Belch......

Hearing this, the councillors below were stunned.

"Emperor Taishang, I don't know how much the imperial court allocates to the palace every year?" A councillor stood up and said.

"Only 150,000 taels of silver." Zhao Ji said.

Yes!

The councillors below immediately burst into discussions, and many of them had incredulous looks on their faces.

"Lord Li, you used to serve in the Military Aircraft Department, I don't know if the imperial court allocates so much money to the palace every year?" One of the councillors asked right away.

"I don't know very well, but the palace doesn't spend a lot of money every year, and the number of palace maids and guards in the palace is also very small, less than one-tenth of that of the Liao Kingdom back then." Li Chuwen said.

"It's true! As the emperor, when I was in the palace, there were only six palace maids to serve, and there were only ten meals at noon every day, so it was impossible to order more! I personally inquired about Wang Shu that day, and Wang Shu told me that the palace spends 150,000 taels a year! That's just too little! When I opened the seal back then, which year didn't need millions of taels? Zhao Ji said with some anger.

When he was in Kaifeng Palace, the number of eunuchs alone exceeded 2,000, and the number of Zhao Ji's harem concubines and palace maids added up to more than 2,000 people, and Zhao Ji himself spent a lot of money, and every meal had countless dishes for him to choose from, and he liked all kinds of flowers and stones, and transported a large number of flowers and stones from Jiangnan to Kaifeng every year! The millions of taels he said were only about the cost inside the palace, not the cost of the various imperial gardens he built outside.

"One hundred and fifty thousand taels, that's too little! At that time, the annual cost of a prime minister's mansion in Kaifeng was more than that! Zhao Ji said.

The Song Dynasty implemented a high-salary and incorruptible system, and the salaries of first- and second-grade officials were extremely high, and as for the Prime Minister's Mansion, there were many members, and the related expenses were provided by the imperial court. Of course, after the reform of Zhao Chen's system, the Military Aircraft Department replaced the former imperial court departments, and there were no more such expenses.

"150,000 taels, it's really a little unimaginable!" Li Chuwen nodded.

"And I heard Wang Shu say that the reason why it costs so much is because of the renovation of the Yanjing Palace! After the Yanjing Palace was occupied by the Jurchens, it has not been repaired for many years, and there are many dilapidated places inside! Maybe after the next year, the palace will consume less gold and silver every year! Ladies and gentlemen, the palace is the place where the imperial court offices, and it is also the place where my Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty lives, so why should it be somewhat decent, right? It's only 150,000 taels, it's a shame to say it! I, the Great Song Dynasty, manage thousands of miles of rivers and mountains and countless people, and the king of the Great Song Dynasty wants to live such a life, how can this be? Zhao Ji said.

"The Emperor Taishang said well, 150,000 taels is really too little, and I am willing to donate 300,000 taels of silver to Your Majesty to fund the palace." A Khitan man in his seventies stood up and said.

This Khitan man is a well-known wealthy merchant in Yanjing, with a lot of wealth, and he likes to help the poor on weekdays, so he was also elected as a member of parliament this time.

"We need to get the imperial court to allocate funds, and we can't take your money." Zhao Ji said.

"Since the Emperor Taishang said this topic today, let's discuss it." Li Chuwen said.

At present, these dozens of parliamentarians discussed this matter in the council hall, and it only took half an hour for them to reach a "consensus", and Zhao Ji was ready to submit a letter to the Military Aircraft Department in the capacity of "speaker", so that the amount of funds allocated by the Military Aircraft Department to the palace would be increased to 500,000 taels.

After doing this, Zhao Ji was triumphant! For the first time since returning from the North, he was so happy, and he seemed to see the right beckoning to him again.

"Now let's discuss the constitution of this advisory board! Your Majesty has asked me to participate in politics, and we must always think about how to participate in politics, right? Li Chuwen said.

The councillors in the council hall began to talk again, only this time everyone had no clue.

This advisory board is a new thing that has just appeared, and there is no such institution in the world, and no one knows how this body will work. Parliamentarians are not even clear about their identity, they don't know if they belong to the officials or to the people? At this moment, let them discuss the constitution of the Advisory Council, and they are all in the fog.

For a whole morning, they didn't discuss anything.

They took a short break at noon and continued to discuss the constitution of the Council in the afternoon, but an afternoon passed without results.

"Master Li, this advisory bureau was built on the orders of His Majesty, Your Majesty must have his own considerations, and we still need to consult Your Majesty!" A councillor said.

"Yes, without His Majesty's instructions, I really don't know what to do?" Another lawmaker said.

Li Chuwen nodded, he himself was a little confused, and he couldn't think of why.

******

In the evening of the same day, many of the councillors had dispersed, and they agreed to meet in the council hall before dawn tomorrow morning, just like the officials in the morning dynasty, and Li Chuwen came to the outside of the imperial study to ask to see Zhao Chen.

After Zhao Chen let him in, he first reported some things that happened in the Council Hall today, and said, "Your Majesty, the Advisory Bureau is ready to propose to the Military Aircraft Department that the annual allocation to the Imperial Palace be increased to 500,000 taels of silver. ”

Zhao Chen was stunned, then laughed out loud and said, "What does the palace want so much silver for?" Now the palace is only with four imperial concubines, two emperors, more than 200 palace maids, and some cleaning people, so I really don't need so many silver taels. ”

"Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that what the Emperor Taishang said is right, the palace is where the imperial court is located, and it is also the place where the king of the Great Song Dynasty lives, so it should be somewhat decent! Now the layout of the palace is too simple, and there are only more than 200 palace maids here, which is not even as many as the maids of some large families, if it spreads outside, it will not be good for Your Majesty's reputation. Li Chuwen said.

"I like to be frugal, not extravagant. In my opinion, the appearance of the palace is already very luxurious, much more luxurious than the vast majority of the people. As for any decency, reputation, etc., I don't think it's anything remarkable. After all, this is the first topic discussed in your Advisory Board, and you can go to the Military Aircraft Division, but the Military Aircraft Division will not adopt it. Zhao Chen said.

"Wechen understands! Your Majesty, there is one more thing, we have no idea about the statute of the Advisory Council, and I really don't know what to do. Li Chuwen said.

"You first have to discuss the election of the speaker, which you have done. Thus, Lee Chu-wen, I now appoint you as Vice-President of the Advisory Council. Zhao Chen thought about it and said first.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" A smile of surprise appeared on Li Chuwen's face and said.

Although the Advisory Council has been established, Lee Chu-wen does not have the slightest concept of "democracy", not only him, but all the members of the Advisory Council do not have such a concept! Zhao Ji can become the speaker, it is because Zhao Ji is the emperor! If you ask everyone to choose the deputy speaker, it will definitely be another emperor Zhao Huan! However, Zhao Chen is the emperor, and Zhao Chen personally appointed Li Chuwen as the deputy speaker, and no one will object.

"The Advisory Board needs to meet every once in a while to discuss things! In addition, a small number of people need to remain in the Advisory Council to preside over the day-to-day affairs. ”

"Every time the Advisory Board meets, if someone can't come, they have to take a leave of absence! If a person fails to take leave several times in a row, the Council may expel him. ”

"The Advisory Council has a meeting, and the MPs need to prepare a bill, and then discuss it in the Advisory Bureau, and after the discussion, it will be submitted to the Military Aircraft Division."

Zhao Chen stood up from his seat, he paced lightly in the room, and said slowly.

"Your Majesty, how are the seats arranged in this advisory board? Always sit together like this, I'm afraid it's not okay? There must always be a distinction between superior and inferior. Li Chuwen wrote down everything Zhao Chen said, and then said.

"There is no condescension in the Advisory Council! You are all selected by the people, and they all supervise the court on behalf of the people and give advice to the court, so naturally you don't need to be respectful and inferior! Even if the Emperor is the speaker and you are the deputy speaker, you are only responsible for convening the councillors and holding meetings! When the bill is actually discussed, you are in the same position as a regular councillor! When the bill is discussed, only the minority obeys the majority, and no subordinate obeys the superior! In addition, you need to discuss what bills, how many people can pass, and what bills need to reach more people to pass. Zhao Chen said.

"Your Majesty, are these councillors officials? Does the imperial court need to give a salary? Li Chuwen said again.

"Parliamentarians are naturally not officials! Parliamentarians can be said to be a bridge of communication between officials and ordinary people! Parliamentarians need to visit the people often to understand the people's feelings, and parliamentarians must not seek their own interests, but need to seek benefits for the people! The imperial court will also give the members of the council relevant money, and the councillors can even hire people to understand the people's feelings, which costs money. Zhao Chen said.

Li Chuwen nodded a little ignorantly.

Looking at Li Chuwen's appearance, Zhao Chen couldn't help laughing.

The whole country, except for Zhao Chen, the rest of the people don't know what this advisory bureau does? Even the vast majority of people think that this is a place where Zhao Chen gave Zhao Ji, Zhao Huan and others a place to support the elderly! Before the wisdom of the people is opened, even an official like Li Chuwen cannot comprehend all of Zhao Chen's intentions! Under such circumstances, Zhao Chen had to personally participate in the construction of the Advisory Bureau, and he personally appointed Li Chuwen as the vice chairman, and felt that he had personally formulated all the systems of the Advisory Bureau.

In the later era of the Republic of China, even the political line formulated by Sun Yat-sen was divided into three stages: "military administration, training administration, and constitutional government", and Zhao Chen could not achieve it overnight. He does not have Sun Yat-sen's "military and political" problems, and he does not have to worry about dominating the world, but he also needs to have a "political training" stage, and then he can slowly establish the political system he wants. The reform of the education imperial examination, the addition of practical learning, and the addition of some of Zhao Chen's political ideas, sooner or later will open up the wisdom of the people, and now it is only implemented in Yanjing, and sooner or later it will be implemented throughout the country.

"Your Majesty, there will be a discussion in the Advisory Bureau tomorrow, and when the time comes, please ask Your Majesty to personally come over and guide me and others." Li Chuwen said.

"Good! Tomorrow I'll pass! Zhao Chen nodded and said.

Early in the morning of the second day, Zhao Chen personally came to the council hall, and he also sat in the position below like an ordinary councilor, and the surrounding "councilors" showed respectful looks on their faces.