Now, these officials sit in the hall, silent and still.
They simply couldn't understand why they should let a sixteen-year-old girl manage them. Even if she had some ability, rising from a country girl to a county princess, then to a county princess, and finally to a princess of the state, it was all just empty talk and petty tricks.
The problems in Tianhe Prefecture are very thorny and cannot be solved by mere words; real money and effective measures are needed.
Qiao Lian'er had several blueprints sent out for them to review.
"These are my measures. Within three years, I will definitely transform Tianhe Prefecture."
The officials picked up the blueprints and looked at them. They not only had detailed drawings of various facilities, but also explanations. Behind each facility, the number of workers, budget, how to do it, and how much silver were all clearly marked.
They were all a little surprised; the Princess Zhenguo was indeed quite capable.
But as they expected, it remained only on paper.
“Princess, you know that so much silver is needed.” Prefect Zhou smiled. “The plans on these blueprints are indeed impressive, but the treasury of Tianhe Prefecture does not have that much money for the project, and it is impossible for the capital to allocate funds. It will be a huge burden no matter where it is placed.”
Chen Zhizhong put the blueprints aside, took a sip of tea, and looked reluctant.
“Oh, Princess, it’s not that we officials are not cooperating with you. Now that you are the master of Tianhe Prefecture, we should naturally obey your orders. But after all, you are new here and know very little about the situation. Do you know that Tianhe Prefecture has not paid taxes to the capital for ten years? This is a blessing from the imperial family, but also a helpless situation, because the taxes are used to subsidize the people of Tianhe Prefecture. Otherwise, Tianhe Prefecture would not be able to maintain its status as one of the eight major prefectures under such difficult conditions.”
Li Hucao had a half-smile on his face: "Otherwise, Princess, do you think that all the land under heaven belongs to the emperor? Why would the emperor entrust such a large province to you? Anyway, you don't often have to pay taxes, so it's neither enjoyable to eat nor a pity to throw away."
These officials spoke in a sarcastic tone, their words laced with dissatisfaction with the status quo.
That's true. In a place like this, it's impossible to achieve any political success, and there's no hope of promotion in this lifetime.
So, despite their advanced age, they are full of complaints.
"Take the plans on the Princess's blueprints, for example. Where will the money come from? With so many corvée labors, the people will definitely not be willing to obey. And how will the flood and drought prevention facilities and supplies be transported?" Zhou Biejia, who was in charge of assisting the governor of a prefecture in handling various affairs, pointed out various problems sharply.
“I’ll pay for it. The corvée labor won’t be for nothing; we’ll pay wages. If someone dies, there will be compensation and funeral expenses. As for the transportation of supplies, I have 40,000 cavalrymen with fine horses. Do you think that’s not enough?”
Qiao Lian'er's resounding voice echoed in the hall, startling the subordinate officials who exchanged bewildered glances.
“Princess, you can’t make such boastful claims,” Chen Zhizhong said.
"Come with me."
Qiao Lian'er walked out of the council hall.
The officials exchanged glances, curious to see what tricks the princess would play, and followed her out.
As they drove along, they whispered amongst themselves, their attitudes filled with schadenfreude and distrust.
Qiao Lian'er walked to her living quarters, pushed open the door to the hall, and light poured in all at once.
Inside, there were dozens of boxes lined up side by side, and the boxes were filled with silver notes, each worth a thousand taels.
The officials thought they were seeing things and rubbed their eyes.
Yes, it's money, countless amounts of money, money that, when converted to silver, could be piled up into mountains.
"Why did the Emperor allow me to privately maintain cavalry? Because I can afford it, and it can also be used by the Great Swamp Kingdom."
"The reason why the Emperor designated Tianhe Prefecture as my fiefdom is because I can afford to support it. If this place prospers one day, it will be a great asset to the Great Ze Kingdom."
"You just need to cooperate with me to play this hand well."
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