RPAGF Chapter 437 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 32)
Chapter 437 The Little Doctor Girl Knows How to Pamper and Flirt (Part 32)
The next day, Emperor Si stood on the highest star-gazing platform in the palace, overlooking the capital city that had just changed hands.
In the morning light, people were already working on the streets, but they were all pale and thin, and their steps were unsteady.
“This capital is poorer than I imagined,” he said in a deep voice.
Chu Ke handed over a bamboo scroll: "We just finished taking stock of the national treasury. There are less than 10,000 shi of grain left, and even less silver. According to the surrendered officials, the emperor took almost everything of value with him before he fled."
Si Di sneered, "He is indeed shrewd."
"Your Majesty," Chu Ke hesitated, "spring planting is just around the corner. If we don't solve the problem of grain seeds soon, I'm afraid we won't be able to make it to the autumn harvest..."
Just then, a familiar sound of footsteps came from the stairs.
With her pregnant belly bulging, Ji Xiaosong slowly ascended the stage, supported by her maid.
She held a stack of silk cloth in her hands, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.
"Why did you come up here?" Si Di quickly went up to her and took the things from her hands.
Ji Xiaosong smiled slightly: "Your ministers have sent over their draft of the new policy program."
The Emperor unfolded the silk cloth and examined it closely, his brows gradually furrowing.
These new policy programs are nothing but old rhetoric about reducing taxes and opening granaries to distribute grain, offering no real solutions to the problem.
He tapped the silk cloth lightly with his fingertips, "How will the national treasury operate after the tax reduction? What will we eat next year after the granaries are opened and grain is distributed?"
Chu Ke took the silk cloth, glanced at it, and sneered, "Armchair strategist!"
Ji Xiaosong gently stroked her belly and said softly, "I have an idea. The improved drought-resistant wheat in the Northern Territory is cold- and drought-resistant, and its yield can reach three shi per mu. If we could try planting it around the capital..."
A glint of light flashed in Si Di's eyes, and he immediately seized the key question: "How many seeds do you need?"
“The first batch of a thousand acres will require about a hundred bushels.” Ji Xiaosong paused. “Coincidentally… I secretly kept some superior seeds when I was in the Northern Territory.”
Chu Ke suddenly realized: "No wonder the Queen can always conjure up food!"
Emperor Si gave his wife a deep look, but did not press her for details about the "secret" matter. He simply said decisively, "We will make arrangements tomorrow."
*
Arrangements are one thing, but according to the rules, this matter must also be discussed in the imperial court to make everything public.
Three days later, in the main hall of the imperial palace.
The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, with civil and military officials standing on either side below.
Most of them were former officials who had surrendered from the original court, while the remaining half were his trusted confidants whom he had brought with him.
"The new policy will be implemented immediately."
Above the main hall, the Emperor's voice, like the clanging of metal, echoed between the carved beams and painted rafters.
"First, abolish the poll tax and replace it with a land tax. Impoverished areas will be exempt from taxes for three years."
Before the words were even finished, the court erupted like boiling water.
"Your Majesty!" Liu Yong, the Vice Minister of Revenue, staggered forward, his forehead dripping with cold sweat. "Since the late Emperor established the dynasty, the poll tax has been the foundation of the national treasury. If we rashly abolish it, where will the military pay? Where will the salaries of the officials come from?"
The Emperor's gaze was like a knife: "Minister Liu, your annual salary is three hundred bushels of grain. Do you know how much grain a family of five pays in a year?"
Liu Yong was speechless.
"Fifty shi!" The Emperor slammed his hand on the dragon table, making the teacups clink. "Even a strong laborer couldn't afford to pay that much, even if he didn't eat or drink!"
The main hall was deathly silent.
Chu Ke stepped forward at the opportune moment: "I second that proposal. In Qingzhou, after three months of implementing the land tax, the tax revenue has actually increased by 20%."
"That's Qingzhou!" Minister of Works Zhao Fa couldn't help but retort. "The land in the central region is barren. If taxes are levied based on the area of land, I'm afraid we won't even be able to collect one-tenth!"
Emperor Si sneered: "That's why I said, barren lands will be exempt from taxes for three years!"
He stood up abruptly, the golden dragon on his black dragon robe seeming to leap into the air. "These past three years, I have been giving the people a chance to breathe!"
The veteran officials looked at each other in bewilderment.
Zhou Yan, the Minister of Rites, suddenly knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty is benevolent! However, the national treasury is empty, and the new policies may not be sustainable!"
"Then let's start by reflecting on ourselves!"
The Emperor sternly declared, "Effective immediately, palace expenses will be halved, and the salaries of all officials will be reduced by 30%. All the money saved will be used for the second new policy."
He glanced at the assembled officials and said, slowly and deliberately, "Establish medical bureaus. Build clinics in each prefecture, with medicines provided by the court, and provide free medical treatment to the poor."
This time, even Chu Ke showed a look of surprise.
"Your Majesty!" Zheng Huai-ren, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, knelt down with a thud. "The medicinal herbs are precious. If we provide free medical services, we're afraid we'll run out of them in less than three months!"
The Emperor did not answer, but simply waved his hand towards the outside of the palace.
Four guards carried in a wooden box. The lid was opened, and inside were dozens of neatly stacked handwritten booklets.
"This is the 'Record of Herbs' written by the Queen herself," Emperor Si took out a copy and handed it to Zheng Huai Ren. "It records more than 300 kinds of medicinal materials that can be collected in the thirteen prefectures, and even the growing season and processing methods are clearly written down."
Zheng Huai-ren opened the book and his hands suddenly trembled: "This...this is the content of the lost 'Qing Nang Shu'! And there are also fragments of the 'Shennong Bencao'..."
"You have all heard of the Queen's medical skills," the Emperor said, his tone softening slightly. "She is willing to impart all her knowledge to the people of the world, hoping to reduce the suffering of illness among them."
The young officials were already flushed with excitement, while the veteran officials had uncertain expressions.
"Your Majesty!" Feng Yuan, the Vice Minister of War, suddenly stepped forward. "Forgive my bluntness, but the most urgent task at hand is preparing for war! The Emperor is in exile, and the barbarians are eyeing us covetously. If we spend all our money on medical clinics..."
"That's why there's a third new policy," the Emperor interrupted him, "to build water conservancy projects, conscript idle laborers, and provide work relief."
Chu Ke immediately ordered his men to unfurl a huge silk map.
“This is a river map drawn by the Queen,” the Emperor said, pointing to the red lines on the map. “If the construction is carried out according to this plan, it can irrigate a million acres of fertile land in three prefectures and seven counties.”
Minister of Works Zhao Fa leaned closer for a closer look and suddenly gasped: "This...this is going to divert the Luo River? The project is massive, it will require at least 100,000 laborers!"
"They are not laborers, but disaster victims."
Emperor Si corrected, "Last year, the Shahe River breached its banks, displacing no fewer than 50,000 people. Giving them food and work is far better than opening granaries and distributing grain."
"Your Majesty is wise!" the young officials shouted in unison.
The veteran officials were in an uproar.
"Absolutely not!" Zhao Fa's beard trembled. "Conscripting disaster victims is bound to cause unrest! During the Changming era of the previous dynasty, excessive corvée labor triggered a peasant uprising!"
"Then let them starve to death?" Si Di sneered. "Or wait for them to become outlaws?"
Zhou Yan suddenly kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, this old minister dares to ask, where does the money come from? Where does the grain come from?"
The hall fell silent instantly.
Emperor Si slowly sat back on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrests.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the answer.
"The Liu family mansion was confiscated, and 300,000 taels of silver were obtained."
His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight: "An inventory of the royal villas revealed jewels and jade artifacts worth millions. These..."
His gaze swept over every face, whether surprised or delighted: "Use them all for the new policies!"
"Your Majesty!" Zhou Yan cried, tears streaming down his face. "That's royal property!"
"Now, it is my private property."
Emperor Si said, enunciating each word clearly, "I will use it to nourish the people!"
Chu Ke suddenly knelt on one knee: "Your subject requests to supervise the water conservancy project!"
Young officials stepped forward one after another:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to travel to various prefectures to establish medical clinics!"
"Your Majesty, I request that the detailed rules of the tax system be revised!"
The veteran officials looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally knelt down one after another.
The Emperor looked at the bowing officials, but felt no joy whatsoever.
He knew that the real challenge had just begun.
"Court adjourned." He waved his hand wearily. "I want to see the specific regulations in three days."
*
Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor rubbed his temples.
Chu Ke handed over a cup of hot tea: "Your Majesty, today is a great victory."
“Victory?” Emperor Si smiled bitterly. “Did you see the look in Zhou Yan’s eyes when he left? Those old ministers will not let this go so easily.”
"Should I...?" Chu Ke made a throat-slitting gesture.
Emperor Si shook his head: "Kill one Zhou Yan, and ten more will step forward. Governing a country is not like fighting a war; you can't solve problems by killing people alone."
He walked to the window and looked at the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys outside the palace: "What I lack most right now is time. Spring planting is just around the corner. If we cannot distribute the grain and seeds in time, there will surely be starving people everywhere next year."