Fu Shanhe

Chapter 114 A big gamble
Capital.

As the year draws to a close, countless officials come from all over the country to report on their work, including many high-ranking officials.

Mixed in with the crowd, Li Mu, the lieutenant general, returned to the capital without causing any waves.

The focus of everyone's attention is on cutting redundant staff.

The big fuss caused by the cabinet has lasted until now, and it has persuaded some officials to retire.

In fact, these people don't need to be persuaded at all.

Influenced by the idea of ​​returning to one's hometown, officials will choose to retire and return to their hometown to spend their twilight years in peace when they get older.

Everyone knows that the cabinet will not allow its decrees to become waste paper, and there will definitely be big moves next.

……

“Godfather, the cabinet is in trouble, and now is our chance.

They can't even do a good job of cutting redundant staff. If Your Majesty..."

Before Zuo Tianjun could finish his words, Zuo Guangen's face turned dark.

"idiot!"

"Do you think it's that easy to lay off redundant staff?"

"If those old foxes in the cabinet really want to reduce the number of officials, they will find no other way!"

“The reason why there has been no action is that they want to minimize the risk.

I have already looked at the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue. The official salary expenditure this month has been reduced by 30,000 taels.

The administrative expenses of government offices at all levels in Beijing also decreased by 20,000 taels this month.

Even though the staff was not cut, the court's financial expenditure had already been reduced.

I'm afraid only a fool like you would think that the cabinet is doing nothing!"

Zuo Guangen scolded angrily.

Being able to stand out from the crowd of eunuchs requires more than just relying on the emperor's favor.

Except for the eunuchs in the early years of the founding of the country, most of whom were illiterate, the eunuchs in the middle and late periods were all carefully trained.

There was a special "Eunuch Hall" in the palace, which was responsible for teaching eunuchs to read.

The eunuchs who were able to serve the emperor and princes were well-versed in all the classics and historical books.

The more you know, the more powerful those old foxes in the cabinet are.

Only with the threat of reducing staff hanging over their heads can departments calmly accept the reduction of administrative expenses, and officials will acquiesce to the increase in the proportion of treasure notes in their salaries.

Reducing expenditure by 50,000 taels a month may not seem like a large number, but the situation will be different over a longer period of time.

A reduction of six hundred thousand taels in expenditure a year is equivalent to a two percentage point increase in fiscal revenue.

If the current situation continues, once the layoff crisis is over, the Dayu Dynasty will be able to save one million taels of silver every year.

For a dynasty that has lasted for more than two hundred years, being able to cut administrative expenses without causing drastic fluctuations is something that ordinary people cannot accomplish.

"Godfather, the imperial court just made a profit from the salt tax and is now starting to cut spending.

The tasks of local tax inspectors have also increased significantly.

Everyone is working so hard to make money, is the imperial court really going to send troops to Liaodong next year?"

Zuo Guangjun asked with concern.

Just because he is often scolded doesn’t mean he is really a stupid person.

If you want to get along well in the palace, you can’t be too stupid, but you can’t be too smart either.

Sometimes saying a few stupid things is also an art of seeking favor.

Only when one's personal abilities are immature does one need a "godfather" to cultivate him or her.

If you appear to be too capable, you will be a right-hand man when you are needed, but a serious problem when you are not needed.

Being smart sometimes and stupid sometimes is also a way of survival.

"You can already see it, why do you even need to ask?"

Zuo Guangen said unhappily.

As someone who was close to him, he was very aware of Emperor Tianyuan's physical condition.

The emperor obviously didn't have many years left to live, so he wanted to solve the border problems before he died so as not to leave any regrets.

Under this background, the imperial court naturally needed to raise money.

Once the war is reignited, the two sides will compete not only in military strength, but also in manpower, financial resources and material resources.

"Godfather, I'm afraid this battle will be difficult to fight!"

Zuo Tianjun said with a serious expression.

Having just suffered a major defeat in Liaodong, the team was now hastily preparing for a counterattack, and no one was sure what to do.

Even though he didn't understand military affairs, he knew it would be difficult to win a complete victory in this battle.

But to eunuchs, the emperor's will is heaven.

Emperor Tianyuan wanted to solve the border problem during his lifetime, and they had no reason to refuse.

From Zuo Guangen's perspective, he also needs victory in the foreign war.

Only after eliminating the border threats and consolidating the imperial power could Emperor Tianyuan feel at ease to adopt a son from the royal family.

The emperor would definitely entrust such an important task as assisting the young emperor to his confidants.

This means that his political life will be greatly extended.

The same was true for the cabinet, which tried its best to cooperate with the emperor.

The temptation of the regent was the price offered by Emperor Tianyuan.

Although it was never stated explicitly, smart people could see it.

If the foreign war situation is unfavorable, then for the sake of the country, the new emperor can only choose an adult monarch.

One emperor and one courtier.

Just because Emperor Tianyuan trusts them doesn’t mean the next emperor will trust them as well.

According to historical experience, every change of imperial power was a disaster for high-ranking officials. The lucky ones would be replaced after three to five years.

It's tragic that we can't celebrate the New Year because we have to make room for the newlyweds.

In this regard, everyone's interests are the same as the emperor's.

According to the patriarchal system, an adopted son is also a son.

The subsequent incense and sacrifices are definitely indispensable.

In order to legitimize his throne, the new emperor will also work hard to elevate the status of Emperor Tianyuan.

It would be different if it were brothers.

The legitimacy of his throne can come from his brother or from the deceased emperor.

It would be fine if he took the brotherhood into consideration, but if he harbored resentment, he would not know how to discredit him.

Even if this generation gives face, the treatment of sacrifices will plummet after the next generation of nephews comes to power.

For Emperor Tianyuan, who was deeply influenced by traditional culture, his own affairs after death were also an important reference factor in choosing a new monarch.

After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to take a big gamble.

Not to mention directly eliminating the external threat, as long as we can win a victory in the foreign war, we can eliminate the adverse political impact brought about by the explosion in Beijing.

He could then boldly adopt a son from the royal family to continue the incense of his lineage.

……

When Li Mu came to the capital again, he had completely different feelings.

The last time he came here, he entered the city quietly by himself.

This time it was obviously different. Looking from a distance, I saw that my peers from the same clan had been waiting outside the city early.

Status and position determine one's right to speak. In the Li clan, he is already considered an outstanding talent.

Although he is only a lieutenant general at the moment, as the bond for the marriage between the two families, he can at least become a general.

The political status of a powerful general in the Dayu Dynasty was not low.

Now is not the early years of the founding of the country, and the time is not for the emperor to strictly prevent the nobles from becoming powerful.

Now the emperor hopes that the nobles can rise again to check and balance those not-so-obedient generals from the nine frontiers.

In recent years, the children of noble families have been continuously joining the border and local armies.

Unfortunately, most of them sank, and only a few were able to stand on their own feet.

The Yangzhou Camp that Li Mu is tinkering with is pretty good, at least for now.

After a few simple greetings, he returned home surrounded by his clansmen.

"Brothers, please take a break.

After I wash up, I will chat with you all!"

Li Mu stopped everyone who wanted to leave.

Having been in officialdom for such a long time, he has made great progress in terms of social skills.

Since they have taken the trouble to come all the way outside the city to greet us, we must treat them well.

What's more, he had just arrived in the capital and there were still many things he needed to understand.

These brothers and cousins ​​in front of me are undoubtedly the best people to get information.

"Cousin Mu, please help yourself!"

Li Sen said with a smile.

Status and position are also considered important in the clan. Although he is young among his peers, his status is the highest.

As the eldest son of Marquis Zhenyuan, no one dared to look down on him even though he was born out of wedlock.

If the wife of the Marquis cannot give birth to a legitimate son, theoretically he would be the first in line of succession.

From the expressions of the brothers, it can be seen that everyone still has great faith in him.

Of course, everyone only thinks about this kind of thing in private, and no one dares to say it out loud.

The wife of the Marquis is not someone who is easy to mess with. If gossip spreads, there will be a heavy price to pay.

Including Li Sen himself, he tried to keep a low profile as much as possible and never mentioned the matter of inheritance.

When it comes to the issue of the next generation of heirs to the Marquis's Mansion, apart from the Marquis of Zhenyuan, the wife of the Marquis has the most say.

Whoever of the three brothers of the Marquis's Mansion can be adopted by the Marquis's wife will be the legal heir.

The Dayu Dynasty followed the system of primogeniture, with the eldest son being ranked before the eldest.

After Li Mu left, the courtyard suddenly became lively.

They have lived in Beijing for many years and are brothers from the same family. They grew up together and have become familiar with each other.

On the contrary, Li Mu, a distant relative, has a relatively distant relationship because they don't have much contact.

Just because the relationship is unfamiliar doesn't mean that everyone is not familiar with Li Mu.

Because of his sudden rise in his career, Li Mu appeared more and more frequently in the mouths of their parents, and he was like "the child of other people's family."

When Li Mu came back after washing up, he found that he had become the subject of everyone's discussion.

After eavesdropping for a few sentences, Li Mu quickly discovered that something was wrong.

In the eyes of the public, he is almost deified.

He was proficient in all kinds of strategies, both civil and military. He used troops like a god on the battlefield and killed hundreds of enemy generals in a row.

It's so fake that it can't be more fake, it feels like it's just exaggerated.

But everyone's expressions couldn't be faked, and they obviously believed it.

It is understandable to build up momentum in advance because of the need for marriage, but it is a bit too much to brag about it.

"Cough cough!"

Li Mu's cough interrupted everyone's discussion, and the scene became awkward for a while.

……

(End of this chapter)