"Wait a minute!" Linghu Lan smiled again and said, "I'm thinking that the war will last for who knows how many months. The money spent on this war is a bottomless pit. It will probably take tens of millions of taels to barely make ends meet. My dear ministers, you must work hard!"
The ministers: "..."
Go for it!
This is extortion!
Blatant extortion!
Ten million? That's going to bankrupt us!
The ministers' eyes reddened: "Your Majesty... we obey!"
After leaving the main hall, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Are they here today to confront the regent, or to be extorted by him?
It's so lively and bustling, it's almost dizzying!
Grand Tutor Ao and Minister Zou exchanged a glance and sighed:
"Take care!"
"Take care of yourself!"
I hope we can see each other again when we attend court someday!
They are veteran officials, so they naturally see things more clearly and understand better than others!
The Regent is determined to get the money.
Ten million taels of silver, it would be good if half could be donated, the rest could only be raised by killing people and confiscating property.
They are the first to be hit!
...
The next day.
The people of the entire capital noticed that silver was being hauled from the homes of various high-ranking officials, cartload after cartload, to the Ministry of Revenue.
Officials in the Ministry of Revenue were so busy that their hands were sore from weighing silver.
Numerous guards maintained order, preventing people from pushing and queuing up to pay their money.
The common people were really puzzled. How could the officials suddenly become patriotic overnight?
That's really strange!
"My brother is in the Imperial Guard. I heard that the Regent made an example of Minister Lin. Minister Lin went to court and was immediately thrown into the Imperial Prison. Tsk tsk, looks like he won't live past the end of the year!"
"Is it Minister Lin, the one who wouldn't even let anyone in without a thousand taels of silver?"
"That's the one!"
"That corrupt official deserved it! He should have been killed long ago!"
"That Minister Lin is incredibly corrupt, only taking in money and never giving it out. One year, one of her concubines fell ill. She could have been cured with treatment, but Minister Lin's husband simply left her outside to die. It was truly a terrible thing!"
"The Regent has rid the people of a scourge and done a good deed!"
"Your Majesty the Regent!"
The people of the capital were overjoyed, feeling that good days had finally arrived.
The court officials were extremely nervous!
They knew that if they were slow to pay, they would probably lose their heads.
That day.
Linghu Lan thoughtfully granted the court officials a day off, during which they did not need to attend court.
Countless court officials secretly sought out merchants to sell antiques and calligraphy and paintings to raise money.
Some, however, had a clear conscience and simply handed over what they had left at home.
This day.
Linghu Lan listened to the Ministry of Revenue officials report accounts in the palace.
In just one day, they received 5.92 million taels of silver.
Although the figure was less than ten million taels, it was enough to astound everyone.
Previously, even with the combined resources of the entire nation, only 200,000 taels of silver could be raised.
Now, 5.92 million taels of silver have suddenly appeared overnight, a world of difference.
"This is just the silver donated by officials in the capital. Some of them only paid a few dozen or a hundred taels of silver. There are also donations from other prefectures and counties outside the capital that have not yet been paid. If we wait for time to collect them, I think ten million taels will be just around the corner."
"Hmm!" Linghu Lan tapped the table lightly. "Investigate those diligent and honest officials who have served the country well. Return the silver to them and give them national bonds of the same amount. After three years, they will be repaid with interest. I want all the people of the world to know that His Majesty's rewards and punishments are fair and just."
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
The Ministry of Revenue official was very excited; these past few days had been the most triumphant days for her.
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