Chapter 35: Everyone is willing to endure any hardship for the Emperor!
"Chang Heng, do you know about this?"
Anyone could see the hidden anger in this usually benevolent emperor, and he no longer addressed him as "Chang Qingjia" but called him by his name.
"Your Majesty, I and the Ministry of Works have always been conscientious, thinking only of benefiting the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang and building the little prince's mausoleum well. We have never paid attention to this matter, so it should be nothing!"
Chang Heng was a little confused and frightened. If these two things really happened to him, at least his family would be destroyed and his property would be confiscated.
Although this official was merciful, he was also ruthless when it came to raiding people's homes. Many noble families were raided by him.
His mind was a little confused and he didn't have time to think too much, so he could only distance himself from the Ministry of Works.
Chu Hong looked at Chang Heng, the Minister of Works, the absolute core of the Han faction. This man also gets along well with him. He must be saved!
In front, the Minister of Rites Zheng Jun looked at the people of the Han faction from time to time. It seemed that they were also caught off guard and had no idea of how to rescue them.
However, although Zheng Jun had no idea, he immediately stood up to defend Chang Heng, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has been checked by the cabinet ministers, so there should be nothing wrong with it."
Chu Hong shook his head slightly. Repairing river embankments in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is a specialty of the area. There are many things like repairing river embankments in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The river embankments in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are repaired like this every ten years or so.
As time went by, Zheng Jun probably never thought that the issue of dam construction in Jiangsu and Zhejiang would be dragged out for criticism, so he did not pay much attention to the issue.
From the looks of it, in the original novel, it should be Teacher Han Zhang who lowered his status and personally debated with the Minister of Revenue.
Chu Hong stopped hesitating and took a step forward.
“Your Majesty, I am also from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Some of my elders participated in the construction of the dams in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and I know a little about it.
Jiangsu and Zhejiang are important tax-collecting areas for the imperial court. The river government has detailed accounts of the extra public funds for river repairs. The river supervisors at that time were all sent by His Majesty and the Ministry of Works, so there must be no mistakes. "
Han Zhang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his beloved disciple coming forward, and slowly retracted his foot that had just taken half a step.
With Chang Heng's level, he shouldn't be so panic-stricken. He was really caught off guard by this wave. No one expected that the Minister of Revenue would actually bring up an old account that had already been settled.
In fact, Chang Heng could have dragged people from other factions into the water, but that was a very bad idea and should not be used unless it was absolutely necessary.
"That wouldn't mean spending an extra two million taels out of thin air. What excuse does the tutor have?"
The Minister of Revenue Chen Duan snorted coldly. He didn't think that this new number one scholar could fight with him. Maybe in the future both of them would be people of the same level, but it was obviously not the case at the moment.
"This is a major project that benefits the country and the people. Building dams in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is not the first or second time. In the past, there were cases where the cost was more than three million taels. The construction of dams depends on the extent of flooding. Sometimes the estimate is not necessarily accurate, and we cannot give up halfway through the construction. Exceeding the expenditure is also a common occurrence.
The construction of the dam is a matter of people's livelihood, and the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang all praised it, saying that Your Majesty is a rare benevolent and holy monarch in the world. This shows that the construction of the dam has been a matter of hardship for the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang for a long time, and the construction at that time was exactly what the people wanted.
Since so many cabinet ministers and prime ministers have approved this matter, it means there is no problem."
"What about the little prince's tomb?"
This is the Minister of Justice Zhao Ji, who is also Wang Qinruo’s man.
"The death of the young prince has caused great grief throughout the country. Your Majesty once said that he should be buried with great ceremony. The specifications of the young prince's mausoleum have been discussed for several days and nights in the Ministry of Works. The specifications of his funeral are also higher than those of other princes. The cost of building the young prince's mausoleum is not much different from that of the late emperor. Is there any problem?"
This is the Minister of Rites Zheng Jun, who has finally come to his senses.
The little prince's tomb was indeed more magnificent than that of ordinary princes, but it was inferior in specifications and grade to the emperor's tomb, and it cost more than the emperor's tomb. The Minister of Justice thought he had found a loophole and immediately prepared to refute it.
However, Chu Hong, who had been observing, did not give him this opportunity, "Why? The Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Punishment think that the young prince's construction of the mausoleum has brought our Great Zhou Dynasty to its limit?
A matter that was already settled a few years ago is being brought up again today. The cabinet ministers have drafted the bills, the emperor has approved it, and your majesty has personally visited the little prince. Do you think this is wrong?"
The faces of Minister of Revenue Chen Duan and Minister of Justice Zhao Ji suddenly changed. What a vicious remark!
Their faces turned red almost instantly, and they both wiped the sweat off their foreheads.
Just as the two were about to explain themselves, Chu Hong interrupted them again. An intense voice suddenly became louder for no apparent reason: "The treacherous ministers have come out. One is Chen Duan, and the other is Zhao Ji." The powerful voice echoed throughout the hall, deafening.
For a moment, Chen Duan and Zhao Ji were confused.
Minister of Finance Chen Duan did not bother to find any loopholes in his words; he urgently needed a reason to refute.
"Master of Imperial Tutoring, you took in a second concubine last month, didn't you? The word 'traitor' in this treacherous minister's name is 'traitor'. I am just a wife who has lived through thick and thin together with you. You are so young and indulge in excessive sexual activities."
"Stop rambling!"
Chu Hong shouted loudly, pointing at Chen Duan with righteousness and a look of rage. Who wouldn't praise him as a loyal minister?
Chen Duan's mind was completely confused. He hurriedly refuted from the perspective of taking a concubine just to buy himself some time to think about how to refute.
Now, my mind became completely cloudy and confused.
Chen Duan's mind was in a mess. Zhao Ji was not taken as the main target of attack, but he found a chance to catch his breath.
"It is a fact that the Ministry of Revenue is in deficit. If it weren't for these two deficit issues, the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't have such a big financial problem."
"I knew that your calculations would eventually lead to your Majesty being blamed."
Chu Hong snorted coldly and pointed at the two of them, looking as if it was true.
Not sure if it was Zhao Ji's illusion, but he felt that the man on the throne had a much more anxious look in his eyes. He quickly explained, "What I said was that the Ministry of Works had a deficit of nearly three million taels. I didn't say that a new mausoleum shouldn't be built for the little prince. If you want to kill someone, just do it directly. There's no need to accuse him like this!"
"Zhao Ji, this is the imperial court. No one has accused you of anything! The Ministry of Revenue has raised questions, and the Ministry of Works can explain them clearly. What crime have you committed?"
This was Wang Qinruo. He personally stepped down and hurriedly stopped Chu Hong from interrupting and filled a big hole.
The one who commits the crime is a human being, but the one who condemns is the One on the throne.
"Chu Zifeng, you..."
Zhao Jihua realized that he had been set up, his face changed immediately and he kept silent.
"You must know that although the young prince's mausoleum is of a higher standard than that of other princes, it is still far from the standard of the previous emperor's mausoleum, and yet it costs more. Then, can the Ministry of Works explain why the mausoleum built is inferior to that of the previous emperor even though it cost as much money as the previous emperor's mausoleum?"
Wang Qinruo took action personally.
Speaking of the little prince's tomb, this is a risky move and must succeed.
“As far as I know, the original plan was to use horses and carriages to go to the mountains of Yunnan and Guizhou to cut down century-old trees to build the tomb for the little prince. However, northern Yunnan was full of tall trees, and the large trees could not be transported down the mountain at all.
If they forced people to transport it by horse and carriage, it might not be possible in time. In order to complete the project on time, they took the water route. This cost much more than the budget. In addition, the specifications of the little prince's tomb affected the cost too.
Moreover, Your Majesty has been in power for thirty or forty years. Over the years, our Great Zhou Dynasty has prospered and developed, and the people of the world have earned a lot more money, so the prices of goods in the world have naturally risen a little."
This is Han Zhang. He is wearing a purple robe and jade belt, looking at Wang Qinruo calmly.
When he finished his work later than Wang Qinruo, his demeanor naturally became higher.
Chu Hong was full of righteousness, and looked like he was upholding justice. "It is said that the Ministry of Works at that time worked day and night, and even large ships capsized several times, and several officials died as a result. They worked so hard that they finally completed the little prince's tomb before the agreed time. How hard was it?
Lord Chang is a loyal minister of the highest order, and the Ministry of Works is a group of hardworking people who can endure any hardship for the sake of the Emperor. It is really too much for you to be so aggressive.
We all work for the court, so why is it that whoever does more work suffers more injustice? Why do you always hold on to the extra money you spent?"
Powerful, righteous and passionate!
quiet!
The whole place was silent!
(End of this chapter)