I'm in the Red Mansion

This is not the first time that Daxia has used this method of fundraising.

In fact, this method is not unique to the Great Xia Dynasty. All previous dynasties have basically used this method.

For example, Emperor Chongzhen used it during the late Ming Dynasty.

It's a pity that a group of ministers under him sent Emperor Chongzhen away with only thirty, fifty, or at most a few hundred taels.

Then, when the rebel army entered the capital, they would capture these corrupt officials, skin them alive, torture them severely, and rob them of all their property.

I have to say, this is really a great irony.

Daxia had used fundraising methods before, but the amount of money that could be raised each time was very limited.

There was once a smart person who broke the impasse by erecting a monument to his merits.

Anyone who donates money can leave their name on the monument of merit.

The more silver you donate, the higher your position on the monument of merit will be.

And those aristocratic families all have to save their reputation, and for the sake of fame, they have to take out real money to raise funds.

However, these aristocratic families are not fools.

They quickly became alert and waited for the next time the court used this method.

Those aristocratic families had already discussed it in advance, and each family would donate a different amount of silver according to the strength of the family, and no one would donate more than that.

Therefore, it is not easy to successfully donate enough money for disaster relief through fundraising.

Prime Minister Qin couldn't help but ask, "May I ask Prime Minister Kou, what should we do if we can't raise enough silver this time?"

Kou Xiang said calmly: "As long as we can raise 300,000 or 400,000 taels of silver, it will probably be enough for the initial use."

"After the tax revenue comes in in the fall, we can cut other expenses and we should be able to get through this."

In fact, this is not easy to do.

At present, Daxia's finances are extremely tight, and it is almost at the point of having to spend money that it does not have.

Every year we are tight on money and even have a deficit, so how can we reduce the budget?
Therefore, Prime Minister Qin listened, smiled faintly, and said nothing.

Since this matter was taken care of by Prime Minister Kou, then when the time comes, let him handle it.

Emperor Yonglong nodded and said, "Okay, let's follow Lord Kou's advice and raise funds."

"I will donate 50,000 taels of silver from my treasury. My two princes, how much will you donate?"

Ever since Feng Ziying invested in the rouge and powder business, Emperor Yonglong's treasury has gradually become full.

But the expenses are also huge.

For example, during the battle of Caogu County last year, Emperor Yonglong took out 300,000 taels of silver from his small treasury.

And this is just the beginning.

From then on, whenever there was any problem, the Minister of Revenue would run to Emperor Yonglong and cry poor.

The Minister of Revenue believed that the emperor should not have his own private treasury.

All the money in the imperial treasury should belong to Daxia.

Therefore, although the rouge and powder business is very profitable.

But Emperor Yonglong didn't save much money.

This time, Emperor Yonglong took out another 50,000 taels of silver from the treasury.

The two princes that Emperor Yonglong was referring to were Prince Zhongshun and Prince Beijing.

During the reign of Emperor Yonglong, there were only Prince Yi Zhong and Prince Zhong Shun left in the capital.

The other princes all went to their fiefdoms.

Among the kings of other surnames, three of the four kings among the original four kings and eight dukes were demoted and inherited the title, and are no longer princes.

Only Prince Beijing still holds the title of king.

After Emperor Yonglong finished speaking, Prince Zhongshun stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have many wives and concubines, many children and grandchildren, and my expenses are increasing day by day, but my income is getting lower and lower every year."

"My family is so poor that we can barely afford to eat. We can only have a full meal during the New Year and other festivals."

"But since we need to provide relief to the victims, I cannot be stingy. I am willing to sell everything I have, including my property, and donate five hundred taels of silver!" Hearing Prince Zhongshun crying poor, all the civil and military officials below couldn't help but secretly curse him for being shameless.

This Prince Zhongshun was deeply loved by the Emperor, and his fiefdom was the richest.

Moreover, over the years, he received many rewards, and Prince Zhongshun also intervened in many businesses.

Moreover, Prince Zhongshun loved ostentation, and the extravagance of his palace was simply appalling.

He actually had the nerve to say that the family could only have a full meal during the New Year and other festivals.

However, since Prince Zhongshun had set an example, things would be much easier for them.

Naturally, they cannot be higher than Prince Zhongshun, so they must be one level lower.

Upon hearing that Prince Zhongshun only offered 500 taels of silver, Emperor Yonglong's face turned unhappy. He just nodded slightly and didn't even bother to say a word.

After Prince Zhongshun, Prince Beijing said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to donate 10,000 taels of silver."

Hearing this number, Emperor Yonglong nodded approvingly and said, "Good!"

Next to Prince Zhongshun, Prime Minister Qin stepped out and said, "My family is poor, and I am willing to donate five hundred taels of silver."

The Qin family is also a top family in Daxia, with tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land.

However, Prime Minister Qin only donated 500 taels of silver.

In fact, it’s not that Prime Minister Qin is unwilling to donate more.

Instead, he had Prince Zhongshun to set the example above him, and he also had to set the example for all the officials below him, so his donation of five hundred taels was just right.

After the Prime Minister Qin, Prime Minister Kou stepped out and said, "I am willing to donate 10,000 taels of silver."

After Prime Minister Kou, the Minister of Personnel stepped out and said, "My family is poor, but I am not as rich as Prime Minister Kou. I am willing to donate three hundred taels of silver."

"..."

In the end, after all the civil and military officials in the court had donated, they only received 88,000 taels of silver.

This number is extremely auspicious.

However, there is a great shortage of silver needed for disaster relief.

Then we will have to donate in the capital.

However, those noble families would never be more numerous than Prince Zhongshun and Prime Minister Qin.

The entire capital city, at most, could raise another hundred thousand taels of silver.

All together, it was only over 200,000 taels of silver.

More than 200,000 taels of silver were far from enough even for the initial disaster relief.

After the fundraising was over, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but frown.

If he is not in his position, he will not seek his government.

When he was the Imperial Censor of Salt in Yangzhou, he only had to collect the full amount of salt tax every year.

Now as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the burden has suddenly become much heavier.

Now the imperial court wants to provide disaster relief, but the Ministry of Revenue has no money.

Although this was not his fault, if disaster relief failed and ultimately led to a catastrophe, he would inevitably be held responsible.

What made Lin Ruhai even more worried was that he was not afraid of being dragged down.

Instead, hundreds of thousands of disaster victims were starving, but as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he was unable to provide relief funds and was powerless to do anything.

……

But in recent times, Lin Daiyu has been going back to her parents' home more often.

The main reason was that Lin Ruhai’s two concubines were about to give birth, and Lin Daiyu was a little worried.

That day, after she returned from the Lin Mansion, she was in a gloomy mood.

After Jia Cong learned the news, he hurried into the house and waved his hand for Zijuan and the others to go out.

He walked into the room, sat down next to Lin Daiyu, put his arms around her and asked, "Madam, are you feeling unwell, or is there something wrong with your father-in-law?" (End of this chapter)