The quarrel in the Qianqing Palace continued.

"The treasury is now only more than four million taels, and there are so many state affairs waiting for silver. You want a million! He wants a million! Why don't I Han someone give you the book of the household department? When the time comes, you will need as much money as you need to go to the treasury and get it yourself. ”

This was already a taboo, and Liu Jian, the first assistant of the cabinet, hurriedly came out and said, "Han Butang, why are you so irritable? Everyone here is worried about state affairs, why do you need to be so loud? Lost decency? ”

"Liu Gong, if it weren't for someone from my Han to make a loud noise, it was really a difficult state affair."

Han Wen also knew that he had just said the wrong thing, and glanced at the important ministers present, "I, Han, know your hardships and understand your difficulties. But the treasury is really empty, and if the more than four million taels of silver are allocated in this way, what will happen to the rest of the state affairs? ”

Liu Jian took over the conversation, still speaking slowly, "Three years of celebration, three years of disaster, this year is a disaster year, the catastrophe in Guangdi, the landslide in Puzhou, the flood, and the damage of the rest of the provinces, and the Miru Rebellion in the southwest has just been surveyed.

Admiring His Majesty's Shengming, and all of you have worked hard, you have finally survived to the end of the year, and you are just one foot away.

As long as this hurdle is over, this year of calamity will pass.

As Han Butang Shicai said, now that the state affairs are difficult, you are all for the sake of the state, for the court, and for my future. Why bother?

Don't argue, talk slowly and calmly. The big guys gather together to see where they should be allocated and where they shouldn't, which ones should allocate more and which ones should not be allocated, and there is always a priority for everything.

The four million taels of silver in this treasury are even, and we will try our best to solve all these state affairs. It has relieved His Majesty's worries, the worries of the court, and the worries of my future. In this way, we can wait for the courtiers to spend the New Year in a down-to-earth manner. ”

Li Dongyang said loudly: "What Liu Gong said is reasonable, you should first gather together, discuss and discuss, and don't quarrel." The royal court lost the number of rudeness, even if His Majesty does not see the crime, we are also ashamed. ”

After saying this, all the important ministers of the court seemed to have a tacit understanding, and bowed in the direction of His Majesty, "The ministers and other royal officials have lost their manners, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive them." ”

"All the ministers are also worried about state affairs, for me to relieve my worries, how can I see the sin? Let's all go flat. ”

Emperor Hongzhi's voice was always soft, and his face was as gentle as usual, but he hid the sadness in his eyes.

He knew that the spoils were about to begin.

These ministers who are loyal to the monarch and the country all use high-sounding excuses such as state affairs to ask for silver, and the silver is given, and the upper and lower levels first grab a handful of oil and water, and then it will fall on state affairs.

This kind of 'convention' was already heard from his father when he was still the crown prince.

[How can there be an official in this world who is not greedy, who does not seek to be clean and honest, but who seeks three points for himself and seven points for the country, and he is already a virtuous minister. 】

Father, come and help the children see, how much do these people do for themselves and how much do they serve the country?

At this time, Ma Wensheng, the secretary of the Ministry of War, said: "Your Majesty, the one million taels of silver that I just said is far from enough to be used to pay the arrears, and the ministers are not unable to know the difficulties of the imperial court.

But now that the end of the year is approaching, these soldiers must be given some money so that they can celebrate the New Year.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, those generals, guerrilla defeat is not enough to have no money for the New Year. But the low-level flag officers and ordinary soldiers at the bottom must be given, and they must be paid at least three months' salary, and the old minister roughly calculated, at least 800,000 taels. ”

Zhu Youzhu groaned in his heart, 800,000 taels.

"Han Qing's family, 800,000 taels of silver, what do you think? Can you take it out? ”

Han Wen bowed and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the household department is the household department of the Ming Dynasty, the household department of His Majesty, not the household department of the minister." His Majesty's Divine Judgment. ”

"Then dial it."

"Your Majesty respectfully obeys Your Majesty's holy will."

Emperor Hongzhi knew that the 800,000 taels were allocated out, and it was impossible for them to be distributed to those soldiers in the hands of a penny.

But what can be done.

Even so, there are still years of arrears that have not been paid, and if they are not paid, there is a real risk of mutiny.

800,000 taels of silver, even if only 700,000 taels, 600,000 taels, or even 500,000 taels were used to distribute to the soldiers, it was better than nothing.

After solving a matter, Zhu Youzhang's eyes began to scan the ministers again, and it was the turn of who would share the spoils.

"Zeng Qingjia, just now your Ministry of Industry said that you need to allocate funds for survey and repair, how much does it need?"

Zeng Jian saluted first, and then said: "Your Majesty: It's the moon now, and the Cao Canal is frozen." According to local reports, the thinnest frozen place is also three feet thick, and now it is the most convenient to survey and repair.

According to the Ministry of Industry's forecast, if the year is closed, the damaged dikes should be repaired in time for the spring of next year.

And the Cao Yun is related to my Daming Sheji, and the collection of taxes, silver, grain and grass must be transported through the Cao Yun, so you must not be careless.

Now that several provinces have been hit by disasters, they can absorb the victims who are hungry and cold to come to survey and repair the damaged river embankments and rivers in various places, and provide relief for work. Therefore, according to the minister's intentions, the silver can be allocated less, but the grain needs to be allocated more, and it costs about 500,000 taels to buy all kinds of building materials, and the grain needs 1 million stones. ”

Emperor Hongzhi silently listened to these words, and turned to the Hangul of the Household Department, "How much grain is still in the major warehouses of Jingshi?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty, the northern provinces have been hot and rainless this summer. When the harvest was in arrears and the autumn tax was levied, relying on His Majesty's benevolence, he was exempted from paying taxes for one year or three years in the severely affected areas, and to a lesser extent, the autumn tax was also exempted.

That is to say, almost all of the autumn grain levied this year comes from the southern provinces, and if you count the expenses, the grain and grass for the border army and the army in the Ming Dynasty, as well as the supply of war grain and grass in the southwest, as well as the grain for disaster relief, these are all large expenditures. Today, there are only about 3 million stone of grain left in the major warehouses. ”

Emperor Hongzhi then asked, "What if this million stones are allocated?" ”

"There are too many, there are more provinces affected by disasters this year, involving millions of people, and it is far from enough to rely on the grain in the official warehouses in various places.

Through the total of the household department, at least 2 million stone of grain must be allocated to be transported to the state capitals and counties in batches, otherwise I don't know how many people will freeze and starve to death. ”

“.” Emperor Hongzhi fell silent when he heard this, and his heart was full of sorrow, on the one hand, it was the most important luck of the Ming Dynasty, and on the other hand, there were millions of people waiting for disaster relief.

Disasters, all disasters.

He remembered the disasters and small disasters he had suffered over the years, and he remembered what he heard today, the lack of warm and humid air flow in the sky of the Ming Dynasty, so the lack of rain and snow, why did my Ming Dynasty lose its morality to this point

Zhu Youzhu tightened the yellow tablecloth on the imperial table in front of him with his hand, trying to calm his voice,

"Cao Yun is related to my Daming Society, and it must be governed, not slow. It is even more necessary to implement the cash-for-work scheme, absorb more displaced people, and also ease the burdens of some provinces, 500,000 taels of silver, 1 million stone of grain. ”

Han Wen hurriedly said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty."

"After listening to me, as for the relief food in various places, the people are the top priority, and the two million stone grain will be allocated."

(End of chapter)