Rebirth of the Demon Queen

Chapter 5 Dilemma

As the saying goes, family affairs are connected with state affairs, and Mr. Bi is right. When the Lin family was worried about arrears of salary, Liu Qingyuan, the chief minister of the cabinet, was also worried about arrears of salary.

It was already three o'clock in the morning, and ordinary people had fallen asleep early, but the Jiyi Hall in the Forbidden City was still full of gunpowder.

During the day, nearly a hundred officials went to sit-in at the Meridian Gate due to lack of salary. Although the cabinet tried hard to dissuade them, they were finally stopped. However, Liu Qingyuan, the chief assistant of the cabinet, also knew very well that this issue had reached a time when it had to be put on the table.

Ye Quan, the Minister of Personnel, was nearly sixty years old and had just experienced a round of argument. He took a breath and continued: "Officials of all sizes in the capital have been owed their salaries for more than half a year. Today they went to sit in meditation at the Meridian Gate. They can't say tomorrow.

There's going to be trouble in the Huangji Palace! Mr. Liu Ge, as you also lead the household department, you have to think of a way!"

As the emperor's teacher, Ye Quan's words naturally carry weight. Liu Qingyuan drafted what he was going to say in his mind. Just as he was about to answer, Qian Minzhong, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, said: "The war in the north has not stopped, and there are still tens of thousands of refugees in the pass.

, the national affairs are so difficult, these people usually talk about being loyal to the emperor and patriotism, but now they come to persecute the emperor one by one for a little money. What is the use of the imperial court to support these people! I don’t know how they become officials.

of!"

These words were tantamount to direct accusations that there were problems with the selection of officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and they were said so rudely that Ye Quan's old face turned red.

"Lord Qian said it lightly. These more than a hundred people have not seen a penny of their salary for half a year, and the family will be in trouble. If this continues, the six departments of Dayan will be paralyzed. At that time, the foundation of the country will be shaken!"

After listening to the cabinet arguing in Jiyi Hall for more than an hour, the emperor looked gloomy. He hurriedly summoned the cabinet to discuss countermeasures. Now the cabinet still has no solution to the problem.

He knew that if he did not come forward, there would be no progress in the discussion until tomorrow morning.

"Liu Qingyuan, tell me," the emperor finally couldn't help but speak, "how to solve this dilemma?"

He considers himself to be lenient and has never treated his ministers harshly, but these courtiers usually only care about the general principles when there is any disturbance in the court, and never consider their own difficulties. Today, Cao Shouli acted so boldly, but no one dared to stand up.

Say something!

Normally Liu Qingyuan did not want to offend Cao Shouli, but now the emperor put the burden on himself and could only bite the bullet and said: "In the past years, the mines in various places were rich, and they could collect more than four million taels in taxes from the mines alone every year.

Silver, maybe the business in the mine has been bad in the past few years. Last year, not even 2 million silver was confiscated. I would like to ask Eunuch Cao to urge the mine supervisors in various places to solve the current predicament of the court."

Although the matter was a foregone conclusion, the emperor was still quite satisfied with Weiyuan Hou's attitude. At least Weiyuan Hou was not like the cabinet who only cared about self-preservation and could stand up to confront Cao Shouli.

Since the late emperor, Na Yong Dingbo has been accompanying him in the north and south. He has been awarded a title for his military achievements. Now he is also responsible for the errands of the Central Army Commander's Office. Cao Shouli actually ransacked his house and did not let himself, the commander-in-chief of the five armies, be released.

In the eyes!

Fang Luan was not a tolerant person at first, and he had been domineering for many years by taking charge of the military. How could he swallow this sigh of relief? He immediately went out of the queue and bowed to the emperor and said: "Your Majesty, Cao Shouli indulged his subordinates, had no regard for the king's laws, and framed the imperial court.

Official, I ask the emperor to investigate this matter thoroughly and provide justice to all officials!"

The emperor resisted the urge to jump violently and waved his hand. Wei Bingzhong saw this and turned to look at Cao Shouli. Cao Shouli said solemnly: "Step back, you have nothing to do here."

Seeing that the emperor's expression softened slightly, he added: "The Jiangnan Salt Patrol Censor is too old to be of use. Tomorrow the cabinet will order the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Supervisory Office to select another capable person to patrol the salt south and investigate the missed salt taxes in recent years. We must

We must raise one million taels within three months for the Ministry of Works to regulate the river."

"Back to the Emperor, after an overnight interrogation by the Criminal Division, the evidence was conclusive. The slave also brought a detailed report for the Emperor to review." Wei Bingzhong said, taking out the report from his sleeve and bowing to present it.

Fang Luan was a little unwilling and wanted to argue a few more words, but saw that the emperor had already stood up and left Danbi, without giving the ministers any chance to speak.

It was almost midnight, and the emperor was not sleepy at all. He sat alone in front of the imperial desk, his eyes dark.

"Marquis Weiyuan is loyal, and I naturally know that. However, he has always been reliable in observing etiquette. The evidence for today's matter is conclusive, so let's hand it over to the Ministry of Punishment for conviction." The emperor comforted Fang Luan with a few words, and then said: "I am a little tired.

Shouli, you and the cabinet will decide on today’s red approval, there is no need to report to me anymore.”

The emperor nodded slightly, tapped his fingers on the imperial desk carelessly a few times, and said, "This is what you need to do to protect your country."

A second-grade military prince and a fourth-grade official, Cao Shouli ransacked the house without asking for any instructions in advance. How can he be a slave in the slightest!

Cao Shouli secretly searched the high officials in the capital. Although it made him a little uncomfortable, he felt a little happy in his heart.

Although the official's salary was settled, Cao Shouli's cold expression made Liu Qingyuan uneasy. Liu Qingyuan was no longer interested in discussing matters, and after discussing some details with the cabinet, they resigned.

His father, Emperor Lizong, prided himself on elegance and left the affairs of the government directly to the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Every day he was either in the harem discussing chess, calligraphy and painting with the concubines, or he went to the Hanlin Academy to study poetry, poetry, and poetry with the Hanlin officials.

.

Cao Shouli dared to violate the rules in this way because he was sure that the treasury was empty and that he, the emperor, would not get into trouble because of it. This made the matter an ironclad case, leaving the cabinet with no chance to overturn the verdict.

Why couldn't Cao Shouli hear the meaning in Liu Qingyuan's words? He sneered and said: "There is no need to be so troublesome about the money. Since the elder has spoken, I should try my best to handle it."

The emperor sighed in his heart. He implemented benevolent government and was always tolerant of his ministers. It seemed that he had never been punished with such severity.

Since the founding of Dayan, the Chief of Ceremonies was established in the inner court. He was not only in charge of the affairs of the eunuchs in the inner court, but also involved in the affairs of the foreign court. He was responsible for reviewing the cabinet's memorials and resolutions, sorting them out and conveying them to the emperor. At the same time, the Chief of Ceremonies was in charge of the affairs of the East Factory.

, can supervise and arrest subjects at will without going through the Three Laws Division.

The courtiers made countless concessions over the salary arrears of officials, but no one could solve the fundamental problem of lack of money in the treasury! The cabinet held discussions for most of the night yesterday, but unexpectedly the Secretary of Ceremonies solved it overnight.

"There was still some money in the treasury, but last year there was a severe drought in the capital, Luyuan, and the pass, and floods occurred in the south of the Yangtze River due to the bursting of the Pingjiang River. In order to relieve the disaster, the imperial court lent grain to the victims, and spent a lot of money on river control.

The only solution for now is to stop several river control projects of the Ministry of Industry, and then try to recover the grain loaned out last year. After the summer taxes are collected, we can turn around."

After repeated requests from the living eunuch, the emperor fell into a deep sleep with a heavy heart. However, on the morning of the next day, what happened made him feel even heavier.

The emperor forced a smile on his face and said to Cao Shouli beside him: "Shouli, I am very pleased that you can share your worries. The people below have worked hard all night, and the rest of the errands will be left to the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Let’s go to the temple to do it.”

The emperor glared at Liu Qingyuan angrily. This Liu Qingyuan, after being the Prime Minister of Taiping for these years, was still so unimproved!

The emperor left the Huangji Hall and went to the Wenhua Hall. He ordered the eunuch who was serving him not to see anyone, but to lean on the dragon chair in the Wenhua Hall and close his eyes to rest.

"We are in the midst of a lean period now. How do you let the victims eat after you take back the food? Are you forcing them to rebel? As we speak, this year's flood season has arrived again. Are you going to stop the river control project? Humph, are you waiting to continue the disaster relief this year?"

"Your Majesty! Last night, I was ordered to inspect Yongding Bo Mansion and Zuo Qiandu Censor's Mansion to find out various crimes such as corruption and perversion of the law. I obtained a total of sixteen thousand taels of gold and three hundred and twenty-nine thousand five hundred taels of silver. Jewelry, calligraphy and painting, and land deeds are still being investigated!”

When Ruizong passed away, he left a last word with his grandfather who was still the prince at that time. The Chief of Ceremonies must not be used, let alone reused. The emperor naturally knew the truth. Since he came to the throne, he has done everything himself and did not give the Chief of Ceremonies any political affairs. Opportunities to exercise power.

In my own hands, I work hard every day and night, and I can't say that I am careless. However, it has been more than ten years since I ascended the throne. The chief minister of rituals and supervision is still in power, the ministers in the cabinet form cliques, and the military generals are proud of their military exploits. Unexpectedly, to this day, Even the salaries of the courtiers can’t be paid!

It seemed that he was far inferior to Ruizong, and the emperor couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

It seems that in the battle between the cabinet and the Supervisor of Ceremonies, the Supervisor of Ceremonies won again.

Dayan was founded for more than a hundred years and has gone through eight generations. During this period, many changes occurred. Because the Yingzong favored traitors and traitors, vassal kings from all over the country established themselves one after another. In the end, the country almost perished. Thanks to Ruizong's talent and talent, after he succeeded to the throne, he killed powerful officials at home and suppressed all the foreign affairs. King, it has only been decades of peace and prosperity.

Seeing that the emperor was angry, Liu Qingyuan responded hurriedly: "Your Majesty, please calm down and ask Rong Chen to say a few more words. Hedong and Shannan were not hit by disasters last year, and there should be a lot of grain in the warehouses of the two provinces. I will write a letter to make arrangements to meet the urgent need." ."

Relying on the foundation left by Ruizong, both his grandfather and father were much more relaxed. His grandfather, Emperor Guangzong, traveled to the south of the Yangtze River many times and left countless repertoire in the opera.

During the cabinet discussion tonight, Cao Shouli didn't say a word. When Liu Qingyuan mentioned him, his face suddenly turned cold, "What do you want Mr. Liu Ge to do? But it doesn't matter."

Although he was happy, the emperor's complexion became worse and worse.

As soon as the morning court began, the eunuch Wei Bingzhong of Dongchang gave the civil and military officials of the court a big "surprise".

Liu Qingyuan was relieved. He reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves. He looked up and saw Cao Shouli, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, standing beside the emperor with an expressionless face. Suddenly he remembered something and his heart skipped a beat. He said to Cao Shouli: "Eunuch Cao Shouli , Although the taxation matter is taken the lead by the Ministry of Household Affairs, there are some difficulties in the process, and I need to ask the supervisor to take care of them."

Wei Bingzhong withdrew from Huangjimen. All the ministers in the cabinet had chills down their spines and did not dare to say a word. Last night, Liu Qingyuan had just revealed to the emperor the corruption of the mine superintendent, and the ceremonial supervisor came early in the morning. It was clear that It is a warning to the cabinet. According to Cao Shouli's temperament, will he stop here?

Unlike the cabinet who remained silent, Cao Shouli aroused the burning anger in Weiyuan Hou Fang Luan's heart.

What a pity! My grandfather and father didn't understand Ruizong's profound meaning, and they only wanted to be relaxed for a while, giving too much power to the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Now Dongchang is running rampant, and the two major Beijing camps, Shenshu Camp and Zhenwu Camp, are all under the supervision of Si Li.

It is impossible for him to take it back rashly if he wants to control it.

Fortunately, some arrangements have been made. The emperor secretly shook his fist. It should be almost done in five years.

If there were no constraints from the Supervisor of Ceremonies and the Cabinet, and he could choose wise men and implement benevolent policies, he would surely become a wise ruler, with the seas and rivers clear, the country peaceful and the people safe, and his great achievements would naturally be praised in history books in the future.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on the emperor's face.

(End of chapter)