I want to ruin the country

Yining whispered,

"Didn't the over 900 million taels of silver confiscated from Heshen's household go into the imperial treasury? Has all that money been spent?"

Wenqing was happy.

"Your Majesty, it's been over fifty years!"

Yining said awkwardly,

"Nine hundred million taels of silver, that's a huge pile!"

Man Hing Road,

"I have also checked the accounts. Not all of the money went into the treasury. Some of it went to the Ministry of Revenue.

It wasn't that there were more than 900 million taels of gold and silver, but that all the cultural relics, antiques, money shops, shops, land deeds, and house deeds added up to a discounted value of 900 million taels.

Yining said unwillingly,

"That's a lot!"

Wenqing replied,

"It's been over fifty years now, not to mention the expenses, most of those farms, estates and properties have been given away as gifts!

If we didn't have that money, we wouldn't be able to pay the 21 million silver dollars we paid to the foreign devils over the past ten years!"

Yining understood, no wonder, an extra 10 or 20 million taels a year is not a lot for a country!

"Now that you put it that way, I understand. I thought I was a rich man, but I never expected to be a pauper. What am I going to do with no money left for the next few months?"

Man Hing Road,

"Summer grain storage in a few months will ease the situation. If it's still not enough, we'll have to borrow from the Ministry of Revenue!"

Yining Road,

"Will the people feel better now that the summer grain has been stored in the warehouse? Besides, does the Ministry of Revenue have the money?"

Wenqing grinned.

"The Ministry of Revenue is also complaining bitterly. They're tearing down Peter to pay Paul, exchanging today for tomorrow's worries! But no matter what, we can't let the Emperor starve!"

Yining smiled bitterly.

"That's right. It seems they don't dare not lend it! Have they ever paid it back?"

Man Hing Road,

"When the treasury was ample, I supported them a lot. These transactions are just a mess. Even if they don't pay me back, what can they do to me?"

Yining gave a thumbs up.

"You're great! Don't we have any other items in stock?"

Man Hing Road,

"We have other things too. Curry also has some local specialties, silk and other things, but they're not worth much!"

Yining suddenly had an idea.

"Are there no antiques, calligraphy, or paintings?"

"Yes, there are a lot of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, porcelain, etc. in the warehouse. They all look like treasures, but they can't be eaten or drunk!"

Yining's eyes lit up,

"how many?"

"There are so many. The Chongzhen Emperor left behind hundreds of thousands of them. Over the years, there have been quite a few gifts and tributes from officials from all over the country and foreign envoys. They're all in the account books!"

Yining's eyes lit up and he said,

"Isn't that all money?"

Wen Qing said with a sad face,

“They are all rare treasures, priceless, but just sitting in the warehouse is a burden!

We also need someone to take care of it, otherwise if the calligraphy and paintings are eaten by insects, or if the porcelain and bronzeware are damaged or have problems, I will be guilty of a great sin! "

Yining nodded.

"That's a big deal!"

Wenqing asked,

"The Emperor summoned me here to ask about this?"

Yining had a plan in mind and said,

"Let's talk about this later. I'll tell you the third thing!"

Yining handed them a piece of paper and said,

"This is the meal time I changed, and some new rules. Take a look."

Wenqing took it and saw that it was written on it.

Basic work and rest time:

In summer (from Qingming Festival to Mid-Autumn Festival), I get up at six in the morning, wash and exercise, have dinner at seven, and go to work at eight.

I get off work at 11:30 am, have lunch at 12 o'clock, and go back to work at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

We get off work at 5:30 in the afternoon and have dinner at 6 o'clock.

Winter (Mid-Autumn Festival to Qingming Festival of the following year)

I get up at six in the morning, wash and exercise, and have dinner at half past seven.

Work starts at 8 o'clock, get off work at 11:30 in the morning, and dinner is served at 12 o'clock.

I go to work at 1:00 PM, get off work at 5:00 PM, and have dinner at 5:30 PM."

Wenqing had some questions in his mind, but after thinking about it, he decided to ask later and continued reading.

"Breakfast consists of four light dishes, with staple foods including steamed buns, steamed bread, eggs, flatbread, fried dough sticks and various porridges.

There are six dishes for lunch, two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, one sweet dish, one spicy dish and one soup.

Dinner is the same as lunch, six dishes and one soup."

Man Hing Road,

"Your Majesty, why do you want to change the time and reduce the food?"

Yining Road,

"The purpose of changing the time is to have a regular life, and a regular life means you won't get sick.

I reduced the amount of food because I can’t eat that much by myself!"

Wen Qing frowned and said,

"But you are the emperor. Your six dishes are not even as many as some concubines. This is beneath the dignity of the royal family!"

Yining Road,

"I'm so poor, what's the point of wanting respect? One meal from me could feed ordinary people for a year. Such respect is a waste, and wasting is a crime. I don't want it!"

Wenqing still wants to argue,

"emperor……"

Yining said impatiently,

"Why are you talking so much nonsense? I can't even finish six dishes and a soup by myself. It's quite extravagant. Making such a large table of food is just a bargain for those guys in the imperial kitchen."

"cocoa……"

"But what? You can't even wear pants and you're still showing off. It's said that it's for the emperor to eat, but do I eat as much as they do?"

Wenqing was speechless. What the emperor said was true. How much did the emperor eat? The food that was taken away was all eaten by the servants!

Yining said again,

"Emperor Sejong used to have four side dishes for a meal. Why is it not okay for me to have two more dishes than him?

The Concubine and the others have their own little imperial kitchen. I don't care how she eats. Others should be frugal and not feel bad about eating. There's no need to waste food!"

Wen Qing saw that the emperor was determined and could only reply,

"The slave obeys the order!"

Wen Qing asked in confusion,

"Your Majesty, what does this mean for going on and off duty? We already work in three shifts."

Yining Road,

"Let's not talk about those who work in shifts. I'm talking to you, my ministers. Please don't bother me in the middle of the night or at any other time!

When you're at work, you should work; when you're off work, you should play. Everyone has their own things to do. We need to give everyone some private space!"

Su Shun asked,

"Private space, does the Emperor mean that everyone must come to and leave work according to this schedule?"

Yining Road,

"Of course, otherwise what's the point! However, this doesn't apply to ministers who have important matters to report!"

Su Shundao,

"That's good!"

Yining asked again,

"How many people are guarding the palace now?"

Su Shundao,

"Outside, there are the Imperial Guards, Guards, Vanguards, and Firearms Battalions. Inside the palace, there are the Imperial Guards, Vanguards, and Cavalry Battalions under the three banners of the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Guards and the Shanpu Battalion total over 13,000 men."

Wenqing replied,

"There were 125 concubines, imperial concubines, maids-in-waiting, and ... the remaining eunuchs, palace maids, and eunuchs totaling over 6,400."

Yining said to himself, this old emperor has slept with many women!

"More than 100 people need to be served by more than 6,000 people. That's an average of more than 50 people serving one person. How much food will be consumed in a year?

No, except for the Empress Dowager, everything will remain the same, but the rest of the concubines have to reduce the number of people working under them.

Reduce the number of guards by half, and the number of eunuchs and palace maids by 3,000!"