Inside the room, Zhao Zheng slowly opened up the black cloth, revealing the item inside.
It was a bright yellow piece of silk. It looked a little old and should have been around for quite some time.
There were some words on the silk. Zhao Zheng slowly unfolded it. It was written in an upright script that he had never seen before. Just by looking at the handwriting, he could tell that the person who wrote on the silk was not an ordinary person.
The words were not on paper, but on the silk. It was really puzzling. However, it also made him pay more attention to the content on the silk.
Zhao Zheng carefully moved the oil lamp on the table closer to him. He looked at the piece of silk with rapt attention.
His face sometimes showed doubt, sometimes he showed a look of understanding. Sometimes he frowned, and sometimes he relaxed. Finally, he slowly stood up and opened the door. He said, "Invite the censors in."
"Your Highness, a few of the officials are already asleep …"
"Wake them all up!" Zhao Zheng waved his hand and said, "Tell them that I have something important to discuss with them."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The guard quickly got up and ran away. Not long after, many of the lights in the relay station that had been out for a long time were lit up again.
"May I know why Your Highness has summoned us so late at night?"
Nearly ten censors rushed over. Some of them didn't even have time to tidy up their robes. They tied up their sleeves and asked.
Zhao Zheng looked at the burnt silk in the bowl on the table. He turned around and said, "For the past few days, I have been working day and night. I have made some improvements to the debit and credit method. I have added and deleted several times to make it more convenient to use. From tomorrow onwards, you will use this new method to investigate."
He handed a piece of paper over to the censor in front of him. After the censor received the paper, he saw the crisscrossed lines of rules and regulations drawn on it. His expression was one of astonishment. After staring at it for a long time, a look of surprise and joy appeared on his face. He looked at Zhao Zheng and praised, "Your Highness is indeed a genius. With this, when we check the accounts, all the items will be clear and concise. It will greatly increase the speed of our work and provide us with great convenience."
Hearing the censor's words, Zhao Zheng nodded slightly. He didn't know where the nameless old man came from. He naturally wouldn't believe what he said. At that time, he only wanted to save his life. There was an element of hypocrisy in it.
But when he saw the first page of the silk, his thoughts immediately changed.
The method recorded on it was exactly the same as the censor's, but it was more detailed. The God of Wealth didn't tell them some of the methods.
It was obvious that the method they used was derived from the old man's. But it was not complete. At this point, he believed most of the old man's words.
After sorting out his thoughts, he couldn't help but feel high-spirited.
A master who was so skilled in martial arts came to visit in the middle of the night just to pass on this wonderful method to him. Among the many princes of the Qi Kingdom, who else had the same treatment as him?
A master was indeed a master. His ability to discern the pearls was something that ordinary people could never hope to achieve in their entire lives.
"Your Highness is brilliant!"
"If this method is really implemented in the future, Your Highness will take credit for it!"
…
When several censors in the crowd were flattering him, Zhao Zheng waved his hand and said, "Other than that, I have another matter to discuss with you."
"Your Highness, please speak your mind. I'm all ears."
Zhao Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Recently, I've been supervising the various prefectures. I've obtained the secret method of borrowing money from Feng Province. I've investigated the accounts of the various prefectures and have made great gains. I've arrested 53 officials. However, the number of corrupt officials among them is different, so we can't punish all of them. Those who have committed minor crimes don't need to be demoted or punished. They can be ordered to pay money to pay for their crimes, and the money will be returned to the national treasury and the palace. What do you think?"
The crowd of censors raised their heads to look at him, and their faces were filled with shock.
Paying for a crime with money was something that had never happened before. It only took a little thought to know that it involved a lot of things, and it couldn't be spoken carelessly.
"Your Highness, I think that this method must not be used." One of the censors thought for a moment and said through gritted teeth, "This method goes against the law and will cause the country's laws to collapse. We must not …"
As censors, they were instinctively sensitive to certain things. They instinctively felt that this was not appropriate.
"I'm afraid that Censor Wei is exaggerating." Zhao Zheng glanced at him and said: "In recent years, the national treasury has been empty, and the inner government is short of money. We can only do what we want now. Although this method has a certain amount of risk, as long as we control it well, it is a wonderful method that can fill up the national treasury. Does Imperial Censor Wei have a better method?"
"I … no." Censor Wei opened his mouth, looked at him, and immediately retreated without saying another word.
The Daqi Kingdom had been at war for many years, and the national treasury had long been overwhelmed. This had been a headache for the Emperor and the court officials, and it had never been solved.
It could be foreseen that if this method was implemented, the national treasury would expand at a terrifying speed, and there would be no more worries about a lack of silver.
Moreover, this method was very suitable for the current situation.
The censors were supervising the prefectures and assessing the officials. Some officials were corrupt, some were ineffective, and some had flaws in their style of work. There would always be some small problems in all aspects, but they were harmless and difficult to measure. If they weren't punished, it would be conniving, and they didn't know how to punish them. If they could all be converted into silver, it would be much more convenient.
However, if this was the case, wouldn't it make some officials fearless, and worsen their corruption?
This was like walking on a steel cable, and below it was a cliff tens of thousands of feet high. If they could safely walk over, they would be greeted with cheers, but if there was the slightest mistake, they would be consigned to eternal damnation, and their bones would be crushed.
Before this, there had never been a dynasty that had implemented such a method. Whether it would be applauded or crushed, they could only try it themselves.
One of the censors thought about it, and a conflicted expression appeared on his face. He stood up and said, "Your Highness …"
Zhao Zheng looked at him coldly and asked, "Censor Shen, do you have any objections?"
Seeing the Great Prince's expression, everyone's heart shook. They knew that this time, the Great Prince had most likely hardened his heart to implement this method.
The problem of the national treasury had always been the Emperor's sore point. If there was a way to solve this problem once and for all, there would be no more worries. Even if they had to pay a small price, they believed that the Emperor would not refuse.
For the Great Prince, this was also a rare opportunity. Once he could personally take charge of this matter, in the future, all the officials in the world would have to act according to his wishes.
On one hand, he could receive the Emperor's attention, and on the other, he could establish his prestige in front of the officials …
If someone disagreed with him on this matter, the outcome would be very tragic.
Censor Shen opened his mouth and swallowed the words he was about to say. He bowed and said, "Your Highness is wise!"
One of the censors asked, "Your Highness, does this method have a name?"
Zhao Zheng thought about it and said, "Let's call it 'Silver for Discussing Crimes'."
…
Inside the room, Li Yi looked at the old bedsheet that was missing a piece and blew out the oil lamp.
Today, he had bought two rolls of cloth. Tomorrow, he would cut out a new bedsheet. The bedsheet was missing a piece, and it looked really awkward …
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