This official has a good reputation. Although he doesn't seem to come from a traditional scholarly background, who would dare to underestimate Yan Zhenzhi's abilities?

Yu Xin thought about it carefully and said, "Wei Zhe, there are many rumors in the court that His Majesty intends to govern the Yellow and Huai River regions. What do you think?"

Xia Yuanji was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is a man of great talent and vision. If Your Majesty intends to use the resources of the entire nation to build the Yellow River dike, I am not surprised. The Yellow River is known throughout the land for its severe flooding. The Huai River has also suffered from disasters every year in recent years, which is also known to many people."

Yu Xin wasn't entirely surprised. Although there were indeed some dissenting voices within the government and among the public, many people didn't take them seriously. However, if the current emperor intended to manage the Yellow River, perhaps no one would be so surprised.

Ultimately, it's because many people know that Emperor Ying Shi was very farsighted, and everyone knows that Emperor Ying Shi had extremely great ambitions.

Emperor Hongwu loved his people like his own children, and Emperor Yingshi was no different. He too had to govern the country and never slacked off. In fact, the requirements for his civil and military officials were not low.

Yu Xin and Xia Yuanji fell silent. Many people outside were saying that the Ming Dynasty was now wealthy and powerful. Grain taxes were increasing, and various other taxes were constantly pouring into the Ming Dynasty's treasury. The Ming Dynasty was indeed much richer and stronger now.

However, as the head of the Ministry of Revenue, he also knew that although the Ming Dynasty now had a lot of money and grain, there were still many places where money and grain needed to be consumed. As the head of the Ministry of Revenue, he also needed to constantly calculate carefully.

Putting aside everything else, the soldiers of the Five Military Commands are not to be trifled with, requiring a large amount of money every year. Of course, this all requires the assistance of the Ministry of War. However, the Ministry of War is practically a yes-man in front of the Five Military Commands, and dares not argue with the hot-tempered military officers.

Over the years, His Majesty has spent a lot of money on the Ministry of Works. Leaving aside the Ministry of Works Academy, the continuous casting of cannons, muskets, and other weapons, as well as the ongoing construction of even larger ships, all require massive amounts of funds.

The war in Goryeo ended this year, but the Duke of Liang was training troops in the northwest and the Duke of Qian was also training troops in the southwest. Everyone knew that a war with the Oirat and Annam was inevitable sooner or later, and Emperor Ying Shi did not seem to have much intention to hide his intentions.

All of this requires money, not to mention that the Ming Dynasty was slowly moving its capital.

In earlier years, Emperor Yingzong began constructing the capital city in Beiping, and the basic framework was established, but it has been continuously improved over the years. Building the capital city is no small matter, and even though Beiping now appears more prosperous, it still requires the court's support.

These are all incredibly expensive items. The imperial court seems to have made a lot of money, but it also spends it very quickly!

Yu Xin and Xia Yuanji sat there listlessly. These two seemed to be in charge of the Ming Dynasty's purse strings, and a massive amount of silver did indeed pass through their hands.

However, over the years, even though the Ming Dynasty seemed to be receiving more and more money and grain into its coffers, they were still constantly complaining about being poor. It wasn't just a habitual complaint; they were genuinely very poor in many situations.

No matter how much money and grain were deposited into the treasury, the imperial court could easily spend it all. Various government offices habitually reached out to the Ministry of Revenue, as if the Ministry's funds and grain were inexhaustible. The heads of those offices would start cursing as soon as they received their money.

It's not that the Ministry of Revenue was stingy, nor that its officials were intentionally making things difficult for their colleagues; it's simply that the Ministry of Revenue in the Ming Dynasty often genuinely lacked funds.

They looked at each other in bewilderment. In the past, the national treasury of the Ming Dynasty was indeed not very full, especially in the early years of the founding of the dynasty. There were always some tricky and embarrassing situations. Yu Xin also felt this deeply, as he had experienced it himself.

Seeing the Ming Dynasty's finances improve over the years, Yu Xin naively believed that as the national treasury became fuller, the Ministry of Revenue's pressure would decrease, and it would gradually have some surplus funds.

But now things are really different. It's true that the taxes and other taxes in the Ming Dynasty are increasing, but the Ming Dynasty also needs to spend money in more and more places. In addition to some routine things such as the salaries of officials and the support of the imperial family, all kinds of long-term national policies, big and small, are spending money like water.

Yu Xin and Xia Yuanji are about to have a headache. Putting everything else aside, Yu Xin is now the Minister of Revenue, so naturally he's going to have a problem. Xia Yuanji is favored by Yu Xin, and judging by this trend, Xia Yuanji also has a chance to take charge of the Ministry of Revenue. Of course, Xia Yuanji is currently in charge of the banks, managing a lot of real money.

These two men, whom many consider benefactors, are about to face a headache. The plans to build the Yellow River dike and manage the Yellow and Huai Rivers are very likely true. The Ministry of Revenue will then have to put in the effort and allocate funds.

Whether Yu Xin and Xia Yuanji would be overwhelmed with headaches was not something Zhu Yunying needed to worry about. Although some of his plans were quite ambitious, Zhu Yunying also felt that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Ming Dynasty could undertake several important projects simultaneously.

Ultimately, the Ming Dynasty's foundation is now much stronger, and it doesn't have too many burdens.

Historically, the Hongzhi reign began the management of the Yellow River. The so-called Hongzhi Restoration at that time was merely a restoration; the Ming Dynasty's national strength was not actually at its peak. Now, if the Ming Dynasty wants to accomplish something significant, it can allocate more resources, and the emperor sitting on the throne has more say.

Ministers have their own troubles, and they all need to do their jobs well.

Emperors also need to fulfill their duties as emperors, while ministers can simply do their own jobs well. As long as they manage their own affairs well, they are basically qualified and excellent officials.

But this isn't the case for emperors. They need to have a comprehensive view of the entire situation, treating the country and its people as a chessboard. Naturally, they need to consider many things more thoroughly.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!