Lin Wanwan's words, "I have a way!", were like a boulder thrown into a stagnant pool, instantly causing a huge uproar in the entire Golden Palace!
All the civil and military officials in the court seemed to be frozen in place, staring at each other in disbelief and awe.
An empress, living deep within the inner palace, actually claimed that she had a way to solve a financial crisis that even the Minister of Revenue was helpless against and that was enough to shake the foundations of the country.
This is even more bizarre than a fairy tale!
Regent Xiao Yuan was so angry that he trembled all over. He stared intently at the woman standing next to the emperor on the dragon throne, his eyes so sinister they were almost dripping with water.
"The empress is interfering in politics! The empress is interfering in politics!" he roared madly in his heart, wishing he could immediately arrest this arrogant woman on the spot for the serious crime of "violating ancestral rules"!
However, he could not.
Because at this moment, everyone's eyes in the Golden Palace were focused on the bright yellow memorial that the Empress herself had handed over.
After the initial shock, Xiao Che, the young emperor, was overwhelmed with an indescribable joy and hope!
He knew that his Wanwan never fought an unprepared battle!
Since she dared to stand up in such a shocking way at this time, it proves that she must have a trump card in her hand that can turn the tide!
He took a deep look at Lin Wanwan beside him, and from her calm and firm eyes, he understood her silent support and encouragement.
He then took the memorial, which carried unknown hopes, but did not open it immediately. He slowly rose from his dragon throne, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over the civil and military officials below, each with their own distinct expressions. In an unquestionable, imperial voice, he loudly proclaimed:
"The Empress has a plan to present, which concerns the major disaster relief strategy. This is a matter of great importance. All of you, please wait a moment. The Empress and I will first go to the Imperial Study to discuss the 'Empress's Plan'!"
He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold, his gaze like a sharp sword piercing the Regent.
"Dismiss the court!"
Having said that, he didn't even give the Regent any chance to refute him. He simply flicked his dragon robe and wide sleeves, took Lin Wanwan's hand, and, under the incredibly complex gazes of the officials, resolutely turned and walked into the side door leading to the rear hall.
A tense power struggle that nearly drove the emperor to the brink of despair was temporarily brought to a halt by the empress's shocking intervention.
...
Inside the Imperial Study, the palace doors were tightly closed, isolating it from all the noise of the outside world.
The moment he stepped into this space that belonged to him, Xiao Che's forcibly maintained imperial majesty instantly crumbled. He turned around, gripped Lin Wanwan's shoulders tightly with both hands, his breathing rapid, his eyes filled with excitement and urgency.
"Wanwan! You...you really have a way?" His voice trembled slightly with nervousness. "Do you know that just now in the Golden Palace, if you had made even the slightest mistake in what you said or did, I...I wouldn't have been able to protect you!"
He wasn't blaming her, but rather feeling lingering fear. The thought of her putting him in such a precarious position made his heart clench.
Lin Wanwan felt the strength and concern in his palm, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. She knew he cared about her.
But this is not the time for sentimental thoughts.
Instead of answering his question directly, she took his hand and led him to sit down at the imperial desk. Then, meeting his eager gaze, she slowly and deliberately asked him, word by word:
“Your Majesty, my method may be able to resolve today’s predicament, but… it goes against all the ancestral rules of this dynasty, and may even touch upon interests deeper than the salt and iron monopoly.”
At that moment, her eyes became incredibly sharp, as if they could pierce through people's hearts.
"So, before revealing this method, I only have one question for you—Your Majesty, do you dare to listen?"
This question was like a bucket of cold water, instantly calming Xiao Che's excited mood.
Looking into Lin Wanwan's extremely serious eyes, he immediately understood the weight of her words.
It goes against ancestral rules and touches on deeper interests.
This means that what she is about to say is a gamble that is more thorough and disruptive than "macroeconomic control".
He fell silent.
Inside the imperial study, only the steady breathing of the two men and the occasional sound of wind from outside the window could be heard.
After a long while, Xiao Che slowly relaxed his furrowed brows, and all the hesitation and struggle in his eyes transformed into an unprecedented firmness.
He looked at her, nodded slowly, his voice deep and powerful.
"Speak. I have said that half of my empire belongs to you. As long as you can save the Great Liang and the people, even if it means going against the world, I... dare to do it!"
Having received his affirmative answer, Lin Wanwan's last trace of worry vanished.
She took a deep breath, stopped beating around the bush, and directly unveiled her first core plan, which was enough to overturn the concept of disaster relief in this era.
"Work relief instead of financial aid!"
"Work...instead of relief?" Xiao Che repeated these four words, his eyes filled with confusion.
“Yes,” Lin Wanwan explained, “Your Majesty, the traditional method of disaster relief is simply to open the granaries and distribute grain and money directly to the victims. This method seems direct, but it is actually fraught with problems!”
"Firstly, hundreds of thousands of disaster victims are displaced and have nothing to do. If they gather together, it is very easy for trouble to break out, or even riots to break out."
"Secondly, disaster relief funds and supplies are allocated through multiple layers of government, passing through countless officials. Among them, there must be quite a few who are corrupt, embezzle, and line their own pockets. In fact, less than one in ten actually reaches the disaster victims!"
"Thirdly, and most importantly, simply distributing money and grain can only provide temporary relief. The disaster victims will eventually run out of money and grain, and once they do, they will still be refugees. With their homes destroyed and their fields flooded, how will they resume production? How will they rebuild their homes? Does the imperial court expect them to support them for the rest of their lives?"
Lin Wanwan's analysis hit the nail on the head, making Xiao Che's expression grow increasingly grave. He was well aware of these problems; it was just that they were deeply entrenched and no one could solve them.
"And 'work relief' can perfectly solve these problems!" Lin Wan-wan's voice suddenly rose, full of confidence. "We won't directly distribute money and food, but instead organize all the disaster victims and pay them for their work!"
"The imperial court can establish countless engineering projects—repairing the destroyed river embankments, dredging the silted-up waterways, rebuilding the submerged towns, and cultivating new fields! We will let all the disaster victims earn wages and food from the government through their own labor!"
“In this way,” her eyes gleamed with wisdom, “the disaster victims will have something to do, which will prevent trouble and keep society stable; the money and food will be distributed directly to individuals as wages, bypassing layers of corrupt officials and minimizing corruption; most importantly, when the project is completed, their homes will be rebuilt, production will resume, and the disaster victims will stand up again with their own hands! This is disaster relief, reconstruction, and a perfect solution that achieves multiple benefits!”
"Work relief instead of work relief..." Xiao Che repeatedly pondered these four words, his eyes growing brighter and brighter!
This plan is unheard of, yet... it seems highly feasible! It's like a clever key that perfectly connects the three seemingly independent but interconnected problems of disaster relief, public safety, and reconstruction!
However, he quickly realized a crucial problem: "While this method is good, both repairing the riverbanks and paying wages require start-up capital. The national treasury is empty; where will this initial funding come from?"
"Good question!" Lin Wanwan seemed to have been waiting for this question. She smiled slightly, then offered her second, and most revolutionary, solution!
"Issue...disaster relief bonds!"
"Bonds?" Xiao Che heard a completely new word again.
"Your Majesty can think of it as... an 'IOU' from the court to the people!" Lin Wan-wan explained in the simplest terms, "We can have the court step in and 'borrow' money' from the wealthiest merchants and powerful families in the capital to help with disaster relief!"
“We issue them a kind of certificate called ‘disaster relief bond.’ For example, if they lend us 10,000 taels of silver, we give them a bond with a face value of 10,000 taels. We solemnly promise them that after the national crisis is over, within the next three to five years, the imperial court will not only repay the principal of 10,000 taels, but will also pay them a considerable amount of interest!”
This idea is even bolder and more groundbreaking than "work relief"!
Borrowing money from merchants? Making the high and mighty imperial court issue "IOUs" to merchants considered lowly? This was unimaginable in any dynasty!
But after a brief moment of shock, Xiao Che instantly grasped the genius behind the plan!
—The enormous wealth that is idle in the private sector will be temporarily nationalized in a peaceful manner and used to solve the country's most critical problems!
Xiao Che was deeply and thoroughly shocked by these two interconnected and revolutionary solutions, one addressing "how to do it" and the other "how to achieve it"!
He looked at Lin Wanwan as if she were a deity radiating wisdom. Just how many more world-changing ideas did she possess?
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, he suddenly stood up, grabbed Lin Wan-wan's hand, and his voice trembled slightly with emotion.
"A divine strategy! This is a divine strategy! If this method succeeds, it will not only solve the urgent problems in Jiangnan, but also inject a brand new and huge vitality from the people into our empty treasury through the issuance of bonds!"
His eyes burned with an unprecedented blazing fire.
But then, the flame was shrouded in the shadow of reality.
“But…” He gripped her hand tightly, his brow furrowed, “those old fogies in the court, those censors who regard ancestral rules as sacred law, will never agree! In their eyes, borrowing money from merchants is competing with the people for profit and damaging the national dignity! They will definitely oppose it to the death!”
Lin Wanwan looked at his complex expression, which was both excited and worried, and smiled confidently.
That smile carried a hint of cunning and mystery, as if everything was under control.
“So,” she gently squeezed his hand back and said, word by word, “we need a reason that they can’t refuse.”
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