The First Auxiliary Road from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1184 Talking about the past

Sheng Yuan really didn't expect that she would have anything to do here.

But it’s not impossible to join in the fun at the scene.

Thinking of this, Governor Sheng, who had just been on duty for less than half an hour, reluctantly accepted the other party's suggestion under the envious gaze of her colleagues in the Five Military Command Office, and went to the Dali Temple with the few people who had invited her.

……

However, Sheng Yuan originally thought that she could watch the show up close, but when she arrived at the Dali Temple, she remembered that as someone waiting to be questioned, she could only wait in the small flower hall on the side of the hall.

The small flower hall in my memory is definitely worthy of the word “small”.

It can accommodate no more than ten guests to sit and drink tea, but it cannot accommodate a single guest to punch and roll around at will.

How can I put it? If Sheng Yuan, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, were asked to give his evaluation, he would only say that the Ministry of Revenue allocated too much money.

Sheng Yuan had just been thinking about the abacus in his head when he looked up and saw Shangguan An Suiyun in the small flower hall.

Hey! I didn't expect that the two people who can make decisions in the Ministry of Revenue would reunite in the Dali Temple today.

"Lord An, why are you here too?" Sheng Yuan wondered. If she remembered correctly, this man should be in her own house preparing for the examination papers in the near future.

Seeing Sheng Yuan's eyes full of curiosity, An Suiyun rolled his eyes unhappily: "I don't know what evidence Concubine Cen has produced. The people in the Dali Temple said that the income and actual expenditure of Princess Hong'an and Princess Yongping do not match. So, they asked me to come here to verify it."

"Eh? That's weird! The Ministry of Revenue isn't the account office of the Princess's Mansion. If their income and expenditure don't match, what does it have to do with the Ministry of Revenue?"

After hearing this, An Suiyun felt bitterness on his face: "Speaking of which, they are not without reason. If we trace it back, I'm afraid it's a long story..."

He sighed, stroked his beard and said, "The first Emperor Chengyuan loved Princess Hong'an very much. Not to mention how much private property he bought for her and Princess Yongping, nor how much fiefdoms were gradually added, just the number, items and figures of additional funds allocated from the national treasury every year are a mess. Such messy accounts were not uncommon during the reign of the first Emperor Jinghe. Although the current emperor has slightly reduced the amount since he ascended the throne, he has continued the favor of his father and grandfather. If these accounts cannot be sorted out, I am afraid that the Ministry of Revenue will suffer."

  "Eh? Lord An, please forgive my stupidity. Even if this is a reward, there are accounts. How come it became a mess?" Sheng Yuan himself has been in charge of accounts and is somewhat proficient in various means of balancing false accounts. But no matter how messy the accounts are, the person who does the accounting cannot be confused!

"Alas!" An Suiyun was also depressed when talking about this. "I am not the first Minister of Revenue to take over this account, but I remember the money I spent clearly. However, when they check the accounts, they only look at the destination on the books. I have no evidence to prove that A is B. Even if the Internal Guards and the Three Law Courts believe it, they can't make it public! If I really tell others, it will be a lie!"

As An Suiyun said this, he couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

Sheng Yuan also listened to the general reason from the other party's helpless explanation.

It turned out that Emperor Xian Chengyuan was afraid that his niece and granddaughter would suffer in life, so he would find various ways every year to allocate funds to Princess Hong'an and Princess Yongping.

Whether it was fine products tributed by foreign vassal states, luxurious items presented by various states, or even imperial products made within the country, they were all given to them.

If such excessive treatment were given occasionally, the Censorate would turn a blind eye to it.

But the supply of this super treatment seemed to be long-term, continuous and coherent, and now the censors who liked to give orders to the emperor and meddle in his affairs could no longer sit still.

It was fine that the treatment of the Grand Princess Hong'an and her daughter exceeded that of the Crown Prince and the Prince, but they couldn't even exceed the standards of the Emperor, right? What was even more unacceptable to the censors was that the actual salaries received by the Grand Princess Hong'an and Princess Yongping far exceeded those of the Empress Dowager and the Prince, and the amount allocated by the National Treasury each year was not less than the allocations that the Censorate obtained from the Ministry of Revenue!

  How can I bear this? !

We can tolerate those stingy old men in the Ministry of Revenue, but we can’t tolerate those who like to stir up trouble!

The emperor can favor anyone at will, but such favor cannot be allocated from the national treasury.

Princess Hong'an is the daughter of the last emperor of the Chen Dynasty, and has an unclear relationship with the royal family of Da Chu. But if there is any debt, it is the grudge between the royal family and her. No one in this world, among the people, or in the court owes her anything.

With so much public money, if we use it to buy food and fodder for the army, we can make the army stronger; if we use it to run the Ministry of Works, we can get more advanced weapons and protective gear; even if we use it to return gifts to foreign vassal states, it can also demonstrate the great power of the Celestial Empire.

Not to mention, the territory of Da Chu is so vast, and there are so many droughts, floods and insect pests in various states and counties. There are many places in need of disaster relief. Those funds can save more victims from the suffering of displacement.

Worst case scenario, give it to their Censorate, so that these censors will have more sufficient funds to support them in conducting more detailed investigations on the impeachment targets.

In short, the emperor's favor towards Princess Hong'an and Princess Yongping is too much, which is not conducive to the harmony of the court and their healthy growth.

"...You should know how annoying it is to be targeted by those imperial censors! Especially when the target of their target is the emperor, the temptation of leaving a name in history is enough to make them do their best! Even if it means suffering the pain of being beaten with a stick in the court or committing suicide by hitting a pillar."

An Suiyun grinned and sighed, "The first Emperor Chengyuan was also fed up with the harassment. He didn't want to let Princess Hong'an and Princess Yongping suffer any loss, so he ordered the previous Minister of Revenue to make the allocation clear. As long as they don't give it away in public, the group of censors will stop on their own."

After listening for a while, Sheng Yuan's biggest feeling was: She really has opened her eyes!

My goodness! She never imagined that the Emperor Chengyuan, who was considered a wise ruler in her memory, would do such a foolish thing.

  Why did she feel that being nice to Princess Hong'an had become Emperor Chengyuan's obsession? !

"Then the Ministry of Revenue has never thought of making a note?"

When An Suiyun heard her say this, the corners of his lips couldn't help but tremble.

  Good fellow, you are playing tricks on the emperor... The question is, who is in charge of you?

"I was reminded by the previous minister that those accounts that deceive people all have sources... such as the construction of the royal garden, the profits and losses of trade with foreign vassals, the income of the royal farms in various places, etc."

At the end, An Suiyun swallowed his words with a sigh.

Sheng Yuan was stunned and couldn't help but click his tongue twice: "Why is it so complicated? Didn't the late emperor still have the inner treasury to use?"

An Suiyun glanced at her sideways: "Empress Dowager Xiaohe Wen often advised the late emperor that he was not worried about the lack of wealth but the inequality; and several concubines joined hands with the late Emperor Chengyuan to cry poor... Ahem, no matter how rich the late emperor's treasury was, it was not enough to make trouble."

Sheng Yuan's mouth trembled when he heard this.

Well, behind the strange reasons, there are often other exciting stories.

It’s a pity that if the emperor opens his mouth, his subjects’ legs will be broken.

Poor Mr. An!