In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 949 Extravagant Spending

When we came out of the Wuying Hall, the sun had already climbed halfway up the sky.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the palace walls, casting dappled shadows on the imperial road.

Lu Yunyi and Han Yike walked side by side.

The bluestone slabs underfoot were scorching hot from the sun, and even the air felt somewhat dry and hot.

The number of imperial guards along the route was several times greater than usual.
Each of them had their hands on the hilt of their swords, their eyes scanning the passersby warily.

Occasionally, eunuchs or palace maids would hurry by, but they would all keep their heads down and walk quickly, not daring to say a word.

The tense atmosphere in the capital these days permeated even inside the palace walls!

"Lord Lu, you just said in the hall that the fields and houses could be restored in half a month. What exactly is the method?"

Han Yike had been holding it in the whole way, but finally couldn't help but speak up.
He rubbed his hands together, his face full of anxiety, and even his white beard trembled.

"The Market and Commerce Bureau is a complete mess right now. Last month I wanted to investigate some fraudulently reported accounts, but I couldn't even find the ledgers. You have to give me some advice!"

Lu Yunyi's gaze fell on Chengtian Gate, which was not far ahead.

The vermilion paint on the gate tower had faded somewhat, and the copper bells on the eaves swayed gently in the wind, but made little sound.

"Lord Han, there's no need to rush. Let's go to the Market and Exchange Bureau first and take a look at the accounts before we talk about it."

Han Yike wanted to ask more questions, but she saw that Lu Yunyi's expression was serious and not like he was joking.

He had no choice but to swallow his words, but quickened his pace even further.

The Market and Trade Office was also located in the Imperial City, very close to the Six Ministries and the Five Military Commissions. It was converted from a few side rooms.

There wasn't even a decent plaque at the entrance; there was only a wooden sign hanging on the doorpost with the words "Market Exchange Office" written on it, most of the paint of which had peeled off.

Seeing this, Lu Yunyi gently shook his head:

"Lord Han, clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse; a government office relies on its authority."

These wooden plaques
Passersby, seeing this, thought it was a street-side tea stall.

Han Yike felt somewhat embarrassed:
"The Market and Exchange Bureau is short of funds, so it hasn't exchanged them."

"Sigh~ Many things need explanation, which already makes them seem inferior."

First, the plaque was replaced, and the main gate was also renovated.

With such a listless appearance, how can the morale of the government office be good!

"it is good"

Upon entering the government office, only the courtyard was paved with bluestone slabs; the rest of the area was covered with blue bricks.

Weeds grew in the cracks between the bricks, and the doors and windows of the main house were tightly closed.

Only one window in the east wing was open, and one could vaguely see figures moving inside.

"Is this the Market and Exchange Bureau?"

Lu Yunyi stopped and raised an eyebrow slightly.

He originally thought that even if it wasn't as grand as the Six Ministries, it should at least have some semblance of a well-organized government office, but he never expected it to be so dilapidated, no different from an ordinary county government office.

Han Yike's face flushed slightly, and she quickly explained:

"The imperial court had originally allocated funds for repairs,"

However, when the matter of moving the capital came to a head, the Ministry of Revenue withheld the silver, saying that it was a matter of non-urgent importance and should be postponed.

The various government departments also returned the transferred clerks, leaving only a dozen or so people remaining.

As he spoke, he stepped forward and pushed open the door to the main room.

A smell mixed with dust and mildew wafted over.

There were six old wooden tables in the room.
The desk was piled high with documents, completely full.

Several empty porcelain bottles were placed on the shelf against the wall.
The only relatively clean room was a table by the window.
An open account book was laid out on top, and an inkstone was placed beside it.
Two other pieces of clothing were hanging to the side, which appeared to be where Han Yike usually worked.

Lu Yunyi's lips twitched slightly, a hint of helplessness in his expression:

"Lord Han, the Market and Exchange Bureau is a place that deals with money. Why are you bringing your censor's ways here?"

"I think we should save money wherever possible, so as to avoid the court wasting money."

Lu Yunyi shook his head:
"The original purpose of establishing the Market and Trade Bureau was to control commerce throughout the world."

"If even their own government offices are in this state, how can the Six Ministries entrust the business of making money through commerce?"

"How is the organization of the merchant guilds under the Six Ministries progressing?"

Han Yike's face stiffened, and she sighed:

"It is indeed more organized, but those officials in the Six Ministries are too shrewd."
The workshops handed over to the Market Exchange Bureau were all on the verge of closing down.

After the Market Management Office took over, it not only had to deal with a pile of messy accounts, but also manage the artisans.
"Now it's becoming somewhat unsustainable."

Lu Yunyi pursed his lips, looking somewhat helpless:

"Lord Han, exactly how many are there?"

"There are forty-one households in total, but only four of them are profitable, and even then, they don't earn much, only a few hundred taels of silver a year."

There are many other losses.

The workshops under the Ministry of Works that specialized in researching agricultural tools suffered the most severe losses.
They lost 2,300 taels of silver in just one year.

I had to piece together the money from various sources to patch up the hole.

"Fill it in?" Lu Yunyi looked somewhat bewildered.

"Yes, this workshop is heavily in debt; they haven't settled accounts for many of the raw materials they purchased."

"Lord Han, that's not how you do business. Having debts is a good thing."

Even though Han Yike looked puzzled, Lu Yunyi didn't explain further, simply waving his hand:
"Lord Han, please take a look at the accounts first."

Han Yike bent down and pulled two wooden boxes out from under the table.
Upon opening it, it was filled with stacks of documents:
"Look, these are all the accounts."

"We've been here since the Market and Exchange Bureau was established last year."

"The documents on the table are all filings and registrations from brokerage firms and the capital city, as well as some copies of contracts. They're just a bit messy because I haven't had time to organize them."

Lu Yunyi walked to the table, picked up the top ledger, and opened it to look at it:

"Lord Han, how many brokerage firms in the capital can handle the buying and selling of houses and land?"

"Logically there should be 32 companies, but only 17 are actually registered."

The remaining fifteen were all privately run and connected to people in the capital; they were completely beyond our control.

Han Yi sighed, her tone full of helplessness.

"I had someone check up on it last month, and the person who went reported falling ill the very next day."

They claimed they had food poisoning, but it turned out they were just making excuses to avoid getting checked.

Lu Yunyi nodded and didn't say anything more.

Instead, he walked to the two wooden boxes, squatted down, and looked through the documents inside.

Han Yike stood aside without making a sound to disturb them.

If even Lu Yunyi can't do anything about it, then the Market Exchange Bureau might really have to disband.

About half an hour later,

Lu Yunyi stood up, dusted off his hands, and said to Han Yike:

"Go and summon the remaining officials."

Han Yike was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied:

"it is good!"

Before long, a dozen or so clerks came in one after another.

Most of them wore faded blue cloth gowns, their faces showing a hint of numbness, clearly indicating they had little expectation of the new superior.

Lu Yunyi stood in front of the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone. His voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of authority:

"I, Lu Yunyi, the Commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army, shall concurrently serve as the Director of the Market and Commerce Bureau starting today."

I know you've worked hard these past six months, and I also know the difficulties the Market and Commerce Bureau has faced.

Starting today, all staff members of the Market and Commerce Bureau shall return home for a one-month rest period.

During the leave of absence, the full salary will be paid.
Return to the yamen in a month to receive further orders.

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned; the numbness on their faces was replaced by shock.

Even Han Yike's eyes widened. She quickly stepped forward, tugged at Lu Yunyi's sleeve, and whispered:

"Lord Lu! We are in dire need of manpower right now!"

Lu Yunyi waved his hand, looked at the crowd in front of him, and said in a deep voice:

"It's settled then. Pack your things today, and you don't need to come back tomorrow."

One month later, I returned to the yamen on time.

If you do not come, it will be treated as absenteeism, your academic title will be revoked, and you will never be employed again.

His tone left no room for negotiation, and his gaze swept over the crowd with a hint of coldness.

"Now, everyone, disperse."

The officials looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

They could sense that this new boss's temper was probably much more difficult to deal with than that of the previous Lord Han.

They had no choice but to bow and greet each other before turning and leaving the main room.

Before long, the sound of packing things up could be heard in the yard, and it quickly returned to quiet.

"Lord Lu! What...what are you doing?!"

Han Yike was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

"If you think these clerks are useless, we can replace them with a new batch."
Now that everyone's been sent away, won't the Market and Exchange Bureau be empty?

Lu Yunyi walked to the window and opened it.

The hot, dry wind blew in from outside, dispelling the musty smell from the room.

"Lord Han, how many of these officials do you think are truly serving the court?"

Lu Yunyi turned around and looked at Han Yike.

"The accounting records were riddled with errors and omissions, and some were even linked to brokerage firms."

Are these people staying in the government office to serve the court, or to sabotage outsiders?

Han Yike was stunned for a moment, opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

He wasn't unaware that these officials had problems.
But he didn't expect Lu Yunyi to be so decisive, sending everyone away directly. "Distinguishing friend from foe is more important than rushing to do things." Lu Yunyi walked to the table, picked up the ledger of the brokerage firm, and tapped his fingers on it.

"Many of these officials are no longer trustworthy."

What we need to do now is not to rush to resume trading, but to find these moles first.

If we don't get rid of them, everything we do will be watched, and they might even try to trip us up.

"Coco sent everyone away, how can she get anything done?"

Han Yike still didn't understand.

Lu Yunyi changed the subject:
"Lord Han, you need to go to the palace now."

Your Majesty, please send some reliable eunuchs over, the younger the better.

Let them help organize the accounts of the Market and Exchange Bureau.

"Looking for a eunuch?"

Han Yike was stunned again, her expression suddenly changing:
"Lord Lu, the Market Transaction Bureau is a government office; how can we allow eunuchs to get involved?"

Lu Yunyi shook his head:
"The court is full of enemies; who can be trusted besides the eunuchs?"
"I would like to use soldiers, but they don't understand accounting and are illiterate. How can they do their job?"

"But this goes against ancestral rules!"

As a scholar, Han Yike was all too aware of the fear that court officials held towards eunuchs.
Although these people were truly loyal to the emperor in the palace, they had always been ostracized by the outer court.

Lu Yunyi pondered for a moment, looked around the dusty government office, and said in a deep voice:

"Would it be alright to have eunuchs come and clean the rooms?"

"This this."

"Alright, we can't trust the officials, and the people from the outer court are easily implicated."

Only the eunuchs were directly under His Majesty's control and had little connection with the brokers and wealthy families in the outer court, making them relatively reliable.

Go quickly; if you want to get things done, you can't be bound by rules.

Although Han Yike was still somewhat hesitant, seeing Lu Yunyi's resolute expression, she nodded:
"Very well! I'll go right away!"

Lu Yunyi watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and then looked down at the account books on the table.

The room was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds outside the window and the rustling sound of him turning the pages of documents.

About an hour later, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard.

Lu Yunyi looked up and saw Han Yike leading a group of eunuchs in.

The leader was Wen Cheng, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Palace.

Wen Cheng was dressed in a scarlet robe, with a piece of mutton-fat jade tied at his waist.

Her hair was combed meticulously and held in place with a red gold hairpin.

He was forty years old, with few wrinkles on his face, fair skin, shrewd eyes, and a smile on his lips. He looked very kind, but he exuded an aura that should not be underestimated.

He was followed by a dozen or so eunuchs.

They were all dressed in blue eunuch robes and each carried a small bundle in their hands.

"Master Lu, how are you?"

As soon as Wen Cheng entered the main room, he smiled and spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, yet carrying a certain penetrating power.

Lu Yunyi looked at him with some surprise:
"Lord Wen, why are you here?"

Wen Cheng shook his head helplessly:
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has recently caused chaos in the palace. Everyone else has work to do, but the Imperial Palace Administration is relatively free."

So, I've come over to help Lord Lu clean the yamen.

"Then thank you very much, Lord Wen. Who led the way this time?"

Wen Cheng raised his chin and pointed at Hou Xian, who was not far away:

"Hou Xian is from one of the eighteen tribes of the Western Barbarians. He is serious in his work, good at calculation and divination, and also knows some poetry and songs."

Upon seeing an old acquaintance, Lu Yunyi showed no emotional fluctuation, merely smiling:
"Eunuch Hou, time waits for no one. Let's get started now and first organize this yamen."

Lu Yunyi looked at Han Yike and asked:
"Lord Han, how much silver does the yamen have right now?"

"There are less than five hundred taels."

"I will take out another five thousand taels as a loan to the yamen."

All five thousand five hundred taels must be spent.

I am not afraid of spending a lot of money, I have only one request: the yamen must be lavish!
"Eunuch Hou, is it possible to do this?"

Hou Xian was also very excited to see an acquaintance.
But his appearance didn't change; only his voice had a slight tremor.
"Lord Lu, this is something we are good at when it comes to spending money."

Wen Cheng explained:
"Hou Xian is currently in charge of the finances and expenses of the Divine Palace Administration, so it's perfect for him to do this."

Lu Yunyi nodded in satisfaction:

"That's good. Let's start now. Oh, right. I forgot to tell you something."

He swept his gaze over the group of young eunuchs present and said in a deep voice:
“You won’t be working for nothing at the Market and Exchange Bureau. You’ll receive a monthly salary of fifteen taels of silver, and if you do a good job, you’ll get a bonus.”

The room fell silent immediately after he said that.

More than one person blinked rapidly, wondering if they had misheard.

It's fifteen taels, not fifteen mace!

Even Hou Xian, who has now been promoted,

The monthly salary was only two shi of rice and five qian of silver, totaling six taels a year.

The eunuch behind him received only one shi of rice per month and a salary of about two qian of silver.

Fifteen taels?
Many eunuchs' eyes immediately turned red.
They had never seen so much money in their lives!
Although they ate and slept in the palace,

However, for a eunuch, life was exceptionally difficult if he could not show respect to his superiors.

An ordinary eunuch might spend decades in the palace and only save up a dozen or so taels of silver.

"Why aren't you talking?"

Lu Yunyi looked at them and repeated, somewhat surprised:
"Fifteen taels a month? You think that's too little? Then we'll make it twenty taels. If you work hard, you'll get a bonus."

The eunuchs felt a rush of heat from their feet to their heads, and their fair cheeks turned red!
Even Wen Cheng looked at him in utter shock:
"Lord Lu, you...you truly are a man who understands the ways of business."

He knew very well that, faced with the temptation of twenty taels of silver,
If the young eunuchs didn't work their butts off, they would feel guilty.

"Hahahahaha."

Lu Yunyi laughed and waved his hand:

"Alright, everyone get to work, don't just sit around!"

The group quickly and efficiently left, immediately getting to work!
Lu Yunyi looked at Wen Cheng:
"Many thanks to Lord Wen for this matter. The Market Exchange Bureau has long suffered from deep-seated problems, and drastic measures are necessary."

"It's too much trouble for Lord Wen to make this trip in person."

"Oh! You're being too polite, sir!"

Wen Cheng waved his hand, walked to the table, glanced at the account books on the table, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"Since His Majesty has entrusted you with the management of the Market and Exchange Bureau, it means he trusts your abilities."

We eunuchs are here to serve His Majesty and the court.

If the adults have needs, we should naturally do our best to cooperate.

These young eunuchs had all worked in the palace's document room and were literate.

I also know a bit about accounts; please feel free to use me, sir.

Han Yike, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward after the two finished exchanging pleasantries and said:

"Lord Lu, the eunuchs have arrived. What should we do next? Shouldn't we start organizing the accounts?"

Lu Yunyi looked at Han Yike and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Han, you should also go home and rest."

"what?"

Han Yike stared wide-eyed at Lu Yunyi in disbelief.

"Lord Lu! I also want to take a day off?"

Wen Cheng was also taken aback, and the smile on his face faltered slightly.
The look in her eyes as she looked at Lu Yunyi held a hint of inquiry.

He originally thought Lu Yunyi would ask Han Yike to stay and help.

He was surprised to find that even Han Yike was to be sent away.

"Lord Han, you cannot stay in the yamen now."

The upcoming struggle will be very fierce.

If Lord Han were implicated and his lifelong reputation were ruined, that would be truly disastrous.

Lu Yunyi's tone was calm, yet carried an air of unquestionable authority.

Han Yi opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but seeing Lu Yunyi's firm eyes, she knew he had made up his mind.

He took a deep breath and bowed, saying:

"Your humble servant obeys."

"If you require anything, sir, please send someone to my home at any time. I will be there immediately!"

"it is good."

Lu Yunyi nodded.

"You should go back first, and pay more attention to the people around you."

Han Yike glanced at Wen Cheng and the eunuchs again before turning and walking out of the main room, her steps somewhat heavy.

Only Lu Yunyi and Wen Cheng remained in the main room.

Wen Cheng's smile returned, and he lowered his voice, saying:

"Lord Lu's move has effectively emptied the Market and Commerce Bureau of all its personnel."

"What, do you think you can't trust anyone in the outer court, only us inner eunuchs?"

Lu Yunyi looked at Wen Cheng, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"Minister Wen is joking. The outer court has its difficulties, and the inner court has its conveniences."

What the Market and Exchange Bureau needs to do now is to sort out the accounts and regulate the order.

Using eunuchs to do these things can avoid getting involved with the outer court.

This also prevents those secretly manipulating the market from understanding its true nature, achieving the best of both worlds.

A hint of caution flashed in Wen Cheng's eyes:
"Then I'll leave it to Lord Lu."

"Don't worry, it's not difficult."

(End of this chapter)