The steward was shocked. "All of this needs to be saved? But how much money can be saved?"
The steward couldn't help but murmur in his heart, this princess is really stingy, is she thinking of using a little feather as a token of authority and then gaining merit in front of the prince and the empress dowager
Zi'an said, "I'll calculate it for you."
She took a pen and calculated the total amount based on the monthly tung oil and candle money, then subtracted one-third and handed it to the steward, "Actually, I shouldn't subtract one-third, because the imperial gardens and the gardens of the various palaces have more corridors and fences, and the loss is greater. However, even if I subtract one-third, I can still save this amount every month."
When the steward took it and looked at it, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. By removing a few lamps and candles, he could save more than two thousand taels of silver a month, which means more than twenty thousand taels a year.
"Candles are expensive to buy. Use tung oil lamps instead of candles whenever possible, especially in public places. There is no need to light candles. First, they are not suitable for strong winds. If they are blown out by the wind, they can be thrown away without lighting new ones. This number is a rough calculation. If you really want to calculate it, it will not be this number. Also, if you can not repair the palace, do not do it. If you really need to repair it, go directly to the Ministry of Works. I will tell the prince about this situation. All repairs in the palace will be calculated by the Ministry of Works and then handed over to the Ministry of Revenue for funding, without going through the Imperial Household."
"Yes!" The butler's face turned pale.
"Also, you are the head of the inner court, receiving a salary from the royal family. You have to keep a close eye on the source and control the price. I just checked the price of pots and pans, and they are more than double the market price. The prices of poultry, meat, vegetables, and fruits are also higher than the market price. Everyone knows what happened in between. I will not pursue the past, but from now on, the accounts must be clear, and they can only be lower than the market price, not higher than the market price. Do you understand?"
The butler wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Yes, I know."
"I have no intention of hindering someone's financial path, but the country is in financial difficulties. As a person in charge, it's always a good idea to restrain your own little thoughts and not lose the big picture for the small, and end up losing your life and harming your family." Zi'an said calmly.
The butler's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees.
"This, I understand, I will give the order."
Zi'an put away the account book, "Take all of them. From today on, every transaction must be recorded in the account."
"Yes!" The manager then realized that she was not just making a fuss, but was really going to reform.
After Zi'an sent away the steward, he went to Concubine Mei's palace.
Concubine Yi happened to be there too, and the two of them were discussing matters in the palace. When they saw Zi'an coming, Concubine Mei seemed warm but Concubine Yi seemed very cold.
"They are all here!" Zi'an walked in with a smile on his face, but it was not a smile on his face.
"Princess, you are in a good mood today!" Concubine Yi said calmly, "Why are you coming to the palace to see Sister Mei now? I wonder what's the matter?"
Zi'an said, "I didn't go to the palace to look for Concubine Mei. I just went to the inner court to ask about the accounts."
"Accounts? Oh, yes, I almost forgot that the Queen Mother asked the princess to manage the accounts. However, everyone knows that this was the intention of the Regent. Giving the princess such a lucrative position means that the palace will never have to worry about food and drink in the future." Concubine Yi's voice was soft, but sharp.
Zi'an smiled faintly, "Does Yilan Palace worry about food and clothing? The royal palace doesn't worry about it. It didn't worry about it before, and it won't worry about it now. No matter who it is, this is indeed a lucrative position that can save a lot of money for the country."
Concubine Yi raised her eyebrows, "Oh, this is to be expected. The princess does not live in the palace, so she naturally does not care about the lives of the people in the palace. I just don't know what will be cut this time? Don't even reduce three meals a day to two meals a day."
"Sister Yifei." Mei Fei gave her a reproachful look, "We are all sisters-in-law. You can talk and laugh, but you are not allowed to attack others."
"It's just a joke," Concubine Yi shrugged and looked at Zi'an, "Isn't it, Princess? We are just sisters-in-law sitting together and joking. I am a bit outspoken, so if I have offended you, Princess, please don't take it to heart."
After saying that, she smiled and fanned her hands again, "I am also worrying too much. The princess is magnanimous and naturally won't be stingy, right?"
Zi'an looked at her with a half-smile, "I'm not generous at all, I'm very stingy."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Mei Fei hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Look at you guys, you're joking around, but you're acting so serious. Come, try the rice wine balls I made."
Concubine Yi stood up and said, "Farewell, I'd better be tactful and not interfere with your conversation. I'll come back another day."
After saying this, he walked away with a very arrogant attitude.
Zi'an looked at her back and smiled coldly.
Acting crazy and foolishly to express her inner dissatisfaction shows that Concubine Yi is truly a black rose with thorns.
Mei Fei smiled awkwardly, "Zi'an, don't bother with her. She is a person who... speaks her mind!"
Zi'an raised his head and looked at Concubine Mei, "Speak frankly?" It was difficult for Concubine Mei to say that she was speaking frankly, but everyone knew that this was not speaking frankly.
Mei Fei smiled and ordered the maid to help set up a bowl of rice wine balls, "Don't mind it, try what I made myself."
Zi'an didn't hesitate to eat a few and asked, "Did you put wolfberries in it?"
"Yes, it contains wolfberries to nourish the body," said Concubine Mei.
"Concubine Mei is well versed in the art of health preservation." Zi'an smiled and stopped eating. The taste of the wine was not strong, but rather sweet and greasy, which she did not like very much.
"I used to think about this when I felt lonely in the palace." Mei Fei was not speaking from the heart. She studied this not because she felt lonely, but to win favor. She hoped that the emperor would come and remember this good thing about her.
Zi'an naturally understood, but why bother? Mei Fei's family was not very powerful, so if she wanted to gain a firm foothold, she would have to work harder than others.
Zi'an was not ambiguous and stated his purpose directly, "I just talked to the inner court about the cost-saving of the palace. You can also ask the chief steward to come over later to tell him your ideas. The palace's expenses must be controlled. After the year-end accounts are settled, the budget for next year must be worked out as soon as possible. Concubine Mei and Concubine Yi will discuss this. I will also take a look, or participate in giving some opinions. Do you think it's okay?"
Mei Fei nodded, "Okay, this is a good thing. The palace has been spending a lot in the past two years. The emperor has said this before, but the queen is in charge of the general account and said that the expenses cannot be reduced, for fear of affecting the majesty of the royal family."
"Majesty cannot be built with money. The censor will probably be dissatisfied with such extravagance and waste. We must do our job well first so that no one can find fault with it. Whether we have made any contribution or not is not the point." Zi'an said.
"Yes, Princess, you have a point. In fact, a minister has said that the palace's expenses in recent years are much higher than those of the previous emperor and Emperor Hui. It's tolerable for one or two years, but it's not good for a long time."
Seeing that she was sincerely cooperating with this cost-saving measure, Zi'an felt relieved. It seemed that Murong Jie had made the right choice. Although Concubine Mei had been a bit utilitarian in the past, she was still considered positive among the concubines in the harem.
"Where is the third prince?" Zi'an looked around. It was already evening, and he hadn't seen the third prince yet.
"I'm in the study room. I'm always being punished by the teacher recently." Mei Fei shook her head, looking very worried.
(End of this chapter)