Sometimes the palace is sunny

Chapter 43 Red Bean Porridge

Once the Double Ninth Festival is over, chrysanthemum porridge is out of fashion. Soak a handful of red beans in water until soft, then put them in a pot with good japonica rice and simmer until the sand comes out. The sweet aroma spread hotly.

It's a pity, guarding such red bean porridge, none of the elders in Qianqing Palace dared to move.

The transcribed account books were placed in front of them. They lowered their heads, and no one dared to speak.

"When Chengzu was born, the cost of shad tribute was 300 taels to 700 taels. During Suzong's time, it was 900 taels to 7000 taels. During Shenzong's time, it cost 2 taels. In Mingzong's time, it was 4 taels. At that time, it was 7000 taels. Last year, the imperial court spent [-] taels of silver for shad tribute. Dayong established the country for more than [-] years, and spent a lot of money every year to dredge the canal from Jiangnan to Yanjing. Years, but the cost of the shad tribute, I really can't figure it out."

How absurd is it that what can be done with 3000 taels in the past now costs twenty times more?

But such absurdity abounds in today's Dayong.

Li Congyuan flipped through the account book lightly, looking at the "eight red sandalwood carts" and "sixteen huanghualiwood carts" on which he spent every year, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Most of the "Shagong" relies on canals along the way, so how can new cars be built every year?It's just to balance the accounts.

The number of fish brought to Yanjing from the south of the Yangtze River every year is no more than twice, and the amount of ice used in the account book is more than ten times more.

The sweet aroma of red bean porridge on the table rises faintly.

Li Congyuan knelt down first, followed by Yang Zhai and Liu Kangyong also knelt on the ground.

"The minister is ashamed of His Majesty."

Shen Shiqing twirled her fingers and looked at the gate of the palace.

"Since I ascended the throne, I don't intend to keep anyone who handled shad tributes. If the former emperors who handled shad tributes have returned home or died, I allow their descendants to use their family wealth to settle accounts."

Li Congyuan and others were taken aback.

According to the long-standing practice of the Great Yong Dynasty, when an official resigns from his old age, he will let the past go, but according to His Majesty's wishes, even the dead will be dug out to make up for the shortfall!

Liu Kangyong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, said: "Your Majesty, according to the ancestral system..."

Shen Shiqing glanced at him, and said in a brisk tone: "According to the "Great Yong Law", 60 liang of silver was embezzled, and the skin was peeled. I have never followed the ancestral system. I am really ashamed of my ancestors. The Minister of Rites is right."

In fact, Liu Kangyong, who wanted to say that His Majesty should be lenient and sympathetic to his ministers, opened his mouth and suddenly didn't know what to say.

"However, I also know that today is not the same as when the country was first established. It is too strict to peel the grass for 60 taels of silver. How about it, 300 taels. Exile, more than 300 taels, a decisive decision."

With a "plop", Liu Kangyong knelt on the ground and dared not move.

If this word gets out, His Majesty will do nothing, he, Minister of Rites, will become the target of all civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty!

During the Double Ninth Festival, he thought that His Majesty was much more stable than before, and did not act according to his temperament like before. Today, he realized that His Majesty is not stable anymore, and His Majesty is more unpredictable than before!

"Your Majesty, rectifying the administration of officials must not be accomplished overnight..." Liu Kangyong couldn't continue speaking halfway through, because His Majesty was looking at him.

With a very cold look.

"The rectification of the bureaucracy cannot be accomplished overnight? Should I have a good talk with those people, greedy slowly, greedy slowly, don't rush greedy?"

Seeing that Liu Kangyong's face was flushed, Li Congyuan said slowly: "Your Majesty must also be on the lookout for frame-ups when rectifying the administration of officials. If you indulge cruel officials like Wu Zhou did, making people's hearts uneasy, and the officials dare not act, it is not the luck of the people. "

These words were considered safe, Shen Shiqing tapped her fingers on the table.

At this time, the door curtain was lifted, and the three cats crept in and stood at the door.

Shen Shiqing saw it and asked him, "What's the matter?"

Sanmao lowered his eyebrows and said pleasantly: "If you go back to the emperor, there are people from the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and it is the empress dowager who sent someone to deliver things to the emperor."

Ordinarily, it is not a terrible thing for the Palace of Compassion to Ning to send something to the emperor, but when Sanmao spoke tremblingly, Shen Shiqing had some speculations in his heart.

"Let people in."

"Yes."

The next moment, a eunuch wearing a black eunuch uniform came in holding a tray, and knelt down to salute the emperor as soon as he entered.

"The servant girl, the eunuch of the Palace of Compassion, sent His Majesty 10 taels of silver and two pure gold Buddha statues at the order of the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager has something else to bring to Your Majesty."

After finishing speaking, the eunuch looked up at the elders who were also kneeling on the ground.

His appearance made Shen Shiqing even more curious, she waved her hand, and she said: "Several ministers get up first, I guess that the things sent by the Queen Mother are also related to the matter of the administration of officials, you may wish to listen to it with me."

Li Congyuan and the others stood up, actually wanting to leave very much.

The empress dowager and the late emperor had a very close relationship and loved the late prince deeply. After the majesty ascended the throne, the empress dowager repeatedly mentioned that her majesty was not suitable for being a king in front of her wife. One day the year before last, her majesty went to pay her respects to the empress dowager before going to court. The empress dowager even said that she saw her majesty It is uncomfortable to wear a dragon robe, and even asked His Majesty not to wear a dragon robe to greet you in the future.

His majesty is arrogant, capricious, moody, but he is submissive to the queen mother. Although he seldom sees the queen mother since then, he has never lacked various rewards.

But for courtiers like them, the Empress Dowager insulted Her Majesty in front of them. If they meddled, they might offend both Her Majesty and the Empress Dowager at the same time.

Therefore, the three elders lowered their heads together, as if there were three more hollow wooden pillars in the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.

Yiji said to the eunuch who was holding something: "What is the Queen Mother's will, you just say it."

"My servant passed on the words of the Empress Dowager. I heard that His Majesty wanted to rectify the accounts of the Taipu Temple. A few years ago, when Shou Chenghou was in Taipu Temple, he was fooled by the people below because he didn't understand the practical affairs. The mother who wanted to take care of Ai's family only dismissed Shou Chenghou from his official post and sent him to a job. Although Shou Chenghou is His Majesty's uncle, he is timid and dull. He was already seriously ill when he failed the kindness of the late emperor because of his ignorance. Yesterday I heard that His Majesty was going to check the accounts, and I was so scared that I came to cry in front of Aijia for a whole day. He and Aijia have the same mother, and Aijia can't ignore his elder brother. The money was paid by Aijia for him Account. The Cao family is deeply favored by the emperor, but lacks talent, and dare not be listed in the court, but it will not be driven out. Let this pass. I just hope that His Majesty will collect the money and stop embarrassing the civil and military of the Manchu Dynasty. The stability of the old Zhao family is due to the long-cherished sleep of these courtiers. When the late emperor was around, he often said that a ruler should be magnanimous, be a benevolent and wise ruler, and make people panic for a little money. Not good. The servants have finished passing on the orders of the Empress Dowager."

The palace of Qianqing was quiet and quiet.

Liu Kangyong could almost hear the sound of his sweat flowing down his cheeks into his collar.

The day before yesterday, His Majesty said that he would rectify the administration of officials and investigate the Shagong and Taipu Temple. Today, the Empress Dowager publicly disgraced His Majesty.

A few of them didn't even dare to look up to see His Majesty's face.

Shen Shiqing, who was sitting on the dragon chair, was not angry. After all, she was not Emperor Zhaode himself, and she hadn't even seen what the Empress Dowager looked like with her own eyes.In his opinion, the queen mother is the emperor's mother, and her power comes from her own son. The way she uses her power is to beat family affection and morality. The most common in the government.

The person she was thinking of at this time was Zhao Surui.

It turned out that His Majesty, the wise and omnipotent emperor, also had to go through such methods.

She even wanted to laugh a little.

She had heard of the names of Shouchenghou and Baopinghou in the deep house before. The two brothers of the Cao family were originally idlers, and their father was only a doctor in the Ministry of Industry before, but they gave birth to a good daughter. She was selected into the ban at the age of 14. At the age of 16, she was accused of being the wife of the late emperor, who was still the king of the county at the time. The late emperor loved her very much. Sealed Hou.

The eldest brother of the Empress Dowager, Shou Chenghou, is a bastard that no one dares to provoke in Yanjing. He probably knows that his family's title cannot be inherited. Over the years, he has seized land and farms everywhere, and has a group of thugs under his command. Go and grab it by force, and then charge him with instigating tenants to occupy the land.

He is also smart, and rarely entangles with civil servants. He only focuses on rich households without official status and down-and-out nobles. Over the years, he has gathered an unknown amount of land in the suburbs of Beijing.

This kind of person not only amasses money excessively, but also corrupts the law. He obviously failed the emperor's favor, but the queen mother still has to cover it up for him.

The Empress Dowager took out her own private house, nominally to settle accounts for Hou Chenghou, but in fact, she was in the court. The emperor ordered an investigation of the Taipu Temple the day before yesterday, and she jumped out today to ask the emperor to be more lenient to the courtiers. When these words reached the ears of the Taipu Temple officials, even if they had any desire to surrender, they were gone.

However, that's fine.

A smile appeared on Shen Shiqing's face.

Since the Queen Mother pushed Shou Chenghou out, she can use Shou Chenghou as a target.

"Who investigated the case in Shouchenghou's mansion back then? Go and find the file, and let me see if the money sent by the queen mother is enough to settle the account. Call Shouchenghou to enter the palace immediately."

Hearing the emperor's order, Yiji raised his eyes to look at the emperor, then lowered his head again:

"Yes, my lord."

Shen Shiqing lowered her head and happened to see Zhao Surui's private seal, she picked it up with her ring finger and rubbed it gently in her hand:
"The empress dowager is really generous." She said softly, "A salary of 20 taels of gold and 2000 taels of silver a year, how many years will it take to save the 10 taels of silver?"

No one of the three elders dared to answer these words.

A chicken stood there, wishing he could be a wooden chicken.

Shen Shiqing stood up:
"I remember that the late emperor allocated two Huangzhuang estates for the empress dowager's empress dowager. Now that the empress dowager is old and her private house is rich, I don't think so much makeup will be needed."

Li Congyuan immediately understood what His Majesty meant.

After all, the expenses used by the Empress Dowager were all allocated by the emperor from the private treasury. In the past, the Empress Dowager used the money from the emperor's private treasury to supplement her natal family. Dare to intervene in the affairs of the servant temple, His Majesty does not intend to bear it any longer.

The little eunuch who sent the message was still kneeling on the ground holding the bank note, so he didn't know why, just waiting for His Majesty's reply.

Shen Shiqing glanced at the bank note in his hand, then lifted her foot and walked down from the throne.

She wanted to get back the shortfall of Shou Chenghou from him exactly. As for the 10 taels of silver, since it was delivered to her, she would not be polite.

The aroma of the red bean porridge still persisted, Li Congyuan looked at the smiling majesty, and felt in a daze that the red bean porridge on the table looked like blood.

His Majesty asked others to shed blood.

　Shen Shiqing: I want to keep the money, and I want Shou Chenghou to do bloodletting again.

　　Siri Zhao: What?Fried pork blood?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)