My father ordered me to kill the emperor, but His Majesty bestowed a princess upon me instead.

Shen Lie's thirteen-page explanation was not sent to the Xuanzheng Hall first.

As agreed by both parties.

The original Qingxia document remains unchanged.

Only send copies of the table of contents and newly added pages.

The copy was verified in Qingzhou, Yong'an, and Qingxiakou respectively.

The paper is different.

The handwriting is identical.

The witnesses are different.

If any page is missing, the other two will also be noticeable.

My father wrote the first stroke very clearly.

July 19th, 14th year of Chengxi (1645)

It is known that the 6,000 shi (a unit of grain) came from the epidemic granary north of the Yangtze River.

He agreed to return 3,000 that very night.

The following day, a mutiny broke out in the army.

Four thousand was withdrawn on the 21st.

The actual amount of grain collected in the vanguard camp was 3,400 shi (a unit of grain).

Another 600 shi (a unit of dry measure) were intercepted by the Wang family's transport team.

Of the four thousand bushels of grain, only three thousand four hundred were actually consumed by the soldiers.

Where did the remaining six hundred go?

The father wrote on the back of the tent:

It was not checked at the time.

This is a dereliction of duty.

It has now been discovered that 420 shi (a unit of dry measure) were transferred to the Wang family's secret warehouse in the southwest.

One hundred and eighty shi (a unit of dry measure) are missing.

Upon seeing this, the mother asked:

"Did he say before that they were going all in?"

"I did say that."

"Has it changed now?"

"Yes."

Why?

The messenger reported: "The army has opened its granaries."

"Veterans recall their experiences by battalion number."

"Xu Sandao discovered that the Wang family's caravan was collecting grain coupons."

"General Shen rewrote it."

The mother nodded.

"It's good that you can change it."

The emperor asked:

"Six hundred shi (a unit of dry measure) were intercepted."

"Why is Shen Lie still in charge?"

The mother said, "Because he took the grain."

"Wang's interception of grain is a separate matter."

"If you can't deduct six hundred, then say you'll only take three thousand four."

My father wrote it this way too.

The liability is set at four thousand.

An additional 600 will be recovered from the stolen goods.

They didn't shrink their own section just because they later discovered someone else had stolen a part of it.

This penmanship is stiffer than I expected.

Father probably knew Mother would see it.

I dare not save money.

Next, we'll discuss replenishing the grain supply.

The Ministry of Revenue offered the simplest solution.

Silver.

According to the grain price during the Jiangbei disaster in the fourteenth year of Chengxi.

The six thousand shi (a unit of grain) were worth a total of thirty-six thousand taels of silver.

Plus eleven years of interest.

The funds will be allocated by the national treasury in a single payment.

That sounds like a lot.

After Bai Zhi finished calculating, she only said:

"few."

The Minister of Revenue said, "Is 36,000 taels too little?"

"Grain prices are based on the pre-disaster price of that year."

"The actual price of grain quadrupled during the disaster."

"We cannot compensate at the black market price!"

"So, the person who died died as usual?"

Bai Zhi set out another tent.

"Six thousand shi is not just a shortage of grain."

"Still short of land."

"Few registered residents".

"Less compensation."

"Eleven years' wages short."

"A person who was written to have died from the epidemic."

"After returning to my hometown alive, I found that the land had been sold, my wife had remarried, and my children had changed their surnames."

"Give him five taels of silver."

"What do you mean by 'supplementing'?"

The Minister of Revenue looked displeased.

"The compensation must be reasonable."

"have."

The mother said, "Divide it into four strokes."

The first stroke.

Grain debt.

The 6,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) will be supplemented based on actual grain production.

It's not a silver coin.

Publicly available warehouses have been established in various counties north of the Yangtze River.

The source of each bushel of grain was indicated.

The national treasury will allocate 2,000.

The Southwest Army sent two thousand men.

The Wang family produced an additional 1,000.

The emperor's inner treasury provided one thousand.

The emperor looked at his mother.

"Should I personally contribute one thousand?"

"Sealing the tent is His Majesty's doing."

"The national treasury has already disbursed two thousand."

"We can't let the people of the world have to shoulder your personal burden anymore."

The emperor said, "The silver in the imperial treasury is also used to support the entire nation."

"Then we'll build one less garden."

Xiao Lingyi said from the side:

"The funds allocated for the renovation of Changning Palace over the past three years may be suspended."

The emperor looked at her.

"You've made arrangements for me quite quickly."

"The Empress Dowager's palace."

"Your subject is qualified."

The emperor did not object further.

The second stroke.

Name debt.

For all those who are listed as having died from the epidemic, in battle, or gone missing, the costs of reinstatement, travel expenses back home, and costs of re-establishing contracts will not be deducted from the grain allowance.

The responsibility for creating the false registration shall be borne by the respective government offices.

The county government's list of those who faked their deaths was used to compensate local officials for the losses.

The name of Shangyi was changed, and Wang Shi and the old Shangyi thread were compensated.

The compensation for those who died in the line of duty will be jointly provided by the Southwest Military Command and the Ministry of War.

The Minister of Revenue asked:

"What if the official in charge is dead?"

Bai Zhi said, "Investigate the inheritance."

"What if there is no inheritance?"

"The government will compensate."

"This would cause the successor to take responsibility for the predecessor."

"An official seal is not used by one person for only one day."

Bai Zhi said, "The government has received benefits."

"Therefore, we cannot simply say that the person has changed."

The third stroke.

A debt of human lives.

Those whose deaths have been confirmed will be listed by name.

For those whose names have not been verified, a re-examination will be conducted based on their family members, previous injuries, and previous locations.

The case will not be closed with a single lump sum payment.

Each household is listed separately.

If the same person dies simultaneously from food shortage, disease, and forced river work, the cause of death should not be forced to be chosen as only one.

Write down as many paragraphs as you can identify.

The fourth stroke.

Option bonds.

This was suggested by my mother.

The court officials couldn't understand.

She explained:

"The emperor chose a stable court."

"Shen Lie chose a stable army."

"I'll keep two thousand for the Southwest."

"Wang Songxuan closed the account."

"Everyone wrote down their reasons."

"Then let future generations know."

What consequences did this choice bring?

No fine will be imposed.

Undetermined sentence.

First, make it public.

Every year when the Jiangbei granary is opened, the destination of the six thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) is read again.

The Southwest Vanguard Battalion would also recite this text every time they held a memorial service for the fallen soldiers.

This will let those who join the army later know whose rations they ate.

Some senior officials objected.

"This move will damage morale."

The second page, sent simultaneously by Qingxia, arrived just in time.

My father wrote on the military tent:

If the morale of the army can only be maintained by not knowing where the food will come from.

It's not called morale.

It's called "mu" (瞒).

After reading it, the emperor remained silent for a moment.

"Shen Lie can finally speak human language."

The mother said, "He always will."

"I wouldn't have done it before."

I think if this sentence were to reach Qingxia...

My father will probably have to write another thirteen pages.

The initial four compensation amounts have been determined.

The real question is how the Southwest Army will contribute 2,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

The border troops were also short of food.

It cannot be deducted directly from the active-duty military rations.

Otherwise, they would have taken disaster relief grain to save the army back then.

Now, in order to pay off debts, another batch of soldiers has been cut off from food.

The tent will go around in a circle.

He killed again.

Page three of Qingxia has arrived.

Shen Lie proposed:

The Southwest Army will establish agricultural settlements for the next three years.

Seven hundred bushels of grain are allocated each year.

Seven hundred in the previous two years.

Six hundred in the third year.

Two thousand in total.

Do not touch the military rations from that year.

They did not levy taxes from the local granaries along the way.

After the military settlements have received the goods, the three parties will inspect the warehouses.

The mother asked, "Whose land is the garrison farm?"

The messenger scout replied:

"Southwest Military Region".

"Where are the common people now?"

"Part of it is war-torn wasteland."

"Another portion consisted of confiscated property from the military."

"check."

The mother said, "It's like forcibly seizing farmland from the people."

"Using it to repay the grain only means changing the compensation to a different group of people."

Angelica dahurica was immediately added after the 2,000 shi (a unit of grain) in the southwest:

Source to be verified.

Repayment cannot be recorded before verification.

The father's proposal was not approved simply because it was written by him.

The emperor looked at the row of items awaiting inspection.

"You're even investigating his fields?"

"check."

I said, "Otherwise, Xue Jiu's two plots of land will not be enough sooner or later."

Bai Zhi said, "He also owns a salt shop."

I think Xue Jiu is far away in Qingxia.

My heart has started to ache a second time.

In the afternoon, twelve witnesses from Jiangbei took turns examining the four compensation accounts.

Some people don't understand it.

The clerk then read it aloud sentence by sentence.

Read it aloud before asking questions.

Where do you agree?

I disagree with what.

You are not allowed to just leave your fingerprints.

Cao Shun circled the column for grain debt.

But he shook his head when faced with the choice of debt.

"Why?" I asked.

"What's the point of reading it once a year?"

He said, "My mother needs grain."

"It's not about listening to the official read it wrong."

The mother asked, "So what do you want?"

"Distribute the rations first."

"We'll talk about whether to read it or not later."

That makes a lot of sense.

Debts should not be prioritized over life itself.

The final court meeting changed the order to:

First, grain.

Renamed.

Another life.

Finally, read the accounts.

It's not for the sake of a beautiful ceremony.

It's because the dead have been waiting for eleven years.

A living person can't wait for a neat apology.

In the evening, the fourth military tent in Qingxia was delivered.

Only one page.

Father wrote in his own hand:

Order to Kill the King.

Shen Lie has been confirmed.

Not withdrawn.

After the six thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) was broken down into four parts, the first person to understand it was not the Ministry of Revenue.

It was the woman selling steamed buns outside the door.

Her husband had transported this batch of grain years ago, but it was later written that he "died of illness en route."

After listening, she asked:

"Why must the same bushel of grain be returned four times?"

Bai Zhi replied, "The grain will only be returned once."

"Those who owe grain, make false reports, disclose the names of the deceased, and engage in activities after receiving grain shall each be held accountable."

The woman thought for a moment.

"It's like someone stole one of my pots."

"The pot must be returned."

"You have to pay for smashing the door."

"You have to change your mind if you say I've never had a pot."

Ah Liu nodded: "It's clearer than what the Ministry of Revenue said."

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue did not look well.

I had this passage recorded in the appendix of the court discussions.

Only debts that the people can understand can truly be returned to the people.

The fourth method of returning the 6,000 shi of grain was the first to be opposed by the Ministry of Revenue.

"We've already returned the grain in kind once; wouldn't it be redundant to compensate for transportation, pricing, and errors in disbursement?"

The mother placed four bowls on the table.

The first one was filled with grain.

The second one is empty, representing the losses incurred during the journey.

The third one, with silver, represents those who bought grain at a higher price that year.

The fourth one only has one name, representing those who were listed as having received food but therefore lost further relief.

"You only need to look at the first bowl," she said.

"Because the first bowl is the easiest to weigh."

Jiangbei old man Chen Shiqi stood up.

He did indeed receive two bushels of grain back then.

The account book, however, stated "ten bushels".

When he went to collect it again, the official granary said he had already received the full amount.

His wife starved to death.

If we only provide eight bushels of grain now, my wife won't come back.

Even if eight bushels of silver were converted into cash, it cannot be written as all losses have been cleared.

The last four categories will be listed on separate pages.

The items were returned in kind.

Improper wear and tear will be returned.

Additional purchase of price difference compensation.

The correction of erroneous grain requisition records and subsequent losses will be investigated separately.

After hearing this, the emperor said, "So my thousand shi is not just a thousand shi."

"right."

Why are you only saying this now?

Bai Zhi said, "His Majesty used to only ask how much was owed."

The emperor remained silent.

The total number is suitable for the imperial court.

The total amount makes people feel that the payment is complete once it's paid.

The six thousand shi (a unit of grain) had to be returned four times, not to collect four more portions.

It's because the same amount of grain was used in four different ways to harm different people.

Xuanzheng Hall fell silent.

The emperor looked at the line of text.

"He even dares to drive this?"

Mother said:

Write it down.

"It's better than hiding it on my son."

Everyone was looking at me.

I think my father is good at creating trouble for me.