Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 243 Madam, shouldn't you have your third child by now?
Compared to previous years, the deliberations on the annual budget for the second year of the Xifeng reign were exceptionally lengthy.

Ministry of War, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Works, Censorate, Imperial Academy
Without exception, all government departments, both internal and external, joined the ranks of those openly submitting reports.

Even the relatively "unpopular" Buddhist and Taoist Registries were publicly named and reported.

The main reason for this was the reform and innovation.

Firstly, the relevant reports from various government departments, both internal and external, can highlight the specific implementation of the reform policies.

The assessment and evaluation system was implemented, industry and commerce were revitalized, land was surveyed, and banks were established.
Each and every decree was a first-rate, top-notch decree.

No matter how good a government order is, it must be implemented to be effective.

One of the purposes of having all officials, both inside and outside the government, report was to verify whether government orders were being implemented.

Whether or not someone is taking advantage of the situation can be determined with a simple question.

Secondly, the relevant reports from various government departments, both internal and external, can highlight the concrete results of the reforms.

Throughout history, the foundation of a nation must not be lightly touched.

Reform is one of the few decisions that could potentially affect the foundation of the nation.

Zhao Ceying, with great courage, decided to implement reforms. Since it was a rare opportunity to summarize the year's work, he naturally wanted to know whether his decision was correct and whether the reforms were effective.

Therefore, Zhao Ceying naturally decided to name them one by one and report them to the emperor.

In previous years, only about 50% of the government offices were required to report their achievements and administrative affairs during the annual audit.

This time, the annual report was submitted by all the relevant departments.

In terms of the reporting time, it was naturally extended considerably.

At first, the officials stood solemnly with their tablets in hand and their faces serious.

Over time, however, his legs became weak and he could not stand steadily.

Afterwards, the emperor ordered that everyone move into their seats. If there was nothing to report, officials could sit and listen; if there was something to report, they could stand up and report.

Thus, from the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) to the end of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), the civil and military officials presented their reports for a full four hours, and the report on the annual accounts for the second year of the Xifeng reign was finally completed.

As for the content of the reports, they mainly consisted of positive and uplifting good news, but were mixed with some potential crises.

Among them, the positive and uplifting good news mainly comes from three aspects:
First, there's news about a fiscal surplus.

The Ministry of Revenue reported that the revenue in the second year of the Xifeng reign was 72 million strings of cash, which was an exceptionally large fiscal surplus that had been rare in recent decades.

Secondly, there is news of ample savings.

The bank reported that 200 million strings of cash were received in the second year of the Xifeng reign, which meant that the court had solved its immediate crisis and that there would be some leeway in the event of a fiscal deficit in the future.

Thirdly, there is the manipulation of public opinion.

The Imperial Academy reported that in the second year of the Xifeng reign, more than 800,000 copies of newspapers were sold, generating a profit of about 30,000 strings of cash. This meant that the court had gained the power to control public opinion.

In the future, if newspapers are distributed throughout the two capitals and fourteen circuits, they can be used as a powerful weapon to manipulate public opinion.

The hidden dangers and crises mainly come from two aspects:

First, there's the issue of the imperial clan.

In a single year, the stipends for members of the imperial clan alone amounted to more than six million strings of cash, which was truly staggering.

It should be noted that the "redundant officials," one of the three problems of redundancy, only cost officials a little over seven million strings of cash.

This has already been listed as one of the three redundancies.

The stipends of members of the imperial clan are absolutely the primary source of "redundant expenses" in the "three redundant issues," without exception.

Compared to the stipends of the imperial clan members, even the problem of corruption and embezzlement at the post stations of officials seemed to have little presence.

Second, the border issue.

Recently, the Liao state has become restless again, and there have been some minor frictions between the Zhou and Liao states.

Since the decline of Western Xia and the retreat of Tibet, the two regimes have suddenly lost their "buffer zone," and some contradictions that were not sharp to begin with have gradually become more prominent. It is estimated that they will fight sooner or later.

The issues concerning the imperial clan and the frontier are both internal threats and external threats, and both must be resolved.

The sun shines through the eaves, and the clouds drift and gather.

All civil and military officials rose and lined up.

Grand Chancellor Han Zhang stepped forward, holding his tablet, and reported: "Your Majesty, the annual budget and political discussions of the second year of the Xifeng reign have been reported by all the relevant departments."

"Ah."

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying nodded calmly.

Compared to previous years, this year's year-end is indeed quite long.

In the past, the memorial could be completed by noon, without even delaying the officials from having lunch.

This time, they worked until the very end of the Wei hour (1-3 PM).

Among the civil and military officials, some had rumbling stomachs and looked pale from hunger.

Of course, a long reporting time is not necessarily a bad thing.

At the very least, one can get a glimpse of the effectiveness of the reforms and some hidden problems in the government offices.

"From dawn to dusk, the annual budget reports were submitted for four consecutive hours, which dragged on until nightfall, truly causing hardship for the officials."

Zhao Ceying waved his hand and slowly said, "I have ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare dinner to relieve the fatigue of the officials. After you have finished eating, if there is nothing else, you may leave the office and return to your residences."

When officials report on the year's financial situation, meals should be prepared at noon.

However, if the reports are not delivered in a continuous manner, it will inevitably lose its solemnity.

Zhao Ceying stubbornly refused to mention lunch.

As a result, the officials had no choice but to endure hunger and report back one by one.

At a command, a side door opened, and dozens of palace maids carrying platters entered in an orderly fashion.

Rice, rice noodles, flatbread, mutton soup, fried meat, stir-fried meat, braised meat, roasted chicken, and sesame cakes are served in nine small bowls.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all the dishes were served.

A faint aroma of food wafted through the air, causing people to swallow hard.

Even Jiang Zhao couldn't help but take notice.

As a young man, Jiang Zhao actually had to endure much more hardship compared to the other five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

The problem is that he was the one who asked questions the most among the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

However, this inevitably leads to mental and physical strain and depletion of energy.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying also breathed a long sigh of relief.

Officials are human beings, and so is the emperor!
The officials get hungry, but the emperor doesn't?
It's nothing more than enduring it, adding a little more hardship to the journey.

"No need to stand on ceremony, please feel free to drink." Zhao Ceying waved his sleeve, picked up his chopsticks, and said calmly.

"Your Majesty, we bow in gratitude."

All the civil and military officials bowed in unison.

For a moment, only the faint sound of chewing remained.

Jiang Mansion, Study.

A small wooden table, about ten feet long, lay across the room, with some documents on it.

Jiang Zhao held a pen, appearing deep in thought.

The conclusion of the annual report means that the policies of the second year of the Xifeng reign have all yielded results.

As the undisputed core of the reform movement, he was tasked with formulating the relevant policies for the third year of the Xifeng reign.

This is a perfect example of how one can make decisions unilaterally.

Of course, the burden on my shoulders is also getting heavier and heavier.

Even the slightest mistake would affect tens of millions of people in the two capitals and fourteen circuits.

From top to bottom, officials and ordinary people need to eat and live a good life, and he is the person primarily responsible for that!
How can the burden not be heavy?
Difficult, difficult, difficult!
"call."

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen and began to write.

People's livelihood, Japanese pirates, Liao Dynasty!
In the second year of the Xifeng reign, six major decrees were promulgated.

The government split up various departments, implemented performance evaluation system, exempted past offenses from punishment, conducted land surveys, established banks, and revitalized industry and commerce.

Among them, the division of the various departments, the performance evaluation system, and the policy of not punishing past offenses were all aimed at improving the administration of officials.

Therefore, it is best to avoid issuing any more documents related to officialdom in the short term.

Government decrees are never about quantity, but quality. If decrees are issued too frequently, it may cause a backlash against good governance, which would be counterproductive.

Furthermore, objectively speaking, the three decrees of splitting up the bureaucracy, performance evaluation, and leniency for past offenses are sufficient to rectify official corruption. The relevant policies should be effectively implemented, and there is no need to add anything superfluous.

Land surveys, the establishment of banks, and the promotion of industry and commerce were all policies aimed at the economy.

The land survey was primarily aimed at agricultural taxation.

The main purpose of establishing a bank is to amass wealth from all directions.

The focus is on industry and commerce, with particular emphasis on commercial taxation.

These are all fairly mature policies, and the general direction has been set; they simply need to be implemented effectively. Of the six policies, three are aimed at officials, while the three are aimed at the people.

However, the general public is actually a larger group than officials.

The term "people" can actually be further subdivided into farmers, industrialists, and merchants.

Among them, the relevant policies and decrees on "commerce" are already quite in line with the policy. Heavy industry and commerce have made concessions to commerce, banks have been established to facilitate commerce, and relevant commercial regulations have been promulgated. At most, there will be minor repairs in the future, such as lifting the ban on maritime trade and developing maritime trade.

In any case, there will absolutely be no further changes to the overall direction.

The remaining agricultural and industrial sectors still have considerable room for development.

Especially agriculture.

Some landlords' lands may not have been cultivated, or perhaps no one had carefully cultivated them, but they were included in the database.

This means that large landowners must find ways to rent out their land, otherwise they may have to pay taxes at a loss.

This will definitely make it much easier for tenants to rent land.

If relevant tax reforms are implemented and some high-yield crops are promoted, people's lives will be much better.

When people's lives improve, the social atmosphere tends to be positive and progressive, creating a vibrant and thriving environment. This can alleviate some long-standing social conflicts, thus prolonging the dynasty's life.

This is what Jiang Zhao refers to as "people's livelihood".

As for the "Japanese pirates," their main aim was to obtain silver and reform taxes.

The Wokou, which later became known as Japan, were rich in silver.

The special planning for silver was mainly to solve the "cash shortage" problem.

In fact, the amount of copper coins minted in the Great Zhou Dynasty was already quite high, almost the highest in history.

Unfortunately, compared to other dynasties, the economy of the Great Zhou Dynasty had a very special feature—commercial taxes had gradually surpassed agricultural taxes!

This achievement was briefly attained only during the late Tang Dynasty.

This also means that the Great Zhou will be the first country to face commercial transformation.

With the transition to commercialization underway, the copper coins minted by the imperial court were naturally insufficient to support the market circulation of the commodity economy.

Copper coins were too inexpensive to produce, while silver was valuable enough to support the commodity economy, but its circulation was too low, thus creating a money shortage.

To solve the money shortage problem, the only way is to find as much silver as possible, so that the copper standard and the silver standard can coexist, or even be based on the silver standard.

Once silver and money circulate, the commerce of the Great Zhou Dynasty will undoubtedly flourish and reach an unimaginable height.

This was also one of the key factors in prolonging the dynasty's life.

A positive and progressive society is enough to cover up all contradictions and problems.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao intentionally sent people to investigate the Japanese pirates and try to excavate the silver mine.

"Liao Kingdom" refers to the layout of the Jurchen people.

Recently, the conflict between Zhou and Liao has become increasingly acute, and the two regimes will inevitably go to war sooner or later.

The Jurchens were one of the points Jiang Zhao considered to be the key to breaking the deadlock.

If actively promoting the reform of bombs and artillery is to strengthen oneself, then provoking the Jurchens is to weaken the enemy.

The Jurchens were one of the powerful tribes ruled by the Liao Dynasty, and the predecessor of the Jin Dynasty.

The Liao Dynasty had a population of eight million, of which about a million were Jurchens, demonstrating the Jurchens' considerable strength.

However, their considerable strength and one-eighth of the population did not grant the Jurchens a special status.

Some, on the contrary, feel fear and oppression.

At the beginning of the Liao Dynasty, in order to suppress the Jurchens, a group of women were relocated to Liaoyang. Their leaders were granted official positions by the Liao Dynasty, and their people were registered in the Liao Dynasty's household registration system, gradually becoming Khitanized and known as "civilized Jurchens." Another group moved to Bohai, submitted to the Liao Dynasty, and paid tribute and taxes, but their people did not have Liao Dynasty household registration and were known as "raw Jurchens."

The Jurchen people were divided into two groups: the uncivilized and the civilized. After migrating to different places, they were naturally forced to split into two.

What followed was a period of oppression that lasted for 150 years.

Perhaps due to cultural influence, several generations of Liao emperors favored a type of raptor called the gyrfalcon.

Coincidentally, this bird of prey is abundant in the areas inhabited by the Jurchen people.

To this end, the Liao emperor specially created a position called the Silver Plaque Angel, which allowed him to enter the areas where the Jurchens were active to purchase gyrfalcons.

This practice continued for several generations, and gradually, it became an "ancestral rule" for the silver medal angels to buy gyrfalcons.

Initially, the silver-medal angels were still buying gyrfalcons from the Jurchen people in a normal manner, but gradually it turned into buying cheap and selling expensive.

This continued for decades, but it escalated into rampant extortion and unauthorized conscription.

In recent decades, the Liao Dynasty's silver-plated angels have become increasingly rampant, gradually reaching the point where they have even encouraged women of the Nüzhen ethnic group to offer themselves as their bedmates!

Once they entered the territory inhabited by the Jurchens, the silver-plated angels would demand that the Jurchens offer up their most beautiful women, regardless of whether these women had husbands or came from prominent clans within the tribe, and would forcibly seize them.

The Jurchen people dared not defy the angels, so they could only swallow their anger and let things take their course.

Generally speaking, silver-medal angels would stay in the areas where the Jurchens were active for fifty or sixty days.

If you encounter a good-tempered silver-level angel, they might only favor the woman hailed as "the most beautiful" for several dozen days.

This is a pure love type of silver medal angel.

But if you encounter a silver medal angel with a bad temper, then it might be that they take all the most beautiful, the second most beautiful, the third most beautiful, and so on, in turn.

This type of angel, known for their benevolence, might defile fifty or sixty beautiful women in a single mobilization.

Even worse, there are also beast-like silver medal angels.

Some silver-level angels may have a preference for "deflowering" women, potentially engaging in sexual activity with dozens of virgins at a time, and continuing this practice for dozens of days in a row.
These silver-ranked angels could defile one or two thousand women in a single conscription, causing considerable suffering to women who gave birth to daughters.

Over time, this could result in six or seven out of ten women who gave birth to daughters being defiled by the silver-medal angels.

Even prominent figures among the Jurchen people, including the wives of their leaders, could have been sexually assaulted by silver-ranked angels several times.

Such oppression has accumulated a terrifying amount of resentment.

It was difficult for the Jurchens to be born, and it wasn't easy for them to mature.

Once a Jurchen, always a Jurchen; whether born or accustomed, Jurchens were always oppressed.

Compared to the oppression of will by the raw Jurchens, the oppression of freedom and the body by the mature Jurchens was mainly a matter of the raw Jurchens.

As "second-class subjects" of the Liao Dynasty, the Jurchens were the main subjects of military service, labor service, and migration.

Among the hundreds of thousands of mature Jurchen women, most of them spent their entire lives serving in the military or doing manual labor, so their resentment was naturally considerable.

The so-called plan regarding the Jurchens mainly involved trying to sow discord between the Jurchens and the Liao Dynasty, and attempting to transport some knives, guns, and crossbows to them.

Once the time is right, the Zhou and Liao kingdoms will be at war, and the Jurchens will be in internal strife and rebel, which will surely allow for a surprise attack.

People's livelihood, Japanese pirates, Liao Dynasty!
With the six characters finalized, Jiang Zhao gently touched the brush and began to weigh them.

In addition to the overall planning, he also needs to refine some important development directions.

For example, maritime trade!
Jiang Zhao pondered, appearing thoughtful.

What can be developed through maritime trade?
Just then, a soft cry came.

"Officer."

Jiang Zhao was startled and looked up.

Then, Sheng Hualan appeared, dressed in a light white double-phoenix ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a white jade hairpin holding up half of her long black hair, which hung loosely down her back. She wore small pearl earrings and had no makeup on, yet she exuded a faint scholarly air. She carried a bowl of Qibao Lei Cha (a type of tea) and moved over with light, graceful steps.

"My lord, the well-being of the people is of utmost importance, but your health is even more so. I have brewed a bowl of Seven Treasures Lei Cha; please have a taste," Sheng Hualan said softly, her voice as sweet as orchids.

"it is good."

Jiang Zhao nodded gently, picked up the spoon, scooped out a spoonful, blew on it twice, and then tasted it.

"They added sugar?" Jiang Zhao's eyes lit up.

"I added some honey on purpose." Sheng Hualan lowered her head and gently touched it.

Looking down from above, one can vaguely see some undulating ravines, appearing and disappearing indistinctly.

Fragrant, sweet, soft, and white!

Jiang Zhao nodded and slowly said, "Please feed me, Madam."

As he spoke, he reached out and hugged her, and Sheng Hualan sat on his lap in an instant.

"it is good."

Sheng Hualan blushed slightly and nodded softly.

Jiang Zhao ate slowly, scooping and feeding him spoonful by spoonful.

It took about an incense stick's time to finish eating a small bowl of Seven Treasures Lei Cha.

Jiang Zhao reached out and gently placed the small bowl on the desk.

With one arm around his waist and the other around his leg, he said gently, "My wife has fed me, shouldn't it be my turn to feed my wife now?"

"It's time to have a third child!"

"what?"

Sheng Hualan gasped softly, then quickly shrank back, her ears turning bright red, and dared not look up.

(End of this chapter)