Chapter 544: Money can take you anywhere, but without money you can't go anywhere
Chapter 544: Money can take you anywhere, but without money you can't go anywhere
The next morning, it was still dark.
The clerks and officials of the Governor's Office who came to the yamen,
He was surprised to find that the lights in the office of the Central Military Governor's Office were on all night.
Which adult hasn’t returned?
Several officials passed by cautiously.
When he saw the guard in front of the door wearing strong armor and holding a sharp blade, he immediately knew who it was. It turned out to be Lord Lu.
Because of the assassination attempt by the rebels outside the city, Lord Lu is always accompanied by armored guards.
This matter had already spread in the court, making many officials envious.
This is an honor.
In the government office, Lu Yunyi sat behind the desk.
Hearing the noise outside, he looked up in a daze.
His fair and bright eyes were now bloodshot, with thick dark circles around his eye sockets, and he looked extremely haggard and tired.
Two of the three large piles of documents in front of him were gone, leaving only one pile from the Ministry of Industry.
He put down the pen in his hand and gently rubbed his eyebrows:
"Yun Fang, what time is it?"
Feng Yunfang poked his head in and reported respectfully, "Sir, it is already the first quarter of the morning hour."
Lu Yunyi nodded suddenly, it turned out to be five o'clock.
He raised his hand and called over a clerk from the Governor's Office, pointed at the documents on the table that had been processed, and instructed:
"These are all documents related to training soldiers and generals, as well as the subsequent handling of Luchuan.
Take them all away, it has been taken care of."
The clerk looked a little strange and replied in a low voice, "Yes".
Then he used his arms to pick up two stacks of documents and left.
Lu Yunyi slowly stood up and supported himself on the table with his hands. After a long time, the dizziness finally dissipated.
He walked to the window and looked out through the half-open window.
At this time, the sky has gradually changed from deep blue to light blue.
There was a hint of orange flashing at the end of my sight, and the sun was about to rise.
Clerks and officials kept pouring in at the not-so-spacious gate.
They look lazy and walk slowly.
Even when they talked, they spoke in low voices, as if they all wanted to delay going to the government office.
Looking at this scene, Lu Yunyi couldn't help but feel emotional.
Having witnessed life and death fights on the battlefield, the peace before me seems even more precious.
People are often like this. They don't know how to cherish something when they are in it, and only realize how beautiful it was after it's over.
As the saying goes, "At that time, I thought it was normal."
At 3:30 am, Lu Yunyi said goodbye to General Wei Guogong and others.
Leaving the Governor's Mansion, head to the Ministry of Works.
Today is the end of the month. According to the usual practice, the Ministry of Industry will hold a meeting.
It is used to report the progress of various works and the production status of various workshops during this period.
And formulate the production plan and engineering progress for next month,
Perhaps officials and clerks who perform well in August will be rewarded.
Lu Yunyi knew the reason very well.
The Ministry of Works was different from other government offices in that it was a real production unit.
The officials and clerks here do not look like the officials in the court.
Instead, he is more like the owner of a workshop or business.
However, the monthly salary they received clearly reminded them that they were serving the court.
This little salary, when placed in the workshops they manage,
Maybe it only takes a few breaths or a few cups of tea to earn it.
The huge sense of gap made the Ministry of Works a place that some officials desperately wanted to escape from.
However, some people with ill intentions try every possible means to squeeze in.
People inside want to go out, and people outside want to come in.
In short, there was something weird about the Ministry of Works.
Lu Yunyi came here and placed the documents in the government office.
He went straight to the main hall amid everyone's surprised gazes.
At this time, many officials have already taken their seats.
There are several doctors, managers, and some big workshop managers.
The originally spacious lobby now seemed quite crowded.
When Lu Yunyi stepped into the place, the gloomy atmosphere suddenly stagnated.
Immediately afterwards, there was a bustling sound of people standing up.
Everyone stood up respectfully and shouted "Minister" in unison.
Li Zhigang was also among them, and he looked even more embarrassed than Lu Yunyi at the moment.
His thick hair has become much thinner and he has lost a lot of weight.
The Ministry of Industry has made rapid progress and gained great popularity in the past month.
At this moment, even some hostile people stood up reluctantly and respectfully called him "Sir".
Li Zhigang clenched his fists excitedly, thinking to himself,
This is what a man should do!
Lu Yunyi walked to the lower right side and was about to sit down.
The faces of many officials present suddenly became strange.
The clerk in charge of seating arrangement turned pale.
Under the gaze of everyone, the clerk hurried forward and whispered a few words.
Lu Yunyi stopped and chuckled.
Then he walked straight to the first seat at the bottom left, and said with a hint of self-mockery:
"Look at my memory. I even forgot I got a promotion."
Everyone present laughed softly.
Li Zhigang didn't care about the others at all. He stood up and immediately bowed and said:
"Mr. Minister, the Book of Songs says, 'Wei Shenjifu, Wei Zhouzhihan'.
You are just like Shen Bo and Zhong Shanfu, who are pillars of the country.
During his tenure, he made many outstanding achievements and made outstanding contributions to government affairs and people's livelihood.
This promotion is a clear reflection of your ability and capability by the imperial court.
As the saying goes, "A wise bird chooses the right tree to roost in." It is a great honor for us officials of the Ministry of Works to have the opportunity to work under your command.
I will definitely take you as my role model, serve you like a dog and a horse, and live up to your cultivation."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the main hall suddenly froze.
Some people present couldn't help but shudder and hurriedly lowered their heads, some not daring to look directly at the scene in front of them.
The heads of many workshops in the rear were not good at officialdom.
Hearing these words, I was so embarrassed that I dug my toes into the ground and my whole body tensed up.
I didn't even dare to think about what I just heard.
They couldn't imagine that Lord Li, who was always strict and harsh, could be so flattering!
After hearing these words, Lu Yunyi couldn't help but be stunned.
He quickly raised his hand and motioned for everyone to sit down:
"Sit, sit, sit. People who are tired should not stand or sit in a hurry.
Especially the elderly are more likely to suffer from prickly heat. "
"Prickly heat?"
When this was mentioned, everyone present was shocked.
Even Li Zhigang was startled and sat down slowly. He didn't want his hands and feet to be crooked and unable to walk.
"My Lord, do you also have knowledge of medicine?" a worker from the Ministry of Works asked curiously.
Lu Yunyi nodded and said:
"After years of marching and fighting, it's inevitable that your body will have some problems, so I've also studied medicine a little bit."
The people present had different expressions on their faces.
The rumors in the capital came to my mind.
They quickly changed the subject and talked about other things.
Everyone started chatting with each other, and the atmosphere was more harmonious than ever before.
Many officials who had just arrived became nervous when they saw Lu Yunyi at the top.
He secretly complained in his heart, wondering why he had arrived so early, and then hurried to take a seat.
Until the daybreak,
Left Vice Minister Ji Yuchen and Minister of Works Qin Kuicai walked into the lobby hand in hand.
The two saw Lu Yunyi who had already been sitting there.
He also showed a hint of surprise, but soon returned to normal.
"Your Excellency the Minister, Your Excellency the Minister." Everyone stood up to greet them.
Qin Kui looked at the people in the hall, a little emotion on his face, and stretched out his hands and pressed down:
"Thank you all for your hard work this month. Please take your seats." Everyone sat down slowly.
The previous relaxed and soothing atmosphere disappeared in an instant, replaced by a solemn atmosphere.
Ji Yuchen on the lower right had a calm expression, but a hint of solemnity was revealed in his eyes.
This is how the Ming Dynasty officialdom is. If they are all positions of real power, then the higher the rank, the more powerful one will be.
When he meets Lu Yunyi in the future, he will really have to bow and pay his respects to him and respectfully call him "Sir".
He glanced around with a gloomy face and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
As long as Lu Yunyi is here,
He could never get ahead in the Ministry of Industry and could only be ranked third.
"Master Ji, Master Ji!"
Hearing the call, Ji Yuchen suddenly came back to his senses and quickly looked at Qin Kui:
"I was a little distracted just now, I hope Master Qin will not be offended."
Qin Kui didn't care, he just smiled and nodded:
"Mr. Ji has been running around the Ministry of Revenue all day these days, which is really hard.
I just don't know if there is any progress on the money and budget of the Water Conservancy Bureau for next year?
I would also like to ask Mr. Ji to explain it in detail to my colleagues and me.”
Surprise flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes, and he glanced at Qin Kui.
Seeing that he looked confident, I immediately understood the reason.
Qin Kui is a shrewd and calculating person, and has made great progress in scheming against others.
As expected, Ji Yuchen instantly became listless and looked sad.
There was even a hint of fatigue in his voice:
"Sir Qin, I have been busy at the Ministry of Revenue these past few days.
He talked until his mouth was dry and even his official boots were worn out, but the result was very limited.
From the beginning to the end, Lord Yang of the Ministry of Revenue claimed that there was no spare money in the treasury and kept delaying.
Finally, he even said that he would wait until the accounts were settled at the end of the year.
See if there is any money left.
If there is, it will be transferred to the Metropolitan Waterworks Department."
"Wow"
For a moment, the entire Ministry of Industry's main hall was in an uproar, and everyone present looked extremely ugly.
According to their experience, the Ministry of Revenue settles deposits every year.
I have always spent more than I earned, and there is no money left.
This is obviously an excuse for not wanting to allocate funds to the Ministry of Industry!
Ji Yuchen sighed softly and continued:
"As for the Ministry of Industry's budget for next year, the Ministry of Revenue has cut it again and again, and now it is less than three million taels."
"what?"
Some officials cried out in surprise and clenched their fists.
Li Zhigang, a doctor from the Ministry of Industry, was the first to speak:
"Master Ji, the budget submitted by my Ministry of Industry was originally 6.7 million taels.
Now, after the Ministry of Revenue's cuts, there are only three million taels left, which is more than half the amount.
This. How can we and other departments carry out our work?
I would like to ask you to argue with reason. Six million seven hundred thousand taels has been reduced again and again.
If we want to make the project go smoothly next year, we will need at least eight million taels!"
"Yeah yeah"
Everyone nodded and expressed their opinions.
A person in charge of the construction said with a sad face:
“Starting from the end of the year, we will build many new workshops and adopt the most advanced assembly lines.
This assembly line is good, but it takes up too much space and requires dozens of houses to be connected.
If it is built in the city, I don’t know how much money it will cost, so it can only be built outside the city.
This requires a comprehensive reconstruction.
Even with cement and concrete, it’s still expensive.”
Another bearded, burly leader quickly chimed in:
"Master Wang, please stop complaining.
The palace has issued an imperial decree that at least five workshops for the production of cement and concrete must be built before the end of the year.
This year’s money is almost spent, so we can only divert next year’s funds.
But the budget has been cut again and again, how can this be possible?"
After he said this, the other person in charge couldn't sit still anymore:
“The Governor’s Office also issued a strict order that 10,000 bicycles and 10,000 tricycles must be produced before the end of the year for use in the northern expedition.
If I fail to complete it, the Governor's Office will chop off my head.
But now there is only one workshop for production, and if we want to rush to produce 20,000 cars, we will have to wait until the end of next year!"
As he spoke, he patted the table beside him excitedly and shook his head helplessly.
"Master Ji, if you can't get money from the Ministry of Revenue, the workshop cannot be built.
At the end of the year, I will be going to the execution ground to be beheaded."
Everyone was talking at once, and the originally quiet main hall suddenly became noisy.
Ji Yuchen's face looked extremely ugly, but he had no way to refute.
As the left assistant minister, he and the minister were in charge of finances.
If we can’t get the money now, the entire Ministry of Industry will suffer.
Ji Yuchen felt very wronged and complained bitterly.
Looking at Lu Yunyi who was calm and composed on the opposite side, he felt so angry that his teeth were itching.
Many of the people present mentioned things.
Most of them are new projects that were launched temporarily, all from the hands of the person in front of me.
But now he is asked to clean up the mess, which is ridiculous!
More importantly, Yang Jing of the Ministry of Revenue was the same as him in the past as the Left Vice Minister.
I have already told him privately,
The Ministry of Revenue is now overwhelmed by the nearly six million taels of silver from the Du Shui Bureau.
Everyone, from top to bottom, hated Lu Yunyi to the core.
Not to mention giving money, it is already very difficult not to check the accounts of the Ministry of Industry.
Ji Yuchen took a deep breath and his beard trembled slightly due to his excitement.
He looked at everyone present, a hint of helplessness flashed across his eyes, and then looked at Qin Kui:
"Master Qin."
Qin Kui was already delighted when he saw all this happening in the main hall.
Hearing Ji Yuchen calling him, he quickly regained his seriousness, motioned for everyone to be quiet, and then looked at Ji Yuchen:
"Master Ji, please speak."
"Minister Qin, the Ministry of Revenue is unwilling to allocate additional funds for recent construction projects.
Even if I had a eloquent tongue, I would not be able to convince the Ministry of Revenue.
Do you think it is possible to postpone some of the plans, especially the money needed for flood control by the Du Shui Si?
As an official in the Ministry of Works, I was also shocked by the six million taels of silver.
With this amount, the Ministry of Revenue will never give us any extra money!"
After these words came out, Wang Chen, the Du Shui Si who had been silent, could no longer sit still, and quickly stood up and said:
"Master Ji! Water control is a matter of a thousand years, and the Yellow River has not stopped flooding until now!
Now that we have a solution, should we abandon it?"
Ji Yuchen waved his hand gently and said:
“I am not saying that we should not use it, but we need to choose the right method, and we don’t have to use it right now.
The imperial court planned to start the northern expedition at the beginning of the year.
Most of the Ministry of Revenue's money was invested there, leaving no money left for the Water Resources Department.
The best way now is to use the previous method first.
We will take measures to manage the areas where there may be breaches so that we can get through this year.
Wait until the war is over next year, and then ask the Ministry of Revenue for money!"
Wang Chen's face flushed red, and he kept changing his expression:
"Master Ji, even if you can only get two million taels of silver,
The Metropolitan Water Conservancy Bureau also uses water conservancy, sand flushing and concrete construction methods.
At least a part of it can be built first, and the remaining four million taels can be allocated next year or the year after."
Ji Yuchen sneered and waved his hands helplessly:
"Lord Wang, do you think the Ministry of Revenue will agree?"
"Why don't you agree? It's two million taels each! And why should the Ministry of Revenue intervene in my Ministry of Works' flood control?"
"Master Wang! How can you be so naive?
If the two million taels are used to manage the water according to the method of the Dushuisi,
The Ministry of Revenue will have to give another 4 million taels later. Who would push themselves into the fire pit?
What the Ministry of Revenue wants now is to pay the Ministry of Works two million taels of silver.
Let us not go to the trouble of looking for them again next year."
At this point, Ji Yuchen also became angry and stood up suddenly:
"I am at least an official of the Ministry of Industry.
When I arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, I sat there for the entire day without even a sip of hot tea.
Whenever clerks and officials saw me, they would avoid me.
Rural folks know how to get along with their neighbors. As officials, we
We should also understand that we should always leave some room for others.
We all work in the imperial city, so why make the relationship so rigid?
The Ministry of Revenue could not take out the six million taels of silver from the Du Shui Si, nor did it intend to take it.
If he continues to be tough, let alone the six million taels,
The Ministry of Revenue will not give any silver to the various Qinglisi.
By then, all of you gentlemen and colleagues will just be staring at each other in bewilderment in this Ministry of Industry!"
(End of this chapter)