The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 268 - 132: Please Execute Xu Qing (Subscribe Request)_2

Chapter 268: Chapter 132: Please Execute Xu Qing (Subscribe Request)_2

This is what the officials call it.

Emperors generally refer to someone as a certain Elder, or Teacher, and so on.

It is because the Grand Ancestor of our dynasty explicitly abolished the position of Prime Minister.

Moreover, the Emperor also just wants to find someone to do the work and take the blame, hence in terms of titles, they usually follow the old practice.

Grand Secretary replied: "To respond to Your Majesty, indeed it is so. Because the National Treasury is empty and the funds are insufficient, we had to divert the silver from the Taicang to cover the military expenses in Liao Dong. I am guilty of this and earnestly request that Your Majesty punish me."

The Emperor nodded: "Since there were reasons for it, let’s discuss it at court later, you submit a petition to plead guilt, and we’ll talk further afterwards."

Many officials were privately quite disappointed. Was it just going to be let go so easily?

But thunderstorms and dew are all a part of imperial grace.

Besides, the Emperor did not say that there would be no punishment.

Chen Fu spoke: "Your Majesty, the emptiness of the National Treasury and the insufficiency of funds are normal occurrences. This year we were able to redirect the Taicang silver to make up for the military expenses in Liao Dong, but now the end of the year is approaching, and there is still no solution for the Capital Camp’s military pay. I beg Your Majesty to open the private treasury."

The Emperor frowned: "The private treasury has its own purposes as well, it cannot be drawn upon simply upon request."

Chen Fu spoke: "Then please execute me, Your Majesty. I have tried hard to patch things up at the Ministry of Revenue, but I cannot conjure money out of thin air."

The Emperor blandly asked: "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"

Grand Secretary replied: "Your Majesty, indeed it’s impossible to conjure money out of thin air as the National Treasury is empty. Therefore, a thorough land survey and the implementation of the One Whip Law is urgent and necessary. If this cannot be done, the National Treasury will only become emptier, and I fear that great chaos will ensue."

At this moment, the clever officials caught on.

All this talk of an empty National Treasury is just a pretext, it’s still about the "land survey."

But after this exchange, the officials opposed to the land survey found it difficult to speak up.

The emptiness of the National Treasury is an obvious fact.

Unless you can solve this problem, how can you oppose the "land survey"?

The Emperor: "Land survey and the implementation of the One Whip Law, how can they replenish the National Treasury?"

Grand Secretary replied: "Please listen to my words, Your Majesty. At the time of the Grand Ancestor, the country had just been pacified and there was much to restore. The Yellow Book recorded 370 million mu of land; a hundred years ago, during our country’s most prosperous period, there were 800 million mu; yet now the Yellow Book registers only 400 million mu. This means that half of the land in the world is hidden. If this continues, the National Treasury will become even emptier, and those aristocratic families and nobles who hide land will multiply, I fear the world will once again descend into chaos."

Grand Secretary spoke with conviction, and the officials fell silent.

The Emperor: "Let’s discuss this matter today."

At this moment, a Minister in his fifties stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the matter of the land survey faces heavy resistance. It cannot proceed simply by setting things in motion at court. I fear that once the court issues the decree, the Government Offices around the world will have incidents of the Yellow Books catching fire. Such events have been seen in history and must be approached with caution."

Grand Secretary blandly opened his mouth: "Lord Cheng, are we to abandon the affairs of the world because they are difficult? If that’s the case, what use does Your Majesty have for us ministers?"

Lord Cheng said: "Prime Minister, let me ask you, once the decree for a land survey is passed down, and the Clerks at the Government Offices collude with local figures to forge the Yellow Books, shifting the taxes and services they should pay onto the ordinary people, then what do we do?"

He then said to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, it was by such practices that Emperor Wen of Sui filled the National Treasury and strengthened his Weapons, but the burden on the people was among the heaviest throughout the dynasties. People say that Sui was destroyed by Emperor Yang, but the misdeeds began with Emperor Wen."

He cited classics and gained applause from the officials.

Lord Cheng, after all, is the Assistant Minister of Rites, specializing in literature and history.

His refutation was such that, even for the Grand Secretary, it was not easy to rebut.

Grand Secretary: "Lord Cheng’s words make sense. In that case, let’s first attempt to carry out the land survey in the Shuntian Prefecture, the Capital Territory. I’ll personally supervise with the other Cabinet members, and dispatch Hanlin officials to implement the measure. As the saying goes, how can you sweep the world clean if you can’t sweep one house? Once Shuntian sets an example, the resistance to subsequent implementation will naturally diminish."

Lord Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

At this time, the nobles among the Military Officers were displeased.

They had little influence at the court in the first place, and now the Grand Secretary was eyeing their wealth, was this making life possible for them?

It’s known that Shuntian Prefecture, being land of the Capital, had the most land concealed; contrary to expectations, it wasn’t the Civil Servants, but the nobles who most concealed it.

Thus, while the Civil Servants were in no hurry, the nobles had no choice but to be anxious.

So, many nobles pleaded with the Emperor, claiming that their families evaded taxes legally and that the spending for their large households was substantial. The Emperor’s grants were simply not enough to support all the people, and that any deviations from the rules were done out of necessity.

Among them were also relatives of the Emperor.

These people have close relationship with the Emperor; naturally they were the most audacious in concealing land and evading taxes.

"Enough." The old Emperor’s voice boomed from his Dantian like a thunderclap.

Suddenly, ministers and nobles all fell silent.

He then addressed the Grand Secretary: "Mr. Zhang, are we truly beginning the land survey and implementing the One Whip Law starting with Shuntian Prefecture?"

"It is not possible otherwise, to set an example for all under heaven." Grand Secretary was resolute.

Then a noble said: "If Shuntian Prefecture starts with the land survey, what about Yingtian Prefecture?"

At this moment, many Civil Servants from South Zhili could not help stamping their feet.

After all, during the relocation of the capital, many influential nobles had moved to Shuntian, leaving Duke Wei to dominate Yingtian Prefecture.

Now at least one-third of the land and people in Yingtian Prefecture were in the hands of the Civil Servants from South Zhili.

Many of them were relatives or connected to Duke Wei.

"A trial of land survey in Yingtian, the hub of the Southeast, where the wealth of the world converges and which is far from the Capital, if something goes wrong, it will surely shake the entire world," a Civil Servant firmly retorted.

The Grand Secretary smiled coldly, saying: "This won’t do, that won’t do. Tell us what regulations you propose, how can we fill the emptiness of the National Treasury."

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