Chapter 545: What to do if the court has no money?

Chapter 545: What to do if the court has no money?

Chapter 545: What to do if the court has no money?
At the beginning of the Si hour, which was around nine in the morning, the dispute in the Ministry of Works finally came to an end.

However, the dispute did not produce any substantial results.

Instead, the atmosphere in the entire government office became even more depressing.
Almost everyone was in a gloomy mood.

The reason is that lack of money makes everything difficult!

In the office of the Right Vice Minister, Lu Yunyi sat behind the desk, looking tired.

He picked up the teacup on the table and drank the herbal tea in one gulp, feeling helpless.

He had anticipated this result.

But when it really came, I still felt a lot of emotion.

Opposite him, Wang Chen looked extremely bad. He sat there listlessly with his head lowered.

A few strands of hair fell down,

Because it hadn't been cleaned for a long time, it had become tangled and looked greasy.

The depressing atmosphere lasted for a long time before Wang Chen finally raised his head.

His eye sockets were filled with bloodshot, almost bleeding, and he looked hideous and terrifying.

"Mr. Minister, is there really no hope for the situation?"

Lu Yunyi leaned back in his chair and sighed:

"Sir Wang, even a good cook cannot cook without rice.

Being able to put the matter of six million taels of silver on the table,
It is already a great success, and failure is to be expected. "

Wang Chen's head, which he had barely raised, seemed to lose its support in an instant.
With a "bang", he fell down again, and he felt extremely depressed.

“Sir, you can’t just give up like this.

We finally found a solution to the Yellow River flooding, how can we give up halfway? "

"The Ministry of Revenue cannot provide the money. Although Your Majesty and the Crown Prince have issued strict orders,

But what can we do if we have no money to transfer? "

Wang Chen fell into depression again and just sighed.

Lu Yunyi knew a little about Wang Chen's thoughts.

Care about the people and leave your name in history.

However, the court was busy with many affairs, not just flood control.

Several major events happened in the court now.

In the eyes of many court officials, nothing was more important than flood control.

After all, the two parties in the court rarely fought each other, but the floods of the Yellow River had lasted for a thousand years.

Moreover, the Yellow River flows through Shandong and Henan, which are located in the north, while the capital is in Yingtian.
As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.

Lu Yunyi also realized belatedly when he was reviewing the documents yesterday.
The court officials were mostly indifferent to events in the north.

If it can be dealt with, deal with it. If it can’t be dealt with, put it aside and let it fester.

The clues can be seen from the fact that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince have repeatedly scolded the ministers who submitted memorials.
I believe the palace has already realized the disadvantages of making Yingtian the capital.

Lu Yunyi looked at Wang Chen and said softly:

“Master Wang, don’t be discouraged.

The management of the Yellow River will benefit the present and future generations.

Once the situation at court stabilizes, it will inevitably turn its attention to the north.

By then, it will be much easier to control the Yellow River.”

Wang Chen pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery, revealing a bitter smile:
"Sir, to be honest,

I had anticipated this result, but I just didn't want to face it.

Today, I have completely given up the thought in my heart."

Lu Yunyi nodded to show his understanding.

“However, I implore Lord Lu to submit a petition to the court and explain the pros and cons.

If the Ministry of Revenue can really allocate 2 million taels of silver, new methods of flood control must be adopted.

In this way, at least in the subsequent water control work, the pressure can be relieved a little.”

Lu Yunyi's eyes were complicated, and he gently rubbed his eyebrows:

"Master Wang, although concrete is cheaper than clay nowadays,

However, if we want to take into account the method of controlling water and flushing sand, two million taels of silver can only build a part of the dam and reservoir.

What should we do if floods suddenly occur in other places?
By then, the money will have been spent, the people will have suffered, and the blame will have been borne.

Not only might Lord Wang lose his job, he might even face exile or execution."

A hint of ruthlessness suddenly flashed across Wang Chen's eyes:
"My Lord, I am not afraid!"

Lu Yunyi was stunned. After a long while, he shook his head helplessly:
"As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.

If you act rashly at this moment, you will lose your life in vain and it will be worthless. It will only make your loved ones sad and your enemies happy.

Let’s put it this way. I will submit a memorial to the emperor, still strongly advocating the method of restraining water and attacking sand.

However, this time the water control was still carried out according to the original method.
The dams that need to be reinforced should be reinforced, and those that need to be rebuilt should be rebuilt.

At the same time, a workshop was opened in Henan to replace the ash and clay with concrete.

How about laying the foundation for the next water control? "

Lu Yunyi sighed again:
“Master Wang, you have to face reality.

The court has no money this year. Even if we shout at the top of our lungs, no money will fall from the sky.

This is the limit of what we can do this year, and the rest can only be considered in the long run.

Six million taels of silver is not six hundred thousand taels, let alone sixty thousand taels!"

"Sir, the court has no money this year. Will there be money next year?" Wang Chen's voice was a little choked.

"Have!"

Lu Yunyi gave an extremely affirmative answer.

Wang Chen was stunned.
"Lord Lu, you are not an official of the Ministry of Revenue. How can you be sure that the court will have money next year?"

Lu Yunyi did not answer this question directly, but instead said:
"Lord Wang should have heard about the disturbance in the court."

"I have heard a little about it, but I am a lowly official and only know a little bit, not the whole story."

"That's enough. I want to ask you, where can you get money the fastest?"

"Taxes."

"It's a confiscation of property."

Wang Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.

The originally hunched body suddenly straightened up.
He leaned back in his chair, his face filled with fear and shock.

He had experienced the Guo Huan case in the 18th year of Hongwu, which implicated the 12 provincial governments of the Ming Dynasty and many officials.

In the end, all the six ministries and local officials involved in the case were executed, their property was confiscated, and their families were destroyed.
He clearly remembered that the former Du Shui Si Langzhong died in that turmoil.

When the house was searched, he went to see it.
Dozens of carts full of cash were dug out from the cellar.

At that time, he secretly cheered.
Because at that time he was the deputy of the Du Shui Si and had a bad relationship with the previous doctor.

Now, upon hearing the word "confiscation of property", Wang Chen was terrified and asked tremblingly:

"My Lord, is there going to be another disturbance? Will it involve us?"

Lu Yunyi was somewhat surprised by his reaction.

He looked him up and down and said suspiciously:
"What are you afraid of? Are you a corrupt official?"

Wang Chen was even more frightened when he heard this.

He shrank into his chair and shook his head desperately:
"No, no, no, my Lord, this is no joke.

My father and grandfather once controlled floods in Yuan Dynasty, and they did embezzle a lot of money at that time.

When my father passed away a few years ago, he repeatedly told me,
The times have changed.

Never engage in corruption and never ruin your entire family.

Even if I had ten guts, I would not dare to be greedy."

Huh? Now it was Lu Yunyi's turn to be stunned.

This Du Shuisi doctor in front of me is serious and responsible, and often does not return home all day when he is busy.
He is actually a wealthy man?

Wang Chen realized that he had let the cat out of the bag and quickly made amends:

"Sir, my father and grandfather were both officials of the Yuan Dynasty.

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, they no longer served as officials, but taught their subordinates how to control floods at home.

After I entered the officialdom, I dared not be greedy for even a penny!
If you don’t believe it, you can go and ask Lord Zhan!

The Censorate would check on the Waterworks Department every now and then.

Several of my deputies have been imprisoned, but I am safe and sound. "

Lu Yunyi still had some faith in his explanation.

A few days ago, the Censorate brought back several people in charge of the dam construction from Henan and informed him of the matter.

Lu Yunyi waved his hand:
"Alright, alright, you don't have to tell me about your affairs.

Since you are not greedy for money, you have nothing to fear.
Even if there is any trouble, it will not involve you.

It’s just six million taels of silver. If the court can’t come up with it this year, it will have it next year.

The Du Shui Si wrote a memorial stating that concrete should be used to replace the soil, and the original plan should still be used.

In addition, a memorial was also written on the recently improved new water-control and sand-attack plan.
Two memorials were submitted together.
As for the outcome, let it be determined by fate.”

After this shock, Wang Chen regained his composure and nodded with tears in his eyes:
“My Lord, this is all we can do.

But I would like to ask one more question: will the court really have money next year?"

"Don't worry, there is definitely one. But don't let this matter leak out.
If you are involved, don't blame me for not saving you."

Wang Chen stood up quickly, his hair standing on end:
"Sir, I am only a fifth-rank official. How dare I get involved in such a big event?"

"That's good to know. Go and get busy. Now that things have come to this, take more rest. You will be busy next year." Lu Yunyi waved his hand helplessly.

However, Wang Chen did not leave.

Instead, he stood there, his face turning pale and red.

Lu Yunyi just picked up a document and glanced at him:
"Are you really greedy?"

"No, no, no, no. I want to ask,
The fertile land that Xinchen Trading Company in the city has put up for sale is yours, sir. It is the piece of land next to the city wall in Jiangning County."

"Yes."

"Are you short of money, sir?"

"It's OK. His Majesty has rewarded me with a house that needs to be renovated."

Wang Chen's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly:

"I will tell my family to buy the good farmland right now!"

what?
Lu Yunyi narrowed his eyes, leaned forward, and looked confused, almost suspecting that he had heard it wrong.

"Master Wang, that's thirty acres of good farmland, nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver."

"Don't worry, sir. Leave it to me!"

Lu Yunyi's eyes widened as he looked up and down at the slovenly Wang Chen in front of him:
"Are you so rich?"

Wang Chen smiled awkwardly: "A little bit of money, a little bit of money
Besides, the quality of the farmland sold by the Minister is excellent, so you won’t lose money if you buy it.”

"Stop, stop, stop!" Lu Yunyi waved his hand to stop them.
"Master Wang, if you don't want to live anymore, just jump into the kiln and die.
It can be regarded as contributing to our Ming Dynasty. There is no need to seek death in this way.

I am an official of the Ministry of Works, and you are a doctor of the Ministry of Works.

You used 100,000 taels of silver to buy my land. If you say there is no trickery involved, do you believe it?"

Wang Chen was stunned on the spot, then blinked and patted his head quickly:

"Don't blame me, sir. Please forgive me for my momentary confusion.

I have an elder brother who has some money at home, so I asked him to buy it."

"boom!"

Lu Yunyi slapped the table:
"Stay still, my land has been bought by Xinchen Trading Company.

Don't do anything unnecessary, and don't harm me!"

At this point, Wang Chen completely gave up the idea of ​​buying the land and stood there awkwardly.

Lu Yunyi looked at him like this, feeling both angry and amused:

"Your family is so rich, yet you dare to come to the Du Shui Division to work as an official. Aren't you afraid that others will say you are embezzling money?"

“Of course some people will say something, but as long as the Censorate doesn’t pursue it, it’s fine.

I dare not deceive you, sir. Most of the four doctors in the Ministry of Works are from wealthy or noble families.

Otherwise, the court would not dare to let us take this position."

Lu Yunyi suddenly felt that this statement made some sense.

Just like the chief officer in the army who is responsible for transporting food and grass,

Most of them are close confidants of nobles. It is not worth it to lose the family honor for that little bit of money.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and write the memorial. I have to go to the palace in the morning."

"Yes!"

Near noon, Lu Yunyi walked out of the Ministry of Works carrying a stack of documents, headed for the palace, and went straight to the Wuying Palace!

The person guarding the door was an old acquaintance, Guo Ying, Marquis of Wuding.

When he saw Lu Yunyi coming, he scolded him without any hesitation:
"You kid, why do you always come at such strange times? It's dinner time now!"

Lu Yunyi smiled and raised the document in his hand:

"Lord Wuding, I have something important to report to His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty is not here."

Marquis Wu Ding answered promptly and clearly.

"Please be flexible, otherwise my trip would be in vain."

"He's really not here." Marquis Wu Ding pursed his lips.

Lu Yunyi looked over and saw that there was one bicycle missing out of the two that were originally parked in front of the Wuying Palace.

"Then it would be fine to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said he would not meet with officials from the Ministry of Works!"

"Why?"

"His Highness said that you are all obsessed with money. All you think about is money. It makes me upset just by looking at you."

Lu Yunyi blinked and immediately smiled:
"Lord Wuding, you misunderstood.

These documents of mine are from the Governor's Office, and they are supplementary to the training of generals.
This is of great importance, so I have come to the palace to ask for instructions."

After hearing this, Wuding Hou Guo Ying's expression eased a little, and he looked him up and down:
"Really?"

"Absolutely true!"

"Wait." Marquis Wu Ding waved his hand, and a personal guard turned around and went in to report.

Not long after, the guards came back quickly:

"Master Lu, please come in."

A smile instantly broke out on Lu Yunyi's face. He grinned at Wu Dinghou and ran inside.

"Thank you, Lord Wuding. I will take good care of Guo Quan!"

"This brat."

In the hall, Zhu Biao did not sit behind the table at the head of the hall.
Instead, they sat at a square table and had their lunch.

The meal didn't look very rich, with only three side dishes, two large pancakes, and a bowl of unknown soup.

When Zhu Biao saw Lu Yunyi coming in, he glanced at him helplessly:
"have you eaten?"

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, not yet."

"Sit down and eat together."

"okay."

Lu Yunyi placed the document into the arms of a eunuch beside him with ease, pressing down on the eunuch's body.

After Lu Yunyi sat down, the eunuch beside him brought another plate.
There were two large pancakes and a bowl of watery soup.

The strange thing was that a cool breeze blew towards me, and it was actually icy.

"Try it. This is the way of eating in Jiangnan. It is used to cool down."

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Lu Yunyi took a sip and his eyes suddenly lit up.

The taste is a bit like Tremella and Lotus Seed Soup.

But it has a more delicate fragrance, like jasmine.

Seeing that he was eating happily, Crown Prince Zhu Biao laughed:
"The imperial physician said that we should not overeat or it will shorten our lifespan."

"I am still young, I am not afraid."

Zhu Biao laughed even more happily. He was very happy to see this young man in front of him who was not fussy about details and was generous in his dealings.

He put down the soup spoon in his hand, his expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice:
"I know why you are here.

But I hope you can understand, and I also hope you can explain it clearly to the many officials in the Ministry of Industry.

After all, even in the palace, the Ministry of Revenue cannot be overly pressured."

Lu Yunyi paused and said quickly:

"Reporting to His Royal Highness, the officials of the Water Resources Department have been appeased.
We should continue to build the dam according to the original method and overcome this difficulty first."

A hint of joy flashed in the eyes of Crown Prince Zhu Biao.
"really?"

"I dare not deceive your majesty. Six million taels of silver is too much."

Zhu Biao's eyes were filled with relief:

"If everyone in the court were as loyal to the country as you are,
Then I wouldn’t be so tired.”

"Reporting to Your Highness, the masters in the court have great families and great undertakings, and have many officials under them who rely on them.

Naturally, we should be kind to those below us and tough to those above us.

I have no foundation in the Ministry of Industry, so I am not constrained by these things. "

Crown Prince Zhu Biao agreed with this statement:
"You are absolutely right. The palace has its own difficulties, and the court has its own problems.

When he reached the position of an official in the six ministries,

Even if one doesn’t want to go on, the people behind him will push him on, and he will end up in a dead end.”

Lu Yunyi did not continue the topic, but instead asked tentatively:

"Your Highness, when will the money from the Ministry of Revenue arrive?
The Metropolitan Waterworks Department has already started preparations and is now waiting for the money.”

The prince glanced at Lu Yunyi and said suspiciously:
"What do you want to do?
The river repair will only be done next year, why are you in such a hurry? "

Lu Yunyi did not hide anything and told everyone that he was going to use concrete instead of soil.

"I plan to use the money I save to build several cement factories on both sides of the Yellow River and dig several sand pits.
When we really start to treat water, we can use it directly.”

"If you pull out the carrot, you will bring out the dirt. You can't hide your thoughts from the Ministry of Revenue. They will not agree."

“Your Highness, I did not mention in my document that we would use concrete to build the dam, we will use the previous method.

I intend to change the plan after the money arrives.

Anyway, the money is already in hand, and the Ministry of Revenue has no say on how it is spent."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, then he realized that he had underestimated his boldness.

He picked up the spoon, scooped a few spoonfuls of soup, and said:
"I don't know about this."

"I know!"

(End of this chapter)