Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 401 Grand Rewards from the Harem

A long convoy came from the east, passed through Chunming Gate, and slowly entered Chang'an City.

The convoy was escorted by three thousand Tang soldiers. The carriages were all single-shaft supply wagons with deep ruts. Each wagon was piled high and covered with a gray veil, so no one could see what was inside.

However, the people of Chang'an were all incredibly resourceful and well-informed.

Someone has already found out what the convoy is transporting.

"Hehe, it's here, it's finally here."

Inside a teahouse near Chunming Gate, a chubby man grinned.

Someone nearby immediately asked, "Brother, do you know what's in those cars?"

"Of course I know, hehe, it'll give you all a big surprise if I tell you," the chubby young man replied.

The man hurriedly pressed for details, but the plump young man continued drinking his tea, deliberately keeping him in suspense.

A wandering swordsman wearing a bamboo hat said, "Shopkeeper, please give this gentleman another pot of tea, and put it on my tab."

The tea shopkeeper was also curious and quickly added another pot of tea for the fat man.

Seeing that someone was being sensible, the fat young man finally spoke up: "Listen carefully, those carriages are filled with real gold and silver!"

Everyone gasped in surprise. So many carriages were filled with gold and silver—how much must that be?

The man in the straw hat asked, "Could it be the gold and silver that Japan paid as compensation to our Tang Dynasty?"

The fat young man glanced at him and laughed, "What this brother says is right, it was indeed the Japanese who compensated us."

Everyone immediately looked enlightened.

In Chang'an today, everyone knows that Japan is rich in gold and silver, and many merchants have already gone there to open trade routes.

Someone exclaimed, "The Japanese have sent so much gold and silver! Does this mean the rumors weren't false?"

The fat young man snorted and said, "Quite a few merchants have been to Japan. If it's fake, wouldn't they expose it?"

Another skinny man said, "While it's not fake, it's not that far-fetched either."

Everyone was thinking about making a fortune in Japan when they saw that he seemed to know some inside information, so they all asked him about the situation in Japan.

The skinny guy chuckled, which piqued his interest.

The man in the straw hat said, "Shopkeeper, please add another pot of tea for him, and put it on my tab."

Seeing the benefits, the skinny man smiled and said, "My uncle is in the seafood business. When the rumors first came out, he was among the first to go to Japan."

Everyone asked, "How is it?"

The skinny man said, "Hey, don't even mention it. There is gold and silver, but they are all controlled by the Japanese government. Ordinary Japanese are very poor and can't even afford to eat."

Someone asked, "Why not trade with the Japanese government? They have plenty of gold and silver. You could easily make a fortune by exchanging some goods with them."

The skinny man glanced at the man and said, "You're dreaming. That's right, you can exchange cheap tea leaves for a lot of gold with them. But Japan was at war with us recently, and the governorates of Laizhou and Yingzhou posted notices prohibiting people from entering Japan at will."

"Some daring merchants, risking their lives for money, went to Japan and never returned. I heard that not only were their goods stolen, but they were also boiled and eaten by the Japanese!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this.

Someone else said, "But the war is over now, isn't it? The Japanese were beaten so badly by us, do you think they would dare to mess with our merchants?"

The skinny man said, "That's right. The Japanese government doesn't dare to touch us, but Japan is currently engaged in a civil war. Some defeated soldiers have drifted to the sea and become pirates, specializing in robbing merchant ships."

The fat young man suddenly interjected, "It's not as serious as you say. Honshu in Japan is indeed dangerous, but Shunshu is relatively safe because our Tang army is stationed there."

Someone asked, "Where is Junshu?"

The fat young man said, "It's that big island that Japan ceded to us. The trade route from Lai Chau to Tamna, and then from Tamna to Junju, is very safe."

"Many merchants have already gone to Junshu, to Chikushi Prefecture, which is closest to the Japanese mainland, to trade with the Japanese."

"Many Japanese local officials came to Chikushi County with large sums of gold and silver to exchange for grain, tea, and silk with us. Hehe, just one round trip is enough to earn enough to buy a two-courtyard mansion in Chang'an!"

Upon hearing this, the man in the straw hat slammed a dozen or so large coins on the table, abruptly stood up, and strode towards the East Market. It seemed he had been persuaded and was preparing to buy a batch of goods to make money in Japan.

……

After arriving at Zhuque Street, the long convoy turned north, entered the palace from the imperial city, passed through Chengtian Gate, and soon stopped outside the Left Treasury.

This money is to be deposited into the national treasury.

Therefore, Chancellor Yan Liben, Shangguan Yi, Minister of Revenue Lu Chengqing, and Vice Minister of Revenue Li Yifu, among others, came to the Left Treasury to personally handle the takeover.

Lu Chengqing personally deposited the money into the Ministry of Revenue's account, leaving his and Li Yifu's signatures.

After careful inspection, Yan Liben and Shangguan Yi also left their signatures.

The remaining specific work of storing the goods was handled by the Jinwu Guard and the Shaofu Supervisor.

This is just the first batch of funds; several more are on their way. It will take at least one or two months to put them all into storage, so they no longer need to personally oversee the process.

However, their story was far from over.

The court has suddenly been given such a large extra expense; how to use this money needs to be discussed carefully.

This money is different from taxes.

Every year, there are clear regulations for taxation and fiscal expenditures. Every clause and provision must be in accordance with the rules and regulations. If you want to apply for more money, you need to go through layers of applications, which is extremely complicated.

This money is different; it's similar to extra revenue from war. Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui both seized considerable revenue when they destroyed the Western Turks and the Tiele.

However, most of what they captured were cattle, sheep, and warhorses, which were directly handed over to the Imperial Stud.

There was gold and silver, but very little, far too little for the various departments to divide among themselves.

This time it's different. Hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and silver are all fiscal revenue outside of regulations, so no procedures need to be followed.

As long as the officials discuss and agree on the matter in the Hall of State Affairs, and then report to the Emperor, the item can be directly assigned to their own department.

Therefore, all the major institutions of the imperial court had been eyeing this money for a long time and were eagerly awaiting it.

After the money was received and deposited into the account, the Secretariat immediately convened a meeting in the Hall of State Affairs, attended by all the important officials of the Three Departments, Six Ministries, Five Directorates and Nine Ministers.

According to custom, the Director of the Inner Palace, one of the Five Directorates, usually did not participate, because Wang Fusheng knew that the emperor did not like eunuchs to participate in court affairs.

However, even though Wang Fusheng himself did not go, he would send people to listen in, so that he would be able to answer the emperor's questions.

Empress Wu was also very concerned about this matter; she wanted to know how much of the money would be sent to the Imperial Treasury.

Last year, when there was a drought in Jiangnan, Wu Zetian ordered the palace to tighten its belt and use the money in the imperial treasury to provide disaster relief to the Ministry of Revenue.

In the latter half of last year, the amount of money given as rewards during the dozen or so festivals in the palace was more than half less than in previous years, causing many people in the harem to complain.

Those in the palace are confined within its walls year after year, and many have little hope for the future, relying solely on these small rewards.

Some families had parents, siblings, and others who needed to earn money in the palace to support their families.

This sudden change disrupted their lives. Although they dared not openly offend the Empress's authority, they began to cheat and slack off in secret, even stealing things.

In the past six months, the number of theft cases in the main halls of the palace has more than tripled.

Although Wu Zetian was ruthless towards these people, she was also well aware that governing the harem could not be done by force alone, otherwise problems would arise sooner or later.

She naturally hoped that the officials would leave more money in the inner treasury so that they could use it to reward the people and appease them.

Zhang Duohai dispatched Zhang Quan.

Zhang Quan had just arrived at the Secretariat when he ran into Xiao Lou.

The two did not exchange many words and went to the Hall of State Affairs together. They were there on behalf of the Directorate of Palace Attendants, and the clerks did not stop them.

As soon as the two entered the government office, they heard a fierce argument coming from inside.

A drumbeat sounded, and Wang Fusheng looked up to see that the sun was past its zenith, past noon, but Xiaolou still hadn't returned.

The April breeze, like a lover's embrace, makes one feel languid all over.

The emperor had finished his official duties for the day and was taking a nap in a comfortable and spacious chair in the Linhu Hall.

Wang Fusheng stood in the pavilion near the lakeside palace, gazing into the distance, wondering why Xiaolou had not yet returned.

After waiting for another half hour, Xiao Lou rushed over, a pancake in his mouth.

It seems he's been so busy in the Secretariat that he hasn't even had time to eat.

As Xiao Lou approached, he saw that the emperor was sleeping, so he tiptoed to the pavilion.

"Master, I'm back." He swallowed the biscuit in his mouth in a few bites and said indistinctly.

Wang Fusheng asked, "Why did it take you so long?"

Xiao Lou smiled and said, "It was quite a scene just now. You didn't see it. Several men almost came to blows over a little more money."

Wang Fusheng hurriedly asked what had happened, and Xiaolou explained the situation in detail.

Just then, the wind shifted, carrying the two men's whispered conversation into Li Zhi's ears. Li Zhi groggily opened his eyes and subconsciously said, "Fu Sheng, tea."

However, after waiting for a long time, another eunuch brought over the tea.

Li Zhi looked around and immediately saw Wang Fusheng and Xiaolou talking in the distance, so he called out, "Fusheng."

Upon hearing this, Wang Fusheng hurriedly came over and whispered, "Everyone, did our voices wake you?"

Li Zhi took a sip of tea and said, "Not really, I've had enough sleep. What are you all talking about over there?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Your Majesty, I just went to the Secretariat and heard that the officials in the court were having a heated discussion."

Li Zhi was about to ask what the argument was about when a thought flashed through his mind, and he realized what it was about. He asked, "Is it about the money for the reparations from Japan?"

Wang Fusheng said, "That's right."

Li Zhi shook his arms, stood up, walked to the lakeside, and asked, "How did they divide that money?"

Wang Fusheng followed closely and said, "Your Majesty, after taking stock, the total amount of money deposited into the treasury is 50,000 taels of gold, 100,000 taels of silver, and other treasures, which add up to more than 300,000 taels, for a total of more than 900,000 strings of cash."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, why is there only such a small amount?"

Wang Fusheng replied, "Your Majesty, this is only the first batch of goods to be stored. We have also received news that four more batches of goods are on their way to Chang'an. In total, they amount to more than 5.3 million strings of cash."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Yes, please continue."

Wang Fusheng said, "Of the 5.3 million strings of cash, the Ministry of Revenue asked for 1 million strings, saying that last year's disaster relief efforts had emptied the granaries and charitable granaries in Jiangnan and Huainan, and that they needed to purchase grain to replenish them in order to prevent another disaster."

Li Zhi nodded. Since it was a matter of people's livelihood, there was nothing more to say.

"anything else?"

Wang Fusheng said, "The Ministry of Works also asked for one million taels, saying that the silt in Sanmenxia was accumulating more and more, and that it would be too time-consuming and labor-intensive to dredge it manually. Minister Yan planned to build a weir upstream to control the water flow and filter sand and gravel. This project is very large. He originally wanted two million taels, but the officials objected, so he had to reduce it to one million taels."

During the Tang Dynasty, the main method for building dikes and dams was to "split bamboo into cages, three feet in diameter, fill them with stones, and pile them up to block the water." Therefore, dikes and dams were all called Jianwei Dams.

Water conservancy projects are a form of infrastructure construction that benefits the country and its people, and Li Zhi could find no reason to refuse them.

However, this meant the loss of two million strings of cash.

Wang Fusheng added, "In addition, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Academy, the Directorate of Works, the Court of Imperial Stud, and other departments also asked for a sum of money, which basically covered everything."

Li Zhi paused for a moment, then asked, "Did they split completely?"

Wang Fusheng nodded and said, "Yes, I estimate that a memorial will be submitted tomorrow."

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then snorted, "Didn't they leave me even a little bit?"

Wang Fusheng lowered his head and whispered, "Yes."

Li Zhi snorted, "In recent years, the court has fought many wars, and I can understand the Ministry of War needing money. But what do the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice need money for?"

Wang Fusheng whispered, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites is responsible for all kinds of grand ceremonies, sacrifices, and court banquets. They also have to provide residences for the princes and princesses. Over the years, the expenses have been considerable."

Li Zhi asked, "What about the Ministry of Justice?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Over the years, our Great Tang has fought in the south and north, eliminating many countries and tribes, and acquiring a large number of government slaves, tens of thousands of mouths to feed, all of whom are supported by the Ministry of Justice, therefore..."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "These government slaves are all able-bodied young laborers. In principle, they should bring increased production to the country, not become a burden on the country."

Wang Fusheng said, "Your Majesty is right, but how should we arrange this?"

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Send an imperial edict to the Ministry of Revenue to assign these government slaves to prefectures and counties in Jiangnan and establish a promotion system. As long as they pay a certain amount of taxes, they will be exempted from their status as government slaves and classified as free citizens."

"Wouldn't that save the Ministry of Justice money?"

Wang Fusheng quickly replied, "Your Majesty is wise; I have remembered it."

Li Zhi said, "Tell me again, what does the Imperial Academy need money for?"

Wang Fusheng said, "The Imperial Academy hopes to establish more official schools among the common people so that more people can study. However, many officials oppose this, so the Imperial Academy only wants to reach 50,000 strings of cash."

Officials opposed the idea, clearly fearing that if more commoners could access education and participate in the imperial examinations, it would threaten their interests.

"How much money did the Ministry of Justice just save?" Li Zhi asked.

Wang Fusheng said, "Three hundred thousand strings of cash."

Li Zhi said, "Take another 650,000 strings of cash from the national treasury, making a total of one million strings of cash, and give it to the Imperial Academy, saying that I support them in establishing an official school!"

Wang Fusheng said in a low voice, "Yes."

Li Zhi then inquired about the remaining expenses one by one, and immediately saved the useless ones, saving more than 200,000 strings of cash.

Li Zhi was pondering whether to put the money directly into the Imperial Treasury or use it elsewhere when Wang Jishan suddenly walked over from a distance and greeted Li Zhi.

"Your subject, Wang Jishan, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Minister Wang, there's no need for such formalities. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Wang Jishan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that the Ministry of War has just allocated 800,000 strings of cash from the national treasury, of which 200,000 strings are used to provide relief to the soldiers on the front lines."

Li Zhi saw that his eyes were bloodshot and the veins on his forehead were bulging, making him appear extremely angry, which puzzled him.

"That is indeed the case; I just heard the report myself."

Wang Jishan said, "I just went to the Ministry of War, intending to ask Minister Hao for 50,000 strings of cash to compensate the soldiers of the Inner Guard who died on the front lines. Minister Hao said, however, that the soldiers of the Inner Guard were not considered front-line soldiers."

The Tang Dynasty had a system of twelve guards, which were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.

The Inner Guard was a guard established by Li Zhi on his own, directly under his command, and never subject to orders from the Ministry of War.

Wang Jishan continued, "I am very puzzled. Although those spies who infiltrated behind enemy lines did not directly kill the enemy with swords and guns, their contributions to the country were no less than those of the fallen soldiers."

"After their deaths, they receive not even a shred of honor and will be forgotten by everyone. Aren't they meritorious officials of our Great Tang? Why can't they receive any compensation?"

Seeing that he was getting more and more agitated, Li Zhi quickly reassured him, "They are of course soldiers of my Great Tang Dynasty, and I will never forget them!"

"I hereby issue an edict to allocate 200,000 strings of cash to the Imperial Household Department to provide relief to these fallen soldiers."

Wang Jishan was taken aback and said, "Your Majesty, two hundred thousand strings of cash is too much."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "This 200,000 strings of cash is not only for your compensation to the fallen soldiers, but also for erecting a huge stone tablet in the Forbidden Garden, inscribing the names of all the fallen soldiers of the Inner Guard, so that they will not be forgotten!"

Wang Jishan took a deep breath, clasped his hands and knelt down, solemnly saying, "On behalf of all the fallen soldiers, I thank Your Majesty for your grace!" He then bowed his head and kowtowed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Wu Meiniang in the Lizheng Palace was also having a headache over the expenditure of this money.

To be precise, she was angry.

These officials are outrageous. When she used money from the imperial treasury for disaster relief, they kept submitting memorials praising her, calling her a virtuous empress.

Now that the national treasury is full, they have completely forgotten about their virtuous empress!

Although she couldn't snatch food from officials' mouths with a single imperial decree like Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi), she had her own methods.

Li Jingxuan of the Ministry of Rites spent a great deal of effort to secure a sum of money for the Ministry.

As soon as he returned to the Ministry of Rites for tea, his subordinate clerk reported that Empress Wu had sent someone to deliver a bill.

Li Jingxuan ordered someone to bring it over and took a look, and immediately felt a headache coming on.

The bills contained detailed records of the imperial treasury's expenditures over the years, when princes and princesses established their own residences.

Li Jingxuan could easily understand that Empress Wu was asking him for money.

Li Jingxuan dared not offend Her Majesty the Empress, so he gritted his teeth and sent an official letter to the Lizheng Hall, agreeing to transfer 100,000 strings of cash from his share of 300,000 strings to the Imperial Treasury.

Wu Meiniang was satisfied after receiving his reply and stopped pursuing the matter.

Li Jingxuan always knew how to prioritize tasks.

Three days later, of the first batch of funds transported to Chang'an, exactly 100,000 strings of cash were allocated to the Ministry of Rites. Without saying a word, he ordered them to be transported directly to the Imperial Treasury.

After receiving the money, Wu Zetian immediately began to distribute it.

First, she took out 30,000 strings of cash and distributed it among the more than twenty main palaces in the harem. Palaces with concubines in charge received several times more.

In addition, another 20,000 strings of cash were allocated to the registered court ladies as rewards according to their rank.

For example, Princess Changshan received a reward of two thousand strings of cash, while Jiang Yan, a fifth-rank county lady, only received a reward of one hundred strings of cash.

Finally, another 30,000 strings of cash were taken out and sent to the Directorate of Palace Attendants and the Palace Secretariat as a reward for the palace attendants and servants.

The highest-ranking eunuch, Wang Fusheng, received 300 strings of cash, Zhang Duohai received 100 strings, and He Shanggong received 50 strings.

Even low-ranking eunuchs and palace servants received a share.

Wu Meiniang then took out another two thousand strings of cash and sent it to the Wu residence to raise funds for Wu Minzhi's coming-of-age ceremony a few days later.

The last 18,000 strings of cash were temporarily kept in the imperial treasury and would be distributed as rewards during festivals and holidays.

After a grand bestowal of rewards, everyone in the harem was overjoyed, creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

(End of this chapter)