Fu Shanhe

Chapter 470 A hot potato

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

More than a month has passed since the floodwaters receded, but the mess they left behind continues.

Disaster reports from all over the country flew to the capital like snowflakes.

Everywhere there were homeless people, waiting for the imperial court to provide relief.

While other places might be ignored, disaster relief must be provided right under the emperor's nose and in front of the imperial city.

Not long after the floodwaters receded, the Shuntian Prefecture opened its official granaries to provide disaster relief.

Unfortunately, the flood was too destructive, causing many government granaries to be submerged and the grain inside to become moldy.

Regardless of whether others believe it or not, that's the result reported.

The loss was not limited to the granaries; all the cloth, salt, spices, charcoal, and other supplies in the official granaries were destroyed in the flood.

If it weren't for the cabinet's close monitoring, the Ministry of Revenue would have almost lost even the national treasury silver.

They didn't dare lose the silver, but the ledgers used for recording the transactions were severely damaged.

"Minister Lü, your Ministry of Revenue is truly remarkable."

What should have been discarded, and what shouldn't have been discarded, none of it remained.

I remember that the official granaries were built at a high altitude; how did the water get up there?

Jiang Shuhan coldly questioned.

Using a large account is fine, but you can't go too far.

The flood alone resulted in official losses exceeding 30 million taels of silver.

If things continue like this, the Great Yu Dynasty will inevitably be hollowed out.

"Your Excellency, the construction of the official granary has taken too long, and the maintenance funds allocated by the court are seriously insufficient, resulting in oversights in many places."

This flood was too severe; the water flow shook the foundation of the granary, allowing water to seep in.

After the floodwaters receded, the supplies in the warehouse had become damp and moldy…

Lu Lingfeng forced himself to explain.

This time, he didn't really gain much benefit.

The reported losses were so enormous, mainly due to historical issues.

The imperial granaries were almost empty, with the stored goods existing only on paper.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to gamble so much.

However, if the resources on the books are not "lost," the Ministry of Revenue will have to provide supplies for the disaster victims.

The supplies that have already gone into everyone's pockets, why take them out again?

If there's nothing to give, then the only option is to report the loss.

"Good excuse, keep making it up!"

Second Grand Secretary Bai Jilin followed suit and fired the cannon.

Everyone knows about the Ministry of Revenue's bad accounts.

It's clearly impossible to get the items back.

If we were to investigate further, a lot of people would be involved.

Every single official who served in the Ministry of Revenue was implicated.

Strict accountability would result in significant losses for the civil service.

We can't pursue it too closely, but we can't just let it go unchecked either.

If the imperial court relaxes its control over officials, corrupt officials at the lower levels can simply take the national treasury home.

"Second Minister, everything I have said is true!"

Lu Lingfeng reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

It's clear that he's finding it hard to cope with the pressure from the cabinet.

But the issues involved are too big now, and he has to withstand the pressure.

Once the imperial court decides to conduct a thorough investigation, he, as the Minister of Revenue, will be the first to be finished.

"Everyone knows exactly what's going on with the Ministry of Revenue's messy accounts."

The three judicial departments formed an investigation team to thoroughly investigate the case.

There are now hundreds of thousands of homeless people gathered in the capital, and the imperial court needs to provide them with money and grain relief.

The Ministry of Revenue must find a solution to this problem!

The old minister, who was standing nearby, then added insult to injury.

When the Qingliu faction was at its peak, they criticized everything and everyone, as if they were the only loyal subjects in the world.

Now the tables have turned, and the Qingliu Party members have missed two rounds of political reshuffling, losing their seats in the cabinet.

When other factions seize power, they naturally have to offer generous rewards.

If it weren't for the fact that the Ministry of Revenue had left behind a huge mess, requiring Lü Lingfeng to stay and take the blame...

In this round of political struggle, the first target was this Minister of Revenue.

The fact that it wasn't taken down now doesn't mean there won't be a reckoning later.

The thorough investigation by the Three Judicial Offices was like a sword hanging in the air.

The seemingly flawless accounting is actually riddled with loopholes.

If the imperial court wants to investigate, it can find out the problem at any time.

If Lü Lingfeng didn't want to die, then he could only try to raise some money and grain to solve the disaster relief problem and save face for the imperial court.

The money problem is relatively easy to solve; as long as the Ministry of Revenue is willing, it can always scrape together a sum of money by borrowing from various sources.

The key issue is that all the northern provinces are currently experiencing food shortages, and the only way to get grain to Beijing is to find a way from the south.

Not only is it extremely costly, but transportation capacity is also a major problem.

The floods not only destroyed houses and farmland, but also affected the canal.

Due to the mudslide, some sections of the river are no longer navigable.

Land transportation was also disrupted.

Many official roads are still under repair.

"Your Excellency, I will do my best."

But the number of people gathering outside the city is growing larger and larger; this can't go on forever!

Lu Lingfeng couldn't help but complain.

These words were not only addressed to the cabinet, but also to all the officials who had served in the Ministry of Revenue.

The deficit in the Ministry of Revenue was not caused by him alone.

If they really don't give us a way out, then let's lift the lid and we'll all perish together.

"Minister Lü is right. The number of disaster victims is constantly converging on the capital. If this continues for too long, problems will inevitably arise."

In addition to arranging relief efforts, we also need to consider the relocation of disaster victims.

It would be best to persuade them to return to their hometowns; otherwise, the pressure on the capital would be too great.

Minister of Works Yue Xiangsong was the first to speak up and offer his help.

The Ministry of Revenue was the first to be severely impacted by this natural disaster, followed by the Ministry of Works.

The responsibility for the river breach was something that no one had time to investigate at the moment.

Simply making a few river patrol officers scapegoats is far from enough.

Once a thorough investigation is conducted, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will certainly not escape responsibility for its inadequate oversight.

If the Ministry of Works does its supervisory work well, it should promptly organize manpower to reinforce the river embankment when the water level in the river rises.

Even if the Yongding River hadn't breached its banks, no matter how much water accumulated in Beijing, it wouldn't have been enough to flood the imperial palace.

When two rotten brothers want to get through a crisis, they naturally have to stick together for warmth.

"The Five Cities Military Command is already working on the issue of relocating disaster victims."

However, it seems unlikely that persuading them to return to their original places of residence will be successful.

The disaster situation in various places has not yet ended, and returning to one's hometown will not solve the problem of food.

The imperial court in the capital is still trying to find ways to provide relief, but the local governments have limited resources and are unable to help so many people.

Marquis Wuxiang immediately rejected it.

Providing relief to disaster victims was a significant achievement of the Five Cities Military Command.

Once the people were organized and handed over to the officials stationed in Beijing by the Annam Protectorate, their task was considered complete.

If it weren't for their efforts, the number of people gathered near the capital would have already exceeded one million.

If the policy changes and they are encouraged to return to their original places of residence, what will their previous efforts amount to?
"As long as the refugee crisis can be resolved, it doesn't matter where they are resettled."

The grain reserves in Beijing have been severely damaged, and the most urgent task is to find a way to solve the grain shortage.

Food prices in the city are continuing to rise, and if they are not brought under control soon, even more people will join the ranks of refugees.

Minister of Justice Fei Xinyuan hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.

Two high-ranking officials from the Qingliu faction are deeply embroiled in trouble, and they cannot afford to provoke the nobility faction now.

Otherwise, if all parties join forces and take advantage of the situation to eliminate the two ministers, he will be left with no one to rely on.

Political struggles are most likely to trigger chain reactions.

Once the tide turns, those officials who are not closely tied to the cause can switch sides in no time.

The fewer the number of subordinates, the weaker the faction.

The weaker the faction, the more people will switch factions.

Once you enter a vicious cycle, decline is only a matter of time.

The family's network of connections, built over generations, is all within the Qingliu camp.

The decline of the Qingliu Party also meant that all the efforts of their ancestors had been in vain. This fall meant that the gentry and powerful families who held the core of the Qingliu camp were leaving the center of political power.

The later a dynasty went, the more closed the ladder of advancement became.

Once you fall, there's no going back up.

Competitors will take advantage of the situation and selectively expose their hidden dark history.

Ultimately, they were labeled as traitors, or perhaps even "eunuchs."

After all, that's what they did before.

After defeating their political opponents, they would label them as members of the eunuch faction, ruining their reputation among scholars and denying them any chance to make a comeback.

During the height of the Qingliu Party's power, a farcical situation arose where anyone who opposed the Qingliu Party was labeled a member of the eunuch faction.

If you go too far in the past, it's time to pay the price in the decline.

The successive accidents involving prominent figures of the Qingliu Party may seem like mere coincidences, but they are actually the result of a combined effort from various parties.

Judging from the reactions of several cabinet ministers, it is clear that suppressing the Qingliu Party was even more important than suppressing the aristocratic faction.

It's not that everyone has put aside the civil-military rivalry; the main problem is that the new leader of the nobility faction is far less politically astute than Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan.

He was nominally the boss, but in reality, his prestige was limited, and he was unable to unite the powerful elite group.

Compared to the powerful civil servants who were used to manipulating power, he was definitely an "honest man".

It's always better to have two harmless, "honest" people in the cabinet than to bring in two hungry wolves.

As the power struggle at the top eased, the court still needed the nobles to serve it, and the conflict between civil and military officials gradually faded away.

With external conflicts gone, the internal conflicts of the civil service group come into play.

As the largest faction in the government, the Qingliu Party, known for its aggressive approach, was naturally unwilling to lose its voice in the cabinet.

The censors and officials of the Qingliu Party faction have been particularly active recently, launching attacks from all sides in the court.

In the war of words, the party, acting alone, held its own against a coalition of factions.

"Well, no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes. We should give him a chance to make amends."

"The court may not pursue matters of the past, but the current mess must be cleaned up."

The Ministry of Works was responsible for repairing the damaged river embankments and buildings.

The Ministry of Works had to find its own way to raise funds to address the funding shortfall.

The Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Military Commands were responsible for implementing disaster relief and post-disaster recovery, while the Ministry of Revenue was responsible for raising the necessary funds and grain.

Misappropriation of other funds is prohibited.

Anyone who fails to complete the task, from the Minister down, will be dismissed and handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for investigation!

As soon as Jiang Shuhan finished speaking, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works all turned pale.

They say they won't pursue the matter, but in reality they've already pinned the blame on them.

"Dismissed from their posts and handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for investigation" cut off all their escape routes.

How many people in officialdom can withstand investigation?

Once you're in the imperial prison, your life or death is out of your control.

It's clearly an attempt to force them to pay up the money they're currently losing.

In fact, Jiang Shuhan once considered taking the opportunity to escalate the situation and deal a heavy blow to the Qingliu Party.

Unfortunately, the Ministry of Revenue's mess implicated too many people, with members from various factions in the court involved.

If you lift the lid and start killing everything indiscriminately, it'll just be a huge mess.

Moreover, if a large-scale factional struggle were launched at this time, everyone would be busy fighting for power and profit, and no one would be doing any work.

If the refugees gathered outside the city are ignored, they will cause a great disturbance.

If someone were to raise their arms and start an uprising in Shuntian Prefecture, the dignity of the Great Yu Dynasty would be completely lost.

If not handled properly, it could even lead to the downfall of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Future history books will record history, and he, the chief minister who initiated the factional struggle, will be the one primarily responsible.

"Prime Minister, this..."

Before he could utter a word of explanation, Lü Lingfeng was forced to swallow it back.

Money lost can be recovered.

Once you lose your official position, you can never get it back!

Although the position of Minister of Revenue is difficult to hold, it is also one of the most lucrative positions in the country.

You don't even need to do anything special; someone will just bring you the money.

Besides, the Grand Secretary said that no other funds were allowed to be misappropriated, so does that mean no misappropriation is allowed?
If they were really that obedient, what would be the point of fighting? They might as well just surrender to their political enemies.

Whoever holds the power has the right to make decisions.

……

The capital city, the Annam Guild Hall.

Since the first batch of grain landed in Tianjin, the area has become bustling with activity.

Merchants came to visit every day in an endless stream.

The entire north is short of food; whoever has the grain now controls the wealth.

There's no need to hoard or speculate; grain prices are already volatile.

Even the chaff that nobody usually eats can now fetch a tael of silver per bushel.

If it were an ordinary merchant, holding a large amount of grain, it would have been eaten up long ago.

The situation is different now; these merchants from Annam are working for the Marquis of Hanshui.

Taking drastic measures would be tantamount to slapping the face of the Marquis of Hanshui.

There are people in the court who can disrespect the Marquis of Hanshui, but they certainly don't include merchants like them.

Everyone has powerful backers, so naturally we have to follow the rules.

The sounds of bargaining were incessant.

The guild hall, once a gathering place for people from the same hometown, has been transformed into a large-scale business cooperation site.

One advantage of doing business here is that you get a 1% commission, and the curator can act as a witness when you sign a contract.

In the event of a breach of contract, the association will intervene and help recover the penalty.

The curator was personally appointed by Li Mu, and was equivalent to the head of the Annan Protectorate's office in Beijing, representing the Marquis of Hanshui's residence.

"Your Excellency, if you need grain, you should go to those grain merchants."

The Annan Guild Hall does not participate in commercial activities and does not have the food you need.

Li Hesong politely declined with a smile.

The tactic of getting something for nothing works for ordinary merchants, but the Marquis of Hanshui's mansion has no shortage of connections in official circles.

The title of Minister of Revenue held no value for the Marquis's household.

"Mr. Li, most of the people who received relief from the imperial court ended up in Annam Protectorate."

These are all top-quality laborers; by receiving an advance payment of grain, the Marquis's household will not suffer a loss.

Lu Lingfeng suppressed his dissatisfaction and said.

After the court assembly, he convened an internal meeting at the Ministry of Revenue to find ways to raise funds and grain.

Without exception, no one wants to spit out what they've eaten.

Finally, through a combination of coaxing and threats, he managed to extract a sum of money from everyone's pockets.

The food problem remains unsolved, and the emptied government granaries have long been converted into cash by the people.

The grain merchants in the capital were all shrewd people. After learning the outcome of the court meeting, the major grain merchants immediately sold off their grain holdings wholesale.

They feared that if they held a large amount of grain, the imperial court would target them and slaughter them like fat sheep.

The grain was distributed to grain stores, with some stores stockpiling thousands of bushels and others only a few hundred bushels.

With such a small scale, even if the Ministry of Revenue were willing to be taken advantage of and buy up the grain, it wouldn't be able to purchase enough in a short period of time.

Moreover, large-scale grain purchases would further inflate grain prices in the capital, which the imperial court would not allow.

The remaining food supplies are still en route.

Looking around, they discovered that the Annan Association was selling off its grain to the outside world.

With the relief grain supplies running low, he had no choice but to set aside his pride and personally go to the Annam Guild Hall to discuss the matter.

"If the Minister finds our immigrants an eyesore, he may petition the court to close the immigration channels."

We're not going to take advantage of this!

Li Hesong's answer infuriated Lü Lingfeng.

Closing immigration channels—what a blatant and outrageous statement!

Refugees need to eat.

Even if the imperial court could gather enough grain from the southern provinces, they wouldn't have the money to buy these exorbitantly priced grains.

Without the Annam Protectorate, the Great Yu Dynasty would have absorbed millions of refugees.

The northern lands are now engulfed in flames of war.

The people did not rise up in rebellion, mainly because they had a way out, in addition to the government's efforts to maintain stability.

If life becomes unbearable, the whole family can immigrate to Annam.

Once this lifeline is cut off, the people who have no means of livelihood will not simply wait to die.

For the Great Yu Dynasty, the refugees had become a hot potato.

For all parties involved, the Annam Protectorate taking over was the best option.

If someone dares to suggest leaving this hot potato behind, his colleagues in officialdom will form a group to curse his ancestors for eighteen generations.

(End of this chapter)