Fenghou

Chen Qing took out a memorial and said with a smile: "I have no intention of overturning your decision, I just want to know the reason. This is the second phase of the city expansion plan. It mentioned that the north city wall will extend three miles to the northwest. What does this mean? "

Zhao Qiaoyun thought for a while and said: "This is actually the plan proposed by Counselor Jiang. It is mainly considering the connection with Han Chang'an City, and finally connecting Xinjingzhao City and Han Chang'an City into one."

"I see it says that it will cost 50 guan!"

Zhao Qiaoyun smiled and said: "The officials may not have seen it clearly. The 50 yuan includes the possible expenditure for rebuilding the Han Chang'an City. The ancient city is basically abandoned, but the land is very flat. It is completely possible to rebuild a new city on the ruins and evacuate Jingzhao. the people of the city."

After a pause, Zhao Qiaoyun said again: "In fact, Counselor Jiang still has a memorial, which is the second plan, which is to rebuild a new county on the east bank of Bashui, fifteen miles away from Dongcheng, to accommodate military dependents. 50 guan."

Chen Qing frowned, "I also saw that memorial, but Zhao Kai clearly objected to both memorials."

Zhao Qiaoyun shook his head and said, "As a matter of fact, Counselor Zhao is opposed to all memorials involving property expenses, and no one agrees."

Chen Qing sighed lightly and said, "50 guan, isn't it too much expense?"

Lu Xiu next to him smiled and said, "The 50 guan will not be given out this year, but divided into ten years, with an average of only [-] guan per year."

"But [-] guan here, [-] guan there, add up to a lot of expenses."

Zhao Qiaoyun and Lu Xiu looked at each other, Zhao Qiaoyun asked: "Did Counselor Zhao mention to the officials that there is a financial gap of 500 million yuan?"

Chen Qing was slightly surprised: "You also know?"

Zhao Qiaoyun said with a smile: "He wrote a memo last month, requesting to stop all construction support of more than 500 Guan. In his memo, he listed the current financial revenue and expenditure in detail, mentioning that the current financial There is a shortfall of [-] million, but we feel that there are some things that are worth discussing."

"Where is it worth discussing?"

"There are mainly two places. One is the income from the Sichuan road salt tax. He used last year's tax money. The figure is wrong. It was the salt tax income under the impact of a large amount of private salt. However, since the suppression of the Sichuan road rebellion, the salt tax income To recover quickly, this year will increase at least 200 million guan compared to last year, and next year will increase another 100 million to reach the tax amount of the previous year."

Chen Qing secretly scolded Zhao Kaikeng himself. It turned out that the salt tax on Sichuan Road was last year's data. Of course it was not accurate.

Chen Qing regained his energy all of a sudden, and asked with a smile: "Is there anything else worth discussing?"

"It is the purchase of livestock from nomads, and there is double counting."

"Be specific!"

Zhao Qiaoyun smiled and said, "Sister, tell me! You discovered this."

"If you don't remind me, where would I find out?"

Having said that, Lu Xiu was very happy that Zhao Qiaoyun gave her the opportunity, and she knew about it.

"It's like this. There is a piece of meat in the army's food allowance, which is about 50 guan a month, so 50 guan a year, and then purchase livestock from nomads. The main purpose is to buy sheep for the army, which also costs money a year. [-] guan, isn't this repeated?"

Chen Qing was a little confused, "Why do I feel that something is still wrong!"

Zhao Qiaoyun chuckled and said: "The sheep bought from the grasslands were placed in Gyeongju, and they were not sent directly to the military camp. The sheep sent to the military camp were Gyeongju sheep. Mr. Zhao converted it into 50 yuan. The sheep are all transported from the grasslands and placed in Gyeongju for foster care, and the expenditure has already been calculated, so it cannot be converted a second time."

Only then did Chen Qing realize that he had indeed overcalculated the army's meat expenditure.

"In that case, there is still a gap of 150 yuan. I plan to increase the price of salt by ten cents per catty. In this way, the financial gap should be filled."

Zhao Qiaoyun pushed Lu Xiu lightly, and Lu Xiu smiled and said, "Actually, we have already thought of a way to fill the financial gap without raising the price of salt."

Chen Qing was overjoyed, "What do you say?"

Lu Xiu smiled slightly and said, "Jingnan South Road and Jinghu North Road are such a large piece of land, does your husband still want to give up the salt tax to the imperial court?"

Chapter 889 Discussion

In the early morning of the next day, Chen Qing ordered someone to invite Zhao Kai. He took out the income and expenditure budget report written by Zhao Kai last month and put it on the table, saying: "I carefully read Counselor Zhao's report last night. I think the tax should be based on the salt tax revenue from the previous year, not last year. Last year, salt smuggling was too severe, but under our severe crackdown, more than [-] people were killed by salt dealers, and it has basically subsided. The salt tax will be doubled this year and next year."

Zhao Kai didn't have yesterday's anxiety, and said calmly: "We also discussed this issue last night and afternoon. The salt tax basis is indeed biased and needs to be adjusted. In addition, the army's meat expenditure has double counting and needs to be adjusted. After recalculation, the fiscal and tax gap should be between 150 million and 180 million yuan, but if this gap is not made up, there will still be major problems.

Your Highness, the expenses are too high now, and a lot of expenses are unnecessary. The low position refers to the second expansion of the city. The expansion of the city has always been a century-old project. It is unnecessary and should not be completed in a short period of time. All the people cannot live in the city, can it? Can't there be villages outside the city, can't there be farmers? "

Chen Qing took out Jiang Yanxian's second city expansion plan and said: "I read this plan carefully yesterday afternoon, and I also think it is too hasty and unnecessary. I will discuss this plan with Counselor Jiang again, and I will not consider it for now. In fact, we are likely to attack the Central Plains or Hebei in the next year or so. These two places are huge financial burdens. An accumulation."

Zhao Kai was overjoyed when he heard that the second city expansion plan was not considered for the time being. He argued with Jiang Yanxian many times over this matter, but the princess also supported Jiang Yanxian. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Highness, there is no problem with financial accumulation. We now have about 4000 million wealth accumulation, which is also our family property, which can guarantee war expenses and the recovery of the Central Plains and Hebei. A healthy body is a balance between fiscal and taxation and expenditure, or even a slight surplus.”

Zhao Kai is a prudent financial and tax officer. Everyone criticized him for being too stingy, but Chen Qing admired his stinginess. If he was not so careful, how could he support their war and expansion?Sooner or later, his army will expand to 50. How can he support it without a strong family background?

Just like the current imperial court, several Northern Expeditions to the Central Plains were forced to suspend due to financial and tax issues, and now they are unwilling to take over the mess in Central Plains because of financial constraints.

Doesn't Zhao Gou know the consequences of the Central Plains being taken by him?Of course he knows that the one who wins the Central Plains wins the world, but he also has to support the 50 imperial army and a huge bureaucratic system. The expenditure of nearly 200 million a month can easily overwhelm the imperial court. The huge financial burden of the Central Plains cannot be ignored.

If I want to seize and control the Central Plains and Hebei, I must now increase income and reduce expenditure, and carry out the necessary financial accumulation.

Thinking of this, Chen Qing said slowly: "Today I am looking for Counselor Zhao mainly to discuss the issue of increasing income and reducing expenditure. You can write a report to me about reducing expenditure. All large-scale expenditures that do not involve people's livelihood, education and military must be suspended, or Strict approval is required."

Zhao Kai was overjoyed, and quickly said: "The humble staff must follow His Highness's call to increase income and reduce expenditure, strictly examine and approve, and save as much as possible."

Chen Qing smiled slightly, and continued: "I have two ideas about open source, one is to sell our salt on Jinghu Road, in fact, it is to seize the salt tax of Jinghu Road, has Counselor Zhao calculated the income? How much is the salt tax?"

Zhao Kai pondered for a moment and said: "The humble official knows that the salt tax collected by the imperial court from the two roads of Jinghu has been very small in the past two years. Two ways, the humble staff estimate that the annual salt tax is at least 150 million guan, which just makes up for the financial gap.”

Chen Qing nodded and said: "Yesterday you said that it is unfair to only levy taxes on Sichuan Road and exempt Shaanxi Road. I was also greatly touched. After thinking about it all night, I decided to continue to exempt Shaanxi Road and Xihe Road. Four years, because this is my promise, but we can increase the salt price appropriately. Except for Sichuan Road, the salt price in other places has been raised to 200 yuan per catty. The commercial tax on silk and porcelain should be restored, so that our fiscal surplus will be at least [-] million per year.”

"Understood, let's go back and write a detailed memorial, and submit it to the Internal Affairs Hall for discussion."

Chen Qing also knew that this was not a matter for him and Zhao Kai to decide, and he had to convince other people. Zhou Kuan did not need to worry. Zhou Kuan also came from a financial background. He always advocated frugality. Throttle, must get his support.

When Zhao Kai went back, Chen Qing walked to the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the white clouds like mountains in the distance, he was thinking about how to persuade Jiang Yanxian, he had to find a suitable time.

……

Back in the mansion in the afternoon, Zhao Yingluo rushed out at the gate of Qifeng Pavilion, and threw her head into his arms. Chen Qing put his arms around her shoulders, and smiled softly, "If you want to protect your baby, you can't run like this!"

"Doctor Liu said the problem is not serious!"

She raised her head, her bright eyes showed infinite joy, "Guardian, I'm going to have a baby too!"

"Hmm! Do you want a young man or a young lady?"

"I like them all!" Zhao Yingluo was overjoyed, with a smile on her face.

At this moment, daughter Chen Xue ran out, took Chen Qing's hand and said urgently: "Father, if you talk about it tonight, I'm going to die of anxiety!"

Chen Qing picked up his three-year-old baby girl, tapped her nose and smiled, "What are you in a hurry for?"

"Sparkling! It's a big box."

Chen Qing was startled, and then suddenly realized that the treasury should have sent the loot. Qualify for two or three.

The trophies this time were all kinds of treasures seized from Li Jinxiao, Wang Dongyuan, Zhang Jian, three Sichuan tyrants, and the uncle Wei Tong, especially the uncle Wei Tong, who seized tens of thousands of treasures from his house.

As a tribute to King Yong, the Treasury Department will naturally dedicate the most precious treasures to Chen Qing.

Chen Qing walked in the door with his daughter in his arms, and saw a large family gathered in the lobby on the first floor, discussing around a table.

Chen Qing stepped forward, saw that the lid of the box had not been opened, and said with a smile: "Why don't you open it and have a look, what good things are there?"

Xue'er whispered in her father's ear: "Daddy, they have already opened it, and they closed it again waiting for you to open it."

Everyone laughed, and Chen Qing stepped forward to open the box. Although everyone had already seen it, when the jewels shone again, everyone couldn't help but exclaimed.

On the top is a fist-sized piece of beautiful jade, white as fat, delicate and plump, weighing more than half a catty, and covered with jujube red skin. This is the beautiful jade tribute from the Kingdom of Khotan, and it is all picked up from the river. Seed material, no cracks, no stiffness, no flaws.

Chen Qing smiled and handed the beautiful jade to his wife Lu Xiu, "Take this!"

Lu Xiu pursed her lips and said with a smile: "I saw it too. There are quite a few below. This piece is a bit too big for me. It just fits in my husband's study as a paperweight."

Chen Qing nodded and said with a smile: "Then I'll take this piece, and the rest will follow the old rules, ten pieces per person, and I'll pick a shiny bead for each of my two little ones."

Chen Qing also brought another daughter, Chen Bing, and said with a smile, "Don't be greedy, one is enough for each of you, and Daddy will give it to you when you grow up!"

Chen Bing obediently nodded and agreed, while her sister Chen Xue pouted and nodded aggrievedly.

8 Chapter Ninety New Officials

At the head of the Baqiao Bridge, two men came from the east on thin horses, each followed by an attendant. Both of them were around 27 or [-] years old. They looked like literati at first glance. Perhaps because of the long journey, they both looked a little haggard.

The taller of the two was Wu Fu, a native of Taizhou, a Jinshi in the second year of Shaoxing, and an official secretary of Zhengzi. In the fifth year of Shaoxing, he was dismissed from office for criticizing Qin Hui for traitorous power.

The other is shorter, darker-skinned, named Liu Xuan, who is from the same hometown as Wu Fu, and was a Jinshi in Shaoxing for four years. Because of his poor appearance and poor family background, he has been an alternate official and sat on the bench for four full years.

When Chen Qing led an army of [-] to escort the late emperor to Lin'an, it caused a great shock in the government and the public. Some people criticized Chen Qing for following Dong Zhuo and not being a monarch, but many officials felt that Chen Qing was very courageous and daring.

Not long after Chen Qing withdrew, there was an upsurge in the Lin'an court to go to Sichuan and Shaanxi to seek jobs, mainly with many officials who were unwilling and sitting on the bench.

Wu Fu and Liu Xuan are typical representatives. One of them was dismissed from office and the other was sitting on the bench. They were both suffering and waiting in Lin'an. Back in their hometown, the two of them came to Jingzhao to apply for a job, and after they settled down, they brought their family back.

It was noon the next day, the two were both hungry and thirsty, and saw two or three tea sheds on the side of the road ahead, they couldn't help cheering, and ran faster.

The two of them were cash-strapped, and lived in the cheapest foot shop along the way, and ate at roadside tea sheds. It was Wu Fu's wife who gave out their dowry to support them with two skinny horses and money.

The two sat at the table, and the two attendants sat at the other table. Wu Fu ordered a large bowl of noodles for each of the two attendants, and started to eat them. They didn't care what they ate, as long as they could eat enough.

As for Wu Fu and Liu Xuan, who came from Jinshi after all, they were not that rude, and they didn't eat much. They ordered two dishes, each asking for a bowl of rice.

At this moment, the shopkeeper came over and said with a smile, "You two are from Lin'an?"

Wu Fu asked in surprise, "How does the shopkeeper know?"

"Looking at your appearance, many officials from Lin'an have come to join our lord these days, similar to you."

The shopkeeper put a jug of wine on the table, "I'll give you a jug of wine! It's not sake, but you can drink it."

The two were overjoyed, and stood up to thank them. The shopkeeper took another copy of "Beijing News" and pointed it down, "It's here! Where are you going to report, it's clearly written here."

Wu Fu looked at the newspaper and said, "Can the shopkeeper give us this newspaper?"

"I'll give you pens and paper! You can copy it yourself. I only have this copy of the newspaper. If you take it away, I won't be able to tell others."

"We have pen and paper, thank you!"

Liu Xuan fetched a pen and paper, copied down the address, and returned the newspaper to the shopkeeper.

Wu Fu couldn't help asking again: "Shopkeeper, may I ask if the rent in Jingzhao is expensive? How much does it usually cost to buy a room?"

"rent?"

The shopkeeper laughed and said: "If you are from Jinshi background, you don't need to think about the rent. Once you are hired, you will have an official house. Even if the official position is a little lower, you will at least have a small courtyard. It is said that the smallest is a small courtyard with three rooms. There will be an official residence after being promoted to the fifth rank or above."

"There is such a good thing?"

Wu Fu was surprised and said: "In Lin'an, there is an official residence only if you are above the fifth rank, and you have to rent a house by yourself if you are below the fifth rank."

"That's why our prince criticized the imperial court for not caring about the lives of low-level officials in the newspaper a few days ago. Their salaries are low and they have no place to live. So low-level officials can't live in Lin'an, so they can only come to Sichuan and Shaanxi to seek jobs."

Wu Fu and Liu Xuan knew that there were too many officials who came to Jingzhao, and King Yong put the responsibility on the court!

But having said that, the treatment of low-level officials with positions is not bad. They have salaries and various subsidies, and they have about ten guan a month. No more, only a few meager salaries, more than half of which is spent on renting a house, and the rest is not even enough to eat, and I have to find a job to subsidize the family, otherwise I really can’t survive in Lin’an. Chen Qing criticized the court for not caring about the bottom Officials, in fact, are not wrong.

……

After lunch, the two continued on horseback. In the afternoon, they finally arrived at Jingzhao City. Jingzhao City was rebuilt. The city was tall and strong, and the towers were magnificent. Entering, without interfering with each other, orderly, Lin'an's small city gate is simply incomparable.

After entering the city, there is the East Street. The street is wide, the ground is flat, and the trees are tall and shady. There are various shops on both sides of the street. The crowds are full of people, and it is noisy and lively. Wu Fu and Liu Xuan are stunned. This is just like the capital. The grand scene of Chang'an in the past was nothing more than this!

"Look for it quickly, where is the Jinxian Pavilion?"

They read in the newspaper that the place dedicated to receiving officials from Lin'an who came to apply for jobs was called the Jinxian Hall, which was on the right side of the East Gate, next to the Examination Institute.

"Where!"

Liu Xuan saw it at a glance. It was a beautiful building with a black sign on a white background, with three characters of "Jinxian Hall" written on it.

The two were very excited and urged their horses to gallop up...

The official who received the two was Zhang Yanming, deputy commander of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Judgment Office. Zhang Yanming politely asked the two to sit down and served tea.

Zhang Yanming looked at their resumes and said with a smile: "Yes, both of you are Scholars. I am entrusted by His Royal Highness King Yong, and warmly welcome you both."

Liu Xuan was a little uneasy and said: "I passed the Jinshi examination in Shaoxing for four years, but I have never had the opportunity to become an official. Will it affect me?"

"Mr. Liu, can you tell me why you didn't become an official?"

Liu Xuan sighed and said: "My appearance is not good, my family is poor, and I am unable to manage the officialdom, so every time I have a real shortage, I have no chance."

Zhang Yanming smiled slightly and said: "You see, my appearance is not as good as Mr. Liu's, and I am also a deputy signer of the fifth rank. His Royal Highness King Yong must first have talent, ability, and morality, as long as he is healthy. , Frankly speaking, many Lin'an officials who came here this time are like you, either they came from Bianliang and were not reused, or they passed the Jinshi examination and had no chance to become an official, so don't worry."

Zhang Yanming smiled at Wu Fu again: "His Royal Highness King Yong specifically mentioned a few people, including Mr. Wu. His Highness praised you for your strong character and courage, and you are a good material to be a supervisor."

Wu Fu was surprised and delighted at the same time. His Royal Highness King Yong also mentioned himself. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but he was afraid of affecting the emotions of his companions, so he held back.

Zhang Yanming smiled and said: "You guys stay here first and have a good rest. Board and lodging are free here. In addition, His Royal Highness King Yong also gave each person a travel subsidy of ten taels of silver, because many people borrowed money to come to Jingzhao, and it was not easy."

Liu Xuan was so excited that he almost cheered. He just borrowed [-] taels of money from Wu Fu and worried about how to pay back the money all the way. King Yong actually gave him a subsidy of [-] taels of silver, which happened to be able to be returned to Wu Fu, and there was still [-] taels of money left over. Spending money really warmed his heart.

Zhang Yanming said earnestly: "His Royal Highness King Yong attaches great importance to the virtues of officials. He gives you money, in fact, to pay for your parents, wives and children. It is definitely not for you to waste money, so it is okay to go to a restaurant occasionally, but Remember not to go shopping in brothels and drink flower wine, once the records are discovered by the supervisor, it will seriously affect the official career."