Chapter 151 My frugality is rare in ancient times (Please subscribe and praise)

It was rare to see such silence in the Chuigong Hall. The civil and military officials on both sides were looking at Zhao Huan sitting on the dragon throne as if they were looking at a monster.

"I say I don't love money, but I'm sure many people won't believe me. Not long ago, Prime Minister Bai donated over a million taels to the court, and General Gao was no less generous. Grand Tutor Cai even donated over three million taels. Other miscellaneous donations add up to over a million taels."

Zhao Huan stood up from the dragon throne and pointed his finger at the sun above his head. "I swear before the heavens, the earth, the sun and moon, the mountains and rivers, and my ancestors that not a single cent of this money has been spent on me, Zhao Huan. All the money left over from the war has gone into the national treasury."

"Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Bai, the three yamen, and the Ministry of Finance should all know about this. There isn't a single cent left. After the Jin army withdrew, the various armies sent to the front lines to support the emperor. The first batch of military pay was allocated by me from the inner treasury."

Zhao Huan laughed and said, "My inner treasury is now empty. Even a mouse would cry when seeing it."

The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "My Lords, my colleagues may not be aware that His Majesty has decreed the complete separation of the Imperial Treasury from the Great Song treasury. Aside from gifts from foreign envoys and some imperial estates outside Bianliang, all other court revenues will henceforth be sent to the National Treasury."

The court was shocked by the news from the Minister of Revenue. During the reign of the Supreme Emperor, Emperor Huizong personally spent 200,000 taels of silver a month. Please note that this was daily expenses for food, drink and entertainment, and did not include large-scale projects such as building palaces, touring, and paying tribute to Taihu stones.

That’s why there are institutions like the Yingfeng Bureau that are specifically designed to raise money for the emperor. It’s really scary.

"Don't worry about me!" Zhao Huan said with a smile, "I may be the emperor, but I am only one member of the great ship of the Song Dynasty. I must rely on everyone's concerted efforts to ensure the smooth progress of the ship."

"From now on, I will receive my salary from the court, just like everyone else. The welfare of officials in the Song Dynasty is definitely second to none in the past thousand years."

Zhao Huan counted on his fingers and said, "This includes regular salary, grain allowance, salary for official duties, spring and winter clothing, food and clothing for servants, tea and wine, kitchen supplies, firewood and charcoal, and livestock feed, etc."

It can be said that the food, clothing, housing, transportation, and even the expenses of their families and servants were all paid for by the state. It was truly the case that if one person became an official, the whole family would benefit.

"Master Tang, please tell me."

The Minister of Revenue can speak fluently, that's what we call professionalism.

"The annual salary of the prime minister and the privy councilor was 3,600 strings of cash, 1,200 dan of millet, 40 pieces of silk, 60 pieces of silk, 100 liang of winter cotton, 14,400 bundles of firewood, 1,600 weights of charcoal, 7 dan of salt, and food and clothing for 70 servants."

"Our Song Dynasty was absolutely considerate. To allow officials to focus on their work and not be distracted by family matters, they even allowed 'yin-yi' subsidies. This meant the government allowed direct and collateral relatives, and even protégés, of mid- and high-level officials to work in the government, allowing their children to take over and arrange employment for their families, becoming the second generation of officials."

Zhao Huan said, "I am jealous of the treatment of officials in the Song Dynasty. I am not paid ten times as much as the Prime Minister."

Some court officials advised His Majesty that he was being too harsh on himself and did not reflect the demeanor of a great power: "Ten times? At most, it would be 100,000 taels a year, which is only half of the Emperor's monthly expenses. How can that be enough? This is too arbitrary."

Zhao Huan said, "I have made up my mind. I have even handed over the accounts to the national treasury. You don't need to persuade me anymore. I will not let myself down."

"To be fair, this is already a lot of money. I'm not an emperor emeritus. I don't have such high artistic talent, such indestructible kidneys, and the urge to have children all the time."

"In the Bianjing Palace, the total number of palace maids and servants does not exceed 300, which means the cost of the Imperial Food Bureau is too high."

"Therefore, I can confidently say that I am not someone who loves money or pleasure. Everything I do is for the Great Song Dynasty and for the 120 million people."

"Since the Jin Kingdom's southward advance, countless civilians have been displaced and gathered in Bianliang City. If we don't handle this properly, it could lead to rebellion under the emperor's feet. Is there enough money in the treasury?"

"Where did the money come from? It was donated by the four great philanthropists of Bianliang City. It's a lot of money, almost enough to cover two months' tax revenue for the country."

"After the Emperor left for Luoyang, I dismissed over 6,000 palace maids and servants. To this day, there is only one Empress in my harem."

"A child's age can be seen from the age of three. Although Crown Prince Zhao Chen is only ten years old, he has a dignified character, courage, and wisdom. He is more than qualified to be a king who maintains the status quo. I am enough to carry out the great cause of unifying the world."

"So!" Zhao Huan pondered for a moment, "I don't plan to have a third child. One boy is fine."

"Don't think about taking sides or forming factions. The Song Dynasty only has one crown prince. All you need to do is stick closely together around his father." Zhao Huan suddenly made a sharp turn: "After I retire, you can gather around the crown prince."

"Retirement, do you understand? It means when you're older and have worked for a while, you go home and tend to flowers and grass. The court will still pay you a salary every month."

"I plan to retire when I'm fifty. By then, the Crown Prince will be old enough. I'll take a boat trip out to see the world. Being an emperor is too tiring. It's better to leave it to the younger generation; they have more energy."

Zhao Huan didn't say he would retire at 40 because he was afraid these people wouldn't be able to accept it.

"The Imperial Guards and eunuchs naturally still need money from the imperial treasury to support them. I separated the inner treasury from the national treasury to avoid people like the retired emperor who embezzled the Song Dynasty's money for personal use."

"The national treasury is taken from the people and must be used for the people."

"However, I am still the one in charge, and my word is final. How the treasury's money is spent must be approved by me. As long as it is reasonable, I will consider it."

After talking for a long time, Zhao Huan felt thirsty. He sat back on the dragon throne, picked up the large enamel bowl, drank a sip of water, and felt refreshed.

Below, the court officials were stunned at first. It was the first time they saw an emperor who was so clear about his duties and had no selfish motives at all.

The reason why everyone wants to be emperor is not only because of the supreme power, but also because the emperor can occupy huge resources, create huge wealth, and enjoy pleasure without restraint.

Zhao Huan didn't even ask for money and just worked so hard. How could the other members of the Zhao family not cause trouble?

No matter what, this is a good thing. With more money in the treasury, won’t they have more opportunities?

Since you say it's for the benefit of the people, you have to spend money anyway, so it's only natural to take some kickbacks.

Naturally, people shouted: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhao Huan waved his hands, as if remembering something. "I have already separated it from the national treasury. Letting the people below do some small business or something should be harmless and not be considered competing with the people for profit!"

"Don't worry, I will absolutely abide by the rules and pay taxes according to the law!"

…………

Many court officials: What should we say about this?

Nothing to say, just agree!!!