In the Wenhua Hall, because of Zhu Qiyu's little joke, the solemn atmosphere suddenly disappeared.
Chen Yi smiled bitterly and said.
"I don't dare, but Your Majesty, it's not that I don't understand the general situation, but that at this time, the national treasury is really tight, and we can't spare money and food to support such a large project."
"There are no other ministers here, and I am not afraid of your majesty's jokes. In recent days, the Ministry of Rites handles ceremonies and receives various expenses for the clan. I can only manage to support them by diverting next year's taxes."
"The national treasury is now a veritable source of food. If His Majesty insists on building the river again, then I will have no choice but to wear this official uniform and follow the people to dig canals."
Speaking of this matter, Shen Shangshu became even more angry.
He was originally so busy with all kinds of things that he was almost fooled by the emperor.
A large number of clan members came to Beijing, Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites, and they came to his household department to ask for money.
I feel sorry for Shen Shangshu!
These clan masters need good food and good housing. In addition to their own entourage, they also need people from the court to serve them.
For Shen Shangshu, a pen of silver taels flowing like water is simply an unforeseen disaster.
The day before, he was leisurely watching the etiquette department busy, but when he returned to the Hubu Yamen, he saw the account books of his own Yamen, and almost fainted on the spot.
Playing a duel in private is not as serious as meeting in court.
Shen Yi, the great Situ who had always been confident and calm in front of the courtiers, had no scruples in acting rogue.
Seeing that Shen Shangshu, an old man who was almost sixty years old, even said the words "official uniform", Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but shook his head and said.
"Shen Qing is overly worried. No matter how poor the court is, it will not let you go to the river to build canals yourself!"
After ordering the chamberlain to give Shen Shangshu another cup of tea, Zhu Qiyu continued to speak warmly.
"Of course I know that Mr. Shen has worked hard these days. He built the city after the war, strengthened the city walls, rewarded the officers and soldiers, and now there are flowers for the reception of the clan when they come to Beijing. I understand that it is not easy for Mr. Shen to be the great steward of the imperial court."
Chen Yi picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea, but said nothing.
But looking at his expression, you can tell that he has long been immune to sugar-coated bullets like the Emperor.
This great Situ has fallen into enough traps with this method.
This time, the emperor must not continue to use his hands empty-handed. If he is not given an explanation, he will not agree to the river construction matter no matter what he says.
Seeing Shen Yi snoring in silence, Zhu Qiyu was not angry. He waved, and a middle-aged eunuch servant came forward, prostrated himself on the ground, and said.
"I've met the emperor, I've met Shen Shangshu."
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand, signaling the middle-aged servant to stand up, and then asked Shen Yi.
"Does Shen Qing recognize him?"
Chen Yi blinked and looked up and down.
I saw this man called a middle-aged eunuch, with a white face and a slender figure, a beardless face, and a slightly philistine smile on his face.
Judging from his clothes, he should be the palm eunuch of the inner court yamen, but in terms of recognition, he had no impression.
After all, the inner court had almost no contact with the outer court, and the eunuchs he knew were only a few who often had contact with the outer court.
Seeing Shen Yi shaking his head in confusion, the eunuch stepped forward and said.
"Shang Shu Shen, our name is Wang Cheng. Thanks to the grace of the emperor, we are now serving as the imperial eunuch in the palace."
Chen Yi nodded, stood up, cupped his hands in return, and said.
"It turns out that he is the prince and the eunuch of the imperial prison."
Although not all of the twenty-four yamen in the inner court have the same deterrent effect on the outside world as the ceremonial supervisors, their rank is such that Shen Yi would not lose his etiquette in front of the emperor.
But despite this, Shen Shangshu was still confused. He didn't understand why Tianzi introduced him to such an eunuch of the inner court for no reason.
Zhu Qiyu waved his hand, signaling Wang Cheng to step back, and then said.
"A few days ago, the Jinyi Guards inspected the properties of Wang Zhen, Mao Gui, Cao Jixiang and others. Does Shen Qing still remember this?"
Shen Shangshu's expression froze and he said dullly.
"Of course I remember that after the property of Wang Zhenyi's party was confiscated, Jin Yiwei sent all of it directly to His Majesty's internal transportation warehouse. I didn't even see the account books."
Well……
Seeing Shen Yi's dissatisfied look, Zhu Qiyu couldn't help but touch his nose, looking a little embarrassed.
Everyone in the world thought that the emperor was rich and extravagant, and that the entire country's money was at his disposal.
But in fact this is not the case. At least in the Ming Dynasty, the emperor's own money and the country's money and food were separated.
Most of the imperial court's annual tax revenue goes to the national treasury, which is the so-called foreign transport treasury, and is managed by the Ministry of Household Affairs.
It is used for the salaries of officials, normal ceremonies, receptions, daily operations of the court, and construction projects.
As for the daily expenses of the concubines, maids, and eunuchs in the palace, and the daily rewards given by the emperor to his ministers, they must be allocated from the internal transportation treasury.
As for the silver in the internal transportation treasury, apart from the fixed portion allocated from the national treasury every year, there are only tributes from various countries and proceeds from the raids on the residences of guilty officials.
Although Wang Zhen could not be considered as a tyrant in recent years, he had been in power for so many years and even dared to operate in a position like Minister of the Ministry of Industry, so he had indeed amassed a considerable fortune.
In addition, after his followers were confiscated, the emperor's inner treasury was indeed much richer.
Of course, even if this money is invested in the national treasury, it will only be a drop in the bucket.
But the truth is the truth, and the feeling is the feeling.
Shen Shangshu scratched his head every day for the treasury, and his hair fell out in great numbers. The emperor not only did not worry about money, but also thought about adding more manpower to serve in the palace.
How can Shangshu Shen balance this?
It's natural to feel a little resentful at this moment.
Seeing that Old Shen's face was about to turn dark, Zhu Qiyu stopped trying to be pretentious and spoke.
"I don't hide it from Shen Qing. Wang Zhen, Cao Jixiang and others have indeed accumulated a lot of wealth in these years, but the actual silver is not much. Most of them are antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and farm shops."
"After inspecting their mansion, I ordered people to sell the calligraphy, painting, antiques, and farms, and then replaced them all with shops. Today, these shops are managed by Wang Cheng."
Then, Zhu Qiyu waved his hand, and Wang Cheng, who was standing behind him, immediately understood and took out an account book from the side and handed it to Shen Shangshu.
"This is the purchasing income of these shops in recent days. Shen Qing can take a look."
Chen Yi took the account book with a confused look.
The account book is not too thick, and Shen Yi has been in the accounts department for more than a day or two. He is very familiar with this kind of thing, and he flipped through it in a short time.
However, the more he looked at it, the more he couldn't sit still.
There are dozens of shops in this account book, including grain stores, cloth shops, ironware shops, porcelain shops, jewelry and jade shops, etc.
And more importantly, these stores have almost been making large purchases since they opened, but relatively speaking, they have not sold many.
Although these shops are of various types, it is impossible for them to cause price gouging or anything like that.
But as a veteran household manager, Shen Yi still instinctively felt that this matter was not simple.
Sure enough, when he saw that he had finished reading the account books, the smile on the emperor's face became thicker and he spoke softly.
"Qing Shen, to be honest, I want to discuss a business deal with you today."
