Chapter 55: A woman with such weak minions...
"Princess Huachang is cruel and merciless. From last year until now, she has beaten to death over ten servants in the Princess's mansion. She has not allowed their families to file a complaint with the authorities, and she has even refused to return the bodies for burial..."
Zhao Changning listened to Xu Jiawen enumerating Princess Huachang's crimes, telling her everything she knew and didn't know. She couldn't help but look at the emperor sitting upright on the dragon throne.
The emperor listened quietly and looked at the officials. "Princess Huachang has behaved like this. How do you think she should be punished?"
It had come to this, who was still willing to speak up for the princess? Naturally, everyone was shouting that she was guilty.
The emperor quietly watched everyone talking at once, then curled his lips slightly and made the final decision.
"Princess Huachang is arrogant and eccentric, her morals are deteriorating, and she treats her servants cruelly and mercilessly. I have decided to depose her from the position of princess, but I promised my eldest brother to treat my brothers and sisters well. Therefore, I will demote her to the rank of princess, and her fiefdom will be reduced to 300 dan. She will remain in the palace to reflect on her mistakes and may not leave without a royal decree."
Zhao Changning was not surprised. The emperor had probably wanted to do this on the night of the late emperor's death, not to mention the frustration he felt during the period of mourning in the palace.
Princess Huachang also reaped the fruits of her own actions.
The emperor did not hide it and even praised Xu Jiawen for his courage and carefulness, saying that he deserved this position.
Xu Jiawen didn't expect that the emperor would approve of this matter. Although the result was not satisfactory, he also felt that the emperor was wise and powerful. After all, killing one's relatives for the sake of justice is not just talk.
He immediately kowtowed and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise."
Zhao Changning went to the princess's mansion in person to deliver the oral order. When she put away the imperial edict, she looked at Princess Huachang, who looked haggard and had silver hair. She could hardly stand steadily. In less than a year, she had aged so much?
She was surprised in her heart, but her face remained calm. "Princess, the order has been delivered. I will take my leave now."
Princess Huachang still held her head high, sneered, and tapped the ground with the cane in her hand, making a loud noise.
"Is Emperor Cheng'an satisfied? Who's next? My sixth brother? What a calculated plan, what a calculated plan! I've paid him money even if it means I'm killing him. I've paid him more than enough... He must have been tossing and turning on his bed all year, plotting against us. Father, please open your eyes and take a look, please take a look..."
After hearing her outrageous words, Zhao Changning left without looking back.
The first month of the lunar year had just passed, and the snow in Yujing had not yet melted, and a new assessment for the female officials was about to begin.
Only one person was selected this time. The second batch is definitely not as good as the first batch, and the honors are also different. This time, only a ninth-rank female historian was awarded.
Zhao Changning had now changed his mind about the female officials, so he specially called someone over and said sincerely, "Although your position may not be as high as the first batch of female officials, as long as you embark on this path, you must not be discouraged. There will always be a day when you can move up. This is an honor and an opportunity. I hope you cherish it."
The palace maids who can pass the exam in the early stage will not be bad. Everyone has a similar starting point, and those who can stand out have all worked hard.
The little maid pursed her lips shyly, but her eyes were still firm, "Aunt, as long as you are here, I won't be discouraged."
Zhao Changning looked at her determined eyes and patted her shoulder with his hand, unable to help but exert a little force. He really shouldn't have ignored them in the past.
She had no idea that she had become the leader. This time, without much hesitation, she agreed to Song Huan's request to be the president of the poetry club.
Song Huan's eyes lit up and he said happily, "That's great! With your title as the president, our poetry club can survive longer."
Seeing her happy, Zhao Changning poured some cold water on her. "Although I have the responsibility, I probably can't go to your poetry club in person."
Song Huan shook his head, looking proud. "Don't worry about that. I'm here. I'll definitely be the president's right-hand man. Besides, as long as there's a will, anywhere can become a poetry club."
Zhao Changning thought Song Huan's words were so funny that he couldn't help laughing.
The new year has passed, and in order to cut expenses, the palace began to officially lay off palace servants.
This approach also accelerated the Queen's control over the harem, and Zhao Changning obtained the most complete list in history.
During the reign of the previous emperor, there were about 15,000 palace maids in the palace. Later, when the new emperor ascended the throne, there were still 12,000 maids left due to reasons such as burial with the emperor, birth, old age, sickness and death, and being sent out of the palace. It was really too redundant.
Even the emperor couldn't help being shocked when he saw the list.
"I've never noticed before that there are so many people. No wonder they always say that the palace's expenses are uncontrolled and the expenditure is increasing every year. It's not wrong."
Zhao Changning held up the thick booklet and said, "Your Majesty, it will be easy to increase it in the future, but cutting it now is a helpless move. Saving money like this can at least shut some people up."
The emperor felt annoyed when he thought about some people scolding him, but he had to listen.
He frowned, "Austerity is not sustainable, and exploiting the people is even more unacceptable. We must increase revenue now."
Zhao Changning handed over a memorial at the right moment. "Your Majesty, the Zhejiang Provincial Governor Zhou Mi has submitted a memorial stating that in the second half of last year, the Weaving Bureau and the Maritime Customs Office delivered a total of 400,000 rolls of silk. At the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Industry received nearly 2.3 million taels of silver, which is sufficient to alleviate the urgent need."
The emperor waved his hand, "I have reviewed this and have sent it to the new weaving bureau..."
He paused as he spoke. "Speaking of which, this weaving bureau has always been supervised by eunuchs. Now, the local authorities are fed up with these eunuchs and don't want to take on this hot potato. Do you think it would be feasible to send female officials to supervise it? If it can produce hundreds of thousands of more pieces of silk each year, it would be quite a lot."
Zhao Changning thought carefully and shook his head. "Your Majesty, the situation at the Weaving Bureau is complicated. Besides, raising silkworms and planting mulberry trees won't be completed in a short period of time. The female officials are weak and can't handle such a heavy responsibility for the time being. If they go, they will just be at their mercy. Even if they make money, who knows where it goes."
It's not that she doesn't want to bring the female official up, but she has to save her life first. Money can move people's hearts, and countless eunuchs who were sent to work in the Weaving Bureau have died.
The emperor sighed, but he also knew that it would take time to achieve success.
"Then let the Governor's Office supervise it for the time being. However, the silver that the Weaving Bureau can earn is indeed getting less and less now, hum."
Zhao Changning couldn't handle the emperor's cold snort, so he changed the subject. "I heard that the Maritime Customs also shipped some porcelain and tea. The emperor also told the Portuguese envoy last time that our porcelain and tea are their favorites."
The emperor certainly knew that "the places where porcelain is produced are almost all tribute to the emperor. I am afraid it will be difficult to send it to the Maritime Customs for shipment, and it will be difficult to increase the quantity."
As for tea, it is even more difficult to say. This thing is almost entirely from the south. It is not easy to collect taxes. If you want to intervene and get a piece of the pie, I am afraid there will be a big uproar. The south is always in turmoil, so it is not advisable to touch it for the time being.
Zhao Changning took all these words to heart and said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, why not collect less porcelain and silk tribute this year and let the Maritime Customs give it a try? If it works, wouldn't that be better?"
The emperor frowned, "I've actually considered what you said, but I've never been able to decide. If the palace's expenses are cut too drastically, it will inevitably cause morale to falter."
Zhao Changning realized that the emperor was not unwilling to agree, but it was just that he, as the emperor, was not in a position to speak up.
After pondering it over for a while, she said, "These tributes that can be shipped out to sea are ultimately for the harem's expenses. Since they are for the harem's expenses, the Empress can also decide. Your Majesty, why don't I discuss a countermeasure with the Empress to avoid causing chaos in the harem?"
The emperor smiled with satisfaction, "Changning, you really understand me."
Zhao Changning lowered his head and poured a cup of tea for the emperor.
The emperor continued, "Food is in short supply this year, so the palace shouldn't be extravagant. The imperial meals can be reduced. I often have dozens of dishes at each meal, which is really wasteful."
Zhao Changning was very surprised, but also felt relieved. After all, the late emperor was so old that he could not eat anymore, but he never asked for fewer dishes.
"The emperor loves his people like his own children. This is a blessing for the people of Dayong. Don't worry. I will write a memorial when I get back and submit it tomorrow. I will let the elders in the cabinet read it and maybe shut some people up."
The emperor laughed heartily, his brows relaxed. "Changning, there's a reason why your father loves you so much. You're truly a considerate and eloquent person."
Zhao Changning pursed his lips and smiled, standing meekly beside the emperor without saying a word.
In this way, with the emperor setting an example in the face of the difficult situation of money shortage this year, those who kept complaining about the excessive spending in the palace finally shut up a little.
It is hard not to suspect that this is the work of the cabinet elders, who are trying to force the emperor to obey and be at their mercy if he disobeys.
The battle between the East Wind and the West Wind has always been like this.
Zhao Changning sat in a side hall of the Qinzheng Hall, holding a memorial in his hand, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
This was the memorial she submitted. Although the content was almost what the emperor needed and suggested, it was still a memorial written by her own hand. The red comments on it made her uncontrollably happy.
This was her first memorial, and there would be more in the future. At this moment, she couldn't help but feel a little grateful to the emperor. If it were the time of the previous emperor, she would not even dare to think about it.
The emperor's decision is just a word, but his subordinates cannot just rely on words to do things.
Zhao Changning discussed with the Queen several times and asked the Emperor for permission to lay off 3,000 palace servants within half a year. Of course, the majority of them were eunuchs, while the palace maids were mostly those who were old enough and willing to leave the palace, so they only made up a minority.
It was relatively simple to dismiss the palace servants. After all, they had no way to resist and could only leave it to fate. The queen was kind and knew how to deal with the aftermath, so the situation was barely stable.
But it was difficult to serve and persuade the nobles. When they learned that even their meals were to be cut, many of them, who had lived a life of luxury since childhood, were very dissatisfied.
Especially the Concubine Zhaoyi of Yonghe Palace, she would rather spend dozens of taels of silver every day and let someone go outside the palace to purchase, rather than cut down the expenses, not to mention the imperial tributes such as silk and porcelain. She frankly said that Dayong was not so poor.
The Queen was helpless about this, and even more angry. She had been suppressing him for so many years, but she was the Queen and had to be so generous and tolerant.
"She is deliberately going against me. This matter must be reported to the emperor. Why is she the one who is most precious?"
Zhao Changning shook his head gently and said, "My Lady, just let her go."
The queen regained her composure and looked at Zhao Changning for a long moment before finally regaining her composure. "I understand what you're saying, and I know you're right, but I simply can't stand your tone."
Zhao Changning did not try to persuade her again, as she knew the queen could figure it out on her own.
It's not that she was unwilling to help the Queen, but she didn't have the time, and she felt it was unnecessary. Concubine Zhaoyi had some tricks, but they were all too frivolous, and she had no sense of the overall situation. Concubine Zhaoyi forgot that this was the Imperial Palace, not the Fourteenth Prince's residence.
The late emperor had taught her that a woman with such weak tendencies would not last long in the palace.
Next, Zhao Changning had her own errand.
Because she proposed to have the imperial tributes such as silk and porcelain shipped out by the Maritime Customs, the emperor boldly decided to hand the matter over to her.
In fact, no one was willing to take on this task. It was a thankless job, needless to say. But Zhao Changning was not afraid. This was the first formal task she had ever received, and she was determined to do it well.
She had also thought about it carefully and felt that this matter was easier to deal with than the mess at the weaving bureau. After all, even Hu Gou'er couldn't take the silk.
Zhao Changning naturally sided with the Queen. She said with a hint of meaning, "Your Majesty, please observe Yonghe Palace more recently. When the time is right, I will find a way to invite the Emperor."
The queen looked at Zhao Changning deeply, then took her hand and breathed a sigh of relief, "Changning, I'm glad you're here."
Zhao Changning could see some panic in her eyes.
After the silkworm ceremony, it was almost the end of February and the spring weather was still chilly.
Zhao Changning had been in office for some time, and had specially asked the emperor for permission to get a new badge that would allow him to enter and leave the palace freely.
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Changning, I can leave this matter entirely to you. Don't let me down."
After Zhao Changning thanked the emperor for his trust, he went to the Maritime Customs and finally met Mr. Fang, the Supervisor of Maritime Customs. This man had been in office during the reign of the previous emperor and had been in the Maritime Customs for ten years. He was very familiar with the docks and cargo.
She bowed gracefully, "Master Fang, I am glad to finally meet you today. The late emperor once praised you, saying that with you, Fang Wenhai, the Maritime Customs Office would have no worries about trade."
Lord Fang was a short, fat, middle-aged man with a kind face and a constant smile. He was not surprised by Zhao Changning's arrival and was obviously prepared for it.
"Nu Shu Ling, it's true that seeing is worse than hearing. Seeing her today really makes Fang ashamed."
Zhao Changning waved his hands repeatedly and said he didn't dare, "Changning is just assisting, the person in charge is still Lord Fang."
Fang Wenhai shook his head like a rattle. "No, no, no, the female secretary is the supervisor sent by the emperor himself. Today's tribute is still under the leadership of the female secretary. Fang will obey the female secretary in everything."
Zhao Changning keenly sensed that something was going on here. This person was too quick to evade responsibility, but she didn't show it on her face. She just walked around the Maritime Customs Office with Fang Wenhai.
Fang Wenhai was in no hurry to let her get involved in the affairs, and he didn't even take her to see the warehouse. Instead, he said he would take her to welcome the guests, eat and drink well first, and then start working.
"Don't worry, Nvshuling. Serving the Emperor is a long-term endeavor. We have a long way to go."
Zhao Changning wanted to blend in as much as possible, so he just hung out with him, eating and drinking for several days, but finally he couldn't stand it anymore.
Yunsheng also felt strange, "Aunt, why do they always ask you to eat and drink? Don't they have to do things?"
Zhao Changning knew that something must be going on.
She declined the dinner that day, saying she was not feeling well, but turned around and took Anyi and Yunsheng straight to the warehouse. Usually, there are a lot of porters in such places.
She pulled Yunsheng and Anyi aside and instructed them, "Work harder while moving the goods. Talk more during breaks. Find out where the goods came from, where they're being moved to, and so on. In short, no matter what you find out, come back and tell me everything clearly."
Yunsheng pursed his lips, his eyes determined, and mixed in with Anyi in the crowd.
Soon, Yunsheng came back dejected.
Zhao Changning sat in the teahouse and met his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"
Yunsheng blushed slightly and spoke in a whisper, "The leader said I was too thin and weak and didn't want me."
Zhao Changning: “…”
She looked at the gentle, thin and handsome Yunsheng and couldn't help laughing out loud.
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Author has something to say: Yunsheng: For my peanuts [burst crying][burst crying]
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