Xiaoyao Xiaojunhou

Chapter 424
It is said that Zhu Xiuyuan came to the palace today for the dance song "Flowers in the Backyard of Yushu".

Emperor Chen particularly liked Concubine You's new dance music, so he summoned Zhu Xiuyuan to "share" it with the emperor and his ministers.

Later, Emperor Chen asked about the camp of the Divine Thunder Army.

Zhu Xiuyuan took advantage of the situation and proposed the method of "martial arts".

He spent half an hour explaining the rules of the martial arts competition in detail.

As Chen Huang listened, his expression also changed quietly.

From the excitement at the beginning, to a little excitement, to a little excitement, to a calm expression, it finally turned into... an expression of solemnity and pain.

His eyebrows were furrowed and he kept sighing. His hands had nowhere to put them. Sometimes they rested on the armrests of the dragon chair, and sometimes they patted his knees.

He seemed very worried and troubled.

Concubine You Guifei next to Emperor Chen was looking around while listening to Zhu Xiuyuan's explanation.

He looked at Zhu Xiuyuan for a while, and then at Chen Huang.

The smile on her face gradually disappeared, her expression was a little strange, and her eyebrows kept trembling, as if she was thinking hard about something...

Zhu Xiuyuan naturally saw the abnormality between Emperor Chen and Concubine You.

However, Chen Huang did not shout to stop, so he ignored it, pretended not to see it, and continued to explain...

It’s just that Zhu Xiuyuan couldn’t understand——

Emperor Chen and Concubine You...why do they have such expressions?
He thought about it secretly and concluded that the regulations of this martial arts competition can be summarized as follows:
One: There are five assessment items in total.Preliminary test, archery, skill and courage, martial arts competition, literary test.It is necessary to build a dedicated examination room and arrange audience seats...

Second: Anyone across the country who meets the requirements can sign up.Those who pass the preliminary examination will be compensated by the court for travel expenses, a one-time payment of 100 taels.Those who fail the preliminary examination but meet the conditions will be compensated a lump sum of twelve taels for travel expenses!
Third: Set up a bonus system for this martial arts competition.Those who pass all assessment items and finally win the "Martial Arts Champion" will receive a bonus of 5000 taels, which is the highest bonus...

……

In fact, this set of regulations copied the martial arts system of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The two items of reimbursement of travel expenses and establishment of bonuses were newly added by Zhu Xiuyuan.

Its purpose is to tap talents to the maximum extent and put them to good use.

As for the reimbursement of travel expenses and the bonuses awarded, he did not go into details about how much silver was needed...

As a "subordinate" and a "staff member", how to save costs is not an issue he should consider.

He only needs to come up with the most perfect plan. As for how to implement it in the end...that is the "big boss"'s business.

Therefore, Zhu Xiuyuan did not think there was anything wrong with his charter.

Emperor Chen and Concubine You looked more and more confused as they listened. That must be their problem.

……

Finally, Zhu Xiuyuan finished speaking.

He quickly took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

"Well... My dear, this whole set of regulations... is good. It is well-structured and orderly. I thought about it carefully and found that there are no obvious loopholes... It must have taken countless days and nights for Aiqing to come up with this set of regulations. My dear, Thank you for your hard work, sir!" Chen Huang's expression was still a little tangled and a little painful.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. This is your duty. It's as it should be. Your Majesty is so complimentary!" Zhu Xiuyuan bowed his hand in humility.

But he was even more confused. Although Chen Huang praised him, he still had a troubled face. Why?
Shouldn't I laugh three times with joy?

"Um... Aiqing, in this set of regulations, the five specific assessment items, such as the initial test, archery, skill and bravery, martial arts competition, literary test, etc., are indeed very good. When I think about it carefully, this should be the most comprehensive and most comprehensive test. It's effective, no need to change it!" Chen Huang said again, this time his face looked a little unnatural.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhu Xiuyuan bowed.

This set of regulations was born out of the martial arts competitions in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. At that time, the martial arts system was infinitely closer to perfection.

Zhu Xiuyuan borrowed it and only made slight changes, so that the essence was retained... There is naturally no problem with this system that has been repeatedly tempered and beaten.

"But..." Chen Huang's face was a little unnatural, "but the travel expenses are reimbursed, and there are bonuses... Aiqing, I have thought about it, are these two really necessary? But joining the camp as a general is already a great gift to them...isn't it too wasteful to reimburse travel expenses and award bonuses?"

Zhu Xiuyuan finally understood why Chen Huang had an expression of confusion and pain.

It turns out that I feel sorry for Yin Zi!

Zhu Xiuyuan was a little surprised. According to his impression, the most indispensable thing for the Chen Kingdom's court was money...

Otherwise, I would not pay tribute to Liang Guo every year and buy peace for a year.

"Your Majesty, the purpose of this military examination is to select talents from the civilian population to join the Divine Thunder Army so that they can complete the training as soon as possible, work out a set of regulations, and promote new weapons to the entire army."

"His Majesty has also made it clear that the Divine Thunder Army is the foundation and lifeblood of our Chen country and cannot be taken lightly. The generals who are about to join the army must naturally be the best talents!"

"The system of reimbursing travel expenses and bonuses is to maximize the potential of private talents."

"Your Majesty, please imagine if a talented person with world-wide knowledge cannot go to Beijing to participate in the martial arts competition because of poverty and cannot raise the travel expenses... This is not only the regret of that talent, but also the regret of our Shen Lei Army, and it is also the loss of our great Chen !”

"Your Majesty, after all, the training of the Divine Thunder Army is the most important thing. Your Majesty, please be aware of this!"

Zhu Xiuyuan paid his respects.

Like a barrage of fire.

He seemed to have returned to his previous life. When he was an employee in the company, in order to implement a decision or something like that, he would expound the pros and cons impassionedly and have a strong "offensive", or drive.

Chen Huang was speechless for a moment.

Because Zhu Xiuyuan not only quoted a lot of his original words, such as "The Divine Thunder Army is the foundation of our Chen country and the lifeblood of the country" and so on.

In addition, every sentence pokes at the string deep in his heart.

Yes, the system of reimbursing travel expenses and bonuses can indeed quickly select talents, so that the Divine Thunder Army can be trained as soon as possible...

The string in his heart, that dream when he ascended the throne when he was young... has almost become an obsession in Chen Huang's heart!
but……

There are cruel realities everywhere in life!
When he ascended the throne at a young age, his inner dreams were defeated by the cruel reality.

Relying on paying tribute to Liang Guo every year in exchange for peace... Now, I finally have the hope of realizing my dream, but I have encountered this cruel reality——

Silver two!

His heart hurts!

Not to mention the bonus, just the travel expenses...

If there are 100 people who pass the initial test, it will be 1 taels.There are 1000 people, that’s 10 taels.

What’s even more terrifying is that for those who failed the preliminary examination but met the conditions, one is ten taels, and 1 is 10 taels...

In addition to the miscellaneous expenses such as the venue, I am afraid that this martial arts exercise will cost three to four million taels!

If he had just paid it back in the past, with Chen Guo's financial resources, he could still sustain it by gritting his teeth.

But now Chen Huang is also poor.

The construction of the Divine Thunder Army camp was all funded from the Imperial Manor...

Next, there are the food, wages, soldiers and armor of the Divine Thunder Army, which is another huge expenditure.

In addition, the operation of Shenleifang is also a gold-eating beast...

……

It is good to realize the dreams in your heart.

However, in this process, there is always a roadblock called "reality".

Chen Huang couldn't help but have a headache. He propped his elbows on the table, touched his forehead with his hands, and closed his eyes tightly...

"Your Majesty?" Zhu Xiuyuan's heart was also convulsed. This Emperor Chen wouldn't have lost his temper midway, would he?
Otherwise it would be too disappointing.

"I wish Aiqing... there are some things you may not know..." Concubine You comforted Emperor Chen, just like a wife comforting her husband, and took over the conversation.

Zhu Xiuyuan was at a loss, staring at Emperor Chen and Concubine You, as if he was all ears.

"I, Chen Guo, have had an unlucky year this year. Jiangzhou and other places were first hit by heavy rains and floods, and then there was a plague... I wish Aiqing, who came from Jiangzhou, should be more aware of the disaster situation than I am. Almost all the houses are empty!"

"But not long after, the king of Shaozhou raised his troops to rebel, and the [-] Yan army brazenly invaded the frontier... In the area of ​​Ezhou, Jiangzhou, and Xuanzhou in my Chen State, old wounds have not healed, and new disasters have been added..."

Concubine You gently held Emperor Chen's hand and patted his shoulder gently, playing the role of a wife very well.

"After floods, plagues, and wars, people were displaced and starved... The imperial court has allocated countless amounts of money and food for disaster relief..."

Concubine You stared at Zhu Xiuyuan, but she didn't have an unnatural expression.

"Actually, the national treasury is running low, and even the construction of the Shenlei Army's camp was paid for from the Huangzhuang... My palace and His Majesty are a little stretched, but that's all..."

Zhu Xiuyuan pursed his lips and complained crazily in his heart.

Is this considered "stretched"?
Concubine You Guifei has been in a high position for a long time and has no worries about food and clothing. Is there any misunderstanding about the word "stretched"?
Their lives are still extravagant and wasteful.

Zhu Xiuyuan ran to the palace every two days. As the saying goes, three days is a big banquet, two days is a small banquet... He has a strong say in this matter.

"Your Majesty, the noble concubine is so righteous, I admire you so much!"

But Zhu Xiuyuan was not stupid enough to tell the truth.

To be a minister, you must learn to speak. Although you don't necessarily have to flatter someone, you must still reach the level of "talking to people and talking to ghosts".

"I wish Aiqing's advice on martial arts is certainly a good one. However, according to my rough estimate, I'm afraid it will cost three to four hundred thousand taels..." Concubine You Gui continued to appease Chen Huang, her expression slightly gloomy.

"Now that the national treasury has bottomed out, the money and food from the Imperial Manor have been used to build the Shenlei Army camp...Hey, I wish you dear, the court and your majesty really can't afford a few hundred thousand taels!"

After Concubine You finished speaking, she no longer looked at Zhu Xiuyuan.

Instead, he put all his thoughts on Chen Huang and comforted him gently.

Chen Huang remained motionless with his hands on his forehead and his eyes closed.

Today's Chen Huang is very much like a father who is tight on money.For example, a child wants 1 yuan to attend some interest class, but he cannot pay it...

The cruel reality and the dreams of his youth collided crazily in Chen Huang's body.

As the saying goes, a penny cannot defeat a hero, let alone three to four million taels.

Emperor Chen is a serious emperor and the true dragon emperor of the Chen Kingdom.

But looking at it now, he, the true dragon emperor, has been restrained by the dragon claws, huddled on the dragon chair, unable to move...

Next, Zhu Xiuyuan's expression darkened after hearing Concubine You's words.

Concubine You Guifei was right, the court of the Kingdom of Chen did indeed spend a lot of money and food for disaster relief.

Zhu Xiuyuan used to be the Sima of Jiangzhou, and he knew this better than anyone else.

"Lack of money, lack of money..." Zhu Xiuyuan muttered in his heart, frowning.

He even put forward the methods of the martial arts examination, and spent half an hour explaining the regulations of the martial arts examination in detail.

Later, in order to persuade Chen Huang to agree to the system of reimbursing travel expenses and bonuses, he even "passionately and passionately stated the pros and cons."

As a result, if you are "lack of money", all your efforts will be in vain.

Zhu Xiuyuan smiled bitterly.

His previous "impassioned and passionate presentation of the pros and cons" must have been ridiculous.

Ha ha……

The entire hall suddenly fell into silence.

……

(End of this chapter)