Marrying the Crown Prince

Li Ziyan retorted in a low voice, "It's not that everyone's salary wasn't paid; it's just a few... a few dozen people from wealthy and powerful families who didn't receive theirs."

Indeed, Zhou Cheng'an and Zhou Bai, one of them was still studying in the Hanlin Academy and his monthly salary was less than one tael, while the other was a seventh-rank lecturer and his monthly salary was three taels of silver.

Even for a minor official like Li Ziyan, his salary was still paid as usual.

Those who did not receive a salary were all officials of the third rank or above.

These officials all have some private property, so they don't have to live frugally because of their salaries.

However, it's been delayed in being released...

"Don't they have any objections?" Zhou Zhou asked.

Actually, what she wanted to ask was, are you sure those people weren't badmouthing you behind your back?

Li Ziyan gets excited when this is mentioned.

He immediately sat up straight, cleared his throat, and then revealed his solution.

“I told them to change the monthly salary to an annual salary, that is, to change it from being paid every month to being paid once a year.”

"Of course, they were initially reluctant. Then I took the opportunity to give them a raise."

"They knew that times were tough and the situation at the front was critical, so they didn't make things too difficult for me."

Zhou Zhou nodded, realizing that Li Ziyan had escaped being verbally abused because of his empty promises.

Look at this cake, it's big and round.

It smells good, it looks good, it tastes good, the only bad thing is that this pancake doesn't exist.

Li Ziyan touched his nose and retorted in a low voice again, "It's not that it doesn't exist; I genuinely wanted to raise their salaries."

"So, with the year-end approaching, does His Majesty have the funds to distribute salaries?"

This……

"If I had, I wouldn't be here worrying so much that my hair has turned white," Li Ziyan sighed, and lay back down on the couch.

Zhou Zhou looked at his full head of jet-black hair and fell silent.

Li Ziyan: "..."

Don't think I can't read your mind.

She reached out and gently massaged Li Ziyan's temples.

Zhou Zhou's hands were warm, and the pressure and speed of her massage were just right. After a few rubs, Li Ziyan's brow relaxed.

She asked, "Although it's true that having a lot of debt is not a problem, a subject's salary cannot be owed indefinitely. Perhaps we could ask those wealthy merchants for some silver?"

Li Ziyan rejected the proposal, saying, "Merchants are driven by profit. If they are not motivated by profit, they will not spend much money if they are only forced by force and power."

“No, no, no, we’re not bandits, of course we can’t force them.” Zhou Zhou shook his head, looking inscrutable. “What we need to do is make them hand it over willingly.”

"Oh?" Li Ziyan became interested and sat up from the couch again.

Zhou Zhou couldn't help but chuckle at his expression.

"Tell me quickly." Li Ziyan looked at her expectantly, his eyes shining.

"Merchants travel for money, so what can move them is only real and tangible benefits."

"Of course they wouldn't do something that's obviously a waste of time and effort."

Li Ziyan snorted and urged again, "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me your thoughts."

"Alright, alright," Zhou Zhou pouted, somewhat annoyed that he was too hasty, but despite her annoyance, she didn't say anything more. "Although we can't sell official positions, we can try a different approach."

"If we can't give them real power, can't we at least give them other nominal power?"

After donating a certain amount of silver, a red notice would be posted, and official robes and even titles and iron certificates could be bestowed.

If you could spend tens of thousands of taels of silver to buy a marquisate or something, those rich guys would probably be scrambling to donate it.

As for the imperial edict, once it is enshrined in the ancestral hall, it means that when future generations offer incense to their ancestors, they will definitely be the first to do so.

No, no, no, the family tree must have a separate page for myself.

This temptation is fatal for merchants who believe in gods.

It should be noted that the number of iron certificates issued was extremely limited, and only founding fathers could possess them. They not only served as proof of promotion and ennoblement, but also had the effect of exempting one from crimes and death.

Of course, the final interpretation of the imperial edict rested with the emperor.

After listening to Zhou Zhou's words, Li Ziyan suddenly understood, but...

“A noble title is acceptable, but I am willing to grant a certificate of merit, but I fear that those court officials will kneel in droves in front of the ancestral temple and denounce me as a tyrant,” he said.

Zhou Zhou was well aware of the importance of the imperial edict, so she added, "We definitely can't give one to everyone."

"Only those who donate the most, exceeding one million taels of silver, can obtain the title of marquis and be granted a certificate of merit."

"The top three donors will be granted the title of Marquis; the top eight will be granted the title of Earl."

"The bestowed titles are ordinary hereditary titles, not titles that are hereditary indefinitely."

It should be noted that, apart from a few founding fathers, there are virtually no hereditary successions.

Even the title of Marquis of Yongjing is not hereditary. The reason it was not demoted was because Zhou Zhou was the Crown Princess.

As for why Zhou Laoda's title was not demoted when he received it, it was because when Zhou Laotaiye was young, he had taken a sword for Emperor Chenze, and thus he was rewarded with the honor of not having to be demoted.

The next day, when Li Ziyan mentioned this idea in court, the officials were in an uproar.

"Your Majesty, titles are not a trivial matter. They have only donated a few taels of silver; what contribution have they made to the country? How can these titles be bestowed so easily?"

The Minister of Revenue scoffed at these words, "A few taels of stinking money? Doesn't it cost money to fight a war? Doesn't it cost money to relieve disaster victims and stabilize refugees? Doesn't it cost money to comfort the families of soldiers who died on the front lines? If it weren't for these few taels of stinking money, would you be standing here shouting?"

As he finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue wiped away a tear—he hadn't received his due salary for a long time.

"Yes, it's really tough for us to spend money like snowflakes every day."

"The Minister's words, though crude, are not unreasonable. However, isn't this reward a bit too generous?"

"That's true. They can get a title just by paying some silver. What do the soldiers who fight on the front lines but receive no reward think?"

Not to mention the soldiers fighting on the front lines, even the officials who had been working diligently and conscientiously in the court for over a decade couldn't stand it anymore.

Thus, a new round of arguments began.

They argued for three whole mornings before finally settling things down.

Those who donated over ten thousand taels of silver were publicly honored with imperial edicts and robes, demonstrating that officials did not kneel.

Those who donate more than 100,000 are bestowed with peacock-embroidered robes. Although they have no official authority, wearing this robe is as if they were meeting a third-rank minister.

Those who donate over one million and have the highest cumulative donation of materials will be granted the title of Marquis and awarded a certificate of merit; those who have the second highest cumulative donation of materials will be granted the title of Earl; those who have the third highest cumulative donation of materials will be granted the title of Viscount; and those who have the fourth and fifth highest cumulative donations will be granted the title of Baron.

Of course, a note was added at the end—those serving as officials in the court could also participate in this donation.

The capital city was bustling with activity because of the promulgation of this policy; the southwestern frontier, however, presented a completely different scene...