Chapter 473 The Prince's Method of Raising Money
When the ministers heard this, they all felt a pang of shock in their hearts.
What exactly did Emperor Defeng mean by this?
What did the prince do in southern Fujian?
Emperor Defeng asked Feng Youcai to read the memorial in public. After hearing it, everyone's expressions changed.
The prince is really brave!
In his memorial, he mentioned the method of raising money to build the dam. His core method was only one, which was to let wealthy businessmen, gentry, and local tyrants donate money.
How to make them pay money voluntarily? Naturally, we have to lure them with benefits.
Anyone who donated 1,000 taels of silver would be awarded a plaque with the title of "Righteous Citizen" and the name would be recorded in the local annals; anyone who donated 5,000 taels of silver would have his name engraved on the "Merit Monument" of the dam, and his reputation would be passed down through the ages.
There is nothing wrong with either of them; the truly bold ones are the last two.
Those who donated more than 50,000 taels of silver were granted the title of "Secretary of Dike Engineering" and were in charge of the dike affairs in their hometown. Their descendants could inherit the position. Those who donated more than 100,000 taels of silver were granted the title of "Assistant Director of Water Conservancy" and were concurrently in charge of the grain transport inspection and enjoyed a salary from the court.
Isn’t this just leading the way in selling official positions?
Emperor Defeng looked at the people in the hall and asked calmly, "My dear ministers, what do you think of the Crown Prince's method?"
The court officials were all whispering to each other and discussing the matter.
"Your Majesty, this is against the law. If this precedent is set, wouldn't the Great Qi Dynasty be thrown into chaos? And what will become of those poor students who have studied so hard?"
"I second the proposal. The appointment and dismissal of officials in the imperial court is no joke. We must not casually use silver as a measure."
Emperor Defeng looked at the Minister of Personnel, Xing Shijie, and asked, "Lord Xing, what do you think of this matter?"
The Ministry of Personnel is responsible for the appointment and dismissal of officials, and he indeed has the most say in this matter.
Xing Shijie's thoughts turned for a moment, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, although the Great Qi Code strictly prohibits the sale of official positions, the floods in southern Fujian are indeed an extraordinary disaster. I believe that we should consider it in light of the 'principle of power'. The positions of 'Supervisor of Dike Works' and 'Assistant Manager of Grain Transport' will not involve criminal charges or military power. They simply allow donors to inspect river works on behalf of the court. I believe this method is feasible."
Xing Shijie expressed his opinion, and other officials of the Ministry of Personnel also echoed it.
But there were still officials who opposed it, and it caused a big uproar in the court.
Emperor Defeng coughed lightly, and everyone fell silent.
He glanced indifferently at the person who was strongly opposing him in the hall, and spoke in a calm voice.
"Lord Wen, do you have a better plan to raise a million silver coins for dike repairs within seven days?"
Lord Wen was instantly speechless.
Emperor Defeng's voice turned cold. "If that's the case, what qualifications do you have to object? The millions of refugees in southern Fujian can't wait for you to argue like this!"
The hall was filled with silence, and no one dared to say another word.
"Trading fame for profit, using power to solidify responsibility, and using monuments to spread reputation, I think your method is excellent! Pass on my decree, allowing your Highness the power to set this precedent to save the people. Furthermore, you will also be allowed to act at your discretion regarding the aftermath of the disaster in southern Fujian."
All the ministers immediately knelt down and praised the emperor's wisdom three times.
The emperor's edict was quickly sent to southern Fujian.
When Lu Zhiran learned about this, her tense heart immediately relaxed.
She had been worried about the money issue.
A good cook cannot cook without rice, and without enough money, the dam cannot be repaired.
If the dam collapses again, it will be Prince Xiao Yanci who will be blamed by the people.
Lu Zhiran could indeed come up with the money, but she didn't want to spend it unless it was absolutely necessary.
Since she paid the money, the credit would fall on her head. She didn't want to be the hen that crows at dawn and steal the limelight from Xiao Yanci.
Fortunately, Xiao Yanci solved the problem himself.
This method is a great thing for a group of wealthy businessmen, as it is mutually beneficial.
Xiao Yanci got the approval of Emperor Defeng and the "right to act at his own discretion", so he immediately let go and got to work.
The prince's staff posted a notice to make the decree widely known.
The people affected by the disaster all thought that the prince was dreaming. Who would be willing to spend that much money to buy fame?
But unexpectedly, this matter received so much response.
There are quite a few people who want to donate money to become officials.
But because the imperial court limited the number of places, those who came later were not able to get in.
When the common people saw this, they all showed expressions of shock, as if they had never seen the world before.
But soon everyone became happy. At least they had the money to build the dam and no longer had to worry about their homes being destroyed.
This matter got off to a good start, and subsequent matters went smoothly.
Spring is coming to an end and the weather is getting hotter day by day.
The weather in southern Fujian is even hotter, and the people who are building houses and dams have even taken off their shirts and are shirtless.
Everyone does hard work, but fortunately they can have enough food to eat every day and get paid, so everyone is very motivated.
As news of victory was sent back to the capital, Emperor Defeng was delighted.
"The prince has done a good job on this mission."
All the ministers agreed.
Everything is back on track, and it's time to let the prince come back.
But before Emperor Defeng had time to convey the imperial edict, another urgent message arrived from southern Fujian.
This time, the news was bad.
"Southern Fujian was attacked by pirates. The Crown Prince led his navy in pursuit, but he disappeared at sea! Ten days have passed, and he still hasn't returned!"
"What!"
Emperor Defeng was so shocked that he almost fell down, and Feng Youcai hurriedly supported him.
"Don't chase a desperate enemy. Doesn't he know that? How can he be so reckless!"
Emperor Defeng was so angry and anxious that his voice trembled.
Feng Youcai wanted to comfort her, but he had no right to interrupt at this time, so his comfort was just superficial.
"Where's Gu Qishan? Why didn't he try to persuade them?"
"General Gu also went out to sea and disappeared."
Emperor Defeng suddenly felt dizzy.
I thought Gu Qishan was an old veteran with a calm temperament, but I didn't expect him to be so reckless and let the prince act so recklessly.
"Your Majesty, the most urgent matter is to send troops to rescue them first."
Emperor Defeng calmed himself and said, "This matter must not be publicized. If anyone dares to reveal a single word of this news, I will hold you accountable!"
The political situation has just stabilized. If news of the prince's accident comes out at this time, I am afraid it will cause more trouble.
Emperor Defeng ordered his people to block the news, but Lu Zhiran still found out about it first because she had her own spies in southern Fujian. When the incident happened, her people informed her first.
When Lu Zhiran heard this, her heart skipped a beat and she almost dropped the teacup in her hand.
She forced herself to remain calm and asked about the whole story in detail.
The messenger did not dare to hide anything and told everything.
It turns out that although the Zhao family has been punished, there are still some members who have escaped and are colluding with pirates to stir up trouble outside.
Xiao Yanci didn't want to kill him, but the other party held a grudge and secretly set an ambush to assassinate him.
Fortunately, Xiao Yanci was very skilled and not only did he escape the assassin's death, but he also captured the assassin alive and forced him to reveal the news about the pirates occupying Black Tooth Island.
After learning about this, Xiao Yanci immediately mobilized warships and vowed to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop.
When asked for more details, the informant shook his head and said he didn't know. After all, how could military secrets be leaked so easily?
Although Lu Zhiran knew that Xiao Yanci was a steady person and not a reckless person, the situation at sea was unpredictable and any carelessness could lead to disaster.
He has been missing for many days and there is no news from him yet. Is he okay?
Thinking of this, her fingertips felt slightly cold and a layer of gloom hung over her heart.
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