Chapter 875: Private Treasury
Chapter 875 -878: Private Treasury
Since Hua Shunming had passed on the throne, he naturally wanted the best for the new emperor.
“While my health is still good, let’s hold a special imperial examination next year!”
If his health failed him by then, the Emperor would have to observe a state mourning period. Waiting another three years would be too late.
He had already suffered setbacks in this regard in the past and didn’t want the Crown Prince to go through it again.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t hand over all his personnel. It was just that these people had served him for a long time; when switching to a new master, they might not remain fiercely loyal. Sometimes, they might even flaunt their seniority and cause a certain amount of trouble.
By the time he handed everything over to the new emperor, these old officials should step back and let the new emperor’s people take the lead.
“Father…” Hua Zhang, who had been sitting, immediately stood up. These words were truly inauspicious.
Besides, he had just ascended the throne and still needed to rely on the Supreme Emperor’s guidance for many things. At this moment, he wished nothing more than for the Supreme Emperor to live a long life.
Hua Shunming said, “My son, there’s no need to shy away from these topics. Just because people wish us ten thousand years of life doesn’t mean we can truly live forever.
“You have been the Emperor for a while now. This position is not as easy to sit in as others imagine, and you have experienced that deeply.
“I only hope that you can always maintain your true heart and be a good Emperor for the country and the people.
“Handing the empire of the Rong Dynasty over to you can be considered the fulfillment of my mission.
“Don’t come over in the future. If anything comes up later, I will have them report directly to you.
“Keep the people you find useful. As for those you dislike, arrange another path for them.”
Dragging his sick body every day to guide the Emperor, Hua Shunming felt he hadn’t yet enjoyed the peaceful life he desired. It was time for him to retire after a successful reign.
As for the sea trade the Emperor had just mentioned, it was also time to slowly let go of it.
Fortunately, the Emperor still maintained a sense of propriety and hadn’t brought up his private treasury.
Originally, he had been deliberating over what to do with his private treasury, but now he had made a decision.
After the Emperor left, Hua Shunming immediately summoned several ministers to the palace.
When they walked out of the palace gates again, every one of them was still in a daze.
It wasn’t as if they didn’t know how strictly the Supreme Emperor had guarded his private treasury in the past.
Even when the National Treasury was empty, they couldn’t dream of taking a single copper coin from his private stash.
Yet this time, the Supreme Emperor had actually asked them to draw up a plan, saying they could report any needs that required Silver.
“Well, Mr. Gu.” Li Laifu immediately turned his gaze to Gu Wenheng. “The National Treasury is empty, so there must be many areas that require Silver!”
Even if they needed Silver Taels, it had to go through the Ministry of Revenue. They might as well push this matter onto the Ministry of Revenue; even if mistakes were made later, the Ministry of Revenue would take the blame.
Gu Wenheng shot him a glance. “My lords, will the various ministries no longer collect Silver Taels through the Ministry of Revenue from now on?
“I presume you all are aware of the rules the Ministry of Revenue just established. If you want to use the National Treasury, you must first present a proper proposal.
“The ones you submitted previously still haven’t met the conditions for approval. You can take this opportunity to take them back and revise them.
“As for the Supreme Emperor, the Ministry of Revenue will only select proposals that meet the standards and absolutely require approval before submitting them to him.”
Everyone understood. If they wanted Silver, they had to use their own brains; the Ministry of Revenue wouldn’t extend a helping hand.
Seeing that they still wanted to speak, Gu Wenheng cupped his hands in salute to the crowd and said, “I still need to return to the Ministry of Revenue to organize some matters. I’ll take my leave first.”
Watching him walk away, Liao Weidong cursed, “What a slippery fellow! The Ministry of Revenue should have been the one to submit these memorials, but he just brushed it all off completely.”
“Mr. Liao,” Yu Ligao reminded him, “your Ministry of Rites applies for the most funds every year. Now that we are approaching the end of the year, who knows how complicated things will get?
“With accounts covering so many uses, if you push everything onto Mr. Gu, is there even a need for the Ministry of Rites to exist?”
Li Laifu lowered his head, trying his best not to laugh out loud. Ever since Liao Weidong became the Minister of Rites, his ego had nearly floated into the clouds.
Look at Mr. Yu, speaking so pleasantly. Yet, Liao Weidong still hadn’t caught the hidden meaning behind his words.
Liao Weidong retorted, “Precisely because the Ministry of Rites has so much to do, Mr. Gu is still holding back the funds I need to be disbursed. It’s truly a bit excessive.
“In the past, he could make excuses about the National Treasury being empty. Now that the Supreme Emperor has offered to use his private treasury, I don’t know where he gets the gall to block it.”
Guarding the National Treasury was one thing, but now Gu Wenheng was even scheming over the Supreme Emperor’s private treasury. He truly didn’t know how to conduct himself.
“Talking to a brick wall is a waste of breath,” Mao Bingyan shook his head. Turning to Yu Ligao, he said, “Mr. Yu, I happen to have some matters I’d like to discuss with you. Let’s walk and talk.”
Yu Ligao glanced sideways at Liao Weidong. “Then let’s head this way, Lord Mao…”
Liao Weidong was left speechless. He wondered what that look of contempt even meant.
Li Laifu and the others also shook their heads and parted ways. Now that they knew Gu Wenheng wouldn’t help, they were better off hurrying back to organize all the backlogged areas that required Silver.
Gu Wenheng gathered all the officials of the Ministry of Revenue and ordered them to dig out all the old accounts accumulated over the years.
Although his subordinates harbored complaints in their hearts, they didn’t dare slacken their hands. They utilized their utmost skills, wanting to put on a good performance in front of Gu Wenheng.
After all, ever since this Mr. Gu took over the Ministry of Revenue, their lazy days had grown further and further away.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to slack off, but rather that they didn’t dare. They never knew which moment of laziness might cost them their entire careers.
Gu Wenheng wouldn’t talk about favors or reason with them like the previous officials. Many people who hadn’t believed the rumors had already suffered under his hand.
Getting promoted to their current positions hadn’t been easy, and they didn’t want to lose their official titles over a momentary lapse in emotion.
Gu Wenheng didn’t care what his subordinates thought. As long as they could properly complete the tasks he assigned, he would give his approval.
However, trying to be overly clever or play tricks on him would only make him reevaluate whether that person was fit to sit in the Ministry of Revenue.
“Master,” Jiang Milie said, waiting until Gu Wenheng set his pen down. “The Second Young Master asked you to return to the Gu Mansion early today. Several of your young nephews will be arriving at the mansion today.”
Gu Wenheng had almost forgotten about this matter. However, he still had so much work on hand that needed to be sorted out as soon as possible. “I’ll be busy here for a while, and I don’t know when I can return to the mansion. Send someone to Tianfu Restaurant to order two tables of vegetarian meals. Have them rest early so they’ll be well-rested for their official duties tomorrow.”
Jiang Milie hastily agreed. Knowing that his master had to finish processing the pile of official documents on his desk today, he naturally didn’t dare to bother him with anything else. He quietly retreated, preparing to have the subordinates handle it.
At that moment, Gu Wenheng looked up and stopped him. “Tell them not to get too excited tonight. Have them rest early. Tomorrow morning, I have some matters to instruct them on.”
He truly couldn’t step away right now; otherwise, Gu Wenheng really would have gone back to properly instruct those foolish boys. Now, he could only set the time for tomorrow morning.
Jiang Milie replied, “Yes.”
At this moment in the Gu Mansion, Gu Ben Can was also directing the servants, organizing the courtyard next to his own.