Chapter 014: Music and Dance
At the beginning of Si, the Wanminsi Office was established.
Jiang Jinxiao was holding a half-cup of cold tea and checking the disaster relief details compiled by his subordinates.
The flood disaster is severe. What was submitted yesterday was the initial draft version. Food, medicinal materials, epidemic prevention, embankment construction, reconstruction... each item requires more detailed estimates.
Just for food, it is impossible to get it at ten cents per bushel.
The Wanminsi had to consider the granaries in various places, the grain reserves held by major grain merchants, the impact of floods on the autumn harvest, the proportion of conscripted labor, transportation routes, etc.
The summarized budget data is extremely large and complicated. A slight error may mean the difference of tens or even hundreds of thousands of silver coins, so we have to be cautious.
At this moment, the sound of the black armor colliding crushed the cicada's chirping.
"The Holy Decree has arrived—"
The shrill voice of the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department pierced the summer heat, and twelve Qilin Guards filed in.
"Jiang Jinxiao, Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, capture him!"
Jiang Jinxiao was stunned for a moment, then stood up suddenly. In his panic, the tourmaline on the five-beam crown hit the rosewood table: "What are you doing!"
The Qilin Guard ignored his shout and rushed forward to tie his arms behind his back.
"You...you! I'm an honest official, but I can't afford more disaster relief funds. How dare you humiliate me like this..."
Amidst the uproar in the hall, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department chuckled and unfolded the imperial edict written on yellow silk:
"According to Jiang Jinxiao, Junior Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, in the sixth year of Taiwei, a dragon turned against the land in Linhai Prefecture. Under the pretext of disaster relief, they melted down gold bricks and hid them among the floor tiles in the study of their mansion. The total amount was 8,600 taels."
Jiang Jinxiao let out a hissing sound from his throat, and his legs under his official robe suddenly twitched uncontrollably.
The hall fell silent for a moment, and it was impossible to tell the truth from his description.
"take away!"
Within an hour, the news that Jiang Jinxiao was taken away spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, and all civil and military officials were silent.
Maybe Jiang Jinxiao really committed the crime of corruption, but why was it such a coincidence?
I just displeased His Majesty in the court, and within an hour my property was confiscated and I was thrown into prison?
Those who are more informed know more details. It was the Qilin Guards who arrested the man, not the Dianxingsi, but following the orders of the Xuanjitai.
The Xuanji Tower, which is personally presided over by His Majesty, monitors the entire world. It is a sword hanging over the heads of all officials!
No one knows how much information Xuanjitai has, and no one can guarantee that the sword will not fall on their head.
Too many people spent the day in anxiety, and finally it was time to get off work.
Before Pei Xuanyun turned into the alley where the Prime Minister's Mansion was located, he saw a long line of carriages.
They lined up in a long queue in tacit understanding. There was no marking on the carriages, so it was impossible to tell whose carriages they were.
Everyone saw Pei Xuanyun returning home, and visiting cards fell into the gatehouse like snowflakes.
After waiting for half an hour, no one came into the house.
Finally, someone couldn't help it, and I don't know whose servant it was, but he covered his face and walked into the gatehouse.
"Are you... Steward Sun?"
The man didn't expect that the steward of the Prime Minister's Mansion was waiting in the gatehouse.
Manager Sun bowed without asking who the visitor was.
At this time, officials from all parties would definitely not come in person, and the ones who came would definitely be close confidants who rarely traveled outside.
"The master is too tired to see guests, but he asked me to pass on a message to your family."
The man quickly returned the greeting, saying respectfully, "Please speak."
"Losing money will ward off disasters."
There was a constant stream of people and cars in front of the Prime Minister's Mansion. No one could get in, but everyone got a message.
They came and went, and gradually dispersed until the moon rose over the branches.
——————
After leaving the palace, Qin Zhaoyue went straight back to the princess's residence. She spent half a day in anxiety and even had a hasty lunch of only eight dishes.
It was not until the moon rose above the branches that he breathed a sigh of relief, having received no oral instructions to accuse him.
I had a big meal in the evening and ate until my stomach was full.
After eating and drinking, he was lying on the couch, looking through the account books of the mansion.
The original body would not care about these things. If the subordinates are not strictly managed, it is inevitable that there will be servants who are sneaky and cunning.
However, rumors have spread in the mansion that Jiangxue has betrayed her master and her entire family has disappeared. Now no one dares to show up, and they can have some peace and quiet for a few days.
The two managers of the front and back yards stood in the hall with their heads hung, not daring to breathe.
Bang!
The account book fell at their feet and the two men knelt down hurriedly.
"You call this an account book?"
At this time, there is no accounting method of "every debit must have a credit, and the debit and credit must be equal". In fact, it is just listing income and expenditure.
Even so, there is no classification.
To repair tiles, how much does it cost to hire workers today, how much does it cost for supplies tomorrow, and how much does it cost in total in the end?
Such a simple thing is hidden in the details of dozens or even hundreds of items in half a month. How can people understand this account book?
It’s okay if you don’t understand!
On the one hand, the superiors don't care and are just muddling through things, but the most important thing is that the more chaotic the situation is, the easier it is to tamper with it.
"If you can't even keep accounts in proper categories, why would I keep you around?"
The two stewards immediately broke out in a sweat, "Your Highness, this old slave deserves death!"
Qin Zhaoyue nodded. "Yeah, you guys think he deserves to die, right? Why don't you just go and die?"
Manager:!
No, "damn it" is just a rhetorical device. I don't really want to die.
"The old slave is guilty of not disciplining the old slave properly."
The smarter one immediately changed his words, and the other one followed suit.
"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish, but it can't be too muddy, right?"
“Yes, yes, yes…”
"From now on, I won't be checking the accounts regularly. If anything goes wrong, no matter who is responsible, you two will be dead."
"yes!"
The two of them supported each other and left tremblingly.
It is urgent to discipline the servants, because Her Royal Highness the Princess really killed someone!
Although the original owner was stupid, he had one advantage: he acted ridiculously.
Logically speaking, being lazy or concealing some expenses won't cost anyone's life.
It's just a bit of fishing during work hours, some pretentious expenses, etc. She did that a lot in her previous life, so it's understandable.
But the manager didn't know, especially since he had just dealt with Jiangxue. He might really kill them if he got unhappy.
Qin Zhaoyue came here to enjoy herself and didn't want to spend too much energy on these trivial matters.
Just don't betray her and don't cheat her out of too much small money. This kind of conscientious boss...
Ha! Qin Zhaoyue silently gave herself a thumbs up.
The accounts were not fully understood, but the assets of the princess's mansion were clarified.
He owns two farms, both of which are good places near the suburbs of the capital.
There are three shops, few in number but high in quality: a rouge shop, a pawnshop, and a tower.
Yes, a seven-story tower, a height that is rare in the entire capital.
What a great industry! How can you not make money?
But the original owner, that clever kid, just didn't want to make money and built this "No. 1 Restaurant in the World".
She really wanted to seize the throne, and she claimed to be recruiting talented people, and she spent her own money to support a bunch of people.
But is there a single "talent" among these people who can be used? Qin Zhaoyue expressed doubts.
She received the memory, but the original owner's cognition...it's better not to mention it.
Anyway, Qin Zhaoyue didn't want to keep a bunch of idle people for nothing, so he planned to investigate.
If he's truly talented, then there's nothing wrong with keeping him. But if he's untalented yet keeps taking her money, well...
Such a nice building, you can make money no matter what you do, and even if you rent it out, you can still earn a lot of money.
Qin Zhaoyue planned to inspect his own property, but definitely not today.
She had already been forced to work today, and there was absolutely no way she could work again.
The night is long and I have no desire to sleep. It’s mainly because I slept too much during the day and now I’m not sleepy at all.
She couldn’t watch short videos anymore, but after searching her memory, she found other fun things to do.
In the main hall, Qin Zhaoyue was leaning on the chaise longue, drinking iced peach blossom wine.
To the sound of stringed instruments, twelve barefoot young men stood up, the silver bells on their wrists ringing in unison with the chimes on the corners of the hall.
The original body is not completely useless. These people in front of the scene are the geishas raised in the mansion.
She was wearing a translucent gauze made of ice silk, on which was embroidered a pattern of hundreds of butterflies flying through flowers with silver thread. The flickering candlelight made it look as if the wings of butterflies were glowing with phosphorus.
The 羯琴 drum suddenly sounded, and the young men took off their outer clothes. The beat of the drum made beads of sweat roll down, turning into blue smoke between the grooves of their muscles.
Qin Zhaoyue raised his hand and pulled down the three layers of curtains. He raised his glass and drank loudly when he felt like it:
"Keep on playing, keep on dancing!"
The imperial study was brightly lit.
Qin Minghuang rubbed his eyebrows and took a short rest.
The three states suffered from floods, and most of the relief money and food were provided, solving the urgent problem.
The most important thing is that it did not cost the people money or shake the foundation of the court.
Putting it aside for the moment, she turned her thoughts to the north.
The northern border is not peaceful this year. The Shufeng Dynasty has attacked the border many times, and the northern border has been in a state of war readiness.
After several battles with mixed results, the military pay and food supplies were used up in the gap, which led to the emptiness of the national treasury.
We originally thought that the pressure would be relieved after the autumn harvest, and when the winter snow came, the Shufeng Dynasty would have no choice but to withdraw its troops.
Unfortunately, the flood is serious now. If it cannot be controlled in time, and a few more heavy rains submerge the land, the consequences will be...
Disaster relief is urgent, but who can take on this task?
There may be rioters in the disaster area, and Princess Qin Zhaoqiong is the most suitable candidate at this time.
Being good at military affairs and able to command the garrison, he could at least control the disaster and prevent it from developing into an irreversible situation.
But if she was sent alone, she would surely be opposed by the court, and in order to silence them, a prince would have to be sacrificed.
It’s just that Zhao Qiong is too upright in doing things and lacks a bit of tact.
At this moment, a name suddenly flashed through Qin Minghuang's mind, and his face suddenly became ugly.
Are you crazy? Why would you think of her?
She subconsciously rejected it, but after careful consideration... judging from the tone of the imperial study during the performance, talent seemed to be acceptable...
Just when Qin Minghuang was hesitating, someone came to report.
Soon, a woman in green clothes and a veil knelt on one knee before the emperor.
"Everyone go down."
"yes."
Su Quan immediately took action, and all the servants in the room, including himself, retreated.
That is the Xuanji Guard, an intelligence organization personally controlled by the Empress, responsible for monitoring the world and all officials.
Su Quan, who dared to deal with the Sixth Princess, didn't even raise his head. His eyes were fixed on the floor tiles. He walked a long way before stopping.
The Qingluan Guards guarded the imperial study so tightly that no information could leak out.
"Your Majesty," a hollow voice without a trace of ups and downs sounded.
"The maidservant at the Sixth Princess's residence had an affair with the son of the owner of that medicine shop, and he promised to elope with her after the affair was completed.
In fact, the shopkeeper had sold the shop half a month ago. His subordinates tracked him down and found him in Linhai Prefecture on Canglong East Road.
Thirteen members of the family, including the waiter, perished at sea and their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
Qin Minghuang remained calm.
Anyone who dares to attack the princess is definitely not an ordinary force.
Even she had just noticed Xiaoliu's extraordinary abilities. In terms of fame and power, she was at the bottom among the princesses.
So putting aside the possibility of targeting her personally, it can only be directed at all the princesses.
Are you so impatient when there is no news of appointing a crown prince in the court?
Linhai Prefecture is the maritime gateway to the eastern border, specializing in salt and iron transportation by sea, which happens to be related to the business of Duke Zheng's Mansion.
Throwing mud? Or deliberately creating confusion?
"Check again."
"yes."
After the Xuanji guards left, Qin Minghuang pondered for a long time in the imperial study, alone.
After suffering a loss at the hands of Xiaoliu, if there is a new opportunity, will you repeat the same trick?
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