After receiving Meton's guidance, Li Chengqian could not sit still. He ate a little and went straight to the bank of the Village Mo's Village.
"The communication system of the courier station." In the bank, Mister Shen's eyes lit up when he knew the purpose of Li Chengqian's visit.
"Yes, as long as the communication system is completed, it will not only benefit the government but also the people. Please enlighten me, Mister Shen." Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.
"Your Highness, you are too polite. This is a matter of benefiting the people. The Old Man will not shirk his duty." Mister Shen held Li Chengqian and said.
Now that the bank of the Village Mo's Village was on the right track, all kinds of business were carried out in an orderly manner. He had also helped Meton to design the transportation system of the Village Mo's Village. It could be said that once one was mastered, all he needed to do was to expand the country's postal system.
"The earlier the communication, the earlier the travellers can receive the letter from home. Please hurry up, Mister Shen." Li Chengqian requested.
Mister Shen thought for a while and said solemnly, "The Old Man will definitely send the memorial in three days at most."
"Okay, then I will wait for you for three days." Li Chengqian nodded. He could afford to wait for three days.
Soon, the three-day deadline was up.
When Li Chengqian saw Shen Hongcai's memorial in front of his desk, he could not help but feel like he had found a treasure. He immediately lit the lamp and started to study it. He was afraid that when he was questioned by the officials tomorrow, he would have to answer fluently. He did not even realize when he fell asleep.
"Your Highness, it's time to go to the court." Li Chengqian was awakened from his sleep by his personal eunuch. He was still holding the memorial in his hand.
"Go to the court!" Li Chengqian looked at the memorial in his hand and could not help but show a trace of determination. Today, he would let the officials know that he was not at their mercy.
In the Taiji Palace, the officials gathered.
"Your Highness, the autumn tax collection has been completed. This is the specific amount. Your Highness, please take a look!" The Minister of Civil Affairs, Dai Zhou, presented the memorial.
Li Chengqian took a look and saw that the tax had increased significantly compared to previous years. He could not help but nod secretly.
"Your Highness, now that the autumn tax collection has been completed and the treasury is full, the money owed to the various departments should be allocated." Fang Xuanling suggested.
Li Chengqian nodded and said, "As it should be."
The Six Ministers couldn't help but rejoice. Previously, they hadn't collected the Autumn Tax, so they didn't have enough money and owed the Six Ministries a lot of money.
"Reporting to Your Highness, it is now time for corvee labor, and the construction of the brick road is also urgent. In addition, the Imperial Court has long discussed that the Mo family will be building the Wei River Bridge. It needs a lot of money and grain. Your Highness, please use your seal." Zhang Liang, the Minister of Works, rushed to submit a memorial. Every year, during the corvee period, the imperial court would have a large amount of free labor. This was the best time to build brick roads. The imperial court only needed to pay for the bricks, and they would be able to build brick roads endlessly.
The Wei River Bridge was the most important. It was the first large-scale bridge built by the court.
Li Chengqian nodded. The Wei River Bridge was one of the bridges that the court had decided must be built. Once it was completed, it would immediately open up the northern passage to Chang 'an. It could be said that it was of great significance and was a project that must be built.
"Minister Zhang, although the Wei River Bridge is important, it can't be built overnight. I'm afraid we don't need so much money for the time being. The Old Man has the salaries of hundreds of officials to pay. I'm afraid this is the most urgent matter." Gao Shilian, the Minister of Civil Affairs, said loudly.
"Ever since the Ministry of Rites sent people to the Western Regions, this is related to the century-long plan of the Tang dynasty. We can't afford to be careless....." Linghu Defen, the Minister of Rites, was not to be outdone.
"The soldiers must protect the country. The salaries of the soldiers must not be delayed for a moment. The weather is turning cold, and we need to buy winter clothing for the soldiers in the north. That is the most urgent matter." Hou Junji was unwilling to pass on his responsibility.
...
In an instant, the entire court was in chaos. The officials, who usually paid attention to etiquette in front of others, did not care about it at all. They argued until their faces were red, and they were all trying to get more money for their departments.
"I don't need to say more about the benefits of the bridge and the brick roads. I'm sure everyone has seen it with their own eyes. Building a bridge and paving a road will benefit the present and the future. We should support it. However, the Wei River Bridge will take a long time, so we can allocate a portion of it first." Li Chengqian waved his hand.
Zhang Liang immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness is wise!"
Even though the Ministry of Works hadn't received any funding for the Wei River Bridge, it was still a lot more than he had expected. Being able to build an extra section of the road was already a contribution. Thus, he left with satisfaction.
After Li Chengqian allocated the funds to the Ministry of Works, he turned to his granduncle, Gao Shilian, and said, "The prosperity of the Tang dynasty is due to the conscientious work of the officials. Naturally, the salaries of the officials cannot be lacking."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity. This old subject thanks you on behalf of the officials." Gao Shilian retreated with satisfaction after receiving the funds.
"The soldiers who went to the Western Regions to participate in Marquis Bowang's grand project should be greatly rewarded..." Li Chengqian waved his brush and approved the funds of the Ministry of Rites.
Subsequently, the funds of the various departments of the Tang dynasty were approved one by one. Although Li Chengqian did not meet all of their requests, it was a lot more than in previous years. They could not help but feel overjoyed.
However, Dai Zhou, who had been silently calculating the total amount of money and grain, could not help but frown. Now, it seemed that all the officials were satisfied, but the Ministry of Revenue actually spent a lot more money and grain.
"Your Highness, this is the money and grain needed by the courier station of the Tang dynasty. Your Highness, please grant it." Finally, the driver in charge of the courier station stood up and said with joy.
Li Chengqian not only granted most of the funds requested by the various departments, but also gave a lot more than in previous years. This made the driver quite happy and think that this trip would be very smooth.
Hearing this, Li Chengqian's eyes flashed. He took the memorial and read it. He could not help but frown and say, "The courier station needs so much money and grain?"
The driver could not help but smile apologetically and said, "The courier station is responsible for the accommodation of the officials and the feeding of the horses. It is not a small expense. Moreover, four-wheeled carriages are popular nowadays, but most of the courier station are just ordinary carriages. Isn't it against the etiquette of the imperial court? The courier station specially requests the imperial court to purchase a batch of four-wheeled horses for the officials to ride."
If Li Shimin was here, he certainly would not have dared to make such a request. However, now that Li Chengqian was the Crown Prince regent, he had the courage to submit a memorial to the throne to propose it. Moreover, this move would be beneficial to the officials. He believed that he would be able to obtain the support of the officials.
When Li Chengqian heard this, he nodded and said, "If you put it that way, it does make some sense."
The driver immediately beamed with joy and said, "Your Highness, you are wise."
"Minister Dai, how much money and grain is left in the Ministry of Civil Affairs?" Li Chengqian asked.
Dai Zhou stepped out with a wry smile and said, "Now the Tang dynasty needs more and more money. Except for the money and grain allocated by Your Highness, there is not much left in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I am afraid that we are unable to provide the money and grain needed by the courier station."
"Ah!" Suddenly, the whole court was in an uproar. They all looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief.
"How is this possible?" The driver's smile suddenly froze on his face. The funds allocated by the other departments were very abundant, but when it came to him, there was none.
The other ministers all looked strange. Could it be that the extra money allocated to them was the cost of the courier station?
All the officials immediately looked at Li Chengqian, waiting to see how he would deal with the crisis just now.
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