"Your Majesty, I have been ordered to inspect Taicang and have finished my work today. I have come to report to Your Majesty." After Zhu Ping'an stood up, he took out a memorial from his sleeve and held it respectfully above his head with both hands.
Huang Jin walked down from Emperor Jiajing's side, took the memorial from Zhu Ping'an, and presented it to Emperor Jiajing with both hands.
Emperor Jiajing took the memorial but did not open it. He placed it on the dragon table in front of him and said to Zhu Ping'an, "Tell me the results of the inspection."
"Your Majesty, I have been ordered to inspect Taicang, focusing on the account books of Taicang for the past three years, and taking inventory of the gold and silver in the silver vault. The Taicang account book records a deposit of 2,127,200 taels of silver and a deposit of 720,000 taels of gold. However, after checking the account books for several days, I found that there were deficits and false accounts of 367,543 taels of silver on the account books, and the accounts could not be reconciled. In addition, after I checked the vaults, I found that the Taicang silver vault only had 1,237,250 taels of silver and 316,500 taels of gold in stock, and 903,800 taels of silver were not pure silver, and 125,500 taels of gold were not pure gold." Zhu Ping'an stood respectfully in front of the hall and reported in a serious tone.
"How much?" Emperor Jiajing's face changed suddenly. He stood up from the dragon throne abruptly and asked Zhu Ping'an angrily.
Hearing the number Zhu Ping'an said, Emperor Jiajing almost suspected that he had misheard. Holding on to what Zhu Ping'an said, half of the Taicang warehouse was empty!!!
This kind of deficit had never happened in the past thousands of years, from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties!
If it is true, it would be the biggest case ever in the world!
Emperor Jiajing considered himself a wise ruler, but he did not expect to be fooled by his subordinates and even emptied half of the national treasury!
This was a bolt from the blue for Emperor Jiajing.
One of the biggest problems he faces in his administration now is financial constraints. The invaders in the north and the Japanese pirates in the south, as well as natural disasters and man-made tragedies, all require money. In recent years, money has been spent like water, which has forced Emperor Jiajing to be frugal even when practicing Taoism and refining elixirs.
It is conceivable how upset Emperor Jiajing felt when he heard that half of his treasury had been emptied out. How could Emperor Jiajing tolerate this
Zhu Ping'an had expected Emperor Jiajing's rage.
However, although he had expected the wrath of Emperor Jiajing, and although he also knew that the wrath of Emperor Jiajing was not directed at him, when he faced the wrath of the emperor, Zhu Ping'an still felt a chill on his back. The wrath of the emperor, millions of corpses, and blood flowing everywhere, this is no joke.
"Your Majesty, there are 367,543 taels of silver in deficit and false accounts in Taicang, and 889,950 taels of silver and 400,000 taels of gold in deficit in Taicang warehouse. In addition, there are 903,800 taels of silver that are not pure silver, and 125,500 taels of gold that are not pure gold..." After calming down, Zhu Ping'an repeated it again.
"Are you sure? How is there a deficit in the account?" Emperor Jiajing's voice came out from between his teeth, and his face was gloomy, like the sky before a storm.
"I am sure, and I can guarantee it with my head. For example, the salary paid by the Ministry of War in the Taicang account book is a very obvious example. The year before last, the salary received by the Ministry of War was 108,000 taels, plus 32,000 taels of reward, which was only 140,000 taels. But last year, the Taicang account showed that the Ministry of War paid 199,000 taels of salary, almost double. According to my investigation, the Ministry of War only added three new officials last year, so how could it pay nearly double the salary? There are many more false and inadequate places like this. This is the record that I have reviewed, and the false and inadequate parts have been recorded."
Zhu Ping'an raised his head and replied in a confident tone, then gave an example of false accounting. After that, he took out a roll of thick rice paper sewn with needle and thread from his sleeve and held it above his head respectfully with both hands.
This stack of rice paper is exactly the Taicang silver treasury account book that Zhu Ping'an re-calculated using the re-examination accounting form. It is a very thick stack, densely packed with tables and small characters. Zhu Ping'an also specially marked the deficits and falsehoods.
After hearing Zhu Ping's example, Emperor Jiajing was furious and gloomy, but this fake account resulted in a deficit of more than 90,000 silver coins! ! More than 90,000 silver coins were enough to relieve drought and flood disasters in several prefectures!
Huang Jin came down, took the double-entry accounting sheet from Zhu Ping'an, and handed it to Emperor Jiajing respectfully with both hands.
Emperor Jiajing casually turned a page and saw an accounting method that was completely different from the current one. He was stunned at first glance, but Emperor Jiajing was also a man of intelligence. After reading it for a while, he understood Zhu Ping'an's re-examination accounting form, and then discovered the advantages of this re-examination accounting form, in which the false accounts and deficits were very obvious.
Everywhere
Ichimoku
It was horrifying. The more Emperor Jiajing looked, the darker his face became. The temperature around him kept dropping, dropping below zero degrees. It was as if he was in an ice cellar within a radius of three meters.
After reading it, Emperor Jiajing suddenly kicked over the table in front of him and said murderously: "I am so angry! I am so angry! These rats! Borers! They are traitors! They are stealing from their employers! They have wasted my trust! Someone, pass on my order to escort all the officials in Taicang to the Ministry of Justice and have the factory guards help keep them under strict supervision!"
"As you wish."
A eunuch serving in the hall responded and walked quickly outside the hall to announce the order.
"Huang Ban, draft an edict. Since I ascended the throne, all the ministers who have been in charge of the treasury and the ministers who have been sent to investigate the treasury have been trusted by my close friends. They have also followed the old ways and have not noticed anything. No one has been able to expose the treasury, which is a betrayal of their trust. I wonder if the ministers feel guilty about this. I blame myself for not knowing how to judge people, and I feel deeply ashamed. I will hand them over to the Ministry of Personnel for investigation and severe punishment. This case will be sent to the Grand Secretary of Huagai Palace Yan Song, the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion Xu Jie, the Minister of Personnel Li Mo, and the Minister of Punishment He Ao, jointly try the case of the Taicang silver treasury deficit. All the yamen and the factory guards are to be dispatched to verify and handle the case. All the former treasury managers, treasury inspectors, clerks, and treasury soldiers of Taicang are to be investigated in detail. All officials involved in the case, regardless of their rank or merit, will be severely punished. All officials above the third rank in Beijing should be present to watch the trial. All officials from the Minister of Revenue below the minister should avoid participating in the case according to the rules. If they violate the rules, they will be punished as accomplices involved in the case. "
After giving the oral order, Emperor Jiajing instructed Huang Jin to draft an imperial edict, which was handed over to Wuyi Palace and then distributed to various government offices.
When the imperial edict reached Wuyi Palace, all the ministers in the palace were shocked. The impact was comparable to that of a grand ceremony, and soon the entire court was shocked.
So far
The curtain has been raised on the largest treasury deficit case in history.
The wheel of history has also deviated here. Originally, there was no such case of treasury deficit in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, the treasury deficit must have existed and it must have been so serious, but the lid had not been covered by all parties and had not been opened. However, now Zhu Ping'an flapped his butterfly wings and opened the lid, exposing this major case to the world.
perhaps
After this case, the deficit in the Ming Dynasty’s treasury will be curbed, and the treasury will be more abundant than in history.
perhaps
When natural disasters and man-made disasters occur, the Ming Dynasty has the financial resources to provide disaster relief; when foreign enemies invade, the Ming Dynasty has the financial resources to organize an army to resist the enemy.
perhaps
Emperor Chongzhen did not have to be hanged on Coal Hill, but instead became the leader of the revival...
Of course, who can tell what will happen in the future
In fact, when His Royal Highness Zhu Ping'an heard the Emperor Jiajing's oral imperial edict, he felt somewhat unwilling.
Zhu Ping'an also knew that he was not qualified to judge this case, but when he heard that Emperor Jiajing had handed the case over to Yan Song for trial, Zhu Ping'an still felt helpless.
Emperor Jiajing still trusted Yan Song in his heart.
But in Zhu Ping'an's opinion, this case is closely related to the Yan Party, and the fact is definitely so. But if Yan Song is the presiding judge, it is destined that the root cause will not be found.
Fortunately, Xu Jie, Li Mo and others participated in the trial. Although the root of the problem could not be found, some big fish could not escape.