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Chapter 669: Choice (IV)

Older gingers are more spicy.

As soon as Prime Minister Wang opened his mouth, he hit the nail on the head about Wang Jin's mind.

Wang Jin rubbed his brows and let out a genuine sigh: "I saw him build a tall building, and I saw it collapse. When Jiang Yi was alive, I often went to the Gaoliang Palace. I saw it being confiscated these few days. From now on, there is no Gaoliang Palace in the capital anymore."

Prime Minister Wang glanced over and asked: "Are you afraid that the Wang family will end up like this in the future?"

Wang Jin raised his eyes and looked at Wang Cheng: "Father, aren't you worried?"

Prime Minister Wang said proudly: "I am a veteran minister of four dynasties and have been the prime minister for decades. Even now, the position of prime minister is still there and no one can take it away. Who dares to touch the Wang family? Who can touch the Wang family!"

Without waiting for Wang Jin to say anything, he continued, "You are now the Minister of the Central Secretariat. After a few years of experience, you can be transferred to an important official in the six ministries. With you here, the emperor will treat Wang well."

...I have a heavy burden on my shoulders, but that's all.

Wang Jin couldn't help but smile bitterly and whispered, "Father, the Wang family is the most prestigious family in the Daliang Dynasty. The clan members gather in the capital and the ancestral home, and many of them serve as officials outside. It is inevitable that some of them are not careful in their official duties. My eldest brother was too ostentatious back then. It was only thanks to my father that my eldest brother's life was saved. It was also a big blow to the reputation of the Wang family."

"If there are more such incidents, no matter how many royal favors our Wang family has, we will not be able to withstand such a waste."

Prime Minister Wang's eyes flashed: "You want to restrain the tribesmen?"

"Yes," Wang Jin admitted directly, "In order to stabilize the court, the emperor promised not to start a war within three years. In the short term, the Wang family has no worries about being destroyed. The emperor trusts and uses me to reassure the officials of the prime minister's party."

"However, we should be prepared for danger in times of peace. It will be too late to remedy the situation after a major mistake has been made. Therefore, we should set rules for the clan members as early as possible to restrain their words and deeds. For some people who are really not decent, we don't need to wait for the emperor to make a decision, we can deal with them in advance."

After Wang Jin finished speaking, he waited for a scolding from his father.

Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Wang not only did not curse, but nodded approvingly: "You have gained a lot of experience recently and have far-sighted thoughts. I will do as you say!"

Wang Jin was stunned: "Father also agrees?"

"You are right. Why shouldn't I agree?" Prime Minister Wang raised his eyebrows. "A new emperor appoints new ministers. Now that the empress has ascended the throne, she is tactful, shrewd, decisive, and ruthless. If we don't restrain ourselves, we will soon suffer."

"The Wang family has been rich for decades and has accumulated a lot of wealth. We will be lucky if we can keep the family business in the future."

"Since I have chosen you as my successor, the affairs of the Wang family will be in your hands. If you want to discipline the clan members and punish the Wang family members who have made mistakes, just do it."

Wang Jin was so moved that her eyes turned red: "Thank you, father!"

Prime Minister Wang said calmly, "Come on, stop pretending in front of me. I just don't agree, so you won't do anything?"

"You are determined to assist the new emperor and accomplish great things. You will not let the Wang family hold you back. I also hope that you will have a promising future and can truly support the Wang family. These small matters are up to you."

Wang Jin was exposed, but he didn't feel embarrassed at all. He bowed and said, "I will definitely live up to your high expectations."

Prime Minister Wang looked at his son with a resolute face and sighed sincerely: "I have been a powerful official for my whole life, but I have raised a good son like you who cares about the country and the people, is loyal and filial. It is really rare." Wang Jin pretended not to hear the sarcasm in his words and smiled and replied: "It can be seen that the Wang family is loyal and capable in their bones. It has been passed down in their blood."

Prime Minister Wang sneered and suddenly asked, "When do you plan to get married and have children?"

It was impossible for Wang Jin to become Jiang Shaohua's son-in-law before, and it will be even more impossible in the future.

It is Wang Jin's responsibility to marry and have children.

Wang Jin was silent for a moment and then said, "Father, please give me three years."

In the next three years, Jiang Shaohua had to stabilize the court, control government affairs step by step, and win over the ministers. Wang Jin was devoted to assisting the new emperor and had no time or desire to get married.

Prime Minister Wang said calmly, "Okay, I'll give you another three years. After three years, I'll pick a suitable marriage for you. You can't refuse for any reason."

……

At the court meeting the next day, Jiang Shaohua said to Minister Ji of the Ministry of Revenue, "Minister Ji, all the property confiscated from the Gaoliang Palace will be put into the national treasury."

Minister Ji was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.

The gap in military expenditure this year was too big, and the Ministry of War sent memorials one after another asking for military pay. Minister Ji was so worried that his hair fell out. He had originally calculated that if half of the property of the Gaoliang Palace was put into the national treasury, it could barely cover part of the military expenditure.

Now that the emperor was so generous, he directly deposited all the money into the national treasury, which immediately solved the urgent needs of the Ministry of Revenue.

Minister Dong bowed and said, "According to convention, half of the property confiscated from the Gaoliang Palace should be given to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The emperor has transferred it to the Ministry of Revenue and allocated it to military expenses. Will the Ministry of Internal Affairs have any opinions on this?"

This is the implicit meaning of Minister Dong’s words.

The Imperial Household Department was nothing more than a servant of the royal family, managing the gold and silver in the imperial treasury. How could the Imperial Household Department have any "opinion" on what the emperor wanted to do with the gold and silver confiscated from the Prince of Gaoliang's Palace?
The only one who actually had some opinions was the money-hungry Empress Dowager Zheng.

Jiang Shaohua understood and said seriously, "The most important thing right now is to raise the military pay first. Especially the military pay for the garrison. It has been cut and reduced over the past few years. The soldiers can hardly even get enough food, so how can they have the energy to train and fight?"

"The first thing I did after ascending the throne was to pay all the soldiers. Food and clothing must also be adequately provided."

Minister Ding of the Ministry of War was the first to agree, flattering the emperor: "Your Majesty is concerned about the wages and food of ordinary soldiers, which is touching. I must write down what happened today in the official documents of the Ministry of War and send them to the various armies along with the military pay. Let all soldiers know the emperor's kindness."

All the ministers looked at him sideways. It was hard to believe that the usually silent Minister Ding could speak so well. No wonder he became the acting Minister of War so easily. It seemed that it would not be long before he would get rid of the word "acting" and become the real Minister of War.

Minister Wang gritted his teeth secretly.

He wrote a series of memorials to ask for military expenses for the garrison in order to embarrass the Ministry of Revenue and to cause trouble for the new emperor. Who would have thought that the emperor would be so willing to spend all the property of the Gaoliang Palace on military expenses? Seeing Minister Ding's success, he was filled with jealousy.

Jiang Shaohua's eyes swept across Minister Wang's face and said, "Next, the property confiscated from the Dongping Palace, and 80% of the property from the Huaiyang Palace and the Wu'an County Palace will all be used as military expenses."

“I think this year’s military expenditure should be enough.