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

Originally, the construction of Fujian Road had no bearing on Zhou Mengyang's interests, so he should have turned a blind eye.

Who would have thought that Huainan East Road would be ravaged by floods.

As a result, Zhou Mengyang naturally revealed the details of the construction of Fujian Road.

"Ten million strings of cash?"

"So, apart from the Ministry of Works, the three ministries and five departments only received four million strings of cash?"

Jiang Zhao feigned surprise, knowing the answer already, and asked, "How could there be so much? Could you spare some money?"

"It involves the Diji sacrifice, which is estimated to cost seven or eight million strings of cash. The remainder will be used for the construction of palaces and local livelihood projects." Du Xi's expression darkened slightly as he tried to gloss over the matter.

"Local livelihood projects?"

Jiang Zhaowen said gently, "It's all for the sake of the people and the nation. In that case, could we suspend the construction project and instead focus on providing relief to Huaidong?"

"Let the people suffer, I'll bear the blame!" Jiang Zhao said, patting his chest with pity.

"This..." Du Xi's expression turned somewhat awkward, his sleeves trembling slightly: "The fiscal budget has already been set, and changing it on a whim is probably not an option."

The public works project on Fujian Road has been ongoing for several years, and the budget for the second half of the year has already been passed down, all so that the subordinates can promote the reputation of several high-ranking officials on Fujian Road.

In fact, some public welfare projects have already started, just waiting for funding from higher authorities.

If the policy is suddenly canceled, they will be in a difficult situation.

"Changing policies frequently?"

Jiang Zhao asked in confusion, "The fiscal budget for the second half of the year was only recently released, right? Does this mean that Lord Du issued the decree without the cabinet's approval?"

Upon hearing this, several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet turned around to look.

It's not uncommon for those in power to issue orders in advance in order to spread their reputation.

However, since certain things have been done, one must bear the consequences of these things being exposed to the imperial court.

If Du Xi dared to utter a single "yes," he would be disregarding the authority of the cabinet.

Ultimately, how can you guarantee that government orders will pass through the cabinet?

Du's heart sank.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to back down.

If you disagree with the people on Huainan East Road robbing money from Fujian Road, you should at least give them an explanation.

Moreover, its importance is no less than that of providing disaster relief to millions of people.

Conversely, if the transfer of funds had truly been approved, the decree would have been issued long ago.

This will undoubtedly deal a significant blow to their prestige on Fujian Road.

"Government orders need to be approved by the cabinet, so they were not passed down."

Du Xi felt a slight unease and retorted, "However, the budget has already been set. If we can arbitrarily take money from the Ministry of Works, what will become of the Ministry of Revenue's budget?"

"Yes!"

A fifth-rank official in the train chimed in, "Lord Jiang, the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of finances. Preparation is key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. Natural disasters and man-made calamities are unpredictable, and there's really nothing we can do when they occur. Lord Cai's proposed relief method is excellent; we might as well give it a try."

Unsurprisingly, these are officials from Fujian Road.

He looked completely unfamiliar; I guessed he was someone who had just been promoted.

Jiang Zhao glanced over indifferently.

A fifth-rank official, also wanting to get involved in the struggle for the purple robe?

"Who are you?" Jiang Zhao asked calmly.

"This humble official is Wang Tao, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites." The man, who was about forty years old, cupped his hands in greeting.

Jiang Zhao raised an eyebrow.

A forty-year-old official of the fifth rank in the capital must at least be a junior scholar (庶吉士), and is considered to have a very good chance of becoming a third-rank official (紫袍).

It is estimated that those who passed the examination in their twenties or thirties had a smooth path to becoming probationary scholars, and even skipped several ranks.

"Preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure." How true that is!

"In your opinion, why doesn't the Ministry of Revenue set aside some surplus funds to deal with emergencies?" Jiang Zhao asked, digging a hole for them.

"The strategy of making provisions has existed since ancient times."

Wang Tao was very excited to be promoted to an official position in the capital, and even to the court. He was full of confidence and high spirits: "The Ministry of Revenue is one of the six ministries, so it naturally has a plan to reserve funds for it."

Jiang Zhao's eyes lit up, and he prompted, "Since there are reserves, why can't they be used for disaster relief?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Xiang, the Minister of Revenue, changed his expression slightly and was about to speak up to stop him.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

"The reserved funds must be used for emergency purposes during the Di sacrifice."

"Cough cough!"

A loud cough jolted Wang Tao awake, and his hands and feet went cold.

Done!

"Di Chariot?"

Jiang Zhao shouted angrily, his voice suddenly becoming impassioned: "According to the Ministry of Revenue, are we going to exhaust our Great Zhou Dynasty to the point of ruin just for the sake of the Di and Jia sacrifices?"

"When did the Di and Cha sacrifices become an excuse for you treacherous and incompetent people?"

"Could it be——"

Jiang Zhao looked at the group of people, scanning them one by one: "Lord Cai, Lord Du, Lord Wang, have you been harboring resentment for a long time?"

"Are they deliberately making excuses and refusing to provide disaster relief just to imply to the officials that the Di sacrifice is too costly?"

……

Chapter 140 The treacherous minister has jumped out on his own!

Wang Tao: Preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure.

Jiang Zhao: Why doesn't the Ministry of Revenue reserve extra funds to deal with emergencies?

Wang Tao: The policy of reserving funds has existed since ancient times. As the head of the six ministries, the Ministry of Revenue naturally had a policy of reserving funds.

Jiang Zhao: If that's the case, why can't it be used for disaster relief?

Wang Tao: The funds must be reserved for emergency use during the Di sacrifice.

A few words exchanged, subtly clashing, neither gaining the upper hand.

Of course, this is what Wang Tao considers a struggle!

As a native of Fujian Road, he studied diligently from the lowest level of the imperial examinations, becoming a scholar, a licentiate, and a provincial graduate, eventually achieving the rank of Jinshi and becoming a compiler in the Hanlin Academy and an official in a certain region.

At the age of twenty-eight, he had even gained the attention of some important figures, and he was full of vigor and ambition.

Now, he has finally achieved some success and entered the capital to serve as an official.

Upon entering the government, he encountered political affairs concerning the interests of his hometown.

For Wang Tao, this was naturally a source of excitement, and he took the initiative to protect his hometown from the wind and rain!

The young Grand Secretary intended to seize resources from Fujian Road, so he used the budget as an excuse, saying, "If you plan ahead, you will succeed; if you don't, you will fail."

Since the Ministry of Works' expenses have already been determined, they should not be changed lightly even if they have not yet been implemented.

Therefore, even if the Ministry of Works does not allocate funds for disaster relief, the policy support for water conservancy construction in Fujian Road must still be implemented.

Facing the young Grand Secretary head-on, he exchanged blows with ease, without any pressure.

The young Grand Secretary even changed the subject, bringing up the issue of reserving funds for the Ministry of Revenue's budget.

He responded calmly to this move, using the Di sacrifice as an excuse to use imperial power to intimidate others.

He's even retaliating against the young Grand Secretary!

Since the feud between Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, the two branches of the imperial family have been constantly embroiled in conflict.

The Diji sacrifice, held every five years, was intended to demonstrate the legitimacy of imperial power and appease the imperial clan of the founding emperor.

How can such a sacrificial ceremony be questioned?

Is there a problem with reserving some funds for the Di and Jia sacrifices?

Does the young Grand Secretary dare to utter a single word of "wrong"?

Unfortunately, this approach is somewhat naive.

Cai Xiang, the Minister of Revenue, immediately noticed the problem.

However, once the words were spoken, there was no time to stop them.

[According to the Ministry of Revenue, are they really going to exhaust our Great Zhou Dynasty to the point of collapse just for the sake of the Di and Jia sacrifices?]

When did the Di and Xia sacrifices become an excuse for you treacherous and incompetent people?

Could it be—

Lord Cai, Lord Du, and Lord Wang have long harbored resentment?

Is the deliberate obstruction and refusal to provide disaster relief simply a way of implying to the officials that the Di sacrifice was too costly?

A sharp shout, with overwhelming force.

"Wang had no such intention."

Wang Tao felt a chill run through his hands and feet, and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly tried to explain himself.

The Di sacrifice led to the downfall of the state!

In order to worship our ancestors, we will not provide relief for natural disasters!

This hat is really too heavy.

Even Emperor Zhao Zhen probably wouldn't dare to bear it.

Otherwise, the conclusion that it was a waste of resources and manpower and a disregard for human life would likely be recorded in history books.

If any of them dared to answer "yes," they would immediately be accused of tampering with the official's reputation.

This kind of debate, which involves labeling the emperor, is quite dangerous.

This is why Wang Tao dared to use the Di sacrifice to oppress others, but was not afraid that Jiang Zhao would oppress him in return.

Who would have thought that Jiang Zhao would actually dare!

Moreover, the way the hat was put on was extremely clever.

When did the Di and Xia sacrifices become an excuse for you treacherous and incompetent people?

This single sentence effortlessly brought out the officials.

Regardless of whether there are problems with disaster relief or finances, the problem lies with treacherous officials.

The Di and Cha sacrifices were merely an excuse used by treacherous officials!

The hat was incredibly heavy, but it revealed the emperor.

As a result, the ones who had to bear the burden of the hats were naturally a few of them.

Deliberately making excuses and preventing disaster relief, this label is not easy to bear!

Wang Tao was greatly alarmed and hurriedly retorted.

"Preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. What Mr. Wang is saying is that adhering to the Ministry of Revenue's budget is of paramount importance. The Ministry of Works is responsible for the budget, and so are the Di and Jia sacrifices."

"The Ministry of Works' budget is the Ministry of Works' budget!"

"The budget for the Diqi sacrifice is the budget for the Diqi sacrifice; how can they be confused?"

Jiang Zhao shouted angrily, his arrogance overwhelming, and pointed at Cai Xiang, Du Xi, and Wang Tao one by one.

"you!"

"you!"

"you!"