spend time

Tang Youyin smiled and cupped his hands: "How come Doctor Yang has time to come here today?"

Yang Zheng had always looked down on Tang Youyin. He was a proper official appointed by the imperial court, while Tang Youyin was just a minor official. If the princess had not valued the Tang family, Tang Youyin would never have had the chance to show his face in the palace. However, there was no need to worry about these things now. They were both ministers from the Nanyang Palace, and now they were regarded as the emperor's confidants by everyone, so they were naturally much closer to him than others.

"A few days ago, the Shangshu Lord assigned me a task. I made a plan and budget, and today I came to the Ministry of Revenue to approve the note."

Yang Zheng laughed softly and said, "There are too many people queuing up. Please give me some convenience, Brother Tang."

This is all a side job. Tang Youyin couldn't refuse, but he didn't agree to it outright. He smiled and said, "Where is Brother Yang's document? How about I take a look first?"

Yang Zheng readily gave the proposal to Tang Youyin.

Tang Youyin quickly flipped through it and looked at Yang Zheng meaningfully. "Renovating the palace is indeed the job of the Ministry of Works. However, starting construction in the palace is no small matter. It requires the approval of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. As for the expenses, according to previous practice, the Ministry of Revenue can only pay half. The other half must be paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"Doctor Yang is a new official. This is his first assignment in the Ministry of Works. I'm afraid he doesn't know these things yet!"

Yang Zheng: "..."

Minister Zhou, this old fox, actually dug such a big hole for him!
Yang Zheng was not stupid at all. After being enlightened by Tang Youyin, he realized that he had been given a job that was a rip-off, and he was furious.

What kind of temper did Empress Dowager Zheng have? When the silver came into her hands, she could only take it in but not take it out. It was as difficult as climbing to heaven to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to get a note to take the silver.

The Ministry of Revenue, according to convention, only allocated half of the money. How could this half of money be enough to build the palace? It was not even enough to buy the materials!

He took on so many responsibilities that day that Minister Zhou must have laughed his head off!
The more Yang Zheng thought about it, the angrier he became, and smoke seemed to be coming out of his head.

Tang Youyin knew that Yang Zheng was very concerned about his reputation and didn't want to say anything too bluntly, so he gently reminded him, "The Ministry of Revenue is very busy today, and there are a lot of documents piled up on the Shangshu's desk. It's better for Doctor Yang to go back first and come back in two days."

Yang Zheng took a deep breath and bowed to Tang Youyin: "Thanks to your guidance today, otherwise, I would have made a big fool of myself. I will go back and revise this plan for repairing the palace."

Tang Youyin personally escorted Yang Zheng out of the Ministry of Revenue.

The six ministries were all in one place, not far from each other. Yang Zheng took the plan he had worked hard on for several nights and returned to the Ministry of Industry with a nonchalant look on his face.

Of course, I can't go directly to Shangshu Zhou to settle the score.

Minister Zhou was a superior, so it was natural and proper for him to assign tasks to his subordinates. On the surface, there was nothing wrong with this task. He was just too hot-blooded and didn't see the trick behind it, so he rashly accepted the task. What he had to do now was to find a way to complete the task and save his face. He would find a suitable opportunity in the future to return the task without making a fuss.

So, the next question is, how should this task be done?
"… Doctor Yang went to the Ministry of Revenue today. However, he did not meet Minister Ji, but he did meet Tang Yuanwailang. I don't know what the two talked about, but Doctor Yang came back soon."

In the spacious signing room, Minister Zhou, who had a slightly dark complexion and a slightly rough appearance, leisurely sipped his tea and listened to the lackeys coming to tell tales.

Thinking of Yang Zheng's miserable look after being tricked, Minister Zhou became more and more cheerful. He slowly ordered, "Keep an eye on Doctor Yang and report back immediately if there is any movement." The lackey responded attentively and left.

Minister Zhou raised the corner of his mouth and continued drinking tea.

The Empress wanted to place her confidants in the Ministry of Works, and he, the Minister of Works, was powerless to resist and could only accept it silently. However, if Yang Zheng wanted to gain a firm foothold in the Ministry of Works, it would depend on whether he had the ability to do so.

Empress Dowager Zheng kept a very tight control over the Imperial Household Department and wanted to get money from it to repair the palace. This alone was enough to get Doctor Yang in trouble.

Of course, Doctor Yang had another way, which was to go directly to the emperor to complain and ask for his support. However, in the officialdom, such an action also meant admitting defeat. Yang Zheng was a man who cared a lot about his reputation and was eager to show off. He wanted to surpass Ma Yaozong and Tang Youyin. How could he admit that he was cheated so early?
Therefore, Doctor Yang could only rack his brains to think of ways to reduce the budget and complete the task.

……

After being slapped, he immediately went to find someone to complain and ask for support. This is what an ignorant child would do. In the officialdom, if you encounter a difficult problem and are tricked by someone, you have to find a way to climb out of the pit. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to stand up straight and live a good life in the future.

Minister Zhou, who usually keeps quiet, is actually insidious and cunning, with a lot of bad intentions.

Yang Zheng was so cheated that he spent two days reducing the budget for repairing the palace again and again. He even carefully calculated the daily food expenses of the craftsmen, and only then was he able to reduce the budget by 20%.

During this period, Minister Zhou sent people to urge Yang Zheng twice, asking him to go to the Ministry of Revenue to approve the note: "...The Minister said that the New Year is coming soon, and this matter must be settled before the New Year. Construction will start after the New Year. Doctor Yang, please move faster."

It was already the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month, and there were only twelve days left until the Chinese New Year. The Ministry of Revenue was easy to deal with, and I could shamelessly ask Tang Youyin for help through the back door. The Ministry of Internal Affairs would have to run errands and negotiate, but how could this amount of time be enough?
Yang Zheng was so angry that he cursed in his heart, but he looked confident and calm: "Tell the Shangshu Lord on my behalf that the task will be completed before the New Year. We will start construction after the Lantern Festival after the New Year."

The lackey smiled maliciously and said, "I will report right away. The Minister is waiting for good news from Doctor Yang."

Then, walk away.

Yang Zheng suppressed his anger and went to the Ministry of Revenue again.

Tang Youyin was very loyal and sent Yang Zheng's plan and proposal to Shangshu Ji's desk, and placed them on the top.

The treasury has been making money this year. It must be said that confiscation of property is really profitable. The treasury is rich in silver. Minister Ji, who was always worried about silver, has a plump face recently. His brows are no longer as wrinkled as before, and his bitter face is gone.

"Sir, this is the budget for the Ministry of Works to build the palace." Tang Youyin said, "The person in charge of this task is the newly appointed Doctor Yang."

Minister Ji immediately understood what was going on. He took the budget and looked through it. "This budget is very detailed and not too high. However, the Ministry of Revenue has a convention that only 50% can be allocated at most."

Even so, the Ministry of Revenue is now well-off. In the past, if the Ministry of Revenue could allocate 30% of the expenses, it would be considered a face for the Ministry of Works. (End of this chapter)