Chronicles of the Modern Empress Dowager

Chapter 399: A thousand threads

Zhao Qian didn't go to Wenyuan Pavilion after coming down from the court meeting, he went directly to the yamen of the household department.

At this moment, when I entered the gate, I heard the crackling sound of the abacus in the yamen of the household department. He found a group of good abacus and entered the household department to check the accounts. From the fifteenth year of Xikang to February this year, he had to go through all the accounts. The accounts for the past few years have been piled up for half of the house, and the eight accounts have been calculated for three days. Not finished yet.

His arrival caused all officials and others in the Yamen to kneel down and greet them.

Zhao Qian walked straight to the place where several long tables were put together. He picked up the book and took a look at it, put it down and took another one, and lost it within two pages. I found a cashier and asked, "Where are the ones that have been cleared out?"

Tong Shangshu hurriedly submitted a cleaned up account to Zhao Qian, Zhao Qian turned a few pages seriously, his face became more gloomy, and the dry person who was kneeling underneath was even more nervous.

Zhao Qian knew that the treasury was empty before this, so he wanted to find someone to find out where the holes were. I don't know if I don't check it, I was surprised when I checked it.

Zhao Qian clenched the paper hard, the blue veins on his forehead violently, and finally slapped the table suddenly: "What a jerk!"

Tong Shangshu kept kowtow and said: "Lord, please calm down your anger, please calm down your anger."

"For such a big hole, I just ask you how Tong Shangshu should find a way to fill it?"

Tong Shangshu panicked and said: "Only by adding two more seasons of taxes, the tax rate will increase by two more points."

"Add two more seasons, another two points higher? Are you trying to force the farmers to rise up and rebel?" Zhao Qian's face instantly turned pale.

Tong Shangshu was so scared that he no longer dared to talk nonsense.

"Give you three days, in three days, give me a feasible countermeasure, how to plug these holes." Zhao Qian was indeed very angry.

Three days, that is, three months is not necessarily a reliable way, Tong Shangshu thought worriedly. He guarded these accounts and checked the accounts for nearly an hour. Why was the treasury empty like this? When Emperor Xiaozong reigned, the country was peaceful and the people lived a prosperous life. The treasury is full. Later, when he arrived in the hands of the Emperor Xian, the people had a good life for several years. However, the Emperor was a martial artist. He reigned for seventeen years, but he fought ten battles, large and small. In the early years, they were all victorious, fifteen years. The last two defeats made the entire Daqi burden gradually a little strenuous. Coupled with the famine in the past few years, the people's life has become more and more difficult. The country is getting poorer and the disadvantages of society are everywhere.

Daqi has reached the point where it must be changed.

Zhao Qian stepped out softly and walked out of the household office. His good emperor left an empty frame for his nephew.

After coming out of the household department, he then went to Wenyuan Pavilion. The chief assistant Du Yuzheng and several ministers held a meeting to discuss the affairs of Enke, but Zhao Qian came in with a straight face.

Du Yu and so on hurriedly left the seat and greeted Zhao Qian.

At this time, there is no need to hide his emotions. Zhao Qian's frowning brows seemed to be able to trap flies, and he was very upset at this moment.

Du Yu and Liao Qi exchanged glances, then Du Yu asked a little uneasy: "Master, what happened?"

After Zhao Qian started a fire, his heart has gradually calmed down. Still have to think about what to do in the future? You can't throw a mess to Fu Guang, this is the country that the ancestors beat down, and can't be planted in the hands of their uncle and nephew.

"I went to the household department, and now the national strength is very weak, Da Qi can't stand the toss." Zhao Qian said simply.

The emptiness of the national treasury is something everyone here knows, but even Du Yu, as the head and assistant, has nothing to do. He said helplessly: "The emptiness of the national treasury is not a matter of a day or two. The prince does not need to care too much."

Zhao Qian gave a wry smile. He is now the regent, taking charge of the country instead of his nephew, and he can't handle the heavy burden on his shoulders.

"Da Qi must not be rotten in our hands, and the power will have to be handed over to the emperor smoothly."

Du Yu heard that this regent was very ambitious and seemed to want to do something about the facts, but now the hearts of the people are not aligned.

"Is the prince intending to reform? I don't know where the prince intends to start?" Du Yuxiang asked.

"Let's start with tax first, and then talk about the taxes that should be collected."

Daqi's current polarization is too serious, and wealth is seriously uneven. If there is no intervention, the people's life will be even more impossible.

Zhao Qian gave Tong Shangshu three days to think about countermeasures, but on the second day the Ministry of Households was led by Tong Shangshu, and then two servants, Yuanwailang, Lang and others handed in their resignations.

The resignation paper arrived at Du Yu's hands, but Du Yu was very angry: "Who is going to work now? Everyone will run away."

Liao Qi wiped off his sweat and hurriedly said with comfort: "Your anger calms down."

Du Yuguo was really angry: "What the regent is going to do, why doesn't he discuss with us if he wants to act? What should our cabinet be, is it a decoration? What else is the cabinet? I can't as well disband as soon as possible. "

It can be seen that Du Yuguo is really angry and can say anything.

Zhao Qian quickly learned about the resignation of Tong Shangshu and others. He expected those useless soft eggs to be hopeless, and now he plans to take up residence in the household department personally, so he doesn’t believe he can’t clean up the mess. .

The affairs of the household department are very cumbersome. Zhao Qian has been in the household department for several days, and the rest of the affairs are left to the cabinet to take care of. Now he sleeps and dreams of looking at the account books. After a few days, his mind is full of various numbers.

When Tong Shangshu and others were about to resign, Zhao Qian simply agreed and eliminated all the useless things. Excluding this part of the people, the Ministry of Households is left with an empty shelf. Zhao Qian hopes that after this year, Enke can promote a group of real talents instead of these old oils.

Zhao Qian agreed to the resignation of these people, but unexpectedly angered several ministers in the cabinet.

As the first assistant, Du Yubian was the first to make a decision to Zhao Qian: "Master, you are afraid it is wrong to do this. You drove those people away, who will work?"

"First, temporarily select a few people from other yamen. After dealing with this period, we will wait until Enke is over before selecting a group of people with real talents."

Du Yu said again: "My lord, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to do this."

"What's wrong? Go for those who can, and go for those who can't. This is how I use people."

Du Yu had a lot of opinions on Zhao Qian's actions. Even if he was the regent, he didn't mean to ask the cabinet and made a decision at will. Such arbitrariness is only to weaken the power of the cabinet. He is the regent by birth, and the emperor is still young, no one can contain him.

However, Du Yu thought of a person at this moment. At this time, it would be useful to ask that person out.