kingnovel Chapter 323: Where did the relief grain that could not reach the surname go?
Chapter 323: Where did the relief grain that could not reach the surname go?
"Twenty percent grain tax?!"
Ji Benchang didn't care about the rice seeds covering his body and rolled over to his feet.
The rice grains sticking to his clothes rustled down like a golden rain.
He looked in pain and said anxiously, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Isn't 20% grain tax... a bit too much? Your Majesty, I hope you will think twice!"
The emperor glanced at him lightly and ignored him.
Ji Benchang was so distressed that he cried out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the grain depot had a poor harvest in the past two years, and there was not much grain left. Life was very difficult. I, an old minister, calculated carefully every day, fearing that there would not be enough food next year. You..."
You promised to give 20% of the tax grain, how can the Ministry of Revenue survive...
The emperor's laughter came from his nose.
"Lord Ji, I know clearly how much money your Ministry of Revenue has. It's only 20% of the grain tax. It won't cause any serious damage within two years."
Ji Benchang looked bitter, and then he heard the emperor say:
"Your Ministry of Revenue has always been a place where you only take in but never give out. It is difficult to get back the tax grain that has been deposited into your account in previous years. Even if I ordered you to give me ten kilograms of grain, you only gave me two kilograms. Why are you complaining to me today?"
After hearing this, all the civil and military officials wanted to applaud the emperor.
Isn't it!
How stingy is Ji Benchang?
Those who served as officials in the court received an annual salary that included not only silver money, but also rice, flour, grain, oil, cloth for making clothes and other daily necessities.
Where do these things come from?
It was brought from the Ministry of Revenue’s warehouse and then distributed by the Ministry of Rites.
Every New Year, officials from the Ministry of Rites were often turned away by the Ministry of Revenue.
Either this one is out of stock, or that one is too expensive, how about changing it?
His Ministry of Rites was fine, but could the civil and military officials agree to it? In the end, it was still his Ministry of Rites that got scolded!
Moreover, it is extremely difficult to get new grain from the Ministry of Revenue every year. There are rules about first-in-first-out and old grain will get moldy if left any longer. If it is sold at a low price, it will be a huge loss.
In a word, when officials receive their annual salary at the end of each year, it is considered good if they can get last year’s grain. Sometimes a lot of grain is moldy from the previous year!
When asked where the new grain had gone, was it sold?
Answer: No, they are stored in the warehouse!
It's a really blinding answer.
What does Ji Benchang mean by this?
They are planning to turn this year's new grain into old grain and distribute it to them next year. Isn't the purpose to prevent them from eating new grain every year?
All the officials gnashed their teeth when they thought of this.
The people from the Ministry of Rites were the first to add insult to injury: "Master Ji, reducing grain taxes is a great thing that benefits the people. Master Shen from Tongan County has found high-yield rice, and the whole country should celebrate. What's wrong with your Ministry of Revenue collecting less tax grain? Even His Majesty said that it won't hurt your bones, right?"
Instead of trying to save face, he just wanted to see how Ji Benchang, the stingy man, would feel when he was humiliated.
At the moment, Ji Benchang is also a firecracker that can be ignited at any time.
In the eyes of others, it’s just two words: protecting food.
His eyes seemed to be blazing with anger, and he cursed:
"What happened? What did you say? The east suffered a serious disaster this year, and there are starving people everywhere. How many people are hungry and clothed? Since I, Ji Benchang, have become the Minister of Finance, I must take precautions before it happens."
"This first batch of relief grain has been allocated. I have to say something unpleasant, but how much of it will reach the people affected by the disaster? If the disaster situation continues, you decide! Will my Ministry of Revenue continue to allocate grain for disaster relief? No! No!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Golden Palace fell silent, and the faces of all the officials were filled with fear and admiration.
It sounds ugly. It's so ugly.
But also bold, too bold.
How dare Ji Benchang say in front of the emperor that the disaster relief grain would not reach the people?
Who is this? Is he crazy? Is he going to die?
Suddenly, everyone knelt down in the hall, and except Ji Benchang, no one dared to look up at the emperor.
Ji Benchang was breathing heavily, clenching his cheeks, and confronting the emperor.
All the officials thought that Ji Benchang would be severely punished today, and several people would be implicated, but unexpectedly the emperor chuckled.
The emperor’s face is unpredictable; serving him is like serving a tiger.
"Minister Ji is right. I also want to know how much of the relief funds and grain allocated by the court can actually reach the people when disasters strike various places? If the relief funds and grain cannot reach the people, then where do they go in the end?"
Someone was kneeling and trembling.
It's not that they are embezzling money, but that in the past disaster relief would have passed through their hands. They don't exploit, but there will be unstoppable layers of exploitation.
It turns out that Your Majesty knows everything.
Yes, as a monarch, how foolish can one be? In his eyes, the following methods are nothing more than children's tricks. If I pick one at random, can Your Majesty not understand it?
But the clan was huge, and the Great Zhou was just beginning to stabilize, so it could not withstand the turmoil and precariousness of the storm.
His Majesty is not unwilling to take action, he just...
Waiting for the opportunity.
And now, the time seems to have come...
"Your Majesty, please understand that we, your subjects, have absolutely no intention of disobeying your will!"
The emperor laughed again.
I only heard him call softly: "Today in the palace, there will be no investigation of corruption, so please stand up."
Who dares to level?
All the officials looked at each other, but no one dared to stand up.
"Row."
The emperor looked down at them and said, "Since none of you want to get up, then you can all kneel down and listen. Lord Ji...if you want to stand, then stand."
Ji Benchang's anger gradually subsided, and only then did he feel scared.
He doesn't have many faults, but the ones he has are extremely strange.
He is "protective of food", extremely "protective of food", very "protective of food", and once that feeling comes, he will disregard any consequences.
Since he didn't protect the wrong direction today, it seems that His Majesty didn't blame him.
But he still knelt down with a clang.
"Your Majesty... I'd better kneel down and listen."
The emperor did not comment, took two steps forward, and kicked Eunuch Hong.
"Why are you kneeling? Stand up and take note of my instructions."
"Hmm, hmm..."
Eunuch Hong looked up, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and jumped up.
The emperor looked at the tops of the officials' hats and said slowly:
"Just now I only mentioned reducing the grain tax, but I forgot to mention one thing. This matter is related to the disaster in the east that Lord Ji mentioned. If it weren't for this, I would not have promised to reduce the grain tax. After all... Lord Ji's concerns are not unreasonable."
All the officials were eagerly waiting for his next words.
"Shen Qing, also known as Shen Zheng, the magistrate of Tongan County, and the entire Liuyang Prefecture donated grain for disaster relief. Shen Qing even donated all the grain in her personal possession."
The officials were stunned.
How much food can a small county magistrate have? Should he donate it to the disaster victims?
The emperor knew what they were thinking, took out the letter from his arms, and said calmly:
"Shen Qing didn't donate much, maybe only a few hundred thousand kilograms."
"Clang-"
The only person standing in the hall besides the emperor, Eunuch Hong, knelt down again.
He looked at the emperor and his teeth chattered.