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Chapter 59: Disaster relief is like putting out fire

"Dear dear friends, there have been heavy rains and flash floods all over Fujian. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and injured in Jianning and other prefectures. As the emperor, I act on behalf of the herdsmen. How can I turn a blind eye to the people's troubles. Is there a memorial from the Ministry of Household Affairs on when to allocate funds to transport grain? Relief to the victims?"

At the court meeting at the end of April, Emperor Jingyang, who rarely took the initiative to speak, suddenly asked about the natural disaster on Fujian Road. He felt very sad and his expression was very solemn, as if it was not a residential house that was flooded but an imperial mausoleum.

Normally, the courtiers should be happy that the emperor is concerned about national affairs, but when faced with Emperor Jingyang's inquiry, hundreds of red, green, and black-headed flies in front of the Huangji Gate fell into silence.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the six memorials have arrived at the cabinet, but I haven't had time to check them carefully." At the critical moment, the chief minister of the cabinet had to be seen. Shen Yiguan slowly came out of the queue, knelt down and saluted, and took care of all the courtiers. This matter was taken care of.

"That's very good. I'm waiting for all the great scholars in the Yangxin Hall..." The emperor seemed a little unhappy and did not ask Shen Yiguan to get up immediately, but he did not continue to pester him and waved his hand casually back.

"Start playing if you have the foundation, but retreat if you don't have the foundation..." The eunuch and the head of the Yangxin Hall on the side immediately understood and sang loudly.Naturally, none of the courtiers came out to find trouble at this time, and the vigorous morning court broke up without solving the usual routine.

Why did the emperor want to ask about how to deal with the floods in Fujian, but all the civil and military officials pretended to be stupid and remained silent?Could it be that someone planned to lie about the disaster and then manipulate it?

In fact, it's not that complicated. The courtiers didn't want to hide the news, but they didn't know what to say to the emperor for a while.As is customary, no in-depth discussion of specific issues occurs during the morning court session, which is purely a formality.

It's right to think about it. I go out at three or four in the morning, stand in the open air for a meeting, and talk to each other until eleven at noon. After seven or eight hours, I can hold back my hunger and thirst, and my bowel movements are not so easy to bear.

You can't just raise your hand and ask to go to the toilet just after the emperor said a sentence. In that case, you can't talk about a few things from morning to evening, and most of the time will be consumed by eating, drinking and defecating.

So, the place where the emperor and ministers really deal with matters is not in the morning court, but in the meeting after the court.The cabinet bachelors are like representatives of civil and military officials. They collect opinions, filter them, and then discuss them face to face with the emperor. This saves time and manpower, and makes it easier to achieve consensus.

"Your Majesty, in recent years there have been constant natural disasters in various provinces, coupled with North Korea's use of troops, Taicang is somewhat stretched. The Jianning Prefecture's disaster relief account department has no time to raise funds, and I am afraid it will be delayed for some time..."

However, the floods in Fujian were not reported as a priority by the cabinet bachelors. Perhaps they felt that it was still a little far away from national affairs. When the emperor suddenly asked him about it in the morning, Shen Yiguang instinctively sensed a hint of conspiracy, and his answer was somewhat Hesitating.

"Relieving disasters is like putting out fires. There should be no delay... But Taicang's empty household department can't get out the money, which really worries me..." Hong Tao seemed to understand, but he didn't seem to understand. He was still struggling with the issue of disaster relief, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. , with a very serious expression.

"..." The five cabinet bachelors looked at me and me, but no one said anything.Now they all don't know what the emperor wants to do and what step he wants to take, so they would be very passive if they rashly start a fight.

"Master Ye, how much money does Prince Fu have for his wedding and the renovation of the palace?" Seeing the cabinet ministers pretending to be dumbfounded, Hong Tao suddenly stopped and threw the question to Ye Xianggao.

"Your Majesty, we have prepared a total of 60 taels according to the late emperor's wishes." Ye Xianggao did not hesitate and immediately gave the specific number.

"Mr. Shen Ge, how much did my wedding cost?" Hong Tao turned to Shen Yiguan again. "...Your Majesty, the Ministry of Household Affairs has detailed records of the specific expenses. I only remember that it was about, almost, 15 taels." Shen Yiguan seemed to have noticed something, and exchanged glances with Shen Li and Zhu Geng before replying slowly.

"Hmm... Is it enough to ask the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate 30 taels for disaster relief in Jianning Prefecture?" Hong Tao seemed not to notice the expressions of affection among the cabinet ministers, and was slapping the back of his hands fiercely. He stopped, as if he had discovered a new world, and his face was filled with joy.

"Your Majesty, if this happens, I'm afraid the Imperial Concubine will have some complaints. The rules for Prince Fu's wedding and the renovation of the palace were all set by the late emperor..."

Compared with the overjoyed young emperor, four of the five cabinet ministers looked sad. Only Li Zhi remained unmoved and seemed to have heard nothing.It was Shen Li, who was known for his outspokenness, who finally spoke out to express his opposition, while Shen Yiguan, Zhu Geng and Ye Xianggao served as backdrops and nodded frequently.

"So, shouldn't I change the mining tax and mine supervision set by the late emperor?" The joy on the young emperor's face suddenly disappeared, and he said lightly.

"..." Well, Dongnuan Pavilion was suddenly filled with breathless concentration and eyes darting around, but no one dared to answer.

"My wedding cost 15 taels. Prince Fu is my sibling. The same 15 taels is used. Is there any incompatibility with etiquette?" The minister rejected what he thought was a clever idea. The young emperor did not get angry immediately, and planned to To be honest, the first topic is to discuss whether it is compliant with etiquette and law.

"Your Majesty is the emperor, and you set an example with your own body. I think there is nothing wrong with it!" Li Zhi suddenly moved. He took half a step forward and saluted before answering. He did so in a very orderly manner.

"King Nianfu needs to repair the palace. Is it reasonable to add another 15 taels?" The expression on the emperor's face relaxed slightly, but the question was not over.

"Based on the cost of repairing the vassal princes' mansions, they are not shabby." was Li Zhi's answer.

"Since Taicang is empty, I can't be alone. Let's stop the renovation projects of the three main halls, Qianqing Palace, and Kunning Palace, and leave them at the Ministry of Households for emergencies." The emperor began to pace again, but this time there was no need. Instead of holding his hands behind his back, he put his hands together and moved his fingers wildly, as if he was calculating something.

The results soon came out. Not only did they have to reduce the cost of Prince Fu's wedding and the renovation of his mansion, but they also had to stop the renovation project of the palace.In this way, not only will the disaster relief funds be available, but the Ministry of Household Affairs will also be able to breathe a little easier, and there will finally be no need for rats to run around in Taicang.

"..." This was a good way to get the best of both worlds, but all five cabinet bachelors were stunned, and they, including Li Zhi, became silent.

"Well... there is something wrong with my method, why should I fight with silence!"

Then the young emperor got really angry. There was no money in the treasury, and the Ministry of Household Affairs had nothing to do. I reduced my brother’s wedding expenses despite the infamy, and also stopped the restoration project of the palace, and squeezed out money to support the country. I don’t want you to cry with gratitude. Why? Not even a human word!

(End of this chapter)