in fact it was not easy to make such a decision. At present, the court spent too much money, and it was difficult to get some money. Changsheng decided to repay official salaries, which was equivalent to arranging disaster relief and military supplies. After stabilizing the officials, this move was actually helpless, and it was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils.
After leaving the side hall, Changsheng went to the back hall where the emperor was. After experiencing the previous forced palace, the emperor was always frightened and frightened. When he saw that Changsheng had not even put on his shoes, he eagerly greeted him.
Chang Sheng was in a heavy heart and under great pressure. When he saw the emperor's eager and panicked eyes, the pressure was even greater. To be fair, the emperor was really a good emperor. He was determined to work hard to revive the Tang Dynasty and was kind to himself. However, the emperor's luck was really not good. Well, natural and man-made disasters happen one after another.
Changsheng talked lightly to the emperor about his experiences during this period, and then began to comfort the emperor. All he could do at this time was comfort. In fact, he didn't know how to deal with this lot of troubles next.
After being comforted by Chang Sheng, the emperor gradually calmed down. Although he was still worried, he seemed to see hope, because Chang Sheng always turned the tide at critical moments, and Chang Sheng had become the source of the emperor's confidence.
After resigning from the palace and returning silently to Changsheng, he felt unprecedented pressure at this time, because the signs of the collapse of the Tang Dynasty were becoming more and more obvious. Everyone came to ask for his confidence, but he had no one to rely on.
Everyone in the palace already knew that he had returned safely, and they all stood outside the door waiting for his return. When they saw him appearing, they all came to greet him.
Changsheng was exhausted mentally and physically, so he managed to speak a few words to everyone. He asked everyone about the whereabouts of Datou and others, but everyone just said they didn't know. He also asked about the whereabouts of Young Master Hei, but no one knew either.
Changsheng returned to the room, took off his python robe and lay down on his back, taking a long breath...
