This is a bit embarrassing. Zhao Huan did indeed steal 100,000 taels of silver notes from the Banknote Printing Bureau.
One hundred thousand taels is definitely a large sum. The annual expenditure of the entire palace is only a million taels.
In fact, Zhao Huan didn't spend that much. He only spent a few thousand taels of silver on this trip out of the palace. But he couldn't expect to give back the money he had earned.
"This, just consider it as a loan from me, and I can cut it from the expenses of the harem in the future." Zhao Huan said awkwardly.
The entire world belongs to the emperor, but the emperor is not completely free to do whatever he wants. If it were Meng Gurao, he would force Zhao Huan to return the 100,000 taels of silver.
Fortunately, it was Duan Xiaorong, who was much smarter: "I can borrow it, but Your Majesty needs to give the Banknote Printing Department an IOU, otherwise these 100,000 taels of silver notes cannot be recorded."
Paying the IOU is just a procedure. If Zhao Huan doesn't pay it back when the time comes, who would dare to ask for it?
Zhao Huan nodded: "Yes, I understand, you all can go down."
After the four men left, Zhao Huan laughed heartily. He pulled out the stacks of banknotes from his pocket and said, "I'm rich! I'm rich!"
More than 90,000 taels of silver notes were enough for him to spend lavishly after leaving the palace.
At night, Zhao Huan stayed at Nangong Lian'er's house. He boasted about himself again, making Nangong Lian'er smile continuously.
After dawn, Zhao Huan went to a morning court session. For the ministers who were used to not seeing the emperor at the morning court session, Zhao Huan's appearance made them feel a little uncomfortable.
After a series of measures such as the imperial examination system and the re-selection of officials, Zhao Huan finally found that the current government was much cleaner than before.
These officials no longer fought against each other for their own interests, but more and more officials dared to speak out directly. Some of them were newly promoted officials who dared to speak out against the current problems and argue for their own reasons.
An official actually impeached Li Gang's family for occupying other people's land with their ancestral tombs, which surprised Zhao Huan.
"Li Gang, is this true?" Zhao Huan asked.
Li Gang stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the case. It is my fault. However, there is another hidden story."
"Whatever the secret is, just tell me directly." Zhao Huan said.
"Your Majesty, the land where my ancestral tombs are located was originally our own. Later, Your Majesty issued an edict prohibiting private ownership of more than 1,000 acres of land, and this piece of land was divided and given to other farmers."
Zhao Huan nodded. "So, it was originally your family's land. It was later divided up, but your ancestors' graves are still there, right?"
Li Gang bowed and said, "That's right."
Zhao Huan was a little puzzled: "Since it's an extra plot of land, why don't you divide it among your other lands, but instead divide out this plot with the ancestral grave?"
Li Gang said helplessly, "My family has allocated over 300 mu of land, and our ancestral grave is right in the middle of it. To ensure the integrity of the land allocation and to facilitate irrigation and farming for the people, I also allocated this piece of land. Now, that farmer is eyeing our ancestral grave and wants to move theirs to mine."
Zhao Huan understood that the farmer who was allocated that plot of land envied Li Gang's family for their feng shui treasure land because they had produced Li Gang. So the farmer filed a complaint, wanting to move his ancestral grave there.
The official who had impeached Li Gang stood up and bowed deeply to him. "This is the truth. I was presumptuous. I slandered Lord Li without any investigation. I deserve death."
Before Li Gang could say anything, Zhao Huan said, "You don't deserve to die. I am very pleased that you, my ministers, dare to speak out. My Song Dynasty does not want any factional strife or cliques. You must remember that being an official means only two things: the people!"
"Long live His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!" All the ministers knelt down and cheered.
"Li Gang, can your ancestral tomb be moved?" Zhao Huan asked.
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. Relocating someone's ancestral grave was like killing their parents. In ancient times, the location of ancestral graves was extremely important.
Especially for the powerful Li Gang, as the head of the four regent ministers, his ancestors were very lucky. If the graves were moved, it would be like cutting off their blessings.
Even Li Gang himself disagreed in his heart: "Your Majesty, I don't want to move." Li Gang simply refused.
This was a bit of a dilemma. This kind of thing was really hard for Zhao Huan to handle. Logically speaking, the land was no longer Li Gang's, but the ancestral tomb was not so easy to find in ancient times, even in modern times.
Suddenly Zhao Huan remembered something. Next to Emperor Wu of Han's Maoling Mausoleum were the tombs of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. This was a great honor the emperor bestowed on his subjects.
This is easy to do, as emperors usually start building their own mausoleums while they are still alive, hoping to continue enjoying the life of an emperor underground even after their death.
Although Zhao Huan ordered that his mausoleum should be simple and not extravagant, and he had never visited his own mausoleum to see what it looked like, he already had an idea.
"Li Gang, you are a meritorious official of the Song Dynasty. Your contributions are unmatched. When the Jin army surrounded Beijing, if it were not for your strong resistance, I would have been powerless. I hereby grant you permission to move your ancestral tomb to the side of my mausoleum. Do you agree?"
This is true. If Li Gang had not insisted on resisting the Jin Dynasty, Zhao Huan would have had no say in the court. Not only would no one listen to him, but if it were not for Li Gang, he would have lost his throne.
The ministers were even more shocked when these words were spoken. "What a great honor it is to be buried alongside the emperor in his mausoleum. If it weren't for the emperor's unwavering faith in your loyalty, if it weren't for your hard work and contributions, who else could have received such a special honor?"
Li Gang was so frightened that he knelt down and said, "I am terrified!"
Zhao Huan waved his hand and said, "It's settled. Li Gang has dedicated his life to the country and his people, and is a pillar of the Song Dynasty. I hereby authorize the relocation of Li Gang's ancestral tomb to the side of my mausoleum. The Ministry of Rites will select the site, and the Ministry of Revenue will provide the funds."
"Your Majesty!" Li Gang knelt on the ground with tears of gratitude.
This is the best way for a king to win people's hearts. Now Zhao Huan wants Li Gang to die, and he is afraid that he won't even blink an eye.
Zhao Huan continued, "Duan Xiaorong, the relocation of the tomb is funded by the Ministry of Revenue. Remember, don't be stingy with the money. This is what Li Gang deserves."
Duan Xiaorong stood up and said: "As you wish!"
Zhao Huan glanced at Cao Dongsheng, who raised his voice and said, "Dismiss the court!"
After the court session, the ministers gathered around Li Gang, whispering to each other, all of them envious. No minister had ever received such an honor since the founding of the Song Dynasty.
"Congratulations, Lord Li. Congratulations, Lord Li. Your Majesty is so considerate of his subjects. This is a great honor for Lord Li."
"Yes, yes. Lord Li has devoted his life to the Song Dynasty. His name will be recorded in history."
Even Meng Gu Rao, who always thought highly of himself, came over and patted Li Gang on the shoulder: "Well done, Li Gang, this is a great honor. Even I am a little jealous."
Li Gang chuckled and said, "Thank you very much, Master Meng, for the compliment."
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