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Chapter 787: Water Depth (II)

Wow! This letter is quite thick.

Jiang Shaohua squeezed the envelope, smiled, and said to Lu Zhen: "I asked Yang Zheng to go to the Ministry of Works. I originally just wanted to remind everyone in the Ministry of Works. I never thought that this move would be quite effective. The Ministry of Works is much more efficient."

Chen Jinyu accompanied Princess Baoer in the Nanyang Palace while resting and taking care of her pregnancy. Her original job was divided into three parts, and three young imperial servants took over.

Lu Zhen was the most trusted by the emperor. When Jiang Shaohua wanted to gossip occasionally, he would usually talk to Lu Zhen.

Lu Zhen had been working in the imperial court for half a year, and his experience and knowledge had greatly improved. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "This is because the emperor knows how to use people well. Doctor Yang is a criminal judge, and he is good at judging people and solving cases. With him watching over the Ministry of Works, all the officials in the Ministry of Works must be more alert and work hard."

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly, opened the letter and started reading.

Yang Zheng still retained the habit of conducting trials, and wrote letters as if he were writing case files, with extraordinarily detailed and careful details. This letter described the contents of the Ministry of Industry meeting clearly, and even wrote down what each official said.

Reading the letter was like personally participating in the Ministry of Industry meeting.

Yang Zheng wrote at the end of the letter: "In my opinion, the final budget plan made by the Ministry of Works should still have some room for reduction. When Minister Zhou's memorial reaches the emperor, the emperor may ask the officials of the Ministry of Revenue to calculate it, and then ask someone to go to the market to inquire about the specific prices of each material. Bulk purchases are 20% to 30% cheaper than small purchases."

Yang Zheng really cared about the court and her as the emperor. She also really wanted to see Shangshu Zhou in trouble!

Who asked Minister Zhou to set a big trap for Yang Zheng that day? Yang Zheng has always been petty and holds grudges. Whenever he gets a chance, he will inevitably retaliate. So, he wrote a letter to Minister Zhou to flatter him.

Jiang Shaohua raised the corner of his mouth, smiled knowingly, and ordered: "Go and call Commander Song over. I have an errand for him."

After a moment, Song Yuan came in.

Jiang Shaohua handed Yang Zheng's letter to Song Yuan: "This is Yang Zheng's letter. I think his idea is good. Take a look, and then follow the list in the letter to find out the prices of various materials purchased in bulk. I can also compare it with the plan submitted by the Ministry of Industry."

Such a task can only be entrusted to the person you trust the most.

It must be Song Yuan.

Song Yuan accepted the order and selected twenty of the emperor's personal guards to leave the palace together.

After two days outside the palace, Song Yuan returned with a list. At the same time, Minister Zhou's memorial was also delivered to the capital.

With Chen Changshi away, all the complicated government documents fell on Wang Jin. Fortunately, Wang Jin was young and strong, and he managed to hold on even though his eyes turned red from getting up early and going to bed late every day.

After seeing Minister Zhou's memorial, Wang Jin did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately presented it to the emperor.

As soon as Commander Song left, Wang Jin arrived.

Jiang Shaohua had finished reading the list sent by Song Yuan, and after reading the memorial from Minister Zhou, he had an idea in his mind.

The budget plan of the Ministry of Industry is indeed reasonable. Although it is still a staggeringly large number, it can only be reduced by 10% or 20%. If it is reduced further, it will force the Ministry of Industry to cut corners and use inferior materials.

The next step is to summon important officials into the palace.

All the ministers read Minister Zhou's memorial. It was fine for others, but when Minister Ji saw the budget, he was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead: "Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty! The relief for the disaster victims in the six counties has already consumed most of the national treasury. Next, we need to allocate three months of military expenses."

"The river embankment must be repaired. But with so much money and grain, I can't afford it even if you cut off my head." Minister Ji really wanted to cry.

The Minister of Revenue was in charge of the purse and was the emperor's chief steward. Minister Ji was also a senior official who had served four dynasties. When Emperor Taikang was in power, he relied on Prime Minister Wang for everything. Prime Minister Wang was a little greedy and was not very strict about his duties. When Emperor Taihe was in power, the Ministry of Revenue was still under the control of Minister Ji. Although the treasury was tight, the Ministry of Revenue always had an easy life.

Now it is the second year of Zhaoping, and it is not easy to manage the national treasury for Her Majesty the Empress. You have to be diligent and capable, and be a hardworking old ox. You can't complain about the hardship or tiredness. It is common to be busy until dark and not go home. There is basically no oil and water, and you have to rack your brains to share the worries of serving the emperor...

Thinking of this, Minister Ji burst into tears. He continued to complain: "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, according to the budget in Minister Zhou's memorial, the Ministry of Revenue can barely raise half of it."

"Otherwise, we can repair the river embankment in the important places first. As for the less important places, we can repair them slowly after the spring tax is collected next year."

"Not right!" Shangshu Yang was the first to refute: "Building a river embankment is a top-level matter, which concerns the safety of the people on both sides of the river. If there is another flood, the people will be drowned and the fertile fields will be submerged. Who should be blamed for this?"

Minister Dong supported him: "Minister Yang's words make sense. The repair of the river bank must not be delayed."

Minister Ji was so angry that he glared at her: "You are talking so lightly. How can we make up for such a big gap? Otherwise, let's switch. I'll give you the job of the Minister of Revenue and I'll go to the Ministry of Rites or the Ministry of Justice."

Minister Dong was very dignified and did not mind Minister Ji's rudeness. He comforted Minister Ji with kind words: "Minister Ji, calm down. The job of the Ministry of Revenue is indeed not easy. Looking at the court, only Minister Ji can share the worries of the emperor."

Minister Yang also followed suit to comfort the troublemaker: "Minister Dong is right. Minister Ji, don't get too anxious. People will always come up with solutions."

Minister Ding took the initiative to say: "Let's put off the military spending for the second half of the year and focus on repairing the river embankment first."

This is a solution.

Minister Ji also had this plan, and it couldn't be better now that the Minister of War has spoken out.

Just as Minister Ji was about to speak, Her Majesty the Empress, who was sitting on the dragon throne, opened her mouth and said, "Military spending cannot be delayed."

"The first thing I did after I ascended the throne was to pay all the troops in full. I also promised them that I would never delay military spending in the future."

"After more than a year, the soldiers in the various armies can finally have enough food to eat and train properly."

"Only when the army is stable can Daliang be truly stable. Military expenditures must be paid on time and in full."

Minister Ding was deeply moved and bowed to thank the emperor for his grace.

Minister Ji had no choice but to change his words: "Your Majesty is right. After I return, I will allocate military funds first. I will find a way to pay for the river embankment repairs later."

Jiang Shaohua said calmly: "Minister Zhou's budget will be reduced by another 10%."

Minister Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

Then I heard Her Majesty the Empress say again: "The treasury is short of money and food. I will find a way."

Minister Ji was cheered up and immediately bowed to express his gratitude.

The other important officials, however, were horrified.

Think of ways to?
any solution?
In order to squeeze out disaster relief money from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Empress Dowager Zheng was even placed under house arrest. Who will the emperor target next?