Chapter 107: Summoning the Minister to Atone for His Faults...
Not long after Emperor Chengtai sat down on the couch, a palace maid rushed in, holding a memorial in both hands.
"Master, this is a memorial submitted by Master Xi."
The events of the past had left her feeling weary and unable to handle any more official business. However, thinking of her grand plan for immortality, she lifted her eyelids and reached out to take the memorial.
I opened it and took a closer look.
The Supreme Divine Firmament Jade Pure True King Longevity Emperor Unifying Heavenly Primordial Saint Heavenly Venerable wishes to reshape the statue of the deity to demonstrate the piety of believers.
Such an important matter could not be delayed. Emperor Chengtai stood up, holding the memorial, and took two steps forward.
The money in the inner treasury was almost all used up for building temples and repairing the Hall of Longevity. Where should the remaining funds be replenished?
After a while, she stood still with her hands behind her back. "Xu Qiu, call Liu Xin here."
"Yes." Xu Qiu glanced at Emperor Cheng Tai's expression and carefully withdrew.
She didn't always personally handle the task of hiring people. Xu Qiu left the main hall to find Aunt Ke, who was on duty.
The first thing he said upon entering was, "Xiao Ke, go to the Ministry of Rites and invite Minister Liu here."
Aunt Ke had already gone there once today, but she dared not disobey the head steward's orders. Instead, she had to stand up and walk quickly to her, forcing a flattering smile, "You have served His Majesty with great merit. Please sit down, have some tea and snacks, and rest well. I will go right away."
Xu Qiu sat down in her seat without hesitation, crossed her legs, and sighed, "When you come back, take Lord Liu directly to meet the Emperor."
"yes."
Aunt Ke was efficient and brought the person to the Zichen Palace in half an hour.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject greets you."
"No need for formalities, haha, someone come and offer Lord Liu a seat!" Emperor Chengtai's smile in front of the old minister was somewhat weak, and he rubbed his hands slightly as if he was a little embarrassed.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty." Liu Xin sat on the round stool, glanced at Emperor Chengtai indifferently, and lowered his eyelids.
She was a veteran of two dynasties, and in the ten years since she came into contact with Emperor Chengtai, she could tell at a glance what the supreme ruler was up to.
Emperor Chengtai exchanged a few polite words with Liu Xin, then inquired about her family affairs, such as how old her daughter was, who she studied under, and whether she was married.
Liu Xin answered all the questions, but he did not ask why Emperor Chengtai had summoned him.
Finally, when things got out of hand, Emperor Chengtai, exasperated, finally got to the point.
"The construction of the palace is still short of some silver. I would like to allocate some from the national treasury and make up for it when the imperial treasury is full next year."
Liu Xin nodded. The person before her was the ruler of the world, and she did not want to embarrass her, so she decided to turn a blind eye. "Your Majesty, how much silver is still needed?"
Emperor Chengtai had no concept of money, but he recalled the amount on the document and told her, "One million taels."
It is perfectly acceptable to worship the statue of the Longevity Emperor, and it must be exceptionally noble.
Liu Xin's eyebrows twitched violently, and he retorted loudly, "Two million taels?"
Emperor Chengtai nodded, thinking that even without considering the tributes from vassal states, the national treasury had received 15 million taels of silver in taxes last year alone, so it wouldn't be unreasonable for her to give out 2 million taels.
Liu Xin suddenly stood up, then immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Emperor Chengtai.
"What's wrong? My dear minister, what's wrong...?"
Liu Xin raised his head and looked at her intently, then finished speaking in one breath: "Last year, the national treasury received a total of 17.4 million taels of silver. At last year's court meeting, the annual expenditure for this year was set: 2 million taels for palace expenses, 2.8 million taels for supporting the imperial family, 2 million taels for officials' salaries, 4 million taels for border military expenses, 1 million taels for the capital's garrisons, 1 million taels for the Ministry of Works' memorial on flood control and drought relief, 1 million taels for the subsequent construction of the Grand Canal, 500,000 taels were temporarily reserved, 1 million taels were temporarily reserved for the Ministry of Rites' sacrifices and the Ministry of Personnel's civil service examinations, 2 million taels for the construction of defensive fortifications in the west, 1 million taels for the imperial mausoleum, and 1 million taels for the imperial mausoleum. So far, 17.3 million taels have already been spent."
"Moreover, the situation in Zhangzhou Prefecture is only slightly better. It is still unknown how much silver should be allocated later. Last time, 700,000 taels were allocated there, and this time it will also be 700,000 taels. The national treasury still has 100,000 taels left, but we don't know where the remaining 600,000 taels of silver will come from!"
"Your Majesty asked this old minister for silver, but I am afraid I am powerless and cannot conjure it out of thin air."
Liu Xin, as the Minister of Revenue, was in charge of the nation's finances, but even the most skilled cook cannot cook without rice. This was also why she was so eager to recruit Zhang Ting. Liu Xin had secretly investigated Zhang Ting and found that she was extremely adept at practical management, especially after coming to the capital and managing the small "Ke Ying Lou" restaurant, which generated a total profit of 600,000 taels of silver in just three years! This was an enviable and astonishing figure. If such a talented and exceptional woman were allowed to raise funds, how could the national treasury not be overflowing?
Emperor Chengtai was speechless. She knew how the accounts were calculated. "Can't we cut spending?" For example, the border military expenses were too high, and it wasn't wartime yet. How about cutting them in half?
Liu Xin immediately understood what Emperor Chengtai was up to, and sneered inwardly, replying:
"With 200,000 troops across the country, we need 3 million in military pay and provisions. This is already the result of my and Minister Zheng's best efforts. If the court cannot provide the military pay and provisions, the soldiers will suffer from hunger and the next step will be mutiny. This must not be reduced."
Emperor Chengtai feared that a hundred years later, history would record her as a ruler who brought disaster to the country and caused chaos, so he immediately abandoned the idea.
"The Kyoto Garrison has nearly 30,000 elite soldiers to protect the foundation of the country, and the expenditure of one million taels is not insignificant."
Emperor Chengtai nodded upon hearing this. As the ruler of a country and the master of the world, her safety was of utmost importance.
"Then there's the matter of salaries. This dynasty has lasted eight generations, and while prices have risen and fallen, officials' salaries have remained unchanged. A seventh-rank official's annual salary is still ninety shi (a unit of dry measure), equivalent to forty-five taels of silver. If an official has a family of five, without servants, and just needs to make ends meet, and maintain the dignity of an official position by providing each person with a set of cotton clothing per year and meat and fruit twice a month, their annual expenses would be forty taels. Forty-five taels is barely enough. If salaries were reduced, wouldn't that be forcing lower-ranking officials to squeeze money from the common people?"
Forty-five taels of silver per person? This small amount of cheap and worthless food couldn't solve the problems that were bothering Emperor Chengtai, so she didn't care about it. She was also afraid that her officials would act recklessly and make a mess of things.
He gestured with his eyes for Liu Xin to continue.
"Flood control and drought relief, as well as the construction of new canals, are measures to support the people's livelihood. With the recent severe drought, we should be even more vigilant against floods. If we are even slightly negligent, we will be waiting for houses to be submerged and corpses to fill the rivers. By then, it will be too late to send people down."
That makes sense. Disaster relief expenses are not simply a matter of how much is allocated; they are a continuous drain on funds. In just the small Zhangzhou Prefecture, the total amount of money spent on disaster relief reached three million taels of silver!
Emperor Chengtai rubbed his temples in exasperation. As the ruler of a country, she couldn't touch this or that. There was so much silver lying in the national treasury, yet not even a tenth of it could be used for her purposes.
Liu Xin thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, his deeply lined face blossoming into a radiant flower.
"That is true, but it depends on whether His Majesty is willing to part with it."
Emperor Chengtai's previously listless spirits instantly lifted. She changed her dejected expression and stared intently at Liu Xin. She excitedly grabbed his hand and said eagerly, "As long as it can be used, what is there for me to be reluctant about? Tell me quickly, my dear minister."
Liu Xin smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "If that's the case, then I will speak frankly."
This smile, however, made Emperor Chengtai uneasy, and hearing these words only intensified his anxiety.
Sure enough, the next moment, Liu Xin said, "The palace expenses and the clan's expenditures total four million eight hundred thousand taels, which Your Majesty can reduce as much as you like. Take two million taels, leaving two million eight hundred thousand taels," Liu Xin paused, "and the remainder of eight hundred thousand taels can be withdrawn to Zhangzhou Prefecture for disaster relief." She had long disliked those members of the royal family who received large salaries but did not perform their duties!
Emperor Chengtai's face stiffened, and he abruptly released Liu Xin's hand. How could the palace expenses be reduced? How could she, a dignified and supreme woman, lose face in front of all the emperor's servants if she did this? What if the beautiful maidservant came over and asked why she was living such a hard life with her? How should she face herself?
Absolutely not! Absolutely not!
As for the imperial clan, Emperor Chengtai hated them more than anyone else, but to secure her throne, she absolutely needed their support. She had already set a precedent with Zong Suyi, incurring the displeasure of the imperial clan; if she were to further cut spending, wouldn't that be openly declaring war on them?
This will definitely not work.
She rubbed her forehead. "We'll discuss this later. I'm tired too, Minister Liu, you may leave." She hadn't gotten the money, and instead, she'd gotten herself into a mess.
Liu Xin felt a little regretful that she couldn't take a penny from the royal family to help the people of Zhangzhou Prefecture, but she quickly cheered up and rubbed her hands excitedly. "Now that the national treasury is in deficit and the whole country is at a critical juncture, could Your Majesty, with your benevolence and wisdom, possibly... take the money from your private treasury for the expenses of the palace and the royal family?"
Where did it come from? A private vault?
At first, Emperor Chengtai didn't react, but the next moment he was furious. "You old scoundrel! As a subject and a daughter, it's one thing to not share the burdens of the emperor and mother, but you even dare to covet her private treasury!"
Emperor Chengtai's forehead veins throbbed as he endured the pain, repeatedly reminding himself that Liu Xin was a loyal and respected minister, and he could not kill him!
She calmed her agitated mood. "Serving the imperial relatives and nobles is a rule established by our ancestors. Has Lord Liu forgotten this sacred instruction?"
Seeing that she was angry, Liu Xin said tactfully, "Your Majesty, I misspoke and hope you will forgive me."
Emperor Chengtai's face turned pale, and he angrily flung his sleeve.
Upon seeing this, Liu Xin raised an eyebrow, his heart filled with joy. He then said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. This humble subject will take his leave." With that, he hurried out of the palace without stopping.
Emperor Chengtai was stunned. She hadn't meant for the old scoundrel to leave. "Come back!" But the old man was already out of sight.
Xu Qiu peeked out from behind the screen and asked respectfully and cautiously, "Master, should we... call Lord Liu back?"
Emperor Chengtai felt annoyed at the thought of Liu Xin, but then he thought, "Did he call him back because he wasn't angry enough? The old man is too old and useless, so be it!"
She leaned wearily against the couch and waved to Xu Qiu, "Never mind, let her go back."
The world is in trouble, and so am I. But the statue of the Eternal Emperor cannot be neglected. What should I do?
"Hand Master Xi's memorial to Xu Pin. The matter in Zhangzhou Prefecture last time has not yet come to an end. Let her make amends for her mistakes."
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