Li Hongke didn't know when the household department decided to give Yuwenkai another 100,000 taels of silver to build the road, but at this moment, the right attendant of the household department said it, and he could only recognize it as the head of the household department.

Moreover, Li Hong also noticed Yu Wenkai's movements, and the one who was about to stand up and start the performance became retracted, Li Hong was not a fool, and he knew that something must have happened that he didn't know.

And looking at Yu Wenkai's actions, Fan Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, he knew that Yu Wenkai was a bit lazy, and he generally wouldn't stand up and speak, originally he stood up and was ready to ask the household department for money, but since the household department was willing to give him money, Yu Wenkai would definitely not stand up and offend the household department again.

Today's events, Fan Li saw it very clearly, this is the various departments of the imperial court standing up to be embarrassed by the household department.

Wang Mang sat on the dragon chair, everything in the court was clear, and Wang Mang did a good job of saying goodbye to Fan Li's wisdom.

Faced with the request of the Ministry of Household to allocate funds to the Ministry of Industry, and this matter was promoted by Wang Mang, Wang Mang could only nod and say: "I agree to the request of the Ministry of Households." ”

Hearing that Wang Mang agreed to allocate another 100,000 taels to the Ministry of Industry, Yu Wenkai completely lost the idea of standing up for the Ministry of Households.

Yuwenkai didn't stand up again, but Zhang Jian stood up, and as soon as the official department Shangshu stood up, he said: "Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that the salary of 200,000 taels to pay 100 officials to the ministry is a bit less, since the household department has abundant finances, should the imperial court consider the wages owed by the imperial court to 100 officials?"

"What Lord Zhang said is that the imperial court should consider some matters of arrears of wages. ”

That's right, Weichen also feels that this is a key problem that needs to be solved at present. ”

"The money of the household department is also put there, it is better to pay back the salaries of the officials, so that the officials can better serve the court. ”

"You can't let the big guys work hungry. ”

As soon as it came to the payment of wages, the court suddenly became lively, and a large number of officials stood up to support Zhang Jian's proposal to pay back wages.

Wang Mang's eyes flashed, and he looked at Zhang Jian and said, "Zhang Shangshu, I don't know how much salary the imperial court still owes to hundreds of officials?"

Zhang Jian had already been prepared, and as soon as he heard Wang Mang's question, he said: "The year before last, the imperial court had liquidated a batch of arrears of wages for hundreds of officials, and after the liquidation, the imperial court still owed 880,000 taels of silver to hundreds of officials of the imperial court, and for the whole of last year, tens of thousands of officials across the country should have been paid 2.3 million taels, and 1.6 million taels were actually paid, and 700,000 taels were still owed, and as of the beginning of this year, a total of 1.58 million taels of silver were owed to 100 officials. ”

Zhang Jian looked around at the ministers and said: "Since the beginning of this year, the imperial court has allocated a total of 300,000 taels of silver to pay back the salaries of 100 officials, and as of the end of the year, the imperial court still owes 1.28 million taels of silver to 100 officials. ”

"How can you owe so much?" an official shouted at the time, and Wang Mang was also taken aback.

The ministers in the court all know that the court owes everyone wages, but there is no accurate data on how much they owe, and now Zhang Jian blew himself up, and suddenly the entire court was in chaos.

Zhang Jian saw that the hundred officials were puzzled, so he said: "Originally, I couldn't owe so much, but in the past two years, the first emperor died, and a sum of money was sent to the hundred officials, and the new emperor succeeded to the throne, and a sum of money was sent to the hundred officials, plus the south has been fighting in the past two years, and the silver spent by the imperial court has been thrown into the southern battlefield, which has led to a shortage of finances for the imperial court, and the salaries of officials have been delayed again and again, so now, so I owe so much money." ”

"Zhang Shangshu, the officials have really had a hard time in the past two years, you are fortunate!" Wang Mang said, with no expression on his face, but in his heart, he was touching the blood of Zhang Jian's scolding, what is this for, this is to put the responsibility on my head!

Zhang Jian stretched out his hand and wiped his eyes, sighed, and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers are unfortunate and suffering, and the officials are also unfortunate and suffering, fortunately, those grassroots officials have low salaries, and they are still in arrears, and their lives are very difficult. ”

You have said so, what else can I say, not to mention, Wang Mang hates the black-hearted boss the most in his life, the contractor who owes the wages of migrant workers, and he will never be such a person.

Immediately, Wang Mang looked at Li Hong and said, "Li Hong, how much money can the household department come up with now?"

Li Hong and Fan Li glanced at each other, and Li Hong said respectfully: "The household department can allocate another 200,000 taels of silver to the ministry, and no more will work." ”

Zhang Jian's eyes flashed, and then he kowtowed: "Weichen Xie Your Majesty Longen for the hundred officials of the imperial court." ”

"Get up. Wang Mang waved his hand, motioned for Zhang Jian to get up, and then looked at Baiguan and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, if you need money, say it together, and this meeting will be resolved." ”

As soon as Wang Mang's words landed, the courtiers stood up one after another, you 3,000, I 5,000, and he 10,000 are looking for Wang Mang to ask for money, such an opportunity is not easy to find, when Fang Xizhi was in the past, he wanted money, and sent money first, and now he directly opens a financial meeting to sit together for democratic consultation, no one wants to be blinded to anyone, and many yamen who originally didn't want money are now crying to Wang Mang about poverty.

Wang Mang accepted all the crying poverty, and ordered all the household departments to record the reasonable needs of the hundred officials, and said that he would definitely give money to these yamen who were short of money.

In the end, no official spoke, Wang Mang looked at Li Hong and said, "Li Shangshu, now according to the discussion of the big guy just now, how much money will the household department have to pay in total?"

Li Hong said with an ugly face: "Your Majesty, at present, the household department has a total of 1.6 million taels of silver, if it is spent according to the requirements of the ministers' deliberations just now, the total budget expenditure of the imperial court is 1.855 million taels, and there is still a shortage of 255,000 taels of silver. ”

Li Hong's voice fell, and the ministers changed color one after another, if they didn't have their money, it would be okay, but since they had their budget, this would never work, and the ministers were like making a fuss at that time.

But before they made a fuss, Wang Mang stood up directly and said loudly: "There is actually a shortage of so much silver, what can I do?"

The ministers were suddenly a little dumbfounded by the emperor's reaction, and Li Hong spoke: "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"I promised the Queen Mother to give another 100,000 taels to Shangyuan Palace to repair Yihe Garden, I originally thought that the court now has money, and the Queen Mother agreed to the Queen Mother with this 100,000 taels, but now the court is overspending again, how can this be good?" Wang Mang said with a wry smile.

"This ......" Baiguan was dumbfounded, the emperor is clearly asking for money, originally there was a difference of 255,000 taels of silver, and now it is connected to the queen mother's 100,000 taels, then it will be 355,000 taels, what should I do with this silver?

Wang Mang looked at the ministers who were all silent, and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have promised the Queen Mother's matter, and I must not regret it, which Aiqing is willing to relieve my worries now?"

The ministers were silent, who dared to say that they would relieve the emperor's worries at this time? Who could come up with this money?

Li Hong's eyes lit up, he suddenly stood up, pushed the golden mountain and the jade pillar to kneel on the ground, and said loudly: "Eat the king's lu, solve the king's worries, Li Hong, the secretary of the Weichen household department, is willing to relieve His Majesty's worries." ”

Suddenly, the eyes of everyone in the entire hall looked at Li Hong.