Because the imperial control room is next to Wu Ge's duty room, what's going on inside can be heard very clearly here.
Hearing a burst of laughter coming from inside, several Zhongshusheren looked at each other in dismay, Feng Qing stood up and came to He You's side.
"Little brother sees that Brother He is very close to this son, and there is one sentence that I don't know if I should say it or not." Seeing He You's expression of questioning, Feng Qingcai said: "Brother He is the first person next to Lord Cifu, and now this is the place to come. Boy, looking at this momentum, I am afraid that Brother He will have to retreat in front of him in the future."
He clearly knew that Feng Qing was a villain, and also knew that his words meant instigation, but He You was still a little uncomfortable.
But this kind of discomfort will definitely not be revealed, so he just smiled and said, "It's up to you."
"Naturally, it depends on one's ability. Who doesn't know that Brother He has been in the Imperial House for the longest time and is most trusted by the Second Assistant. But this time is different from the other, and the real ability can't stand the villain's tendency to gain momentum. This kid can coax the elders of the pavilion. It must have its ability to be so happy. I think Brother He still needs to be more attentive, so as to prevent the many years of Arhats from cultivating to become a Buddha quickly, but being stopped by others."
If He You hadn't known that Feng Qing was impossible and didn't dare to mock him face to face, he would have thought that the other party was deliberately mocking him.
People all over the world are vying for the position of Zhongshu Shiren in the two rooms of the imperial imperial palace and the imperial imperial palace. Not only because it is a close minister, but also in a key position, and its status is particularly high, but also because it is a gilded place.
Because of its detached status in the DPRK, the cabinet had to have some contacts with the six ministries and departments, and these Zhongshushe people who were in charge of running errands were able to get to know many high-ranking officials during this time. All the important officials of the six ministries and divisions are essential resources for leaving the cabinet in the future.
Audiences from all dynasties and generations, there are not a few people who finally entered Zhiwenyuan Pavilion. As for the Zhongshusheren released from the cabinet, they started from fifth-rank officials at a minimum, and they were all in key positions.
Of course, the premise is that if it can be released, someone will lift it up.
This is also the main reason why these Zhongshushe people rely on each other.
He You has been in the cabinet for six years, the longest and the oldest. Over the years, after seeing countless colleagues who left the cabinet, or joined the Sixth Division as an important official, or became a high-ranking official guarding the side, he was still a seventh-rank Zhongshu Sheren.
Going out is sought after by everyone, but after being in this position for a long time, who wants to be an errand and errand forever, and does not want to be the master of the house.
Urgent, of course, urgent, but the old man also said that the chief assistant has not retired, and the major event has not yet been completed.
Relying on these, He You persisted for six years, and so far there is no end in sight.
Does this one have to surpass itself
"Thank you Feng Zhongshu for your concern. Do what you want, it's useless to think too much." He You smiled lightly.
Feng Qing glanced at him and saw that the other party didn't want to say more, he smiled embarrassingly: "I'm just not worth it for Brother He, think I'm talking too much."
After saying that, he left in a hurry, leaving He You's eyes twirling for a long time.
Xue Tingxiang later visited Yang Chonghua and others.
These pavilion elders all treated him indifferently, and obviously did not want to make deep friendships.
The only one missing is Xu Shoufu.
Xu Shoufu is really old, and now he doesn't come to the cabinet every day, not even the previous court. It's just that His Majesty has given such a favor, and others naturally can't say anything.
That's how Xue Tingxiang's days in the cabinet began.
There are many trivial matters in the cabinet every day. The elders of the cabinet send a sentence, or if there is something that needs to be negotiated with the six departments, these naturally cannot be the elders of the cabinet, but only the people in the two rooms.
Every day, Xue Tingxiang drafted various proclamations and decrees, or went to various ministries to transmit memorials and documents. Every day I go to the palace before dawn, and I can only come back when it is dark. After I come back, I eat and fall asleep. I am really tired.
The key point is that this kind of tiredness cannot be shied away, and no one is willing to shirk it.
Letting you run is to value you. If you are asked to squat in two rooms and do some work such as writing, and you will not see outsiders for a few months, then you will be crying with tears. What are you still doing in the middle school, let’s just change the place to be an official, the Hanlin Academy is idle, and I don’t see those Hanlins breaking their heads and thinking about it.
The days went on like this, and in a blink of an eye it was September.
Entering September, the sky was getting colder, but the cabinet was not free, instead it became more and more busy.
September is the harvest season. At this time, it is time for all localities to go to the capital to pay this year's taxes, silver, and grain. Now that the households are so poor, they are waiting for this crop to fill the national treasury.
The cabinet is busy, and so are the six ministries and departments. The whole September was spent in a hurry. Finally, in the second half of October, it was finally time to take a break. But this is also the time for the annual inventory of the Ministry of Households. .
Inventory what
Naturally, it is to take stock of the various revenues and expenditures, surpluses and deficits of the imperial court this year.
Every time at this time, the upper and lower departments of the household have to be very busy. Not only the Ministry of Households, but this time is also the time when the cabinet loves to fight.
The elders of the pavilion are all ministers, and if any one is in short supply, these should be discussed. Big discussions and small discussions are discussed every day, the people above are talking, and the people below are running everywhere.
Xue Tingxiang wore a dark cyan official uniform outside and a thin padded jacket inside. He had just returned from the Ministry of Industry, and he could not ride a car or horse on the way. He ran down on two legs, his body was steaming, and his forehead was hot. There was also a thin sweat.
He lifted the curtain and walked in from the outside, bringing in a gust of cold wind.
Now there are one or two vassals around him, and when he sees him back, some people take the initiative to come forward to talk, and some people bring tea to him.
Xue Tingxiang sat on the chair, took the tea and drank a cup of cattle, Fang said: "This ghost weather is so cold that it is frightening to death, but it is so frustrating. It's amazing that his throat is dry and smoking when he runs down."
"Isn't that what Xue Zhongshu ate last night to make up for it?" Cheng Wei, who was also the Shusheren in the pardon room, laughed and joked.
"Fuck you, I don't know what supplements I eat." Xue Tingyan scolded with a smile.
"Don't say it, it should have snowed at this time in previous years, but this year, I saw no snow in the cold." Cai Guang, who was on the side, interjected.
At this time, Shao Houming walked in from the outside and said in a low voice, "Several patriarchs are arguing again."
Hearing this, several people looked at each other in dismay and gave helpless eyes.
Cai Guang asked, "What's the noise again this time?"
"The Ministry of War's accounting this year exceeded one million taels of silver compared to last year, and the Ministry of Household did not sign the seal, so Feng Ge and Yang Ge got into trouble. The trouble caused Xu Shoufu and Wu Ge to speak out, Feng Ge The old man asked why the Ministry of Works gave a lot of money, but the Ministry of War did not.
This kind of thing is not uncommon these days.
The court had no money, and the Ministry of Household also had no money. In previous years, there was no limit to the expenses in various places. When each department and department was short of money, they went to the household department to pay. When it was time to really use the money, the Ministry of Household was so anxious that he was blinded, and the other matters had nothing to do with him.
Probably Yang Chonghua was also annoyed, and a few years ago he petitioned Emperor Jiacheng to change the charter.
At the end of the year, the Ministry of Accounts conducts a year-end inventory accounting of income and expenditure, and each department also reports the expenses for the next year in advance, and the detailed amount is handed over to the Ministry of Accounts for accounting. If it can pass, the Ministry of Household will stamp and sign it. If it cannot pass, it will be called back and redone.
In the following year, if each department has overruns, it will be responsible for it, and the household department will not care about it.
This one-size-fits-all approach is obviously not feasible, after all, how can everything be calculated so accurately. Kejia Chengdi agreed, but the ministries and divisions had no choice.
However, there are policies above and countermeasures below. No, every year at the end of the year, everyone will report as much as possible.
If it were one or two, it would be fine, but all of them are like this, and they have to stage a big drama every year. After all the ramblings and ramblings to the end, several patriarchs came forward to deal with it together, and even more troubled him in front of Emperor Jiacheng.
However, the purpose of the Ministry of Finance to throw the pot is to achieve it, from taking responsibility on its own to everyone coming out to discuss and solve it together. This is probably Yang Chonghua's own purpose.
"If it goes on like this, it is estimated that the court will discuss it again." Cheng Wei said.
Although the other people didn't nod their heads, they all thought so in their hearts.
Sure enough, as Feng Chengbao slammed out of the door, as expected, he went to find Emperor Jiacheng. In the afternoon, an oral order came from the Qianqing Palace, and the court would discuss it tomorrow.
For every court meeting, the cabinet will send a clerk from the middle school.
In previous years, it was He Youchongzhi, but now Xue Tingxiang is a big celebrity in front of the elders, so he naturally gave up on others.
When there was still half an hour before the court meeting, with Xu Shoufu as the head, the elders left the cabinet lobby and went to the Qianqing Palace.
Accompanying him is Xue Tingxiang.
Xue Tingxiang naturally saw that He You's face was not good, but Wu Ge was willing to give him face, Xu Shoufu had always been indifferent, but it was not him.
When they arrived at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, there was a servant who led everyone in.
In the eastern side hall of the Qianqing Palace, more than 20 bills were divided into two rows below, lined up one by one. There is a chair behind each bill, and there is also a bill at the end, but it is much narrower and shorter than those bills, and it is the seat of the middle book who is responsible for recording.
In the center of the upper head is the dragon chair, which is the position of Emperor Jiacheng.
As time passed, senior officers in vermilion official robes walked in from outside the door and sat one by one. They greeted each other politely, until a servant came to the hall and shouted that His Majesty was coming, and these voices fell silent.
Everyone stood up and respectfully looked at Emperor Jiacheng who stepped in through the side door.
Not only was Emperor Jiacheng alone, but also Zheng Ancheng and Lin Miao who accompanied him. Lin Miao also appeared as the servant of Zhongshushe who served on the side.
After Emperor Jiacheng came to the dragon case, he sat down, looked around at the ministers below, and said, "Sit down, many of you are old, and I don't know when this discussion will end, so you all sit down and talk."
"Thank you for the grace of my emperor, Your Majesty is merciful."
As usual, the ministers sat down after singing their praises. Xue Tingxiang also sat down and sat in his special seat.
I have to say that this case is too short, and the chair is too hard. It's not too high or too low. It's half a person's head. It's like a castrated horse. It's really uncomfortable to sit up.
However, Xue Tingxiang was unmoved, and spread out the paper and ink as usual, waiting for the top to start.
"Let's start." At the first place, Emperor Jiacheng said.
Xu Shoufu was the first assistant, so Tingyi was naturally the one to preside over. He looked at his colleagues, coughed, and said, "Every year, all the departments and divisions fight over the silver two matters, and they even come to your Majesty. I am incompetent as a courtier. It is useless to say more, but according to the usual practice, everyone reports the actual expenses of each department and department, and everyone comes to discuss it. Let's discuss again. But with Your Majesty here, you don't have to be afraid of who is biased and who helps whom."
Afterwards, each department and division explained the amount of silver they needed, and the specific item and amount.
There are records on the Ministry of Household, and the unreasonable places are also picked out in advance. When they heard anything unreasonable, Peng Junyi, the servant of the Ministry of Household and the left servant, told the Ministry of Household the reason why it could not be approved.
When he arrived at the Ministry of War, the matter was originally caused by Feng Chengbao, the minister of the Ministry of War. He was particularly indignant, stared at Yang Chonghua, and said, "Everyone knows that the Jin people are restless this year, and they have repeatedly attacked the Guangning area, causing my Dachang to lose his troops and lose his generals. The Ministry of War speculates that the Jinmen will definitely attack in large numbers next year, so it is necessary to make some preparations in advance, and increasing military expenditure is the top priority."
Everyone did not speak, and Emperor Jiacheng said: "The military affairs of the country are indeed the key."
Yang Chonghua stood up and said: "This increase is one million taels of silver. I, Dachang, have various taxes every year. Your Majesty and everyone here know that the Ministry of Household really can't come up with this money. Promise now, if there is no money afterwards, it is better to explain it in advance, or to make other preparations.”
"Then why did the Ministry of Industry say that to repair the river, if the increase is one million taels, your household will have money?" Feng Chengbao said with a sneer.
"The diversion of the Yellow River has harmed the people on both sides of the river, and also left part of the canal. The canal is the lifeblood of our Dachang. The grain is transferred from the south to the north. Canal. If you don't repair the river, if you don't manage the canal, when you, Master Feng, are sitting at home without food to eat, you will know whether the money spent by the Ministry of Industry is worth it." Ma Qi said without Yang Chonghua speaking.
Minister of Industry Ma Qi was always taciturn, but when it came to such matters, he never let anyone speak. The knife pierced his heart, making Feng Chengbao so angry that his face was red and blue.
However, Feng Chengbao did not dare to say that even if more than half of the people in the capital had no food to eat, he would not be short of food.
"This has been put on hold in advance, and the discussion will continue."
Now that Emperor Jiacheng has spoken, everyone can only ignore it for the time being and talk about other ministries first.
After a discussion, they could come up with a solution on the spot. Only there is a gap of nearly 3 million taels, which cannot be filled for the time being.
Among them are the increased military expenditures of the Ministry of War, the use of the Ministry of Industry to manage the river, and some other bits and pieces of various departments and departments, which seem to be insignificant, but they are all indispensable.
Three million taels, Dachang Dynasty’s various taxes can add up to seven or eight million taels every year. Now that there is such a big gap, the imperial court can't come up with the money, and which one to delete, in the mouths of these ministers, is to shake the foundation of the society.
All come out, but the court has no money to pay, what should I do
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.
It was already cold, and charcoal was burned in the hall, which made the hall warm like spring, but now it makes people feel bored and uncomfortable and panic.
Emperor Jiacheng didn't speak, and he was very silent every time at this time. Of course, it would be more comfortable if there was no eyes that seemed to contain a thousand jins of strength.
"Why don't you say anything? Ming Taizu set the world tax on more than 8 million acres and levied 30 million shi of grain, so he decreed that 'Never can afford to pay for it'. How much money can these grains be exchanged for? Salt and tea are taxed every year. , how much money can I get? Compared with the previous dynasty, I have not lost an inch of land in Dachang. Why can't I collect taxes every year? Calculate this account for me, why is it that I can't make ends meet."
In the silence, Emperor Jiacheng's voice sounded like thunder.
No one expected that at this court meeting, he would be so to the point, almost directly poking at the core of the essential problem that Dachang is facing today.
Xue Tingxiang, who was sitting at the bottom, carefully raised his head to look around at the faces of all the officials present, and then turned his attention to Emperor Jiacheng, who was somewhat unclear on the dragon chair.
This is the emperor with iron and blood, planning to declare war on the ministers