Shangguan's New Life
In the first year of Xiao Liunian's reign, he established the reign title Guiyuan. In the first year of Guiyuan, Xiao Liunian announced at a court assembly that a special imperial examination would be held to select talents for the court. The chief examiner was appointed as the newly promoted Grand Tutor Wen Heng, and the deputy chief examiner was appointed as the Minister of Rites Liu Fuyuan. The two of them, along with the Ministry of Rites personnel, were fully responsible for the specific matters.
As for the former Grand Tutor, Xiao Liunian successfully lured the current Grand Tutor into the trap by using the former Minister of Revenue as bait. This former Grand Tutor then became the first minister's home to be raided after Xiao Liunian ascended the throne. According to statistics, the assets seized from the Grand Tutor's residence were equivalent to 30 million taels of silver.
If the funds were used to allocate military expenses to the Wuzhou Army, it could last for decades!
"Mumu, decades of military spending, I can't even imagine it!" The system exclaimed, its mouth agape in astonishment.
"Rumor has it that someone in a certain dynasty of China had 800 million taels of silver in their household, equivalent to the total tax revenue of the imperial court for fifteen to twenty years at that time," Xiao Liunian said.
"Eight hundred million? Eight hundred million!!!" This system is too poor. I work very, very hard to earn points, and my personal account doesn't have much savings at the moment.
"But this money isn't enough. The Wuzhou Army needs to be built into a super-strong force. Its weapons need to be top-notch, its armor and protection need to be better, its food needs to be nutritious, and its horses are also crucial. Besides that, there are many other things, big and small, that require money. Half of the proceeds from the confiscation of property will have to be spent on the Wuzhou Army within a year." Xiao Liunian did some calculations for the system. It sounded like the military expenses over the decades were indeed a lot, but the Wuzhou Army's military expenses were previously kept very low by the court, only about 600,000 taels of silver per year. The Wuzhou Army previously had a total of 100,000 soldiers, which averaged out to only 6 taels of silver per person per year. It seems that Cen Jin had also tried many ways to raise money.
Moreover, the army has been expanding in the past two years. If she hadn't hinted that there was a mine somewhere and asked Cen Jin to go mining and do some business that didn't quite conform to the court's rules and regulations, the military funds allocated by the court would not have been enough.
"Mumu, can we copy other companies' content?" The system was eager to try, this was a good way to make money quickly.
"Master, I raided the former Grand Tutor's mansion because he was indeed corrupt and lawless. I can't raid other people's homes for no reason, can I?" Xiao Liunian scooped up the cat's face, turned it left and right to take a closer look. The cat was indeed growing a brain, but why was this brain a little crooked?
"Mumu, when you announced an additional round of talent selection exams in court, were you setting a trap?" The system guessed that if someone was involved in buying and selling exam questions or cheating on the exams, wouldn't that mean they could confiscate another set of books?
"If it weren't for the matter of the Minister of Revenue, we might have been able to catch a big fish this time. But with the Minister of Revenue and the Grand Tutor's affairs in the past, I guess no one will be willing to get involved this time." Xiao Liunian actually hoped that some people would get involved. After all, the court was short of money. If a big fish came along at this time, it would be a win-win situation. First, it could deter others by killing the fish, and second, it could increase the national treasury's reserves.
Everything unfolded as Xiao Liunian had predicted. The court officials were indeed intimidated. Before the coronation, they were killed! Killed! Killed! Especially those who were present when Xiao Yu forced the emperor to abdicate. Later, they gradually realized that Princess Chang Le, Xiao Liunian, had not been invited back to the palace by Cen Mo to visit the late emperor. Instead, she had already planned everything and was just waiting to reap the benefits in the end.
After Xiao Liunian ascended the throne, he killed! killed! killed! He held a public trial in the court for the corruption case of the Minister of Revenue, which implicated the former Grand Tutor. He did not hesitate to confiscate his family property and exterminate his clan. The Grand Tutor had been in the court for many years and had thought about resisting, but Emperor Xiao Liunian's knife was too hard and too fast. His resistance was ineffective and he could only passively accept his death.
So the court officials all thought it best to live a peaceful life, without considering establishing a new emperor or using any means to prevent Xiao Liunian from taking power, and just making do for the time being.
Three months later, Shangguan Cai and his entourage from the Ministry of Revenue returned to the capital, presenting the results of their work over the past six months. However, these results were tainted with bloodshed. Shangguan Cai was a decisive man, carrying out the new emperor's decree: leniency for those who confessed, severity for those who resisted, and death for those who stubbornly resisted. When they first arrived in the area, many people thought of secretly killing this Lord Shangguan, but from paying assassins to deploying their own troops, none of them succeeded.
If the system were here, it would be worried about the intelligence of these people. They should have stopped after the first assassination attempt failed and they cooperated properly. Sending more assassins is just plain suicidal.
After being intimidated by the new emperor's decisive and ruthless methods, the court officials were also impressed by the former imperial concubine, now Lord Shangguan. The situation in Jiangnan was complicated, with powerful families and clans everywhere. Taxation had been a major problem in recent years, and no one dared to touch it!
But Shangguan Cai did just that. Not only did she do it, but she also eliminated many corrupt officials in the tax system. At the same time, although Shangguan Cai killed many people, the situation in Jiangnan did not fall into chaos. Her methods were truly remarkable.
"Mumu, we've got more silver in our account, and so much land too!" The system was stunned. So capable, so amazing!
"As for the land, Shangguan Cai has already compiled the population data for the relevant areas, and it is estimated that he will soon submit a memorial to distribute these lands to the people," Xiao Liunian said. Shangguan Cai is indeed very useful. He wins over a large part of the population, promises them some benefits, and then suppresses and deals with a small part, confiscating illegal land ownership. He not only investigated most of the tax issues but also kept those powerful families in check, preventing unrest in Jiangnan.
Just as Xiao Liunian had predicted, Shangguan Cai soon submitted a memorial proposing to distribute some of the confiscated land to the people. Xiao Liunian had discussed this issue in detail with Shangguan Cai, and they finally decided that the land ownership would belong to the state, but the people would rent it to cultivate and pay taxes normally every year. However, only local rural people could cultivate these lands, as they had little land and were struggling to make ends meet. If there were other families in other places who were struggling to make ends meet but had no land to cultivate, they could settle there and be allocated some land to cultivate.
"Mumu, you're creating a small-scale Chinese version of the contracting system!" the system transmitted after reviewing the plan the two had devised.
“You also know about the household contract responsibility system, which is a proven and effective policy. However, mine is not. In China, the current household contract responsibility system does not require the people to pay taxes, while the imperial court still needs to levy taxes on the people. It is still a long way from a true household contract responsibility system.” Xiao Liunian patted the cat’s head.
"Lord Shangguan, would you be interested in spending a few years in Jiangnan?" Xiao Liunian asked Shangguan Cai.
"What does His Majesty mean?" Although Shangguan Cai guessed that this meant she was to be sent to Jiangnan to take up a post, she still couldn't quite believe it. When Shangguan Cai first entered the palace, she thought that she would have to stay in the palace for the rest of her life, and that freedom was a luxury she could only dream of. This situation was something she could never have imagined.
Shangguan Cai was willing to risk her life in the Jiangnan matter, putting herself in danger many times. Once, she almost lost her life. At that time, Shangguan Cai was only thinking about handling the Jiangnan tax collection well so that she could gain the Emperor's favor and have more opportunities to display her talents and ambitions in the future.
"I presume that Lord Shangguan already has a preliminary understanding of the situation in Jiangnan. Therefore, I would like to send you to Jiangnan. If Jiangnan can be transformed in a few years, the position of Minister of Revenue will be handed over to you," Xiao Liunian said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am willing to die for you!" Shangguan Cai said each word with a firm and powerful tone.
"The journey to Jiangnan is fraught with danger. I have arranged for some people to accompany you, so please take good care of yourselves!" Xiao Liunian instructed.
The following day, Xiao Liunian officially issued his first imperial edict after ascending the throne, appointing Shangguan Cai as the governor of Jiangnan Circuit, and transferring the original governor to the capital to serve in the Ministry of Rites.
After the court session, it was almost lunchtime, so Xiao Liunian first fed the system a pre-meal snack.
"Mumu, is Shangguan really that capable?" Maomao exclaimed. It's really good to have experience; he can directly select talented people.
"In the Jinling era, based on the surname Shangguan and Xiao Jin's paranoia, can you analyze which family Shangguan belongs to?" Xiao Liunian watched the cat eating happily and also picked up a piece and took a bite.
"It's really good!" Xiao Liunian commented.
"Of course, Mumu, you usually miss out on so many delicious foods." The cat shook its head.
"Shangguan, could it be the Shangguan family from the southwest?"
"Smart kitty, deserves a reward!" Xiao Liunian planned to play with the kitty a little longer, as it had been a long time since he had spent time with his furry friend.
If the system knew, it would definitely ask, "Do you want to play or does the system want to play?"
The ancestor of the Shangguan family was a close friend of the Xiao family's ancestor, a good brother who fought alongside him to conquer the world. After the establishment of the Jinling Dynasty, the head of the Shangguan family was enfeoffed as the King of the Southwest and was stationed to guard the southwestern border.
Shangguan Cai's mother was a young lady from a collateral branch of the Shangguan clan. She was a close friend of the Princess of the Southwest. Later, Shangguan Cai's father died unexpectedly, leaving her and her daughter as orphans. They were easy targets for bullying. In the end, it was the Princess of the Southwest who stepped in to help the mother and daughter through their difficulties.
Shangguan Cai's mother was also an extraordinary woman. With the secret help of the Princess of the Southwest, she started from a small shop, accumulated wealth, and gradually became a well-known merchant in the Southwest.
Shangguan Cai grew up with several young masters and ladies from the Southwest Prefecture. The Southwest King even allowed Shangguan Cai to study with his children. Shangguan Cai lived up to expectations and excelled in her studies. Influenced by her mother, she was also exceptionally astute in business. At the age of fifteen, Shangguan Cai officially began managing the shop and gradually took over her mother's business. At the age of eighteen, she even helped the Southwest King solve some tax-related problems.
If it weren't for Xiao Jin's plan to form a marriage alliance with the Southwest Prince's Mansion, and Shangguan Cai's temporary knocking out of the Southwest Prince's second daughter to impersonate the real Shangguan Cai and come to the palace, she would have done even better than her mother in the Southwest.
"Mumu, what about the original second young lady who was to be married off?" the system asked curiously. Fortunately, there were no cameras at this time, otherwise Shangguan Cai would not have been able to enter the palace so smoothly in place of the second young lady.
"I don't know. I heard that the second young lady also disappeared later. The King of the Southwest secretly sent people to search for her whereabouts, but they couldn't find her," Xiao Liunian said.
"Mumu, I always feel that the storyline between these two is pretty melodramatic," the system guessed.
As expected of a cat, its curiosity is so strong. I'll have to arrange for someone to investigate the specifics in the future to satisfy the furry kid's boundless curiosity.
"Tomorrow is the final examination, should we hide and watch it, or watch it directly?" Xiao Liunian asked.
"Is it the kind of exam that determines the top two scholars in the imperial examinations?"
"I want to go, I want to go, I want to see it directly." I've never been there before, this host is truly outstanding, I can participate in everything, amazing boss!
How is the palace examination conducted? Is it still a written exam?
"A written test and an interview will be part of the test." Xiao Liunian planned to ask questions on the spot.
"By the way, Mumu, did Wu Yan from before also participate in this exam? Did he make it to the final round?" the system suddenly remembered.
"We'll find out tomorrow!" Xiao Liunian said, keeping everyone in suspense.
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