The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 27 Snow Disaster in Shanxi
In the imperial court, Fu Youde continued to look at Zhu Yunwen.

When this prince greeted them just now, they, the people of Huaixi and Wujiang, were so embarrassed that they almost dug out another Fengtian Palace with their toes.

You call him uncle, grandpa, and great-uncle? You don't seem to know him at all!

Apart from Feng Sheng, who responded somewhat gently, the other brothers mostly gave an awkward reply and then stopped.

Fortunately, the phrase "all officials enter the palace" came at the right time; otherwise, Old Fu, who survived the bloodshed on the battlefield, would have been awkwardly killed outside the Fengtian Palace.

"Gentlemen, is there anything important to discuss today?"

A gentle voice rang out from the high platform.

Looking at Zhu Xiong Ying, although he looked young, he showed no fear in the face of the imperial court.

The difference is obvious!
"Your Highness, I have important matters to report."

Just then, Li Shanchang smiled slightly, slowly stepped forward and said, "This winter is very cold, and frost has broken the southern branches."

"Jiao Tailang, the councilor of Shanxi Province in the north, reported on the disaster situation this winter. The snow disaster was very serious, affecting more than 100,000 people. Countless people suffered from frostbite and froze to death! I request that funds be allocated to provide relief to 18 prefectures including Datong Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, Tianjin Wei, and Yongping Prefecture."

"Approximately silver,"

"Three hundred thousand taels!"

These words caused a moment of silence throughout the entire imperial court!
Eighteen prefectures were affected by the disaster, and 300,000 taels of silver were allocated for disaster relief!
This is no small number!

It should be noted that after Emperor Hongwu established the Ming Dynasty, he set a tax rate of one-thirtieth. Apart from Suzhou, which was unlucky enough to be taxed more due to a certain Zhang family member, the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty was four million taels!
With just one word from Li Shanchang, he could demand a month's worth of taxes from the entire empire!
Immediately after Li Shanchang spoke, another voice rang out:
"Not allowed, Your Highness!"

The speaker was none other than Yang Siyi, the current Minister of Revenue.

After Zhu Yuanzhang declared himself King of Wu, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, who was in charge of money and grain. Later, he was appointed Minister of Revenue. He proposed a draft to encourage people to plant mulberry and hemp and to collect taxes after four years, which was adopted by Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the past, during the conquests, this guy was known for being a tough nut to crack.

He was the only one in the entire Ming Dynasty who could stand in front of Emperor Zhu and shamelessly complain about having no money.

This old man has only one characteristic: he's extremely meticulous!

It's not about being petty about people, but about being petty about the money in the national treasury.

The decisive battle against Chen Youliang at Poyang Lake was a battle that would determine who would become the ruler of the land. This old man managed to divert money from the treasury to the "civil" department, and despite having blisters on his lips, he stayed up all night preparing provisions. It was truly admirable.

Privately, Emperor Zhu once told Empress Ma, "Yang Siyi, who is like our Xiao He, is such a stingy fellow; it's truly a love-hate relationship."

When Li Shanchang saw that it was Yang Siyi who spoke, he simply smiled and did not say anything.

Yang Siyi ignored the Left Chancellor of the Secretariat and said loudly, "Your Highness, since the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty, His Majesty has always cared for the people and allowed them to recuperate. There have been many policies such as tax exemption and tax reduction."

"However,"

"In the treasury of my Great Ming Dynasty, even rats and ants are emaciated!"

"Eighteen prefectures in Shanxi have been affected by the disaster and should be given relief, but the amount of money for this relief is far too large, three hundred thousand taels of silver!"

Yang Siyi wasn't against disaster relief; he was against Li Shanchang's sudden, impulsive decision to come up with the figure of 300,000 taels of silver.

Three hundred thousand. If all of this is used for disaster relief, and then something else happens, the national treasury won't even have enough money left.

Even though he was in charge of the six ministries under the Central Secretariat, Yang Siyi was not intimidated by the word "insulting superiors".

Li Shanchang smiled slightly and said, "The estimate of 300,000 taels is just a rough estimate based on the memorial of Jiao Tailang, the provincial councilor of Shanxi. The exact amount of money will need to be calculated in detail."

After saying this, he gave a slight bow and returned to the queue, without continuing to speak.

This action surprised the assembled officials slightly.

Did Prime Minister Li really just report it?

Asking for 300,000 taels of silver for relief is indeed a solution, but it's far too hasty! Hu Weiyong watched his mentor's actions and couldn't help but admire him!

My mentor is indeed a mentor!
That's really brilliant!

This is Li Shanchang's attitude: I will report the matter. I will provide a general solution. This is fulfilling his responsibilities.

but,

Behind the sense of responsibility lies difficulty and sabotage!
Throughout history, the most difficult thing has always been money.

It's not just hard to make money, it's hard to spend money!
It's impossible to estimate exactly how much of the '300,000 taels' mentioned by Li Shanchang was embezzled by officials in between.

Lan Yu and the others were so anxious that their eyes were practically blazing with anger, but they were completely helpless.

When it comes to civil and political affairs, these military generals really can only watch helplessly!

And this Li Shanchang is especially cunning. He deliberately said the words "roughly estimate" so that he would have something to say if someone impeached him later.

Yang Siyi looked at the young Zhu Xiong Ying on the high platform, his heart churning.

Such a problem, to be decided by the regent, involves the national treasury.

If the national treasury expenditures were truly excessive, Emperor Hongwu would be greatly angered upon his return from his tour.

However, if the allocated funds are insufficient and the people freeze to death, His Highness the Crown Prince's popularity will definitely plummet!
It's a dilemma where we have to find a 'neutral' solution!

"Minister Yang, according to your estimate, eighteen prefectures have been hit by a snow disaster. Based on past experience, how much silver would be needed?"

On the high platform, Zhu Xiong Ying chuckled and then asked.

Such a relaxed attitude made it seem as if Li Shanchang's earlier difficulties were nothing more than a joke.

Upon hearing this, all the ministers secretly thought that this prince was very intelligent!

If you can't calculate the exact amount, just use past examples to estimate it.

In this way, although there may be shortages or surpluses, they are all within a reasonable range, allowing Shanxi to make its own decisions on how to make up for them.

Yang Siyi said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, according to past practice, the required amount of silver is no less than two hundred thousand."

"The main snow disasters are different from droughts and floods."

"Besides providing food relief during droughts and floods, we also need to provide warmth during snow disasters, in addition to food relief!"

"The greatest danger is that disaster victims freeze to death."

Yang Siyi seemed worried that Zhu Xiong Ying wouldn't understand, so he gave a special explanation.

The relief grain for the snow disaster was not given directly to the people, but was stored.

The snow disaster was too severe, and next year's production will inevitably be reduced. This grain is intended to provide relief to the people next year.

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded slightly, looking at Yang Siyi, and felt that this person was indeed different from ordinary bureaucrats.

He was a good official who cared deeply about the people and the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunwen blinked, looking at the officials and his brother in the court, annoyed by the snow.

Remembering his mother's teachings that he should show his intelligence at the right time, a sudden inspiration struck him.

Then, a timid voice rang out in the imperial court:

"Brother, if there isn't enough money, why not levy more taxes?"

Upon hearing this, the entire court of officials and civil and military officials suddenly changed color!

(End of this chapter)