After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

At the Qianqing Palace, Grand Secretary Liu Jian came to pay his respects.

Today's main topic was the transfer of officials. After discussion by the cabinet, Ma Wensheng, the Minister of War, was transferred to the position of Minister of Personnel, and Liu Daxia, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, was appointed as the new Minister of War. Other officials were also transferred.

The Ministry of Personnel is in a state of chaos. The old Minister is seriously ill, and the Left Vice Minister is injured. If a new Minister is not appointed soon, things will fall apart.

Ma Wensheng was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) during the Jingtai era. He served under four emperors: Jingtai, Tianshun, Chenghua, and Hongzhi, and held the position of Minister of War for ten years. He was highly experienced, so it was reasonable for him to be transferred to the position of Minister of Personnel.

Liu Daxia has performed admirably since last year as Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, concurrently serving as Governor. He has rectified military discipline, quelled local rebellions, pacified chieftains, and stabilized the southern border. He is the top candidate for Minister of War.

After carefully reviewing the list, the Hongzhi Emperor found that most of the candidates were suitable.

He only recognized the name, which sounded slightly unfamiliar, so he asked, "Who is this Cheng Zhirong?"

Liu Jian replied, "This person is the magistrate of Wuqing County. During his tenure, he achieved remarkable results in governing the local area and is proposed to be promoted to the position of Principal of the Selection Department of the Ministry of War."

"Wuqing County..."

The Hongzhi Emperor pondered for a moment, then asked, "Wuqing County must have been severely affected by the Haihe River breach, right?"

Liu Jian replied, "I am grateful for Your Majesty's concern. Wuqing County is indeed a severely affected area."

"I've heard that the disaster victims have all fled to the capital. How effective has Magistrate Cheng's disaster relief efforts been?"

"Your Majesty, Wuqing County has properly resettled some of the disaster victims, but the number of victims is simply too large, and there's nothing anyone can do about it..."

Liu Jian's answer was very vague; in fact, he didn't know the specifics either.

In his view, whether an official performs well or not depends on his achievements, moral character, and public opinion.

As for the disaster victims...

Natural disasters and man-made calamities are unavoidable; the only thing we can do is let the people suffer.

The Hongzhi Emperor did not ask any further questions, but instead handed the memorial to Xiao Jing.

"Take it to the Directorate of Ceremonial for approval."

"yes!"

Xiao Jing respectfully accepted it and handed it to the young eunuch beside him.

Liu Jian showed no sign of leaving, as if he still had something to say.

The Hongzhi Emperor asked, "Is there anything else?"

Liu Jian said, "The city walls need repair, the disaster victims need relief, the river channels urgently need management, and the Ministry of War needs to mobilize troops. All these things combined have kept the six ministries extremely busy, and the national treasury is already stretched thin."

After a moment of silence, the Hongzhi Emperor asked, "Minister Xiao, how much silver is left in the imperial treasury?"

Xiao Jing hurriedly replied, "The imperial treasury isn't much left either, probably... a few hundred thousand taels!"

The Hongzhi Emperor said, "First, allocate 50,000 taels of silver for emergency use."

"Ah, this..."

Xiao Jing was in a dilemma, after all, the emperor's entire family also needed to eat and drink.

Starting with Zhu Yuanzhang, the imperial treasury and the national treasury were separated and kept separate.

The national treasury relies on taxes and grain levies, while the imperial treasury is funded by the output of imperial estates.

Throughout the entire palace, from concubines and empresses to eunuchs and palace maids, everyone was paid from the imperial treasury.

Liu Jian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"

The Hongzhi Emperor then asked, "How are the resettlement of the disaster victims progressing?"

After a moment's thought, Liu Jian said, "Soup porridge kitchens have been set up in all the counties of Shuntian Prefecture, so that the disaster victims can have something to eat."

The Hongzhi Emperor frowned and said, "Is it just distributing porridge? Winter is almost here, and they don't even have a place to shelter from the wind and rain. How will they survive the winter?"

Liu Jian said, "The imperial court has done its utmost, but these are natural disasters and man-made calamities, and there's nothing we can do about it..."

"Liu Qingjia!"

"Your subject is here!"

The Hongzhi Emperor suddenly asked, "There is something I don't understand, or rather, something I haven't been able to figure out since I was the Crown Prince. Can you explain it to me?"

Liu Jian, puzzled, could only say, "Please, Your Majesty, explain."

The Hongzhi Emperor, his face grave, slowly said, "Back then, when Emperor Taizong campaigned in the northern deserts and conquered Annam, the national treasury remained abundant. During Emperor Xuanzong's reign, a great battle was fought against the Oirat Mongols, internal rebellions were quelled, and the Western Ocean was re-entered. In the time of the late Emperor, the Dateng Gorge was pacified, and the Jianzhou Jurchens were defeated twice. Why is it that in my current dynasty, despite my policy of recuperation and no large-scale military campaigns, the national treasury is becoming increasingly strained? Can you explain this to me?"

Liu Jian thought about it carefully and said, "The situation is different in each dynasty, so I dare not generalize."

The Hongzhi Emperor then asked, "I recall that in the fifth year of my reign, the national treasury's tax revenue was 3.2 million taels, and in the tenth year it was 3 million taels. However, last year it dropped to 2.7 million taels. The borders of our Great Ming have not changed, and the land has not shrunk. If we include land reclamation, the revenue should have increased. Why then is the tax revenue decreasing?"

Liu Jian said, "I haven't done a detailed statistical review, but I roughly know the reason."

"Tell me!"

Liu Jian pondered for a moment, then said, "Emperor Taizu established an ancestral system in which our dynasty selects officials through the imperial examinations. Depending on the rank of the official, certain taxes can be exempted. Every year, a large number of students take the exams. Every three years, approximately three hundred Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations) are selected, along with more than two thousand Juren (successful candidates in the provincial level of the imperial examinations), more than ten thousand Xiucai (successful candidates in the county level of the imperial examinations), and countless Tongsheng (successful candidates in the county level of the imperial examinations). As a result, the amount of taxes that need to be exempted each year is quite large."

The Hongzhi Emperor listened with a frown.

Liu Jian continued, "Furthermore, each time a prince is enfeoffed, a portion of land is occupied. The revenue from this land is managed by the prince himself and is not handed over to the court. For example, the late emperor enfeoffed nine princes."

"Furthermore, the titles of Marquis of Shouning and Earl of Jianchang conferred by His Majesty will also occupy some land."

After listening, the Hongzhi Emperor remained silent for a long time.

He vaguely sensed the problem, but there was nothing he could do.

The imperial examination system is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and cannot be altered; doing so could lead to great chaos.

Even the princes couldn't be touched; the imperial court kept them.

As for the relatives he appointed, although those two were not very good, they were still his brothers-in-law. If he didn't even have this much privilege, what kind of emperor would he be!

"Even though tax revenue has decreased, I have never taken any measures that burden the people or waste resources. There has been no war within the Ming Dynasty for several years, so why are there refugees even in the capital? Have I not done enough?"

Liu Jian lowered his head and said, "Natural disasters are not the fault of man, Your Majesty need not belittle yourself."

The Hongzhi Emperor asked, "Minister Liu, what exactly was the Great Prosperity described in the book like?"

Liu Jian said: "If a five-acre homestead is planted with mulberry trees, those who are fifty years old will wear silk; if chickens, pigs, dogs, and swine are raised at the proper times, those who are seventy will eat meat; if a hundred acres of land is cultivated at the proper times, a family of eight will not go hungry; if schools are established and the principles of filial piety and brotherly love are upheld, this will be a time of great order."

These words come from the chapter on King Hui of Liang in Mencius, representing the ideal of a well-governed world pursued by sages throughout history.

The Hongzhi Emperor felt a headache coming on and waved his hand, saying, "That's all for now, you may leave."

"Your Majesty, I take my leave!"

Liu Jian bowed and took his leave.

The Hongzhi Emperor sat on the dragon throne and let out a long sigh.

Xiao Jing whispered, "Your Majesty, please don't sigh. The Ming Dynasty is thriving, and the people are prosperous and healthy. We are not far from the great era of peace and prosperity described in the book."

The Hongzhi Emperor waved his hand, smiled wryly, and said, "There are still many refugees in the capital who need to be appeased; how can we be wealthy?"

Xiao Jing didn't know what to say, so he simply lowered his head and pretended to be mute.

The Hongzhi Emperor rubbed his temples and asked, "Has the Crown Prince done anything out of line lately?"

Xiao Jing said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is still busy building biogas digesters. The second batch mainly targets government officials and some wealthy families. They still collected money, but less than the first batch."

The Hongzhi Emperor said, "Biogas digesters can save a lot of firewood, which is a good thing."

Xiao Jing hesitated for a moment and said, "There is a problem. The construction of the biogas digester requires blue bricks. Your Highness has bought up all the blue bricks near the capital, which has caused the price of blue bricks to increase by 30%, and the budget for building the city wall has also increased."

The implication was that she disapproved of Zhu Houzhao for neglecting his duties.

Compared to repairing the city wall, the biogas digester is not that important and can be put aside for now.

The Hongzhi Emperor, however, decided to drop the matter, saying, "Let him do whatever he wants. He'll stop when he's had his fill."

Xiao Jing hesitated for a moment, then said, "A few days ago, Your Highness left the palace."

The Hongzhi Emperor asked, "Where did they go?"

Xiao Jing said cautiously, "It was the time when His Highness went to the Court of State Ceremonies to sign the credentials. After signing the credentials, His Highness did not return to the palace, but instead took his companion Yang to the outer city."

The Hongzhi Emperor then asked, "What was he doing in the outer city?"

Xiao Jing said, "According to the report from the Eastern Depot's spies, His Highness went to check on the place where the porridge was being distributed, had a meal at a roadside restaurant, and then returned."

The Hongzhi Emperor was greatly puzzled: "That's all?"

Xiao Jing paused for a moment, then continued, "I think I also heard His Highness say something about His Majesty's ineffective disaster relief efforts, but he didn't hear clearly and dared not speak carelessly."

The Hongzhi Emperor immediately frowned: "This rebellious son dares to criticize his father?"

Xiao Jing was so frightened that he knelt down: "That spy didn't dare to get too close, he may have misheard, Your Majesty, please calm down."

After a long silence, the Hongzhi Emperor suddenly said, "I also want to go out for a walk."

Xiao Jing immediately said, "This servant will go and prepare the ceremonial procession."

"No!"

The Hongzhi Emperor shook his head and then said, "I want to travel incognito. I will have Mu Bin accompany me, along with some sentries."

Xiao Jing quickly dissuaded him, saying, "Your Majesty is of inestimable health; how can you so easily..."

"What? The Crown Prince can go, but I can't?"

The Hongzhi Emperor felt inexplicably depressed and longed to go out for a walk.

Xiao Jing continued to advise, "If those upright officials find out, they'll readily offer their honest advice..."

"I don't care if you advise me or not! I just want to go out for a walk; is that against ancestral rules?"

"This...this servant will arrange it immediately!"

Xiao Jing sighed inwardly and bowed as he withdrew.