At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. For a family, it's not just about how to make money, but also how to spend it. After all, daily necessities like food, drink, and shelter, the needs of each family member, necessary social interactions, and unexpected expenses all depend on whether your family can be harmonious and stable. Ninety-nine percent of the conflicts in this world are about money, and the rest are about needing more money!

If a small family is like this, then a larger country must consider even more. If any aspect is overlooked or not properly considered, it's not as simple as just escalating conflicts; it could easily lead to clashes, chaos, and even war.

Therefore, this puts the head butler's abilities and skills to the ultimate test.

"The national treasury's reserves are not abundant, but they are not yet at the level you two described!" Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xiao Jing remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic in his words.

"No one wants to encounter a disaster in a region. If the disaster relief is done well, no one will applaud it. On the contrary, people will think that it is something the country must do, since taxes have been paid!"

"Taxes are supposed to be collected from the people and used for the people, but in reality, has the dynasty actually collected all the taxes it should have collected?!"

Xiao Jing, you really dare to speak your mind.

Upon hearing Xiao Jing's words, Liu Chen's expression changed slightly. He truly admired Xiao Jing, having understood the implied meaning behind Qi Sheng and Wen Shao's words.

This is opposition for the sake of opposition.

Why is this? It's all driven by profit.

There's a lot to learn about disaster relief.

In the event of a disaster, it is enough for people to survive, avoid gathering in crowds, and refrain from harboring resentment. After all, this will prevent major chaos in the local area.

Whether to give disaster victims thin porridge or thick porridge depends on the mood of the person in charge of disaster relief.

To go a step further, whether to use old grain or new grain is also a matter of great importance.

New grain is expensive, while old grain is cheap.

Especially old grain mixed in, which is even cheaper.

This is why no one applauded when Xiao Jing said the disaster relief was done well.

Because with genuine disaster relief, if you just put a little thought into it and make the disaster victims suffer, you can make a fortune.

"What does Lord Xiao mean by this?"

Qi Sheng narrowed his eyes and stared at Xiao Jing, saying, "In front of His Majesty and in front of important officials in the court, Lord Xiao, you mentioned the tax shortfall. Is there something you're implying?"

You old scoundrel!

Before Xiao Jing could even react to Qi Sheng's pointed words, Chu Hui couldn't hold back any longer, because Qi Sheng's words had a hidden meaning.

What does this imply?

Isn't it still the third generation?

But who is it primarily targeting?

She's not the Empress Dowager yet!

Because of the turmoil of the past three years, many major decisions were made by the Empress Dowager, including additional taxes and levies. Without these measures, the national treasury simply could not sustain itself.

This inevitably leads to a significant amount of bad debt in the central government's finances.

Only now did Chu Hui understand why his elder brother, after achieving some success, did not choose to press his advantage but instead chose to temporarily halt the attack.

Because once you do something, you'll get caught up in endless wrangling, which can cause even bigger problems.

"I have no ulterior motives; I am merely stating an objective fact." Under these circumstances, Xiao Jing stared calmly at Qi Sheng.

"If even these words cannot be spoken by me, as the Minister of Revenue, in front of His Majesty and the important officials of the court, then I do not understand one thing."

"Understand what?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Hui looked at Xiao Jing and said.

"I don't understand what the purpose of the Ministry of Revenue was!"

Xiao Jing said firmly.

"you!!"

Qi Sheng stared at Xiao Jing with a grim expression.

"well said!"

As soon as Xiao Jing finished speaking, Xu Chu said, "If the national treasury were to collect all the taxes that could be levied, then the Empress Dowager would not have decreed the additional levies in the first place. Do you, Qi Sheng, not understand this simple principle?"

Qi Sheng looked at Xu Chu in disbelief.

Many of the officials gathered in the hall also showed expressions of surprise.

"The additional taxes and levies were merely a temporary measure."

Xu Chu, on the other hand, said coldly, "This is a temporary measure taken to resolve the turbulent situation in the country and prevent greater chaos from arising."

"Your Majesty abolished additional levies and reduced taxes to alleviate the burden on the people. If you hadn't done this, do you think other problems wouldn't have arisen in the areas affected by the disasters?"

At this point, Xu Chu's cold eyes swept towards Wen Shao.

This glance made Wen Shao avert his gaze.

It's really strange that Xu Chu would actually speak up for Xiao Jing.

This scene caused Chu Hui and Liu Chen to stare at Xu Chu with surprise and suspicion. Even if these words should have been said, they shouldn't have come from Xu Chu's mouth.

After all, Xiao Jing's appointment as Minister of Revenue had a significant impact on the central government's power structure. Crucially, Chen Jian's arrest dealt a heavy blow to Xu Chu.

Even if we don't mention their power, we can't ignore their reputation.

'Politicians truly have hearts of iron.'

Chu Ling noticed the subtle changes in Chu Hui and Liu Chen. Then, Chu Ling's gaze settled on Xu Chu. He appeared outwardly unchanged, but inwardly he was filled with emotion.

Xu Chu didn't have such a kind heart.

If that were truly the case, then back when the imperial edict for selecting consorts for the two palaces was first issued and the grand court was held, Xu Chu chose to abandon Xu Zhen and instead obey the edict of Linghua Palace.

This incident was a significant blow to Xu Zhen.

During the wedding preparations, in order to achieve certain goals, he chose to make the decision to divorce his wife, even if it would cause Xu Yun to be questioned.

Xu Chu's heart was unusually cold.

"Is three million enough for disaster relief?"

Under these circumstances, Chu Ling leaned forward, ignoring Xu Chu, and instead looked at Xiao Jing.

"Your Majesty, it's not enough."

Xiao Jing raised his hand in a gesture of respect.

"In other words, even if the central government allocates three million, it cannot guarantee local stability?"

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes."

Xiao Jing replied truthfully: "This is also why I advised that ministers be selected from the central government to go to various places for disaster relief. Only in this way can I ensure that every penny of the disaster relief funds allocated from the national treasury is used for disaster relief."

“But the memorial you submitted, the list of ministers you recommended, mostly consisted of officials from the Ministry of Revenue.” Chu Ling picked up the memorial and looked at Xiao Jing with a smile.

"Aren't you afraid that people will say that you, Xiao Jing, are trying to take advantage of this disaster to build up your own faction and make a fortune off the national crisis?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed.

Chu Hui looked at Xiao Jing with even greater astonishment.

That matches up!!

These words, ironically, pulled Xiao Jing out of the vortex.

"Disaster relief involves the allocation of money and food the most."

Xiao Jing remained expressionless, maintaining his bowing posture, and said, "And within the central government, no official knows these things better than the Ministry of Revenue."

"As the Minister of Revenue, I should consider how to resolve the disaster relief efforts as quickly as possible, ensuring the safety and well-being of the affected people while minimizing unnecessary expenditures in the national treasury."

"In the end, it all comes down to money."

Chu Ling shook his head with a wry smile, "If the national treasury were truly full, none of this would have happened."

Chu Ling's pointed words caused some people to lower their heads.

No one expected the emperor to be so calm, so calm that even when he heard some pointed remarks, he did not show any anger.

Chu Ling wouldn't do something like impotent rage.

If yelling can solve problems, if getting angry can solve problems, then Chu Ling might as well do nothing and just keep doing it.

"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion that may alleviate the worries of the national treasury."

Hearing that familiar voice, Chu Ling's lips curled up slightly as he looked at Liu Chen walking out of the crowd. Some people's surprised and suspicious gazes were all on Chu Ling's eyes.

This includes Xiao Jing!

He hadn't expected that Liu Chen would step forward in this atmosphere.

"Since the Six Doors were uncovered for smuggling, and especially since this case has implicated many others, I've been pondering one thing: is it really beneficial for the stability of the nation if the country unilaterally abolishes border customs duties?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Liu Chen organized his thoughts and said calmly, "If it is only a superficial ban, but in reality the customs still exist in private, then what is the purpose of the dynasty in abolishing border customs?"

"What does Uncle mean by this?"

As soon as Liu Chen finished speaking, Chu Hui looked puzzled and said, "Could it be that Uncle wants to petition the Emperor to reopen the border trade? But that seems like a distant solution that can't address the immediate problem."

"Your Highness is wise."

Liu Chen raised his hand and bowed to Chu Hui, "Your Majesty, I only wish to request that Your Majesty reopen the border trade. As for the saying that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, Your Highness is overthinking it."

"In the past, our dynasty abolished border trade because too many people used the name of border trade to recklessly transport contraband to the border, such as iron, grain, and salt, which were in short supply in the north. Our dynasty has a vast territory, so its output is richer than that of other countries. Some people will do anything for profit."

"Your Majesty, I wish to request that you reopen the border trade routes to alleviate the national treasury's worries. However, the reopened border trade routes cannot be the same as before."

"Oh?"

Chu Hui raised an eyebrow and asked, "If it's not like it used to be, then what will it be like?"

"Bidding for border post positions!"

Liu Chen said firmly.

These words caused many people's expressions to change drastically. Only now did they understand what Liu Chen meant: he wanted to control the scale of participation in border trade.

"That's utter nonsense!!"

"The border trade has been shut down for a long time. Do you know how many problems it will cause if we reopen it now?"

"To think that the Prince Consort of Wu'an would even mention bidding for border posts—if word gets out, how will the world view the central government?"

"Your Majesty, this trend must not be allowed to continue!!"

Some people were filled with righteous indignation and began to criticize it.

Liu Chen ignored these criticisms from beginning to end, and even sneered inwardly. These words were useless to the emperor, because it was the emperor who truly wanted to open up the border trade, and even the General Administration of Customs had been established, but they just didn't know it yet!