Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 379 If you can't afford the "Emperor's Choice" dessert, you have no right to call yourself a powerful figure!
In the warm room on the second floor, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, and the smokeless charcoal glowed with a dark red light.

Liu Bian tossed a secret memorial sent by the Imperial Censor into the charcoal brazier, watching the flames suddenly leap up, the paper curling and turning black in the heat, eventually turning into a few specks of ashes. Only then did he slowly raise his eyes and look at Cao Song, who was bowing before the imperial desk.

This Grand Minister of Agriculture has his eye on far more than just the 52 billion taels of silver that was just confiscated.

Although Liu Bian was not as familiar with every large expenditure as Cao Song was with the national treasury's revenue and expenditure, he still had a general idea of ​​the annual surplus.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have summoned the Grand Minister of Agriculture before issuing rewards to the soldiers, nor would he have had the patience to listen to his rambling complaints.

That 5.2 billion yuan was originally intended to be deposited into the national treasury.

But Cao Song continued to complain incessantly, so there was only one reason left.

Liu Bian leaned back against the jade table, his fingertips tapping absently on the imperial desk. His gaze gradually turned cold as he suddenly spoke, "Cao Jugao, could it be... that you've set your sights on my private treasury?"

The moment the words "imperial treasury" were uttered, the air in the warm pavilion seemed to freeze for a moment.

That was the emperor's private property, which included not only Wuzhu coins, but also gold, silver, precious objects, land, mansions and other movable and immovable property. It had always been a forbidden domain for emperors, and even Emperor Xiaowen, who was known for his wisdom and frugality, was no exception.

However, in the hands of a wise ruler, the imperial treasury also served as an emergency reserve for the country, and was usually only used when the country encountered financial difficulties.

Liu Bian frequently drew money from the imperial treasury to supplement national expenditures. For example, the annual rewards for officials, the food expenses of the central army of 6 million coins a year, and the military expenditure of more than one billion coins, as well as the wars in Liangzhou and Bingzhou the year before last, and the suppression of the rebellion in Taishan County, were all supported by the imperial treasury.

Otherwise, the Han Dynasty's finances would have been riddled with problems long ago, so how could we have the situation where taxes have increased instead of decreased after the abolition of exorbitant taxes?
However, the fact that the emperor repeatedly used his private treasury to replenish the national treasury seemed to send Cao Song the wrong political signal.

My selflessness does not mean that my subjects can voluntarily ask for money from the imperial treasury!

Upon hearing that the emperor did not address him by his official title of "Grand Minister of Agriculture" or the honorific title of "Lord Jugao," but instead called him "Cao Jugao," Cao Song froze, abruptly looked up, and met the emperor's sharp gaze.

He naturally realized that the emperor was angry, and his heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly knelt down and said urgently, "How dare I covet the imperial treasury!"

"You already dared!"

Liu Bian snorted coldly, bent down to pick up the vermilion brush that had just fallen to the ground, and threw it away without even looking at it. The few drops of red ink on the tip of the brush were spilled onto Cao Song's black official robe, spreading out a glaring stain.

"Keep your scheming to yourself. Don't interfere in matters that aren't your responsibility, Minister of Agriculture." Liu Bian placed his hands on the imperial desk, leaning slightly forward, emphasizing each word. "Or... do you want to monopolize power? How about I grant you regency authority?"

Cao Song touched his head to the ground to beg for forgiveness, repeatedly saying "I am terrified." The warm pavilion was extremely quiet for a moment, with only the occasional soft crackling of charcoal fire lingering in the air, which only made people feel heavier.

Liu Bian stared at Cao Song, who was prostrate on the ground begging for forgiveness. Although his reprimand was severe, it was not because he was truly furious, but rather to give him a warning.

Cao Song had no ill intentions; he was just overly calculating in terms of finances, but ultimately he was thinking of the court's best interests.

Those who once knew the tricks of corruption best have now become the most effective people in preventing corruption.

To be fair, it was fortunate that the court had such a high-ranking official as Minister of Agriculture; otherwise, the country's financial situation would have been in even worse shape.

However, Cao Song... or rather most rulers in the feudal era, were bound by the constraints of their time when it came to understanding finance, and their understanding remained limited to government treasury savings.

This is understandable, as the Chinese people's tradition of saving dates back to the time of the Yellow Emperor.

Before the enlightenment of the people, our ancestors stored wild fruits and pickled meat and vegetables to survive the harsh winter.

After enlightening the people, the early inhabitants accumulated wealth to purchase land, build houses, and provide for marriage and old age.

Even the poorest people at the bottom of society were used to tightening their belts and saving up a few more five-zhu coins for a rainy day.

"Grand Minister of Agriculture." Liu Bian looked down at Cao Song, who was still prostrate on the ground begging for forgiveness. His tone softened slightly. He picked up a celadon teacup from the table, took a small sip to moisten his throat, and suddenly spoke up, "Do you think that the court's expenditures are truly expenditures that are never to be recouped? Why don't you guess how much net profit the Imperial Treasury made last year?"

Cao Song was still lying on the ground, but he raised his head slightly to meet the emperor's gaze, his face still showing some lingering fear. Liu Bian gave Gao Wang, who was standing to the side, a wink. Gao Wang understood and immediately stepped forward to help Cao Song up, leading him to sit down on the emperor's right side.

Cao Song rubbed his slightly sore and numb legs, calmed himself down, and after thinking for a moment, cautiously asked, "Your Majesty... although I have not seen the report from the Imperial Household Department, based on the commercial taxes paid by the Imperial Household Department, it is approximately... 24 billion coins?"

“It’s 36 billion coins.” Liu Bian shook his head slightly, put down his teacup, and uttered a number that made Cao Song’s eyes light up. He raised the corners of his lips and said, “It’s not that your arithmetic is bad, but that you overestimated the operating costs of the Imperial Household Department.”

"It is so huge?" Cao Song suddenly raised his head, staring blankly at the emperor, his face full of astonishment.

If we also include the Water Balance Money, wouldn't the Shaofu's annual revenue reach 56 billion, almost catching up with the national treasury's taxes!

The income of the Imperial Household Department comes from two areas.

Firstly, there are the various industries operated under the name of the Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household).

Secondly, there was the Shuiheng coin, which was a new coin minted by the Shaofu (Minister of the Imperial Household Department).

During the reign of Emperor Xiaoyuan, the Han Dynasty minted approximately 2.5 billion coins annually.

The amount of coins minted during the Later Han Dynasty was reduced at one point, and the power was even delegated to local authorities, allowing prefectures and kingdoms to mint their own coins, which led to a proliferation of counterfeit coins.

In addition, Wuzhu coins would naturally wear down during use, or be damaged by clipping the edges, becoming "trimmed coins" and other bad coins. The past custom of lavish burials also resulted in a massive amount of coins being buried underground and never seeing the light of day.

Even worse, when the price of bronze artifacts was higher than that of the Wuzhu coin itself, some people melted down coins to cast artifacts in order to make huge profits.

Therefore, the imperial court needed to mint no less than 20 billion coins every year in order to maintain the market circulation of Wuzhu coins.

Starting in the seventh year of the Guanghe era, Liu Bian intended to drive out inferior currency with superior currency, so he increased the issuance of new coins. Under the minting of the Shaofu craftsmen, "Hanxing coins" engraved with the characters "Hanxing" were put into the market in large quantities.

Due to its precise copper content and weight, it has been remarkably effective in driving out inferior currency.

Furthermore, with the increasing prosperity of trade, the annual minting of new coins has recovered to around 25 billion coins.

Now it was Liu Bian's turn to settle the score for Cao Song, and he couldn't help but show a hint of smugness on his face.

Nowadays, officials of the Han Dynasty all regard tea drinking as an elegant pursuit, especially literati and scholars, who highly value its bittersweet taste and its effects of refreshing the mind, invigorating the stomach, and aiding digestion.

In addition to the fried tea that was given to officials as a reward during the annual festivals, Liu Bian promised to supply fried tea in unlimited quantities and invited a group of contemporary Confucian scholars to speak on his behalf.

Zheng Xuan, hailed as the "God of Classics," Xun Shuang, revered by scholars as the "Unparalleled Master Confucian," and Cai Yong, possessing "unparalleled talent"... These towering Confucian scholars all praised the stir-fried tea. Could any scholar possibly refuse to taste it?
Not to mention the Han people of the Central Plains, even the Xianbei people on the grasslands were no different.

Fried tea, which can be preserved for one to two years by sealing it in earthenware jars with wax, was presented as a gift to Xianbei nobles as Cheng Yu traveled among the various Xianbei tribes. The Xianbei nobles gradually discovered that fried tea could relieve greasiness and aid digestion, which was of great benefit to the Xianbei people who usually ate beef and mutton. As a result, the various tribes began to actively send envoys to the Han court to request the purchase of the tea.

Furthermore, the Shaofu (a type of official residence) possessed a unique sugar-making technique, producing icing sugar that was far sweeter than traditional maltose.

The exquisite desserts offered by the various restaurants under the Shaofu (Imperial Household Department) have become essential delicacies for the wealthy and powerful when entertaining guests.

Sweetness is always the most luxurious flavor.

For the powerful and wealthy families, it would be a loss of face if their family banquet did not include desserts made by the Imperial Household Department to entertain their guests.

In order to earn more money from the imperial treasury, Liu Bian went so far as to disregard the dignity of the imperial family and labeled several of the most exquisite desserts as "Imperial Desserts".

This is no longer simply a matter of food; it has become a symbol of status and position.

You drive a Mazda, you're not even qualified to attend this meeting!
If you can't afford the "Emperor's Choice" dessert, you have no right to call yourself a powerful figure!
(2546 words)
(End of this chapter)