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Minister Ji returned to the Ministry of Revenue after leaving the palace. Without even taking a breath, he immediately summoned everyone in the Ministry of Revenue and announced the urgent tasks that needed to be done in the next ten days.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue all complained bitterly. One of the more courageous officials said, "Sir, according to the Ministry of Revenue's practice, the imperial court's allocation of grain and silver to prefectures and counties is disaster relief. It will take a month just to go through the process, ten days is not enough."

In the past, the allocated money and grain would be stripped back layer by layer, and people would be thankful if they could finally get 70% of it.

Minister Ji said coldly with a straight face: "There is no such thing as a routine in the Ministry of Revenue. Don't talk about the past. It is the second year of Zhaoping, a new emperor, a new atmosphere and new rules. If you miss the past so much, then you should stop serving. Wouldn't it be better to just go back to the past?"

The talkative official from the Ministry of Revenue was scolded and dared not say a word.

Minister Ji knew what kind of people his subordinates were, and he said again in a stern voice: "Yuzhou has suffered from war and there are many things to be rebuilt and many industries to be developed. Nanyang County has contributed money and grain, so the court cannot stand idly by and must provide strong support. You should be more careful when doing your work. If anyone makes a mistake, think about losing your head and having your property confiscated, or think about being expelled from the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"By then, it will be useless to regret it."

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue felt their scalps tense and responded solemnly.

In fact, with the emperor's spies and eyes, they had no chance to do anything even if they wanted to. Not to mention, there were several more female Jinshi who had just entered the officialdom and were grateful to the empress. It was the time when they were eager to show off.

They really have to be extra careful when doing their job, or else someone who comes later will make way for them.

Minister Ji moved directly into the government office. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue followed suit and also moved into the government office. They were busy during the day and continued to be busy at night. They were so busy that the lights were on and everyone was exhausted.

Such a big commotion in the Ministry of Revenue was naturally seen by the Ministry of Personnel next door.

"Sir," Zhang Shangshu's confidant, Doctor Zhou, said cautiously, "The emperor is very concerned about the Yuzhou issue. Should the Ministry of Personnel also be more cautious in selecting officials?"

The so-called caution means not to stretch your hand too far when selecting officials. It is common for candidates of the Ministry of Personnel to spend tens of thousands of silver to fill real vacancies. In this way, even if a person of ordinary family background passes the imperial examination, he still has to wait for the right opportunity in the process of running for an official position. Even if he gets a real job, he is often sent to a remote and poor county government.

Yuzhou used to be pretty good, but after this war, it is no longer a good place. The Ministry of Personnel has spread the word that they are going to select officials, and few people have visited Zhang's house in the past two days.

This job was not very lucrative and took up a lot of time and effort. What was even more annoying was that the Minister of Revenue, Ji Shangshu, was desperately trying to roll up his sleeves, which made Zhang Shangshu quite passive.

Minister Zhang was in a bad mood and glared at his subordinates. "When did I become careless in my duties? Just follow the court's request and select the young men from the candidates for the vacancies. Three days have passed and there are still seven days left to submit the list. What are you still waiting for? Get on with your duties right away!"

The last sentence burst out with anger.

Doctor Zhou responded timidly and left. After leaving the signing room, he wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He thought that his own Shangshu had a hard time in the court, and he took out all his anger on them.

Zhang Shangshu used to have only one Prime Minister Wang above him. Prime Minister Wang always relied on him, and he always claimed to be the second in line to power in the Prime Minister's party.

Unexpectedly, after a palace coup, the Daliang court was turned upside down. Her Majesty the Empress ascended the throne, and Wang Jin became the leader of the Prime Minister's party.

Zhang Shangshu, who held a high position and had a lot of experience, was unwilling to take orders from a young boy, so he set up his own faction, and the Prime Minister's party was split into two.

Zhang Shangshu won over about one-third of the officials of the Prime Minister's Party, most of whom were middle and low-level officials. He originally thought that he could achieve something, or at least form a three-way balance of power. The fact is that not everyone has the ability to form a clique for personal gain.

After nearly a year, not only did the real "Shangshu Party" not form, but many fence-sitters also joined the Empress. Shangshu Zhang was suffocated and bullied everywhere. The Empress deliberately promoted Shangshu Dong of the Ministry of Rites, Shangshu Ding of the Ministry of War, and Shangshu Yang of the Ministry of Justice. Shangshu Ji was also manipulated into submission. Except for Shangshu Zhou who kept his head down and said nothing, Shangshu Zhang was the biggest troublemaker in the court.

Her Majesty was not a soft persimmon to be easily squeezed. She never showed any mercy when suppressing the Ministry of Personnel. She also did not give Zhang Shangshu face at the court meetings, and would scold or criticize him from time to time.

Zhang Shangshu's prestige and authority had been weakened again and again. Now the only thing he could barely hold on to was the small piece of land of the Ministry of Personnel.

Even so, you have to be efficient when doing your job and not allow yourself to be criticized.

First, the rules are set, and then all qualified people are listed. There must be at least three candidates for each position. Then, the candidates are screened based on their strengths and weaknesses, and the final list of candidates is determined.

Ten days later, Minister Zhang went to the palace to meet the emperor with the list.

Coincidentally, Minister Ji had also finished his work and went to the palace to meet the emperor.

Chen Changshi and Wang Zhongshuling were both in the Zhaohe Hall, accompanied by several servants. Her Majesty sat on the dragon throne with a calm look. Before Zhang Shangshu was about to speak, she said, "Minister Ji, how much money and grain can the Ministry of Revenue allocate?"

It was this seemingly insignificant but actually frustrating trick that made Minister Zhang furious but helpless.

Minister Zhang suppressed his anger and listened attentively.

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Minister Ji reported loudly: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue can allocate 100,000 dan of grain, and the Ministry of Agriculture can supply a batch of new grain and seeds, enough for 150,000 mu of good farmland. In addition, the Ministry of Revenue can also take out 300,000 taels of silver, all of which will be sent to Yuzhou."

This number was obviously determined after comparing it with the number submitted by the Nanyang Palace. The relief grain was the same, but the grain variety was less, and the cash was tripled.

It was pathetic that the Ministry of Revenue, which managed the treasury of Daliang, had to compete with the Nanyang Palace. If it couldn't compete, Minister Ji would have no face to stand in the Zhaohe Hall.

Jiang Shaohua understood and smiled: "Thank you for your hard work, Minister Ji."

That's satisfactory.

Minister Ji felt relieved and replied respectfully, "It is my duty to do my job, and I dare not complain about the hardship."

Then, it was Zhang Shangshu's turn to report: "Here is the list of officials selected by the Ministry of Personnel. Your Majesty, please review it and make your decision."

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly.

Chen Sheren came forward and took the list from Zhang Shangshu. Then, Her Majesty the Empress directly ordered: "Chen Sheren, show the list to Chen Changshi first."

Chen Sheren responded with a smile and handed the list to Chen Changshi.

Zhang Shangshu: "..." (End of this chapter)