My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 295. You dare say you didn't embezzle a year's worth of taxes to build a road?

Upon witnessing this scene, Emperor Chongzhen, who was not far away, coughed lightly a few times and then said with a hint of reproach:

"Empress, what are you doing? The Crown Prince has returned safely, why are you crying like this?"

Upon hearing this, Empress Zhou realized her lapse in composure, quickly stopped crying, and then smiled:

"Isn't this my joy? Seeing Lang'er return safely fills me with immense happiness."

The next second, she looked at Zhu Cilang, her eyes filled with love and relief.

"Lang'er has grown taller again in just over a month."

That's absolutely true. Perhaps because he was in his developmental stage, Zhu Cilang grew taller without anyone noticing.

He is now almost 1.7 meters tall.

Based on the growth rate during puberty, it's estimated that it can grow even more.

Just then, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly walked up as well.

He stood before Zhu Cilang, his eyes full of approval and affirmation, and then slowly began to speak:
"You did a good job this time. I am very pleased. You have indeed lived up to my expectations."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled faintly and bowed slightly, saying:

"Thank you for your praise, Father. I have only done my duty. It is my honor to serve the Ming Dynasty."

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang's younger siblings also obediently came up and bowed to him in turn.

Although they were both princes, Zhu Cilang was the crown prince and would inherit the throne in the future, so in principle they were also subjects and needed to pay their respects to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang was naturally very happy to have these younger brothers and sisters.

Looking at their young and energetic faces, he felt a surge of warmth and love in his heart.

Then he instructed Ma Bao, who was beside him, to distribute some of the rare treasures obtained from Xuanfu to them.

These things may not be that valuable, but they are all things that cannot be seen in the capital, which made the younger siblings cheer with joy.

Upon seeing this scene, Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou smiled with satisfaction.

After all, which parent doesn't want a harmonious family and siblings who can care for and support each other?

Looking at the warm and harmonious scene before them, they were filled with contentment and happiness.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang had a simple meal with Empress Zhou and Emperor Chongzhen.

At the dinner table, the atmosphere was relaxed and harmonious, and everyone enjoyed the delicious food while chatting about everyday life.

After finishing his meal, Zhu Cilang got up to take his leave and prepared to return to the Eastern Palace.

Throughout the entire process, Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige never left the dragon carriage.

Because they were dressed as eunuchs the whole way, they were followed by people all the way back to the capital and dared not show their faces casually.

Moreover, when they left the capital with Zhu Cilang, they did not inform Chongzhen and Empress Zhou, so they dared not show up rashly for fear of causing unnecessary trouble.

Of course, Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou must have known about this.

They understood that their son would have 'needs' as he grew up, and as parents, they couldn't force him to interfere in such matters, so they acquiesced to it.

After returning to the capital, Zhu Cilang could no longer sit openly in the imperial carriage.

After all, strictly speaking, this imperial carriage was originally 'lent' to him by Emperor Chongzhen, and its purpose was for the emperor to personally lead military campaigns.

Now that it has returned to the capital, the imperial carriage should naturally be returned to its rightful owner, Emperor Chongzhen.

Otherwise, if those with ulterior motives see this, who knows what rumors might spread.

Therefore, when Zhu Cilang arrived at the imperial carriage, he did not go straight up as usual, but stood aside and called out to the inside of the carriage:

"Alright, you can all come out now."

Before long, two heads cautiously peeked out from the dragon carriage; it was Qiqige and Zheng Xiaomei.

At this moment, the two of them were still dressed as eunuchs, which made them look quite comical.

Then, they slowly stepped down from the dragon carriage.

Zheng Xiaomei lowered her head slightly, a hint of embarrassment on her face, and said softly:
"Your Highness, do you think I should go and pay my respects to Father Emperor and Mother now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled faintly and said:

"No need. Come and pay your respects tomorrow after you've changed your clothes. It's not appropriate for you to see Father and Mother looking like this."

Zheng Xiaomei felt that Zhu Cilang was right, after all, her current attire was indeed not suitable for meeting Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou.

Qiqige, standing to the side, didn't react much. She wasn't Han Chinese, so she didn't need to follow those complicated rules to pay her respects to Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou.

Immediately afterwards, Ma Bao was seen trotting over, followed by a sedan chair.

Ma Bao ran up to Zhu Cilang, his face beaming with an eager smile, and said:
"Your Highness, please get into the sedan chair."

Zhu Cilang nodded, and then got back into the sedan chair with Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige.

The sedan chair then swayed and wobbled towards the direction of the East Palace.

Throughout the journey, Zhu Cilang leaned against the sedan chair, his mind still preoccupied with the various events that had transpired.

Having been away from the capital for over a month, it's easy to imagine that a lot must have happened there.

In the imperial court, various forces were secretly vying for power, and the lives of ordinary people also underwent many changes.

However, Zhu Cilang had just completed a five-day journey and was exhausted even while riding in a sedan chair. He simply had no mood to deal with these matters.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Cilang took a nice bath and felt much more relaxed.

Perhaps he was too tired, or perhaps the journey had exhausted him, but Zhu Cilang fell into a deep sleep without even having dinner.

The palace servants knew that Zhu Cilang had traveled a long way and was exhausted, so they did not dare to wake him and let him fall asleep.

It must be said that Zhu Cilang slept very comfortably, for about five or six hours.

That translates to about ten hours.

During those ten-plus hours, he felt as if he were in a peaceful world, where all his worries and fatigue were left behind.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window, bathing the entire room in a golden glow.

Zhu Cilang was sitting at the dining table eating breakfast when he saw Ma Bao walk in with two eunuchs carrying a pile of memorials.

As Ma Bao walked with difficulty, he kept muttering to himself:

"Your Highness, this is a memorial sent by someone from the Cabinet, requesting your review."

Perhaps he was walking too fast, and accidentally, a memorial fell out of his arms.

Ma Bao quickly stopped and reached out to pick up the memorial that had accidentally fallen to the ground, looking rather flustered.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang found it somewhat amusing, but still nodded slightly and said:
"Put it in the study, and I will come immediately."

Ma Bao nodded, then took the memorial and left with the two eunuchs.

In fact, Zhu Cilang knew very well that there was no need to read these memorials at all.

After all, the cabinet has been handling government affairs for quite some time now. They are experienced and have a thorough understanding of what's happening in the court. They are sure they can handle these government affairs well.

Even if I look at it again, I can't find any fault with it.

The cabinet did this merely as a formality, wanting Zhu Cilang to review it again and to show respect for the crown prince.

After having a simple breakfast, Zhu Cilang went to his study.

Several braziers were burning in the study, making the whole room warm and cozy, which made people feel very comfortable.

By this time, the desk was already piled high with memorials, like a small mountain.

Zhu Cilang casually sat down in the chair, then reached out and picked up a memorial, reading it indifferently.

As he expected, the memorial was handled very well, with clear organization, appropriate measures, and no problems.

Then he picked up another letter, and there was still no problem.

And so it went, letter after letter, until Zhu Cilang was starting to feel drowsy.

It wasn't until he received the ninth letter that Zhu Cilang's expression changed slightly.

However, don't misunderstand, it's not because there's anything wrong with this memorial, but because it concerns the construction of cement roads within the capital, and it was jointly submitted by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue.

Zhu Cilang took this matter quite seriously, because the construction of cement roads was of vital importance to the development of the capital.

The cement roads are flat and wide, which not only facilitates people's travel but also promotes the development of commerce and trade, and has a great driving effect on the country's economy and people's livelihood.

Therefore, he immediately perked up and began to examine it carefully.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue, the total length of roads built this time exceeded 1,200 li, or more than 600 kilometers.

This includes streets of all sizes, from bustling main roads to narrow alleyways, covering almost every corner of Beijing.

The final total cost reached a staggering eighteen million taels!
Eighteen million taels!
Upon seeing this number, Zhu Cilang immediately showed a hint of surprise.

His eyes widened slightly, his face filled with disbelief.

Although he knew that road construction was expensive, as it required purchasing a large amount of materials and hiring a large number of workers, he never expected it to cost so much.

Eighteen million taels!

Keep in mind that the country's total annual tax revenue wasn't even this much before!

So, the entire Ming Dynasty government went a whole year without eating or drinking just to build roads, and only in the capital city? Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?

Could someone have embezzled the funds?

Startled, Zhu Cilang continued to examine the matter carefully, trying to find out what was going on.

But he quickly ran out of things to say, because the report was so detailed that it was impossible to find a single fault with it. It included all the necessary materials, such as loess and gravel, which were used to fill the road and increase its strength.

Besides that, there's cement, labor costs, and various other expenses.

From recruiting workers to distributing wages, everything was meticulously recorded, even including subsidies for expropriated houses.

In conclusion, all the data matches up perfectly, leaving nothing to criticize.

After reading this, Zhu Cilang fell silent, because the 18 million taels of silver had indeed been spent in a very real way, and every penny had its purpose.

But he was still somewhat surprised, feeling that it was too much money.

If you calculate it, it would cost about 30,000 taels of silver to build one kilometer of cement road.

If we wanted to build cement roads throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, how much silver would it cost?
That's an astronomical figure; just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang pinched his brow in pain, feeling a throbbing in his head.

Then, he looked at Ma Bao, who was standing to the side.

Before Zhu Cilang could speak, Ma Bao sensed that Zhu Cilang had something to instruct him on, and then scurried in like an obedient little follower.

Zhu Cilang said directly:
"Go and invite Ni Yuanlu, the Minister of Revenue, and Zhou Shipu, the Minister of Works, over here."

Upon hearing this, Ma Bao hurriedly nodded and bowed, saying:

"Slave, go now."

Then, he left quickly.

Zhu Cilang's gaze fell once again on the memorial in his hand.

Although there seemed to be no problem with the road repair according to this memorial, with all the data being clear and the handling being quite reasonable.

However, Zhu Cilang felt he still needed to discuss the next steps with them. After all, according to the previously established plan, three roads were to be built.

These are routes from Beijing to Xuanfu, from Beijing to Tianjin, and from Beijing to Liaodong.

Adding these three routes together, the total distance exceeds one thousand kilometers, which translates to more than two thousand li.

If it were repaired in this way, it would probably cost at least 30 million taels of silver.

Even though the imperial court could earn around 70 million taels of silver annually after tax reforms, Zhu Cilang still felt that the figure was too exaggerated.

Thirty million taels of silver is no small sum; it accounts for almost half of the imperial court's annual revenue.

If all the money is used for road construction, what will happen to the court's other expenses?
The army's food and pay, the officials' salaries, and the people's relief—these are all places that require money.

Zhu Cilang felt increasingly troubled as he thought about it, realizing that the road construction was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Not long after, Ni Yuanlu, the Minister of Revenue, and Zhou Shipu, the Minister of Works, hurried in.

As soon as the two entered the room, they saw Zhu Cilang sitting there. Just as they were about to pay their respects according to custom, Zhu Cilang quickly waved his hand and said in a gentle tone:

"My lords, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down and let's talk."

Then, Ma Bao quickly moved the stool over and placed it steadily behind Ni Yuanlu and Zhou Shipu.

After the two slowly sat down, Zhu Cilang waved the document concerning the road repair expenses and then spoke:
"Why did it cost so much money to repair the road this time?"

Ni Yuanlu was a smart man, and he had already guessed that Zhu Cilang's summons to them was definitely about the road repair expenses. Therefore, he had prepared his response on the way there.

Upon hearing Zhu Cilang's question, he quickly stood up, bowed respectfully, and then said:

“Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue has detailed backups of this money, and every expenditure is traceable. I can guarantee with my life that absolutely no one has embezzled a single penny.”

"From the accounts of purchased materials to the records of paying the craftsmen's wages, everything is clear and transparent."

Hearing Ni Yuanlu's words, Zhou Shipu, who was standing nearby, quickly stood up and said:

"Your Highness, I can also assure you that the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue are supervising each other in carrying out this road construction project."

“From the planning of the road construction project to every step of the construction process, there are dedicated personnel to oversee it, and no one dares to tamper with it or embezzle money.”

Upon hearing their words, Zhu Cilang quickly waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down, and then continued:

"You've misunderstood me. I'm not saying the accounts are wrong, but I just feel that the amount of money spent on these accounts is a bit too much."

"Think about it, we will need to build other roads next year. If we spend this much money every time we build a road, it will put too much pressure on our finances."

"The imperial court has many things to do to keep running, and money is needed everywhere. If the cost of road repairs cannot be reduced, things will become difficult later on."

Ni Yuanlu felt helpless upon hearing this.

To be honest, when the final figures came out, he was terrified.

Although he knew that road repairs would cost money, he never expected it to cost so much.

Eighteen million taels of silver!

It's equivalent to the imperial court's annual tax revenue in previous years, and it only covered the roads in the capital!

This is incredibly extravagant!

Of course, he also knew in his heart that road construction was a good thing. After the road construction, the entire capital city had a brand-new look. The streets became flat and wide, making it much more convenient for people to travel, and commercial activities became more prosperous.

The speed at which money was being burned was too fast, and he was finding it hard to keep up.

Just then, Zhou Shipu suddenly spoke up:
"Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works have conducted investigations and studies in various aspects, and there is simply no way to further reduce costs."

"This price of 18 million taels is already the lowest possible price. We have carefully calculated everything from the purchase of materials to the hiring of craftsmen and various transportation costs. There is really no way to save money."

Ok!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang sighed helplessly.

It seems that cutting costs is not a viable option.

However, upon reflection, it makes sense. After all, in later generations, various large tools, such as excavators and road rollers, were used to build roads, which greatly improved the efficiency of road construction and thus reduced costs.

Moreover, all kinds of materials are produced by modern industry, with high output and low cost.

But how can we compare to later generations? At this time, everything was produced entirely by hand.

Take the sand and gravel needed, for example. These were all carved out of the mountains by craftsmen, hammer blow by hammer blow, and then transported to the capital by manpower, horse-drawn carts, and oxcarts, thousands of miles away.

From this perspective, there's really no way to cut costs.

If we were to cut costs further, we'd probably have to cut back on the craftsmen's wages and food.

These craftsmen work hard and don't earn much money to begin with. It would be inhumane to cut their wages and food allowances, which is something Zhu Cilang would never want to see.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang could only say helplessly:
"That's true. I did miscalculate. In that case, we will not mention cost-cutting again."

"Let's discuss the road repairs next spring."

Ni Yuanlu was startled upon hearing this and quickly asked with a worried expression:
"May I ask, Your Highness, will this road still need to be repaired next year?"

"of course."

Zhu Cilang nodded without hesitation.

"According to the previous plan, three roads will be built next year: one from the capital to Tianjin, one to Xuanfu, and the other directly to Liaodong."

"These three roads are of vital importance to our Great Ming Dynasty. We must complete their construction by next year no matter what."

"The road from Beijing to Tianjin can strengthen economic ties and cultural exchanges between the two places, and more importantly, facilitate sea and land transportation."

"The road to Xuanfu is of great significance to border security."

"The road to Liaodong will further promote the development of the Liaodong region, consolidate the Ming Dynasty's rule there, and make it easier to dispatch large armies even if war breaks out in Liaodong in the future."

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu and Zhou Shipu exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

They know the benefits of road construction, and it's not that they don't want to continue building roads, but it's just that road construction is too expensive.

That's right, the Ministry of Revenue has money now, but it can't withstand this kind of squandering!
After all, every penny has its purpose; if it's all used for road repairs, other aspects won't be taken care of.

Thinking of this, Ni Yuanlu could only bite the bullet and say:

"Your Highness, according to my estimation, the cost of building these three roads could exceed forty million taels of silver."

Ok?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Because the figure given by Ni Yuanlu was ten million taels more than the figure he calculated himself.

Keep in mind that he calculated the project based on the existing road construction scale in the capital, and even gave an appropriate margin.

Moreover, there are generally no people living near these official roads, so there is no need to pay demolition compensation. Logically, it should be less, so how come there is an extra ten million taels of silver?
Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang asked directly:

"Forty million taels? How could it be so much? The total distance of these three roads is only two thousand li. Considering the cost of road construction in the capital, it shouldn't cost this much."

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu quickly explained:
"Your Highness, this is because the official roads are different from the roads in the capital. The width of the official roads is generally around 23 meters, which is strictly regulated."

Even in places where the width is obstructed by mountains and rivers, it is still seven or eight meters.

"Therefore, the materials, manpower, and resources required for the construction of these places are different from those in the capital, and the costs will only be greater."

"Moreover, official roads have to bear greater weight and more traffic, so the quality requirements for materials are higher, and the purchase price is more expensive."

"During the construction process, because the official road was wide, more craftsmen were needed to work at the same time, which increased the labor costs considerably."

"There's also the issue of cement. Building such a long cement road can't rely solely on transporting cement from the capital. We'll need to build new cement plants along the route to ensure supply, which will be a huge expense!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded thoughtfully.

He almost forgot that the official roads of the Ming Dynasty were 23 meters wide, which was much wider than the roads in the capital.

Therefore, the cost in the capital city cannot be used for calculation, meaning that more silver is needed than one might imagine.

And this 40 million taels is not the final cost; it may actually be more!
(End of this chapter)